Reunited!

Gotta love Jacksonville taking Derrick Harvey and reuniting him with the Eraser, Reggie Lewis. The Jags are turning Gainesville into it's own private recruiting grounds!

And there's the Surprise.

Apparently Jack Del Rio did have a trick up his sleeve.

Jags move up to #8 to take Derrick Harvey.

I LOVE this pick. A lot of people will say it was a "reach," but Harvey is exactly the kind of player the Jags need to really become a Super Bowl contender, and it's good to see them being active in the draft to move up and get who they need. When Jake Long was asked who the toughest two DEs he faced in college were, he mentioned Vernon Gholston but spoke very highly of Derrick Harvey. Harvey will really be a force on the outside, a good current NFL player to compare him to, in my opinion, would be Dwight Freeney.

Not to mention, reuniting Harvey with Jags safety and former Gator Reggie Nelson. Having a familiar face around helps smooth the transition for rookies.

The Jags gave up their first, two 3rds, and a 4th for the pick, which is a bit expensive, but I still think it's going to be a great pick. With the way they've been going, the Jags may just beat out the Colts in the AFC South this year.

Finally, It's Draft Day

Now like most people I too believe the NFL draft is Christmas in April. And since Rate has been doing such a good job covering everything, I have sat back and kept my mouth such. But now that we are only hours away I just can't stand it anymore. So I'm going to touch on the needs of two cities, the one I live in now, and the one I'm from and love.

Starting with my current home of Tampa the buzz is that the Bucs have to draft a "play maker" receiver to replace Joey Galloway. The only problem is of all the the big three projected first rounders none of them come close to the speed the Bucs desire. All the really fast guys are all under six foot and do not fit the Gruden mold of a play maker, also since the Bucs have only five picks for the entire draft the chances of a Desean/Dexter Jackson slipping into the second day are slim to none. Now corner is another need for them and the organization has already said if USF standout Mike Jenkins is sitting at #20 they will definitely grab him but if he's not that might look at going D-Line. And even though there are four QB's on the roster expect them to try to move Chris Sims for a late round pick and use it to grab Garcia's possible successor.

Now to touch on the Bucs division rival to the north we make a stop at my old stomping grounds of Charlotte, N.C. Now I will be upfront and say that I'm a Panther fan since the day they won the expansion rights and much like the rest of the NFC South you're good one year then bad the next. Now the Cats don't have too many glaring holes. For the most part their problems are depth related and with several extra second day picks the chances of the trading up or down are not very likely. Now as of last week their first pick was a no brainer, the best OL available preferably Ryan Clady or Jeff Oath. But with the retirement announcement the other day from Mike Rucker there is only one pick that really makes sense, and that is DE Derrick Harvey.

Now I'm not the most knowledgeable guy on Mr. Harvey but I have seen enough to know that he is a beast of a pass rusher and would compliment Peppers very well. Plus I have heard rumors that Chris Leak, who is from the Queen City, has been pimping his buddy to the organization. The Panthers have been very good on draft day and hopefully the future menu of the Cardiac Cats will include a little Gator.

More Dolphins draft tidbits

As recently reported on espn.com, the Dolphins are seeking a 1st round pick for DE Jason Taylor. Apparently Jason has been seeking a trade, and the 'fins have a list of players they want who may not be available come 2nd round (Florida DE Derrick Harvey, Auburn DE Quentin Groves, Michigan QB Chad Henne and Delaware QB Joe Flacco).

It seems as though Parcells is looking to go young. Personally, if they can pull of a trade, I think it would be an amazing deal for the 'fins. They'd then have 2 first round picks (one being Jake Long) and the first pick in the 2nd round. The Dolphins defense was old 3 years ago... Channing Crowder has been a nice touch, but he's still a couple season away from being a solid MLB. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor have been the face of the Dolphins D for 11 years (Thomas started with Miami in '96, Taylor in '97). I think Harvey or Groves would be a great 2nd pick for the 'fins, even at the cost of losing a veteran captain like Taylor. Preferably Harvin; as a Gator alum, I'd love to see Crowder and Harvin together. Then maybe in round 4 or 5, they could pick up Bubba Caldwell!

What Will the Dolphins Do Next?

Perception around the league is that the Dolphins did well in choosing Jake Long. Of course, some of this ought to be attributed to a nationwide belief that Bill Parcells knows what he's doing. Sometimes, though, it's not even the player you choose but the professionalism with which you act. Parcells clearly had control over the whole operation, and that alone makes me optimistic.

One last note on Jake Long: Phinsider backs up my claim that Jake was the safer pick, showing that offensive linemen have a 75% success rate compared to 50% from defensive linemen among early draft picks.

In regard to the next pick, FinsNation throws out two names: DE Derrick Harvey (Florida) and DE Quentin Groves (Auburn). Harvey ought to excite a number of people on this blog, as we all remember his heroics in the 2006-07 National Championship game against Ohio State. The only concern is whether Harvey will make it to #32.

If you want some more in-depth analysis, take a look at Phin Fever's comprehensive draft board:

PICK #32
ILB - Connor, Dan Penn State 6/3 231 4.67 Late First
QB - Brohm, Brian Louisville 6/3 230 4.81 Late First
OT - Cherilus, Gosder Boston College 6/7 314 5.14 Late First
QB - Henne, Chad Michigan 6/3 230 4.92 Late First
TE - Keller, Dustin Purdue 6/2 242 4.53 Late First
QB - Flacco, Joe Delaware 6/7 236 4.84 Late First
CB - Cason, Antoine Arizona 6/1 191 4.45 Late First
OLB - Groves, Quentin Auburn 6/3 259 4.53 Early Second
WR - Hardy, *James Indiana 6/6 217 4.45 Early Second
DE - Campbell, *Calais Miami 6/8 290 5.04 Early Second
OLB - Avril, Cliff Purdue 6/3 253 4.51 Early Second
OT - Baker, Sam Southern Cal 6/5 309 5.43 Early Second

They go on to analyze the later picks as well. It's definitely worth a look.