Dallas Cowboys: Picked well in previous Drafts

NFL LIVE ON SKY
2008 NFL Draft
8pm, Saturday
Sky Sports 3

This is the original reality TV, folks.

Come Saturday night at the Radio City Music Hall there will be so many plots and sub-plots going on, so many trades being made and deals being struck, it will be hard to keep up.

The NFL Draft is always the same. Every year. You just don't know what is going to happen, which is pretty apt because when it comes down to it, the teams are all taking a gamble as well.

Yes, the NFL do all the probing into the players, all the research, the security checks, and even if you are splashing out big bucks on these boys, they just don't know what they're getting either, whether their picks are gonna be a positive or a negative for their franchise.

Take last year. We had plenty of players telling us they were gonna do this, do that, but in end only Joe Thomas and Adrian Pietersen had outstanding rookie seasons.

And if you take it back further, since Payton Manning in 1998, three of the first picks are not even playing in the NFL anymore.

There really is no tried and tested formula either, from a team's point of view. I guess the only ones who got it right time after time were America's Team, Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys. They basically got it right come Draft time and just took the best players available regardless of their position. That is what got them the monicker, the name, and that is what helped them become such a force.

But now, there is no telling what teams will do. All I can say is all 32 franchises from the New York Giants right down to the Miami Dolphins, should treat the Draft with the utmost respect. This is what their future is all about. They have to go into this with the right frame of mind and get the most out of it.

Character

Which is where the character of a player comes into it. One of the major names this year will be the running back from Arkansas, Darren McFadden. There will be plenty of attention going his way, but he does, shall we say, have a few problems off the field.

None of them are conclusive, and I rememeber Shaun Gayle saying to Nick Halling on the show once that we all have issues, but when you are spending something like $40million on one man, can you afford to take all that excess baggage on board as well? The top six or seven coaches will be looking at character come Draft time, I can assure you of that.

They can assess a guy's ability, what he can and can't do at the Combine, but the rest, they just don't know about. They will use the police, hire private investigators - anything they can to make sure they are gonna get the right man. They gotta protect their investment and when you consider that £40million isn't even top dollar, you can see why the franchises try to find out everything about the guy they're picking.

Decision-time

First up this year of course will be Miami Dolphins. When you go 1-15 there is clearly a lot wrong and plenty of holes to plug, but they have already confirmed the signing of Jake Long, the offensive tackle from Michigan.

I think Bill Parcells is looking a few years down the line with that one. He has picked up a lot of "average" players in the close season, none of who leap out and say he is really gonna change the fortunes of the Dolphins. Long makes sense because Parcells always likes a foundation with the offensive and defensive lines, and probably realises he can pick up a quarterback or running back when it comes to the second round - where Miami have two picks thanks to trading Chris Chambers to San Diego.

St Louis are next up and if they go for the second pick, that means Chris Long, a defensive end from Virginia. A lot of people only talk defense when it comes to the Rams, but their offensive line had a lot of problems last year. Their situation sums up the Draft pretty well because sometimes a team has to say, well who is our key player? For St Louis it's Steven Jackson, so do they beef up that defensive line or get someone in that offensive line that can protect the jewel in their crown in Jackson? As I am gonna be saying a few times come Saturday night, you just don't know.

Atlanta Falcons have lost men on their defensive line in the close-season, so do they go there? They also let corneback DeAngelo Hall go to the Raiders in return for a second-round pick on Saturday. But the New York Giants proved last year you can have mediocre backs and still keep a tight defense as long as your line can get after that quarterback.

As for the Raiders, McFadden has been mentioned but they already have four or five running backs signed up, so do they go with the talent and add to what they've already got, or plug another gap? I would be surprised if they, or any of the top six or seven, are looking at quarterbacks either.

Matt Ryan from Boston is the leading QB this year, but anyone who remembers how Brady Quinn last year sat there, sat there, sat there and sat there until finally getting picked in 2007, will know it ain't always about these boys in the opening rounds - it happened to Matt Leinart also.

Drama

And on top of all that, you've got teams trading between one another. Say you're Atlanta and you don't want Matt Ryan, so you act like you do want Matt Ryan, but go to the Baltimore Ravens and trade picks: you say, 'If you give me a player and another draft pick, you can have the third pick and Ryan's all yours' - when all the time you didn't really want him, knowing someone else in that position will be available further down the line.

The movement and trades between teams on the night will be big, but maybe not among the leading six or seven. Five years ago in 2003 was probably the last time that happened but this year, in one essence, all those deals have been done. After all, trading third pick for eighth might save you something like $20-30million on the night.

And if you want tension and drama, watch those New York fans in Radio City, because boy do they large it at the Draft. Wait and see those Jets fans reaction when their pick comes round - especially if McFadden is still up for grabs. That is what I am looking forward to most of all.

As for the players themselves, it can be a pretty hairy time. Some of them have deals in place already, some are wanted men, but for the others, it ain't gonna be that straightforward. It don't matter if you're short or tall, big or small, fast or slow, someone is gonna be last...

Watch the NFL Draft live on April 26th, 8pm, Sky Sports 3.