This draft is starting to look a whole lot better, isn't it? The major reason: make no mistake about it, Jerry Sullivan put his stamp all over this draft.
Jerry Sullivan has a real eye for talent and he does his homework meticulously. Last year he urged the Cardinal management to draft Jason McAddley and the team honored Sullivan's wishes. Once we were able to see McAddley in action we were pleasantly surprised with his talent. Sullivan brought him along nicely and not only that, look at the job Sullivan did, on very short notice at that, of integrating Kevin Kasper into the offense.
This past week, Sullivan was at it again, only this time his mark on the draft was far more profound. Trading for the #17 and #18 picks enabled Sullivan to choose whom he considered to be the third best WR in the draft in Bryant Johnson. While there was talk in the draft room of turning right around and drafting Taylor Jacobs at #18, the drafting of DE Calvin Pace was made more feasible by the notion that Sullivan would have another good WR available at #54, and sure enough, Sullivan must have been delirious to see that Anquan Boldin was sitting right there. To cap off the run on WRs, Sullivan was able to persuade the brass to trade the #220 pick for veteran WR Larry Foster, whom Sullivan groomed in Detroit. Foster is a tough nosed WR who excels on special teams.
Mac summed these moves up best when he said, look who we lost and look who we picked up. We lost a big WR in David Boston and picked up a big WR in Bryant Johnson. We lost a possession WR in Frank Sanders and we picked up a possession WR in Anquan Boldin. And we lost a WR/Special Teams ace in MarTay Jenkins and we picked up a WR/Special Teams Ace in Larry Foster. There is more than a modicum of genius in this madness, isn't there? And we have Jerry Sullivan to thank.
Sullivan, who never stops searching for talent, also made a profound mark on the UDFA signing adding three promising and talented young wideouts in Hamilton, Newhouse and Savage. One has to think that Sullivan also had a strong hand in drafting T Reggie Wells and signing the other UDFA offensive players, including Doolin, the intriguing FB prospect from Arkansas Pine-Bluff, who has a legitimate shot at making the 53 man roster if he can show as much prowess on special teams as Dennis McKinley. This kid's receiving skills alone might remind some of Larry Centers...and might make Doolin a perfect compliment to mammouth smashmouth James Hodgins.
Not only is the draft looking better and better as days go by, so is the addition of RB Emmit Smith. Perhaps the best value that Smith brings to the table is what his presence is going to do for the offensive line and wide receivers. The offensive line has more incentive than ever to fire off the ball on a consistent basis and the wide receivers have the incentive of trying to take the pressure off the running backs. Looking a first ballot Hall of Famer in the eyes every day in practice will bolster such incentives. If Emmitt is able to impart a new level of confidence in his surrounding cast, this offense could be absolutley dynamic. And with a perfectionist like Jerry Sullivan preparing them, the results could be stunning.
Jerry Sullivan has a real eye for talent and he does his homework meticulously. Last year he urged the Cardinal management to draft Jason McAddley and the team honored Sullivan's wishes. Once we were able to see McAddley in action we were pleasantly surprised with his talent. Sullivan brought him along nicely and not only that, look at the job Sullivan did, on very short notice at that, of integrating Kevin Kasper into the offense.
This past week, Sullivan was at it again, only this time his mark on the draft was far more profound. Trading for the #17 and #18 picks enabled Sullivan to choose whom he considered to be the third best WR in the draft in Bryant Johnson. While there was talk in the draft room of turning right around and drafting Taylor Jacobs at #18, the drafting of DE Calvin Pace was made more feasible by the notion that Sullivan would have another good WR available at #54, and sure enough, Sullivan must have been delirious to see that Anquan Boldin was sitting right there. To cap off the run on WRs, Sullivan was able to persuade the brass to trade the #220 pick for veteran WR Larry Foster, whom Sullivan groomed in Detroit. Foster is a tough nosed WR who excels on special teams.
Mac summed these moves up best when he said, look who we lost and look who we picked up. We lost a big WR in David Boston and picked up a big WR in Bryant Johnson. We lost a possession WR in Frank Sanders and we picked up a possession WR in Anquan Boldin. And we lost a WR/Special Teams ace in MarTay Jenkins and we picked up a WR/Special Teams Ace in Larry Foster. There is more than a modicum of genius in this madness, isn't there? And we have Jerry Sullivan to thank.
Sullivan, who never stops searching for talent, also made a profound mark on the UDFA signing adding three promising and talented young wideouts in Hamilton, Newhouse and Savage. One has to think that Sullivan also had a strong hand in drafting T Reggie Wells and signing the other UDFA offensive players, including Doolin, the intriguing FB prospect from Arkansas Pine-Bluff, who has a legitimate shot at making the 53 man roster if he can show as much prowess on special teams as Dennis McKinley. This kid's receiving skills alone might remind some of Larry Centers...and might make Doolin a perfect compliment to mammouth smashmouth James Hodgins.
Not only is the draft looking better and better as days go by, so is the addition of RB Emmit Smith. Perhaps the best value that Smith brings to the table is what his presence is going to do for the offensive line and wide receivers. The offensive line has more incentive than ever to fire off the ball on a consistent basis and the wide receivers have the incentive of trying to take the pressure off the running backs. Looking a first ballot Hall of Famer in the eyes every day in practice will bolster such incentives. If Emmitt is able to impart a new level of confidence in his surrounding cast, this offense could be absolutley dynamic. And with a perfectionist like Jerry Sullivan preparing them, the results could be stunning.
