American Football: 2004 NFL Draft

The NFL draft is the weekend of April 24-25.


Sophomore Mike Williams leaving USC

Mike Williams is passing up a possible shot at the Heisman Trophy for the NFL. The USC receiver became the first sophomore to opt for the NFL draft since the Maurice Clarett court ruling, when he announced his decision Wednesday. Williams, a 6-foot-5, 230-pounder, leaves with two years of eligibility remaining for the defending national champion USC Trojans.

Williams finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting last season when he caught 95 passes for 1,314 yards and a school-record 16 touchdowns as the Trojans (12-1) won The Associated Press national championship. Williams caught 81 passes for 1,265 yards and 13 TDs from Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer as a freshman in 2002.

he could be going, and would be a top pick in the draft, i woudlnt want him to be in the NFL at this young of an age.

Pick Team Record
1. San Diego 4-12
2. Oakland 4-12
3. Arizona 4-12
4. N.Y. Giants 4-12
5. Washington 5-11
6. Detroit 5-11
7. Cleveland 5-11
8. Atlanta 5-11
9. Jacksonville 5-11
10. Houston 5-11
11. Pittsburgh 6-10
12. N.Y. Jets 6-10
13. Buffalo 6-10
14. Chicago 7-9
15. Tampa Bay 7-9
16. San Francisco 7-9
17. Cincinnati 8-8
18. New Orleans 8-8
19. Minnesota 9-7
20. Miami 10-6
21. New England
(from Baltimore) 10-6
22. Dallas 10-6
23. Seattle 10-6
24. Denver 10-6
25. Green Bay 10-6
26. St. Louis 12-4
27. Tennessee 12-4
28. Philadelphia 12-4
29. Indianapolis 12-4
30. Kansas City 13-3
31. Carolina 11-5
32. New England 14-2

who could the chargers take in the first round?

Originally posted by Ben
who could the chargers take in the first round?

I think that they're gonna take Eli Manning. They should anyway, their QB right now is not franchise material.

Brees is better than people give him credit for, he has played well just his suporting cast isnt up to par.

I think they should get Fitz personally, if they give brees some weapons at the WR he can prove to be a great QB, he just needs protection and he needs weapons to pass too.

Top 10 Prospects

1. Larry Fitzgerald- WR, Pittsburgh (6-2, 225)

A special player with humility and a great work ethic, he has huge hands and no one has better hand-eye coordination, maybe, ever, than Fitzgerald. He also has the ability to shield the defender from the ball and adjust his body in the air, but the only question is whether he has truly big-time speed. We've seen with players like Jerry Rice, that a 4.5 in the 40 is fast enough if you have strength, good feet and a burst out of the break on routes. Fitzgerald does need to work on beating the jam off the line in press coverage, but I don't know how you can beat his combination of discpline, attitude and physical ability.


2. Mike Williams- WR, USC (6-5, 230)

A terrific high school basketball player, Williams was not recruited by all schools as a WR but certainly has shown at USC that some people missed the boat. He was an immediate factor upon his arrival as his strength, toughness and long arms made him pretty much uncoverable. Williams and Fitzgerald be in the two-horse race to determine who is the best overall prespect. Williams is slightly bigger and Fitz equal when it comes to football skills like route running, body control and natrula pass catching ability, and they have similary attitude and work ethic. The determining factor will be speed. Whichever has a better showing during his individual workout will have the edge.


3. Sean Taylor- S, Miami-Florida (6-2, 225)

Taylor is to the saftey spot at Miami what Ray Lewis was to the middle linebacker position. he follows in the footsteps of Former Miami Sateties Bennie Blades, Darryl Williams and Ed Reed. I expect Taylor to be even better. In fact, he could be the best saftey in the NFL early in his career. Taylor is the prototypical Pro Bowl saftey: tremendous speed, a nose for the ball, aggressive, a great tackler and terrific in coverage.

4. Eli Manning- QB Ole Miss (6-4, 210)

Manning has an outstanding arm and possesses tremendous pocket awareness. He has stepped up his intensity in the huddle as well as his leadership on and off the field. He's accurate, poised and intelligent.


5. Ben Roethlisberger- QB, Miami-Ohio (6-5, 245)

Roethlisberger was a wide recevie until his senior year of high school so he wasn;t heavilty recruited. But he's emergerd as a potential top-five pick overall after a remarkable year. He has great size and surprising mobility for his size. In the GMAC bowl, Roethilisberger completed 21 of 33 passes for 376 years and 4 TD.


6. Robert Gallery- OT, Iowa (6-7 318)

His size and physical skills make him ideally suited for pass protection. Over the past two years, Gallery has developed into one of the nations premier left tackles. intelligent and a good athlete. He stated his college career as a tight end, He's gotten bigger and stronger throughout his college career.


7. Kellen Winslow- TE, Miami-Florida )6-4 250)

The NFL tight end postiion has been redefined and expanded in recent years by guys like Todd Heap, Jermey Shockey, and Tony Gonzalez. Winslow is in that mold as well. He has the speed, athleticism and pass-receiving skills usually reserved for a WR. Miami's QB play in the 2003 was erratic, which affected Winslow's production, but he'll provide an unbelievable dimension to an NFL passing game. He can be careless in terms of ball security, so he'll need to be aware of that at the next level.


8. Roy Williams- WR, Texas (6-4, 213)

Williams is a brillian talent who excelled in 2003 despite a lack of consistent QB play. Texas ran a conservative offense that wasn;t sophisticated in its passing schemses. Still, Williams averaged 16.1 yards per catch on 61 receptions with 8 TDs.


