Real Kato Blog: Sports News

NFL Draft; NHL Playoffs; NBA Playoffs. (At least, the parts that matter.)

NFL Draft. I think the Detroit Lions did pretty well for themselves in this year's draft. Yeah, they drafted another wide receiver with their first pick, but it's never a bad thing to pick the best available player (who could easily have gone #1 if Oakland hadn't been so desperate for a quarterback). Calvin Johnson is definitely a promising player. Whether he'll be a real difference-maker in the NFL remains to be seen.

The more interesting move was trading down and still picking up quarterback Drew Stanton. That's a pick that should make a lot of people happy: Detroit gets a home-state kid and a potential quarterback of the future.

Trading up for defensive end Ikaika Alma-Francis from Hawaii? That's a bit of a stretch; this kid hasn't played football very long, and he's coming off an injury. Trading up again to pick up safety Gerald Alexander from Boise State? Seems like a stretch too. And cornerback A.J. Davis from N.C. State? I've seen Davis play... he's a pretty good cover guy, but a sloppy tackler sometimes. Offensive guard Manuel Ramirez from Texas Tech looks like a project too; he's big and strong but his technique needs improvement.

The Carolina Panthers did pretty well, getting a lot of value for their picks. Linebacker John Beason from Miami should be a starter before long. Receiver Dwayne Jarrett from USC should see action right away... Carolina needed someone to take attention away from Steve Smith. Center Ryan Kalil is the top center in the draft. I'm not so sure about defensive end Charles Johnson; I don't think he's got the speed that Carolina would want in that position.

How did Michigan players do? Seven players drafted, a school record. Five of those seven were on the defensive side of the ball, a fact that concerns me a bit for next season.

NHL Playoffs. Boy, the Wings are struggling against the Sharks. After a dismal Game 1, Detroit escaped with a comeback win in Game 2, thanks to some key turnovers by San Jose. Detroit's going to have to start playing a lot better, especially when it comes to giveaways. Hasek always scares me when he handles the puck.

NBA Playoffs. Detroit yawned its way into the second round by sweeping Orlando. Meanwhile, the resurgent Chicago Bulls swept defending champion Miami. The second round should prove more interesting: on the one hand, you've a young Bulls team full of no-name players (Luol Deng is their star?), with an innovative head coach; on the other hand, you've got a Pistons team full of potential stars and a wealth of experience. And then there's the whole Ben Wallace situation. Ben, we loved you when you were with the Pistons, but now, the collective sentiment is "you suck".

Permalink 2 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

Comments

Comment #1 from Steve (Guest)
2007 Apr 30 - 2:57 pm : #

First Pistons playoff sweep since 1990.

At least Ben hasn't started wearing dresses yet.

Comment #2 from JohnC (Guest)
2007 Apr 30 - 9:17 pm : #

NO ONE around here likes that Stanton pick. Even the MSU slappys on the radio don't like it. Why? Because the Lions have holes every where, particularly at Line backer and Offensive line. They traded down and missed on Paul Posluszny from Penn State, and then David Harris was available at 43, and they did not take him. The next quarter back taken after Stanton was taken at 43? 50 picks later at 92.

Comments are closed for this post.

Search This Site