Jene Bramel
Footballguy
For the fourth year running, we'll be analyzing and speculating about every major defensive prospect (and a bunch of lesser ones) as they come off the board on draft weekend.
I keep reading that this draft is one of the weaker drafts in recent years. I’m not sure that applies to the defensive side of the ball, where there are plenty of intriguing prospects throughout the front seven. But there are all kinds of interesting questions to be answered with this group.
Where does Aaron Curry go? Will he end up in a primo ILB role or be drafted as a 4-3 SLB or 3-4 OLB?
Which backer ends up in Detroit with the 20th or 36th overall pick?
Will versatile guys like Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews be drafted by teams who plan to use them as major parts of their defense or in more of a supporting role?
How will the huge group of OLB/DE hybrids shake out?
Which of the defensive end prospects will end up in the best role?
Will one or more of the DB prospects end up on a team that has a big need for an in-the-box safety?
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To kick off the tailgate party, here are a whole host of draft links to get you ready for the weekend.FBG one-stop page for draft prospect information from around the web (soon to include IDP)
FBG Draft Warehouse page with information from DraftGuys, Waldman, Bloom 100, articles, podcasts and more
The Audible home page with links to podcasts previewing every defensive position (review shows to follow post-draft)
Direct link to Draftguys.com positional rankings
Direct link to all 51 DraftGuysTV video profiles (including a number of intriguing defensive prospects)
FBG IDP Rookie Rankings page (will be updated shortly after the draft)
My predraft thoughts thread including the annual IDP Opportunity in the Draft article
Additional links to DraftGuys live coverage from the floor and other FBG information when they become available.
Here's a preview of what to expect for the newbies among us...
2008 IDP NFL Draft thread
2007 IDP NFL Draft thread
2006 IDP NFL Draft thread