Frontpage Features

BY WILLIAM MORRISS

Now that the annual TV marathon known as the NFL draft has concluded, lets take a look at some teams who I thought made significant improvements. I’ll also take a look at one team’s draft class that has the potential to be both great and bad.

Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks got great value with their two picks in the first round selecting both Russell Okung and Earl Thomas. Okung was possibly the best left tackle in this draft. He has great size, he's athletic, and he’s proven himself in a top conference, something Pete Carroll seemed to value in this draft. He can step in from Day 1 and replace Walter Jones. Thomas is a great athlete and playmaker at safety. Carroll should let him roam the field where he’ll be most effective. Both of these guys should be mainstays at their positions for years to come. In the 2nd round the Seahawks drafted Golden Tate, who should become a target for Charlie Whitehurst and a good second option behind T.J. Houshmandzadeh. On the last day they got two guys I really like, Kam Chancellor of Virginia Tech and Anthony McCoy from USC. Chancellor loves to hit and should become a very good special teams player at the least and an in the box safety at best. McCoy can both catch and block, something I value in tight ends. Also having him hook up with old coach Carroll should keep him on the straight and narrow, a concern that allowed him to drop this far.

Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay ranked dead last in the NFL last year in rushing defense and took some major steps to address that. With the 3rd overall pick Gerald McCoy, they received a very solid DT who can fill a gaping hole Tampa has in the middle. They then drafted another DT in the 2nd round. In Brian Price they received a first round talent who they can hopefully pair with McCoy for years to come. They addressed another team need by selecting WR Arrelious Benn in the third. He has good size (6’1”) and speed and was productive even without a stable QB situation in college. He’s a weapon that will help Josh Freeman develop at QB. In the 4th round Syracuse WR Mike Williams is a good physical receiver who just needs some guidance from coach Raheem Morris. On the third day the Buc's added depth on their special teams and a punter, another weak spot for this team.

Tennessee Titans
The Titans got a very good player with their first round pick. Derrick Morgan is a pass rushing force when he’s on his game and can also play the run. He really came around his junior year after showing inconsistent productivity before that. I think they reached with their second round pick, Damian Williams, who doesn’t have any one great quality. He has average size to go with average speed, I don’t see any difference between him and the other USC WR’s to come out in recent Years (Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett). However their third round pick, Rennie Curran, was 1st team SEC two years in a row and really anchored the Georgia defense. He should become a starter in the league but will contribute immediately on special teams with good speed for his size. I also like both safeties they selected, Robert Johnson in the 5th round and Myron Rolle in the 6th. Rolle has second day talent and a great work ethic. I expect him to be a steal in the 6th round. Johnson will also contribute for the Titans special teams group and has the potential to eventually replace Chris hope, who will turn 30 this season.

Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were without a first round pick after trading theirs last year for Everette Brown. However they couldn’t have asked for a better scenario as Jimmy Clausen's attitude caused him to tumble down draft boards and right into the lap of the Carolina Panthers with their first pick of the draft (2nd round, 48th overall). I wasn’t excited about him as a 1st round pick, because up until his Junior year he was very interception prone, but as a second round pick to a team with proven playmakers at RB and WR and a solid line, I like it a lot. However the problem that caused him to drop, his attitude, could cause him to fail in the league since he wasn’t thrilled about dropping this far in the first place. Also, being from California, playing in Charlotte probably wasn’t his first choice. However he'll like their 3rd round pick Brandon LaFell. LaFell played at LSU and while he was a very good player against some top notch SEC corners, but he was never a great one. He does have the size, speed, and talent to be a nice complement to Steve Smith.  On the last day they added some intriguing players. Eric Norwood was good in college but probably doesn’t have the size to be good in the NFL, but should contribute on special teams. By picking up Greg Hardy in the 6th they got another boom or bust guy. He has the athleticism to be a pass rushing force as he was his first few years at Ole Miss, but he fell off his Senior year and is thought to have a low motor. Overall their draft has the potential to make the Panthers a top-flight team again or sink them for a few years.