NFL Draft Recap

I covered the first round in my draft diary, so I won't rehash that here. I will focus first on the Patriots, then the BYU players, and then some general thoughts.

Patriots Draft
First Round (pick 27): Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
I covered this in my draft diary, but the pick was fine. I would have been gunning for Dez Bryant, but it was clear that the Pats didn't see it the way I did.

Second Round (pick 42): Rob Gronkowski, TE, Arizona
This is a good pick -- high upside, with risk. He was a very good TE in college, a first round value if healthy. He makes the passing game instantly better.

Second Round (pick 53): Jermaine Cunningham, LB, Florida
This started Bill's apparent love affair with Gators. Surprised we didn't trade up for Tebow. ESPN called this a bit of a reach, but I liked the pick and it filled a need.

Second Round (pick 62): Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
Absolutely love this pick. The combine is fool's gold, and sometimes great football players fall because of poor showings in non-football situations. This guy is smart and physical. He may never be the best LB in the league, but I would bet on 2-3 Pro Bowls in his career. I can take that.

Third Round (pick 90): Taylor Price, WR, Ohio
Speed guy, which is good, as Brady needs another deep threat.

Fourth Round (pick 114): Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
Would rather have had Dennis Pitta out of BYU who went one pick later to Baltimore. Hernandez is a very good athlete, a very good receiver from the TE position. I don't like his attitude, and I don't think he can block in the interior in the NFL.

Fifth Round (pick 150): Zoltan Mesko, P, Michigan
What a pick! This is where you go after talented special teamers, and this guy is good, and huge for a punter (6-4 240). And we now have a guy named Zoltan. Don't mess with the Pats.

Sixth Round (205): Ted Larsen, C, North Carolina State
Decent depth pick.

Seventh Round (208): Thomas Welch, T, Vanderbilt
Another depth pick, good athlete with size.

Seventh Round (247): Brandon Deaderick, DE, Alabama
Developmental pick.

Seventh Round (248): Kade Weston, DT, Georgia
Huge dude (317 lbs) to clog up the middle. Good pick.

Seventh Round (250): Zac Robinson, QB, Oklahoma State
I like Robinson. He likely can't contribute in 2010 (and hopefully he wouldn't need to), but he could become a serviceable back-up in 2012 and beyond.

BYU Players in the Draft
With only one player taken in the draft, this wasn't a great day for the graduating Cougars, though not unexpected. Here are my thoughts on a couple of players.

Dennis Pitta, TE, selected by Baltimore in the Fourth Round
I think Pitta will have a long career in the NFL. He won't be able to outrun LBs like he did in the MWC, but he's a terrific route runner and can catch in traffic. I also think he could bulk up and become an average blocker.

Andrew George, TE, not selected or signed
At some points during their careers, I thought George might become a better pro prospect than Pitta. He was a better blocker and a decent receiver. But he improved very little in his senior season, and he's unlikely to stick anywhere in the NFL.

Max Hall, QB, signed with Arizona as undrafted free agent
Hall signed into a good situation; there is nothing settled long term about the Cardinals QB situation, and Hall, if he plays well, could become a starter long term. That being said, he's short and his consistency on long throws is questionable. There is a reason he wasn't drafted, but I think his accuracy and competitiveness make him a good bet to succeed in the NFL.

Other Draft Thoughts
Tim Tebow seems to be a great human being, and he was one of the funnest college players to watch in my lifetime, in the same group with Bo Jackson. But I don't see this ending well in Denver. QBs drafted in the first round need to succeed quickly, and I don't think he's ready to do that...Will Tebow's pre-draft struggles make other top prep QB prospects shy away from gimmicky college offenses? The BYU offense was seen as gimmicky at the time, and Steve Young and Jim McMahon did alright...So what if Aaron Hernandez tested positive for pot? I bet most of the draftees have tried pot in their lives. Unless there were other character issues, this is not a reason to drop a player on a draft board...I love how people are praising the Raiders' draft; they didn't have a crappy draft, so suddenly that's great. They're still going to suck in 2010, though Jason Campbell is an upgrade JaMarcus Russell. Of course, so am I.