Most Important Position to Draft
What is the most important position to draft? Are teams taking players based on needs or talents more often? Why are punters rarely drafted?
Ok, maybe nobody really wonders why a punter isn’t drafted but I wanted to throw it out there. The draft is only 7 rounds which makes each pick absolutely critical to a team’s success. If they were to waste a pick on a punter instead of a lineback or running back it could really be costly for a team. The Bears drafted Todd Sauerbrun years ago and had to eat that pick as he just didn’t punt the ball well for Chicago and they were really paying him well. Punters are usually left to be found as free agents.
We usually see a decent mix of offensive and defensive talent early in each draft but I would say the most important position to draft is the offensive line. Rarely does a top 10 offensive lineman not pan out in the NFL. I’m not talking Tony Mandarich here, but a really highly rated lineman. Jake Long went first last year and lived up to expectations. This year there is a lot of talk around Jason Smith from Baylor being a top 3 selection and it will be spot on. The lineman usually play from day 1 while it may take a quarterback 2-3 years to develop. Same with the defensive line. Defensive lineman can start from day 1 and that makes a big difference to a lot of teams.
We may see the Lions take Matthew Stafford, qb from Georgia, with the top pick in the coming draft but if they want to build for long term success they will do that with the offensive line. The LIons drafted top quality wide receivers for years and they are horrible. Try to build the foundation with the line and go from there.
I’m of a strong opinion never to take a wide receiver in the top part of the draft because they are a dime a dozen. How often do we see a good wideout who was undrafted or taken in the 6th or 7th round? Plus, quarterbacks make wide receivers and unless you have a good qb then don’t waste your time and money on a wide receiver. Randy Moss went to Oakland and floundered for 2 years because they had nobody to throw him the ball. He goes to New England and is reborn but that isn’t the case. He just had someone good to play catch with.
