The 2007 NFL Draft takes place April 28-29. Check the chart below for Round 1 draft positions and the DonBest.com Mock Draft. Come back on draft day to see the selections as they come in. Click here for more NFL Draft-related information
2007 NFL Draft
Madison Square Garden, New York
April 28-29
The NFL Draft has become a spectacle like no other in professional sports. Fans show up to cheer on their teams and ESPN devotes a whole weekend of television and radio coverage to the seven-round, two-day event.
The event is so important that one man, Mel Kiper Jr., is employed by ESPN for the entire year (at a handsome salary, no doubt) to provide analysis for this one weekend.
The enormous publicity the draft generates has become a problem for some NFL teams. Fans are whipped into a frenzy and some teams, especially those with picks in the top five, can actually be strong-armed into making a bad pick as a result.
The quarterback position is not only the most difficult to draft, but it's also where the most highly publicized and expensive mistakes are made.
The transition from the college level to the NFL for a quarterback is possibly the toughest transition in all of sports. And because the money invested in a top-selected signal caller is astronomical, the player is expected to make an immediate impact.
Long gone are the days of quarterbacks holding clipboards and learning for a few seasons. Instead, rookie QBs now endure painful seasons of 50-plus sacks and rapidly decreasing confidence (see David Carr).
LSU's JaMarcus Russell and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn represent this year's crop of top-rated quarterbacks.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech's electrifying wide receiver Calvin Johnson has been dubbed the 'best overall player' by just about everyone who has an opinion.
So what are the teams with the top five picks supposed to do in the 2007 NFL Draft? It should be simple.
No. 1 Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have more holes on the field than District Attorney Mike Nifong had in his case versus the Duke lacrosse players. Although holding the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft is nice, no one player will solve Oakland's problems, which makes the Raiders' lack of aggression in the free agent market even more suspect.
Considering the Raiders brought in offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and offensive line coach Tom Cable from the Atlanta Falcons, it seemed obvious to me Oakland's next move would have been to actively pursue former Falcons backup QB Matt Schaub. But in true Al Davis fashion, two and two were not put together and Schaub was snapped up by the Texans leaving the Raiders with a huge vacuum behind center.
Enter the physical specimen that is JaMarcus Russell. Russell more than likely would have been a mid-first round pick until he lit up Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to the tune of 332 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Ignoring the hype, when you look at Russell's games versus NFL-caliber defensive players, the story is telling. Russell went 24-for-41 for 228 yards with three interceptions in a 23-10 loss to the future national champion Florida Gators this past year. And against Auburn, which also had a top-tier defense, Russell was shut down in a 7-3 loss.
Because Oakland fans and media are clamoring for the big quarterback to be the top pick, the Raiders will more than likely be strong-armed into taking him.
But a quarterback in the top spot will run the organization around $30 million. Oakland would be better off trading out of the No. 1 pick and using the returns to fill as many holes as possible.
No. 2 Detroit Lions
The Lions are the envy of several teams because of the No. 2 pick they hold in the draft. The aforementioned Calvin Johnson is the prize jewel according to most, and numerous teams are interested in trading picks with Detroit in order to obtain him, if the Raiders don't pull the trigger on the big receiver.
Although Detroit has drafted a receiver with its first round pick the past three years, believe it or not, the hard luck Lions still have a need at the position. Yet, Detroit's need at WR is a low priority compared to its needs on defense.
The most saliva dripping over Johnson is coming from the mouths of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hold the No. 4 pick.
If the Raiders pass on Johnson, the Lions would be wise to trade down with Tampa Bay and nab explosive defensive end Gaines Adams (Clemson) at the No. 4 spot and possibly gain an extra pick later in the draft.
No. 3 Cleveland Browns
The best thing for the Browns to do is ignore the wishes of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. Quinn has openly stated that he wants to play for Cleveland and has propositioned the Browns to use their No. 3 overall pick on him.
The Notre Dame slinger had a great college career and carries the endorsement of former Patriots offensive coordinator and current Fighting Irish head coach Charlie Weis. There is a fair amount of concern about Quinn and his poor performances in big games, and there were many. But this is not the only reason the Browns shouldn't draft him.
In 2005, the Browns drafted quarterback Charlie Frye in the third round, and although he hasn't yet put up Pro-Bowl numbers, he has shown signs of progress. Benching Frye for an expensive and unproven Quinn is not going to help Cleveland, especially considering the other issues the team has on offense.
The Browns' offensive line and rushing attack has been miserable not only during Frye's tenure, but since the 1990's. Last year was just another in the long list of seasons where the Browns finished near the bottom of the league in rushing. Cleveland averaged only 83.8 yards per game on the ground (30th in the NFL) and the offensive line conceded 54 sacks, third most in football.
Bottom line: No quarterback will achieve success in Cleveland until the Browns balance their attack. That's exactly why Cleveland should draft running back Adrian Peterson out of Oklahoma. The need for a legitimate feature back in Cleveland is equal to the need for water in the Sahara.
No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No team has more naughty thoughts about wide receiver Calvin Johnson than coach Jon Gruden and the Bucs. Tampa Bay has been offering the Raiders everything under the Florida sun for the No. 1 pick and the chance to land Johnson, but a frosty relationship between the two franchises has chilled discussions.
Talks between Tampa Bay and Detroit have reportedly been more fruitful than those with the Raiders, so anticipate quick movement if Oakland passes on Johnson.
No. 5 Arizona Cardinals
The moment Edgerrin James left the Indianapolis Colts and signed with Arizona Cardinals as a free agent the question on everyone's minds was: 'Why?'
One typical Arizona season later and the question still stands. The Cardinals finished second to last in rushing in 2006 managing a measly 83.6 yards per game on the ground. Amazingly that is an improvement from 2005 when they finished dead last.
Quarterback Matt Leinart, the Cards' first round choice in 2006, found himself in the starting role midway through the season. Although he performed adequately, the former USC star received almost no help from the running game and little protection in the pocket.
So, heading into the 2007 draft, the burning question in Arizona is this: How do you address the running game and the passing game?
The answer is OT Joe Thomas (Wisconsin). At 6-foot-6 and weighing 311 pounds, Thomas is a dream come true for any team that needs help on the offensive line. In fact, the Cardinals should feel blessed they even have a chance at Thomas considering every team in front of them needs to improve its offensive line.
Fortunately for the Cards, the bright shine around Calvin Johnson has blinded teams into forgetting that football games are won in the trenches. The Cardinals should capitalize.
All in all, the top five selections in the 2007 NFL Draft would seem to be no brainers with bad teams getting the pieces they need to make themselves better.
However, you can bet those five teams will find ways to complicate matters, especially with their frenzied fans breathing down their throats.
Shaun Gogna is an Associate Editor at DonBest.com. With experience in both television and radio, Shaun combines sports betting knowledge with media savvy. Contact Shaun by email
