It may be the off-season, but this is one of the most important weekends of the year for the National Football League. The NFL Draft will begin on a week night in the prime time slot for the first time in history this year. As each team makes their pick, I will be going through the choices as they happen. Anything can happen and it will be exciting to find out. The first round is tonight, round two is Friday, and the subsequent rounds are this weekend. It should be interesting to see how all this plays out and where college football legend Tim Tebow will go.
#1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, Quarterback Oklahoma
Bradford's 2009 regular season was marred by injury, but his 2008 campaign was phenomenal. Beating out Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy in the Heisman voting, Bradford was expected to go #1 last year before he decided to come back to the Sooners. This is a good, albeit predictable, pick for the Rams, who released Marc Bulger and need a franchise quarterback. It also buys the general manager and coaching staff more time to rebuild before the new ownership decides to bring in new personnel.
#2. Detroit Lions: Ndamakong Suh, Defensive Tackle Nebraska
This is a guy who really improved his draft prospect with the 2009 season. Suh became the first defensive Heisman Trophy finalist since Charles Woodson. The Lions defense improves instantly with this kid and the free agent addition of Kyle Vanden Bosch. The Lions had the #1 pick last year and took quarterback Matthew Stafford. Suh can be a great franchise player that Detroit fans can be excited about like Stafford. They are still rebuilding after the dismal 0-16 season, but the are heading on the right track.
#3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, Defensive Tackle Oklahoma
McCoy said after being selected by the Bucs that he was a huge Warren Sapp fan growing up. He will have to play like him to be worth the money he is making. Great pick by Tampa. He will do a great job anchoring that young and rebuilding defense. There was a lot of debate prior to the draft as to who would be a better draft pick, McCoy or Suh, but both Detroit and Tampa both got good players in this first round.
#4. Washington Redskins: Trent Williams, Offensive Tackle Oklahoma
Williams is a great lineman and he will be important to Washington to protect McNabb. Three of the first four draft picks are Oklahoma Sooners. This really says a lot about how well Bob Stoops recruits and his players do this well in the draft even after a disappointing season.
#5. Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Berry, Safety Tennessee
Berry is arguably the most talented pound for pound player in this draft. At Tennessee, he was compared to Ravens' safety Ed Reed. If he plays like Reed in the NFL, he will be a huge asset to the Chiefs offense. I am a little surprised that Pioli did not go with an offensive lineman to protect Matt Cassell. Berry is the first player in this draft who did not play in the Big 12 Conference.
#6. Seattle Seahawks: Russel Okung, Offensive Tackle Oklahoma State
Many people thought the Redskins would take Okung, but he dropped to Seattle at #7. With Washington selecting Williams, Seattle was happy to take Okung. Pete Carrol is excited to revamp the Seahawks' offense and he will do a good job of protecting Matt Hasselbeck.
#7. Cleveland Browns: Joe Haden, Cornerback Florida
Haden has a lot of potential as a defensive back. At Florida, he had to cover Percy Harvin in practice, so that should have been good preparation for the NFL. Mike Holmgren is an offensive minded coach, but he needed to improve the Browns defense.
#8. Oakland Raiders: Rolando McClain, Linebacker Alabama
Just when everyone thought that the book was out on Al Davis after almost fifty years of running the Raiders, he does something he has never done before: he selected a linebacker in the top ten. McClain is a smart player and he will have to be a leader on a Raiders team that has plenty of talent but lacks discipline and makes stupid mistakes. This is the smartest draft pick the raiders have made in years. McClain is a winner and Nick Saban coached him well as he always does with linebackers. The most un-Davis like pick in recent history, the Raiders seem to be making the right move this time around.
#9. Buffalo Bills: C.J. Spiller, Running Back Clemson
The Buffalo Bills are going for an explosive player to sell jerseys and tickets. Spiller had a very impressive career at Clemson. With all the needs that Buffalo has, I was a little surprised that they took Spiller when they already have Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.
#10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tyson Alualu Defensive Tackle California
Many mock drafts had Alualu in the 2nd round. The Jags need to improve their defense and he will help. ESPN is speculating they had to scramble after Spiller was picked by Buffalo. This might be the worst selection in the first round.
