Second / Third Rounding with Thor!

Thor Burk, our resident NFL expert, comes off the bench with the best inner-monologue’ing of the NFL Draft in history. Eat your heart out, ESPN or whoever. Night One can be found here.

I got home a little after 5 p.m. and couldn’t see or read anything all day at work, but I assume all the talk was about someone trading with the Rams fort the opportunity to draft McCoy or Clausen.  Doesn’t look like anyone was interested.  I bet $5 McCoy goes before Clausen.
We should be seeing Ben Tate come of the board tonight since he is the best true tailback left.

33 – Rams are on the clock:

They waited all day to draft an OT in Roger Saffold out of Indiana.  He’s a very underrated guy and fills a big need for them on the right side opposite Jason Smith who they drafted last year.

34 – Vikings are on the clock:

They take Chris Cook, the CB out of Virginia.  Kid reminds me of Kareem Jackson; he looks the part but how much do we really know about him?  And did they really need him?  They have Cedric Griffin and Antoine Winfield as starters and couple of solid backups that play in the nickel.  Not really a need here for the Vikes.

35 – Tampa Bay is on the clock:

Need a WR, a CB, and they go DT with Brian Price out of UCLA.  So they just drafted two DTs in Gerald McCoy and this guy when DT wasn’t a huge need.  The kid looks less than inspired to be drafted.  The guys don’t like it. They say they should have gone for some offensive help for Josh Freeman. I agree.  But after this pick, along with taking Taylor in the 3rd last year, and getting McCoy in the 1st this year, they shouldn’t draft another DT for a long damn time.

36 – Chiefs are on the clock:

Kiper is talking Clausen; Weis is the offensive coordinator there.  Don’t see it with all that investment in Cassell.

The pick is Dexter McCluster and he is listed as a RB but he will be a KR and a Percy Harvin type WR.  They have Jamal Charles who is a good back and they got Thomas Jones.  It’s a good pick, but he is not there to be a TB.  Chiefs take two SEC players – they know where the real talent is.

37 – Eagles are on the clock:

The commercial for the Coors Light beer box is making me thirsty.  Abita Pecan Ale will be the choice thanks to my buddy Gus over at his Fine Wine and Beer store.

Taylor Mays? He’s not a good fit for their needs, but he is the best safety left.

Nope, Nate Allen the Safety out of South Florida. Athletic kid and fits that Brian Dawkins mold very well for them.

Nobody is wanting to take a SS yet; a lot of emphasis being put on pass coverage this draft so far.  He is the “Donovan McNabb” pick since he was chosen with the pick they got in the trade.

Sal tells us that they really wanted McCluster, stolen by the Chiefs.

38 – Browns are on the clock:

Not going to be a QB. I think Holmgren is letting the draft come to him.

Safety with T.J. Ward out of Oregon. I LOVE this kid, but I loved him later.  Still, if the Browns really wanted him, they went out and got him.  Kid is a headhunter and plays nasty.  I think he’s almost as good as Eric Berry.

39 – Buccaneers are on the clock after Oakland trades the pick:

Bucs trade up to this pick. The guys seem to think they want a receiver and it would make a load of sense.  Arrelious Benn is going to be the pick, the big WR out of Illinois.  Remember when he was the #1 receiver out of high school?  He chose the Illini and fell into obscurity because a serious lack of QB there.  This is a good pick; if he had played for Ohio State he would be gone a long time ago.  Bucs fans should be very excited about this kid. He will make an immediate impact.

Gruden loves it. He says the kid doesn’t eat red meat though. Never mind, I don’t trust him anymore.  Terrible pick.

40 – Dolphins on the clock:

Marino is making the lightning quick pick here.  He gets booed by the Jets fans.  They draft Koa Misi, OLB out of Utah, and I am scratching my head.  He should step into that spot that was vacated by Jason Taylor.  I would have taken Kindle, but this kid fits the Dolphins 3-4 very well.  But they still need another OLB.

