ARCHIVOS MR PLAYBOOK (2008)

Ok, the nfl draft has concluded the first day and as always we can all agree that it was awfully crazy.... there were a lot of weird picks and a lot of surprises and here I will list the top 10 surprises of the first two rounds of the draft.

10. Jerod Mayo picked #10 to the NE Patriots
9. Gosder Cherilus goes to the lions at #17
8. TE Dustin Keller taken in the first round
7. RB Chris Johnson to Tennessee
6. All 6 invited players went in the top 6 picks
5. Derrick Harvey picked so high at #8 to the Jaguars
4. Brian Brohm not taken in the top 40 picks
3. Donnie Avery being the 1st WR selected
2. Joe Flacco to the Ravens in the top 20
1. No Wrs taken in the 1st round

* Special Mentions:
- Kenny Philips at #31 to the Giants, barely keeping up with the tradition of a player from Miami, Florida taken in the 1st round for the 14th straight year.
- Rashard Mendenhall lands on the Steelers
- The # of DEs taken in the first round

- the Rookie

The pre draft movements continue at a quick pace... The Minnesota Vikings have just traded for Kansas City's DE Jared Allen. Allen recorded 15.5 sacks last season and went straight to the Pro Bowl, he is a great fit for minnesota who really had a need at the position, specially since one of their leading DE's Kenechi Udeze, was diagnosed with leukemia a couple of months ago.

The price for Allen was pretty expensive, since the Chiefs will get the Vikes #1 pick, plus two third rounders for this years draft... so the Chiefs could now get a nice upgrade and pick maybe a nice DE with the fifth pick...

- the Rookie

Almost every year there is one Elite player for each position of the NFL draft, and there is even a year where there is a standout player like Reggie Bush in 06 or Calvin Johnson in 07, Peyton Manning back in 98, Troy Aikman in 89 and John Elway in 83, even Terry Bradshaw back in 1970.

Well this year, the WR class is not that unique and it might be even better for NFL teams, sometimes there is too much hype surrounding an NFL player, that his desire to be proved the best can somehow be dissappointing and sometimes even ruin careers... remember Ryan Leaf???

This year the WRs are a different story, there is not someone who experts say will be the first receiver off the board... some say the best out there is Malcolm Kelly from OU with his great size and strength, others qualify Devin Thomas as the best, with his RBlike speed and ability to return kickoffs... but something is quite certain... there is not one who stands out from the group, and as I said before, this could be good for them, the mere fact that theres not the spotlight just on one of them, makes them all strive to be called the best WR of his year, so I think picking up any of this six players on the draft, is going to make a quick impact on teams in great needs of WRs, such as Philadelphia or Buffalo...

Remember a certain someone picked up back in 06 after the draft was over??? his name is Marques Colston and he is one of the greatest WRs right now in the league... why is this? because there was no hype around him and he had to struggle to be the Best.

So its a nice thing that this year there is no definite #1 WR and it will be an interesting story throughout this season, checking out who gets to be the true #1. These are MR Playbook´s 6 best WRs from this years draft:

Strengths: has the look of a pro-style back. He has the ideal size and strength for the position and is a tough runner with a strong lower body. He is effective as an interior runner showing good acceleration to the hole and also has the power to run through defenders. Above average speed but struggles at times beating defenders to the outside. Labeled as more of a power runner, still possesses the speed necessary to threaten defenses and is a legit home run threat. Has good lateral quickness and cutback ability, but is a bit more of a straight line back.

Weakness: has had a history of being careless with the ball but seems to have improved his ball security. He lacks elite speed for the position but is still effective and plays with good overall game speed.

NFL Comparison: Thomas Jones

Projected Round: Round 1

Note: Some experts believe Mendenhall will be a better back in the NFL than McFadden for a great number of issues, in fact in several draft boards he comes up as the number 1 back so dont be surprised if he comes up in the top 10 on draft day.




- The Rookie

Strengths: Some say he might be the best player in the draft, he has the potential to be a great NFL running back and is really versatile. He not only has talent as a runner, but he is also good returning kicks and can beat you with his hands. He runs hard an fast, and it is almost impossible to bring him down on the open field. Has great speed and an amazing burst, plus, he can accelerate through holes and has great footwork and vision.

Weakness: He has had some off the field issues, which some teams dont accept, and some character questions as well. Also runs a bit high, so he could be exposed to a big hit, this could also be a strong cause for fumbles. He shared the load in college with Felix Jones, so he could be better as a 1-2 punch RB. He didnt run a conventional offense in college and he could improve on his blocking.

Projected Round: Top 5 pick

Note: Second place in the Heisman voting. thx to Caputi for the personal comment.






- The Rookie

The NFL is really good at the marketing business, and it has already released the 2008 Draft Day Hats, now, I dont know how they do it, but every year, every new hat, whether its a draft day hat or a sideline cap, or even pro bowl hats, they are all cool... since I can remember, they have always being really good making cool designs for the teams... here are the pics of the 2008 hats, and the 2007 hats so you can compare them... I personally think the new ones are way better...

but tell us what you think... btw you can click on the link to go to the NFLSHOP




- The Rookie