| Carl Setterlund. 5th May, 2006 - 6:57 am
 Picks:
1st Round: Matt Leinart, QB, USC (10)
2nd Round: Deuce Lutui, OT, USC (41)
3rd Round: Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia (72)
4th Round: Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan (107)
5th Round: Brandon Johnson, OLB, Louisville (142)
6th Round: Jonathan Lewis, DT, Virginia Tech (177)
7th Round: Todd Watkins, WR, BYU (218)
Arizona started out the day with a bang by picking the freefalling Matt Leinart at #10. This was a sensational value pick as the Cardinals are going to end up with a number one overall type player at a fraction of the cost. This franchise has struggles for decades because of the lack of a true, big time quarterback. With the weapons around him, nobody is going to worry if Leinart doesn’t have Vince Young’s running skills.
In the second round, good-guy Deuce Lutui was there and made for a second straight good pick. He’ll bring a certain comfort level for Leinart and on top of that he’s going to be a good player. 6-8 tight end Leonard Pope rounded out a stellar first day, as he like the USC quarterback, was a very good value pick. Production at TE has been a problem and Pope should develop into an above-average starter. Watson in the fourth round was more talented than most of those picked around him, but I don’t like Dennis Green gambling on a guy with problems giving his all. It’s an unnecessary risk for a rebuilding franchise to take.
Brandon Johnson, Jonathan Lewis and Todd Watkins all lack ideal size, but that’s to be expected from late round picks. I like Lewis because of his athleticism but I’m not sure about and WR in Watkins. Dee Webb was still on the board and he fit a need at CB.
Overall, this draft was one of the best I saw this year. Arizona’s first day was outstanding and landing a guy like Leinart to be the face of the franchise will be huge. The Cardinals tailed off a little in the later rounds and didn’t stay true to the course of filling their holes. No safety at all? There were certainly things that could be done to better their grade, but I liked it overall.
Grade: B +
During the entire month of May, RealGM's Carl Setterlund will be providing team-by-team analysis of the 2006 NFL Draft. |
