Thoughts as the 2008 NFL Draft Approaches.

One of the greatest days of the year in sports (that does not involve an actual game being played) is quickly approaching. The NFL Draft is not merely an excuse to crack a beer open at noon, or get together with friends and talk pigskin when the regular season is nearly a half year away. It is the epitome of football nerdom. That’s right folks, I’m calling you out. If you thoroughly enjoy sitting through long periods of pick speculation and draft “experts” pontificating over issues that are as predictable as a coin flip, you are no better than a guy who puts on a furry Chewbacca costume and drives his 89 Escort to a Star Wars convention. I know this because I am one of those sick individuals who reads up on all the college players before that glorious Saturday in late April, even though the vast majority of the players entering will end up being complete stiffs. So with this preface out of my way, I will share some scattered thoughts on the NFL draft both as a green-bleeder, and as an obsessive football fan.

First of all let’s get one thing straight: The Eagles should absolutely not take a wide receiver in the first round, heck even the second round. Under the Andy Reid regime, the process has left Philly fans scratching their heads and throwing pizza crust at their televisions. Why draft at a position that in the past has produced the likes of Reggie Brown, Jeremy Bloom, Jason Avant, Freddie Mitchell, Freddie Milons Billy McMullin, Todd Pinkston, Gari Scott, Na Brown and Troy Smith. Of those 10 only 2 could be considered average to good at best. The worst of these drafts proved to be 2001 also know as the Freddie Mitchell fiasco, as Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Chris Chambers, Steve Smith, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were all taken after him. Sure, it’s incredibly tough to predict how talent will translate to the NFL. Still, if you are inept at assessing young talent at one position, why not address it via free agency or trade. Which leads me to my next point: Overvaluing early round picks.

It is unspeakably aggravating to me that teams think that 1^st round draft picks are worth their weight in gold. The logic never made sense to me. Yes you build for the future in the draft, but if you’re on the cusp of a title how about the present? If you are one or two pieces away from a championship why not go out and get those pieces? The Eagles could certainly land Roy Williams from Detroit or Larry Fitzgerald from Arizona if they offered first-rounders for them. But no, let’s instead take a huge risk and draft a guy who is completely unproven and could turn out to be a bust, as three of Reid’s eight 1^st round picks have been. If the team plays to its biggest strengths in the draft—offensive line or defensive back—it’s one thing, but drafting in a position that has proved futile time and time again is a whole other story. With that rant off my chest, I do not think the Birds will draft a receiver in the early rounds. They will most likely go after someone in the secondary or on the O-line, as mentioned before, two positions they have perennially drafted strong in. This still isn’t my favorite scenario this year, but definitely not a bad one by any means.

I am a huge fan of trading the 1^st round pick and d-back Lito Sheppard for Pro Bowl players to make a run in McNabb’s last years as QB. Will they do this? No idea. Does anyone really have any idea until it is pretty much a done deal? Not really. While they make for an interesting read, I won’t bother doing a mock draft because it’s just too unpredictable. I will say that I believe this draft day will be one of the most important drafts of my life as an Eagles fan. How Philly handles their numerous picks and their disgruntled cornerback will be the difference between seeing a parade or not with this current core group of players. The pressure’s on, and hopefully this year on another big NFL stage, the fans won’t end up being the ones vomiting.

Here are some Tuesday games I like as I attempt to get over the .500 mark for the blog picks in 2008. (I promise you I will finish the year better than Bill Simmons of ESPN, but that may not be saying much):

You have to love the beginning of the baseball season. The Blue Jays meet the Orioles as the battle for the best record in the AL East rages on at Camden Yards in Baltimore!! Shaun Marcum is off to a great start in the young ‘08 season, and looks to improve his record against B-more’s journeyman Steve Trachsel. The Jays staff looks strong and their bats aren’t looking bad in the early going. The O’s record is deceiving, and the team will clearly not continue its winning ways.

Blue Jays (-1.5) over ORIOLES

Brewers travel to “Baseball Heaven” in St. Louis, as they face the Cardinals who have come out of the gate hot this year. Dave Bush takes his career 7.61 ERA against the Cards in to face Braden Looper, who is off to a 2-0 start thus far. I’m not convinced that Braden can keep it up, and even is he holds the Brew-Crew to 3-4 runs, the Cardinals offense should make up the extra 6-7.

Brewers/CARDINALS Over 9.5

In the NBA, Charlotte faces off against New Jersey in a completely meaningless game. One of the biggest factors in whether a pro hoops team makes or misses the playoffs is how well they play defense. Unless you are an offensive powerhouse—like Denver—you’re generally going to come up short, or in the Nugs case, get a probable early postseason exit. They 3 best offensive players in this game (Carter, Jefferson and Richardson) pad their stats while taking 70-plus shots, and all 13 people watching this game get to see a plethora of points.

Bobcats/NETS Over 207

Finally in the NHL, I’ll be a homer and take the Flyers to win. After coming off a great performance in Washington to split the series with the Caps, the Fly guys will take this game 4-2.

FLYERS (-1.5) over Capitals

Picking Record: 2-3