dallas cowboys

Quick review time. The Cowboys entered the 2011 NFL Draft with major holes at offensive tackle and safety. They had a need at defensive end, inside linebacker and could use help at cornerback as well as offensive guard. If there was a future stud at defensive tackle, he was worth taking. Those were the perceived needs when analyzing the current roster.

The Cowboys fulfilled the major need at offensive tackle with the top prospect at the position, USC's Tyron Smith. From there though, we caught a glimpse at how the Cowboys brass sees things, and the vision was a lot different than the one a lot of fans had.That's not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes, the confusion is warranted. Only time will tell for this draft class, which is always the case for both positive and negative opinions............

miami dolphins

The long wait is over. Draft Day is finally here! And we will have you covered throughout the three day event. So be sure to check back often for update and join us for our live threads as the 2011 NFL Draft unfolds. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter, where I'll be posting whatever random thoughts strike me as I typically do as well as re-tweeting any important or relevant NFL Draft news from the many respected analysts and reporters.

If you're like me, then you probably feel like a kid on Christmas morning right now. You're laying in bed, anxiously awaiting your opportunity to run down the hall or down the stairs and see what Santa Claus left you. Except today, we are all waiting to see what Santa Ireland leaves us under the NFL Draft tree..........

seattle seahawks

An odd trade led to the Oakland Raiders picking up the 92nd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Where trades are normally made as the team giving it up is on the clock, the Raiders made a trade in advance with the New England Patriots, swapping picks well ahead of time to secure the late-third round pick. And with the pick, the Oakland Raiders selected Joe Barksdale, an offensive tackle from LSU.

Barksdale is the second offensive lineman taken by the Raiders, with the fastest cornerback sandwiched in-between. As much as Al Davis and the Raiders are typically ridiculed, their 2011 draft seems normal, though unspectacular............

seattle seahawks

With the first two picks of the 2011 NFL Draft the Seattle Seahawks have chosen offensive linemen. This in itself isn't much of a story, but taken from a wider view it says quite a lot. The Hawks have decided, as Brandon Adams at 17Power so eloquently put it in his reaction article tonight, to take a road less traveled in today's NFL - one occupied by a run-first offense. The major trend in NFL Champion teams is one characterized by pass-happy, gun slinging quarterbacks putting their respective teams on their backs and leading them to victory. If you looked at it in a statistical fashion you'd conclude that passing a lot is the best way to win a championship. Teams that pass more, win more.

Now let's look at it from a different angle. The NFL has a lot of parity so you see a lot of turnover in the playoffs, but the teams that stay in the playoffs year in and year out have elite talent at QB. What do you do if you have an elite talent at QB? You put the ball in his hands and tell him to win the game. So what happens if you don't have an elite quarterback, like probably 90% of the NFL? You certainly don't try and just pass more despite your obvious disadvantage in the realm of passing, you'd lose the turnover battle badly and get blown out in many games. This may or may not have happened with the Seahawks in 2010.
Here's my point: it's very difficult to find an elite, top tier quarterback. Teams struggle for decades to find that elite talent and putting that piece in place can change the entire landscape of a franchise. Instead, the Seahawks are building a team predicated on running the ball. I pointed out Kansas City's scheme and strategy and it got them to the playoffs last year where they lost to a very, very good team called the Ravens. They got there behind the QB play of Matt Cassel, the most boring Pro-Bowl QB ever. KC isn't done either, they'll be back next year after having a very decent draft so far these last two days. On the other hand, look at Denver. They had an extremely effective and exciting passing game centered around Kyle Orton but lacked anything resembling a rushing attack, and they just so happened to pick 2nd in the draft yesterday.......................

Ryan Mallett

Two youngsters added to a group of old running backs. One potential successor to Tom Brady.

And no pass rushers.

The New England Patriots stuck to their traditional draft strategy on Friday – focusing on their ratings of players and not their positions of need and stocking up on draft choices.

They added picks in the first and second rounds next year in the first two days of the draft. But they didn't address the need for an improved pass rush. They finished 14th in the NFL last year with 36 sacks.

Coach Bill Belichick hopes that can get better with help from outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham, who had one sack as a rookie last year, and others who are still progressing.

ryan mallett

This is the best landing spot for Ryan Mallettbecause he lands in a stable franchise.  Mallett will have the time to mature and learn how to be a true pro.  The Patriots have taken on character concerns with Randy Moss and that worked out well.

Malllett may never start a game but will likely fetch New England a good draft pick trade.  Don't discount how much 1 year without bad press can do for a player.  Mallett will stay out of trouble and be a big trade chip for the Patriots and maybe bring in more than Matt Cassell.  This is kinda like stock trading because they are buying low on Mallett and hoping he brings in more value.....................