This might sound simple and narrow-minded, but the poor coverage of the NFL Draft really has to do with how major sports media outlets force themselves to feed the constant hunger of a football-starved nation. Generally speaking, much of the attractive sports news is nothing but rumors and shot-in-the-dark predictions, but when there's no football going on the ESPNs and SIs definitely step up their coverage to fill in the gaps. As a result, you end up getting crap like this and the same analysis over and over again with a few wrinkles mixed in to make it seem like guys are rising and falling before our eyes. As soon as ESPN finished with their offseason recaps of all 30 teams, they went into their "On the Clock" segments for all 30 teams, most of which are devoted to recapping how teams did last year. There are some changes that have occurred to those teams over time, but as far as the draft and its players go, there's not much.

As far as draft newsworthiness, the stuff that I find most intriguing is personal interest stories for guys who have had to overcome a lot or who come from unique backgrounds. Last year in the NFL, you had stories like Tamba Hali.

When you don't have writers making the effort for those kinds of stories, you get stupid fluff like this. It's just fodder to give football-deprived people something to think about. Thankfully I consider myself a more well-rounded sports fan and am having no problem following baseball and the NBA for now.

I'm so glad you wrote about this, Kev, because I was just about to do so.

I cannot believe what a flagrant flipflop this is. If sportswriting were politics, Banks would be a total laughingstock. I hate him and everything he stands for.

My guess is that he heard from Marshawn's agent about a potential defamation suit (or something) due to the totally unfair lashing he gave Lynch in the last article and put Marshawn at the top of this list as an ass-kissing apology. What a fucking dipshit.

SI.com is going down the fucking tubes.

He basically went from calling Marshawn a scumbag not worth drafting, to then making him out to be the next LT.  I guess I don't get the whole sports journalism thing, but how can he do that?  Doesn't anyone besides us notice?  I am glad he is showering Marshawn with praise now, but why did he write that bad story the other week?  Where did all of the "character issues" go?  Was he miraculously cured?  I by into the Pacman Jones theory.  

Maybe he was assuming that anyone with a hint of an off-field problem would automatically drop after the  suspensions came out, but someone in the league told him he didn't know what he was talking about and straighted him out, either in general or with respect to Lynch.  Though if that's what happened it's be nice if he said something to that effect.

When I first saw Banks' mock draft I shot off an e-mail to Michael Silver. He wrote back saying he had nothing to do with Banks' draft, but maybe he had a word with the guy.

On another note, anybody know why a big picture of Kyle Reed has been on the Daily Cal homepage for 2 weeks now?

Speaking of which, this is an awesome story:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2007-04-18-sw-marshawn-lynch_N.htm

Where does it say about character issues?  Are they afraid of Marshawn doing an inpromptu sideshow with a golf cart on the field?

I will never forget the AP report from the game.

"...Lynch was trying to 'ghostride,' a tradition in his native Oakland...."

who hasn't taken their car late at nite and went on a ride on a football field? especially after a nice rain. freewheelin,

stanfurd sux

That quote is quite hilarious.  It makes Oakland sound like some far off exotic country.

Newest Don Banks mock draft has Lynch back in the first round, going to the Packers at 16.

at least marsean will get a front  row seat 2 farves retirenment show.

stanfurd sux