|
Chat Reel: Experts' Mock Draft
Kirwan, King, Banks and Alberts simulate first round
Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2000 08:39 PM
| |
Sports Illustrated's Peter King predicts the Browns will open negotiations with Courtney Brown's agent on Thursday. Jonathan Daniel/Allsport |
Four of CNNSI.com's football experts -- Peter King, Pat Kirwan, Don Banks and Trev Alberts -- joined us for a live, round-robin mock draft in a chat room on Wednesday afternoon (prior to the Broncos-Ravens trade). A full transcript of the chat follows, or you can view an abbreviated version.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Sports Illustrated's Peter King and Don Banks will be joined by CNN/Sports Illustrated's Pat Kirwan and Trev Alberts to pick how the first round may go down. The four experts will rotate picks in the first round. The order was determined in a draw shortly before the chat began. Peter King will have the first pick, followed by Trev Alberts, Pat Kirwan and Don Banks.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Peter King will be selecting first for the Cleveland Browns.
Peter King: Courtney Brown, defensive end, Penn St. The Browns are throwing up every smoke screen they can think of to try to sell people that they will consider Arrington here. Poppycock. They are going with the NFL's dream come true in this draft: a guy who is a good guy, who also can play. Look for the Browns to open negotiations with Brown's agent Marvin Demoff on Thursday.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Peter, any chance of a trade of the pick?
Peter King: No.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts is on the clock, selecting for the Washington Redskins.
Trev Alberts: Without a doubt in my mind, I pick Peter Warrick. My philosophy going into a draft is to draft purely the best player. Warrick, to me, bottom line is the best player to come out since Deion Sanders. Forget about the numbers. I disagree with the philosphy of number. I keep watching him on film and seeing substandars speed for a WR, consistently blowing past every DB that tried to cover him.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Pat Kirwan is on the clock, selecting for the Redskins with their second of their first-round picks.
Pat Kirwan: LaVar Arrington, LB, Penn State. Many people consider him the best player in the draft and he's a difference maker. They will be excited to take him at No. 3 instead of No. 2.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Don Banks is on the clock, picking for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Don Banks: Well, this gets a little complicated because Samuels is obviously left. I'm going to give them Chris Samuels. Bengals thought they had Peter Warrick in their pocket and would have been thrilled with that scenario, but Mike Brown will take the cleanest player who remains on the board and that's Alabama's OT. Make note that under this scenario the Bengals might entertain trade options out of the four spot in order to pick up a RB or a receiver lower in the top ten.
Follow-up: If Cincy does end up drafting Warrick, will they immediately trade Pickens for a high first round draft pick?
Don Banks: If Warrick is the pick, the Bengals put disgruntled receiver Carl Pickens on the trading block, hopefully garnering a first round pick lower in the round.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Peter King is up next again, selecting for the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth slot.
Peter King: Defensive tackle, Corey Simon, Florida St. Let's get this straight right now. The Ravens are not taking Simon. I am not a looney. However, he's the fifth-best player in the draft, and several teams - Green Bay, Philadelphia, and others are angling to move into this slot, and one of the logical candidates to pick is Simon. This is clearly the pivotal pick in the draft right now. The first four players are set in stone, in whatever order. Now it gets fun. Gut feeling? The Packers line up enough ammo and move from 14 to 5 to get Simon. One other X factor: By Saturday night, somehow, someway, I think the angriest player in the NFL, running back Corey Dillon of the Bengals, gets dealt from Cincinnati to Baltimore.
Trev Alberts: Are teams satisfied with Simon's health issues?
