Fantasy Football - Random Thoughts/Observations

Random Thoughts/Observations - April '00 written by Joe Bryant (CheatSheets.net) ARTICLE REPRODUCED FOR FREE AT WWW.DRAFTGUIDE.COM

A confession before I begin: I’m not a True Draftnik. By that admission I mean I can’t reel off the top 3 Strong Safety prospects from the Big Ten for 2002 and I don’t have the faintest idea where Lambuth College is. I don’t know if Drew Brees is failing Calculus and I honestly don’t care what CD Michael Vick has in his Discman (although I heard it was the new D’Angelo). For a True Draftnik, such things are common knowledge. True Draftniks laugh with impunity at mere Football Junkies like you and I with our limited brains and feeble recall. But then again, most of us have some semblance of a life, unlike your average Draftnik. It’s not a bad compromise. What I will admit to is celebrating the draft with unbridled enthusiasm. In a game that’s now a year ‘round affair, the Draft is the official waving of the green flag for most folks. And it’s about time. Basketball’s been going forever and I heard they were still playing Hockey. After weeks (is that all it’s been?) of watching the baseball geeks flagellate themselves over the superiority of "the game", it’s refreshing to see some real sports news again featuring actual athletes (Sorry Jr, you’re the exception) So it was with much anticipation that I settled in for the spectacle known as the National Football League Annual Selection Meeting last weekend. I was ready to hear those hallowed labels of "tweener" and "overachiever" while discussing in minutia the differences between 40 times indoors and out. I wanted numbers, numbers and more numbers to describe every conceivable measurement from wingspan to vertical leap. If you watched (and I know you did) you know I was most definitely not disappointed. With that in mind, here are a few Random Shots from the draft and general musings from the weekend. I’ll also offer my thoughts on what all this ruckus really means when it comes to your fantasy draft and then some insights on key players in this year’s rookie crop. Here goes. Random Shots Why does it takes Cleveland 13 minutes to select Brown who they already had under contract? The answer is "Danny Snyder". They likely knew Washington and Lil’ Danny would take all of 15 seconds to select Arrington at #2, effectively sweeping Brown and the Browns off the stage and the ESPN screen. I kinda like that move in a Simpson’s Mr. Smithers kind of way. I do credit Snyder with not screwing around with Arrington and taking him at #3 for negotiation purposes. I don’t understand the Tinactin Video Conference thing. It was horrible in ‘99 but I figured a year of technological advances would have it cleared up. Nope. It still made everyone scary. These guys looked like bad actors from a Japanese movie with the English dubbed over. I kept expecting Belichick to say "Your Kung Fu is no good here". Like most people, I was a little surprised to see the Raiders tap Janikowski in the first (or at least as surprised as I am by anything the Raiders do) But I think it might be the right (maybe even great) move. Gruden was in love after the combines saying, "He put on an orbital display.'' People, especially us Fantasy Football guys, sometimes forget that this isn’t like your throw back fantasy draft where all the players are available. This is like having a Fantasy Draft with 31 owners where every player is a keeper. Kickers have little value in Fantasy drafts since there are an abundance of good ones to go around. In the real world of the NFL, the Raiders deal with a much different situation. Every coach stresses the value of the kicking game for field position and the Raiders just pumped theirs up considerably. Here are the numbers you need to know: Janikowski booted kickoffs 83 times for FSU last year. Of those 83 kicks, 57 (69%) were not returned. Of the 26 that were returned, 24 were not advanced past the 25 yard line. Says Coach Gruden, "We're talking about a weapon here. He can change strategy." Speaking of Janikowski, much has been made of the off the field skirmishes and the ominous threat of deportation should the trouble continue. (When accused of bribing an officer arresting Janikowski’s friend, his explanation