Draft Musings

Exams prevented Homerism from finishing off the draft preview. For posterity's sake, here are a few more picks, based on the original draft order:

Baltimore--Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State

Tennessee--Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

Arizona--Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

*Obviously, my opinion of Stafford differs significantly from that of the NFL scouts. We're actually not that far off.

I agree that Stafford's "tools" make him an outstanding prospect. Clearly, he has what it takes between the ears to make it in the NFL, too.

But there was just something about Stafford's demeanor while at Georgia that I detested. On the sidelines, do you ever remember seeing him doing anything to fire up his teammates? Heck, do you remember ever even seeing him talking to any of them? Most of the time, I remember him sitting by himself on the bench with his head down.

From a personality standpoint, Homerism gets the impression that Stafford is either a lone wolf or just not personable or aloof or something else. Whatever it is, I really wonder about that ineffable quality of "leadership" when it comes to Stafford. He seemed more interested in winning a game on his own or showing what a great NFL quarterback he'd be. Either way, he just strikes me as a paycheck player.

So why even draft him at all? Well, that talents is tough to pass up. Tennessee just seems like the perfect place for him to get his start. The Titans have a mature veteran under center in Kerry Collins who can show Stafford the ropes. Most importantly, he may be able to teach Stafford how to lead a team.

Vince Young may be a lost cause, but there's still plenty of reason to be hopeful about Stafford. Let him watch Collins for a year and then possibly take over.

*The Raiders dealt a pick in the second round, so Al Davis must understand that trading picks is allowed.

*OK, so all three USC linebackers didn't go in the first round. Does that mean they're not the unit in college football history? I bring this up not to dog the three players, but to point out that it's stupid to judge a college player's career based on where he's drafted. Green Bay got a steal in Clay Matthews, by the way.

*Homerism caught the opening of ESPN's draft coverage during a break in his class today. The opening sequence looked like one of those pump-up-the-jam intros before the NBA Finals, except starring Chris Berman and Mel Kiper in place of Kobe and LeBron. I half-expected Mort to shake-and-bake the cameraman before throwing a no-look alley-oop to Trey Wingo.

*Michael Crabtree is the best prospect in this draft, but that's a horrible situation in San Francisco.