Draft Grades--Caps roll a 7...

There was a massive sigh of relief from a lot of cooler heads in Redskins Nation when it was the New York Jets and not the Skins that traded for Cleveland's fifth overall selection... instead of sizzle the brain trust went with steak--and added a prime defensive player to the line in Brian Orakpo of Texas.

What makes this the guy the Skins coveted? Coach Jim Zorn and VP Vinny Cerrato both said Orakpo's speed off the edge seperated him from the other defensive linemen--and that he was also a great locker room guy; Longhorns coach Mack Brown told Cerrato he would miss Orakpo's presence off the field as much as on.

Will Brian Orakpo be an all-pro? As a thirteenth pick it's important he contributes this fall; and the priorities are first--he gets into camp healthy and ready to learn (unlike last years wideouts taken in round two)...and second--Greg Blache and staff find the right spot for him in the front seven to succeed. There's been talk he may be a rush linebacker or a defensive end; what's nice about a player with his skill set is you can move him around to maximize his strengths and thus his contributions.

Checking out the rest of the draft, I was surprised that they took cornerback Kevin Barnes in the third round--many had him sticking around into the fifth. Still, defensive back is a need and this team has evaluated secondary talent well as of late (Sean Taylor in 2004, LaRon Landry in '07, Chris Horton last year).

Late round picks are always a mixed bag: Nebraska linebacker Cody Glenn had injury and disciplinary issues while with the Cornhuskers...TCU linebacker Robert Henson looks like he'll fit in the middle behind London Fletcher...Idaho runningback Eddie Williams has played tight end and H-back as well but is also coming off knee surgery...Nevada wide receiver Marko Mitchell has 6-4 size and 4.36 speed...

I always find it amusing when the experts roll out grades five minutes after the draft ends-- mostly these "evaluations" are how well each team picked according to your evaluations of these players. You don't know how a player will perform when he makes the jump to the pros-- how well he'll deal with being in a new system or even how unlucky injuries might rear its ugly head. Can one give the Skins an effective grade for 2009? Definitely not. But you can grade them on 2006...:

Second Round--LB Rocky McIntosh started 28 games the last two years and is an effective player for the team-which is the goal for second rounders. Fifth Round--DT Anthony Montgomery started 15 games in '07, just three last year...not bad for the second day.
Sixth Round--DB Reed Doughty effectively lost his starting job to a rookie last fall before finishing the year injured...DL Kedrick Golston tallied two sacks over 12 starts last fall. Seventh Round--OL Kili Lefotu and LB Kevin Simon are both out of the league--as many seventh rounders are.

For a team that's known as a bad drafter--not too shabby-- with the primary selection (top 100) starting, and three second day picks contributing at various levels. I think it's more the lack of picks (no first, second or fourth rounders that year) that frustrates fans.


The Capitals play a first round game seven for the second straight year...kudos to rookie Simeon Varlamov for playing beyond his years in net (6 goals allowed in four games with two shutouts)... and to the offense for turning the corner (9 goals in games five and six after behind held to 8 over the first 4 games)... defenseman Brian Pothier told me yesterday after the skatearound the key to their offensive success was making sure Henrik Lundqvist didn't see the puck on their shots...whether it was screening or deflecting towards the net.

My favorite game seven? April 1987 I stayed up way past midnight into Easter morning watching the Capitals lose to the Islanders on a Pat LaFontaine goal--my mother gave me grief for staying up late because I was playing for my church's handbell choir the next morning. Somewhere in staying up late, the tight turnaround of a 6am wakeup call, Eggs Benedict and bells clanging made me ill beyond belief-- I slept the entire afternoon at the Peterson's house and missed Easter dinner before getting sick on the way home. Worth every moment.

CAPS 5, RANGERS 4.