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1999 NFL Draft Review |
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By Vince Regan |
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Can't hit a curveball? Ask Bengal's Akili Smith about backup plans for great athletes. |
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2. Philadelphia, Donovan McNabb, qb, Syracuse. The Philly fans didn't like this one. Superior athlete of the '99 QB class, supposedly learned the West Coast offense under Eagle coach Andy Reid in a week at the Senior Bowl. Some teams were scared that his work in a sprintout/ option system would hurt his development, but obviously Reid went with first-hand knowledge. He should be concerned that his main target has never reached his potential (Charles Johnson), and his second choice has gone way past what scouts expected (Torrance Small). They are a good deep speed/intermediate size tandem though. Duce Staley will break 1,000 yards again with the current group. 3. Cincinnati, Akili Smith, qb, Oregon. Former minor league outfielder got serious about football last summer, broke a shipload of records at Oregon in his only year of starting at the helm, and catapulted his draft stock at the combine. And people thought Duante Culpepper is raw? This pick looks like trouble to me, as Jeff Blake is the incumbent, Bruce Coslet is already looking to get rid of Neil O'Donnell, and Carl Pickens wants out! Akili may want out at the end of his deal too. 4. Indianapolis, Edgerrin James, rb, Miami. They fooled me, did they fool you? The Colts could have traded down and got more picks in my eyes. The ball is his though, and expect him to put up Faulk-like numbers due to their similar abilities in the running an passing games. His fame blew up in the second half of last season as Miami relied on him to carry the offense. 5. New Orleans, Ricky Williams, rb, Texas. God loves Mike Ditka. Methinks Ricky Williams will be quite motivated by his "freefall", but he is on a team that really wanted him, as the Saints traded away their whole draft to get him. Look for 300+ carries from the bedreaded one as he takes his stance behind Billy Joe. 6. St. Louis, Torry Holt, WR, North Carolina State. Issac Bruce must be on the shitlist. His hamstring have been tighter than your mama's shoes for two ears now, so look for this huge and talented (just ask FSU) receiver to have immediate impact beside Ricky Proehl. Holt returns kicks too. This offense has undergone a bigger upgrade than Windows NT as Trent Green is the new QB with Marshall Faulk (if signed) at running back. 7. Washington, Champ Bailey, db, Georgia. How about tradin g down seven spots from 5 with New Orleans, trasding up five spots with Chicago, and getting the guy you wanted anyway? If only everyone responded to pressure on the job as well as Charlie Casserly and Norv Turner. Bailey never got to concentrate on one position at UGA, and the Redskins are committed to grooming Champ to replace their aging CB's. READ THIS - he will not catch a pass from Brad johnson this year! 8. Arizona, David Boston, wr, Ohio State. Three wides for Jake Plummer under the direction of Marc Trestman - look for this offense to keep up with their sterling D in 1999. Boston is another huge WR who will either facilitate the 3-wide set or hedge a bet that Rob Moore could sit out the season as a reaction to his franchise tag. Look at Pick 21 to get a bigger picture. 9. Detroit, Chris Claiborne, lb, Southern California. Repeat after me - VALUE. In a year where there aren't three QB's at the top of the draft, Claiborne is fashionable as a top-five selection. Had more highlight hits than the Backstreet Boys as he can lay the wood on anyone's ass. Should play inside, but is as solid going backwards as forwards. Detroit did a great job in this draft getting quality, not quantity. 10. Baltimore, Chris McAlister, db, Arizona. Will make a nice pair with Duane Starks at the other cornerback spot. He can do it all (return kicks, defend passes, run support) and he does it very quickly at 4.45. But Jermaine Lewis and Corey Harris already perform the return tasks with great aplomb, so McAllister can focus on learning NFL coverage skills. 11. Minnesota (from Washington), Daunte Culpepper, qb, Central Florida. Dennis Green had us all snowed. ESPN reported that Culpepper was third on their chart, ahead of the other quarterbacks. His size is enormous, his arm is formidable, and his size 14W feet are nimble enough to buy time. In the short-term, he has time to learn what to do from Cunningham, and what not to do from Jeff George. Check back on this one in a couple of years. 12. Chicago, Cade McNown, qb, UCLA. Bears traded down, got picks from Washington, and got the guy they wanted anyway. Did the Bears actually prepare this year? In my eyes, he is the QB in this draft most able to step in and lead a team from Day One. All he has to do is be more durable than Erik Kramer. Done. His production, his resume, and his charisma should rescue the Bears from despair, as he will start at least ten games this year. 13. Pittsburgh, Troy Edwards, wr, Louisiana Tech. The only thing small is his physical stature - his mouth is big, and the numbers he produced on the receiving end of Tim Rattay's passes is mind boggling. 1998 stats: First in Division I-A in all-purpose yards (2,784 or 232 per game), receiving yards (1,996), receptions (140) and scoring (344); versus Nebraska, he had a respectable season worth of stats 21-405-3TD. The Steelers hope that he becomes what Andre Hastings was supposed to have been . 14. Kansas City, John Tait, ot, Brigham Young. You would think they would draft a quarterback, no? Tait and LJ Shelton appeared to be the only sure left tackles in the draft, while most of the other college left tackles projected inside or to the right side due to pass blocking technique. Couple this pick with a bargain Mike Cloud in the late second, they may never pass again. Will be a 24-year-old rookie 15. Tampa Bay, Anthony McFarland, dt, LSU. Not a need, but probably the BPA. "Booger" was picked because he terrorized the high-caliber SEC and spent more time in opponent's backfields than the umpire. With Shelton on the board, and the fact that the Bucs didn't select an OT in the draft at all, puts a lot of pressure on the Bucs to make sure that McFarland is productive IMMEDIATELY. TRADES * 5. New Orleans: from Carolina through Washington * 7. Washington: from Chicago * 8. Arizona: from San Diego * 11. Minnesota: from Washington * 12. Chicago: from New Orleans through Washington |
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