NFL Draft Picks
2006 NFL Draft Picks Preview: Picks 6 thru 10
The San Francisco 49ers are excited about Vernon Davis out of Maryland who they
grabbed with the 6th pick in this year’s draft. At 6’4’’, 253 pounds, Davis has
a great NFL body and is one of the best athletes in this year’s draft. Young and
Bush have received most of the attention in terms of being the most athletic
players coming out in 2006, but Davis might very well be the best. He ran a 4.38
40-yard dash at the combine and has a 42 inch vertical jump. He is a receiving
tight end who should be a great target for Alex Smith for years to come. His
receiving skills remind me of Tony Gonzalez, but he is faster than the Kansas
City Chiefs star and more athletic. Despite Davis’ great NFL body, he will need
to improve his blocking. If he can do that, I think he has a great chance to be
one of the elite tight ends in the game. Great pickup for a team known for
having great receivers.
With the 7th overall selection, Oakland surprised some people by taking Michael
Huff, a talented safety out of Texas. Many experts speculated that Oakland might
take Leinart at number 7, if he slipped that far, hoping for another Kenny
Stabler. But I think they got a better player in Huff who will be able to come
right in and start contributing as a rookie. He is a big defensive back at 6’1’’
and 205 pounds with exceptional sub 4.40 speed. He is a big hitter reminding me
of Bobby Sanders in Indianapolis. It may not be to his liking, but Huff has
experience at the corner position, playing their in the past, and his speed and
size could be a good asset matched up 1 on 1 with some of the game’s best wide
outs. However, if Oakland decides to play him at corner, they will lose some of
his big play making ability.
Donte Whitner probably wasn’t on most peoples top 10 radar, but the Bills
snatched him with the 8th pick. At this stage, Michael Huff is further along as
a safety prospect as Whitner benefited a great deal playing in a great defensive
system at Ohio State in which every player understands their role and rarely is
out of position. I liken the Buckeyes defense to that of the Chicago Bears in
this regard. I’m not sure I agree with this pick as there were better players
still available which could have given the bills bargaining power with several
other teams, but they decided to fill a defensive need. Don’t get me wrong, at
5’ll’’ and 205 pounds, Whitner is built like a ton of bricks and hits like one
too. The thing that gives this kid a great upside in my opinion is that he has a
great attitude and never quits until the whistle is blown. He could be very
effective in some blitz packages for the Bills. Maybe this surprise pick will be
a big surprise in the NFL this season.
This was the year of the linebacker in the Black and Blue division with Green
Bay going with A.J. Hawk and Minnesota grabbing Chad Greenway. I’m a little bit
surprised that Detroit passed up Greenway with this pick and went with Ernie
Sims from Florida State. His numbers don’t even come close to those of Greenway
and Hawk, but he has better speed. He is also undersized in a division with so
many punishing rushers at just 220 pounds. I think he could be excellent in some
delayed blitz packages with his quick burst of speed and great timing, and
perhaps Detroit likes his quickness in pass coverage. Sims has a lot of
potential and the Lions will hope to tap into it.
Experts were calling Matt Leinart the most NFL ready QB in this year’s draft,
and he finally was taken by the Cardinals with the 10th overall selection. He
will make a great understudy to Kurt Warner who, as one of the best in the game
at recognizing blitzes and getting rid of it quickly to a hot route, will be a
great learning tool for Leinart to pick up on the intricacies of one of the
toughest things for a young QB to do. I can see Leinart getting some starts this
season if Arizona decides half way through that the future is now. Also, Warner
has been riddled with injuries the past few years. I love this kids ability to
stay in the pocket and deliver the football with accuracy. His speed and
mobility are major questions, however, those things were also major questions
for Kurt Warner who won a Super Bowl and the league MVP award a couple times.
Arizona should be thrilled to get Leinart this late.
NFL Picks by Jimmy
Boyd
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