July 26, 2001
 

The Pick: JULIUS PEPPERS - DE - North Carolina  
WHY THEY'RE #1 They're an expasion team, they have to pick 1st.
WHY TAKE PEPPERS? Why not? The Texans would ideally love a QB to 
build their franchise around, but Peppers is a franchise DE. He may be the best athlete in this draft. He's definitely not the only possibility though.  David Carr is a possibility because expansion teams like to build around a QB. Another possible pick is John Henderson who many feel is the best player on the board.
The Pick: JOHN HENDERSON - DT - Tennessee 
WHY THEY'RE #2 Lets see... bad defense and an inconsistent Charlie Batch. The Lions would do well to win 2 games.
WHY TAKE HENDERSON? It would be tough to pass on Carr but the Lions seem to have
a thing for Batch and the third-stringer Mike McMahon. Henderson is a tough guy to pass on. Having "Big John" and "Big Shuan" Rogers from last year would make the interior of the Lion's defense a tough one. The Cornerback problem is a big one too but they would be reaching for a corner at this pick.
The Pick:  DAVID CARR - QB - Fresno State 
WHY THEY'RE #3 Tony Banks couldn't beat out Quincy Carter, and he's supposed to lead this team?
WHY TAKE CARR? Tony Banks, Todd Husak and Sage Rosenfels. None of those
guys are going to take Washington to where they want to go. Carr can be the guy to do that. He's not necessarily a franchise player but he's the best QB on the board and should develop into a very good if not great NFL QB.
The Pick:BRYANT McKINNIE - OT - Miami  
WHY THEY'RE #4 They finally got the first win but they aren't going to get many more. Too many injuries and a shaky Offensive Line.
WHY TAKE McKINNIE? Just watch a Bills game and count the number of times Rob
Johnson is hit, sacked or hurried. Then count how many times Travis Henry is hit in the backfield and you pretty much get that Buffalo needs help up front. McKinnie is potentialy another Jonathon Ogden. He's a true difference maker.
The Pick: WENDELL BRYANT - DT - Wisconsin 
WHY THEY'RE #5 Inexperience at QB, a small front seven on defense, an aging Emmitt Smith. The Cowboys are definitely rebuilding.
WHY TAKE BRYANT? It would be between Bryant, Jammer and Edwards here. CB is
their biggest need but DT isn't far behind. Bryant is the best player on the board here. He's a difference maker and that's just what Dallas needs on defense. The corner problem may be better solved through free agency.
The Pick: KALIMBA EDWARDS - OLB/DE - South Carolina 
WHY THEY'RE #6 They've lost some close games. The O-Line and Defense are still suspect at best.
WHY TAKE EDWARDS? The Panthers just cannot put enough pressure on the QB.
Siefert has always had that "elephant" of his to rush the passer ala Charles Haley. Edwards can be that guy. He's huge (6'6) and fast (4.65) and hits like a truck. He's a LB now but he has all the skills to become a great edge rusher in the NFL. Many have compared him to Jevon Kearse.
The Pick:JABAR GAFFNEY - WR - Florida 
WHY THEY'RE #7 Injuries have taken away some offensive weapons, their secondary is very young too.
WHY TAKE GAFFNEY? A corner like Jammer would interest but Gaffney is too big of a
talent to pass on. Derrick Alexander is a solid receiver but Sylvester Morris is coming off a pretty serious injury and Chris Thomas, Marvin Minnis and Larry Parker all look better suited to play a supporting role. Gaffney hasn't played much College football but he has shown that he is ready.
The Pick: QUENTON JAMMER - CB - Texas 
WHY THEY'RE #8 Their defense isn't the force it looked like it would become a few years ago. The running game is mediocre. 
WHY TAKE JAMMER? When Aneaes Williams left he took a large part of the Arizona 
pass defense with him. The Cardinals lack a shitdown corner. Corey Chavous and Tom Knight are nice players but neither are capable of matching up with #1 receivers. Jammer has the size and skills to do that.
