The Daily of the University of Washington

NFL draft: Football’s extravaganza


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You love the NFL draft. Like every other sports fan, you’ve seen all the 10,000 mock drafts — each more flawed than the next. Here is The Daily’s look at Saturday’s daylong football extravaganza. Beware: it won’t be like the others.


Photo by Matt Lutton.

Cornerback Dashon Goldson defends against a Cougar in the 2005 Apple Cup.



Photo by File Photo.

Husky quarterback Isaiah Stanback breaks up field through a packed UCLA defense in a win at Husky Stadium last September. Stanbeck may potentially be selected in the NFL draft this year.


1. Oakland Raiders — Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech.

Johnson is 6-feet-5-inches tall, 235 pounds and runs a 4.4 — basically a descendant of one of the 300 Spartans from the battle of Thermopylae. He put up ridiculous numbers when Reggie Ball threw him in college, so he obviously doesn’t need a premier quarterback. Plus, taking a quarterback at No. 1 is so cliché.

2. Detroit Lions — Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin

The Lions never have any idea what they’re doing on draft day. Not to mention, they are pissed that Johnson is off the board. Detroit dictator Matt Millen will want to shy away from any attention. So he’ll make the pick 30 seconds in, without entertaining any trade offers (which he should do).

3. Cleveland Browns — Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma

Here’s the Cleveland depth chart at running back: Jerome Harrison and Chris Barclay. Ugh, that’s worse than the thought of Charles Barkley on Dancing with the Stars. Peterson is a game-changing beast of an athlete and could have succeeded in the pros after his freshman year.

4. Tampa Bay Bucs — JaMarcus Russell, QBLSU

Jon Gruden is like, “WTF? Russell is still on the board?” The Bucs would have been glad to settle for a could-be like Brady Quinn, but now they get a winner. Not to mention, someone who also crushed the Irish last season.

5. Arizona Cardinals — Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson

The Cardinals are loaded on offense, and Adams, a unanimous All-American, is the best defensive player in the draft. At 6-feet-5-inches tall and 260 pounds, Adams is not much bigger than our No. 1 pick, but he’s got a feel for the position and making big plays.

6. Washington Redskins — Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville

Sure he’s 19 years old and he admitted to smoking weed, but Okoye is still the best defensive tackle prospect in the draft. Plus, the way Daniel Snyder has run the team, who thought the Redskins would even have a draft pick this year? This is a bonus as far as they’re concerned.

7. Minnesota Vikings — LaRon Landry, S, LSU

The Vikings would be lucky if Landry is still on the board. Dominant safeties with playmaking ability are such a commodity. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown reception throughout his entire career. But before we go: Whizzinator, love boat scandal. There I said it.

8. Atlanta Falcons — Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Ohio St.

Michael Vick probably wouldn’t mind trading all the team’s draft picks to somehow get Johnson, but they’ll just have to settle for the sub-4.4 speed and big-play ability of Ginn. Atlanta will be the fastest team in NFL history.

9. Miami Dolphins — Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame

Miami needs a savior at quarterback, and team executives probably think some sort of divine intervention let Quinn fall to them. His drop in the draft is probably the best thing, as Quinn will likely be playing with a chip on his shoulder from the embarrassment.

10. Houston Texans — Levi Brown, OT, Penn St.

Goodness gracious, if the Texans don’t draft O-line help, all the team’s quarterbacks should just quit. It’s like Houston doesn’t even care that they give up a nonsensical amount of sacks. They should draft lineman with every 2007 pick.

I’m sure many of you have the same question in mind. Where are all the Huskies? The truth is, a 5-7 season doesn’t garner much interest from NFL scouts, but a couple of Dawgs could surprise on draft day.

Isaiah Stanback — QB, Washington

After an ankle injury destroyed the hopes of the entire Husky Nation, Stanback furiously began working his way to the next level. His leg is nearly at full strength, which bodes well for Stanback, as teams will now see his blazing speed. He has gone from second day afterthought to first day sleeper.

Dashon Goldson — S, Washington

What Goldson lacked in speed in the combine, he made up for with great instincts and the ability to switch from corner to safety. His ideal size and strength should make him a borderline guy at the next level.

Reach reporter Joshua Mayers at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.


1 Comments

#1 doosyncSopy
(Haifa, Israel | Unverified Name)

on March 4, 2010 at 10:05 p.m.
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The response to national disaster is great but it's a real shame that so many people take advantage of the negative situations.

I mean everytime there is an earthquake, a flood, an oil spill - there's always a group of heartless people who rip off tax payers.

This is in response to reading that 4 of Oprah Winfreys "angels" got busted ripping off the system. Shame on them!
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/08/...


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