Playoffs are just a few positions away
by Dave Gardner
Dave Gardner was updating team needs during Day 1. Here he gives of recap of who did the best on Day 1 of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Every team in the draft has needs across the board. The Patriots were the best team in football last season, and they came into the draft with clear needs at linebacker and cornerback. They also have an unproven and inconsistent safety, and their defensive line didn’t produce down the stretch. On offense, their line was manhandled by the Giants in the Super Bowl, they’ve got no one to speak of behind Tom Brady, and they lost key components of their passing attack in tight end Kyle Brady and wide receiver Dante Stallworth.
The real question for every team as they leave the draft is what needs they have addressed so far, and what their most pressing needs are for the remainder of this draft. For the teams like the Patriots or the Colts, they could probably not draft a single player and still make it to the playoffs this season. That’s what makes them different, though: they’re always planning for the future. The question for the rest of the teams out there is if they can get to – or remain in – the playoff field if they add contributors to just a few more positions in the draft.
As draft day went along, we at New Era Scouting were keeping tracks of the picks as they related to our previously posted Team Needs. Some teams like the Packers surprised us by taking what we perceived to be secondary needs, and others seemed to work in concert with our draft needs charts. Here are the teams that addressed their needs the best on the newly curtailed day one:
Miami Dolphins: It’s no surprise that Bill Parcells and G.M. Jeff Ireland put together a great first day of the draft. How they did it wasn’t surprising either. After spending the better part of two months adding choice free agents, they supplemented them perfectly in the draft. They added Jake Long before the draft begin, and unlike last year’s top pick (Jamarcus Russell), he’ll be competing in training camp. They went on to add Phillip Merling at defensive end – where Jason Taylor’s future is uncertain – and Chad Henne to compete with Josh McCown and John Beck and quarterback. They’ll look for more offensive linemen, a linebacker, and a corner tomorrow.
Atlanta Falcons: Thomas Dimitroff also had a good first day on the job. Many presumed that he would do some maneuvering in the draft. After coolly selecting their quarterback of future, Matt Ryan, with the third pick in the draft, he wasted no time in trading back into the first round to select his personal body guard: Southern California left tackle Sam Baker. Curtis Lofton was a nice addition as well with their remaining second round pick. They’ll look for a corner, a defensive tackle, and a safety tomorrow.
Kansas City Chiefs: This was a make or break draft for G.M. Carl Peterson, who was on a seriously hot seat coming into the draft. Pro Football Weekly even reported that he only had a 50-50 shot of being retained after the season. Then he went on to add some power to both the offensive and defensive lines with the best defensive tackle in this draft (or many drafts, for that matter) in Glenn Dorsey and offensive guard/tackle Branden Albert. They made it clear that they’re looking to get more physical with the addition of Brandon Flowers at corner. They’ll look to pick up a guard (or two), a linebacker, and maybe another quarterback on day two.
New York Giants: General manager Jerry Reese is very good at identifying the weaknesses of his team, and he addressed two of their major concerns with his first two picks. The loss of Gibril Wilson to the Raiders led to the pick of game-ready Kenny Phillips at safety, and the question about the depth at corner was answered with USC’s Terrell Thomas, who could factor in at dime or even nickel this season. The Giants still have needs at linebacker, wide receiver, and along the offensive line for the day ahead.
New Orleans Saints: The Saints were just as aggressive on day one of the draft as they were in free agency, with the goal of improving their defense. Although they reportedly wanted to trade up to grab Glenn Dorsey with the second- or third-overall pick, they were unable to, and instead widely jumped in front of Cincinatti to get Sedrick Ellis. They then addressed their every troubling position of corner with Tracy Porter. They will look for a tight end, some offensive line depth, and probably a kicker with their second-day picks.
Other teams nearly made the list as well. Dallas had a great first day of the draft, but they were one of the teams with a lot of flexibility in the draft and fewer pressing needs. The Bucs, as expected, addressed corner and wide receiver with the first two picks, respectively. Many felt like they just got the wrong players at the positions: Mike Jenkins was there when they selected Aqib Talib, and Andre Caldwell was available for the picking when they selected Dexter Jackson.
Now it’s time to see which teams will make up for their first day with a brilliant second day (ahem, Cleveland) and which teams will continue to build upon the success they had in the first day.
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