Peter King: That's probably why he's going to be the fifth pick and why he's not somewhere else in the top four, especially at such key position. But I think in the postseason he has gotten the clean bill and he will enter 2000 ready to play 100 percent.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts is up next, selecting in the sixth slot for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Trev Alberts: At sixth, we were hoping for Corey Simon. But since he's off the board... we still need quality defensive help, especially speed at the LB position. We choose Brian Urlacher, LB, N.M. I was at the Senior Bowl and was intrigued. He's played, literally every position, on offense and defense. I was impressed with his tenacity, speed and desire. I think he's a great fit in Philliy. I know Jim Johnson, the defensive coordinator there would love to have him.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Pat Kirwan for the Arizona Cardinals at the seventh slot.
Pat Kirwan: Thomas Jones, RB, Virginia. They'd be happy to get him. The circumstances in this draft make them happy to get him. He's a combination of Barry Sanders and a smaller Fred Taylor. He's the best player out there that fits their needs.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Don Banks, choosing for the Steelers in the eighth slot.
Don Banks: Let's go with Chad Pennington, QB, Marshall. The Steelers can't afford to pass on the draft's only potential franchise QB. Kordell Stewart is officially on notice. Another season of struggle and the Steelers now have an option. Pittsburgh was tempted to go receiver with either Travis Taylor of Florida or Plaxico Burress of Michigan St., but coach Bill Cowher couldn't look past the team's need at the game's most important position.
Trev Alberts: Is there a consensus that Pennington can be a franchise QB?
Don Banks: Some have rated Pennington as high as the second-best QB in last year's draft if he would have come out. He may be benefitting from the meager crop of passers around him, but Pennington has enough of the QB skills to rate in the top half of the draft.
Pat Kirwan: I think one of the things people do when they study QBs is look at next year's draft. Next year's QB crop doesn't look good now, unless Vick comes out early. So it may be a couple of years before another franchise QB comes out, which makes Pennington a good choice.
Don Banks: If Pennington should get past No. 10 Denver, some people think he could fall quite a ways down the draft board.
CNNSI.com Moderator: The Chicago Bears are on the clock, with Peter King making their selection in the ninth spot.
Peter King: Michigan St.'s Plaxico Burress. The Bears now officially have the Kareem and Shaq twins of NFL receivers in Burress and Marcus Robertson, who's average size is about 7' 3". I can't think of a happier man in America right now that Cade McNown. He's not the most accurate passer and now he's got guys on stilts to throw to. He's obviously not the most mature kid or a ready-made pro, but I think that any NFL team that would criticize him for wanting to change an appointment to watch his friends play in a Final Four is idiotic. If the Eagles are truly down on him for this, which I don't necessarily believe, it would be a big mistake. I've always thought from the time of the combine, where guys were so amazed at his height, where even he dropped more passes and coaches were not in love with him, this is not a Demetrius Underwood situation. The coaches are not all down on him. They are cautious. How many of us really know these guys? I think his problems off the field have been overrated.
Pat Kirwan: The coaches I spoke with about him say he has a lot to do with his development. He can run the vertical passing game right away and grab the rebounds for a lot of TDs in the red zone.
Peter King: That's a great point. At the combine, he stressed to me he had learned some of the Michael Irvin, Cris Carter tricks of the trade.
Pat Kirwan: The pressure will be off him because he can score TDs in the red zone.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts is up next, selecting in the 10th spot for the Denver Broncos.
Trev Alberts: With the 10th pick in Denver, we're absolutely ecstatic. We fill not only a huge need, but get the next best player available in Travis Taylor, WR, Fla. We feel comfortable with Brian Griese at QB, we just think he needs some speed on the outside to complement Ed McCaffrey. Travis Taylor is that guy.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Pat Kirwan is up at No. 11, selecting for the New York Giants.
Pat Kirwan: Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin. They will look carefully at Shaun Alexander and Jamal Lewis. He has run a 4.6 at 260 pounds and he catches the ball better than people expect. The Giants have gone to the playoffs with Gary Brown and Dayne will take them further along. He won't last more than four or five years because of the pounding, but he's a good pick here. He's very excitable and he's represented by his HS principal.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Don Banks picking for the 49ers at 12.
