http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AvR5AlEmvLyRa2VlD2a9XolDubYF?slug=cr-mockdraft031506&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
page show's some hits the draft took from free agents signing wit other teams....
A week ago, NFL draft scenarios stacked up with the uniformity of 88 piano keys. There was no chaos, no calamity. It was early March, but the top six picks already looked relatively certain.
Then free agency busted open and made like a tornado in a valley of double-wide trailers.
The relocations of Drew Brees and Edgerrin James are expected to drastically alter the draft landscape, with ripples also coming from Baltimore's re-signing of Jamal Lewis and the splurging ways of the Browns, Redskins and Vikings. In fact, the furious foray into the free-agent market likely changed the top needs of as many as 20 teams.
Some of the ensuing draft chaos that has been created:
# The Saints have complicated the top of the draft with the signing of Brees, opening up the possibility of another team trading up to the No. 2 pick to get USC's Matt Leinart. Or the Saints could stand pat and select North Carolina State's Mario Williams. That would cause a trickle-down effect that could leave Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson toppling out of the top-five picks.
# Arizona's signing of Edgerrin James – when paired with Baltimore re-upping with Lewis – could create a massive slide for the draft's top-two running backs not named Reggie Bush. Now it looks like USC's LenDale White and Memphis' DeAngelo Williams could fall beyond the 20th pick in the draft.
# Because of the changing needs, some of the teams at the bottom of the first round might bypass tight ends in favor of positions that don't have as much depth in the draft. That could result in guys like USC's Dominique Byrd, Georgia's Leonard Pope and UCLA's Marcedes Lewis sliding into the second round.
# Miami's shoring up of the offensive line in free agency could lead to the Dolphins going after a cornerback at No. 16 – thus creating an earlier-than-expected run on defensive backs.
# Washington doesn't even have a first-round pick, but the signings of Antwaan Randle El may have changed the No. 1 draft priority for the Bears.
# Cleveland and Minnesota have altered their top needs with big signings, and in turn created a chain reaction of holes for several other teams (Seattle, Oakland and Atlanta) that may have to be addressed in the first round.
In the larger picture, that's a continental shift in the draft geography. And with at least one more good week of free agency still in store, there should be another slightly less dramatic shakeup.
But for now, here is how the latest sprawl looks, with the first batch of free-agent signings in mind.
page show's some hits the draft took from free agents signing wit other teams....
A week ago, NFL draft scenarios stacked up with the uniformity of 88 piano keys. There was no chaos, no calamity. It was early March, but the top six picks already looked relatively certain.
Then free agency busted open and made like a tornado in a valley of double-wide trailers.
The relocations of Drew Brees and Edgerrin James are expected to drastically alter the draft landscape, with ripples also coming from Baltimore's re-signing of Jamal Lewis and the splurging ways of the Browns, Redskins and Vikings. In fact, the furious foray into the free-agent market likely changed the top needs of as many as 20 teams.
Some of the ensuing draft chaos that has been created:
# The Saints have complicated the top of the draft with the signing of Brees, opening up the possibility of another team trading up to the No. 2 pick to get USC's Matt Leinart. Or the Saints could stand pat and select North Carolina State's Mario Williams. That would cause a trickle-down effect that could leave Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson toppling out of the top-five picks.
# Arizona's signing of Edgerrin James – when paired with Baltimore re-upping with Lewis – could create a massive slide for the draft's top-two running backs not named Reggie Bush. Now it looks like USC's LenDale White and Memphis' DeAngelo Williams could fall beyond the 20th pick in the draft.
# Because of the changing needs, some of the teams at the bottom of the first round might bypass tight ends in favor of positions that don't have as much depth in the draft. That could result in guys like USC's Dominique Byrd, Georgia's Leonard Pope and UCLA's Marcedes Lewis sliding into the second round.
# Miami's shoring up of the offensive line in free agency could lead to the Dolphins going after a cornerback at No. 16 – thus creating an earlier-than-expected run on defensive backs.
# Washington doesn't even have a first-round pick, but the signings of Antwaan Randle El may have changed the No. 1 draft priority for the Bears.
# Cleveland and Minnesota have altered their top needs with big signings, and in turn created a chain reaction of holes for several other teams (Seattle, Oakland and Atlanta) that may have to be addressed in the first round.
In the larger picture, that's a continental shift in the draft geography. And with at least one more good week of free agency still in store, there should be another slightly less dramatic shakeup.
But for now, here is how the latest sprawl looks, with the first batch of free-agent signings in mind.
