(1) Vonnie Holliday will sign with the Cardinals. It has become a no-brainer for Holliday as the Cardinals are the only team to offer him a fairly lucrative contract. Going back to play at Green Bay on a one-year contract is too risky at this point in his career.
(2) Frank Sanders will re-sign with the Cardinals. Sanders has a good shot to remain a starter and he knows it. There's no reason for him to leave. No team will outbid the Cardinals in the $1.25M a year range.
(3) Dewayne Robertson will be the Cardinals pick at #6. The Cardinals love his explosiveness and see him the best double threat DT in the draft.
(4) The top of the draft will go as follows:
1. Bengals: CB Terence Newman, Kansas St. Marvin Lewis will try ot trade down with the Bears, but won't trade down below #4 because Newman won't be there beyond #5. Newman agrees to a deal prior to his selection and comes in at significantly less than what one of the QBs qould if he were taken at #1.
2. Lions: WR Charles Rogers, Michigan St. It's been a lock since day one.
3. Texans: WR Andre Johnson, Miami. The Texans wanted to take Willis McGahee here prior to his injury. No other RB is worth the #3 pick...and while the Texans will receive offers to move down, they already have a ton of draft picks, so it makes far better sense to stay put and grab one of the elite offensive homerun threats in the draft.
4. Bears: DE Terrell Suggs, Arizona St. While the QBs are tempting, the Bears love drafting the unique impact players like Brian Urlacher. They won't be deterred by Suggs' sub-par workout numbers, because the game tapes don't lie.
5. Cowboys: CB Marcus Trufant, Washington St. The Cowboys entertain offers to trade down, but Parcells will not miss out on the opportunity to draft a shut down corner. Trufant may be the best prepared player in this draft.
6. Cardinals: DT Dewayne Robertson, Kentucky. He joins fellow Wildcat Dennis Johnson as a first day selection for the Cardinals. The Cardinals opt for Robertson over Jimmy Kennedy because they feel that Robertson is the better inside pass rusher.
7. Vikings: DT Jimmy Kennedy, Penn. St. They are delirious that Kennedy slips to them and rush his name to the podium. He's the perfect compliment and anchor DT to undersized but quick DT Chris Hovan.
8. Jaguars: DT William Joseph, Miami. Jack Del Rio beleives he will be able to motivate this local physical dynamo.
9. Panthers: QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall. The Panthers were going to Jordan Gross with this pick, but are shocked to find the two top QBs available. It's a tough decision to decide between Leftwich and Palmer but they love Leftwich's arm too much to pass him by.
10. Ravens: QB Carson Palmer, USC. Brian Billick is doing cartwheels. He's tried to trade up to get one of the QBs all afternoon without success and lo and behold his personal top choice, Carson Palmer is still on the board.
11. Seahawks: DT Kevin Williams, Oklahoma St. Bob Ferguson knows the Cardinals were extremely high on this kid, especially the way he tore up the Senior Bowl. It's a no brainer for Fergy. In Williams he lands the heir apparent to aging superstar John Randall.
12. Rams: MLB E.J. Henderson, Maryland. St. Louis once fared well with an E.J. at MLB (E.J. Junior, when the Cardinals were in St. Louis) and they figure to do the same with clearly the best LB prospect in the draft.
13. Redskins: DE Jerome McDougle, Miami. Spurrier wants to take a WR here, but decides McDougle is too promising to pass up, especially in light of the team's aging pass rushers.
14. Patriots: DT Jonathan Sullivan, Georgia. They hit the jackpot with fellow Bulldog Richard Seymour, so they grab Sullivan to bolster their defensive interior.
15. Chargers: * Eric Steinbach, Iowa. Marty wants to pound the ball as usual and he needs guards who can get a push up front. Steinbach fits the bill.
16. Chiefs: DE Michael Haynes, Ohio St. Haynes is a bit of a reach here, but he's Dick Vermeil's kind of hard-nosed player. A need pick.
17. Saints: OT Jordan Gross, Utah. Goodbye Turley, hello Gross. Saints' brass look like geniuses in that no one expected Gross to be available at #17.
18. Saints: CB Andre Woolfork, Oklahoma. Woolfork has all the tools. Needs the coaching.
19. Patriots: RB Lee Suggs, Virginia Tech. In a stunning move, the Patriots reach for Suggs figuring he will be long gone by the time they pick in the second round. He's their top rated RB and they hope he will be the long-term answer at RB.
