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Meet market Free agency leaves many teams drafting for needPosted: Friday April 04, 2003 6:50 PM
With three weeks remaining before the NFL Draft and the busiest portion of free agency finished, teams are poring over their offseason shopping lists and reassessing their personnel needs. The days of selecting the best player available in any given draft slot -- if that mantra ever truly was the norm -- are gone. In 2003, the league's seven-round player-selection lottery is largely about filling needs and plugging holes. If you didn't get everything you wanted in free agency, the draft offers you a springtime mulligan. What follows is a look at 10 teams -- five in the AFC, five in the NFC -- with an analysis of how free agency affected their needs at a particular position. Baltimore could use a quarterback. Miami is still seeking a left offensive tackle. Arizona is desperate for receivers. Things didn't work out for those teams in March -- at least at those key positions of need -- but there's always April. Many times, the draft comes to the rescue of free agency's failings, filling holes the old-fashioned way -- with younger, cheaper alternatives. In no particular order, here are some well-defined needs that are likely to be addressed in the draft:
Wide receiver: Nobody in the NFL has any need more pressing than the Cardinals' need for receivers. David Boston? Gone. MarTay Jenkins? Gone. Frank Sanders. Almost gone. With those three veterans out of the picture, what's left? The likes of Kevin Kasper, Jason McAddley, Bryan Gilmore and Jake Soliday. That unheralded kiddie corps is not going to keep Emmitt Smith from running into a whole bunch of eight-man fronts. It's probably unreasonable to expect the Cardinals to pass on Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs in the No. 6 spot, but if they do, Miami receiver Andre Johnson should be there for the taking. If Arizona waits until early in the second round to turn its attention to its decimated receiving ranks, the hope will be that a talent like Tennessee's Kelley Washington or Florida's Taylor Jacobs lingers.
Quarterback: When starting quarterback Jeff Blake continued his journeyman career by signing with Arizona, the Ravens' No. 1 need coming out of free agency was obvious. Baltimore is hopeful that quarterback Chris Redman can return strong after his nagging back injury of last season, but it can't count on anything when it comes to the fourth-year veteran. That's why most draft-niks have the Ravens taking a passer with their No. 10 pick. Cal's Kyle Boller is the most logical Ravens selection, but that's only if things proceed logically above them. What if either Byron Leftwich or Carson Palmer should take a tumble? Some within the organization believe the Ravens might end up having their choice between Palmer and Boller. Wouldn't that be interesting?
Tackle: While the Dolphins also could use a receiver or two, their top priority in the draft is left tackle, which is why not having a first-round pick for the second year in a row (thanks to the Ricky Williams deal) hurts more than they imagined. Left tackle is a need usually filled only near the top of the draft. Miami spent some effort trying to land a tackle this offseason, but lost out on both Wayne Gandy and Kyle Turley. Determined to move Mark Dixon back inside to left guard after a one-year trial at tackle, Miami has been relegated to considering the likes of Richmond Webb as a stopgap measure. Without a pick until No. 49, it's going to be difficult to land anything better than the draft's fifth-rated tackle. The Dolphins may have their choice between Georgia's two tackles: George Foster and Jonathan Stinchcomb.
Defensive end: As deep as the Eagles' defensive line is -- with its host of quality inside players -- you don't lose a seasoned pass rusher like Hugh Douglas and not feel it. But the Eagles are at least experienced in replacing key defensive veterans in recent years. Philadelphia's pursuit of Packers restricted free agent Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila didn't pan out, but the Eagles aren't done trying to fill the gap that Douglas left. Without him, Philadelphia is faced with turning third-down specialist N.D. Kalu into an every-down right end. At 265 pounds, he's still deemed a little light for full-time duty. That's why most expect Philly to go fishing for a pass rusher with its No. 30 pick. Penn State defensive end Michael Haynes is the name you hear mentioned most often. Ohio State's Kenny Peterson is another possibility.
