After perusing the NFL Draft results for two days, and deciding which teams really helped themselves the most, it's become painfully obvious that three stand head and shoulders above the other 29 franchises.
The Kansas City Chiefs needed defensive line help worse than new season ticket buyers, and they ended up with LSU d-tackle Glenn Dorsey, a guy who should help sell tickets in between stuffing the run. KC's overall draft strategy pitted need-based picks with best-available-player choices, and that idea is going to pay off dividends if their selections meet expectations.
The Carolina Panthers, with wide receivers Steve Smith, D.J. Hackett, and Muhsin Muhammad, and two able quarterbacks in Jake Delhomme and Matt Moore, want to be a running team. So before Saturday, when their running personnel couldn't score on a traveling circus, they grabbed Oregon tailback Jonathan Stewart and then traded back into round one to get Pittsburgh tackle Jeffrey Otah, two selections that bolster the ground game immediately. After signing free-agent DT Darwin Walker, the defense is catching up with the offense. This team is starting to shape up to be playoff-caliber, and I jumped them from 9th to 6th in my NFC rankings.
With little talent, an unproven coach and a lackluster fan base, the Atlanta Falcons could've drafted new cupholders in seats and would've improved the team. But they got Boston College QB Matt Ryan and USC tackle Sam Baker in the first round, two pickups that have transformed this club into a top-15 NFC team. Possibly. There's still no light at the end of the tunnel but maybe Ryan's arm can give them a sparkle of promise. That's how everyone feels, and after draft day, when your team hasn't lost a game yet, anything can happen in 2008. Except for the Cardinals winning the Super Bowl.
Forget it fans, sorry but it's not going to happen.
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