for dropping 3 one hundred dollar bills on the windshield of the police car while asking "How much will it take?" was that he just didn’t understand how the bail process worked in this country. That’s classic.) My thought on the matter is very simply: College kids from FSU get deported a heck of a lot easier than do Multi Millionaire 1st round NFL Picks residing under Al Davis’ wing. Unless he really flies the coop, I see him doing just fine. Time for another confession: I like Mel Kiper, Jr. I know it’s the popular thing to ridicule the guy but I like him. There, I said it. I may not agree with his assessments at times, but you gotta give it up to the man that he comes prepared and with a game face on. If you watched Kiper while Berman was announcing the pick, you could see he just starts welling up with what he wants to say before Berman can even get the name out. It’s like he can’t hold it in. Make the selection, pull the string out of his back, and like clockwork, Mel gives you 45 seconds of what you need to know. It impresses me the range of players he covers. He seemed just as comfortable reeling off material on Mike Green as he did Courtney Brown. And what Draft article would be complete without paying homage to the hair? You can’t not like the hair. While I do sort of miss the older days when he did the Kramer Pompadour thing (remember the wrap around headset mic’s?), this year’s modified Eddie Munster was right on target. You can tell Theisman is feeling the pressure. Note to Joe: Lighten up on the tanning bed, Pal. Given the limited selections New Orleans was allotted, it’s probably a good thing Ditka was out playing craps somewhere in a casino where he’s not yet banned. LaVarr Arrington reminds me of Keyshawn Johnson. And that’s a compliment. Perfect contrast between he and Brown was the scene backstage after the selection with Mike Tirico. The ever humble Courtney Brown looked almost embarrassed by all the fuss shifting from one foot to the other. He was clearly more comfortable in uniform than in a suit. Arrington, on the other hand, began immediately lobbying for Theisman’s job as he had one arm around Tirico’s neck and the other reaching for the mic. As Mrs. Arrington says, "That boy loves to talk". Chris Berman is clearly getting older and stumbles more than he used to. His delivery is nowhere near as slick as the ultra smooth Mike Tirico’s. And I’ll take Boomer 10 to 1 all day long. Anyone else get tired of seeing poor Purdue QB Drew Brees pancaked in every highlight film by Courtney Brown or LaVarr Arrington? You know it’s a bad sign for San Francisco when Sean Salisbury’s press backdrop at the 49’er War Room featured the jersey of their two best players: Charlie Garner and Garrison Hearst. Speaking of that, I don’t understand Steve Young. You’d think if he was going to do something, he’d do it well ahead of the draft so they could plan for the team needs. If not through the draft, they could likely be making free agency moves that would impact the drafting strategy. I guess he figured if Barry Sanders doesn’t have to than neither does he. If you’re the Redskin PR Guy, for crying out loud give Chris Samuels a cap that isn’t 5 sizes too small. I’ve got pee wee caps that fit better than the one they gave him. Anyone else not surprised that the first few words out of Andy Reid’s mouth were "Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich"? Most people know Peyton Manning spent 4 years in Knoxville, Tennessee with the Vols. Some may not know top rated QB Chad Pennington is also from Knoxville and attended high school here. Parents of prospective QB’s take notice. Apparently, there’s something in the water...... I thought ESPN made a smart move featuring Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler. Not only are they strong personalities, these are the guys who cover these college players. Tom Donahoe is I’m sure a nice guy and a very talented football man. But I see his draft analysis spread throughout the land and have to wonder. The guy has a resume in to most of the teams. How critical is he really going to be? There is a very good reason why the Giants had that little "ny" logo in mothballs.... When the Steelers picked Plaxico Burress over Chad Pennington at #8, it looked on the surface