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Here i'll be taking a look at the most recent draft, plus checking in on players from last years draft class and see how they're doing and where they stand.
2006 draft class -
1st round, 2nd overall -- Julio Grant (LT)
Grant was clearly the best tackle coming out of the draft, so while the Renegades had their eye on a few other players, especially in the defensive side, the lure was too great to pass up on a tackle like this. He has some negatives being high volatility and a low test score, but overall he projects to be a top tackle in the league in a few seasons. He should greatly help the running game which has been pretty bad the past few seasons despite one of the best RB's in the league on the team.
++projected usage - with the recent showings of John Legg in the pre-training camp workouts, it is quite possible he or Grant will move to RT for a few games to give 2005 first rounder Overton more time to develop. Either way, look for Grant to be a starter for the season opener vs the IFL Champion Cards.
1st round, 11th overall -- Shaun Pierce (DE)
While slightly undersized for his position, Pierce has the potential to replace Mitchell (who was traded for that pick this past off-season) quite nicely. Pierce shows good ability to stop the run while also showing a solid pass rush. His flaw could be that he doesn't finish his hits off well, so chances of him causing fumbles are low, but still solid.
++projected usage - Pierce opened eyes during the pre-training camp workouts and is expected to open the season opposite Taliaferro who has moved to RDE to fill the void left by Mitchell and make room for Pierce.
2nd round, 14th pick -- Orlando Kinder (WR)
It came as no surprise when the Renegades drafted a wide receiver fairly high up in the draft when they made little noise on the FA market, but needed some depth to replace the lost Jones who may miss the first 3-4 games of the season. Kinder shows good skills including returning kicks and punts, but he shown troubles adjusting to broken plays. If StClair can be on target this season, Kinder may make a big impression.
++projected usage - Kinder is expected to open the season as the 3rd receiver behind Wolf and Hayden, then depending on how he does, move to 4th slot when Jones returns or remain at 3rd ahead of Hayden. With the guidance of the very intelligent Ricky Redding, Kinder could develop quite nicely.
2nd round, 18th pick -- Hugh Whiting (K)
In a somewhat surprising move, the Renegades selected a kicker with their 4th pick. Although, with many close losses last season including a 3-0 loss to Fresno (4-12) and 2 missed FG's that game, it becomes less of a shock that the Renegades focused more on special teams this season hoping to give them an edge next year. Whiting was clearly the best kicker in the draft which also explains his high pick.
++projected usage - Whiting is expected to be the full time kicker now that McElroy was released.
4th round, 2nd pick -- Jake Kaplan (G)
Kaplan was a solid 4th round pick for the Renegades to help strengthen one of the biggest weaknesses in 2005, the offensive line. He has the ability to both pass and run block, and should develop nicely under the guidance of Steve Autry.
++projected usage - Kaplan is projected to start the season as a reserve learning under Autry. He is expected to compete with Davis to take over the starting LG job when Autry retires.
Overall it was a pretty solid draft for the Renegades, although they missed drafting a few players to fill more holes, but with limited cap space and draft picks, they appeared to do the best they could.
Now, let's take a look at last years class...
1st round - Charles Overton (T)
Overton started last season and played pretty well for a rookie, although developed slowly and is expected to take another hit this off-season when he learns his new position RT. He is expected to start the year as a backup, although that could change with injuries and training camp improvements.
2nd round - Luther Wolf (WR)
Wolf had a very solid rookie season starting in 13 games and picking up 504 yards and 2 TD's with an avg of 12.9 YPC. He is expected to open the year as a starter and remain there all season.
2nd round - J.J. Crane (TE)
Crane has come along very nicely for the Renegades, starting in 10 games picking up 267 receiving yards and a 12.7 YPC. He was a decent blocker, although that is expected to improve as his main skill is run blocking.
2nd round - Deon Davis (G)
Davis was better than expected in run blocking, but worse than expected in pass blocking allowing 9 sacks in 11 starts. He is expected to start the year as a reserve, and under the guidance of Autry could find a few starts by the end of the year.
2nd round - Wesley McArthur (OLB)
Wesley has been coming along nicely as a weakside linebacker picking up 41 tackles in his rookie season, including 1 pick. He is projected as the starting WLB this season.
other 2005 picks -
(RB) Mercury Buckner - solid backup to Timmerman
(QB) Norbert Lincon - nothing expected as him except backup
(C) Rickey Sutton - backup C, but disgruntled.
(OT) Matthew Mathews - slow to develop, may be let go
(DE) Jonathen Stewart - 3rd round bust, expected to be 2nd backup
So there you have it, so far the first two rounds have been pretty good for Renegades picks, but finding diamonds in the rough have not gone so well in the later rounds.