20. Broncos: QB Kyle Boller, California. This pick will raise plenty of eyebrows. Shanahan wanted a DE here, but with Suggs, McDougle and Haynes off the board, and not wanting to reach for Peterson or Kelsay, Shanahan opts to tab the strong armed Boller here. Buerlein is good for one more year and there's no telling how well Jake will do.
21. Browns: T Kwame Harris, Stanford. Another team that's delirious to see a top ranked player slip to them. A need pick and a good one.
22. Jets: OLB Boss Bailey, Georgia. The player the Jets have coveted all along. Adds tremendous speed to the defense.
23. Falcons: S Mike Doss, Ohio State. Now a "Mike" standout on the defensive side of the ball as well. Too good to pass up. The best leader in the draft, hands down.
24. Colts: CB Eugene Wilson, Illinois. Tony Dungy is devastated to miss out on Doss. Wilson's the next best choice as the Colts need secondary help.
25. Giants: DE Kenny Peterson, Ohio St. The kind of tough, aggressive defensive lineman the Giants like.
26. 49ers: DT Rien Long, Washington St. A perfect fit for the aging defensive interior.
27. Steelers: T George Foster, Georgia. In the Steeler mold. Big, strong and athletic.
28. Titans: WR Tyler Jacobs, Florida. The shifty, acrobatic Jacobs will look good snagging darts from Steve McNair.
29. Packers: QB Rex Grossman, Florida. Back to back Gators. The Pack's QB of the future.
30. Eagles: DE Dewayne White, Louisville. Not Reggie, obviously, but an edge rusher with quicks.
31. Raiders: DT Ty Warren, Texas A&M. Gives them much needed help at DT. Has fine potential.
32. Raiders: RB Willis McGahee, Miami. A luxury pick. Top five value down the road.
Round 2
33. Bengals: C Jeff Faine, Notre Dame. A need pick and perfect choice.
34. Lions: RB Onterrio Smith, Oregon. The Lions tab Joey Harrington's teammate at his request and while they are tempted to select Larry Johnson, Smith's speed and receiving ability win out.
35. Bears: RB Larry Johnson, Penn. St. They were hoping Kyle Boller would be here, but since he's long gone, Johnson gives them the power back they were hoping to get in the inconsistent Anthony Thomas.
36. Texans: T Jon Stinchcomb, Georgia. The heir apparent to Tony Boselli.
37. Cardinals: DE Chris Kelsay, Nebraska. Similar to Grant Wistrom. Was hurt much of 2002 which lowered his stock. Has the on-field relentlessness and off-field dedication that Mac likes.
(2) Frank Sanders will re-sign with the Cardinals. Sanders has a good shot to remain a starter and he knows it. There's no reason for him to leave. No team will outbid the Cardinals in the $1.25M a year range.
(3) Dewayne Robertson will be the Cardinals pick at #6. The Cardinals love his explosiveness and see him the best double threat DT in the draft.
(4) The top of the draft will go as follows:
1. Bengals: CB Terence Newman, Kansas St. Marvin Lewis will try ot trade down with the Bears, but won't trade down below #4 because Newman won't be there beyond #5. Newman agrees to a deal prior to his selection and comes in at significantly less than what one of the QBs qould if he were taken at #1.
2. Lions: WR Charles Rogers, Michigan St. It's been a lock since day one.
3. Texans: WR Andre Johnson, Miami. The Texans wanted to take Willis McGahee here prior to his injury. No other RB is worth the #3 pick...and while the Texans will receive offers to move down, they already have a ton of draft picks, so it makes far better sense to stay put and grab one of the elite offensive homerun threats in the draft.
4. Bears: DE Terrell Suggs, Arizona St. While the QBs are tempting, the Bears love drafting the unique impact players like Brian Urlacher. They won't be deterred by Suggs' sub-par workout numbers, because the game tapes don't lie.
5. Cowboys: CB Marcus Trufant, Washington St. The Cowboys entertain offers to trade down, but Parcells will not miss out on the opportunity to draft a shut down corner. Trufant may be the best prepared player in this draft.
6. Cardinals: DT Dewayne Robertson, Kentucky. He joins fellow Wildcat Dennis Johnson as a first day selection for the Cardinals. The Cardinals opt for Robertson over Jimmy Kennedy because they feel that Robertson is the better inside pass rusher.
7. Vikings: DT Jimmy Kennedy, Penn. St. They are delirious that Kennedy slips to them and rush his name to the podium. He's the perfect compliment and anchor DT to undersized but quick DT Chris Hovan.
8. Jaguars: DT William Joseph, Miami. Jack Del Rio beleives he will be able to motivate this local physical dynamo.
9. Panthers: QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall. The Panthers were going to Jordan Gross with this pick, but are shocked to find the two top QBs available. It's a tough decision to decide between Leftwich and Palmer but they love Leftwich's arm too much to pass him by.
