2006 Draft Preview

Rick Gosselin is in the writer’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s also arguably the most respected writer on the annual NFL college draft. While he doesn’t have the encyclopedic knowledge of high school players of a Mel Kiper, NFL general managers talk to him and give them his insights because they trust his discretion. The result is that he tends to put out the most accurate Top 100 draft list year in and year out, because it’s based on what those who will actually make the picks think, not one guy’s view of who the best players are.

Gosselin says this is a draft class to get excited about.

Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush is a can’t-miss prospect at the top of the 2006 NFL draft. He’s not alone.

I was talking with an NFL general manager the other day, and he was marveling at the options at the top of this draft board. Specifically, Bush, defensive end Mario Williams, linebacker A.J. Hawk, quarterback Matt Leinart and offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. “You could take any one of them with the first overall pick and feel great about your pick,” he said. Then he elaborated. In his opinion:

• Williams may be the most talented defensive end to hit an NFL draft board since Julius Peppers, who went second overall to Carolina in 2002 and has already been to two Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl.

• Leinart may be the most NFL-ready quarterback to hit a draft board since Peyton Manning in 1998. Manning is a two-time NFL MVP for Indianapolis.

• Ferguson may be the most polished left tackle to hit a draft board since Jonathan Ogden in 1996. Ogden has been to the last nine Pro Bowls for Baltimore.

• Hawk may be the most gifted linebacker to hit a draft board since Junior Seau in 1990. Seau went to 12 Pro Bowls with San Diego.

• And Bush may be the most dynamic runner to hit a draft board since Barry Sanders in 1989. Sanders walked away from the NFL in his prime as the game’s No. 3 all-time rusher for Detroit.

If the same five players had been in the 2005 draft, all would have rated higher on the board than No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith. All are players of extreme accomplishment.

Bush and Leinart each won a Heisman Trophy at Southern California, and Hawk won the Lombardi Award as the best lineman in football at Ohio State last season. Ferguson was a four-year starter at Virginia, and Williams would have been at North Carolina State had he not given up his senior season to enter this draft.

Goose’s Top 100 for this year at the link. The top 32, i.e., the guys who should go in the 1st round if everyone takes the “best available athlete” rather than reaching for a player in a position of need, goes like this:

1. Reggie Bush HB Southern California
2. Mario Williams DE North Carolina State
3. A.J. Hawk OLB Ohio State
4. Matt Leinart QB Southern California
5. D’Brickashaw Ferguson OT Virginia
6. Vernon Davis TE Maryland
7. Vince Young QB Texas
8. Michael Huff S Texas
9. Jay Cutler QB Vanderbilt
10. Brodrick Bunkley DT Florida State
11. Ernie Sims OLB Florida State
12. Haloti Ngata DT Oregon
13. Kamerion Wimbley DE Florida State
14. Antonio Cromartie CB Florida State
15. Chad Greenway OLB Iowa
16. Manny Lawson DE North Carolina State
17. Donte Whitner S Ohio State
18. Bobby Carpenter OLB Ohio State
19. Johnathan Joseph CB South Carolina
20. Tye Hill CB Clemson
21. Winston Justice OT Southern California
22. Laurence Maroney HB Minnesota
23. Jimmy Williams CB Virginia Tech
24. Nick Mangold C Ohio State
25. DeAngelo Williams HB Memphis
26. Santonio Holmes WR Ohio State
27. Tamba Hali DE Penn State
28. Jason Allen S Tennessee
29. Marcus McNeill OT Auburn
30. LenDale White HB Southern California
31. Eric Winston OT Miami
32. Joseph Addai HB LSU

Follow the link for more analysis and players 33-100.

Gosselin also provides his final mock draft, dated this morning. Obviously, he knew that the Texans passed on Bush in favor of Williams.

Steve Howe Killed in Car Crash

Steve Howe was killed in a vehicular crash yesterday morning.

Steve Howe, the relief pitcher whose promising career was derailed by cocaine and alcohol abuse, died Friday when his pickup truck rolled over in Coachella, Calif. He was 48.

Howe was killed at 5:55 a.m. PT, said Dalyn Backes of the Riverside County coroner’s office. The pickup truck Howe was driving left the roadway, entered the median and rolled several times, ejecting Howe from the vehicle, according to the coroner’s office. The accident occurred about 130 miles east of Los Angeles. Howe had been in Arizona on business and was driving back to the family home in Valencia, Calif., business partner Judy Welp said. Toxicology tests had not yet been performed.

The hard-throwing lefty was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and helped them win the World Series the next year. But for all of Howe’s success on the field, the hard-throwing lefty was constantly troubled by addictions — he was suspended seven times and became a symbol of the rampant cocaine problem that plagued baseball in the 1980s. During the 1992 season, he became the first baseball player to be banned for life because of drugs. An arbitrator reinstated him after the season.

