Home » NFL Predictions »
2007 NFL
Draft Predictions2007
NFL Draft Busts
With the NFL Draft just days away now, let’s take a look at some teams that
could be making crucial mistakes even in the prospective first 10 players
selected. I can’t entirely fault teams for making these picks as it takes risks
to gain big rewards in many cases. If I were calling the shots for an NFL team,
I would be taking a much more conservative approach.
Sign up TODAY and
get a 50% bonus at BetUS!
The Oakland Raiders get the number one pick in the draft and will take
JaMarcus Russell with no other strong quarterback candidates surfacing through
trade or free agency. This looks like it will be a bust for both Russell and the
Raiders. There is no more difficult task than to be placed under center for the
worst offense in the NFL and asked to turn things around. If Oakland used their
number one pick on Joe Thomas, the talented tackle from Wisconsin, it could
continue to improve its running game which has potential. I think passing up
Calvin Johnson, perhaps the best player in the draft, for Russell could be a
mistake as well. Playing for Oakland could brand Russell as a bust before we
ever really see what this kid could do behind a more solid line.
The questions surrounding Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma’s talented rusher, had to do
with his injury-prone college career. Now, all of the sudden, some great combine
workouts has NFL talent scouts jonesin’ over this guy. There’s no question that
this big, agile, fast, punishing rusher has all the physical tools you would
want in a running back, but he’s been injured much of his college career.
Cleveland will likely grab Peterson with the fourth selection in the draft. For
a team who has already endured a big bust with Tim Couch not all that many years
ago, this seems like an iffy pick. Not just one or two pieces will be enough to
get the Browns into the playoffs. Cleveland may also be better suited to take
Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas.
Here’s one more for you that just might surprise you. Calvin Johnson, Georgia
Tech’s wide receiver highly regarded as the best player in the draft, might
never live up to his potential if he goes number two to the Detroit Lions. The
Lions are thinking of taking Johnson to use in a possible trade with the Tampa
Bay Bucs, but at the end of the day, they could end up keeping him if they don’t
get the right value. Detroit is already a deep receiver team which has wasted
its talent at the position because it hasn’t had a suitable signal caller.
Johnson could dry up and rot in Detroit among the other once top college
receivers who haven’t been able to live up to their hype as Lions. With Randy
Moss’s numbers declining, Johnson could soon be the main attraction in Oakland
if the Raiders were to nab him number one. Seems like he’ll have more room to
grow in the bay and more of a chance to stand out. If Detroit takes Johnson,
hopefully the deal works with Tampa Bay, otherwise the player and the franchise
could suffer.
Updated April 26th, 2007
|
