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Draft redux
Re-projecting the draft based on 2007 performances
Posted: Friday December 7, 2007 12:12PM; Updated: Friday December 7, 2007 2:40PM
With four weeks left in the regular season, it's time for a December do-over. In our third annual NFL re-draft, here's what we'd do with the first round, knowing what we know now:
More... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?eref=T1
Re-projecting the draft based on 2007 performances
Posted: Friday December 7, 2007 12:12PM; Updated: Friday December 7, 2007 2:40PM
With four weeks left in the regular season, it's time for a December do-over. In our third annual NFL re-draft, here's what we'd do with the first round, knowing what we know now:
| Don Banks' Revised Draft | ||
| Position | Team | |
| 1 |  | Oakland Raiders CALVIN JOHNSON, WR Georgia Tech Original pick: JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU While Adrian Peterson has been the clear-cut rookie of the year, the Raiders have the fourth-ranked running game with emerging fifth-year vet Justin Fargas. An upgrade in the receiving ranks is still needed, and given JaMarcus Russell's lost year, taking the freakishly gifted Johnson would have been the wiser pick. |
| 2 |  | Detroit Lions ADRIAN PETERSON, RB, Oklahoma Original pick: Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions The Lions rank dead last in the NFL in rushing (77.2 ypg), and the tandem of Kevin Jones and Tatum Bell pales in comparison to the talents of the most electrifying rookie rusher to hit the league since the Lions selected Barry Sanders third overall in 1989. |
| 3 |  | Cleveland Browns JOE THOMAS, OT, Wisconsin Original pick: Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin Some second-guessed the Browns on draft day for bypassing Brady Quinn to take the Badgers tackle, but Cleveland hit a grand slam with the pick. Thomas has people talking Pro Bowl already, and his early dominance has as much to do with the Browns' playoff contention as anything. |
| 4 |  | Tampa Bay Buccaneers AMOBI OKOYE, DT, Louisville Original pick: Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson Given the Bucs' need for another receiving threat, it was tempting to give them Dwayne Bowe in this slot. But Okoye has been described as a young Warren Sapp, and Tampa Bay could use a playmaking presence at tackle. Four of Okoye's five sacks came in September, but he continues to play staunch run defense. |
| 5 |  | Arizona Cardinals LEVI BROWN, OT, Penn State Original pick: Levi Brown, OT, Penn State The Cardinals' 25th-ranked running game still leaves a lot to be desired, but Brown has been a defensible pick, starting at right tackle in seven of the nine games he's played. Arizona is well-stocked at a lot of the positions that make sense for the second half of our re-draft's top 10. |
| 6 |  | Washington Redskins LARON LANDRY, S, LSU Original pick: LaRon Landry, S, LSU The Redskins found themselves facing injury issues on their offensive line from training camp on, so Thomas or Brown would have been natural fits had they lasted to No. 6. But Landry has been anything but a disappointment, and the Redskins need him all the more now in light of the Sean Taylor tragedy. |
| 7 |  | Minnesota Vikings DWAYNE BOWE, WR, LSU Original pick: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings Without Peterson's impact to rely on, the Vikings would be in the market for another big-play option. Bowe has been this draft's second-best performer in that department, leading all rookie receivers in catches (54), yardage (786) and touchdowns (4, tied). |
| 8 |  | Atlanta Falcons JAMARCUS RUSSELL, QB, LSU Original pick: Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas We make it three ex-LSU Tigers in a row with Russell, whose rookie season in Oakland was effectively sacrificed to his contract stalemate. The Falcons' quarterback disaster makes this a no-brainer. Enough of Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman. Bobby Petrino would snap up Russell and have a QB to groom. |
| 9 |  | Miami Dolphins PATRICK WILLIS, LB, Mississippi Original pick: Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Ohio State The Dolphins obviously have needs everywhere you look, but with veteran middle linebacker Zach Thomas playing in just five games this season, the polished Willis would have filled a very large gap in the middle of Miami's defense. |
| 10 |  | Houston Texans MARSHAWN LYNCH, RB, California Original pick: Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville The Ahman Green acquisition hasn't worked out, and Ron Dayne is just a stop-gap option. If the Texans had Lynch, the league's second-most impressive rookie runner, they'd have the makings of a very balanced offense. |
More... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?eref=T1
"Expect rejection, but expect more to overcome it." 
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