The NFL Draft is upon us this weekend, a near Woodstock-like event unto itself, although this generally happens in your living room.
A quick primer on Draft weekend:
1) Don't believe anything your team says heading into the draft. Sometimes where there's smoke, it's just smoke.
2) Everyone is thrilled to get who they get, since they had that player ranked higher on their board than where they picked him.
3) Jets fans will boo at some point.
So send the wife/girlfriend away for the weekend, pull up a couch and some carbs, and here's how the first round could go on Saturday. Here is what the teams could (or are widely expected) to do and what those teams should do, in one man's opinion. (What did people do before the Internet?!)
1. Houston. Could: Reggie Bush, RB, Southern Cal. Should: Bush. Do Texans, who already have Domanick Davis, really need a running back? No, they have other pressing needs, especially on the offensive line, but some are calling Bush the next Barry Sanders or Gale Sayers.
2. New Orleans. Could: Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State. Should: Trade down and take A. J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State. Saints have a solid defensive line as is. Hawk has been compared to a better version of another former Buckeye linebacker, Chris Spielman.
3. Tennessee. Could: Matt Leinart, QB, Southern Cal. Should: Leinart.
Question is, will Titans get a chance at him? Jets could leapfrog Tennessee into Saints' spot and steal the former Heisman Trophy winner away. If that happens, Titans should grab Texas QB Vince Young, sit him a year or two behind Billy Volek, and then reap the rewards.
4. N.Y. Jets. Could: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia. Should: Trade up with Saints and get Matt Leinart. Think Leinart might be a star in the Big Apple? He already owns Hollywood and is arguably the fourth-most famous quarterback in America right now, behind Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre. Oh, he's good too. Yeah, Jets have QBs Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey, but one is brittle and one is unproven.
5. Green Bay. Could: A. J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State. Should: Trade down and acquire more picks. Packers have plenty of holes, it seems none of their wide receivers want to play for them, and Brett Favre can't even decide what day it is. If they stay at No.5, look for Pack to take best defensive player available, Hawk or Mario Williams.
6. San Francisco. Could: Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland. Would help speed the maturation of second-year QB Alex Smith (think Niners wish they had waited until this year to draft their franchise QB? Smith would've ranked below Matt Leinart, Vince Young, and Jay Cutler). Should: Davis a good pick, but if A. J. Hawk or Mario Williams are on the board, San Francisco should jump as its defense needs help everywhere.
7. Oakland. Could: Vince Young, QB, Oakland. Should: Young. Raiders are another team that could use multiple picks by trading down (with Dolphins?
Vikings?), but how can Oakland turn down Young here? Oakland seemingly drafted its QB of the future last year in Arizona State's Andrew Walter, but Al Davis loves to make a splash.
8. Buffalo. Could: Broderick Bunkley, DT, FSU. This seems to be the consensus pick for Bills, but this pick is also in play for teams wanting Vince Young or Vandy QB Jay Cutler if they are still there. Should:
Bunkley. He's one of draft's high-risers.
9. Detroit. Could: Knowing Matt Millen, another wide receiver with the first pick. We assume Millen's not that stupid, so figure the best defensive back available, either Texas' Michael Huff or Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams. Should: Lions need to focus on their defensive secondary, so either Huff or Williams works.
10. Arizona. Could: Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt. Kurt Warner just got a three-year deal, but does anyone think he'll last that long? Should: Cards are pretty loaded on offense and Cutler wouldn't help this year, so they need to look to defense and take whichever DB Lions don't: Michael Huff or Jimmy Williams.
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