to be a strong endorsement for Kordell Stewart. Tirico pressed Cowher on the question repeatedly and the Stiff Jawed One managed to completely dance around the issue. It was almost as if he was determined not to say Kordell was his guy. It’s been widely reported that they tried to trade up later in the 1st to get another shot at the Marshall QB. The new Rams Jerseys and Helmets are killer. What a great marketing move too. Give the fans something new to buy right when interest is highest. If Trung Canidate in the first round is any indication of things to come, I hope they sell quick. Surest pick from the first round? Easy. Keyshawn Johnson for the Bucs. Many players drafted last weekend show tremendous promise and potential. Keyshawn is the only one that’s a guaranteed 100% lock to be an NFL star. He already is. I wonder if the Jets ever sat down and did the math on the signing bonuses they’ll have to pay the first round picks from Tampa Bay compared to how much they would have had to pony up and keep Keyshawn? I understand honoring what you commit to. But Woody Johnson has to understand the real world. I’ve long been a critic of Leslie Visser and her interviews where her nodding face is on camera more than the guy she’s interviewing. So I was very glad to see the outstanding job done by ESPN’s Suzy Kolber. Very very good. Dave Wannestedt reported that Jimmy Johnson’s primary role in the Dolphin War Room was playing "Devil’s Advocate". I bet THAT was interesting. Is ESPN’s Hank Goldberg related to Harry Carey? It occurs to me that maybe the best thing for Patriot fans to come out of the Bill Belichick hire is that now maybe Drew Bledsoe won’t go into his normal Belichick Defense inspired tailspin after the Jets game. Favorite Pre Draft Quote. ESPN’s Dan Patrick was giving LaVarr Arrington a hard time saying he was a lock for a top 3 pick. Arrington was trying to be cool about it playing the aw shucks "just glad to be here and happy to go wherever I go" thing. He said, "I really don’t know where I’ll go. I love Cleveland, I love Washington, I love…who’s after Washington?" Exactly. Fun moment at the draft: Chris Samuel making his way over to the Washington Redskin fanatics in the Hog attire and shouting "There’s a new Hog in the House!" I think one reason you didn’t see much trading is that GM’s looked around and saw the repercussions of mortgaging the future for today as teams like the Falcons, Dolphins and Saints sat on their hands. The Falcons traded (gave) away the 2000 first round pick so they could move up and select "superstar" TE Reggie Kelly in the 1999 draft. Class move of the first round: LaVarr Arrington’s hearty handshake and hug after Brown’s selection looking as excited as Brown was and than later saying, "Courtney deserved to be the first pick" Bill Polian says of wild man LB Rob Morris, "I think we’re going to put in his contract that he can’t chase crocodiles, or surf on cars or dive out of windows into pools" You like to see that in a Linebacker. It’s fun to talk about the potential of a guy like Trung Canidate but it’s not as fun the next year when you realize they’re Kevin Faulk and that it takes more than a dazzling 40 time to excel at this level. The slide of Georgia Tech QB Joe Hamilton baffled me. To hear folks talk, it was like he put those stats up against midgets last year or something. Perfect example of letting the tape measure and stopwatch outweigh the game film. The Bucs got a steal. Anyone disagree that National Champion Florida State has some reasonably tall defenders? All Hamilton did last year in the Tech / FSU game was go 22 for 25 (including completions on his last 14 pass attempts), throw for 3 TDs, rush for another and tally 387 passing yards. I’d say that’s pretty good against the National Champs. Joe Theisman doesn’t look right in his reading glasses. I realize I’m in the minority but I think Jamal Lewis at #5 overall was a huge reach. Many UT people felt he had little choice but to come out as a Junior because he’d be the #2 RB on the Tennessee team behind Travis Henry if he’d stayed. This is coming from a guy who watched him play every game last year. He may be back physically from the knee injury, but he’s miles from being the same player. He was proclaimed 100% back last