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Cincinnati Bengals select Dre
Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Kirkpatrick looked better than
he actually is playing for college
football’s best defense. This is a
good value/need pick though.

San Diego Chargers select Melvin
Ingram, DE/ OLB, South Carolina
Ingram didn’t have a position in
college, but was athletic and had a
knack for rushing the quarterback.
He could thrive in the Chargers
3-4 defense and be used in several
looks.

Chicago Bears select Shea
McClellin, DE, Boise State
McClellin this early is a reach. He
also doesn’t seem to fit the mold of
a Bears defensive end, and is more
suited for a 3-4 linebacker role. He
can rush the passer though, has a
high motor, and will be great with
Julius Peppers.

Tennessee Titans select Kendall
Wright, WR, Baylor

The Titans make a huge surprise by
drafting a receiver this early. Wright
is a great playmaking receiver
though who can play wide or in the
slot.

New England Patriots select
Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

Jones is a player that fits the
Patriot's mold of versatility. He
plays well on the line, and has been
seen dropping into coverage.

Cleveland Browns select Brandon
Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
Remember when I said the pressure
was off McCoy? I lied again. Now
McCoy has a player forcing him

to perform at his best, or he will

be replaced. Weedon has his age
against him as he just turned 29
years old.

Detroit Lions select Riley Reiff, OT,
Iowa

The Lions had success despite
quarterback Matthew Stafford
getting knocked around, and
contributed to the Lions’ post-
season failure. Reiff is a step to
improve that.

Pittsburgh Steelers select David
DeCastro, G, Stanford

It was expected that the Steelers
would look to improve their
defense for the future with Dont’a
Hightower, but instead look to
protect their quarterback and
improve their running game.

New England Patriots select Dont’a
Hightower, LB, Alabama
After the Steelers passed him over,

the Patriots jumped on him. They
traded up to get the defensive
captain for the most professional
college defense. Hightower can be
used in so many ways, but how he
will be is still a mystery.

Houston Texans select Whitney
Mercilus, DE/ OLB, Illinois

After losing Mario Williams, the
Texans get another pass rusher. He
has a red flag as a one year wonder,
but if he doesn’t pan out, the Texans
aren't going to falter all too much
with J.J. Watt and Conner Baldwin.

Cincinnati Bengals select Kevin
Zeitler, G, Wisconsin

The Bengals don’t have a lot of
needs, but offensive line depth is
one of them. Zeitler improves the
protection in both the passing and
running game.

Green Bay Packers select Nick
Perry, DE/OLB, USC

The Packers might be happier with
this pick than Perry is. Perry came
out and said he'd prefer to play
defensive end in a 4-3 system, but
was picked in a 34 defense. He will
most likely start as linebacker for
the Packers, and will be a great pass
rusher.

 

Consistency issues:

NHL can’t get it right

By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer

ockey is a physical sport.
The crowd fully expects
(and often wishes for)

excessive violence. However,

there is a line that needs to be
drawn so that players don’t suffer
grievous injury. To this end,
Brendan Shanahan, the NHL's
chief disciplinarian, has the duty of
punishing those who cross the line
in order to prevent such injuries.
However, if recent events are any
indication, he’s been doing a poor
job.

Raffi Torres is a rough player.
Some would go so far as to call
him dirty. All the same, the hockey
world was shocked last month
when Shanahan handed out a 25-
game suspension to the forward for
his vicious hit on Marian Hossa.

Twenty-five games is absurd.
However, the suspension is
not absurd in its length (Chris
Simon, anyone?), but rather, it’s
consistency, or lack thereof. I have
no issue with Torres sitting out
almost a third of the season. I, in
fact, agree wholeheartedly with
the decision. That being said,
comparing Torres’ suspension
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to others’, he shouldn’t have
gotten any more than five games.
Maximum.

I had great faith in Shanahan
when he was initially put in
charge. Surely a former player
would be able to understand what
those un-athletic suits at the top
of the pyramid could never get.
Unfortunately, it appears that faith
was misplaced. Case in point: in
the Detroit-Nashville series, Shea

  

é —— ne
/{, @ RaffiTorres”
‘oe

he igs)»

Weber grabbed Henrik Zetterberg’s
head and slammed it into the
boards. The penalty for this street-
fighting move? A $2,500 fine. $2,500
isn’t even a slap on the wrist. These
players are multi-millionaires.
Torres stands to lose $21,341
for every game he misses. That
adds up to $533,525 in lost salary.
Mathematically, Torres’ hit was
approximately 213 times worse,
in Shanahan’s opinion, than the

Minnesota Vikings select Harrison
Smith, S, Notre Dame

The Vikings traded back into the
first round to reach for Smith. A lot
of scouts believed that Smith would
be selected in the mid-second
round, but he will instantly start for
a weak Vikings defense.

San Francisco 49ers select A.J.
Jenkins, WR, Illinois

The 49ers continue to stock their
receiving corps after signing Josh
Morgan and Randy Moss with
Jenkins to improve their anemic
passing attack. Jenkins was a pick
that the 49ers liked, but didn’t
believe he would drop to them in
the second.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Doug
Martin, RB, Boise State

Believing that the Giants would
take him, the Bucs jump back into
the first to take Martin, who can

do anything asked of him and can
succeed in any role.

New York Giants select David
Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

After losing Brandon Jacobs, the
Giants select Wilson to back up
Ahmad Bradshaw, and continue
their tradition of a nice one-two
punch in the backfield.

mauling performed by Weber. I'll
leave you to think up your own
disbelieving comment.

In an event well-known to
Canucks fans, Duncan Keith
received a mere five games for his
elbow on Daniel Sedin. Finally,
heading back to last year, David
Steckel got off scot-free after
concussing the NHL's crown jewel,
Sidney Crosby, with a blindside
hit. The NHL can say all they want
that they will protect their star
players, but outside of the Torres
incident, there seems to be little real
substance behind their words.

I sincerely hope that Torres’
behemoth suspension is the start of
a new trend. If players realize that
they will miss significant time and
money for their actions, there is a
strong likelihood that fewer and
fewer violent episodes will arise.
Shanahan has to come to his senses
and see that handing out paltry
fines and minimal suspensions
serves little purpose. If he doesn’t,
then cross your fingers that the
equipment companies revolutionize
player safety because it looks like
that’s the only protection players
are going to get.

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