Matt Leinart. Let me repeat….Matt Leinart. That in and of itself is enough to call this a good draft for the Cardinals. They got a QB at the #10 who many scouts have declared is the best long term QB in the draft this year. Had he come out last year, he would have been #1. He is a winner, and has the other pieces already in place around him on the offense. Best of all, he gets to learn from an experienced veteran QB in Kurt Warner. Coach Green is a lucky man and if continues on this path, wouldn’t it be weird to see the Cardinals in the Super Bowl?

Two more guys Arizona picked up that really make this draft a successful one are Leonard Pope and Gabe Watson. Both are from winning programs, where high standards are maintained. Pope is a TE who has great hands and was a playmaker for Georgia the last year. Gabe Watson is a DE who has the ability to be a great NFL player, if he can maintain intensity. If Green can find a way to keep a fire lit under Watson, he will be a steal.

Add to these guys, Deuce Lutui. Lutui is a G who has played with Leinart at USC and is a good blocker. They need some help protecting the QBs back there, and this guy is a great addition to that unit.

If you have watched the Carolina Panthers at all in the last few years, you know that the biggest area of instability has been the running game. And that’s odd, considering how much they like to run the ball. They have had a different leading rusher every year for the last 5-6 years. DeShaun Foster is a good back, but one who has had all kinds of injury problems, as has the rest of the RB corps. Enter DeAngelo Williams. Over 6000 yards in college just screams durable. It also screams ability. The kid can flat out play, and the fact that he slipped so far down in the first round worked out like a dream come true for the Panthers.

After losing two players from the secondary in Wesley and Manning, the Panthers really needed to make a good pick to fill some of those holes. Richard Marshall was a great selection for that purpose, and another guy who probably slid a little further than he was expected to go. He is a big, tall, tackling CB that Carolina is really happy to get.

Jeff King hopes to fill the void left by Wesley Walls a few years ago. Last season, the top 3 receiving options were Steve Smith, Steve Smith, then Steve Smith. When Carolina had Walls, he was used quite a bit, and the fact that they haven’t had a good catching TE has limited the offense a little over the past few seasons. Look for King to work his way into the lineup sooner than later.

All in all, we love what the Panthers were able to accomplish in this draft, with the picks listed above and also addressing LB needs. Good job!

It looks as if Ed Nelson, the somewhat unused muscle at the end of Jim Calhoun’s UCONN bench has been playing the wrong sport all these years. After starting out at Georgia Tech and showing some promise as a basketball player, then transferring to UCONN where he became 5 expendable fouls, Ed Nelson has signed a 2 year contract with the St. Louis Rams. He is aware that he probably won’t make the regular season roster, but hopes to make the practice squad to continue to develop his skills. This makes the 3rd TE the Rams have picked up this weekend after taking Joe Klopfenstein and Dominque Byrd in the draft.

The 49ers made out like a bandit in this draft. First things first, Vernon Davis is going to give young QB Alex Smith a real target that has the speed to get out and make things happen once he gets his hands on the ball. And once you catch him, you have to actually tackle him, which is another chore. He is a future Pro Bowler in my opinion.

Later in the first round, SF drafted Manny Lawson. As I am sure you have picked up reading this blog, I am one of the biggest NC State fans you will ever find. But I do hope I am being objective when I say that when Manny makes the switch to linebacker in the 3-4 defense, he is going to get a few licks in on opposing QBs. Manny is a little on the thin side for a DE, which is why he will probably move to the LB position, but he is also fast enough to run down and catch most WRs from behind. 4.43 speed is ridiculous for someone his size. He’s also a brilliant kid. If I’m not mistaken, he was an engineering major at NC State. Another good pick.

Next, they drafted 2 wideouts, one being Michael Robinson, the converted QB from Penn State. The guy is a playmaker and given a little time to make the transition to a new position, he should be quite a pick up. Parys Haralson from Tennessee is another DE who made quite a name for himself in college and should be in contention for playing time this coming year with the 49ers.

Oh yeah, can’t forget Marcus Hudson, yet another Wolfpacker, who the Niners picked up int the 6th round. Hudson is a big, physical guy in the secondary, who played just about every position back there during his stint in Raleigh. Good job Mike Nolan and the rest of the staff!

I came across this gem of an “article” this evening. I don’t know what this guy has been doing the past few years, or where he has been, but let me sum up the article with one of his points:

4. When Reggie drives off in his Escalade, emblematic of MVP in the Super Bowl, while Houston improves to 8-8 with their fine young defensive end, there may be regret in the Texan offices.

Superbowl? Seriously? I don’t see how anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can think that Reggie “I Walk On Water” Bush is the final piece to the Saints Superbowl run. No doubt, Bush is a fantastic player, but there is a reason that most scouts had the top two picks in this years draft ranked 1 and 1a. But I guess that’s why this clown is writing for a newspaper, and not roaming the sidelines or sitting behind a desk in some front office.

Don’t let all the camera shots and pity plays for Matt Leinart fool you. He has “fallen” into a goldmine. Yeah, he would have been the #1 overall pick last year had he come out, and this year he is the 10th. But look what he has “settled” for. A S-T-U-D running back behind him in Edgerrin James. Two, count ’em TWO, great wide receivers in Fitzgerald and Boldin. And a players coach in Dennis Green. Not to mention, the weather and general climate aren’t that far from what he was used to in SoCal. Toss in a new stadium, and you have the recipe for success. Matt can probably count his blessings a few years from now that he has fallen to this position. The Cardinals are being rebuilt and retooled for WINNING, and they have the quarterback who can lead them there now. While I got a little tired of hearing “USC, USC, USC” all season, I do like Leinart, and think he has heart. I’ll be pulling for him.

Just because I’m going to be sitting here watching the draft all day, I figured I would join the rest of the sports world and have a draft tracker going on. You bring the chips!