summer. Actually, he looked awesome early in the season against Wyoming but went steadily downhill. Easiest runner on the team last year to bring down. QB Tee Martin was a tougher runner. Again, stopwatches over game film. It’s a great situation with an improving team in Baltimore but he’ll have to be vastly improved to make an impact. If I’m a Baltimore fan, I feel much better if they’d have gone Plaxico Burress and Shaun Alexander / Ron Dayne there with the 5th and 10th picks. Either that or traded out of #5 to a team that needed Corey Simon. While I’m ripping stopwatches, riddle me this: How often does the average NFL player run 40 yards at a time? How often do they do something that simulates bench-pressing 225 pounds 20 times consecutively? Vertical leap and shuttle times give a much more accurate picture of a players explosiveness and that’s what this game is all about. And why don’t they measure Squats? They’re much more indicative of overall practical strength instead of the bench where long arms are a huge liability. If I’m a Giant’s fan, I’m hanging my head in shame with the Ron Dixon pick in the 3rd. How can you not know the guy would have lasted till late Sunday? If you’re going to gamble on the first day, I’d rather gamble with a guy who’s got great potential and maybe a head case vs. a guy that no one has heard of. You may think the draft took a while. It probably was over in a flash compared to what it must have seemed for these highly ranked guys who never had their name called. (CBS Sportsline Pre Draft ranking) Kwame Cavil, WR Texas (#8), Ryan Johanningmeir, G Colorado (#5), Hubert Thompson, DE Michigan St. (#5), and Matt Beck, ILB Cal (#3) Speaking of names, here’s Bryant’s All Name Team: Gary Berry, SS Ohio St / GB Rodregis Brooks, CB Ala-Birmingham / IND Isaiah Kacyvenski, ILB Harvard / SEA Na’il Diggs OLB Ohio St / GB Mao Tosi DE Idaho / ARZ Stockar McDougle OT Oklahoma / DET Plaxico Burress WR Mich. St. / PIT Dez White WR Georgia Tech / CHI Shyrone Stith RB Virginia Tech / JAX Trung Canidate RB Arizona / STL Temaurice (Tee) Martin QB Tennessee / PIT JaJuan Seider QB Florida A&M / SD Sporting News’ Dan Pompei writes that the slippage of Arizona RB J.R. Redmond had to do with rumors of a kidney problem many teams felt would affect his ability to stay on the field. I thought it was his propensity for supposedly accidentally marrying women.... Titans Safety Aric Morris from Michigan State is nicknamed Bam Bam. You gotta like that. I bet it’s weird for "star" college QB’s like Doug Johnson – Florida (undrafted) and Jarius Jackson - Notre Dame (214th) to sit by the phone and watch lesser known QB’s from smaller programs go before them like Giovanni Carmazzi – Hofstra (65th) and Spergon Wynn – Southwest Texas St. (183rd) Maybe it’s just me but knowing what I do about the player, the city, and Bears Fans, LB Brian Urlacher seems like a perfect fit for Chicago Following a personality like Bill Parcells is nearly impossible so I’m willing to cut the guy some slack, but I have to be honest in saying listening to Al Groh doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence if I’m a Jets fan. Had to smile with Bobby Beathard in his likely last draft as a GM, when he selected little known QB JaJuan Seider from Florida A&M. For a guy who’s tapped his share of gems (Mark May, Art Monk, Darrell Green) and given up way too much for some other guys (Bryan Still, Ryan Leaf), reaching out for a head scratcher like Seider with upside was the fitting way to likely cap a career that’s been anything but predictable. Speaking of Seider, while being interviewed he was asked if he thought he could beat out Ryan Leaf. A local San Diego writer quickly answered the question for Seider saying, "Can he walk?" Fantasy Impact Moves From the Draft Guys That Moved Up On My Draft Board: BAL QB Tony Banks - He had to feel like a kid on Christmas morning as before the first 10 picks were over on Saturday, Banks had the best RB in the draft (in the Raven’s opinion) with Jamal Lewis and the 3rd best WR in Travis Taylor. Don’t know how they could give him any more to work with. NYG QB Kerry Collins - No more excuses as they add RB Ron Dayne to the backfield. This should take some pressure off the passing game and allow much more flexibility