41 – Bills are on the clock:

Bills have shown interest in Jason Campbell, so I think most Auburn fans would breathe a sigh of relief here if they take a QB.

Torell Troup, DT from Central Florida.  There go the Bills with a crazy, out-of-whack pick.  This kid was thought to be a 4th or 5th rounder. The Bills get an odd mix of boos, laughs, and whats? from the crowd.  This kid may have cost Spencer Johnson his job in Buffalo.  Fatboy Cody was still there and would have been a better choice considering the rotation they have there.

42 – Raiders are on the clock:

Let’s see if Oakland decides to ruin a QBs career with this pick.  They won’t, there’s a trade.

42 – Patriots are on the clock:

New England rarely trades up; this should be a good pick.  Ben Tate wishful thinking?

Rob Gronkowski, TE out of Arizona.  He’s a good player, but has very little experience due to his back injury.  He has very few catches in his career – drafting based on potentia.

Herm Edwards is saying McCoy over Clausen; me and coach are on the same page.

43 – Ravens pick is in:

Ray Lewis is making the pick, and he drafts a guy that will line up next to him: Sergio Kindle.  Great value to get him this late; the Ravens probably would have taken him at the end of the first (25) if they couldn’t have traded their pick, they liked him that much.  He should start over Jarrett Johnson on the outside.

44 – Raiders are on the clock:

It’s gotta be offense because the Raiders are pretty solid on D.  They need a few depth players, but in the second you should be looking for a guy that will compete for a starting spot.

They take Lamarr Houston, DT out of Texas.  He’s good pick and it probably means he’s going to play nose.  Kiper doesn’t like it and thinks they should have gone OL.  Maybe they think he can play DE in the 3-4…

45 – Broncos are on the clock:

And apparently so am I; the wife is on a rampage for me to do things.

Zane Beadles is the pick, OG out of Utah.  He was an OT in college, but Denver plans to bring him inside.  They need some more bodies on the line. A little early for my taste.

46 – Giants are on the clock:

Giants need OL help, a MLB, and DT.  So where will they go?  Could be Cody.

Nope, it’s another DT, Linval Joseph from East Carolina.  He’s a BIG kid (not Cody big) and I thought he fit much better with a 3-4 team, but the Giants will line him up over the Center and let him eat space.  Good run stuffer to help out what was a bad defense for the Giants last year.  Good pick that fills a need.

47 – Cardinals are on the clock:

They need a LB to replace Dansby and Boldin so I’m looking for a WR or LB here.

It’s a LB, Daryl Washington out of TCU.  He’s short so I’m not a big fan.  He played in a small conference where you can get away with some deficiencies like that.  I don’t like the pick and smell disappointment in his future.

48 – Carolina is on the clock:

It’s Clausen. I thought that Campbell could end up in Carolina and that would have been a preferred spot for him.  Kiper and Gruden are going goo goo because they both think Clausen is the best QB available. The kid still has a problem between the ears.  Matt Moore should be the starter next year, but Clausen is clearly the future for the Panthers.

49ers are on the clock with pick 49:

Lucky number for the niners, this should be good.  They need LBs and secondary help.

It’s Taylor Mays and he should come in and take Michael Lewis’ job at SS.  He’ll be a big help in the run game for San Francisco.  You just don’t see safeties like Taylor Mays every draft. Kid has a prototype body.

50 – Chiefs are on the clock:

KC needs LB help, OL help, WR help.

Javier Arena. I guess KR was a need to.  And they may get a tax break for having a person of his height on the team.  Arenas brings scary return skills, and with the lack of depth in KC he should see the field early and often.

51 – Vikings are on the clock:

They trade up to draft Gerhart, a good goal line back.  Some people may be shocked that the Vikings would trade up to take a RB in the second round, but at least he holds on to the football.  No, Ben Tate was not the next HB off the board, but did you really want him going to Minnesota?

