How to make the right pick

The NFL draft each year seems to provide some of the best comedy in all of sports. Teams spend countless hours studying college kids and where they might be "picked", we could really compare this to our neighborhood pickup wiffleball games when we just chose teams - it seams the only difference is actual money is involved. There is comedy from the analyst's who get upset when teams don't pick who they think they should pick. in 1989 just before his excessive hair dying began Mel Kiper responded to the NY Jets picking Freeman McNeil from UCLA "It's obvious to me that the Jets just don't understand what the draft is all about." I can envision him one year being way off and just getting up from that desk and looking around at all those people like Jack Nicholson in a few good men "this is funny, that's what this is. You freakin' people! All you did was weakin' a league today. That's all you did. You put people's lives in danger. Sweet dreams, son."

The NFL fans are hilarious - they pack out Madison square garden in Jerseys, tailgate before hand, get loaded all to see there team do the same thing they saw in gym class, 'we pick carl!'...The loathing that goes on is just, but hilarious. I heard a 49ers fan call in a show last year to comment on Matt Leinhart not being the #1 pick, when asked if the 49ers would have taken him over Alex Smith the year before, the fan said "we would have taken Leinhart with one arm, then taken his other appendage and beaten Alex Smith to death with it!!" Imagine the continual frustration of the Detroit Lions fans. Thats all i look forward to, the reaction on the faces of Lions fans and the look of assurance from Matt Millen after the pick -- it's small smile with a nodding head and a quick eye wink. Honestly, what kind of research are they doing?? It's like all Matt Millen does is watch CFB highlights on sportscenter. "hey Matt, did you see that catch that Michigan State WR made last night?"..."Yeah, what's his name?"...."can't remember, but he seems like a lock"..."yeah, let's check out his ratings on playstation NCAA 2002!!" If the Lions draft Calvin Johnson, It will be like "We usually don't pick up hitchhikers but I'm-a-gonna go with my instinct on this one. Saddle up Partner!"


So what do you do on Draft Day?? By no means am i any kind of an expert - but Luke Evans and I have had long conversations about this. There is somewhat of a strategy about building a team and then adding to one. I think if your team is the cellar (like the Raiders, Lions, Texans) there are do's and don'ts. You HAVE TO take a risk on a QB---sure it can backfire (Jeff George, Joey Harrington, David Carr, Ryan Leaf), but there are so few good QB's - when a possibility is there you just can't stick with an old alcholic/pill-popping/PMS/whiner (that's meant to be a summary of all the QB's on the raiders roster last year). But after that, you have to...you have to...you have to draft a left tackle. There has to be real patience in building teams, sorry Matt - you can't throw the ball if you don't have time to do it. It's almost like Matt Millen keeps buying these "sweet rims" w/o a car to put them on.

What to do: - if a good QB is there and you don't have one, take him - draft a solid OL - if a shutdown CB is available, take him - The first defensive position you have to fill is DL

What not to do: - Never draft a WR in the first round (too many Marques Colston's out there, its too easy to find talent here) - Rarely, very rarely draft a RB (very replacable, all i can think about is the Denver Broncos and how they year in and year out plug in all these no names and run the ball well) - draft a kicker (Al Davis drafted Sebastion Janikowski in the first round - genious) This could go on forever, i think we should just comment on the worst draft picks and the best gambles that we can remember.

Two closing thoughts. Mike Ditka in a Hawaiian shirt with cigar in mouth on draft day 1999 confident in his decision of Ricky Williams (maybe that wasn't a cigar) - and Peter King of Sports Illustrated critiquing the Colts in 1998, "the Colts have made a huge mistake in not taking Ryan Leaf, he is a winner."