It’s Pre-Draft and Everyone is Right! Even Pete Prisco!

What is fun about pre-draft is everyone has an opinion and everyone thinks they are right. I want to write a caution about taking ourselves too seriously. The guy who disagrees with you just might be right. Be careful about getting too wrapped up in it all, this is the fun season so enjoy it. If someone likes Tim Tebow, tell him “good for you”. If someone thinks C.J. Spiller will be the number one player selected, say “You might be right”.

Here is the truth, no one knows all 200 college players that will be selected. No one has watched every play of every game and knows for sure. Everyone, me, Zoltan, and all of the radio guys are quoting other people’s opinion. We are all guessing. Let’s have some fun with Pete Prisco and I will prove it to you.

It is April, 2008 and Pete Prisco is handing out his grades for the first round draft selection. Before I start, we have the benefit of hindsight so this isn’t fair to Pete. Who cares, let’s pick on him anyway.

St Louis Rams select Chris Long DE Virginia. Pete says Grade: A. “This is my top player and he will be a star. ” Reality: Bobby McCray and Derrick Harvey are both more complete players and Derrick is considered a bust. Can a bust be better than a star? I don’t think that is allowed. Is it?

Kansas City selects Branden Albert G Virginia. Pete says Grade: A. “Albert will be their left tackle.” Reality: Branden Albert did become their left tackle and grades out as 64 out of 77. Eben Britton, in his first year, did better. In Kansas City, the only way this is an “A” is if “A” comes after “D” in Pete’s alphabet. 

Atlanta selects Matt Ryan QB Boston College. Pete says Grade: C+. “They could have taken a QB later”. Reality: Yep, they could have taken Brian Brohm! What were they thinking?

Baltimore selects Joe Flacco QB Delaware. Pete says Grade: D. “Shocker. Brian Brohm will be better”. Reality: Brian Brohm would have probably gotten them to the Super Bowl instead of dumb ol Joe Flacco leaving them 7 points shy of making it in his rookie season. This is Ozzie Newsome’s worst mistake yet!

Buffalo selects Leodis McKelvin CB Troy. Pete says Grade: B+. “Smart move, best corner in the draft”. Reality: Last we saw Leodis he fumbled away the Bills Monday Night Game against the Pats and had “take a knee” spray painted on his lawn. If the proper play has to be spray painted on your lawn, it doesn’t qualify as a smart move. 

Tennessee selects Chris Johnson RB East Carolina. Pete says Grade: C-. “They have Chris Henry, this is a little strange”. Reality: I guess those 120 yards Chris Henry put up in his rookie year should have been enough for Jeff Fisher. Why take a 2,000 yard potential back? Makes no sense to me either.

Jets select Dustin Keller TE Purdue. Pete says Grade: C-.  “Brian Brohm would have been a better pick”. Reality: He might have been right.

So there you have it, draft day opinions from a man paid to have opinions. Were yours better? I would bet they were.  So enjoy the draft discussions. It is all in good fun and this is your time to be right. We won’t know for sure until April 22-24.

– Terry O’Brien