NFL Draft Extravaganza

Tonight is an awesome night of sports television. As I mentioned in my draft recap last year, I have an unbelievable love affair with the NFL draft. Here are the major reasons:


1. I love college football, so at least in the first couple of rounds, I know and have seen many of the best players
2. I love the analysis of potential, in sports, movies, music, whatever
3. I love the process of future-looking (related to No. 2). I work in a world (consumer product marketing) where we are constantly looking into the future, trying to judge our competition, consumer tendencies, etc. And often we (and our competition) make mistakes. It fascinates me that 32 front offices are locked together trying to determine which players best fit their team. The smart teams know they're going to miss often, and are just trying to hit as often as possible. Of course, you also have the Raiders.


Tonight will be a full night, as I switch between the NFL Draft and Red Sox-Rangers games.

So without further adu, my somewhat filtered thoughts on the NFL Draft (with some other related and unrelated thoughts sprinkled in).

The Comish welcomed us to the draft. I got misty-eyed. The Rams are on the clock! I'm hanging out with the guys with ESPN.

1. St. Louis Rams - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma. Mel and my boy Steve Young say this is kind of 'backed-in-a-corner' pick. You've got to feel good about that if you're a Rams fan. Luckily for Bradford, BYU is not on the Rams schedule this fall. Seriously, if he couldn't stay on the field behind a decent college OL, how is he going to survive in the NFL? Talented? Yes. But I put his changes at stardom at less than 30 percent.

2. Detroit Lions - Ndamuking Suh, DT, Nebraska. Great pick. The guy was a freakin monster in college. This guy is Richard Seymour with better upside. And the Lions need players almost everywhere.

90% of geeks like me give the Lions an A for the pick, and 85% of fans think Suh will have a better career than Bradford. Of course, we're the same group that thought Reggie Bush was a slam dunk over Mario Williams, so what do we know.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. This draft is going way too much according to script. Of course, it's still a very good pick. I would have picked Berry here, but I have no problems with this pick. And McCoy just gave the Commish one of the best bear hugs of all time.

To all you SEC afficionados: best conference in all the land, and the top 3 picks are from the Big 12? Hmmmm....

Washington only has four draft picks? Holy cow. That team could use some youth. McNabb or no McNabb, that team could be anywhere from 4-12 and 10-6; no idea where they finish.

4. Washington - Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma. Good pick; they need to protect McNabb's blindside. Again though, I still think this team has a lot of holes; don't pencil them in for the Super Bowl yet.

5. Kansas City Chiefs - Eric Berry, S, Tennessee. Love this pick. This guy is going to be a star next season. I think he will have a better career than anyone above him on this list, but I understand not wanting to overpay for a safety. Still, the goal is to get the best players to win the most games, and Kansas City just got better.

Only 70 percent of viewers give Kansas City an A for that pick? Morons.

Of course, the ESPN crew is now full of love for Pete Carroll. I'm not as pessimistic as Bill Simmons, but I don't like coach/GM combos, especially somone who's never really done talent evaluation at the top level.

6. Seattle Seahawks - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State. Good pick for the Seahawks, and Mel thinks he's better than Trent Williams. I'm not very good at evaluating offensive linemen, so I'll take his well-coiffed word for it.

After the Brady Quinn disaster, looks like the Browns will pass on Claussen. Good. I don't think rolling into town in a limo will play well in Cleveland.

7. Cleveland Browns - Joe Haden, CB, Florida. Thankfully Chris Berman is there to let us know that Haden is was an all-star point guard in high school. More importantly, he's the first draftee to turn on the tears. Well done, Joe.

That being said, I'm not a huge fan of this pick. He wasn't the best player available, and to take a CB this high, I think you need a Revis-like talent. Haden is not that talent.

Tom Jackson just pointed out that the Raiders keep drafting players that aren't very good. My question is: how will they screw this one up?

8. Oakland Raiders - Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama. Totally didn't see this one coming. There is no way that I thought they'd pass on a QB from Notre Dame. I'm OK with the choice, I guess, but again, like the Browns, this is a team with a lot of holes and I think they should have taken the best player available (which I don't think they did).

