How the Canes Fit in With Their New Teams
May 2, 2011
By: Oliver Berens
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– This past weekend, eight Canes were selected in the NFL Draft and several others are expected to sign with teams as soon as the lockout is lifted. Those eight drafted, in order, were Orlando Franklin, Brandon Harris, Leonard Hankerson, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Allen Bailey, Colin McCarthy, Richard Gordon and Matt Bosher.
Now that we know where these Canes are playing, here is a look on how they might fit in on their respective teams.
The first Cane drafted was offensive lineman Orlando Franklin, who went to the Denver Broncos with the 46th pick in the second round. Franklin joins an offensive line that lacks good depth. He could be a possible replacement for right tackle Ryan Harris, who could become a free agent. Chris Kuper appears to have solidified one of the starting guard spots but Zene Beadles, who was decent as a rookie at guard, still has question marks. Franklin played both guard and tackle in college and gives the Broncos a versatile option on their thin offensive line.
The next Cane selected in the draft was cornerback Brandon Harris, who went to the Houston Texans with the 60th pick in the second round. Harris joins a very young secondary and could see valuable playing time immediately. Kareem Jackson and Glover Quin are listed as the starters on the depth chart right now, but both have fairly limited NFL experience. Secondary was a huge weakness for the Texans during the 2010 season as they ranked last in the league in pass defense. Don’t be surprised to see Harris vying for a starting job right away.
The third Cane taken in the NFL draft was wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, who was selected by the Washington Redskins with the 79th pick in the third round. Hankerson will likely join former Cane Santana Moss as well as second-year player Anthony Armstrong atop the Skins depth chart this fall. Regardless, Hankerson should get significant playing time pretty quickly.
Two picks later with the 81st pick in the third round, the Oakland Raiders selected cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke. Al Davis typically likes to draft guys with a lot of speed and Van Dyke certainly fits that mold. Van Dyke joins a secondary that might need some security. If the Raiders are unable to sign star Nnamdi Asomugha or Stanford Routt, the second-ranked pass defense from a year ago will suddenly be in a little bit of trouble. Van Dyke could see some early action either way, especially considering his expected contributions on special teams given the speed he has.
Defensive lineman Allen Bailey was the next Hurricane that heard his name called and was the last to go on Friday. The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Bailey with the 86th pick in the third round. Bailey played both defensive end and defensive tackle in college so he gives the Chiefs some versatility. Although K.C. does look strong on the defensive line, Bailey should see a lot of time with the second team and could find his way into the rotation at some point.
Linebacker Colin McCarthy was the sixth Cane selected as the Tennessee Titans drafted him with the 109th pick in the fourth round. McCarthy joins a line-backing core that could potentially use a lot of help if Stephen Tulloch decides to leave for free agency. That could possibly put McCarthy into contention for a starting job. Either way McCarthy is expected to be a special teams player and should see some significant time on the second team.
The seventh Cane taken was tight end Richard Gordon, who went to Oakland Raiders with the 181st pick in the 6th round. Gordon joins Van Dyke as the second Cane to be selected by the Raiders in this draft. Gordon has great speed for a tight end and has very good size, along with good run-blocking abilities. He has the potential to be a big contributor on special teams and if he continues to work on his pass catching ability some, could be a dependable blocking tight end down the road.
Punter Matt Bosher was the eighth and final Cane taken in this year’s draft by the Atlanta Falcons with the 192nd pick in the sixth. The Falcons ranked 25th in punting last season so it is very possible that Bosher could win the starting job there. The great aspect about Bosher is that he cannot only punt, but he is an excellent kicker, kick-off man and even a tackler on punts and kickoffs if necessary. His versatility was a key factor in him being drafted, as it’s pretty rare for punters to be drafted in the sixth round.
Other Canes – including Damien Berry, Graig Cooper and Ryan Hill – are expected to sign with NFL teams once the lockout ends. When that time comes, we’ll take a look into how those guys might be able to fit in with their respective teams.