with routes. I’d expect you’ll see opposing defenses play something like they did against New Orleans last year loading the box and daring Collins to pass. The Billy Joes for Ditka couldn’t make the defenses pay for that gamble and we’ll see if Collins can. KC QB Elvis Grbac - Not unlike Kordell Stewart, Grbac should immediately benefit from the addition of first rounder Sylvester Morris who’s a big target at 6’3" / 200. WAS QB’s Brad Johnson / Jeff George - OT Chris Samuels appears to be the type of guy who can anchor the line from the all important Left Tackle position for years to come. At Alabama, he faced big time defenders and he should be able to make the transition smoothly. TB QB’s Shaun King / Eric Zeier / Joe Hamilton / Randall Cunningham? - Whoever lines up behind center will benefit from the Keyshawn addition. I’d expect Alstott and Dunn to rise slightly as well with another weapon to keep the defense busy. ARZ QB Jake Plummer - The addition of a game breaker like RB Thomas Jones will surely improve Plummer. Let’s face it, it would be difficult for him to be any worse. The O Line still has questions but a little help in the backfield can only be a positive, especially a RB with receiving skills like Jones. CIN QB Akili Smith - I’m no fan of Akili Smith but he must move up your board with the addition of game breaker Peter Warrick. Another Seminole WR, Ron Duggans in the 3rd round should help as well. Let’s hope Warrick learned some lessons from Smith’s disastrous holdout last year and keep your fingers crossed someone comes to their senses and they find a running back. DET RB James Stewart - Stewart benefited from the draft not only from who the Lions selected, but who they didn’t select. Huge OL Stockar McDougle was their first pick while some had speculated they might go for a RB. They did select Oregon RB Reuben Droughns in the 3rd but he’s not expected to be big threat. Instead of competition in camp, Stewart got the 350 pound behemoth to clear the rushing lanes for him. Stewart filled in admirably for Fred Taylor last year and it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the starting role. PIT QB Kordell Stewart - Whether you like him or not, it’ll be hard to argue his situation didn’t drastically improve with the addition of 2 huge WR’s in Plaxico Burres (6’ 5") and Danny Farmer (6’ 2") For a guy with major league accuracy problems, there’s a lot more receiver there to hit than the little guys like 5’ 9" Troy Edwards. NYJ QB Vinny Testeverde - One QB who’s value went down after the draft. WR Laveranues Coles and TE Anthony Becht are supposed to make up for Keyshawn? Please. Guys That Moved Down On My Board: GB TE Mark Chmura - Ron Wolfe took a page from Mike Brown’s School of Subtlety here with the selection of TE Bubba Franks in round one. If you’ve got the neck injury and the unbelievable off the field problems, when your GM takes the #1 TE in the first round of the draft, I think I could read between the lines there...... NE RB’s Kevin Faulk / Raymont Harris - Faulk did nothing last year to disprove the contention he wasn’t big enough to stay healthy at this level. And Raymont Harris hasn’t been healthy it seems since the Bush Administration. With the addition of J.R. Redmond, who many felt was a top 5 back, both these guys could be in trouble. BAL RB Preist Holmes - For Holmes owners, the joy of seeing Errict Rhett go to Cleveland quickly faded when the Ravens selected Jamal Lewis in the first round. While I’m not on the overly crowded Lewis bandwagon, teams don’t draft a Running Back at #5 overall without giving him every chance to be the main guy. BAL WR Pat Johnson - Johnson showed some nice flashes with 3 TD’s last year but if WR Travis Taylor does what’s expected of him, Taylor will likely slide into the #2 WR opposite Qadry Ismail. We’ll see how fast he picks up the system but it could be trouble for Johnson. NYG RB Joe Montgomery - Sorry Joe, it was fun while it lasted but unless Ron Dayne gets on the Eddie Murphy Nutty Professor Bulk Program (which is a possibility), Montgomery will be wearing a baseball cap more than a helmet this year. CIN WR Carl Pickens - The Bengals spent 2 of the top 3 selections on Wide Receiver, including of course, their #1 pick on Peter Warrick. When it