52 – Steelers are on the clock:

They need a CB, an OT, a DE

The pick is Jason Worilds, a smaller DE who might play OLB in Pittsburgh.  He had an off year in 2009 and some thought he would go in the 1st round after the 2008 season.  I liked Worilds at the beginning of the CFB season, but this is an odd pick because he won’t crack that starting lineup for years.

53 – Patriots are on the clock:

Needs are at OLB, WR, ILB and they take an OLB in Jermaine Cunningham out of Florida.  It’s early, real early.  Not like the Pats to take someone this far out of their expected draft range.

54 – Bengals are on the clock:

Need a DE, a S, a DT.

I almost forgot about Carlos Dunlap. This guy has top ten talent with a 4th round head.  I think it’s a great value pick if Marvin Lewis can help him keep his head on straight.  He is a big bull, and him sitting out the SEC championship had a lot more to do with Florida’s loss than anyone realizes.

55 – Cowboys are on the clock:

Needs are S and across the OL.

Sean Lee, LB Penn State.  Hmmm.  This was kind of expected, but I think the Cowboys are in for more disappointment at the MLB spot.  Keith Brooking is getting old, Bradie James is fine.  Sean Lee is going to come in and compete with Bobby Carpenter, another disappointment.  We’ll see.

56 – Packers are on the clock:

The Pack need an OLB or an OG here in my opinion.

They take Michael Neal, the DT from Purdue.  Shocking since this wasn’t a need at this point, not to mention they have two very good DTs on their roster already.  They must be planning to move him to DE, otherwise this is a ridiculous pick.

57 – Ravens are on the clock:

Ravens need a CB or a NT here, could it be time for Mt. Cody?

Yes it is, I get one right.  The Ravens get a very good nose tackle that can play 15-17 snaps a game.  He’ll spell an injury plagued Kelly Gregg and give some really nice depth to the Ravens defense.

58 – Patriots are on the clock:

58 – Trade, the Texans are on the clock:

Houston moved up to take Ben Tate!  They needed a true RB to match with Slaton’s speed.  Kiper likes the pick.  I knew we wouldn’t have to wait too long for Ben to go tonight.  He was a productive back in the SEC (despite not fitting the system exactly), he doesn’t have injury concerns, and he tore it up at the combine.  Why wouldn’t he get drafted?  He should be the first and second down guy for the Texans right away.  Slaton will spell him as a change of pace back.  Great spot for Ben to go to where he fits in, and it’s a good offense (#1 passing last year.)

Next Auburn player to go?  Walt McFadden?

59 – Browns are on the clock:

Colt McCoy is who they are talking about, but with the weather a guy like LaFavour would be a better fit.  I thought Tate might go here but the pick is actually Montario Hardesty out of Tennessee.  Tate probably was the pick here and that’s why the Texans traded up to get him.  Jerome Harrison was good in spots but he needs another back to share the load.  Hardesty, like Tate, should be the 1st down starter and split time with Harrison.

60 – Seahawks are on the clock after a trade:

Golden Tate, WR Notre Dame.  They needed a WR pretty badly and Tate is a good player who can return kicks for Seattle.  He’s stocky and strong but not real quick and does not separate well.  I’d like him in the slot for some quick passes.  He should be productive over the middle while TJ Houshmandzadeh stretches the field.

61 – Jets are on the clock:

Jets need some OL help, and some depth at LB, DE, and safety.

Vladimir Ducasse, OG, Umass.  The first small school kid is off the board!  They take an offensive lineman which was no surprise, but Vladimir is an OT and they are looking to play him at guard.  He’s certainly big enough, but why not let him play RT?  Mortensen is telling us he can play any spot on the line.  Big upside, but he’s a project.

62 – Patriots are on the clock

Quick pick and it’s Brandon Spikes, the LB out of Florida.  Good pick. He slid because of his 40 time but the kid is a baller.  Kiper is harping on the speed issue, apparently he ran a 5 second 40!  Despite this he should step in and start beside Jared Mayo in the middle of the NE defense.

