Surely Roseanne would have played Rutger Hauer's part?
I've read where some here like to claim Barwin has trouble against the run, but what I saw on TV and about half the draftnik site profiles disagree with that assessment (check out Nut's Top 300 thread and look at the clip Yahoo has on Barwin - it's from the South Florida game and there's not one sack or QBH to be seen, but some pretty good read, react, tackle the RB plays).
Johnson was clearly poor against the run, and when NFL Draft Scout says "Washed out when blockers (even smaller tight ends) get into his pads; his height is a detriment in these situations. Tendency to stand around instead of chasing plays." about Johnson, it was right there on TV to see - a pity because he looked very good in coverage against RBs in the flat. With his pass rush and advanced coverage skill, plus his four years of playing time, he should have been the #1 3-4 OLB prospect in this draft and a sure top 15 pick, as it is someone is going to take a chance on him being the next Julius Peppers and people will fall in love with his sack numbers and wonder why his team never wins championships. It's also telling that the kid Johnson couldn't beat out for a starter's job, never made it to the NFL, he did hurt his knee at the end of last season and was unable to workout, but we know a lot of kids still get drafted anyway, the guy playing on the other side was cut by Dallas, cut by Edmonton, recently waived by NE and signed by KC - if guys on the fringe of the NFL are starting ahead of him at Georgia Tech, shouldn't Johnson have been able to get on the field more?
As for drafting players brought into Gillette for visits: Mayo, Wheatley, and Crable all visited last year. I think it's in the predraft visit list thread, but as far as we know all of the #1 picks have visited Gillette prior to being drafted - Meriweather, Maroney, and Mankins for sure. I have a memory of previous discussions where Warren was also reported as a visit and I believe Watson was too. If you are going to use a high pick, it makes sense to take a hard look with as many of the staff as possible. I'm not big on the smokescreen theory, that time is too valuable when you are about to spend millions on a kid.