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View Full Version : A Quick Peek Ahead to the 2004 Draft



MelK
02-18-2003, 11:53 AM
GREAT BLUE NORTH DRAFT REPORT
by Colin Lindsay

February 7, 2003: Here at the GBN we have always been partial to taking a certain strategic approach when it comes to making draft picks. In particular, we believe it prudent to at least take a look down the road to see what kind of talent is coming along in the next draft. Better, for example, to wait a year to take a player with an early pick at a position deep in talent in year II, rather than reach for a player in a weak year at that position. Patience is a virtue that has fallen out of fashion to some extent in the win-today mentality of the NFL, but the fact is that one can almost always find a functional free agent to plug into a gap for a year or so, no matter how critical the position.

The first thing that jumps off the page when looking at next year's potential draft prospects is that there could be real strength at RB and LB, two positions which have been very weak the past several drafts. Indeed, there were only two RBs taken in the first-round last year, neither of whom went in the first 15 picks, while Penn State's Larry Johnson is currently rated as the only RB likely to be taken in the opening round this year; and Johnson isn't likely to that high either. The 2004 RB class, though, could - and we stress the could part - be something special if a cadre of elite underclassmen including Carnell Williams of Auburn, Steven Jackson of Oregon State, Cedric Benson of Texas, and Keith Jones of Virginia Tech enter next year's draft, where they would join solid seniors Greg Jones of Florida State and Clarence Farmer of Arizona. The latter two, as well as Auburn's Cadillac, have to bounce from injuries this past season. And no, you still can't take Maurice Clarett, Ohio State's super sophomore RB, in next year's draft; as a true soph next fall, he won't be eligible for the draft until 2005!
[...more...[/b] (http://www.gbnreport.com/scouts2.htm)