packrulz
04-30-2006, 06:18 AM
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
PackersNews.com
When the Green Bay Packers selected Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk with the fifth pick in the NFL draft on Saturday, they were starting a trend that was continued by their NFC North brethren in the first round.
While Hawk was the first linebacker off the board, Florida State’s Ernie Sims was the second when he was taken by the Detroit Lions with the No. 9 pick. The Minnesota Vikings followed suit with the No. 17 pick when they took Iowa’s Chad Greenway. The Chicago Bears could have made it a clean sweep, but they traded out of the first round.
For the Lions, taking a defensive player in the first round was a bit of a change. In each of the last three years, Detroit drafted a receiver in the first round.
Detroit coach Rod Marinelli said he was excited to add such an explosive player to his defense.
“The guy can blitz. He can cover, cover a back, roam the field. He’s relentless,†Marinelli said. “With this pick, we wanted to get a difference-maker, and we feel like we did that.â€ÂÂ
Detroit continued to upgrade its defense when it took Nebraska defensive back Daniel Bullocks in the second round. In the third round, the Lions took University of Wisconsin running back Brian Calhoun.
The Vikings also were looking to bolster their defense and did so by taking Greenway with the No. 17 pick. Minnesota added more defensive help in the second round when it took Texas defensive back Cedric Griffin. The Vikings added New Mexico center Ryan Cook in the second round and closed out the round with their third second-round pick, which they used on Alabama State quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.
The Vikings entered the draft needing to add a quarterback. They hoped that Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler would slide to them at No. 17, but after Denver traded up to take him at No. 11, Minnesota turned to Jackson, who many scouts believe has the potential to be a starter in a few years. The Vikings still have Brad Johnson as their starting quarterback after trading Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins during the offseason.
The Bears dealt the No. 26 overall pick to the Buffalo Bills for the No. 42 and No. 73 picks. The used the first of the second-round picks on Abilene Christian safety Danieal Manning. Later in the second round, with their own pick, the Bears went after Devin Hester, a return specialist from Miami. The Bears added Oklahoma defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek in the third round.
“We feel real good about all three of the picks,†Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo said. “We added a lot of speed to the secondary and got a real good player up front.â€ÂÂ
At Miami, Hester played cornerback and receiver while also returning kickoffs and punts.
“With (Hester), we added a lot of speed,†Angelo said. “Heââ €šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s going to scare a lot of teams.â€ÂÂ
PackersNews.com
When the Green Bay Packers selected Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk with the fifth pick in the NFL draft on Saturday, they were starting a trend that was continued by their NFC North brethren in the first round.
While Hawk was the first linebacker off the board, Florida State’s Ernie Sims was the second when he was taken by the Detroit Lions with the No. 9 pick. The Minnesota Vikings followed suit with the No. 17 pick when they took Iowa’s Chad Greenway. The Chicago Bears could have made it a clean sweep, but they traded out of the first round.
For the Lions, taking a defensive player in the first round was a bit of a change. In each of the last three years, Detroit drafted a receiver in the first round.
Detroit coach Rod Marinelli said he was excited to add such an explosive player to his defense.
“The guy can blitz. He can cover, cover a back, roam the field. He’s relentless,†Marinelli said. “With this pick, we wanted to get a difference-maker, and we feel like we did that.â€ÂÂ
Detroit continued to upgrade its defense when it took Nebraska defensive back Daniel Bullocks in the second round. In the third round, the Lions took University of Wisconsin running back Brian Calhoun.
The Vikings also were looking to bolster their defense and did so by taking Greenway with the No. 17 pick. Minnesota added more defensive help in the second round when it took Texas defensive back Cedric Griffin. The Vikings added New Mexico center Ryan Cook in the second round and closed out the round with their third second-round pick, which they used on Alabama State quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.
The Vikings entered the draft needing to add a quarterback. They hoped that Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler would slide to them at No. 17, but after Denver traded up to take him at No. 11, Minnesota turned to Jackson, who many scouts believe has the potential to be a starter in a few years. The Vikings still have Brad Johnson as their starting quarterback after trading Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins during the offseason.
The Bears dealt the No. 26 overall pick to the Buffalo Bills for the No. 42 and No. 73 picks. The used the first of the second-round picks on Abilene Christian safety Danieal Manning. Later in the second round, with their own pick, the Bears went after Devin Hester, a return specialist from Miami. The Bears added Oklahoma defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek in the third round.
“We feel real good about all three of the picks,†Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo said. “We added a lot of speed to the secondary and got a real good player up front.â€ÂÂ
At Miami, Hester played cornerback and receiver while also returning kickoffs and punts.
“With (Hester), we added a lot of speed,†Angelo said. “Heââ €šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s going to scare a lot of teams.â€ÂÂ