2007 NFL Draft Scenarios

Every year at this time my job requires me to spend endless hours researching all the players in the upcoming NFL draft. My job is to write up bios for each player describing their strengths and weaknesses and what they are capable of doing. My job does not ask me to decide where these players should be drafted, or by what team, so I will do that here based on what I have learned in my research and what teams need.

The 2007 NFL Draft is almost upon us, and like any other year, there are many questions about who will go where, what teams will trade, and who is the number one pick. This year many of those questions can be easily answered, however some are considerably harder to predict and will be a mystery until draft day. This year's draft is not particularly deep at many positions, so say the experts, but there is value to be had in the later rounds if teams do their homework.

The Top Five

1. The first team to be selecting come April 28th is the Oakland Raiders, and they desperately need a quarterback. Aaron Brooks is gone and Andrew Walter proved he is not a starting NFL quarterback last year so the Raiders need an arm and no player in this draft has a better arm than JaMarcus Russell. In fact, Russell may possess the best arm in the NFL as well, and that is exactly what the Raiders need. Teaming Russell with the likes of Randy Moss and Jerry Porter is an attractive situation that could bear a ton of offensive production for Oakland. There has been a lot of talk about trading Moss but it really makes no sense to do so. The Raiders will not get value for Moss in a trade and with Russell throwing him the ball, he could revert back to his old form and become the most dangerous receiver in football.

A trade at this point would open too many holes for Oakland and I don't expect them to deal Moss. Russell is a perfect fit and should be the first player selected. The best quarterback in the draft and the projected top overall pick, LSU's JaMarcus Russell is coming off an amazing junior campaign in 2006 when he threw for 3,129 yards with 28 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. He has a ridiculously strong arm and is surprisingly accurate. A great field general that knows how to win, Russell can get it done with his arm or his legs and is a terrific runner. Graceful, athletic and dangerous in the open field, Russell is comparable to Daunte Culpepper with more natural ability. Russell is tough and will play hurt if he needs to. He is a hard worker off the field that brings intangibles and leadership and will only get better as he matures as a passer.

2. The second pick is hard to predict because of the lack of football intelligence the Detroit Lions organization seems to have. The best available player is Calvin Johnson, a wide receiver, but the Lions have spent countless first round picks on WR's and have nothing to show for it. They missed on Charlie Rogers and Mike Williams and they simply cannot afford to take another receiver in the first round at this point. Some mock drafts have the Lions taking OT Joe Thomas with the second pick, but that would be a stupid move on their part if you ask me. They just signed veteran left tackle Jeff Backus to a boatload of money and they would look ridiculous if they were to then draft a left tackle in the first round the very next year.

The Lions need so much it is hard to say what they should do. Brady Quinn is an option, with an aging Jon Kitna the only real QB on their roster, the Lions could do a lot worse than Brady Quinn. Quinn is a good QB and should be a decent NFL player, but Jon Kitna, the current Lions QB is more than serviceable and could allow the Lions to concentrate on one of the other areas they desperately need help in, like defense. The problem is, the inept Lions seem to have no clue how to draft players, and what's worse, they need so many upgrades, even the Mighty Quinn won't save them from another sad, sad year. My recommendation is to take Quinn and build for the future, or even better, trade the pick and try to get more value in the draft. The second pick is very attractive to any team that may want to trade up to get Calvin Johnson, and the Lions could really benefit more from a trade than drafting Brady Quinn or Joe Thomas.

3. The Cleveland Browns will be selecting third and they have some very hard decisions to make. Depending on what the Lions do could change Cleveland's move considerably. If the Lions trade, Calvin Johnson will most likely be targeted at the two spot, but if the Lions hang on to their pick and draft Thomas or Quinn, the Browns will have a shot at either Johnson, or highly touted running Back Adrian Peterson. Easily the most promising back in the draft, Adrian Peterson is a strong runner with the ability to continue moving forward after initial contact. He runs with amazing balance and will take on and try to bowl over any tackler in his way. He can get to outside with startling speed and is as elusive as he is tough.

