The AFC East was a most interesting display of differentiated thinking relative to the importance of the Draft in building/maintaining your team in the NFL. So let’s compare how these four teams chose to address their needs in the 2021 Draft. PATRIOTS The team, and especially ROBERT KRAFT’s checkbook, did the heavy lifting this Spring, but most… Read More »
Let’s get to it. How did teams do in adding talent to their roster thru the 2021 NFL Draft. No grades… you should know by now that I don’t like that concept. However, I would be glad to tell you what I thought teams had, and had not, accomplished for that weekend a month ago. Let’s start with… Read More »
And so we reach the end of the line. The final NFL Division, which this year happens to include the reigning Super Bowl Champion CHIEFS. However, as good as they are, I don’t see them as a clear cut dominant team. The new look Las Vegas RAIDERS under GRUDEN and MAYOCK are coming up fast. The Chargers are… Read More »
The NFC West is blessed by not having any truly QB needy teams. Even the one that gets the most QB scrutiny just happens to have one that led his team to the Super Bowl last season. So in essence, we have an entire division looking to upgrade around their QB, not replace him. Now for something completely… Read More »
As usual in today’s NFL, the biggest question in this division revolves around the QB position. Can Rookie JOE BURROW turn around the recently sinking prospects of the Bengals? Will BAKER MAYFIELD rebound from a sophomore slump season under the new coaching regime of KEVIN STEFANSKI? Will the Ravens continue their reign atop the division under the leadership… Read More »
Lots of things to look at in the NFC North. Things are rather hot for the coldest weather division in the NFL. Are DA BEARS ready to move on from MITCH TRUBISKY? Did the Packers draft AARON RODGERS eventual successor? Have the Lions turned the corner at all? Exercising an NFL record 15 Picks in one draft, did… Read More »
MIKE VRABEL’s Titans are the new team to beat in this division. And after this Draft, the team that could make a big move up might be the COLTS, if only they can measure up at the QB position. So for today, let’s stick to the 2020 Draft efforts within this division. HOUSTON TEXANS This team… Read More »
One name defines the entire Draft process in this division, and of course that name is TOM BRADY. Not only did it dictate much of the Bucs Draft, but likely influenced the thinking of their 3 other division opponents. ATLANTA FALCONS The Falcons had some heavy work to do on their roster even before the… Read More »
The expectation is that we will finally see some shuffling and serious competition in this division. The biggest reason is the divorce between TOM BRADY and BILL BELICHICK. This leaves the Patriots in uncharted waters in this millennium. They have to find their next championship level QB. Good luck on that one. BUFFALO BILLS The… Read More »
Let’s take a quick look at what each NFC East team did, and/or didn’t, get done during the 3 days of the 2020 NFL Draft. DALLAS COWBOYS Ok, let’s put the brakes on the party wagon, or yacht, for a few minutes. Good Ole Boy JERRY was just beside himself with joy, maybe even giddy, when… Read More »
Whether you agree with the players this team selects from year to year or not, you cannot argue that their team is built primarily thru their Drafts, and they have a knack for finding players who fit their schemes. GM JOHN SCHNEIDER also seems to have a knack for wheeling and dealing throughout the process, to end up… Read More »
Let me start with the ominous warning for PANTHER fans, that everything for the present season for this franchise hinges on the medical condition of CAM NEWTON’s right shoulder/arm, and we shall see what we see in the coming month or so. As far as their April work in the Draft, I think it was a better effort… Read More »
The RAMS have been on a roll since their move back to Southern Cal, but despite the success, their Draft efforts are about to take on a whole new level of importance. Their lust for big name players, (which is logical, given that the area they play in craves STAR Power), has put them in a situation where… Read More »
It never seems to fail that the clock ticks on and Training Camps start opening, while yours truly is still plugging along trying to manufacture 32 team Draft reviews. This edition is going to cover multiple teams, in less than detailed pick-by-pick analysis. For those of you who may express anger and frustration if your team is included… Read More »
There are years when BILL BELICHICK seems to all but ignore the NFL Draft process, and then there are others where the entire organization rolls up its collective sleeves and squeezes every ounce of talent that they can from the process. For the second year in a row, the latter was the case in 2019. With names like… Read More »
At first blush when I started the 2019 Draft Reviews, I had the DOLPHINS on my list of ‘don’t bother’ unless time allowed at the end of my time slot, but then I began thinking about them, and in light of the ROSEN Draft time trade, felt that they were worth discussing, albeit briefly. I’ll touch on the… Read More »
There are quite a few folks out in the football world who think the 2019 CHARGERS could be the rulers of the AFC West. All of the other teams in that division seem to be plugging up some major holes in their roster, while the CHARGERS return most of their key players. Most of their Draft Picks were… Read More »
Thanks to the ever flapping mouth of the COWBOYS PR machine, in particular one JERRY JONES/Owner, this team garners as much, or more, media exposure than any other team in pro sports. So it only makes sense that we wrap up the NFC East Draft Reviews with America’s Team, as they have self-proclaimed themselves to be. Their Draft… Read More »
The EAGLES ended up with another draft effort rather short on picks to make. They ended up with only 5 picks in 2018, as well. So when you are picking light, so to speak, it is important to strike for quality. Please note their dead-on Pigskin Paul rank/Pick match up in Round 3. Round 1, Pick 22 ANDRE… Read More »
We have already touched on the GIANTS and their Draft effort, now how about the rest of the NFC East?! I’ll resume this tour with the WASHINGTON REDSKINS, who many feel had a Draft worthy of high praise. Not only did they end up with 10 overall Picks, but in my rating system, they got two of the… Read More »
The PACK started the Draft proceedings with 10 Picks to use, but before the first Round was over, GM BRIAN GUTEKUNST dealt their 2 4th Round Picks to move up in Round 1 for a player they had fallen in luv with during the pre-Draft evaluation process. Most of their selections are ranked lower on my rankings chart,… Read More »
So in keeping with the theme of the NFC North, let’s talk about the VIKINGS, who led the 2019 Draft in quantity of Picks, with 12. But as always, the question that immediately follows is ‘How did they do on the quality of those Picks?’. Here are my opinions on that. Round 1, Pick 18 GARRETT BRADBURY OC … Read More »
Before I start breaking down the Pick by Pick drafting for this team, let us keep in mind that the biggest piece to this draft effort was early last season when the team traded to acquire KHALIL MACK. This move provided the team with its best pass rusher since the RICHARD DENT era. With the chance for a… Read More »
2018 marked the first year of the PATRIOTS connection in DETROIT. Former PATS exec BOB QUINN, now DETROIT’s GM decided that he needed to move his franchise on from two straight years of 9-7 under HC JIM CALDWELL. In came MATT PATRICIA, another ex-PATRIOTS Coach, to move the team onto higher ground. The resultant 6-10 season was wrought… Read More »
Despite the emergence of PATRICK MAHOMES as an elite talent and franchise QB, it was an uneasy off-season for the CHIEFS. Salary Cap issues raised their ugly head, and the team made some major moves to reel in the dollars battle by trading and/or releasing multiple big name players, like JUSTIN HOUSTON and DEE FORD. The team also… Read More »
