Draft Quickly Approaching

The 2006 NFL Draft is less than a month away and it seems that most people have no idea of the team order. The draft is on April 29-30. The order of the top 20 picks (non-playoff teams) is determined by record. Draft-order ties are resolved by the cumulative record of each team's opponents. The team with the weaker opponents receives drafting priority. Because the draft is quickly approaching, I am going to list the 32-team line-up, along with their 2005-2006 season record:

1. Houston 2-14
2. New Orleans 3-13
3. Tennessee 4-12
4. New York Jets 4-12
5. Green Bay 4-12
6. San Francisco 4-12
7. Oakland 4-12
8. Buffalo 5-11
9. Detroit 5-11
10. Arizona 5-11
11. St. Louis 6-10
12. Cleveland 6-10
13. Baltimore 6-10
14. Philadelphia 6-10
15. Denver (from Atlanta) 8-8
16. Miami 9-7
17. Minnesota 9-7
18. Dallas 9-7
19. San Diego 9-7
20. Kansas City 10-6
21. New England 10-6
22. Denver (from Washington) 10-6
23. Tampa Bay 11-5
24. Cincinnati 11-5
25. New York Giants 11-5
26. Chicago 11-5
27. Carolina 11-5
28. Jacksonville 12-4
29. N.Y. Jets (from Denver through Atlanta) 13-3
30. Indianapolis 14-2
31. Seattle 13-3
32. Pittsburgh 11-5

Cleveland's Free Agency and Draft Options

Needless to say the Cleveland Browns took full advantage of their resources during free agency. Because this blog is about the 2006 NFL Draft,the positive news has created even more talk about the countdown to the draft than already existed for the Browns. If you aren't up to date on my hometown Brownies, take a look at the new signings and what it means for the team's draft plans.

The signings of LeCharles Bentley and Kevin Shaffer on the offensive line make the offensive line a less important area on draft day. Both these additions are athletic 26-year old players, adding great depth to the team. This doesn't mean the Browns won't draft an offensive lineman. In the third and forth rounds there should be very capable guards and centers available to pickup. Bentley is a Cleveland native and played ball at The Ohio State University.

How excited am I that we drafted DaveZastudil? Very! Him and I attended the same high school just outside of Cleveland. Having a hometowner will sure rally the dawgpound this coming season. As for the draft, this means the Browns will not be using their first round choice on USC punter Tom Malone.

While I'm ranting about how excited I am for next year, I can't forget to mention yet another Clevelander that has been added to the roster, Joe Jurevicius. Jurevicius is a spectacular widereceiver. He has played in three Super Bowls in his eight NFL seasons, one with each of his previous teams: the Giants, Bucs and Seahawks.

Speaking of hometowners, Barry Cofield of Cleveland Heights is a nose tackle who is projected as a middle-round pick. Cofield was a defensive lineman at Northwestern University. Cofield has made it clear he would love to play for the Browns, and the Browns have made it clear over the last few weeks they love players with Cleveland roots.

Getting back to the draft, the Browns have traded Chris Crocker to the Falcons. From this trade the Browns acquired an extra fourth-round draft choice, just two spots after the fourth rounder they already owned. This leaves the Browns with oh, so many options.

Combine is over...But evaluation is not

NFL prospects are going to be scouted, timed, stretched, measured and put on display for every team in the league. The NFL is looking for the top collegiate talent, and for several weeks following the Scouting Combine, individual schools will showcase their best and brightest. The results are compiled by NFL.com.

Linebackers shine at the NFL Combine
The linebackers produced an unbelievable group of fast men. This has been looked at as possibly the fastest group ever. There were three prospects that ran under 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash: Thomas Howard of UTEP (4.46), Jon Alston of Stanford (4.45) and Ernie Sims of Florida State (4.46).

Former Ohio State linebacker, A.J. Hawk, is a tremendous player and competitor. He is one of my all-time favorite collegiate athletes. His performance was a memorable one and he turned in a time 4.59. Hawk has a chance to be drafted higher than any linebacker since 2000. The Green Bay Packers are thinking about him at No. 5. The Ohio State University's football's head coach, Jim Tressel loves A.J. Hawk.

Hawk was joined by three other athletes who also ran under 4.6: Brandon Johnson of Louisville (4.51), Miami's (Ohio) Tarna Nande (4.54) and Miami's (Fla.) Leon Williams (4.59).