9. Philip Rivers- QB, N.C. State (6-4, 230)

Look at his 03 numbers: He completed 71 percent of his passes, with 4,016 yards, 29 tds and just seven ints. Rivers has great size and a good arm, though his lower release point could be a question mark and his footwork is not polished. But he makes up for that low release with an incredibly quick, hair trigger release. Rivers is accurate, smart and an excellent leader with great instincts.


10. Kenechi Udeze- DE, USC (6-3, 277)

Udeze has been a strong-side DE most of his career and has excellent natural pass-rushing ability. He plays strong and was a DT early in his career but, regardless of position, he was one of the best defensive players in college football over the copurse of his junior year. Udeze recorded 16.5 sacks among his 26 tackles for loss in 2003. And the scary thing is there is still room for improvement. He and Will Smith will be ina battle until draft day to determine which will be the first DE taken.

11-15 Prospects


11. Tommie Harris- DT, Oklahoma (6-3, 280)

Harris has beena fixture on the defensive line for the Sooners since his freshman year. He played through injury in 2002, and was not as effective as the year before, yet he was still able to occupy blockers and free his teammates to make plays. Harris is not a guy who will dominate with brute force, but what makes him effective is his quickness off the ball and ability to shed blockas and get into the backfield.


12. Will Smith- DE, Ohio State (6-3, 255)

Smith is an excellent natural pass rusher with great closing speed. He was the headliner on the Buckeye's stellar defensive front sven during last season's national championship run. Recording 10 1/2 talckes for loss and 4 1/2 sacks


13. Vince Wilfork- DL, Miami (6-1, 360)

Wilfork has been turning heads since his arrival on campus because of tremendous athletic ability for a player his size. A former shot-putter and the school's indoor record-holder, on the football field he totalled 9 1/2 tackles for loss this season---including six sacks---and 23 QB hurries. Wilfork is very quick and can collaspe the pocket, and he compensates for his short arms and lack of ideal height with a strong frame and athleticism.


14. Steven Jackson- RB, Oregon State (6-2, 231)

Jackson is a tremendous blend of quickness and power. While he isn't as shifty or elusive as smaller backs, he runs with power and makes defenders miss with his athleticism. Jackson also has abillity and versatitilty as a receiving option. He does damage in the open field and has a nose for the end zone 15 rushing TDs.


15. Chris Gamble- CB, Ohio State (6-1, 185)

Gamble is physically gifted but not a finished product. He has not been a full-time corner until this season, but with his size and recovery speed Gamble has unlimited upside. His ball skills are decent and he needs to refine himself from a technique standpoint. Gamble had an excellent game in teh Fiesta Bowl agaisnt Kansas State (four pass breakups and an INT) and is a guy who will be drafted more on potential than his ability to become an immdediate shut down corner in the NFL. He needs a year of seasoning to become a top-flight corner but Gambel will survive his first season because of his pure athletici ability, and once he gets coached up, he can become a great pro player.

I cant wait for the draft!

I have a big draft party every year with all my buddies from the fantasy football league. Lots of drinking and barbecueing, cant wait!!!


I have a draft trivia question for you guys...


In NFL draft terms, who is Mr. Irrelevant?

is that an annoucer or player?

i cant wait also, its going to be fun, the first couple of hours are exicting after that its downhill.

Mock Draft- First round

1. San Diego Chargers- Eli Manning, QB

2. Oakland Raiders- Larry Fitzgerald, WR

3. Arizona Cardinals- Ben Roethinsberger, QB

4. New York Giants- Robert Gallery, OT

5. Washington Redskins- Tommie Harris, DR

6. Detriot Lions- Sean Taylor, S

7. Cleveland Browns- Kellen Winslow, TE

8. Atlanta Falcons- Mike Williams, WR

9. Jacksonville Jaguars- Roy Williams, WR

10. Houston Texans- Kenechi Udeze, DE

11. Pittsburgh Steelers- Philip Rivers, QB

12. New York Jets- Dunta Robinson, CB

13. Buffalo Bills- Will Smith, DE

14. Chicago Bears- Vince Wilfork, DE

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Shawn Andrews, OT

16. San Francisco- Reggie Williams, WR

17. Cincinnati Bengals- DeAngelo Hall, CB

18. New Orleans Saints- Chris Gamble, CB

19. Minnesota Vikings- Jason Babin, DE

20. Miami Dolphina- Michael Clayton, WR

21. New England Patriots- Steven Jackson, RB

22. Dallas Cowboys- Chris Perry, RB

23. Seattle Seahwaks- Igor Olshansky, DT

24. Denver Broncos- Ben Troupe, TE

25. Green Bay- Matt Ware, DB

26. St. Louis Rams- D.J. Williams, LB

27. Tennessee Titans- Randy Starks, DT

28. Philadelphia Eagles- Lee Evans, WR

29. Indianapolis Colts- Marcus Tubbs, DT

30. Kansas City Cheifs- Ahman Carroll, CB

31. Carolina Panthers- WIll Poole, CB

32. New Engalnd Patriots- Vernon Carey, OL

The draft is right around the croner, less than a month away.

With the Chragers on the clcok still. Projects are leaning towards Manning going number1

Originally posted by Outlaw44

In NFL draft terms, who is Mr. Irrelevant?

The last man picked in the draft. Doesn't he get a whole bunch of prizes and #?

Draft i do belive is next weekend

Yes it is Ben.

Do any of you have draft parties, or is anyone planning on attending the draft in person?

two supreme courts judges turned down Maurice Clarett today, looks like he wont be in the draft

Draft day

Draft is in less than 4 hours, and the anticaption is growing as who the number 1 pick is going to be. I think it will be the gaints picking Manning

That would be the logical thing to happen , so it probably won't...