Adrian Peterson declares for draft

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

I will admit my limited knowledge of this situation came from FOX, which means I should have been more discerning.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

Looks like a hell of a deep draft developing....

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

AP's problem is that he's going to be picked up by some horse-manure team with no line.
Larry Johnson was good because he could hang around, pick a spot hear and there and wait to be the main guy. When Priest Holmes got hurt, LJ was nearly two years into the league. Peterson is going to be picked up by some shitty team like the Browns, Lions, Texans, etc., and never have time to adjust to the speed. He'll rush for 700 very tough yards his first season, get banged around a lot and then need time to recover that he'll never get because he'll be called a savior.
The only way he doesn't flame out early is if he slips far down in the draft, goes to a decent team and takes his time getting used to the NFL.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

Here's the 2007 draft order as of right now (pending the outcome of the playoffs):

Team Record Strength of Schedule
1 Oakland Raiders 2-14 .555
2 Detroit Lions 3-13 .523
3 Cleveland Browns# 4-12 .535
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers# 4-12 .535
5 Arizona Cardinals 5-11 .500
6 Washington Redskins 5-11 .512
7 Minnesota Vikings 6-10 .488
8 Houston Texans 6-10 .504
9 Miami Dolphins 6-10 .543
10 Atlanta Falcons 7-9 .457
11 San Francisco 49ers 7-9 .500
12 Buffalo Bills 7-9 .574
13 St. Louis Rams 8-8 .465
14 Carolina Panthers 8-8 .473
15 Pittsburgh Steelers 8-8 .496
16 Green Bay Packers 8-8 .500
17 Jacksonville Jaguars 8-8 .531
18 Cincinnati Bengals 8-8 .535
19 Tennessee Titans 8-8 .570
20 New York Giants* 8-8 .520
21 Denver Broncos 9-7 .531
22 Seattle Seahawks* 9-7 .453
23 Dallas Cowboys* 9-7 .457
24 Kansas City Chiefs* 9-7 .492
25 New Orleans Saints* 10-6 .461
26 New York Jets* 10-6 .469
27 Philadelphia Eagles* 10-6 .477
28 New England Patriots* 12-4 .496
29 Indianapolis Colts* 12-4 .500
30 Chicago Bears* 13-3 .430
31 Baltimore Ravens* 13-3 .461
32 San Diego Chargers* 14-2 .457
* - Subject to playoffs
# - Subject to coin flip

The Raiders are on the clock. I see them taking Quinn. It's definitely a position of need for them. (Personally I think Brohm and Russell are both better but the Raiders won't be able to resist that Domer siren song.)

I think AD will be a Lion. I don't see them drafting another WR (Calvin Johnson is right up there on the board.) If Millen drafts another WR, he should be fired. OH WAIT .... ;D

Just not this year.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

Michael Bush and Peterson are probably the two most talented back, but they're also the two most injury prone. That makes Bush, at best, a late first-rounder. Not sure about Peterson, but he'll probably go higher since he's coming off a less severe injury.

And as far as running backs go, they're really only as good as the offensive lines in front of them. If you have a great line, you'll have a great running back.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

Bush seems like a tough call since he barely played his senior year. Here's hoping he falls to the mid-second round and ends up sharing the load with Willie Parker in Pittsburgh.

I think comparing Peterson to Clarett is just because Peterson has had some kind of issue with his father is a bit unfair. Clarett had proven himself to be a gigantic pain in the ass with conditioning issues long before the Broncos wasted a draft pick on him. Peterson's only big negative that I can see is he wasn't on the field enough after his freshman season.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

You know you got a point there because he stays he can be the best player in college football.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

Oh, I don't know ... maybe to show that he can make it through 12 consecutive games in one piece?

Trust me, that will be a major question in the minds of NFL GMs over the next few months.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

Never mind that he's gotta make it through 16 in the NFL.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

... with bigger, faster bodies and harder hits.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

Bush's leg break in the season-opener was a freakish accident. Just because a 300 pound lineman fell on his leg while tackling him doesn't mean he's injury prone.

Peterson's problem is that he's a bit too tall for a RB. He's listed at 6-3 and is probably 6-2 at the shortest. Coupled with a running style that is upright, he's goiing to take a lot of hits in the NFL. Think the Titans' Chris Brown running style. He's been dinged up in each of his first three seasons. When he's healthy, though, he's pretty darn good. AD needs to run lower, because he has the strength and speed for the NFL.

Also, the Lions need a RB not because Kevin Jones can't get it done but because he suffered a foot injury late in the season that is known to keep guys out for 12 months. That means he probably isn't going to start the season. Their backups - Shawn Bryson and 2005 3rd rounder Brian Calhoun - will be back but both coming off season-ending knee injuries. Bryson has had like 2-3 in his career and he's about 30, so who knows how he's gonna be. Calhoun should heal quickly b/c he's young. But he's more of a situational and 3rd down guy, not a 25-carry per game fella. I see the Lions going for a RB via free agency and possibly the draft - but not in the first round.

 

Re: Adrian Peterson to enter draft

By the way, did anyone see the 11p SportsCenter where ESPN showed the mugshot of the Chicago Bears' Adrian Peterson instead of OU's Adrian Peterson? It was up the entire 20 seconds DJ Stewie told of AD's decision to go pro.