What's Left to Live For?

Now that the football season has mercilessly passed and millions of Americans look forward to September to alleviate their weekly drug known as the NFL, what's next for your dejected, depressed, prozac-popping fan? Don't bet on getting one last hurrah out of next week's Pro-Bowl where your household names like Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis are dropping like flys. I've got something even better for you, especially if your from Detroit or Oakland. It's the NFL Draft! As long and drawn out an event as it is, for some reason the draft is one of my must-see sports events every year. Although not loaded with the same number of superstars as last year, the 2007 draft should be interesting. I would write my mock draft for the entire first round, but in doing so I'd probably fall 3 weeks behind in homework, so I'm just going to cover the top 5 (and the Patriots #24 and #28 picks).

1. Oakland Raiders-With all 11 offensive starters posing as football players and giving a Golden Globe nominated "Best Cast in a Comedy Series" like performance (They were narrowly defeated by NBC's "The Office"), the Oakland Raiders have glaring holes that they need to fill. They need to start with finding someone who will make Randy Moss happy. I'm tired of seeing players like Nate Kaeding and Robbie Gould (BOTH KICKERS) rack up more fantasy points than someone who was once projected to break most of the records held by Jerry Rice. The two players who they have to choose from are LSU's JaMarcus Russell and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. With that being said, I believe they'll take Russell. He's the next Steve McNair with an absolute cannon for an arm and athletic ability that Quinn can't match.
2. Detroit Lions-Now that Russell has been selected, Brady Quinn should have the opportunity to save one of the worst franchises in professional sports. I know that left tackle has become an extremely important position in today's game, but before you go out and get one, you should probably have someone back there to protect. It's like paying a fortune on a security system for your home when you've got nothing worth steeling. Teaming up Mike Martz with Quinn and all those talented wide receivers they've drafted in the last few years could finally give Detroit an explosive offense.
   
3. Cleveland Browns (tied with Tampa Bay Buccaneers)- This pick is wide open now for the Browns because of how weak they are on both sides of the ball. Head Coach Romeo Crennel is a defensive minded guy, but if he doesn't fix his offense, next season could be his last wearing a brown jacket. That's why the Browns need to select the most talented player in the draft, Calvin Johnson. He's the most gifted wide receiver to come out of college since Larry Fitzgerald and most NFL scouts say he might be better. All I know is that he'll instantly demand double teams from opposing defenses and open up the field for teammates Kellen Winslow Jr. and Braylon Edwards.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-That left tackle I mentioned in the Lions piece goes by the name of Joe Nathan and he'd be a perfect Christmas gift for quarterback Chris Simms. After nearly dying on the field in a game last season against the Carolina Panthers, Simms needs to be reassured his blind side is protected at all times. The Bucs have decided to show some faith and sign him to an extension after a lousy campaign in 2006 (his performance in the games before he ruptured his spleen had me thinking Rex Grossman in the Super Bowl). OT Joe Nathan will not only protect Simms blind side, but also put some jumper cables on Cadillac Williams and the Tampa Bay running game. Don't say a rookie on the O-line can't make a difference, just look at what Marcus McNeill did in San Diego. Almost all of LT's touchdowns were ran to the left.
5. Arizona Cardinals-Joe Nathan would have been a godsend for this football team. The Cardinals are in more need of offensive line help than anybody else in the league. That's why if Nathan has already been selected, I like the Cardinals picking the next best thing, OT Levi Brown out of Penn State. He's the second best left tackle in the draft and even though there are plenty of better players ahead of him that's not what the draft is about. It's about picking what's best for your team, not taking the most talented guy.

Side Note-The Bucs and the Browns have yet to flip a coin to decide who will pick 3rd and who will pick 4th. If they switch then so will my picks.

Now onto the New England Patriots. They have two selections in the first round because of the Deion Branch trade and what they do here will say a lot about what they're going to do with free agency as well. If the Pats select a CB with either the 24th or 28th pick then I'm sorry to say, Asante Samuel is gone. He's one of two true shut down corners in the NFL right now (Champ Bailey being the other) but he's going to cost too much. His contract is up and other teams like the 49ers and the Redskins will be making ridiculous offers that the Pats won't even try to match. The Patriots could franchise him, but that would cost 8 million dollars for a one year deal. If they do pick another defensive back, Bill Belichecks familiarity and friendship with Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators has the Patriots getting S Reggie Nelson a realistic possibility. There's a good chance Nelson will get snatched up before #24 but they can always make a trade. Reggie Nelson plays a lot like Troy Polamalu and has the ability to break a game wide open.
With their next pick, the Patriots neeeeeed a go to wide receiver. In this year's draft, I really like Dwayne Bowe and Dwayne Jarrett out of LSU and USC. These guys will each one day stand out in the NFL...all Patriot Nation can do is pray Tom Brady's the one getting them the ball.