Don Banks: Niners would like to trade out of this spot and acquire multiple picks in the middle of the draft. They have called almost every team willing to listen. Staying put, they choose Jerry Rice's eventual successor Sylvester Morris, going for the same small-school magic that worked so well with Rice in the 80s. Many feel Morris is as polished as Burress and may end up a more complete package in the NFL than his higher-rated peers.
Peter King: The 49ers, unless they trade, will take two defensive players in the first round, I think. They are most interest in a corner and a linebacker and I just don't think they can afford the luxury of picking a receiver this high. I think if they picked an offensive player that was not a lineman, Steve Young would put a contract out on Bill Walsh immediately.
Pat Kirwan: They have such cap problems. If there's a player out there they want they can't get lower on the draft board, they'll be happy to trade down.
Peter King: Trev, this is why Don is correct when he says they may trade here, I just believe that if they have to make a pick at 12 and can't find a partner and they will.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Peter King is up, selecting for the New York Jets at No. 13 with the pick they acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the Keyshawn Johnson trade.
Peter King: Miami TE, Bubba Franks. With their bounty of draft choices, I think the Jets will keep them all and go TE, tackle, DE and WR in the first round. I also think they could go with Boston College defensive tackle Chirs Hovan. They'd do this with one of their first-round picks, but this is too high.
Pat Kirwan: This is the third tight end they've taken in the first round in the past 10 years.
Peter King: They've done quite a job. Where's Johnny Mitchell?
Pat Kirwan: Bubba is a combination of Kyle Brady and Johnny Mitchell. I think they've done it right this time.
Peter King: Thank you.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts will be picking next at No. 14 for the Green Bay Packers.
Trev Alberts: There's no doubt that we need defensive help. We use all time allotted. *laugh* Trying to decide between LB Julian Peterson from Michigan State and Chris Hovan, DT, Boston College. After one more review of last year's game tape, we realize Gilbert Brown just isn't getting it done. Hovan may be a bit high at this pick, but it's such a great need, we take him with this pick.
CNNSI.com Moderator: The Baltimore Ravens are on the clock with Pat Kirwan selecting at No. 15.
Pat Kirwan: There is talk today that this pick could be Cincinnati's (a trade for Corey Dillon). If there is no trade here, they will take Shaun Alexander from Alabama. A running back will be taken here, though. They will be deciding between Alexander and Jamal Lewis.
Peter King: I think Lewis is a guy they love. The Ravens have always been smitten with the workout wonders and Lewis has wowed people with his speed and size. The moral of this story is that you just never know.
Trev Alberts: If Baltimore does make that pick, with Lewis, it'd be the worst pick ever. One of them. I watched him all last season, he's not the same player he was as a freshman. So what if he runs a 4.3 40, Alexander is the best guy at this pick.
CNNSI.com Moderator: The New York Jets are up again, with Don Banks making the selection for them at No. 16.
Don Banks: Give the Jets Stockar McDougle, OT, Oklahoma. Fill the need with Elliott finally retired, the Jets need bodies on the offensive line. Jets would also consider Peterson and Engelberger. McDougle is the highest-graded player among them.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Raiders at No. 17 -- Peter King
Peter King: I, like Trev, will take the full 15 minutes, because I am Al Davis. I'm going to take Tennessee DE, Shaun Ellis, who is a solid first-round pick and will hold up well against some of the power runners of the AFC West.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts is up again at No. 18 with the Jets' third pick of the first round.
Trev Alberts: Well, Keyshawn has given us a dilemma. We need some speed at WR. With that, I select speedy Dennis Northcutt, WR, Arizona.
Peter King: The crowd at Madison Square Garden goes wild. I can hear them now: "Parcells sucks! Parcells sucks!"
CNNSI.com Moderator: Pat Kirwan is on the board at No. 19 for the Seattle Seahawks.
