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Posted by Mike Florio on May 1, 2009, 11:33 p.m. EDT
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys’ draft was undermined by the delivery in October 2008 of a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick to the Lions for receiver Roy Williams and a seventh-rounder. In the days before the selection process commenced, owner Jerry Jones said that he had no regrets.
But what else would he say? Though this year’s draft pool was regarded as a weak one, Roy Williams has yet to prove he’s a truly dominant wideout.
The only good news regarding the Williams trade was that the price the Cowboys paid made it harder for rivals in New York and Philly to finagle Braylon Edwards and/or Anquan Boldin, since the going rate for a high-end receiver is now a one and a three.
Keep an eye on fourth-round quarterback Stephen McGee from Texas A&M. Sooner or later, Tony Romo will take the fall for the team’s inability to climb the postseason ladder. If McGee can quietly develop under the radar, he could be the answer to the man who was discovered and polished by Bill Parcells.
New York Giants: Some criticize the Giants’ failure to send the 29th overall pick to Cleveland or to Phoenix for Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin, respectively. But if the man they acquired with that selection — receiver Hakeem Nicks — plays like he did in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, they’ll have a dangerous long-term weapon for quarterback Eli Manning at a relatively reasonable contract for the next four or five years.
Third-round wideout Ramses Barden might not have the speed of former game-changer Plaxico Burress, but Barden has the size to provide Manning with an incompletion-or-touchdown target at the back of the end zone.
Running back Andre Brown arrives in the same round (four) that uncovered Brandon Jacobs in 2005. With Derrick Ward gone, they need Brown to turn out the same way.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles wisely moved up two spots, from No. 21 to No. 19, to avoid being leapfrogged by the Giants for receiver Jeremy Maclin. But for the Raiders’ stubborn reliance on speed, Maclin might have been taken at No. 10 by the 49ers — or No. 7 by Oakland.
Running back LeSean McCoy slid into Philly’s lap in round two; with Brian Westbrook one given play away from shattering like frozen spaghetti, McCoy will be counted upon to make an impact sooner than anyone realizes.
Washington Commanders: They tried to trade up to get quarterback Mark Sanchez, and the failure to make the move only makes the relationship with incumbent starter Jason Campbell all the more tenuous.
First-rounder Brian Orakpo could be the next LaVar Arrington . . . or the next Vernon Gholston.
Local product Kevin Barnes joins a crowded house in the secondary, and he’s already trading shots with veteran Fred Smoot.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys’ draft was undermined by the delivery in October 2008 of a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick to the Lions for receiver Roy Williams and a seventh-rounder. In the days before the selection process commenced, owner Jerry Jones said that he had no regrets.
But what else would he say? Though this year’s draft pool was regarded as a weak one, Roy Williams has yet to prove he’s a truly dominant wideout.
The only good news regarding the Williams trade was that the price the Cowboys paid made it harder for rivals in New York and Philly to finagle Braylon Edwards and/or Anquan Boldin, since the going rate for a high-end receiver is now a one and a three.
Keep an eye on fourth-round quarterback Stephen McGee from Texas A&M. Sooner or later, Tony Romo will take the fall for the team’s inability to climb the postseason ladder. If McGee can quietly develop under the radar, he could be the answer to the man who was discovered and polished by Bill Parcells.
New York Giants: Some criticize the Giants’ failure to send the 29th overall pick to Cleveland or to Phoenix for Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin, respectively. But if the man they acquired with that selection — receiver Hakeem Nicks — plays like he did in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, they’ll have a dangerous long-term weapon for quarterback Eli Manning at a relatively reasonable contract for the next four or five years.
Third-round wideout Ramses Barden might not have the speed of former game-changer Plaxico Burress, but Barden has the size to provide Manning with an incompletion-or-touchdown target at the back of the end zone.
Running back Andre Brown arrives in the same round (four) that uncovered Brandon Jacobs in 2005. With Derrick Ward gone, they need Brown to turn out the same way.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles wisely moved up two spots, from No. 21 to No. 19, to avoid being leapfrogged by the Giants for receiver Jeremy Maclin. But for the Raiders’ stubborn reliance on speed, Maclin might have been taken at No. 10 by the 49ers — or No. 7 by Oakland.
Running back LeSean McCoy slid into Philly’s lap in round two; with Brian Westbrook one given play away from shattering like frozen spaghetti, McCoy will be counted upon to make an impact sooner than anyone realizes.
Washington Commanders: They tried to trade up to get quarterback Mark Sanchez, and the failure to make the move only makes the relationship with incumbent starter Jason Campbell all the more tenuous.
First-rounder Brian Orakpo could be the next LaVar Arrington . . . or the next Vernon Gholston.
Local product Kevin Barnes joins a crowded house in the secondary, and he’s already trading shots with veteran Fred Smoot.