Truly a shame. He wasted his enormous talent through drug addiction and now has had his life ended quite prematurely.

Texans Whiff Chosing Williams over Bush

The Texans’ decision to sign Mario Williams rather than odds-on favorite Reggie Bush is stunning.

Len Pasquarelli gets it right.

Ladies and gentlemen, your Houston Texans, an outfit that might do better were Mr. Magoo executing its lottery selections. Hand out the darts, folks, and take cover. Even quarterback David Carr, throwing from his back, which is where he has been for most of his four seasons in Houston, has better aim than his bosses.

Bad enough the loyal fans of Houston have had to suffer through the stigma of four straight losing campaigns, an average of just 4½ victories per year and a team that managed just half as many wins in its fourth season as it did in its expansion year of 2002. Now the fans are saddled with a team suffering from astigmatism.

There’s a reason that only one expansion team that has entered the league since 1976, the Bucs, won fewer games in its first four seasons than the Texans have earned, and we saw why on Friday night when Houston bypassed tailback Reggie Bush with the top pick in the draft and opted for defensive end Mario Williams instead.

[...]

When you are as a team as bad as the Texans have been, you need to make solid football decisions, and eschewing a playmaker such as Bush, who will have an immediate impact on the league, in favor of a guy still in his gestation period is a dubious call at best. And make no mistake, this was a football decision.

One could argue that the Texans are set at running back with Dominack Davis and needed help on their D-line. Fine. But why not then trade down a spot or three? It simply makes no sense to pass up the consensus number one player before the draft clock has even started.

Texans Sign Williams

North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams already signed with the Houston Texans before today’s NFL Draft. He will be the number one pick instead of USC running back phenom Reggie Bush. Now, does New Orleans trade down since they have a quarterback in Drew Brees and a running back in Deuce McAllister? If they swapped picks with the Oakland Raiders they could have a good shot at getting a good defensive player along with additional picks or players. Oakland could be sure they drafted Vince Young. All that stands between Reggie Bush becoming a Green Bay Packer is Tennessee and the New York Jets. Since both teams could use a running back I doubt he’ll fall to number five. Much depends on New Orleans.

ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli is shredding the Texans:

Bad enough the loyal fans of Houston have had to suffer through the stigma of four straight losing campaigns, an average of just 4½ victories per year and a team that managed just half as many wins in its fourth season as it did in its expansion year of 2002. Now the fans are saddled with a team suffering from astigmatism.

There’s a reason that only one expansion team that has entered the league since 1976, the Bucs, won fewer games in its first four seasons than the Texans have earned, and we saw why on Friday night when Houston bypassed tailback Reggie Bush with the top pick in the draft and opted for defensive end Mario Williams instead.

Some teams try to exercise foresight with such threshold football decisions. Houston, on the other hand, apparently makes them blindfolded.

There’s now talk of the Packers taking Maryland tight end Vernon Davis. This isn’t from Wisconsin sources. The talk in Packerland is the team taking Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk. Although there have been sports talk radio callers suggesting sending disgruntled wide out Javon Walker along with the number five pick to the Saints for receiver Dante Stallworth and the number two pick. Many think Walker will be traded sometime during the draft.

Dale Earnhardt Posthumously Enters Hall of Fame

Dale Earnhardt is now officially a Hall of Famer.

Dale Earnhardt was already the most popular driver stock car racing has ever known. Now he’s a Hall of Famer, too.The seven-time NASCAR champion, who died in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500, was inducted Thursday night into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. There was never any doubt that The Intimidator would be a part of the Hall of Fame as soon as the five-year waiting period was up, and he was finally inducted Thursday night with the appropriate fanfare, in front of family, friends, competitors and fans.

Richard Childress, who fielded cars for six of Earnhardt’s championships and was also one of his closest friends, made a special presentation before the induction of Earnhardt, who would have been 55 on Saturday. “It was an honor and a privilege for me to work with the late Dale Earnhardt for 20 years and, more important, to be his friend,” said Childress, who presented one of Earnhardt’s famed No. 3 Chevrolets to the Hall of Fame.

Obviously, this was a slam dunk choice. It’s hardly clear that Earnhardt was “the most popular driver stock car racing has ever known.” Certainly, “King” Richard Petty might have some claim on that title. But Earnhardt was the most important figure in the period during which NASCAR became a major American sport rather than a niche regional one.

Could Bush Fall to #5?

