PA Season Ticket Holder
04-15-2003, 04:49 PM
In the first of a series of articles on the positions in the 2003 NFL Draft, I start with the defensive line. It's the appropriate place to begin the positional breakdowns because it is the deepest position in the draft pool, but it is not a bottomless well.
By my estimation, 26 of the 32 teams will want to draft a defensive lineman on the first day. During the first round of the draft, you are going to feel like you hear a defensive lineman selected every other pick. I will not be surprised if 10 to 12 defensive linemen are selected in the first round.
It won't stop there because the second and third rounds will see another 10 to 12 get chosen. Do the math -- that's 20 to 24 defensive linemen, and still a club or two will miss out on satisfying one of their pressing needs!
It may be easier to quickly go over the teams that probably won't take a defensive lineman in the draft. Miami, Pittsburgh, Carolina and St. Louis could pass in order to fill other needs. The rest of the league is planning on taking at least one, and in most cases two, defensive linemen. The need for defensive linemen is ever-present in the NFL, and this draft class is going to do it's best to satisfy all of them. That is a tall order!
Let's first look at the teams that want a defensive lineman in the first round and why they do. The Bears, Cowboys, Cardinals, Vikings, Seahawks, Patriots, Chargers and Chiefs all pick in the top 16, and most of them should take a big man to play up front on defense. A corner like Terence Newman or a quarterback like Byron Leftwich will interrupt two teams' plans, and that will give hope to the teams in the second half of the first round hoping for some defensive linemen to fall to them. The Broncos, Bills, Giants, Eagles and Raiders are all hoping the aforementioned teams change their minds at the last minute and let one or two of the top defensive linemen fall to them.
http://nfl.com/draft/analysis/expert/kirwan/dl
By my estimation, 26 of the 32 teams will want to draft a defensive lineman on the first day. During the first round of the draft, you are going to feel like you hear a defensive lineman selected every other pick. I will not be surprised if 10 to 12 defensive linemen are selected in the first round.
It won't stop there because the second and third rounds will see another 10 to 12 get chosen. Do the math -- that's 20 to 24 defensive linemen, and still a club or two will miss out on satisfying one of their pressing needs!
It may be easier to quickly go over the teams that probably won't take a defensive lineman in the draft. Miami, Pittsburgh, Carolina and St. Louis could pass in order to fill other needs. The rest of the league is planning on taking at least one, and in most cases two, defensive linemen. The need for defensive linemen is ever-present in the NFL, and this draft class is going to do it's best to satisfy all of them. That is a tall order!
Let's first look at the teams that want a defensive lineman in the first round and why they do. The Bears, Cowboys, Cardinals, Vikings, Seahawks, Patriots, Chargers and Chiefs all pick in the top 16, and most of them should take a big man to play up front on defense. A corner like Terence Newman or a quarterback like Byron Leftwich will interrupt two teams' plans, and that will give hope to the teams in the second half of the first round hoping for some defensive linemen to fall to them. The Broncos, Bills, Giants, Eagles and Raiders are all hoping the aforementioned teams change their minds at the last minute and let one or two of the top defensive linemen fall to them.
http://nfl.com/draft/analysis/expert/kirwan/dl