NFL Draft

Well, lest I get to taking myself of my blog too seriously about theology and politics, it's time to get down to serious business. The NFL draft was this weekend.

Several thoughts.

The first thought is this. Any judgments made by anyone after the draft are subject to being seen as totally insane. The reality is that no one is truly a 'can't miss' prospect. The NFL is littered with a lot of players drafted in the high rounds who did nothing. Tom Brady and Joe Montana were not drafted early....nuff said on that.

It's also interesting to note that it's always difficult to see how a season plays out. In the 2004 draft the Chargers drafted Eli Manning (who would not play for them) and traded him to the Giants for Phillip Rivers. During the season people were making the judgment that Rivers might have been better than Manning. The Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger and he made it to the Super Bowl (on a great team) and his team won, but Big Ben had a dreadful game. Everyone decried that the Giants choice of Manning was a bad one. Of course, of all the quarterbacks drafted that year, Manning is the one with a Super Bowl MVP. On the first week of December he looked like a flop and then was a hero. Who can figure?

The Dolphins and the Rams both took linemen which is amazing. Smart, but amazing. Most teams like to go for the more sexy positions, so these were bold moves. The Falcons drafting Matt Ryan made a strong statement that they are not waiting for Michael Vick to come back. Vick was exciting, to be sure, but I, like many, wondered if he was coachable and would be a great NFL player. He hadn't proven himself to be.

The Giants drafted Kenny Phillips from Miami and many people said that he was the best safety in the draft. They chose Terrell Thomas a cornerback from USC. I think that their secondary was the part of the team that had the most questions and so if these players play well, it will be a good draft.

Interesting to note, people didn't think much of their draft last year and after the Super Bowl they were touted as one of the teams that drafted the most intelligently. As I said, who can figure.

My postscript on this is simple. I never get myself overly excited. I still remember the Giants drafting Rocky Thompson. Thompson was fast and a running back in college but the Giants drafted him as a wide receiver. Thompson, however, was about as bright as an unlit lightbulb and couldn't learn to run routes... Sigh.