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Arizona WR
Dennis Northcutt
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I like the Browns' selection of WR Dennis Northcutt. They are building
depth at wide receiver. I'm not sure they have a star receiver on their roster as yet, but
they keep adding weapons at wideout for young, soon-to-be-a-superstar Tim Couch.
WR Todd Pinkston to Philadelphia was another solid pick for the same
reason. He was a good value pick, and he provides a weapon to help future franchise QB
Donovan McNabb develop.
I'm a big fan of S Mike Brown to the Bears. He makes plays and has
terrific knowledge and intangibles in his play. The Bears' defense was a problem last
season, and adding Brown to first-round pick Brian Urlacher and all of the defensive free
agents the team signed is a nice step in the right direction to a solution.
For a team that didn't have a first-round pick, I liked what the Patriots
were able to accomplish. OL Adrian Klemm was sensational value at the 46th pick overall,
and as an added bonus, the offensive line was an area of need. So too was running back,
and the Patriots picked J.R. Redmond in the third round. If his subpar 40-time turns out
to be a non-issue, he could help solve their problems at running back. If not, he only
cost them a third-round pick. He's probably more of a change-of-pace,
do-a-little-bit-of-everything back than a workhorse, but given the Patriots' woes at
running back and their lack of a first-round pick, I think this was as good a possible
solution as they could have hoped for.
I am absolutely in love with what the Buccaneers accomplished in the
second and third rounds. I can't believe that OG Cosey Coleman was still available at the
51st pick overall. What a steal. He just adds to an offensive line that should be much
improved over last year. In the third round, the Buccaneers took LB Nate Webster who is a
great fit for their style of defense. Webster was very productive in college and with the
talent on the Buccaneers defense, it wouldn't be shocking to me if he eventually becomes
very productive as a pro.
The Browns drafted RB Travis Prentice in the third round. In a short
period of time, the Browns have seemed to corner the market on adequate backs who lack
elusiveness and are the type of players you want as backups not starters. Look for
Cleveland to try to add their prime-time running back of the future in the 2001 or 2002
draft.
Given the 49ers' track record, the fact that Steve Mariucci is an
offensive guru and the team's strong wide receivers, third-round pick Giovanni Carmazzi
becomes a player to keep an eye on down the road.
The Bears took WR Dez White in the third round, and this position is
becoming incredibly deep for this club. Something that Joel Buchsbaum wrote about White in
Pro Football Weekly's Draft Preview 2000 really intrigues me. There are some questions
about White's hands, and there is a question of whether White has a vision problem. Joel
wrote that, "If it turns out he needs glasses to see the ball better on shorter
throws, teams could really have a find." If that happens and you add White to all of
the Bears' other talented receivers, opposing secondaries could really have a problem
matching up when the Bears flood the field with receivers in Chicago's innovative offense.
QB Chris Redman to Baltimore is very interesting. Brian Billick is great
at
developing quarterbacks. Redmon merely gives Billick another option to go along with Tony
Banks and Trent Dilfer. I see the Redmon pick as a win-win for the Ravens. If he develops
into the starter, he is a steal. If he doesn't, Billick's tutelage will probably allow him
to be showcased in the preseason or in a spot start if someone else is hurt. Once that
happens, if Redmon looks good, some other team will probably be willing to give up much
higher draft picks to acquire him than the Ravens used in selecting him in the third
round.
After the first round was over, I asked who the heck was going to stretch
the field on passing plays for the suddenly low-octane Jets offense. Laveranues Coles, a
third-round pick, has blazing speed. That said he is a high upside/incredibly high risk
player. If he hits, he will hit really big. The problem is he never posted huge numbers in
college, and now the competition is tougher. Until he proves otherwise, he looks like an
exciting No. 3 or No. 4 wideout. He's too unproven to feel comfortable counting on as a
starter right now.
I'm not entirely sure how or where the Bills will use third-rounder Corey
Moore because of his lack of height and weight. This much I do feel sure of: I fully
expect him to be a very productive pro in Buffalo who will make plays.
I like the Rams' selection of C John St. Clair in the third round. They
needed to add some depth to their offensive line, and a defending Super Bowl champion is
much more likely to find an offensive lineman late in the third round who can contribute
early at center than at offensive tackle. You can get one of the better centers in the
draft at this point, whereas offensive tackles tend to have been picked over by this
stage. His knowledge of the position could speed up the learning curve.
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