A workhorse style back, Peterson can easily handle the load of a feature-back in the NFL and is getting better as a receiver every season. Peterson has great vision and creativity and is lethal in the open field, but injuries are a concern. His aggressive style does risk injury but he is tough and will play through pain. A special talent that, combined with his drive to succeed, should easily be a premiere back in the NFL. The Browns seem to be happy with current QB Charlie Frye, so drafting a running back seems to make the most sense even though Ruben Droughns is still there; Droughns is coming off a sub par season and seems to be on the decline. Cleveland should take Peterson, or OT Joe Thomas if available, their offensive line is awful and they need to upgrade if they want to contend and keep Frye on his feet. The Browns need so much they really can't go wrong drafting Johnson, Peterson, or Thomas. However, if they draft anyone but one of those three, they deserve to finish last in their division, which may happen anyways.

4. Tampa Bay picks fourth and they are in a nice position to grab the best player in the draft. As of now, it seems like the Lions will take Quinn, the Browns will take Thomas, and that will leave the Bucs to grab Calvin Johnson, the most highly touted receiver to come out of college in the last decade. A breakout collegiate player starting every game as a true freshman, Calvin Johnson made an immediate impact. A physical specimen with terrific hands and the ability to go up and get any ball near him, Johnson is easily the most attractive receiver in the draft and is ready to start in the NFL. He has the speed to separate and the moves to avoid, and is a menace down near the goal line.

He has great body control and jumping ability and can easily take balls away from defenders. Johnson creates mismatches in the red zone with his size, speed, and height, but needs to learn how to setup defensive backs a little better and concentrate on every play. Had his best season in 2006 when he caught 76 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns. Johnson is the best player in this raft and will be a monster in the NFL right from the start. IF he is still there when Tampa picks, he will be a Buccaneer, if not, they will probably go after a defensive player like Gaines Adams or Amobi Okoye. Seeing as how the Bucs have traded for Jeff Garcia and Jake Plummer, they no longer have a need at QB and would love to have Johnson in the mix to catch the ball.

5. The Cardinals, the poor, poor Cardinals. Once again they stink and will draft high in the first round. They have a QB in Matt Leinert, and they have receivers for him to throw to. They have a young, improving defense, and they have Edgerrin James running the ball. What they don't have is an offensive line capable of stopping even a Pop Warner blitzing attack. The five blocks of silly putty they threw out there last year almost got Leinert killed and they are in need of a serious upgrade all across the line. If Joe Thomas were to slip down here, which is highly unlikely, they would have to take him, but odds are he won't be here so they may settle on adding to their young defense. Gaines Adams is an attractive pick but he can't stop the run at all, he is strictly a pass-rusher and plays weak at times. The Cardinals are a mystery right now, but expect a trade or an offensive lineman.

The top five picks will be very interesting, some teams should trade, some should stay put, but one thing is for sure, the top five picks are almost guaranteed to produce very good NFL players that can help out their respective teams immediately.

Karmatrain's Mock Draft Top Ten ( What I would do if I were drafting for these teams)

1. Oakland Raiders -- JaMarcus Russell.......QB..LSU
2. Detroit Lions -- Brady Quinn........................QB..Notre Dame
3. Cleveland Browns -- Joe Thomas...............OT..Wisconsin
4. Tampa Bay Bucs -- Calvin Johnson............WR..Georgia Tech
5. Arizona Cardinals -- Levi Brown...................OT..Penn St.
6. Wash Redskins -- Gaines Adams..............DE..Clemson
7. Minnesota Vikings -- Drew Stanton is needed at QB but they can't draft him this high, so they should take Adrian Peterson and build for the future
8. Houston Texans --LaRon Landry..................S..LSU
9. Miami Dolphins -- Alan Branch......................DT..Michigan
10. Atlanta Falcons -- Adam Carriker................DE..Nebraska