Notes From Lombardi: Post Draft Questions

FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:

28 April 2009

QUOTE:  “The Past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshiped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness.” --  Pierre Trudeau (1919 - 2000)

The draft is supposed to provide answers for many teams, but for me, there are some questions that remain from selection weekend. 

Will the Jets start Mark Sanchez from day one? 

Without a doubt, he’s going to start. He can handle the volume of offense, and he can manage the game. As the season goes along, Sanchez will be able to add more offense to his arsenal and should be able to refine his skill set. Playing a rookie quarterback does not mean the Jets can’t make the playoffs, it just means they’ll be built around their defense early in the season.  The key element now is for the Jets to get Sanchez under contract before May is over. 

Will Josh Freeman start from day one? 

Very doubtful, but he just might be able to beat out the other quarterbacks on the Bucs’ roster.  All the talk about Byron Leftwich being signed as a smoke screen is just talk. I was told by a very good source that the reason they signed Leftwich was because Luke McCown was unimpressive in the recent mini-camp. The Bucs have many options at quarterback, but in reality, they have only one long-term solution — Josh Freeman, and he will play soon. Any day now, back-up QB Brian Griese will either be traded or waived as the Bucs cut down on the number of players at that position. 

Where will the Browns get their pass rush from in 2009?

In 2008, the Browns’ defense was last in the NFL in producing three-and-out drives and 30^th in sacks. How is this going to change next season? It might be hard as the Browns, picking fifth in the draft, didn’t feel good about any outside rusher making an impact. And in reality, how could you blame them? This draft was not filled with proven rushers, and to take one at No. 5 would have been a reach. The Browns will have to scheme to produce pressure and keep looking for a player they can develop as a rusher from the outside. Sometimes the draft doesn’t always offer answers at positions of need. 

Did the Bengals really have a good draft?

My partner at NFL Network, Fran Charles, has great instincts for the game and a feel for the league. He’s been touting the Bengals’ draft the past two days. On the surface, it does look good, although a key will be Michael Johnson, the highly athletic defensive end who took a beating from scouts for his lack of toughness. I’ll admit there were times when Johnson was not always playing at a high level, but I think there was also a little piling on by scouts. How many sons of a U.S. Marine are not tough? Johnson’s father is a Marine, and when you dig deep into his background, you find out that the kid likes football and is tougher than anyone suspected.  He has DeMarcus Ware-like talent, and the Bengals got him in the third round. He might be able to provide the pass rush the Bengals desperately need (the Raiders were going to pick him with the very next pick). This draft might produce four starters for the Bengals -- Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga, Chase Coffman and Johnson. If that happens, my man Fran will be proven correct. 

Who’s going to replace Marvin Harrison in Indy?

I had thought for a while that the Colts would pick a back, and then I talked to someone in the league who mentioned wide receiver and made a compelling argument for that position as a Colts need. So now that the Colts did draft a runner (Donald Brown), who is the man to replace Harrison? I talked to Colts president Bill Polian yesterday, who was very excited about Pierre Garcon, the 2008 sixth-round pick from Mount Union College. Garcon had four catches for 23 yards last season, and Polian is encouraged about his potential and what a year of development from the conditioning and coaching staffs will bring to his game. He might not be Harrison right away, but who could? Garcon has good size and is very effective as runner with the ball in his hands. This will be his year to prove he’s a pro player. 

Who will play left tackle for the Bills?

Right now, I’m told the Bills will move Langston Walker to left tackle and have an open competition at the right tackle spot. They could leave Walker at right tackle and see if Kirk Chambers can man the spot, but that’s been tried before and netted little results. The Bills’ offensive line will be a work in progress for the next two months as training camp nears.  When they passed on Michael Oher, they passed on the last left tackle candidate in the draft. This won’t be a bad move as long as Aaron Maybin becomes the rusher they hope he can be. 

What about Pittsburgh’s draft? 

Monday, I mentioned how much I love coach Mike Tomlin and how he understands player development. I wasn’t saying he could coach anyone and make them a player, but on paper, this draft fills many of the Steelers’ needs -- and player development will be a key component. I liked both corners they selected in the middle rounds, and Mike Wallace might have been the fastest player I watched on tape all year. He can fill the Nate Washington role perfectly as a field stretcher. Third-round pick Kraig Urbik is a traditional Steelers lineman -- tough, hard-nosed, loves football and has some inside positional flexibility. Evander “Ziggy” Hood, their first-round pick, will be fun to watch as he transitions into the Steelers’ 3-4 scheme. He’s very athletic and can run, something that’s required the Steelers’ defense. 

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