SI: Five Players in the Right Situation
Five Players in the Right Situation
1. Matt Leinart, QB, Arizona: Who cares if he dropped to the 10th overall selection? He can sit for a year -- which should give Cardinals coach Dennis Green enough time to improve Arizona's feeble offensive line -- and then Leinart can run an offense that features loads of talent at the skill positions. That scenario played out pretty well for his pal Carson Palmer in Cincinnati.
2. Haloti Ngata, DT, Baltimore: He couldn't be happier with where he wound up. Of all the teams he visited before the draft (Cleveland, Buffalo and the New York Jets were the others), he loved Baltimore the most. The blue-collar city fits his low-key personality. More important, all the stars on defense (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs) will allow Ngata to slide into a low-pressure role during his rookie season. He doesn't need the spotlight. He'll be more than happy to do the dirty work that keeps Lewis happy.
3. Bobby Carpenter, OLB, Dallas Cowboys: Carpenter's stock rose as the draft neared because teams knew his versatility was hard to find. At the same time, he understood that he'd be better off going later in the first round, because odds were he'd land on a team with a better chance of winning. This kid hates to lose. He's also a huge fan of Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, who coached Carpenter's father, Rob, with the Giants in the early 1980s. Parcells knows how to get the most out of linebackers, so look for Carpenter to excel in Dallas.
4. John McCargo, DT, Buffalo: For all those critics who have been skewering Bills general manager Marv Levy for picking McCargo 26th overall, think about this: A lot of teams thought McCargo was the third-best defensive tackle in the draft after Ngata and Brodrick Bunkley. The Bills need a quick, penetrating defensive tackle to fit into their new, attacking defensive system, and that's what McCargo does well. Like Ngata, he'll be playing with plenty of talent around him in the front seven, and that will only help his development.
5. Jimmy Williams, CB, Atlanta: Forget that this kid slid out of the first round. The Falcons needed someone to match up with taller receivers, and he's big enough to do that. He can team up with Pro Bowl starter DeAngelo Hall or he can line up in nickel situations, where his size should make him an effective blitzer. Either way, he should benefit from the talent around him and draw upon the experience of such veterans as Hall and recently signed safety Lawyer Milloy.
1. Matt Leinart, QB, Arizona: Who cares if he dropped to the 10th overall selection? He can sit for a year -- which should give Cardinals coach Dennis Green enough time to improve Arizona's feeble offensive line -- and then Leinart can run an offense that features loads of talent at the skill positions. That scenario played out pretty well for his pal Carson Palmer in Cincinnati.
2. Haloti Ngata, DT, Baltimore: He couldn't be happier with where he wound up. Of all the teams he visited before the draft (Cleveland, Buffalo and the New York Jets were the others), he loved Baltimore the most. The blue-collar city fits his low-key personality. More important, all the stars on defense (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs) will allow Ngata to slide into a low-pressure role during his rookie season. He doesn't need the spotlight. He'll be more than happy to do the dirty work that keeps Lewis happy.
3. Bobby Carpenter, OLB, Dallas Cowboys: Carpenter's stock rose as the draft neared because teams knew his versatility was hard to find. At the same time, he understood that he'd be better off going later in the first round, because odds were he'd land on a team with a better chance of winning. This kid hates to lose. He's also a huge fan of Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, who coached Carpenter's father, Rob, with the Giants in the early 1980s. Parcells knows how to get the most out of linebackers, so look for Carpenter to excel in Dallas.
4. John McCargo, DT, Buffalo: For all those critics who have been skewering Bills general manager Marv Levy for picking McCargo 26th overall, think about this: A lot of teams thought McCargo was the third-best defensive tackle in the draft after Ngata and Brodrick Bunkley. The Bills need a quick, penetrating defensive tackle to fit into their new, attacking defensive system, and that's what McCargo does well. Like Ngata, he'll be playing with plenty of talent around him in the front seven, and that will only help his development.
5. Jimmy Williams, CB, Atlanta: Forget that this kid slid out of the first round. The Falcons needed someone to match up with taller receivers, and he's big enough to do that. He can team up with Pro Bowl starter DeAngelo Hall or he can line up in nickel situations, where his size should make him an effective blitzer. Either way, he should benefit from the talent around him and draw upon the experience of such veterans as Hall and recently signed safety Lawyer Milloy.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:20 PM
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