2006 draft class -
1st round, 2nd overall -- Julio Grant (LT)
Grant was clearly the best tackle coming out of the draft, so while the Renegades had their eye on a few other players, especially in the defensive side, the lure was too great to pass up on a tackle like this. He has some negatives being high volatility and a low test score, but overall he projects to be a top tackle in the league in a few seasons. He should greatly help the running game which has been pretty bad the past few seasons despite one of the best RB's in the league on the team.
++projected usage - with the recent showings of John Legg in the pre-training camp workouts, it is quite possible he or Grant will move to RT for a few games to give 2005 first rounder Overton more time to develop. Either way, look for Grant to be a starter for the season opener vs the IFL Champion Cards.
1st round, 11th overall -- Shaun Pierce (DE)
While slightly undersized for his position, Pierce has the potential to replace Mitchell (who was traded for that pick this past off-season) quite nicely. Pierce shows good ability to stop the run while also showing a solid pass rush. His flaw could be that he doesn't finish his hits off well, so chances of him causing fumbles are low, but still solid.
++projected usage - Pierce opened eyes during the pre-training camp workouts and is expected to open the season opposite Taliaferro who has moved to RDE to fill the void left by Mitchell and make room for Pierce.
2nd round, 14th pick -- Orlando Kinder (WR)
It came as no surprise when the Renegades drafted a wide receiver fairly high up in the draft when they made little noise on the FA market, but needed some depth to replace the lost Jones who may miss the first 3-4 games of the season. Kinder shows good skills including returning kicks and punts, but he shown troubles adjusting to broken plays. If StClair can be on target this season, Kinder may make a big impression.
++projected usage - Kinder is expected to open the season as the 3rd receiver behind Wolf and Hayden, then depending on how he does, move to 4th slot when Jones returns or remain at 3rd ahead of Hayden. With the guidance of the very intelligent Ricky Redding, Kinder could develop quite nicely.
2nd round, 18th pick -- Hugh Whiting (K)
In a somewhat surprising move, the Renegades selected a kicker with their 4th pick. Although, with many close losses last season including a 3-0 loss to Fresno (4-12) and 2 missed FG's that game, it becomes less of a shock that the Renegades focused more on special teams this season hoping to give them an edge next year. Whiting was clearly the best kicker in the draft which also explains his high pick.
++projected usage - Whiting is expected to be the full time kicker now that McElroy was released.
4th round, 2nd pick -- Jake Kaplan (G)
Kaplan was a solid 4th round pick for the Renegades to help strengthen one of the biggest weaknesses in 2005, the offensive line. He has the ability to both pass and run block, and should develop nicely under the guidance of Steve Autry.
++projected usage - Kaplan is projected to start the season as a reserve learning under Autry. He is expected to compete with Davis to take over the starting LG job when Autry retires.
Overall it was a pretty solid draft for the Renegades, although they missed drafting a few players to fill more holes, but with limited cap space and draft picks, they appeared to do the best they could.
Now, let's take a look at last years class...
1st round - Charles Overton (T)
Overton started last season and played pretty well for a rookie, although developed slowly and is expected to take another hit this off-season when he learns his new position RT. He is expected to start the year as a backup, although that could change with injuries and training camp improvements.
2nd round - Luther Wolf (WR)
Wolf had a very solid rookie season starting in 13 games and picking up 504 yards and 2 TD's with an avg of 12.9 YPC. He is expected to open the year as a starter and remain there all season.
2nd round - J.J. Crane (TE)
Crane has come along very nicely for the Renegades, starting in 10 games picking up 267 receiving yards and a 12.7 YPC. He was a decent blocker, although that is expected to improve as his main skill is run blocking.
2nd round - Deon Davis (G)
Davis was better than expected in run blocking, but worse than expected in pass blocking allowing 9 sacks in 11 starts. He is expected to start the year as a reserve, and under the guidance of Autry could find a few starts by the end of the year.
2nd round - Wesley McArthur (OLB)
Wesley has been coming along nicely as a weakside linebacker picking up 41 tackles in his rookie season, including 1 pick. He is projected as the starting WLB this season.
other 2005 picks -
(RB) Mercury Buckner - solid backup to Timmerman
(QB) Norbert Lincon - nothing expected as him except backup
(C) Rickey Sutton - backup C, but disgruntled.
(OT) Matthew Mathews - slow to develop, may be let go
(DE) Jonathen Stewart - 3rd round bust, expected to be 2nd backup
So there you have it, so far the first two rounds have been pretty good for Renegades picks, but finding diamonds in the rough have not gone so well in the later rounds.
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