DannyNoonan
Practice Squad
I read recently (somewhere on-line...cannot remember where) that there are 17-20 blue chip prospects in this draft. If someone can find the link, please help me out. I have also read many places that once we get past the late teens/early 20's, the next 25 or so picks grade out similarly.
Another source seems to agree with this thinking about a tier ending at around the Dolphins' pick. In the Sporting News NFL Draft Preview edition, Dan Pompei wrote that there are two drop-off points in the 1st round. One is after the first 7 players (alphabetically: Fitzgerald, Gallery, Manning, Roethlisberger, Taylor, Roy Williams, Winslow). He then goes on to write "the second major drop-off will come after 20-23 players are chosen, depending on how many surprises occur in the top 20. Teams in the lower half of the first round could try to move up into the teens to secure one of the last premium prospects." (this is in print...I think it is available on-line, but only on a subscriber basis)
If this is true and other NFL teams agree, then we may have more leverage than many thought by sitting at #20. I am unsure who will drop to us, but it seems that if it isn't someone we covet (Andrews, perhaps), then the player certainly could be someone that another team covets and is willing to pay handsomely to hop up a few spots to #20 to draft him.
If the draft flows like Pompei posits, then we could have the choice of:
A) selecting from one or two of the blue chip players that fall to us, or
B) trading down a few spots to a team that really wants one of those players that slides down to #20.
Either way, Saturday at 2 p.m. EST could be more interesting than many thought.
Another source seems to agree with this thinking about a tier ending at around the Dolphins' pick. In the Sporting News NFL Draft Preview edition, Dan Pompei wrote that there are two drop-off points in the 1st round. One is after the first 7 players (alphabetically: Fitzgerald, Gallery, Manning, Roethlisberger, Taylor, Roy Williams, Winslow). He then goes on to write "the second major drop-off will come after 20-23 players are chosen, depending on how many surprises occur in the top 20. Teams in the lower half of the first round could try to move up into the teens to secure one of the last premium prospects." (this is in print...I think it is available on-line, but only on a subscriber basis)
If this is true and other NFL teams agree, then we may have more leverage than many thought by sitting at #20. I am unsure who will drop to us, but it seems that if it isn't someone we covet (Andrews, perhaps), then the player certainly could be someone that another team covets and is willing to pay handsomely to hop up a few spots to #20 to draft him.
If the draft flows like Pompei posits, then we could have the choice of:
A) selecting from one or two of the blue chip players that fall to us, or
B) trading down a few spots to a team that really wants one of those players that slides down to #20.
Either way, Saturday at 2 p.m. EST could be more interesting than many thought.