Mocking the draft

Time for an NFL Draft preview. In case you don’t have ESPN, didn’t read this weeks ‘Sports Illustrated’ or have lost all Internet access (which will make it difficult to read this very column), the NFL Draft is this weekend, and there are more confusing questions to be answered then there were at the end of ‘Munich’. While I’m probably not qualified to answer these questions, I can certainly pose one of my own: Why, in an attempt to dumb down the football viewing public do writers, TV analysts and football scouts like to throw out comparison’s for how a college player will play in the National Football League? Can’t we save the judgment until the player has actually, played?

So as a civil service to all of my readers, I have decided to take these ‘experts’ comparisons, and then re-evaluate them. Some are fair, some are a bit off, and some are just outrageous. Here’s four examples of what the scouts, analysts and Mel Kiper Jr. (I still have yet to see proof that he is qualified for the job he has) have said, and what I have to say about what they said.


Reggie Bush-RB-USC-Compared to Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk and Gayle Sayers
If you don’t know running backs, let me break it down for you. Sanders, Faulk and Sayers are the Kanye West’s of football. Sure some will sell more albums (or run for more yards), others will have better lyrics (or score more touchdowns), and some other guys will win more Grammy’s (or Super Bowls). But no matter who else is in the house, whenever Kanye walks on stage, all eyes will turn to him. Same with these backs. If you turned away from the TV when Barry, Marshall or Gayle were on the screen, you were taking a risk of missing the greatest run ever. So will Bush be this good? He has the chance to be, but he has to stay healthy. Both Sanders and Sayers left the game early, and Bush will take a lot of hits from opposing defenses.

Mario Williams-DE-North Carolina State-Compared to Julius Peppers
What a coincidence. The scouts compare the 6-7 294 pound North Carolina State Wolfpack defensive end Williams to the 6-7 283 pound North Carolina Tar Heel Peppers. Will it work out as well for whoever gets Williams as it did for the Carolina Panthers, who drafted Peppers number two in 2002? It’s hard to be as good as J-Pep, who is one of the three most dominant players in the NFL now. But Williams does have the speed and agility to cause some havoc. The key will be his focus. From what I’ve read, he tended to play down to his opponents in college.If you do that on Sunday’s, you might as well not even put on the shoulder-pads, because you won’t be playing. I’m going to call Williams oregano, because he’ll be all right, but not as good as Peppers.

Vince Young-QB-Texas- Compared to John Elway and Randall Cunningham

I saw almost three full games of Texas football last season. The first time I laid eyes on the burnt orange and white was September 10, when Vince led the Longhorns into the Horseshoe to face off against The Ohio State University. On that evening, Young used his arm to defeat the Buckeyes, a team that just happened to lose only one more game the rest of the season. Three weeks later, on October 1, Vince and the ‘Horns came into Columbia, MO and tore out the eye’s of the Tiger. His feet were the body part I was amazed in that day, as it seemed like he was always a couple of steps ahead of every Mizzou defender. And we all saw the Rose Bowl, where Vince’s arms, legs and brain led UT to the National Championship. So are the Elway and Cunningham comparisons fair? Those are big names, but I think Vince is the best QB prospect since Payton Manning.

Jay Cutler-QB-Vanderbilt- Compared to Brett Favre
The only similarities I see between Cutler and Favre is this: In 2005, Cutler’s Commodores went 5-6. Favre’s Packers went 4-12. So they each led their teams to a bellow .500 record. Besides that, I don’t understand it. Cutler’s arm isn’t as strong as Favre’s, his footwork isn’t as good, and even though he graduated from a top-of-the-line University like Vandy, he isn’t as smart as Brett Favre. My pick is that Cutler will be out of football by 2010. So lets hope for the Bears sake that the Packers see him as the next Brett Favre.

Finally, since I’m not going to do a complete draft prediction, I will run down four players I think they Bears should consider:

Leonard Pope-TE-Georgia
He didn’t have a great combine, which will make it so he drops far enough in Round 1 to the number 26 spot, where the Bears are picking. He’s 6-7, has above average speed for a tight end, and is a good run blocker. He was inconsistent at times with the ‘Dawgs, but he won’t be the Bears number one option on offense, which will help him.

Darnell Bing-S-USC
Mike Brown gets hurt a lot, Chris Harris is still only in his second season, and with the trade of Mike Green, the Bears do not have a lot of depth at safety. Bing can play both strong or free safety, is a good hitter and will be a great special teams player. He’s somewhat slow for a defensive back, but as we saw in the Carolina game, that will help him fit in well with the Bears.

Michael Robinson-QB/WR-Penn State or Brad Smith-QB/WR-Missouri
Robinson and Smith each played quarterback in college, and played it well. Robinson led the Nittany Lions to a 10-1 record, a Big Ten and an Orange Bowl title as a senior. Smith is the only player in NCAA history to throw for more then 8,000 yards and rush for more then 4,000 in his career. But both are expected to play receiver in the pros. This is a bit of a toss up. For every Antwaan Randle-El, there’s an Eric Crouch. The Bears could use some speed at wideout, a kick returner, and of course, an emergency 4th string quarterback.