comes to delivering messages, subtlety is not Mike Brown’s strong suit. ARZ RB Michael Pittman - Last year’s favorite sleeper pick should be riding the pine unless Thomas Jones can’t find his way to the airport. Jones is too good and like the situation with Baltimore, teams don’t draft a Running Back with a top 10 overall pick and then stash him away to "develop". PIT WR Hines Ward Ward looks to move to the #3 guy with the addition of Plaxico Burress. Adding another tall WR in Danny Farmer won’t help his case either. Burress just has too much potential to not be on the field. And it’s not like Ward is the most polished receiver in the league. SEA RB Ricky Watters - ESPN’s John Clayton recently said he could envision a scenario where Watters became a June salary cap casualty now that Holmgren lucked into RB Shaun Alexander slipping all the way to them. I don’t know about that, but the overall point is very clear that Alexander is likely the RB of Seattle’s (possibly near) future. Rookies to Watch Running Backs: SEA RB Shaun Alexander - After Jones, he was my #2 RB in the draft. A complete package of skills to go with a tough character. Seattle may have received the best value in the 1st round with Alexander at #19. As I mentioned, I’ve heard rumblings that Ricky Watters position could even be in danger with salary cap concerns. Holmgren’s offensive system is not one that’s picked up overnight but I’d be surprised if you don’t see Alexander make a significant contribution this year. MIN RB Doug Chapman - I don’t care if it was at Marshall, when you score 61 TD’s in your college career, you’re saying something. And besides, those Marshall jokes are wearing thin by now anyway. He’s a classic overachiever making the most out of what he’s been given. 5’ 10" / 215 so he’s got the size and the 4.55 40 time is adequate. The biggest plus he has going for him is that he plays behind Robert Smith. Don’t be surprised to see him get a shot and make the most of it. NYG RB Ron Dayne - I’m interested to see which Ron Dayne steps forward in New York. Will it be the fat plodder doing the Ricky Williams get hit behind the line act or will it be the more nimble steamroller we saw in Wisconsin? The Badgers featured a solid line last year and you must give credit there (Lawrence Phillips, anyone?) He’ll have a far less dominant unit to work behind with the Giants. The more tape I watched, the more I was impressed with his ability to make guys miss instead of just bowling over tacklers. He’s certainly capable with his size, but the guy has some special running skills that he doesn’t get credit for simply because he’s so big. ARZ RB Thomas Jones - I liked Jones as the best back in the draft by a good margin. Love that little shake’n bake stutter move but at 215 pounds he also has nice power. Jones behind the Ravens front would have been scary but I’m afraid he may be limited in Arizona. I think Adrian Murrell is a better back than many give him credit for and we saw last year in Arizona and New Orleans that without a solid line and passing game, few backs will produce. His biggest benefit to the team will likely be in making QB Plummer better both in the area of keeping defenses honest and also catching the ball out of the backfield which he does well. CIN RB Curtis Keaton - Depending on how the Corey Dillon saga plays out, Keaton could contribute. He was one of those guys shooting up draft charts last week with some nice workout numbers. At 5’ 10" / 215 he’s got good size and runs a 4.45 40. Nice vision and seems to pick the holes well. I don’t discount anything happening when Mike Brown is involved so I’d keep an eye on this situation. BAL RB Jamal Lewis - If you read the above, you know I’m not fawning over Jamal Lewis like the rest of the world. I just had too much opportunity as a Vol fan to watch him underachieve after the knee injury. I’ve yet to talk to anyone close to Tennessee Football that thinks he’s worthy of a #5 pick. But it’s obviously a great situation for him. Billick’s offensive talents are well documented and few think Priest Holmes is the answer behind that strong front line. If Thomas Jones had gone there, I’d be all over him, I’m just having a hard time getting too excited about Lewis based on what I saw last year. CLE RB Travis