63 – Colts are on the clock:

Pat Angerer, ILB out of Iowa, mean name for an okay player.  Don’t really see how he fits in with Indy.  He’s a bigger LB and the Colts tend to lean to speed over size.

64- The World Champion New Orleans Saints are on the clock:

I’d love to see a LB here, but the last few picks were there so that means taking the next best LB here would be a reach.  Only 3 or 4 DE’s have come off the board so far so there could be a big value here in a guy like Everson Griffin.

Nope, they went with another USC guy in Charles Brown, the OT.  They have two good OT’s, but Jammal Brown is coming of a serious injury.  This might mean a move for Jermon Bushrod back to G. Or maybe he’s a guy to push Jon Stinchcomb, the vet RT out of Georgia who just last year began playing like a starter.  They are also worried about Brown’s contract since he only has one year left.  Either way, it’s a lot of good players at the OT spots.

Round 3
65 – Rams are on the clock:

Gotta be a defensive player.  They took care of their big needs on the OL in round 2 and need to address it again before the night is over, but I doubt they ignore the D for much longer.

People are saying the Seahawks and Lions had the best draft so far… what?

Jerome Murphy, CB out of South Florida.  Solid pick who fills a need for them and should start over Quincy Butler.  Good value here, too.

66 – Lions are on the clock:

Need a S, a G, a CB.  They got two big names with their first two picks in Suh and Best and they draft…

Amari Spievey, CB out of Iowa. Hmmm, not fast (4.51), not big (5’10”), could have probably got him in the 4^th, there were several better CBs still out there.

67 – Bucs are on the clock:

Speaking of better corners that where available:
Myron Lewis, the CB out of Vandy, a much better player than the kid the Lions just drafted.  Three straight CBs.

68 – Chiefs are on the clock:

G is a glaring need here.  They have drafted for speed so far this draft, I’d like them to take a big ugly.
Jon Asamoah OG out of Illinois. They had to take him.  This fills a big hole for them

69 – Raiders are on the clock:

Jared Veldheer, OT out of Hillsdale College.  Good pick here; they’re are filling holes.  Out of character for the Raiders to be drafting this smart.

70 – Baltimore is on the clock:

Ed Dickson TE out of Oregon, good pick and it’s right where I thought he would go but this is not a need for the Ravens.  They have Heap who is still a solid player and LJ Smith who was a starter for years in Philly.  Both are older, but both can play, a third string TE here won’t get too much PT if both vets stay on the team.  Kiper likes it.

71 – Philadelphia is on the clock, errr Green Bay is on the clock after a trade:

Pack still need a WR.

Ooooh, Taylor Mays took a shot at Pete Carrol.  He felt that Pete Carroll told him bad info about the draft to purposefully harm him.  Doesn’t make much sense, but the kid is probably pissed his coach took a safety that wasn’t him.  Thomas is a FS vs Mays being a SS so it’s not really a valid issue in my mind.

Pack takes Morgan Burnett, S out of Georgia Tech.  Good player, but they have two good safeties with Atari Bigby and Nick Collins.  Why draft a backup when you have so many other needs?  They now have 3 solid DTs (only need that one for the 3-4) and now they draft another player that they don’t need… saffling.

72 – Bills are on the clock:

Rolling in quickly, the Bills take Alex Carrington, a DE out of Arkansas State.  Don’t know much about him.

73 – Dolphins are on the clock:

John Jerry, OG Ole Miss.  With only 2 Gs currently on the roster they had to address this need today, he should compete with Donald Thomas and may be a starter quick.  Smart pick by the Phins.

74 – Jaguars are on the clock:

D’Anthony Smith DT out of La Tech.  Great pick, this kid is a great athletic DT who we all got to see live in the first game of the season.  He was the only player La Tech had on their defense and he caused a lot of trouble for Auburn despite the fact we double teamed him often.  He should steal playing time from their 1st rounder, Alualu.  Love the player a lot more than the fit.