The Houston Texans are in negotiations with both running back Reggie Bush and defensive end Mario Williams. Conventional wisdom has had Bush being the number one pick. Suppose the Texans get a better deal with Williams and draft him. Does New Orleans take Bush even though they have Deuce McAllister at running back? Maybe with Williams gone they get the next-best defensive player out there by taking A.J. Hawk. Tennessee needs a quarterback since they’ve locked out Steve McNair, but they could use a magical back like Bush. The New York Jets have the ageless Curtis Martin, but he’ll be turning 32 in a few days. As much as I’d like to hope I can’t see Reggie Bush available at the Green Bay Packers’ spot even if Williams was picked number one. The only scenerios I can see of the Packers getting Bush is if New Orleans reaches for Hawk at number two of if they trade picks with Oakland who would draft Vince Young, and the Jets grab D’Brickashaw Ferguson. It’s not likely to happen, but anything can happen in the NFL Draft. Heck, a few years ago the Minnesota Vikings ran out of time in the first round and had other teams quickly draft ahead of them.

[Cross-posted to The American Mind.]

Keith Jackson to Retire. Again.

Legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson has announced that he is going to retire. For good, this time.

Keith Jackson thinks this is the right time for him to retire. Jackson, widely regarded as the voice of college football, has decided to stop broadcasting games. “I’m finished with play-by-play forever,” he told The New York Times. Jackson spent some 40 years calling the action in a folksy, down-to-earth manner that made him one of the most popular play-by-play personalities in the business.

“Keith Jackson is a man of great character and a legendary broadcaster,” ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer said. “For decades, his unmistakable style defined college football for millions of fans. While we hate to say goodbye, we understand his decision and wish him the very best.”

He also announced he would retire after the 1998 season, but ended up continuing with ABC Sports. He said this time is different. “This is the perfect time,” Jackson told the newspaper. “I don’t want to get back into the pressure cooker of play-by-play and worry about travel. I don’t want to die in a stadium parking lot.”

Jackson, 77, began calling college football games with ABC in 1966. He also worked NBA, NFL games and the Olympics, but was always best known for college football. “We very much wanted Keith to return for what would have been his 40th season,” ESPN and ABC Sports executive vice president Norby Williamson said. “When he expressed to us that he was considering retirement, we repeatedly tried to convince him otherwise, but completely respect his decision. As it turns out, it’s fitting that Keith’s final game call was the 2006 Rose Bowl, an historic event where Keith was right where he belonged — as the great narrator skillfully articulating the drama for a captivated audience. We are forever grateful.”

At 77, it’s certainly time. He was one of the greats, though.

Draft Wisdom from Rick Gosselin

It recently occured to me that I held two, seemingly contradictory, views of NFL drafting strategy in my head.

The first, which I internalized by reading Dallas Morning News‘ NFL Hall of Fame sportswriter Rick “Goose” Gosselin, is that there are six crucial positions around which a championship team are built: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, right offensive tackle, pass rushing defensive end/linebacker, and cover corner.

Yet there’s another truism out there, which I also believe, that teams should draft “the best available player on their boards” when it’s their turn.

There’s something of a conflict between these views. Should a team not always take one of the key six positions in the first round every year? It’s not like many teams are set at all six and don’t need a player in waiting for one of those slots.

So, I went straight to the source and e-mailed Gosselin. He responded:

When you can.

If one of those six is not there, you don’t reach for it. That’s why you see tight ends, middle linebackers, safeties, guards and centers go in the first round every year. If I’m drafting in the Top 10 and I have a choice between a safety and left tackle, I take the left tackle. If my board does not have one of the six positions in the draft range, you go with your best player.

Understand this, however. No two boards are the same. There is no “right” board or “wrong” board. And most people build their boards to recognize the needs of the team.

And that makes sense.

This year, for example, there are three supposed blue chippers at quarterback: USC’s Matt Leinart, Texas’ Vince Young, and Vandy’s Jay Cutler. If you’re looking for a quarterback and those guys are gone, you don’t draft, say, Alabama’s Brodie Croyle in the first round over a projected superstar at a less sexy position.

A great safety is a better choice than a merely good “Big 6″ player. But, all things being equal, you take one of those guys.

Proposed College Football Rules Changes

The NCAA Rules Committee, along with input from the AFCA, has proposed some rules changes for the 2006 season that are designed to shorten the length of games. The reasoning cited is that many games are pushing 3.5 hours and games featuring two passing teams are often lasting over 4 hours.

The rules changes expected to pass include lowering the kicking tee for kickoffs from two inches down to one inch to decrease touchbacks, starting the clock when the ball is kicked rather than when a member of the receiving team takes possesion, and starting the clock after changes of possession as soon as the ball is spotted instead of when the ball is snapped.

Another recommendation that’s expected to fail would give home teams the option of cutting halftime down to 15 minutes from 20. Changes in the replay system have also been proposed. The changes would leave the current system in place but would also allow head coaches unlimited challenges (as long as calls are overturned.)

Cross-posted from Fanblogs, JQuinton.com.