FanPost

Nate's Dream Draft


I know I've been posting a lot lately guys... Unemployment and boredom have come together with draft season to turn me into a monster. I've just been thinking about the difference between reality and idealism, and I usually attempt to advocate realism... However, lately, I've been thinking of what I personally would make up the best case scenario for the draft, and this is loosely what I've come up with (although I have attempted to keep a modicum of realism intact). I decided to only cover the first 4 rounds, with a quick pick in round 5 because I'm not extremely knowledgeable about college football. So bear with me, and let me know if you'd be on board with this!

Round One, Pick #2

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

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Yeah, I think I'm pretty well known as an Eric Berry homer, and I would absolutely love to get him. But the facts are the facts: we have the #2 overall pick. It's looking like Sam Bradford will be a Ram, and if that is the case, unless we have something extraordinary to gain via a trade, you have to take your man. I've preached that drafting Berry would be an 'exponential draft pick', with Delmas and Berry elevating each other's play so much that you're getting extra value from the selection. With the recent additions of Corey Williams and Kyle VandenBosch, I feel the same way about the defensive line. Obviously, with our first pick, we can't lose. Last year we drafted #1 overall, and got our offensive leader. Now we draft our defensive stud, our Albert Haynesworth, our Ray Lewis... and visions of NFC North QBs being planted into the turf are dancing in our heads.

Honorable Mention: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee - I don't need to go into detail why I feel this is a great pick, but I will say that the impact made by drafting Berry over Okung and going for OL later in the draft (OL being a much deeper pool than DB in this draft) would definitely be better in this case.

Round 2, Pick #34

Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

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OK, before you guys start commenting about how "Kyle Wilson won't be there at 34!!!" and all that, let me just say that this pick is partially in hopes that Haden dropping in the rankings (along with the emergence of a couple other safety prosepects) pushes Wilson back far enough to us, or in the more likely scenario that he won't fall, that Schwartz and Mayhew swing something to trade up and take him. Wilson is neck in neck (in my opinion) for the #1 CB in the draft, and if we get Suh, I really feel like we HAVE to grab him. Trade this pick with Julian Peterson to New England or something. Whatever we've got to do, and I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for the FO to make this happen.

Honorable Mention: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida - I'm sure people will flip a nut over this one too. At the top of the 2nd, grabbing a guy who at one point was touted as the best DE in the draft would be a steal, attitude concerns or not. I trust our coaching staff to get the most out of this guy. At worst, we get Kalimba Edwards, round two, and at best we get Julius Peppers. Sometimes you have to take a risk, and this is a risk worth taking, in my opinion.

Round 3, Pick 66

Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama

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Helping pave the way for the 3rd sophomore to ever win a Heisman trophy is one thing. Being versed in every position on the offensive line is another. Mike Johnson is a classic 'road grater' type guard, with great size (6'6", 305 lbs) and could step in at guard for us from day one. A two-tine consensus All-American, Johnson went into college with a 4.0 GPA, showing he has a fair amount of discipline.

Round 4, Pick 97

Myron Rolle, S, Florida State

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No safety outside of Louis Delmas is a player I would be totally comfortable with just handing the job to. Rolle is an interesting story, has an NFL pedigree, and would be a great pick in the 4th round as a consolation prize for not netting Eric Berry. He is also the requisite pick for non-Berry guys in the Pride.

Honorable Mention: Ben Tate, RB, Auburn - I'm not really all about taking a running back, especially in the earlier half of the draft, but I do like what I've seen from Tate. Really the best running back available would be a better fit here, but I think Tate will be available around this range.

In round 5, I would opt for selecting the polarizing Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount, with honorable mention going to Boston College C Matt Tennent. I have a lot of faith that our coaching staff can take players and improve them greatly, as evidenced by their attending Adam Jones' phyiscal/tryout/whatever this week, and thus am not all that scared of Blount. I really like Tennent, and think his size and ability would be great for our project o-line.

So ultimately, I think in the first 5 rounds we end up with some pretty decent grabs. On one hand (the 'main' draft, if you will) we end up with everyone's favorite Cornhusker anchoring our line and defense, the consensus favorite CB, a starting-caliber guard to fill that hole, and Myron Rolle, brain surgeon extraordinaire, to go along with the troubled LeGarrette Blount. On the other, we get the darkhorse candidate Eric Berry, a boom-or-bust Carlos Dunlap, our guard, a solid, touted RB, and a player who can possibly be groomed to replace the now aging Dominic Raiola. I did write these up to be complementary, with there being a main draft and an honorable one, but any mix of these picks are ones I would love. I think a draft like this would be fantastic, and set us up for quite a bit of future success down the road.

What do you think?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride Of Detroit or its writers.