I told you I was going to have picks 6-10 broken down by the end of the week. Well, I lied, but not to worry, I was just a week late. One dolphins message board reader on finheaven.com responded to my first article by writing, “Uh, nice analysis of the first five players drafted. How many years til you get to round 2?” The writer brings up a good point, but believe me when I say I will complete the first three rounds of the draft in a very thorough manner, just the way I like it. Let’s get down to business!

6. Washington Redskins: LaRon Landry (S-LSU)

The breakdown: LaRon Landry is the best defensive player in this draft regardless of position. He was a highly-touted prospect coming out of high school and the standout safety hasn’t disappointed ever since he was an impact player as a true freshman in Baton Rouge. He racked up 80 tackles, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and four sacks during his rookie campaign. Those numbers were good enough to land him on the All-SEC second team, which is amazing for a true freshman. Fast forward to four years later and Landry is easily the best prospect in the secondary in the 2007 NFL Draft. He has the best combination of instincts, speed, and open field tackling ability of any safety in the draft. He has a very smooth backpedal, good footwork, and excellent recovery speed. The former Tiger is a ferocious hitter and is blessed with a ridiculous amount of closing speed. LSU brought him up in the box numerous times for run support and in blitz packages. He thrived in both situations because of his amazing open field tackling ability. Landry also has the ability to blitz from nearly anywhere on the field because of his jaw-dropping speed. Over the years, he has delivered several punishing blows to SEC quarterbacks (just ask Brodie Croyle how hard this guy hits!). He’s excellent at reading the offensive formation and won’t be fooled by play action very often. The four-time All-SEC selection will work with Sean Taylor to form one of the NFL’s most devastating safety combinations. (I’ve told a few friends that I’m not sure which one Sean Taylor is headed to faster, prison or the Hall of Fame, but if he stays out of one of them, he is surely headed to the other.) A little known fact about Landry: he was a shifty dual-threat quarterback in his high school days at Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana. During his senior season he threw for 1,639 yards and 16 touchdowns while also chewing up 693 yards on the ground and scoring 12 touchdowns. He never played offense for LSU, but Landry did a remarkable job of quarterbacking the LSU defense for the past four years. He was excellent at not only putting himself in position to make plays, but making sure his teammates were setup in the right places as well. I spoke to LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini for a few seconds about Landry and he had nothing but good things to say about the kid. Standing at 6’2, 205 pounds and blessed with a blazing 4.35-40 yard dash time, Landry will be the next elite safety in the NFL. He’s bursting at the seams with both athletic ability and football talent. There is simply no way you can go wrong with this kid. Opposing offensive coordinators are going to hate life against the Redskins, because they’ll have to go against two of the games most punishing hitters in Taylor and Landry. They’ll be an all-pro tandem that will give opposing teams fits.

Pick rating: 10/10

The breakdown: Adrian Peterson, like many others in the top 10 is the best at his position. There simply is no other running back in the 2007 NFL Draft that offers Petersons mind-numbing combination of size, speed, and power. At 6’2, 218 pounds with 4.37 speed, the Oklahoma standout has every tool imaginable to be a franchise tailback in the NFL. He’s one of the best power tailbacks I have ever seen, but labeling Peterson a power back is a disservice to him because he also has the speed and agility to beat defenders to the outside edge. Despite having numerous injury problems force him out of several games during his three-year career(dislocated left shoulder, right high ankle sprain, broken left collarbone), Peterson plastered his name all over the Oklahoma record books, grinding out 4,045 yards on the ground, ranking him third in school history in all-time rushing yardage. He was named consensus National Player of the Year by recruiting services such as Rivals.com coming out of high school and he didn’t disappoint. Ever since the kid set foot on campus in Norman, Oklahoma, he generated a buzz of hype that a first-year player in college football hadn’t seen since Maurice Clarett. He danced his way around and bruised his way through defenders, piling up 1,925 rushing yards as a freshman. His freshman season numbers were good enough to earn him second place in the Heisman race, the highest finish ever for a freshman. He also became the first player in school history to eclipse the 3,000 yard mark in two seasons at Oklahoma.
The Palestine, Texas native has been blessed with a combination of size, power, speed, and agility that has rarely been seen in the game of football. His strength lies in his ability to run through defenders, as evidenced by the 1,365 yards he gained after contact his freshman year at Oklahoma. Peterson is also excellent at keeping his feet moving after contact, which plays a key in helping him break so many tackles. He displayed his excellent change of direction and speed to the outside edge more in 2006 and I think you’re going to see him have to use that ability more often. Being a running back in the NFL, his body is going to have to deal with some punishing blows and with his injury history, it definitely wouldn’t be the best advice to keep telling Peterson to punish defenders left and right. He’s going to have to learn that he must shy away from contact at times or else injuries will cut his NFL career short. Everybody wants to talk about his injury history, but I still think Peterson will be an all-pro tailback as long as he learns to take care of his body. He’s too physically gifted not to become a great tailback in the pros. He’ll have to share touches early in his career with Chester Taylor, but that will help him even more so his body doesn’t have to absorb the pounding of an NFL season alone. Another thing he’ll have to work on is ball control, because he fumbled the ball 17 times throughout his Oklahoma career and that is a quick way to get in a coaches’ doghouse if you cough up the pigskin. That shouldn’t be a problem because Tiki Barber had fumble problems early in his NFL career but eventually got them under control to become one of the best all-purpose tailbacks in the history of the league.