Center: After Barrett Robbins' Super Bowl experience, it's impossible to know if and how much the Raiders are counting on him long term. Given that, and given Oakland's two picks at the bottom of the first round, it's not out of the question that the Raiders could find Notre Dame center Jeff Faine a tempting alternative. A lot of teams won't spend a first on a center, and the Raiders may be of that mindset. But a lot of Oakland's success last year was predicated on its dominant offensive line, and Faine would have the added advantage of settling the uncertainty regarding Robbins' status. Then again, a young receiver like Washington might give the Raiders an eventual replacement for either Jerry Rice or Tim Brown. Oakland also will investigate packaging its picks and trading up in the first round.
Defensive tackle: New York's defensive line wasn't the same last year after tackle Keith Hamilton was lost for the season with a torn Achilles. The lack of an interior pass rush made it easy for opponents to focus solely on end Michael Strahan, especially in the Giants' playoff loss at San Francisco. Hamilton is expected back, but he'll also be 32 in May and is coming off one of the worst injuries a defensive tackle can suffer. With New York not addressing the position with a front-line addition in free agency, it might be time to draft Hamilton's successor. Georgia's Johnathan Sullivan and Miami's William Joseph are two highly rated tackles, but alas, both could be gone by the time New York's No. 25 pick rolls around. If that's the case, the Giants probably will take the highest remaining speed-rushing end.
Linebacker: The Browns went for the total makeover at linebacker, bidding farewell to their three most accomplished players at the position -- Jamir Miller, Dwayne Rudd and Earl Holmes. Only former Eagle Barry Gardner was added, meaning that if it had to play today, Cleveland would be relying heavily on the three linebackers it drafted in 2002's fourth and fifth rounds: Kevin Bentley on the weak side, Ben Taylor on the strong side and Andra Davis in the middle. Any way you cut it, the Browns will get younger at linebacker. Gardner figures to compete with Davis to replace Holmes in the middle. Although Cleveland also could use help at either offensive tackle or guard, it would do handstands if Georgia outside linebacker Boss Bailey somehow lasted until its No. 21 pick.
Secondary: The Vikings signed veteran cornerbacks Denard Walker and Ken Irvin in free agency, but that doesn't mean they're done addressing what has perennially been their weakest link, the secondary. Minnesota could use another cornerback and at least one safety. With the glut of talent at safety still sitting in the free-agent market, it's more likely that the Vikings will use the draft to take a cornerback. Although Minnesota is expected to use its No. 7 pick to take a defensive tackle to play alongside Chris Hovan -- Kentucky's Dewayne Robertson or Penn State's Jimmy Kennedy -- a second-round cornerback with the 40th overall selection is a good bet. If they can't wait that long, Washington State cornerback Marcus Trufant is certain to be there for the Vikings at No. 7.
Quarterback: We're not suggesting that Bill Parcells will spend the draft's fifth overall pick on one of the three top-rated passers, but you can bet he won't head into training camp with Chad Hutchinson and Quincy Carter as his only alternatives, either. Yes, Brian Griese might be a non-draft option, but Miami seems to have the inside track on landing the son of Bob. Another longshot veteran possibility? What if the Jets agree to release backup Vinny Testaverde in a goodwill gesture, allowing him to pursue a starting job in Dallas? Otherwise look for the Cowboys to see what's left at quarterback early in the second round. One caveat: It won't be Texas' Chris Simms. Parcells doesn't want to go there.
Safety: The Steelers are seeking a young replacement for veteran strong safety Lee Flowers, who continues to languish in the free-agent market. Picking 27th, they're ideally positioned to choose between the draft's two top-rated safeties: Ohio State's Mike Doss and Southern Cal's Troy Polamalu. Polamalu is an intriguing story. He missed the Orange Bowl with a hamstring injury, virtually falling off the radar screen because he couldn't take part in the Senior Bowl, either. But he put on a spectacular show at USC's Pro Day, running a 4.3 40, with 26 bench-press reps and a 43 1/2-inch vertical leap. That shot him back up everyone's board. But nobody's higher on him than Pittsburgh.
Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com.
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