1A. Shawn Merriman/OLB-Maryland The plumb that the Chargers snagged in the Eli Manning-Philip Rivers trade was the NY Giants' 05 #1, which ended up
being a #12 overall selection. And to top it off, the Bolts ended up with the player that I had rated the highest on my draft board--the tenacious Mr Merriman.
Blending great size and speed with a tremendously nasty attitude (his Terp teammates tabbed him as "Lights Out"), Merriman could be a force to reckon with in a
Bolts uniform. Love this pick for multiple reasons. I give it an A+.
1B. Luis Castillo/DE-Northwestern Castillo would have been drafted in the middle of the first round if he hadn't gotten caught using steroids before the scouting
combine. But he's a smart kid who quickly owned up to his mistake and that was enough for AJ to burn a #1 on him. Seems like a bit of a risk for my taste, but I'm
going to assume that his roid days are over and he's a bit undervalued right now. I give it a B.
2. Vincent Jackson/WR-Northern Colorado Jackson comes from a school that nobody realized had a football team, which can either be interpreted as really
good (hidden gem) or really bad (he's been playing against girls). My guess is he's somewhere in between, which means he could take a while to develop. He
has all the tools (he's very tall, very athletic and very fast) but the speed and complexity of the NFL could take a bit to get used to. But I like the pick and give it a B.
4. Darren Sproles/RB-Kansas St Wow, this really feels like another Michael Turner-esque pick. A very productive college star who didn't quite measure up the
combine. While Turner's issue was athleticism, Sproles' issue is size. Your average 7th grader is taller than this guy--he could end up being the shortest
non-kicker in the league. What he does have however, is top end speed and a healthy dose of shiftiness. And he should give the Bolts a legit returner. Another
good pick and I give it another B.
5. Wesley Britt/OT-Alabama Britt is one of those guys who was projected to go much higher early in the process, largely on his status as a multi-year starter for a
major college program. Usually these type of guys just don't pan out, so this is not necessarily a great pick from my perspective. But Britt is a very hard worker,
who should improve at the pro level, so he has a decent chance to stick. I'll give this one a C+.
6. Wes Sims/G-Oklahoma Almost a carbon copy of Britt in terms of a fairly big name who slid down draft boards as we got closer to draft weekend. So I'll give this
pick another C+ and hope that one of these two o-linemen surprises and contributes early.
7. Scott Mruczkowski/C-Bowling Green The effort to bulk up the OL depth is made complete with the selection of Scott (sorry, I can't say this dude's name and
can barely type it). He wasn't rated very highly, so hopefully the Bolts saw something special. But this late in the draft, the picks start getting pretty thin. I'll give this
pick a nice solid C.
Final Analysis
The first four picks seem very solid to me and I could see Merriman, Castillo and Sproles contributing right out of the gate. If Jackson does anything in year 1 or
perhaps even year 2, this draft goes from solid to special. And anything out of the O-linemen would be gravy. Another solid draft for the Bolts and worth a B+.
being a #12 overall selection. And to top it off, the Bolts ended up with the player that I had rated the highest on my draft board--the tenacious Mr Merriman.
Blending great size and speed with a tremendously nasty attitude (his Terp teammates tabbed him as "Lights Out"), Merriman could be a force to reckon with in a
Bolts uniform. Love this pick for multiple reasons. I give it an A+.
1B. Luis Castillo/DE-Northwestern Castillo would have been drafted in the middle of the first round if he hadn't gotten caught using steroids before the scouting
combine. But he's a smart kid who quickly owned up to his mistake and that was enough for AJ to burn a #1 on him. Seems like a bit of a risk for my taste, but I'm
going to assume that his roid days are over and he's a bit undervalued right now. I give it a B.
2. Vincent Jackson/WR-Northern Colorado Jackson comes from a school that nobody realized had a football team, which can either be interpreted as really
good (hidden gem) or really bad (he's been playing against girls). My guess is he's somewhere in between, which means he could take a while to develop. He
has all the tools (he's very tall, very athletic and very fast) but the speed and complexity of the NFL could take a bit to get used to. But I like the pick and give it a B.
4. Darren Sproles/RB-Kansas St Wow, this really feels like another Michael Turner-esque pick. A very productive college star who didn't quite measure up the
combine. While Turner's issue was athleticism, Sproles' issue is size. Your average 7th grader is taller than this guy--he could end up being the shortest
non-kicker in the league. What he does have however, is top end speed and a healthy dose of shiftiness. And he should give the Bolts a legit returner. Another
good pick and I give it another B.
5. Wesley Britt/OT-Alabama Britt is one of those guys who was projected to go much higher early in the process, largely on his status as a multi-year starter for a
major college program. Usually these type of guys just don't pan out, so this is not necessarily a great pick from my perspective. But Britt is a very hard worker,
who should improve at the pro level, so he has a decent chance to stick. I'll give this one a C+.
6. Wes Sims/G-Oklahoma Almost a carbon copy of Britt in terms of a fairly big name who slid down draft boards as we got closer to draft weekend. So I'll give this
pick another C+ and hope that one of these two o-linemen surprises and contributes early.
7. Scott Mruczkowski/C-Bowling Green The effort to bulk up the OL depth is made complete with the selection of Scott (sorry, I can't say this dude's name and
can barely type it). He wasn't rated very highly, so hopefully the Bolts saw something special. But this late in the draft, the picks start getting pretty thin. I'll give this
pick a nice solid C.
Final Analysis
The first four picks seem very solid to me and I could see Merriman, Castillo and Sproles contributing right out of the gate. If Jackson does anything in year 1 or
perhaps even year 2, this draft goes from solid to special. And anything out of the O-linemen would be gravy. Another solid draft for the Bolts and worth a B+.
| Jacko's Original 2005 Draft Analysis |