Pat Kirwan: They go at 19 and 22, so they must be strategic in taking players that Kansas City and Detroit might be interested. With that said, they will take Marvel Smith, OT, Arizona State, knowing full well the Lions are interested in him at 20.
Peter King: Just for the casual person, why has his stock gone way up?
Pat Kirwan: His stock has gone up thanks to workouts with coaches. The assistants and position coaches who are the last involved in the evaluation process were impressed with him.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Don Banks is on the board for the Detroit Lions at No. 20.
Don Banks: Let's go with Chris McIntosh, OT, Wisc. Lions will be tempted to take a RB such as Jamal Lewis. Stewart is on board, but is more of a utility back and Lewis would fit the bill for the future, but Detroit's offensive line was a disaster in the second half of last season and McIntosh gives them another building block and should fit well with last year's second first-round pick, Aaron Gibson, also of Wisconsin.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Peter King choosing for the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 21.
Peter King: Carl Peterson pinches himself after passing on a chance to get Corey Dillon in trade. He takes about nine seconds to snap up Jamal Lewis, the RB from Tennessee.
Trev Alberts: What is he that they don't have?
Peter King: They haven't had a running back, with the exception of about two years, when they had a consistent running game with Okoye. This is a guy who in scouts eyes is going to be a very good pro, because of his ability to run inside and outside.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts is on the clock now, choosing for the Seattle Seahawks with the 22nd pick.
Trev Alberts: Up in Seattle, we have the fastest time ever clocked to get a pick to Paul Tagliabue. We can't believe that Julian Peterson, LB, Mich. St. is still on the baord. We think a little about Darren Howard, DE, Kansas St., but Peterson is our guy.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Pat Kirwan for the Panthers at No. 23.
Pat Kirwan: George Seifert has a number of needs and will look at Keith Bulluck, LB, Syracuse; Deon Grant, S, Tennessee However, he will take Cosey Coleman, OL, Tennessee and plug him into the lineup for 7-8 years.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Don Banks for the 49ers at No. 24.
Don Banks: Niners get around to addressing their crying need at CB, taking Ahmed Plummer, Ohio State. The position needs a total overhaul and Plummer is the most polished player available among a less-than-dazzling cornerback crop. Jackson State CB Rashard Anderson would also get consideration, but is a little raw and is in need of a year or two of further development. Plummer has a chance to walk into the Niners depleted secondary and start immediately.
CNNSI.com Moderator: The Minnesota Vikings are up next, with Peter King making their selection at No. 25.
Peter King: Jackson State cornerback Rashard Anderson. We all know Denny Green likes projects. And this is the perfect one for the Vikings. He's 6' 2". He runs a 4.4, and he'll match up well with the "tall" and getting taller receivers of the NFC Central. Keyshaun Johnson is here now and that's one more reason to pick a tall corner on a team that has none.
Don Banks: Vikings would prefer to address their glaring need for a defense end in the first round and save CB for one of their two second round picks. John Engelberger, DE from Va. Tech, and Darren Howard will get first round consideration because the Vikings feel the choices at cornerback in the second round are better than the choices at defensive end in the second round.
Peter King: Sounds pretty logical to me.
Don Banks: But Denny won't do it.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts is picking next at No. 26 for the Buffalo Bills.
Trev Alberts: We have some glaring needs in the defensive secondary -- losing Thomas Smith, CB, and Kurt Schultz. We pick Deon Grant, safety, Tennessee.
Peter King: Love that pick.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Pat Kirwan up next for the Jets' fourth first-round pick.
Pat Kirwan: One of their most important needs with their other three picks is DE. They'll choose between between Engelberger, Darren Howard and John Abraham from South Carolina and consider if they'll go with a 4-3 or 3-4 defense. However, they'll go with Engelberger, who they have very high on their draft board.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Don Banks is up next for the Colts at No. 28.
