One pick away from joining Vince in Tennessee. So close…
With the number 22nd pick of the 2nd round in the 2008 NFL Draft the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Texas wide receiver [tag]Limas Sweed[/tag]. Sweed goes to a team with a solid quarterback and should have a chance to contribute right away and then take over as the team’s number one guy after Hines Ward retires. Lower than everyone thought and Texas fans are disappointed, but the Steelers are a great spot for Limas.
Congrats to Limas and good luck to him in the NFL.
Update: The Steelers’ official site has a transcript of Sweed’s conference call with Pittsburgh media after his selection. Worth a read.
Update 2: Interview with Pittsburgh wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner is also now available.
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height: 6-5
Weight: 347 pounds
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Strengths: Smart football player with incredible natural strength and athleticism. Good against the run because his size and strength make him tough for opposing lineman to budge. As much upside as just about any defensive lineman in this year’s draft.
Weaknesses: Underachieved at Texas. Not a high motor guy and takes too many plays off. Is too heavy at 350 pounds, would be a much more effective player 15 pounds lighter. Recurring knee injuries possibly related to carrying too much weight.
Projection: 4th or 5th round
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ESPN draft expert Todd McShay loves [tag]Limas Sweed[/tag]. He has the Texas receiver going 24th in Saturday’s draft to the Titans, but he’s even higher on him than most NFL teams. McShay believes that “ten years from now, we’re going to say Limas Sweed was the most productive and most talented wide receiver in the 2008 NFL Draft class.” Pretty bold statement and I sure hope he’s right, especially if Sweed is on the receiving end of Vince Young‘s passes in Tennessee for the next ten years.
Watch his scouting report below, the quote is at the very end:
Most NFL mock drafts only include a round or maybe two, but just like last year ESPN’s Todd McShay has released his seven-round mock draft for your perusal (if you’re an ESPN Insider.) Getting one round is tough enough, but McShay actually did a decent job last year and even nailed Justin Blalock to Atlanta and Brian Robison to Minnesota last year.
Below is where McShay believes the Longhorns in the draft will go followed by my my thoughts on the picks:
Round 1
24. Tennessee Titans – [tag]Limas Sweed[/tag]
This is best possible scenario for Texas fans. Titans need wide receiver help desperately and Sweed may be the best one in the draft. Getting him at #24 would be great for the Titans VY.
Round 2
43. Carolina Panthers – [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag]
Charles is the first running back taken in the second round. He’d actually have a chance to start for Carolina to, only has to beat out DeAngelo Williams.
Round 3
115. Philadelphia Eagles – [tag]Marcus Griffin[/tag]
Nice spot for Marcus, interesting to see him going so high. I’ll be surprised if Griffin goes before Finley and Hills, simply because I believe those two have much higher ceilings. Great to see a former walk-on work his way into a mid-round NFL Draft pick.
127. Indianapolis Colts – [tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag]
Jermichael might be a little disappointed by how far he falls but he’d be ecstatic to be picked up by the Colts. Pretty much the perfect situation for him. They use their tight end a lot, Peyton Manning to throw him the ball, they split the tight end out wide frequently, and most importantly the Colts throw work out of the shotgun a ton and Finley wouldn’t be asked to be down on the line run blocking much.
129. New England Patriots – [tag]Tony Hills[/tag]
Another good situation. Hills would be given time with New England to develop and wouldn’t be asked to start right away. At the same time, there’s no young, highly regarded tackles on their roster so he’s got a chance to compete by year two.
Round 5
154. Washington Redskins – [tag]Frank Okam[/tag]
Much lower slot than people expected out of Okam a few years ago but McShay may actually have him higher than the current opinion. I’m not sure what I think, I have a feeling he might go as early the fourth round if a team makes a pick based on potential but then I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go undrafted either.
Round 7
215. Baltimore Ravens – [tag]Derek Lokey[/tag]
Imagine if Lokey had Okam’s build, the kid would be a first round pick. But he’s 6-foot-1 and a light 290 pounds which is considered very undersized for an NFL defensive tackle. I’d love to see Derek go to a team and be utilized as a goal line fullback and deep snapper as well as a defensive tackle who can give 15 – 20 snaps a game.
Posted April 24th, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Draft, Football, Quick Hits
Longhorn pipeline may continue to flow for Titans. I’d love to see them pick up Sweed in the first and Charles and the second or third.
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-4
Weight: 215 pounds
Hometown: Washington, TX
Strengths: Excellent size and speed combo, not a burner but fast for a receiver with his size. Great hands and uses his size well against smaller defensive backs. Knows the benefits of a subtle push off. Good work ethic and has impressed scouts with his attitude in interviews and effort coming off major wrist surgery.
Weaknesses: No injury history but wrist injury that caused him to miss most of senior season is still a question mark. Had concentration issues early in his career that resulted in too many drops. Never had a dominating season at Texas.
Projection: mid to late 1st round
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Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6-5
Weight: 309 pounds
Hometown: Houston, TX
Strengths: Good size and has the frame to add more weight without losing agility or quickness. Is a good pass blocker thanks to his long arms and good feet. Excellent athlete who still has more upside. Intelligent young man on and off the football field.
Weaknesses: Must get stronger and be more physical to compete against NFL power rushers. Has a lot of interests and passions, football may not be one of them. Had a career threatening injury in high school and is now coming off a fractured left leg that ended his career at Texas.
Projection: 4th or 5th round
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Position: Safety
Height: 5-10
Weight: 201 pounds
Hometown: Austin, TX
Strengths: Strength and aggressiveness make him good against the run. Good tackler who led the Longhorns in tackles in 2007 from his free safety position. Not blazing fast but ran a solid 4.55 forty at the Texas pro timing day. Fantastic special teams player who will find a way to contribute to your team.
Weaknesses: Not great quickness or recovery speed. Hasn’t shown good ball skills, doesn’t make plays even when good coverage has him in position. At 5-foot-10 lacks ideal height if matched up with a tight end. Needs to take better angles in pursuit of ball carriers.
Projection: 5th or 6th round
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Position: Cornerback
Height: 5-7.5
Weight: 185 pounds
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Strengths: Speed, speed, speed. Foster wasn’t on many teams’ radar even after two solid seasons in the defensive backfield for the Longhorns, but a 4.28 40-yard dash at Texas’ pro day certainly got people’s attention. Cover skills and ball skills are solid, had three interceptions and three touchdowns this season so he knows how to make plays.
Weaknesses: Height. Listed at 5-foot-9 on the Texas roster, Foster measured officially at 5-foot-7.5 for the NFL scouts. Some teams will avoid him solely based on that. Won’t be able to cover man-to-man against larger receivers so will have to catch on as a nickel back or in a Cover 2 system.
Projection: 6th or 7th round
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