9. Buffalo Bills - C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson. Another surprise. I'm not a huge Spiller fan, especially not at No. 9. Isn't Claussen the right pick here? Don't they need a QB? That being said, he's fast, and a lot of people that know more about football than I (including Jon Gruden) think Spiller was a Top 5 talent in this draft.

So isn't Clausen being available a nightmare scenario for Jacksonville? If they pass on him and take Tebow later, and then Clausen becomes a star, this could be a franchise killer.

10. Jacksonville Jaquars - Tyson Alualu, DT, California. Kiper is calling this a reach, and I agree. As I look at their first-round history since 2005, this is not a team that's got a ton from their early picks. This pick may unfortunately match those others. So the Clausen nightmare scenario is still on the board.

Of course, the last time I predicted a nightmare scenario was in 2007 when Miami passed on Brady Quinn to select Ted Ginn. Ginn has been a total bust (no surprise), but Quinn has been similarly awful. Of course, Marshawn Lynch and Darelle Revis were still on the board when both teams picked.

11. San Francisco 49ers (from Denver) - Another Davis, OT, Rutgers. Wow, great pick. I think he fits perfectly for them. Steve Young says, "What a statement: Alex Smith is our quarterback." Not sure I like that statement.

12. San Diego Chargers (from Miami) - Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State. Good solid back, and Sproles should not be your top option, so it's a good fit. Not sure it was worth trading up for, but can't argue with this a whole lot.

Apparently Josh McDaniels wants to break Belichek's record for trading down in the draft, as Denver trades down again.

13. Philadelphia (from Denver, who held the pick for a few minutes) - Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan. Love this pick. As a Big Ten watcher, this guy scared the crap out of me each time Michigan played Purdue. Solidifies the Eagles D.

14. Seattle Seahawks - Earl Thomas, S, Texas. For all of my mocking of Coach Pete, I like the draft so far. Thomas should not have been available here, so this is a 'great player fell in our lap' pick. Merry Christmas, Pete.

Quick thought: Could the Niners nab Clausen at No. 17? Interesting thought. They picked the best player available at No. 11, but Clausen is sitting there, with Alex Smith still as your top QB. Can you really pass on a QB with Clausen's talent? We'll see.

15. New York Giants - Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida. Smaller conference, but I like this guy. He could be a physical freak and turn into an All-Pro, or could be a bust. Risky pick, but good, which of course ticks me off, because I hate all NY teams.

16. Tenessee Titans - Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgian Tech. Safe, solid pick, and the Titans need help on D.

17. San Francisco 49ers - Mike Iupati, G, Idaho. Two offensivelinmen makes me think they're going to give Gore 8,000 caries in 2010. That being said, they're definitely putting their eggs in the Alex Smith basket. Again, not a good idea.

So what about Clausen to the Steelers? What message would that send? Is Ben still the man?

18. Pittsburgh Steelers - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida. Little shocked by this. I would never spent a first rounder on a center, unless he projects as a guard as well. Maybe they'll move him over. Picking Clausen would be been a lot more fun.

So why is Ben getting a pass while Santonio Holmes gets traded? Ben is scummy, but he is white.

19. Atlanta Falcons - Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri.

I am also following this draft on Twitter. Lots of fun.

20. Houston Texans - Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama.

First Erin Andrews shot, talking about the obvious disappointment of Clausen. We're disappointed we haven't seen more of her and her clone talking to Colt McCoy.

21. Cincinnati Bengals - Jermain Gresham, TE, Oklahoma. For a team that had a disppointing season, the Sooners are having a great draft. Very good player (as a pass catcher) and should help Carson Palmer.

I love being a Patriots fan, I really do, but as a fan of the Patriots and the draft, this trading down thing is annoying. I get all excited, and then they move down. I know, silly.

22. Denver Broncos (from New England) - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech. First WR off the board, not Dez Bryant. Safer pick, but not a given that he'll be a plus WR in the NFL.

Thinking about Clausen and McCoy, I was looking back at the 2006 draft. Matt Leinert was picked ahead of Jay Cutler (by one pick). At the time I thought Leinert was head and shoulders ahead of Cutler. Yeah, not so much.

