NFL draft 2011

This is an interesting NFL draft this year.  There are teams that have limited chance next year to compete and other teams that might be a player of two from playoff contention.  Some of theteams at the top of the draft are a few years from being NFL playoff teams (Carolina, Denver, Buffalo and Cleveland) but following them; Cincinnati, Arizona, Dallas, 49ers (due to a weak division), Titans and Texans are all close to the playoffs and could see themselves as a player away. 

Cincinnati was a play off team last year and was a mess this year.  Arizona plays in a weak division, Matt Hassleback and a top 4 pick could put them back in the play offs.  Dallas is an defensive tackle, offensive guard and a veteran safety or two from contention.  Titans, if they can lure Kyle Orton, have the freedom to chose a bit of everything and the Texans, if All Pro linebacker DeMeco Ryans doesn't get hurt, is possibly a playoff team. 

With some high end talent available early one (Bowers, Peterson, Fairley and Green) it is conceivable that a team in the 5 to 11 range might make a move for an impact player.  When so many teams seem to be playoff calibre and had such an awful 2010, it might be time to make a big splash and move up to get that one piece of the puzzle, the shutdown corner, the space eating tackle, the blitzing passrusher or the roadgrader lineman.

For the four early picking teams, a chance to move down, still get an impact top ten pick and add a few more picks will be very exciting.  The Panthers, Bills, Broncos and Browns are more than one player away from competing, but still getting that top ten pick and a chance for more impact players makes there rebuild faster.  If I were these teams I would be targetting competing in two to three years, getting more draft picks will be essential in reaching that goal.

Now if I am those four teams, I would follow the systems in place by the Philadelphia Eagles.  It pains me to mention the Eagles as a team to emulate, but Andy Reid does a great job building his team.  He primarily drafts offensive and defensive linemen in the 1st round.  Building from the line out is how you are going to make a championship team. 

Following the Eagles plan says, building out from the lines is the first step to competing.  Giving more time to your quarterback and less time to their quarterback is essential in building a winner.  This as well opens or closes running lanes.  Having a bus driver quarterback behind a top notch offensive line is better than having a ProBowl talented quarterback behind a sieve offensive line.  see David Carr