The Pick: LITO SHEPPERD - CB - Florida 
WHY THEY'RE #9 Matt Hasselbeck hasn't been the QB they thought he'd be. The WR corps is talented but young.
WHY TAKE SHEPPERD? Shawn Springs is good at one corner but the other side is 
different story. Ike Charlton and Ken Lucas are both young and have some skills but have been inconsistent. Shepperd is a real talent. He has the speed and the flair to give the Seahawks a nice tandem of corners. If Jammer were still available, he'd likely be the pick here. If not a corner, the offensive and defensive lines need help as well.
The Pick: MIKE PEARSON - OT - Florida 
WHY THEY'RE #10 It all depends on Charlie Batch's play.. 
WHY TAKE SHEPPERD? He's the dynamic athlete they've been searching 
for at corner. Both 1st Rounders Bryant Westbrook and Terry Fair haven't become shutdown type guys and in this division, you need cover corners. If Shepperd stays in school, look for Miami's Ed Reed here. 
The Pick: CEDRIC COBBS - RB - Arkansas 
WHY THEY'RE #11 Brady has lit a spark but the defense still has some holes and the running game is average at best.
WHY TAKE COBBS? The trouble with the running game is as much the offensive line
as it is the running back but having a guy 6'2 with 4.34 speed wouldn't hurt. He's the feature back they tought they had with Robert Edwards and would be a great guy to hand the ball to 20 times a game to take some pressyre off the Quarterback.
The Pick:  ROY WILLIAMS - S - Oklahoma 
WHY THEY'RE #12 Robert Smith where are you? Randy Moss' effort where are you? The defense isn't exactly outstanding either.
WHY TAKE WILLIAMS? Robert Griffith was arguably the team's best defender, his injury
really hurt them. When he returns he may not be the same player and at any rate didn't have that many more years left. Williams is just the type of all out 100% player that the Vikings need. He's like having another linebacker in the secondary. John Lynch won't be the only big hitter in the NFC Central backfield anymore.
The Pick:  ANTHONY WEAVER - DT - Notre Dame 
WHY THEY'RE #13 The passing game hasn't complemented Curtis Martin enough and the defense is just getting shredded.
WHY TAKE WEAVER? Weaver could be the starting end opposite John Abraham or be
the defensive tackle and let Shaun Ellis go to end. This pick would give the Jets a lot of versatility up on the front line. Although WR appears to be their weakest position  at the moment, that all should change when Santana Moss returns.
The Pick: ANDRE DAVIS - WR - Virgina Tech 
WHY THEY'RE #14 They've played tough and this is certainly a big jump from where they were a year ago.
WHY TAKE DAVIS? Michael Vick will become the starting QB soon and when he 
does, it would be nice to have a pair of familiar hands in Davis. Those two did some incredible things at Tech and there's no reason why that can't continue. Besides knowing Vick, Davis would bring 4.29 speed to a team that usually has some speedsters. Davis could be the gamebreaking return man they lost with Tim Dwight.
The Pick: ANTONIO BRYANT - WR - Pittsburgh 
WHY THEY'RE #15 Brad Johnson hasn't been the savior everyone thought he'd be but has anybody besides Keyshawn even caught a pass?
WHY TAKE BRYANT? He's a phenominal talent but his question marks drop him down
to this pick. Bryant could be a Randy Moss-type pick, a top 5 talent who made some bad choices and dropped as a result. This could be the situation for Bryant to flourish. He'd have good influences around him in Tony Dungy and guys like Warrick Dunn plus he'd be a perfect complement to Keyshawn.
The Pick: KELLY CAMPBELL - WR - Georgia Tech 
WHY THEY'RE #16 They've had some injury problems, Brunell doesn't appear to be the same player anymore and the defense is average.
WHY TAKE CAMPBELL? He just looks like a Jacksonvile receiver. He's average sized with
great speed and playmaking abilities. He's everything they were looking for when they reached for R.Jay Soward. Although if say a Gaffney or an Antonio Bryant were around or they could trade up for one of those guys they would.
 
 
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