23. Green Bay Packers - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa. Awesome pick! All of the many cheese-eating, No. 12-wearing fans feel better about Aaron Rodgers' health in 2010. Then Berman insults basically the entire Midwest by saying that Iowa and Wisconsin are basically the same place. Yikes. He won't be welcome in the middle of the country again any time soon.

24. Dallas Cowboys (from New England) - Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State. Why did the Pats pass on this guy? I know, character issues, because Deion Sanders is idiot. Good golly. If I'm a fan of another team in the NFC East, I would not be happy with this trade and pick at all.

25. Denver Broncos (from Baltimore) - Tim Tebow, QB, Florida. Wow, total stunner. Most smart football people don't think he has a shot as a QB (including Mr. Kiper). No. 25? Really? This pick will make or break Josh McDaniels as a coach. As much as I like Tebow, this is too high. Good luck, Josh.

So now the Broncos have Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow. What a bizarre collection of QBs. Orton, the underrated overacheiver. Quinn, the overrated underacheiver. And Tebow, one of the best college players of all time, who most experts don't think can even be a back-up QB in the NFL. Should be an interesting couple of year.

26. Arizona Cardinals - Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee.

Last year the Cardinal drafted Chris "Bennie" Wells in the first round with the 31st pick. He showed at the of the 2009 that he can be a feature back in the NFL. And the Pats traded down and continue using a brutal RB by committee. Just saying.

27. New England Patriots - Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers. Listen, I love special teams, and think they're are an underrated part of all levels of football. But anytime you say, "He's an outstanding special teams player" as the first thing out of the analysts' mouths, that doesn't excite me about a first rounder. I'm a little disppointed? Yes, I wanted Dez Bryant, dangit, or a LB. Hopefully McCourty can shore up the defensive backfield and, gulp, help out on special teams.

28. Miami Dolphins - Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State.

29. New York Jets - Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State. Good golly, this sucks. This is not good for the Pats. Without Welker, I think the Pats are going to have trouble completing passes against this agressive Jets D. Very good pick; I really hope I'm wrong about this pick.

Gruden is suggesting Best out of California to pair with ADP on Minnesota. That is scary offensively. Really, I think the pick is Clausen or McCoy, whichever QB they think is the best. Favre's got one more season left, at the best. Of course, Berman think picking a QB here will piss off Favre. So Favre continues throwing interceptions, even when he's not on the field.

Erin Andrews sighting No. 2! How is she not in New York? My guess: she wanted a trip to California.

30. Detroit Lions (from Minnesota) - Jahvid Best, RB, California. So Gruden had the right player, wrong team. I liked Best as the best RB in this draft. Matthew Stafford has to be smiling at this one. More offensive weapons in the Motor City.

ESPN just showed highlights from the 1983 draft. Besides the unbelievable amount of hair on Chris Berman, Four Hall of Famers were picked in the first 14 (John Elway at No. 1, Eric Dickerson at No. 2, Bruce Matthews at No. 9, and Jim Kelly at No. 14). Awesome draft.

31. Indianapolis Colts - Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU. Very good pick for the Colts. I watched this guy for several years playing against BYU, he's extremely disruptive. Makes a good defense better.

How bizarre is it to have the Saints picking this late in the first round without a trade being involved? It's a new world we live in.

32. New Orleans Saints - Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State

Drew Brees is totally cool. Look back at the 2001 draft; the Chargers had a terrific draft, passing on Michael Vick and trading down to pick LDT at No. 5 and Brees with the first pick in the 2nd round. He did not win over the coaching staff, but then Phillip Rivers held out in 2004, Brees established himself as 'the man.'

So what did Chargers do? They let Brees leave as a free agent, heading to New Orleans. And now Brees is probably the best QB in the NFL (apologies to Manning and Brady), Rivers is an elite QB in San Diego, and Miami passed on Brees and has struggled to find an elite QB sense.

QBs picked ahead of Brees in 2001: Only Michael Vick, at No. 1. Looks like history is repeating itself in 2010, with Bradford going No. 1, and Clausen and McCoy waiting. Maybe McCoy (another QB prospect dinged for being short like Brees) will look back nine years from now, wearing a nice suit, coming off a Super Bowl season, smiling about dropping in the draft. Maybe not.

Good night world! Another great NFL draft.