In the NFL, the draft is the most subjective weekend of the year. Each team's slab of draft picks spreads hope from locker room to locker room. Everyone on every team claims "they" got the steals of a lifetime, the next wave of saviors.
While not all these picks turn out well, several general managers actually have a name or two to boast about. After being locked away in these personnel pits for weeks with no sunlight or babes, the smoke has cleared, and we can finally take a look at who got good value. Basically, you GMs can stop convincing us that you pulled the wool over the eyes of the NFL world round after round. We get it.
That said, let's take a look at some of the best value picks of the weekend's draft.
Detroit Lions getting Kevin Jones at No. 30: The league was pretty much split on whether Jones or Oregon State's Steven Jackson was the draft's top-rated rusher. Jones is more elusive and faster and an absolute steal for the Lions at the end of the first round.
"Getting Jones at that slot was one of the best values of any picks in the draft," said one NFC GM. "We loved the kid, but we had no need for a back there. The Lions did a tremendous job overall in the draft. They got great value throughout the draft."
Indeed they did. NFL people loved Jones at No. 30, had Roy Williams rated as one of the top overall players and praised Detroit's picks of Oklahoma linebacker Teddy Lehman in Round 2 and McNeese State cornerback Keith Smith at No. 73 overall. Matt Millen and Co. not only got great value but they also satisfied some of the team's most glaring needs.
Bears getting Tommie Harris at No. 14: Heading into the weekend, neither the Bears nor anyone else believed Harris would have much of a chance at dropping to the middle of the first round. Harris is so highly thought of that several personnel men told SportsLine.com they believe the Oklahoma defensive tackle is a better prospect than last year's crown jewel, Dewayne Robertson, who was No. 1 overall on several team's boards in 2003.
"He's very, very disruptive," Texans GM Charley Casserly said of Harris during a phone conversation last week. "His explosion off the line is very good. He's the best three-technique guy in this year's draft."
He was the Bears' top-rated overall defensive lineman.
Saints getting Will Smith at pick No. 18: He was projected as a top 10 selection, and the Saints had him rated 11th on their entire board. The Saints wanted to go defense in the first round and were hoping to get one of the Miami linebackers if they dropped. They never believed the draft's highest-rated pass rusher would be passed over slot after slot.
"Even though it's a position where we already have two guys who can play, we're very excited that he was there for us," said GM Mickey Loomis.
Some teams had him rated inside their top six.
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| Hurricanes giant Vince Wilfork was a draft steal for the Patriots.(AP) |
Tennessee getting Florida TE Ben Troupe at No. 40 in the second round: The Titans got out of the first round but had additional picks at the latter half of Day 1. They did a terrific job bolstering their defensive line after starting the day grabbing first-round talent in Troupe. He was projected to go in the first round on several team's mock drafts and was tabbed as the No. 2 tight end in the draft by several teams. Great pick by Floyd Reese and friends to give the team a legitimate receiving threat to replace Frank Wycheck. He is a physical talent who, if he can mentally pick up the pro game, could be a terror.
Broncos drafting Oklahoma State RB Tatum Bell in the second round: This wasn't so much of a "steal" pick; Bell was not rated with a first-round grade by most teams. But it was terrific value because of the team that drafted him. He fits the Broncos' style very well and immediately gives the team another possible starter and eventual 1,000-yard back. Just the latest in a long line at the 1,000-yard puppy factory.
"The only thing he doesn't have that they really like is he is not a pass catcher," said one personnel director. "As a runner, we like him a lot. He's a north-south, one-cut-get-to-daylight guy with a ton of speed. He's the fastest running back in the draft.
Vikings getting Tulane RB Mewelde Moore late in the fourth: This underrated runner was the sleeper running back on many team's boards. Two teams said they had him rated as a second-round talent. One coach told SportsLine.com that he could have the same type of impact as the Giants' Tiki Barber. He is a viewed as a third-down back, but the running backs coach we talked to said if Barber and Charlie Garner could be full time, so could Moore. He gives the Vikings perhaps the deepest backfield in the NFL. Minnesota got terrific value throughout the draft.
The Giants getting Texas A&M wideout Jamaar Taylor in the sixth round: "He has a knee injury that will probably make him iffy for camp, but he has a heck of an upside," said one NFC GM. "We had him rated as a second-round talent. They may have to sit on him for a year, but that was a great value at that spot. Based just on talent, he's a terrific prospect."
This is exactly the type of player who becomes a late-round steal. Other teams were scared away by the injury, but the Giants decided to look long-term instead.
"He should be ready to go by camp, it should be a good pick but there is a knee," said another NFC personnel director. "If we didn't take a wideout in the third, we would have talked about him with our fifth-rounder."
