pictured: Safety John Wendling wasn’t drafted until the sixth round
by Kevin Roberts
http://www.castefootball.us
1. David Ball went undrafted. The guy who breaks the legendary Jerry Rice’s college records doesn’t even get a sniff from NFL GMs. What’s worse? He probably won’t even get a shot in a training camp. Sure, he was signed by the Bears as a free agent, but he is sure to be given the John Standeford treatment, along with his walking papers. In fact, Mike Hass, the 2005 Biletnikoff Award winner as the best wide receiver in college football, already languishes on Chicago’s practice squad after being cut by the Saints last summer. Guys like Ball and Hass come along only every now and then, true gamers who are frowned upon because of their alleged lack of speed, and because of their pigment. Dwayne Jarrett of USC ran in the 4.6+ range and gets drafted in the second round. Ball ran the same time while nursing a leg injury and goers undrafted. I mean, seriously, if Josh Reed can play in the NFL, and he’s slow as molasses, then why they hell is Ball fighting for a paycheck?
2. Brian Leonard drafted by the St. Louis Rams. What’s worse than not being drafted at your desired position? Being drafted in the second round at a position which you loathe. The guy has to come in and have a good attitude, with the knowledge that Steven Jackson is the man, and that won’t change. Leonard needs to hope Jackson’s knees give way in the pre-season, or you might as well call him Mike Alstott right now.3. Anthony Gonzalez goes to the Colts. While I was more than pleased to see Gonzalez go in the first round, it pains me to think he’ll never be more than a number three wide-out. How do I know this? Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are cemented for the rest of time as the top two guys in Indy, and Gonzalez is merely filling in the shoes of the departed Brandon Stokely. Even when Harrison does decide to hang his cleats up, you can be sure Dungy will find another black star to take over for him. Long live Gonzalez.
4. Green Bay passes on Greg Olsen. I’m not trying to tell Ted Thompson how to do his job but, well, yes I am. He was a fool to pass on this kid. He’s basically a wide receiver playing the tight end position. Can you say Kellen Winslow? His speed alone will scare opposing linebackers for years to come, not to mention his tremendouis size and soft hands. And what do the Packers have to show for it? A defensive tackle that may or may not be the next Gilbert Brown. Who knows, maybe Clark Harris will be a steal.
5. John Wendling dropping to the 6th round. Buffalo got a steal here, and that is putting it mildly. Wendling’s athleticism is off the charts. Almost every team in the league could use a quality safety and this guy drops this far? Disgusting.
6. The Arizona Cardinals drafted zero white players. As if this team couldn’t get any more black. Honestly.
7. No one took a risk on Jeff Samardzija. They go for Drew Henson and not this kid? You must be joking. If Calvin Johnson had picked baseball over football he still would have been a fairly high draft pick.
8. Brady Quinn’s free fall. When it’s all said and done, Quinn got what he wanted. But the journey there was something neither he, nor NFL fans, deserved. He is in a higher class than Aaron Rodgers. And if he and Rodgers were black, they never would have dropped past that many teams. That’s not racist. That’s just the truth.
9. Jamarcus Russell was the number one pick. I’m not even that mad about it. I hate Oakland already. This just adds fuel to the fire. But really, I would love someone to weigh the pros and cons of drafting this guy over Quinn. It just doesn’t add up. It’s Vince Young all over again, and in the worst way imaginable. They drafted him on sheer potential. If this were the NBA, Russell would be Darius Miles.
10. There was nothing to cheer for after the first day. After Olsen, Gonzalez, and Leonard were off the board, there was really no reason to watch the draft. You knew David Ball wasn’t getting a call, and you damn sure knew no other white players at the skill positions were, either. The second day was a replica of the second round of the NBA draft: a bunch of risky picks on guys who either can’t talk right or would rather kill people and sell drugs for a living instead of playing professional football.
In summary, this draft left a sour taste in my mouth. The best shot the sports world had at a white running back went down in flames, and it is becoming more and more obvious that the white receiver is inching closer and closer to extinction. For once I wish GMs would put skin color goggles on, equivalent to beer goggles, and be able to assess prospects based on anything and everything but their skin color. But even with all of this discouragement, it is truly a blessing that we still have that old cliche to fall back on — “there’s always next year”.
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