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OBSERVATIONS ON
COLLEGE SPORTS
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Nuggets of Gold
Thursday, April 28,2011
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By Adam Gold
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Adam Gold is
a sports host on
99.9 The Fan and
620 the Buzz. |
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Buried treasure
By
Adam Gold
�2010 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Updated 04.28.11 10:58 AM:
Contains correction in paragraph two.
Three
years ago, I told you my theory of how the Carolina Panthers' 2008 draft
should go. I surmised that, while the Panthers clearly needed help at
the running back position, they also needed attention in other areas and
that running back could be addressed in a later round with a sleeper.
Back then,
D'Angelo Williams wasn't yet an established player, and the Panthers went
for Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart before trading back into the first
round to tab Pittsburgh offensive tackle Jeff Otah. It's very hard to argue with those choices as Stewart is a
dynamite power-speed combination and Otah, when healthy, is a very strong
fit at right tackle.
Plus, I was
dead wrong about the sleeper I thought would be available for the Panthers
towards the middle of the second round.
Three
seasons and 5,600 yards from scrimmage later, Chris Johnson has turned out
to be one of the most electrifying players in the National Football League.
And while I know that some of you just knew that he was going to be a
superstar, I saw a player who could touch the ball anywhere from 10-15 times
per game and be a dominant special teams force � you know, closer to the
kind of player Johnson was while wearing the Purple and Gold.
Alas, the
Tennessee Titans were ten steps ahead of everyone � yes, that includes you �
and Johnson was off the board at No. 24 to the utter astonishment of the NFL
Draftniks.
In a way, I
felt vindicated even as I clearly underestimated Johnson's overall NFL
impact. And, that's why I'm prepared to underestimate another East Carolina
dual-threat this weekend. There are very few elite level pass-catchers in
this draft. Once you get past Georgia's A.J. Green and Julio Jones of
Alabama, it falls to personal taste. That's why if you're a team looking for
help at wide receiver and also need help in the return game, may I present
to you my NFL Draft 2011 sleeper: Dwayne Harris.
Today's
National Football League is most often played with three wide receivers on
the field at the same time and Harris is probably best suited to being in
the slot. He's strong, a great runner after the catch even though he doesn't
possess home run speed, and he's one of the best blocking receivers in the
whole draft. He can also return kicks and punts and I'll bet if they tried
him as the QB in a wildcat set, he'd prove to be an effective player in that
formation as well.
On top of
all of that, Harris is a smart player, a hard worker and the kind of
teammate that will contribute wherever needed.
The draft is
really two different elements. Part one is about identifying the stars,
sifting through the hype and the bandwagoners to unocover the future Pro
Bowl performers.
Round one is
about the high-end impact talent, but after that, the teams that excel are
those that find players that have something that can help you win games.
Dwayne Harris can be that player and I expect that sometime on Friday, be it
in the middle of the second or early in the third round, some team that
needs a third receiver and a guy who will return a punt, make a block or fly
down the sidelines on a kickoff to make a tackle will write his name on a
card, send it to the podium and Harris's NFL career will be off and running.
Remember
where you heard it.
�
E-MAIL ADAM GOLD
�
ADAM GOLD ARCHIVES
04/29/2011 01:20:23 AM |
