Cup O’ Joe Round 2 Analysis, by Joe Simpson

Dated: March 15, 1990

Another round in the books, so let's get started.
Best pick: CB Glenn Thomas, Arizona (#20). He's very cheap. He's very talented. He also balances out the selection of Lamar Burton and his high cap number in Round 1. Thomas is arguably a top-five CB, and to fall to Arizona in this spot...owner Mike Ostrow has to be very pleased with himself.

Other top picks:
WR D.D. Downing, Indy (#31)
DE John Croom, Seattle (#29)
OLB Mike Kosier, Portland (#18)
QB Michael Armstead, Philly (#19)

Worst pick: QB Aaron Willard, Cleveland. The fact that Michael Armstead was taken AFTER this pick is insane. Willard's only real attribute is his mobility. I don't believe the Blues will consider running the option, meaning Willard will have to throw the ball. He has a penchant for throwing interceptions, which he did for Grand Rapids in the Midwest Football League. He threw 56 interceptions in 47 career starts, as opposed to only 38 touchdowns. He did run for 37 touchdowns over his seven years in the MFL, but I think the AFL, being a collection of independent leagues around the country, will have stiffer defenses than what Willard's seen. In any event, there were at least 30 quarterbacks better. Willard's a bad choice.

Other questionable picks:
WR Patrick Connell, San Diego (cap only) (#2)
DT Guy Davis, Houston (#30)
FB Randy Barton, Tampa (#32)
RB Johnny Plunkett, Oakland (#10)

Best in cap space:
Cincinnati has only spent $1.487 million on two stars, after spending only $525K on Hopalong Van Dyke. Indy got better by spending only $716K on Downing. Carolina is in great shape, having only spent $1.001 million on their draft. Outdoing them is Minnesota, where tightwad owner Mike Mau has spent a mere $845K on their draft. Mike Hector is the envy of the (small) locker room with his $395K contract. But the best is in Los Angeles, where Tim Chan-George has gotten a QB, RB, and TE, all top-notch players, for $835K. Can you believe that?

Worst in cap space:
San Diego has spent $15.489 million after taking Patrick Connell and his whopping $12 million salary. San Francisco has an incredible secondary, but it's come at a price. They've spent $13.083 million on their secondary, and haven't made any other picks. It will work against Seattle, but they've got to invest in the offense. Miami has spent an awful lot of money on offense as well, spending $11.571 million after taking Ahmad Davis.

Top 1-2 punches:
Seattle - QB Monte Meier and RB Sammy Hoambrecker. They are easily the top 1-2 combination on offense out there. Nobody even comes close. You're going to hear this duo for the next 10 years.

San Francisco - CB Ted Chapman and FS John White. A couple of hard-hitting secondary players. Nobody will be able to pass against this unit. Generals-Tritons matchups are going to be epic for years to come. This is coming awfully early, but despite what gets picked later, it's going to be tough to deny San Francisco a preseason playoff bid, due to this secondary.

Philadelphia - QB Michael Armstead and RB Dan Moss. These two will grow together. Both players are on the brink of superstardom, and while they may not make it this year, they'll definitely be ready for next season. Definitely a great duo to watch in the future.

Portland - DE Kamil Jones and OLB Mike Kosier. The Pacific Division is already getting very heated. San Francisco has the pass-stopping crew in the secondary, and Portland has these guys. Jones is a superb run stopper and pass-rusher, and Kosier might be the best run-stopping linebacker in the league. Facing the Generals and Breakers back-to-back will give Seattle headaches.

Nashville - DE Jason Molden and ILB Justin Strong. Another solid run-stopping duo, Nashville has two guys who will live up to the Nightmare name. These guys will make opponents--specifically running backs--have bad dreams on Sunday evenings. Both are very tough hitters, and have sack ability.