Bruce Allen Needs To Listen To Me: Part 1

There are two general schools of thought to the NFL draft, or any sports lottery for that matter. You can either draft to address specific needs on your team, or you simply take the highest rated player available to your slot. Me, I'm a draft for need kind of guy. The reason is that the difference in talent between a couple draft slots either way probably isn't enough to pick a player for a position that you don't have a real need in. If the player you really need is rated a few slots lower than the best available, it's still worth a slight reach to get who will create the biggest impact on your team. The only time I would break this rule is if there is a player that is absolutely so unique that he cannot be ignored. Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, John Elway, Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders... these guys were truly transcendent athletes and worthy of passing up whoever you really needed at that slot to get them. I can't think of any more. Not Michael Vick, not Reggie Bush, not even my boy Peyton Manning were so freakishly athletic that you simply had to make a spot for them on your team. And not Calvin Johnson, either.

I understand why everyone likes Johnson. He is a great blend of size and speed with excellent hands. Everyone who has interviewed him says he is a stand-up guy with impecible character. The fact that he was fielding passes from Reggie Ball and still making them look good only adds to his appeal. A team with even a moderate need at wide receiver should take him without hesitation. And that includes the Buccaneers, who are going to have to find a new number one after Joey Galloway eventually hangs it up. With Michael Clayton turning out to be disappointing for a first rounder and Maurice Stovall more of a possession guy, the Bucs will be desperate for a field-stretcher in the next year or two. But right now, in 2007, wide receiver is not the team's biggest need. It doesn't even make the top five.

1) Defensive tackle
2) Safety
3) Offensive tackle
4) Defensive end
5) Center

How is Calvin Johnson going to be useful when the defense can't get off the field? How will he be able to catch the ball when the quarterback is constantly under pressure and is forced to misfire his throws? I'm not going to get all upset and bitch and cry if Johnson falls to #4 and the Bucs take him. Of course he'll contribute and be a good addition. But trading up for him shouldn't even be on the table. And trading down should be getting more mention. I'll let you know what I would do tomorrow.