A lot of people in the media love harping on Peterson’s injuries, but I think the Vikings shouldn’t worry about them, because injuries happen in the game of football and Peterson is so immensely talented that he’s worth taking the risk. I really like this kid and I think he is going to dazzle NFL fans, players, and coaches alike for many years to come and become an all-pro in the league.

Pick rating: 10/10

The breakdown: Okay, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m a college football junkie, but you can never know it all and I probably know the least about Jamaal Anderson than I do  any other player in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. There is only so much time in this world and those are time constraints that I face as a current college student that don’t allow me to watch as many players as possible. Anyways, I will give some insight on Anderson to the best of my ability. Listed at 6’6, 279 pounds with 4.76 speed, Anderson is remarkably fast and athletic for somebody his size. If you need an example of his athleticism, look no further than the fact that he left Parkview High School as the all-time leading receiver in school history. He was a highly disruptive player at Arkansas, where he put up amazing numbers in 2006. He led the SEC in sacks, tackles for loss, and also notched 26 quarterback hurries. That’s some serious heat on the quarterback folks and Anderson can bring it with the best of them. He will help to replace the void left by the departure of the immensely talented Patrick Kerney. Anderson won’t be able to fill that void all by himself and certainly not in his first year. I think Anderson will be a good pro, but I am higher on a guy like Anthony Spencer of Purdue. That is more of a credit to Spencer’s ability than it is a knock on Anderson’s.  I would’ve chosen Spencer before Anderson, because he had a more productive college career over a longer time period; Anderson had his breakout year in ‘06. I’m more of a fan of taking guys that have proven themselves for more than one season. That being said, I still think player with Anderson’s production should have no sort of problem becoming a very solid starter in the NFL.

Pick rating: 7/10

9. Miami Dolphins: Ted Ginn, Jr. (WR/KR/PR-Ohio State)

The breakdown: This man needs no introduction. Over the past three seasons, Ted Ginn, Jr. has used his remarkable combination of speed and acceleration to slice and dice his way through opposing defenses. In the process, he established himself as one of the most prolific kick returners in the history of college football. Over his career, he returned 64 punts for 900 yards, giving him a 14.1 average. He also had returned a hair-raising six punts back for touchdowns! On kickoff returns, he had 38 returns for 1,012 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a 26.6 yard average for his career. During his junior season in the 2006-2007 campaign, he became a much better receiver and lead his team in three major receiving categories: catches(59), yards(781), and touchdowns(9). He needs to work on running more polished routes, but when you’re blessed with world class speed(he ran a 4.28-40 yard dash time in the Ohio State campus workout) and eye-gouging acceleration, then the abundance in those traits can easily help you overcome your deficiencies. He is excellent at tracking the ball over his head, as evidenced by his beautiful over the shoulder touchdown catch against Texas in 2006. The Cleveland, Ohio native also uses his amazing ability to stop on a dime to make defenders miss. He has excellent north-south agility, in that he is very good at stopping and starting back up again when he’s trying to move in a vertical direction. One of Teddy Ballgame’s biggest weaknesses is that he doesn’t have very good lateral agility. He’s just not an east-west type of runner, but that isn’t that big of an issue because of the speed and acceleration  mentioned earlier. After watching some of his highlights, Ginn’s amazing acceleration reminds me of the Bears’ Devin Hester and his ability to stop on a dime reminds me of the Saints’ Reggie Bush. He doesn’t make lateral cuts nearly as fluidly as those two players, but he does have a little bit of each player in him. Once Ginn gets the ball in space, you might as well pack your bags because it’s over, he’s gone. He uses his acceleration to kick his speed into another gear and blow by opposing defenders with tremendous ease. Throughout his career, Ginn had eight touchdown returns on special teams, tying the NCAA record set by former Dolphin and current New England Patriot Wes Welker. He suffered a mild sprain in the national championship game in January, but that shouldn’t be a concern. According to the PalmBeachPost.com post, Ginn opened the Dolphins’ mini-camp sessions riding an elliptical machine, but you would have to think he’ll be ready to fully participate in training camp in late July. For now, he’s finishing up his degree at Ohio State so he can graduate.
 