75 — Bears are on the clock:

Wow, haven’t seen anything from Chicago yet.  Could be G, T, WR, RB, maybe a DE DT or S.

It’s Major Wright, the safety out of Florida.  He should step in right away at FS.  Good, smart choice by the Bears with their first pick.

76 – Giants are on the clock:

And the crowd goes wild, and then they are booing

DB, Chad Jones out of LSU.  He’ll be a safety and he should supplant Michael Johnson at the SS spot.  Not a polished player, but could be a boom player.

77 – Titans are on the clock:

Damian Williams, the WR out of USC and Arkansas.  A solid player who, frankly, is a bit lazy.  Jeff Fisher will need to light a fire under his butt if he wants to get some production out of him.  He rounds off his routes and acts like he doesn’t want it.  He’s a world of talent that has wilted a bit over the last year or so.  The depth chart in Tennessee is pretty weak so he can get some reps early.  He can also return kicks, but could continue the line of disappointing USC WRs.

78 – Panthers are on the clock:

After taking Clausen, what will Carolina do for an encore?

Brandon LaFell Wr from LSU.  Auburn fans are familiar with LaFell, but did they know he ran a 4.6?  People still had him ranked high because he is so big and plays the ball so well, but he had a bad senior year.  Combine those things and it’s no surprise he’s a 3rd round pick.

79 – Chargers are on the clock:

Another team we haven’t heard from in a while, the Chargers need a NT, a RT, and a CB

Donald Butler, LB out of Washington. He should take Stephen Cooper’s starting spot and could eliminate Dontarrious Thomas’s spot on the Depth Chart, DT will have to step it up to have a chance to stay with the team.

80 – Broncos are on the clock:

Still need some OL, an ILB and a traditional TB.

JD Walton, Center from Baylor.  Not the best athlete, but he’s mean.  Will follow in that dirty OL tradition in Denver.

81 – Texans are on the clock:

Texans got a HB, so the next need would be Safety or DT.

DT it is, they draft Earl Mitchell from Texas.  Hometown kid who is not real big.  He will be a backup unless they move to DE opposite Mario Williams.

82 – Steelers are on the clock:

They need a CB, an OT, a DE, and need some work to replace Santonio Holmes.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR out of SMU.  His first paycheck should go to June Jones, he put up huge numbers at SMU due to that new offense.  He’s a small quick guy similar to Mike Wallace who is already on their roster, so while it’s a need, the player is a bit puzzling.

83 – Falcons are on the clock:

Falcons need a DE, WR and OL help.

They draft Corey Peters, DT from Kentucky.  We’ve got to be well into the double digits on DTs now.  Peters is a rough-around-the-edges guy who plays like he just moved to the DL.  I had him in the 15th to 20th best DT range so this is early for me.  DT is a need, but this guy doesn’t fill it right away.

84 – Bengals are on the clock:

Bengals take Jordan Shipley, WR from Texas.  The Bengals are slowly having my favorite draft.  Not the fastest guy in the draft but he’s big, agile, and catches everything.  He also returns punts, which is man’s work.

85 – Cleveland is on the clock:

The crowd is chanting McCoy’s name, and it’s Mack Brown to announce the pick.  How did they work that out?

Again, Holmgren is letting the draft come to him.  McCoy goes somewhere that needs him and where he can sit and learn for a year or two.  The Browns get him late in the third where his value is high.  I don’t like small QBs in cold cities, but otherwise it’s a good fit.

86 – Eagles are on the clock:

Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, DE out of Washington.  I don’t like him, he’s a worker but not very gifted athletically.

87 – Broncos on the clock:

Here goes Eric Decker, a big WR (6’3 215) with some injury issues out of Minnesota.  He’ll be a big target for Tebow, or whoever, to throw to.

88 – Cardinals on the clock:

Andre Roberts, WR from the Citadel.  Gruden says he’s a gem and a great punt returner.  He apparently ran the fastest 3-cone short shuttle at the combine.  That means great acceleration, boys and girls.

