|
Where does Dez fit?
by Michael E Lawrence
10/4/2010
 Dez Bryant is this year’s mercurial receiver talent with baggage. He seems to be the latest instalment in a headache-inducing line of diva receivers, the heir to a legacy that can be plotted straight through Terrell Owens to Randy Moss to Chad Ochocinco, and from Plaxico Burress to Braylon Edwards to Brandon Marshall.
These are the criteria: great size, unbelievable athletic skills, enormous egos, and a penchant for the highly disruptive (if not downright destructive). There’s a chance that Bryant who is rumoured to have been late for team meetings at Oklahoma State, who forgot his cleats at his Pro Day, and who was recently training with Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones fits the bill exactly.
So NFL personnel execs are wary, right? Well, not so fast. The fact remains that Bryant is the best receiver prospect to turn pro since Calvin Johnson, a better athlete even than Michael Crabtree, around whom similar doubts, and similar hype, swirled this time last year.
And with Denver beat writer Mike Klis’s assertion that the Broncos still see Bryant as a top-10 selection, not to mention a cosy lunch with Bill Parcells (whose Dolphins pick twelfth) a fortnight ago, is all the talk of Bryant slipping down if not out of round one premature?
Here’s where Dez could fit come draft day:
Kansas City (pick five):
There’s a minute chance Todd Haley and Scott Pioli want to recruit their very own Larry Fitzgerald/Randy Moss for an offense predicated on the pass but the need pales in significance to that of offensive line. Bryant to KC looks like an unlikely match.
Percentage chance: 10/90
Cleveland (pick seven):
Let’s be clear: if Eric Mangini were in charge of this draft, Bryant would have zero chance of making it onto the Browns roster. But with Mike Holmgren, the Browns’ approach to drafting will be different, not least because Homgren is an offensive mind first and foremost. Still, Holmgren has produced explosive teams while relying on later round receivers and free agents think Antonio Freeman, Donald Driver, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson etc. and a high WR pick would be unprecedented.
Percentage chance: 25/75
Seattle (picks six and fourteen):
New head boy Pete Carroll isn’t wary of receiver divas as Seattle’s off-season flirtation with Brandon Marshall proves. With quarterback of the future (cue tumbleweed) Charlie Whitehurst in place, the Seahawks need weapons and Bryant could absolutely be the man. Many mocks now have Bryant slipping to Seattle at 14, but if he’s back in the top-10 conversation, is he value at six?
Percentage chance at 6: 30/70
Percentage chance at 14: 70/30
Buffalo (pick nine)
The Bills need a quarterback, offensive lineman and defensive playmakers. So why would they draft Bryant? Much like the 49ers last year, a receiver is low priority for the Bills, but this may be one special talent too great to pass on. Could a Dez Bryant fill the hole left by TO and paper over the cracks at quarterback?
Percentage chance: 20/80
Jacksonville (pick ten)
Mike Sims Walker has emerged, but the Jags have never had a player like Bryant catching passes. Still, pass rush is a priority for Jack Del Rio in this draft.
Percentage chance: 15/85
Denver (pick 11)
Josh McDaniels intends to have Brandon Marshall sent packing on draft day, and if that happens, does he dare fill the gap with Bryant, who might just be a carbon copy? His Patriots’ offense thrived with big-play threat Randy Moss, and the Denver media think the Broncos have Bryant down as a top-10 pick. Yet somehow, I just can’t see McDaniels pulling the trigger.
Percentage chance: 50/50
Miami (pick 12)
Bill Parcells hates drafting receivers in the first round. When forced to accommodate Terry Glenn when he was head coach in New England, Parcells was furious, dubbing Glenn she in press conferences and ranting about buying (his) own groceries rather than being dictated to by a front office. It was a move that precipitated Parcell’s exit from New England, so can his philosophy really have changed that much since then? The smart money is on the Dolphins doing everything they can to appear as if they’d draft Bryant so that somebody ahead of them takes him instead.
Percentage chance: 30/70
Cincinnati (pick 21)
The Bengals don’t shy away from drafting difficult players, especially in their receiving corps. Bryant would fit nicely opposite Chad Ochocinco, but big money invested in Antonio Bryant and the gradual maturation of Andre Caldwell make this an unlikely match. There’s still hope for Jerome Simpson too.
Percentage chance: 25/75
New England (pick 22)
Now it gets interesting. If Bryant falls, will the Patriots snap him up just like Minnesota did with Randy Moss in ’98? You have to believe that the forward thinking Patriots even with promising Brandon Tate would love to replace Moss in 2011 with a potential superstar like Bryant, especially considering Bill Belichick’s admirable record with ‘problem’ players like Corey Dillon and Moss himself. Also worth noting the Patriots have a glut of picks in this draft with which to make a move up.
Percentage chance at 22: 20/80
Percentage chance of trade up: 35/65
Dallas (pick 27)
Bryant has lunched with Jerry Jones too, inspiring rumours that the Cowboys were smitten. But with Miles Austin established, Roy Williams commanding a considerable paycheck and Kevin Ogletree emerging, it’s a luxury the ‘Boys can ill afford. It’s possible the Cowboys take him if they feel his value is too hard to pass up at 27, but they won’t be moving up the order to get him other picks are needed to fill sizeable holes at FS and OT.
Percentage chance: 15/85
New York Jets (pick 29)
Braylon Edwards is only under contract for one more year so the Jets could certainly save some money by picking up Bryant late and dumping Edwards after the season. There were rumblings that the Jets had interest in Marshall, and you know Tannenbaum and Ryan will do whatever they can to help out Mark Sanchez.
Percentage chance: 10/90
Also in the conversation:
Washington: could they trade down from pick four and nab Bryant on the fringes of the top-10? Shanahan had success with Marshall back in Denver. 15/85
Oakland: picking Bryant at eight would a) undermine Oakland’s focus on speed and b) be an admission that Darius Heyward-Bey is not the receiver Al Davis hoped. A longshot. 10/90
Pittsburgh: if Bryant falls to 18, they’d have to consider him, especially with Santonio Holmes treading on very thin ice indeed. 20/80
Baltimore: Sure, they traded for Anquan Boldin, but Boldin used to thrive with Bryant-clone Larry Fitzgerald opposite. The Ravens prefer to spend their benjamins on defense, but Bryant might be too tempting as a downfield threat for Joe Flacco. 20/80
|