I realize that many people were shocked by this selection at the time of the pick, including myself. I thought that the Dolphins were going to choose Brady Quinn, and there is no way I thought I would hear Ted Ginn, Jr.’s name called in the top 10. I figured he would be picked late-first round to early second round. At the time of the selection, I was asking myself, why in the world did the Dolphins take Ginn so high? Surely, they could’ve traded down to the middle or later in the first round and taken him there. After taking a step back, I’m willing to bet that nobody was willing to trade spots with the Dolphins to move up to the nine slot. So, if Ted Ginn was their man, then I totally agree with the pick. I love what the decision makers of the Dolphins did in this draft, because they made some bold picks and made sure everybody knew about them. I love the choice of John Beck as their signal-caller of the future instead of Brady Quinn. If you need to know any more of my thoughts on John Beck, then just check the 3,700 word scouting report I wrote on him for Associated Content and a few other places. The Dolphins’ staff had a remarkable draft in my opinion, I love the choices of Booker, Beck, and Ginn as the centerpieces of the Dolphins’ offense.

Getting back to the selection of Ginn, I’ll admit at first that I didn’t agree with the pick, but after thinking about it, I think it is an excellent choice. I think Ted Ginn, Jr. will be one of the best punt/kick returners in the game and eventually be an all-pro. His acceleration ability coupled with his ability to stop on a dime will make him one of the most dynamic returners the game of football has ever seen.

Pick rating: 10/10

10. Houston Texans: Amobi Okoye (DT-Louisville)

The breakdown: Perhaps no player in this draft has as much upside or potential as Louisville’s Amobi Okoye. He became the youngest player ever in college football, when he played at Louisville as a true freshman at the age of 16 years old. He’s only been playing football since he was a sophomore in high school. He became a college graduate at the age of 19 years old and is going to be one of the youngest rookies in NFL history. Okoye is one of the smartest players you will ever find and he will certainly never have any problems learning the playbook. The 287-pound lineman saw his draft stock skyrocket after he had a phenomenal week of practice at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. In the game, he displayed his remarkable closing speed when he chased Chris Leak down from behind and sacked him. It was easy to see during the game why so many people were raving about this kid. His hands are very active during the battle at the line of scrimmage and he is very good at using them. He also has very good balance. The biggest knock on Okoye is a legitimate one: he’s only had one productive year. In 2006, he dropped 25 pounds before the season and the rest is history. He racked up 55 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and even had eight sacks. The Nigerian native was named first-team All Big East in 2006. He has remarkable instincts and is very good at reading and reacting to run plays. He is also very explosive off the ball and speedy; this allows him to shoot the gaps with ease. This kid is a playmaker folks, no doubt about it. He’s much better at playing the run, but he also displayed the ability to wreak havoc on the passing game at the Senior Bowl. He might be young, but he’s oozing with all-pro potential. I didn’t expect him to be selected in the top 10, but I can’t say I blame the Texans. He’ll provide immediate help along the defensive line and help take pressure off Mario Williams. Okoye will be a great, great pro. In the words of college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, this kid has “tremendous upside”. All-pro upside without a doubt. The only thing that would make him a better pick is if he could switch over to the other side of the ball and play offensive line so he could block for Matt Schaub, the Texans immensely talented yet unproven field general.

Pick rating: 10/10   

For the breakdown of picks 1-5, click here.

That is it for now…stay tuned for the next article sometime in the next few weeks. With finals coming up, you never know how crazy the schedule is going to get, so I can’t promise anything.

Feel free to drop me an e-mail at wadepeery@yahoo.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.