Don Banks: NFL Executive of the Year Bill Polian has landed in the roses and will gleefully turn in a card selecting Brigham Young LB Rob Morris. Colts get the tackling machine in the middle that they have lacked and do it picking 28th. All the Indianapolis front office exhales.
Trev Alberts: What, if any, did his age play into his selection?
Don Banks: What I've heard is that he's the cleanest middle LB on the board. He's about 25 with the Mormon missionary trip, and I think the age might have held him down to the lower rounds, but outside LBs usually go higher than middle LBs and the Colts thought it was a no-brainer for where they're at.
Pat Kirwan: It's getting harder and harder to justify to taking middle linebackers in the 21st Century because it's all situational defenses now.
Trev Alberts: Is John Abraham the better pick here?
Pat Kirwan: Nickel and dime packages take Morris off the field much more than usual.
Middle linebackers are just about a dinosaur these days.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Peter King is up next for the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 29th pick.
Peter King: I'm going to go with the boring pick and take John Abraham, the DE/outside LB from South Carolina. Good speed at about 4.5 in the 40 and probably has the ability to be a versatile player in the nickel packages.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Trev Alberts picking for the AFC champion Tennessee Titans at No. 30.
Trev Alberts: We're just going to go with the best player available. This is subject to controversy, I'm sure, but I like Cornelius Griffin, DT, Alabama. I watched him at the Senior Bowl and no one blocked him in the game.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Pat Kirwan will be making the final selection of the first round for the St. Louis Rams.
Pat Kirwan: All along the Rams wanted Todd Wade with this pick. However, they will pass and take Sebastian Janikowski, K, Florida State. He will break the NFL record for longest field goal. He will kick many kickoffs into the end zone. They will take a tackle in the second round.
The Rams will change the complexion of the game.
Peter King: From what the scouts I've talked to say, Janikowski will also set a record in the NFL for most beers consumed in one season.
CNNSI.com Moderator: Let's now open it up to some questions from the users.
From Guest: Peter -- Why didn't you select Northcutt for the Raiders? Is their defensive line need greater than their need at WR, or was this simply the best player available?
Peter King: I felt he was the best player available. The Raiders never do the predicatable thing on draft day and Al Davis never met a defensive lineman that he didn't like.
From Guest: Trev -- Explain the Warrick pick for the 'Skins. Wouldn't Washington go for Brown if he's there and the Browns pass?
Trev Alberts: Courtney Brown wasn't on the board. Regardless, if I had the chance at Warrick, he is the best overall talent in the draft. The biggest difference maker, and by the way, he will probably score a few more TD's than those defensive players.
From Guest: If Pittsburgh drafts Pennington, is Kordell Stewart on the trading block?
Don Banks: He's not necessarily on the trading block... they'll use Pennington to push Kordell this year. If he doesn't start performing like the Kordell of pre-1997, they'll either trade or cut him. They'll use Pennington as a hedge that Kordell hasn't played the best football of his career already.
From Guest: Are there any Kevin Johnson-type sleepers in this years draft?
Pat Kirwan: Kevin Johnson was not a sleeper.
Don Banks: What about Todd Pinkston?
Pat Kirwan: But if you're looking for receivers in the second round, Laveranues Coles (4.3 40) could be taken in the first round. Todd Pinkston is also a good pick. Coaches aren't afraid that he's 160 pounds.
From Guest: Can we discuss the Giants' choice between Alexander, Dayne and Lewis?
Trev Alberts: If I was the Giants, I'd take Alexander. I think Dayne has too many question marks. And Jamal Lewis shouldn't be drafted that high. I think Alexander is much more complete, in that he was directly involved in the passing game in college.
From Guest: Could the Jets trade some picks to Cincy for Carl Pickens? He's under contract; he can't go anywhere.
Pat Kirwan: They could do that. First off, Carl has some baggage. He held out and came in out of shape. They could do it, but will they? No.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks for joining us everybody!
|
Copyright © 2000
CNN/Sports Illustrated
An AOL Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
|
| 
