Revisiting the Draft

[USN Bengal]

[quote]Third and Short: Revisiting the draft
ESPN.com

Updated: May 7, 2008
In this installment of Third and Short, our experts revisit the 2008 draft. What happened to the rumored star-studded, big draft weekend trades that never developed?

[b][i]Bill Williamson: What happened to the rumored big draft weekend trades that never developed involving Jason Taylor, Jeremy Shockey, [b]Chad Johnson [/b]and Lito Sheppard?[/i][/b]

After failing to get traded during draft weekend, Lito Sheppard (left) still showed up at Eagles' minicamp and competed with the newly acquired Asante Samuel.
[b]The great no-trade letdown was another reminder that players do not run the NFL.[/b] While these four players might want to be traded, it isn't that simple. Teams are not in the habit of letting go of valuable talent just to appease an unhappy player. Hurt feelings can be fixed. Pro Bowl players can't always be replaced.

In the case of Taylor, Shockey and Sheppard, their respective teams did not pull the trigger on trades because they did not like the offers that were coming in. So Taylor, Shockey and Sheppard stayed put. [b]As for Johnson, the Bengals have made it very clear they are not interested in dealing for him and didn't listen to trade offers. [/b]
Don't expect any major fireworks prior to training camp on any of these players. Offers on draft weekend were light and they will not suddenly get better. Sheppard was considered the most likely of the four who could get his wish. But he was a surprising participant in the Eagles' minicamp this weekend and there is a chance the team restructures his deal. If that's the case, he'll likely join Taylor, Shockey and Johnson as players who originally wanted to be traded but won't be.

[b][i]James Walker: Who will be the best QB of this class: Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco?[/i][/b]

Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco will enter this season surrounded by established players in Baltimore.
Overall pedigree would make Ryan an easy pick. But I will take the underdog and say Flacco will have more success.

Flacco's situation with the Baltimore Ravens is considerably better because the key skill players are already in place. Running back Willis McGahee is entering the prime of his career and arguably is coming off his best season in 2007. Todd Heap, when healthy, is one of the NFL's top tight ends, and receiver Derrick Mason is extremely reliable, catching 103 passes for 1,087 yards last season.

The same can't be said for Ryan's supporting cast. Tight end Alge Crumpler was the team's best pass-catching threat for years but bolted to the Tennessee Titans. And the inconsistent play of Atlanta's receivers is well-documented. Even the Falcons' major free-agent signing, tailback Michael Turner, has just one career start and is unproven as an every-down player. The most yards he's had in a season is 502 in 2006.

Ryan is a little more polished, but better talent and a stout defense puts Flacco in the best position to succeed. That combination could help Flacco see the field much earlier than Ryan and other quarterbacks in the 2008 class.

[b][i]Pat Yasinskas: Who will be the impact rookies from the 2008 draft?[/i] [/b]

[b]Joining a Bengals defense that struggled against the run last season will allow rookie Keith Rivers to come in and make an immediate impact.[/b]
There will be no Adrian Peterson in this year's draft. Forget the skill position players for a second because, aside from Peterson, they take a little time to make an impact. The guys who will be forces right away will be at nonglamorous positions, but they'll be in position to succeed.

New Orleans defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and [b]Cincinnati linebacker Keith Rivers will be stars from the start. Part of that will be due to their own talent.[/b] But every first-round pick has plenty of talent.

[b]What will separate Ellis and Rivers will be the situations they landed in. The Saints and Bengals still have talented rosters after subpar 2007 campaigns. Both teams are poised to bounce back, especially after adding their prized rookies. [/b]Ellis will be an immediate force in the middle of a defense that couldn't stop the run last year. He'll clog the middle and allow linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Dan Morgan to cover lots of ground and make a bunch of tackles.

[b]Rivers will be a tackling machine on a Cincinnati defense that had lots of problems last year. Much like San Francisco's Patrick Willis and Carolina's Jon Beason last year, Rivers will emerge immediately as the leader of this defense. It also helps that Rivers will have coach Marvin Lewis, who has worked with the likes of Ray Lewis in the past.[/b][/quote]

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