Prentice - Not a show stopper but a good solid back that could easily blossom. Could make a very nice combination with new Brown Errict Rhett. Went forever in college between fumbles (862 carries without a fumble) and what coach doesn’t like that? Couch will likely be improved this year along with the WR corps. NE RB J.R. Redmond - In the revolving door of New England RB’s, (Remember Robert Edwards?) Redmond at 5’11" 210 seems to be a much better alternative than Kevin Faulk or self proclaimed "Ultra back" Raymont Harris. If he can keep his head screwed on straight and stay healthy, he’s very likely the best RB on the team. JAX RB Shyrone Stith - How many people think Fred Taylor can stay healthy for 16 games? I don’t. And Tavian Banks is still rehabbing. Stith doesn’t have the blistering 40 time you’d prefer but James Stewart is no burner and he filled in pretty nicely when he was there. Stith was a productive hard nosed player for the #2 team in the country last year and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him make some waves behind Taylor. Tight Ends: GB TE Bubba Franks - The Packer offense has slipped so far from what it once was, it’s hard to know what to expect this year but an asset like Franks could easily be a big producer with Brett Favre throwing the ball. They’ve certainly shown a tendency to rely on a soft handed TE in the past and Franks clearly fits that bill. Wide Receivers: PIT WR Plaxico Burress - Be the one guy at your draft to pronounce his name right. It rhymes with "Mexico" Bypassing Chad Pennington for the big guy said a lot. If he can stay focused and motivated, the sky is the limit for Burress. Very soft hands and long arms to go with the height. Matching him on a fade route against a 5’ 10" corner will be a joke. Of course, the only question mark is how well Stewart or Graham will be able to deliver the ball. Steelers thought enough of him to assign him #88. You may remember a pretty good WR named Swann who wore that jersey... KC WR Sylvester Morris is a nice target at 6’3" and should be able to start opposite Derrick Alexander. It’s a big jump from Jackson State to the NFL but others have done it. If the Chiefs can find a running game, he might pay some nice dividends. BAL WR Travis Taylor - Will be pushing for the best WR on the team. The pass happy Florida system doesn’t always translate into success at the next level partly because Steve Spurrier puts his guys in such great positions and schemes. But I like Travis on this team. Coach Billick certainly knows how to score points and new TE Shannon Sharpe will likely be a good influence. Weak link in my opinion is if QB Tony Banks can keep up the pace. CIN WR Peter Warrick Warrick is on the other end of the spectrum from RB Jamal Lewis. Lewis earned his slot based upon his 1997 season and four games in 1998 coupled with super human workout numbers. Warrick earned his slot with 4 years of stellar on the field performance for arguably the best team in the nation the last few years. As we all know, he posted less than dazzling workouts. Last time I checked, they don’t score the games based on the workout numbers. Just for the record, Lewis had a very similar "shopping" experience to Warrick in High School so we’ll call the character issue a draw. Certainly, Florida State and Tennessee are not the NFL. But they’re as close as you can get. One player excelled at that level of competition for 3+ years. The other player excelled at that level of competition 3 years ago before blowing out his knee. Certainly Akili Smith and whatever Running Game they can assemble are huge pieces of the puzzle but I like what I think we’ll see from Warrick. CHI WR Dez White Not only was this an incredible value for the Bears in the 3rd, I like the fit of a big (6’1" / 218) athletic WR in any system run by Gary Crowton. Keep an eye on what they do with Bobby Engram but White could be a real contributor if given the playing time while opponents try to stop Marcus Robinson. Joe Bryant is the owner of www.cheatsheets.net. More of his work can be found there along with all the information and tools you’ll need to Dominate Your Draft. For comments or questions, he can be reached at bryant@fanexfootball.com.

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