2006 Draft, Small Board of Big Value:  

Rumor roils as Draft Weekend looms; the latest being that some unprecedented number of DB will be taken in R1.  As we’ve seen, recent first frame hauls at those spots (S and CB combined) have maxed out at (6).   Not this year say the wise guys, who also claim that as many as (5) RB may be taken in that opening frame.  If it plays like that, well, that’ll the biggest haul since 2000 when: Jamal Lewis, Thomas Jones, Ron Dayne, Shaun Alexander and the great Trung Candidate checked through.     

LB figures as another big play, or so it’s said, and there you have it.  Over the years, DB, LB and even RB have been R2 values; their over-representation in this opening frame suggests that this 2006 class is, mainly, a R2 crop.  While this set does boast some elite prospects, especially in the Front 7, once past the top 12 overall (give or take), the rest are, mainly, R1 suspects.  Not bad players, R2 prospects are rarely bad players.  It’s just that most of those projected from, say 1.20 thru, say, 2.40 are, mainly, interchangeable.  Put it this way: Bobby Carpenter may become a fine pro but he’s not going to be Julian Peterson (3^rd LB: 1.16, 2000) or even Keith Bullock (5^th LB: 1.30, 2000).     

Off the Steelers’ list of invitees, DB (especially S) and RB are two primary targets.  A third is WR, and, it is worth noting a reciprocal relationship exists between the dearth of talent at the top of the WR set and that high R1 haul projected for each of the other three spots.  See: 

Table 1: 2004 year of the R1 WR v. 2006 projections.