89 – Patriots are on the clock, but the Panther’s trade in:

They need a DT and a LB lets see where they go, they gave up a 2 next year for this pick.  Pricey.
Armanti Edwards, WR Appalachian State.  Not a big risk here, but the price was high, he’s a small quick guy to go with LaFell.  He could play Wildcat QB, but that fad is over.  He’s the QB who started when they beat Michigan in case everyone forgot.

90 – Patriots are back on the clock:

Taylor Price, WR out of Ohio.  He fills a need, right now it’s Randy Moss and a bunch of other guys up in NE.  He’s fast, real fast.  The Pats did their homework here.  Kiper and the guys gloss it over, but this could be a fantastic pick.

91 – 49ers are on the clock:

Navarro Bowman, OLB Penn State.  Great pick, I am surprised that Bowman is still here.  5th best LB slides to here, good value.  49ers look to be cleaning up the guys who have slipped through the cracks.

92 – Cleveland is back on the clock:

Shawn Lauvao, OG, Arizona State.  He’s not very good in my opinion.  Plus, he’s a guard so, not much to say other than that.

93 – Houston is on the clock:

Andy Reid is saying that Nate Allen (the safety they drafted out of UF) could play QB in a pinch.

Texans could use some help on the defensive line, or at safety.

93 – Chiefs are on the clock after a trade:

Tony Moeaki, TE out of Iowa is the pick.  Aaron Hernandez and Dennis Pitta are both much better than this guy.  Bad choice in my opinion.  They are still hurting from the Tony Gonzalez trade and this won’t help them much.  Kid has a bad injury history as well.  He should get some PT, but don’t be surprised if Leonard Pope and Brad Cottam keep him at the bottom of the depth chart.

94 – Colts are on the clock:

Kevin Thomas, CB out of USC.  Shouldn’t affect Jerraud’s playing time, but they needed some more warm bodies at corner.  Really that’s what they have been doing with their picks, none of the guys they have drafted will start but they all fill those depth needs on defense.

95 – The World Champion New Orleans Saints are on the clock:

How about Ricky Sapp or Eric Norwood?  How about the first Buckeye in Thaddeus Gibson?  Roddrick Muckelroy out of Texas and Dekoda Watson from FSU are both very good players.  Please, give me a frickin LB.

Jimmy Graham, TE out of Miami…
It is a need, but I would have been happier with Pitta if they wanted a TE
Graham is a big kid (6’6 260) and some people had him as the #3 TE this year, I’m just not big on him.  He only played one year of football!  Big upside though.

96 – Cincinnati is on the clock:

Brandon Ghee, CB from Wake Forest.  A fast kid with decent size, some people had him as a top 10 CB in this draft, ahead of several players who have already been drafted.  Once again Cincinnati makes a good pick.

97 – Tennessee is on the clock

Rennie Curran, LB out of Georgia.  A fast productive LB at Georgia that all AU fans are familiar with, Curran has a chance to come in and get some reps right away, especially on special teams.  If he grows up, he’ll be an heir apparent to Keith Bullock.

98 – Falcons are on the clock:

Mike Johnson, OG from Alabama.  A long time (41 games) starter for Alabama.  He’s a good player.

Tomorrow, the teams who filled needs will draft for depth and those who grabbed the best available guys will start filling holes.
Sam Bradford ended up in the worst location of all 4 QBs that were taken.
The Bengals have the best draft so far with TE Jermaine Gresham, DE Carlos Dunlap, WR Jordan Shipley and CB Brandon Ghee.

More tomorrow…

Thor Burk came to Auburn as a young man in 1997 and never left. He’s always loved Bo Jackson, but his true love of Auburn football proper began in the early 90s. In addition to writing a weekly report on Tiger greats in the NFL, he’s a professional BBQ judge (Memphis certified), and all around foodie. Write to him at thor@auburn.edu.