Predicting what 32 teams and 32 teams worth of management personalities will do is foolhardy. Mike Mayock and others try really hard to get the job done, but are rarely accurate. They may know the top 32 but not the order–perhaps within 4 picks at best. I lack the time or interest to do things to the level these guys do it, but I do know my team–the NY Giants. I believe they have a plan that includes Malik Hooker as a first round pick–if available. With the secondary they’ve put together, this team is one Hooker away from a championship. In fact, you add Hooker and put Revis in there as a one year comeback (and get a ring) and you get that ring. Tonight we will know and Charley Casserly and Mayock and all of those guys can go back to predicting which college FB players will get hot this year and work their way onto somebody’s board.
So how about the rest of the league? We’ve seen a tendency away from the run and towards pass attacks and agile linemen. There are few legit power runners in the league today, which is why Adrian Peterson was completely overlooked in the free agency market. Even as a 30 yr old coming off injury, he is still AP. There are a few names like that in free agency, but the thought is you can get a young banger deep in the draft.
I have to wonder how much of this is chasing. How much of this is media speculation and trying to explain what happened last year. A lot I suspect. I feel like the coaches and GMs are playing the long term game and the media is acting like people are putting together win now teams. If only this were the NBA, but NFL takes time. You cannot slam a bunch of players together fresh and go take a ring. You can add a piece here and there, but football is about trust, planning, and teamwork. There isn’t one individual in the league who can dominate a game by himself. Vick was that guy once, but we haven’t seen the likes of him since.