The National Football League Players Association and the NFL Owners still have yet to come to an agreement on a collective bargaining deal, but the NFL Draft will still take place on April 28.
Many speculate that the Carolina Panthers will select Auburn University quarterback and 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner Cam Newton to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and I can see why. He has a lot of upside and reminds me a bit of Michael Vick when he came out of Virginia Tech University.
While anyone can clearly see he is a gifted athlete, he has only played one year at Auburn after winning the BCS National Championship for his team. I’m worried about his “superstar” attitude. Newton said he wants to be known as an athlete and an entertainer, and that has me worried there could be some potential character issues.
If I were the Panthers, I would either trade the pick to stock up on more draft picks since they have a lot of holes to fill, or I would select Texas A&M University middle linebacker Von Miller. He is an athletic freak at his position. I agree with a lot of the speculators that Miller will wind up becoming the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with his versatility on the field. Many are saying that Miller will drop to the No. 3 spot with the Buffalo Bills, but if the Panthers want to be relevant any time soon they should take him.
I’m really looking forward to seeing who the Dallas Cowboys draft this year. Since the Cowboys’ disappointing season last year, the main holes they need to fill coming into the 2011 season are the offensive and defensive line. Igor Olshansky and Marcus Spears rarely put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and the offensive line, and fullback Chris Gronkowski not being able to protect Tony Romo led to his season-ending injury.
I would like to see the Cowboys use their No. 9 pick on University of Southern California offensive tackle Tyron Smith. He would add a huge boost to the aging offensive line whether he plays as a left or right tackle. If Smith isn’t available, then I’d say to go with University of Wisconsin Defensive End J.J. Watt who would bring a tough mentality that the Cowboys need.
If I could see the Cowboys pick up anybody in the draft it would be Louisiana State University cornerback Patrick Peterson. If it wasn’t for Newton’s memorable season at Auburn, Peterson would have won the award. Peterson looked like a young Deion Sanders out on the field with his electrifying interception returns. The only problem for the Cowboys snagging up Peterson is they would have to trade up to get him since he is almost certain not to still be available at the No.9 pick in the draft.
The NFL Draft will air live on the NFL Network starting on Thursday evening, and this draft may lack some of the excitement because teams are not allowed to trade players because of the lockout. So you won’t be seeing potential trades like Donovan McNabb to the Minnesota Vikings until an agreement is reached.