Bleacher Report - Articles by Craig Schiedlo

New York Giants: Addressing the Secondary

Craig Schiedlo — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:48:47 -0400

The secondary of the New York Giants is in need of some help. The safeties are very weak and the corners are growing old. Gibril Wilson entered free agency and Sammy Knight was brought in to replace him. Sammy Knight won’t be the safety that the giants need him to be.

So with the No. 31 overall pick, the Giants should choose Kenny Phillips, safety out of Miami (FL).

Miami is known for their great safeties and even though Kenny Phillips did not have an amazing junior year he still holds what the NFL prospects want. He is 6'2" with 4.50 forty speed and weighs in at 210.

Kenny Phillips has very good size and a good frame, good forty speed and is a very physical and aggressive player who can deliver the big hit. His instincts and awareness are outstanding, he's very athletic, and comes from great program history.

He would fit well with the giants with the No. 31 overall pick.

With their second overall pick the Giants should pick a corner to help replace the aging Sam Maddison and R.W. McQuarters, so with this pick they should take Tracy Porter out of Indiana if he's still on the board. Tracy Porter is a great athlete who has decent height with long arms, a very fast forty time (4.37s), which makes him quick and explosive, has great hands, and he also has a lot of special teams potential.

The defending champs need to be thinking secondary this time around if they want to stay on top.

Tennessee Titans: Time for a Dependable Receiver

Craig Schiedlo — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:59:35 -0400

The Tennessee Titans drafted QB Vince Young and never backed him up with good receivers. I am a huge Vince Young fan but he can’t keep doing everything by himself.

This draft they need to get a receiver that can be dependable. The best pick would be Limas Sweed out of Texas. He previously worked with Vince Young and is a good receiver and should still be available at the No. 24 spot.

If they draft him and another receiver in the second maybe Harry Douglas out of Louisville, they might be a force to be messed with in the upcoming season.

New York Jets: Draft Decisions

Craig Schiedlo — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:09:24 -0400

With the NFL draft a month away, the New York Jets need to decide who they will nab with their No. 6 pick.

The team needs a solid player in the quarterback position, because both Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens are far too inconsistent to be starting quarterbacks.

So the Jets will be tempted to take Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan or Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm to fill the position.

But if Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is still available, the Jets may find him far too talented to let slip.

Though running back position is far from the Jets' most glaring weakness, the team will find him too good to pass up. The same thing happened to the Vikings last year, when Adrian Peterson fell into their laps.

New York has a solid starter in running back Thomas Jones, but he did not set the world on fire in his first season as a Jet. Adding a play maker like McFadden on offense could not hurt.

Jones and McFadden could complement each other on the field. And if Clemons proves me wrong by having a great year, the Jets could surpass expectations.

McFadden could drop this far in the draft due to a combination of team needs and some off-the-field concerns. But there is no denying his talent. And for the Jets, he could have the type of impact that Peterson did for the Vikings.

Defensive lineman Vernon Gholston of the Ohio State Buckeyes is another option for the Jets, assuming he does not go in the top five.

But if McFadden is available, the Jets will have a hard time passing up on the opportunity to draft the explosive McFadden.

Buffalo Bills: Building on a Young Team

Craig Schiedlo — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:36:57 -0400

The Buffalo Bills have the 11th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

This year they need to address the defensive side of the ball. Who should they choose?

I think that a defensive lineman or a cornerback would be the most logical selection.

The best player available at the 11th overall pick would be Mike Jenkins, a cornerback out of South Florida. He brings a lot to the table. He has 4.49 forty speed, is 6'0" tall, and weighs 200 pounds.

In the second round, they might go after defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer. He is 6'5" tall, weighing in at 298 pounds. Balmer has a tall, lean frame with long arms, thick thighs, and muscular calves.

Importantly, he has enough room to carry at least an additional 20 pounds of bulk without the extra weight impacting his foot speed.

The Bills still will need to address a couple more of positions, but this would be a good start to their becoming a legitimate playoff team.

Carolina Panthers: Drafting an Offense

Craig Schiedlo — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:32:12 -0400

The Carolina Panthers have the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft—but what should they do with it?

The team should choose another Panther: Jeff Otah.

Jeff is an offensive tackle out of Pittsburgh. Carolina needs a better offensive line to block for their running back D'Angelo Williams.

Taking someone at the quarterback position will be very tempting for the Panthers.

But if they hold out until the second round, they could get Andre Woodson from Kentucky. Andre is more mobile than University of Louisville's Brian Brohn, another option.

Whichever players they choose, the Carolina Panthers need to rebuild their offensive unit in order to get back to the playoffs.

If they make smart picks this year and pick up a good running back next year, the Panthers could perfect their offense to become, arguably, one of the best offensive teams in the NFC by the next few season.