steelerark gets things started in a very impressive way. By no means are the rest of you guys expected to put this much time and effort into your writeups, but I'm glad we've set the bar high out of the gates. In case you were wondering, the 'ark' in steelerark stands for Arkansas. I personally like the pick, but it will be interesting to see if Mr. Parcells agrees already having Ronnie Brown on the roster. Well done, sir.
With that, the St. Louis Rams and WolfPackSteelersFan are on the clock.
Well, to be honest, I wasn't expecting to draft this early. I was expecting to trade down, but with a no-trade clause it falls to me. With the Dolphins, it's hard for me to decide just how big their need is at each position. The Dolphins' needs are much greater than just one person can fill, with glaring holes on the oline, qb, and reciever position, along with an aging defense. So which way to go?? Well...
QB - Everyone talks so highly of Matt, but the one game that I watched he was fairly flat against Florida State. He showed flashes of good stuff, and did throw over 400 yds, but had a lot of attrocious throws. However, he is the best qb out there in my opinion. We picked up McCown in free agency, but I can't believe that he is the answer at qb.
RB - Well, I have been saying for some time now that just about any team would be crazy to pass on Darren McFadden for the simple fact that he is the kind of player that comes around just once in a long time, the kind of player that can change a team. There have been many AP comparisons, and I do believe that they are warranted. The guy will be a great pro running back, and if I was one of the gms drafting early, would I want to be the guy that passed on him, like the folks that passed Peterson. I know that the Dolphins have Ronnie Brown, but he has not been able to finsih one season yet, and Ricky Williams is a disaster. Also, Darren has great hands, upping his value as a reciever out of the backfield.
WR - IMO, its a need, but not the most pressing. We picked up Wilford via free agency to replace Marty Booker, adding 4 inches and taking away 2 years in age of the other WR probably to start opposite Ginn. After Ginn and Wilford, the depth is pretty thin.
TE - Sean Ryan has arrived via free agency, but he has only started in 4 games in 4 years. David Martin and Justin Peele are also currently on the team.
OL - Smiley comes in at right guard, but are thin at tackle, and Long would be reaaallly nice here.
Defense - Biggest need here is d line, with Taylor's status up in the air. Even if he comes back, his age(34) could still warrant the picking up of the other Long.
So with that, I am really torn. Do I take best player available, and take McFadden? I have seen every one of his home games, the guy is a stud, and there are NO character issues like the media has tried to say. He has no illegitimate children. One fight, at a bar, does not constitute character issues.
This is a tough choice, as for me its down to BPA in McFadden, Jake Long on the Oline and or Chris Long on the Dline. I honestly thought that when I took Miami, that I would be able to trade away the first pick, which is kinda why I chose them, I thought that would be fun. For two years now I have been saying over and over that teams would be foolish to pass on McFadden, especially now with Peterson's success. I believe that he is a huge upgrade from Ronnie Brown, and will instantly help the team. Darren rushed for 1,100+ yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman, 1,600+ yards and 14 TDs as a sophomore and 1,800+ yards and 16 TDs as a junior. He had 10 100-yard efforts as a junior, including a 321-yard performance against South Carolina. He has crazy speed, vision and balance, and he doesn't shy away from hits, getting significant yards after contact.
A 1-15 record last year brings much lower expectations in 2008. The Dolphins are officially in a rebuilding process, with Parcells tossing out the old and bringing in the new. No one man can transfom this team into a playoff contender, so with that, I look to the future. With my first pick, I take Darren McFadden, RB - Arkansas. Let the blasting of my pick begin... :)
But before you do, remind yourself of what he was able to do to defenses in the SEC, hardly the minor leagues of college football.