10. Ravens: QB Carson Palmer, USC. Brian Billick is doing cartwheels. He's tried to trade up to get one of the QBs all afternoon without success and lo and behold his personal top choice, Carson Palmer is still on the board.
11. Seahawks: DT Kevin Williams, Oklahoma St. Bob Ferguson knows the Cardinals were extremely high on this kid, especially the way he tore up the Senior Bowl. It's a no brainer for Fergy. In Williams he lands the heir apparent to aging superstar John Randall.
12. Rams: MLB E.J. Henderson, Maryland. St. Louis once fared well with an E.J. at MLB (E.J. Junior, when the Cardinals were in St. Louis) and they figure to do the same with clearly the best LB prospect in the draft.
13. Redskins: DE Jerome McDougle, Miami. Spurrier wants to take a WR here, but decides McDougle is too promising to pass up, especially in light of the team's aging pass rushers.
14. Patriots: DT Jonathan Sullivan, Georgia. They hit the jackpot with fellow Bulldog Richard Seymour, so they grab Sullivan to bolster their defensive interior.
15. Chargers: * Eric Steinbach, Iowa. Marty wants to pound the ball as usual and he needs guards who can get a push up front. Steinbach fits the bill.
16. Chiefs: DE Michael Haynes, Ohio St. Haynes is a bit of a reach here, but he's Dick Vermeil's kind of hard-nosed player. A need pick.
17. Saints: OT Jordan Gross, Utah. Goodbye Turley, hello Gross. Saints' brass look like geniuses in that no one expected Gross to be available at #17.
18. Saints: CB Andre Woolfork, Oklahoma. Woolfork has all the tools. Needs the coaching.
19. Patriots: RB Lee Suggs, Virginia Tech. In a stunning move, the Patriots reach for Suggs figuring he will be long gone by the time they pick in the second round. He's their top rated RB and they hope he will be the long-term answer at RB.
20. Broncos: QB Kyle Boller, California. This pick will raise plenty of eyebrows. Shanahan wanted a DE here, but with Suggs, McDougle and Haynes off the board, and not wanting to reach for Peterson or Kelsay, Shanahan opts to tab the strong armed Boller here. Buerlein is good for one more year and there's no telling how well Jake will do.
21. Browns: T Kwame Harris, Stanford. Another team that's delirious to see a top ranked player slip to them. A need pick and a good one.
22. Jets: OLB Boss Bailey, Georgia. The player the Jets have coveted all along. Adds tremendous speed to the defense.
23. Falcons: S Mike Doss, Ohio State. Now a "Mike" standout on the defensive side of the ball as well. Too good to pass up. The best leader in the draft, hands down.
24. Colts: CB Eugene Wilson, Illinois. Tony Dungy is devastated to miss out on Doss. Wilson's the next best choice as the Colts need secondary help.
25. Giants: DE Kenny Peterson, Ohio St. The kind of tough, aggressive defensive lineman the Giants like.
26. 49ers: DT Rien Long, Washington St. A perfect fit for the aging defensive interior.
27. Steelers: T George Foster, Georgia. In the Steeler mold. Big, strong and athletic.
28. Titans: WR Tyler Jacobs, Florida. The shifty, acrobatic Jacobs will look good snagging darts from Steve McNair.
29. Packers: QB Rex Grossman, Florida. Back to back Gators. The Pack's QB of the future.
30. Eagles: DE Dewayne White, Louisville. Not Reggie, obviously, but an edge rusher with quicks.
31. Raiders: DT Ty Warren, Texas A&M. Gives them much needed help at DT. Has fine potential.
32. Raiders: RB Willis McGahee, Miami. A luxury pick. Top five value down the road.
Round 2
33. Bengals: C Jeff Faine, Notre Dame. A need pick and perfect choice.
34. Lions: RB Onterrio Smith, Oregon. The Lions tab Joey Harrington's teammate at his request and while they are tempted to select Larry Johnson, Smith's speed and receiving ability win out.
35. Bears: RB Larry Johnson, Penn. St. They were hoping Kyle Boller would be here, but since he's long gone, Johnson gives them the power back they were hoping to get in the inconsistent Anthony Thomas.
36. Texans: T Jon Stinchcomb, Georgia. The heir apparent to Tony Boselli.
37. Cardinals: DE Chris Kelsay, Nebraska. Similar to Grant Wistrom. Was hurt much of 2002 which lowered his stock. Has the on-field relentlessness and off-field dedication that Mac likes.