#11. San Fransisco 49ers: Anthony Davis, Offensive Tackle Rutgers
The Niners traded up for Denver's #11 pick. Davis has a lot of upside. Much like Michael Oher last year, Davis could be a top five pick next year but he goes in the middle of the first round by going into the draft this year.
#12. San Diego Chargers: Ryan Matthews, Running Back Fresno State
San Diego traded up for Miami's #12 pick. The Chargers needed a running back with the departure of LaDanian Tomlinson. They may have drafted Matthews high, but the Chargers really needed a running back and Spiller was already off the board.
#13. Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Graham, Outside Linebacker Michigan
Philadelphia traded up for Denver's #13 Pick. Graham has great work ethic and shows a lot of effort. He might not be very big, but lack of size has not stopped Dwight Freeney in the NFL.
#14. Seattle Seahawks: Earl Thomas, Safety Texas
Thomas was a star and an emotional leader for the longhorns. He has the potential to be like Troy Polamalu or Brian Dawkins or Rodney Harrison or Ed Reed as a leader from the secondary. Seems like a solid pick again for Pete Carrol and the Seahawks.
#15. New York Giants: Jason Pierre-Paul, Defensive End South Florida
Has a lot of upside, but right now he is a work in progress. He only started eight games in college. Has the potential to be like Osi Umenyiora and this pick might put Osi on the trade block.
#16. Tennessee Titans: Derrick Morgan, Defensive End Georgia Tech
Morgan is considered the best pass rusher in the draft. The Titans need defensive linemen with Kyle Vanden Bosch signing with the Lions. Jeff Fischer does an excellent job of keeping his team consistently competitive and this smart selection reflects that.
#17. San Fransisco 49ers: Mike Iupati, Offensive Guard Idaho
According to ESPN, Iupati needs to work on his pass blocking ability to adjust to the NFL game. In time, however, it is believed that he could be a dominant force in the NFL. The 49ers are using two first round picks on the offensive line. Mike Singletary likes tough physical players on both sides of the ball and this pick reflects that.
#18. Pittsburgh Steelers: Maurkice Pouncey, Center Florida
I am a little surprised that the Steelers did not go for Clausen with Ben Roethlisburger's future with the team in jeopardy. Pouncey is a winner and he knows how to be a leader on a good team. The Steelers expect to be a good team in big games so it is important that they have winning players.
#19. Atlanta Falcons: Sean Weatherspoon, Linebacker Missouri
Weatherspoon is not the biggest linebacker in the world, but he could be a great NFL player because of his speed.
#20. Houston Texans: Kareen Jackson, Cornerback Alabama
The Texans have bolstered their secondary with this pick. Jackson is very talented and disciplined. Playing for the Crimson Tide has taught him how to win as part of a team and that is perhaps the best part of an education from an SEC school.
#21. Cincinnati Bengals: Jermaine Gresham, Tight End Oklahoma
Like Sam Bradford, Gresham missed most of the 2009 season for the Sooners, but still got picked in round one. The Bengals made a good move by adding a tight end and it should add a dimension to their offense that they lacked before.
#22. Denver Broncos: Demaryius Thomas, Wide Reciever Georgia Tech
The Broncos traded up for New England's #22 pick. Thomas is a big physical wide receiver. He still needs work in rout running, but Josh McDaniels is a good coach for a situation like this. McDaniels is a great offensive mind and he will teach Thomas to play in the NFL. Denver needed another receiver with Brandon Marshall going to Miami.
#23. Green Bay Packers: Brian Bulaga, Offensive Tackle Iowa
The Packers needed improvement on the offensive line. Aaron Rodgers played well in trying to replace Brett Favre, but he got sacked way too often. Bulaga will help them improve and he should make it harder for Jared Allen to rack up his sack stats when he plays Green Bay twice a year. Playing in the Big Ten, the cold weather in Green Bay should not bother him the way it would bother a lineman from Florida or Alabama.
#24. Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver Oklahoma State
The Cowboys traded up for New England's #24 pick. It looked like the Pats were setting themselves up to get Bryant, but the Cowboys traded for that pick. Dez Bryant is extremely talented, but maturity is an issue. New England would have been a good place to learn the NFL culture with Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Tory Holt, Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk on the offense, but he will be a Cowboy as a pro the way he was in college.
#25. Denver Broncos: Tim Tebow, Quarterback Florida
The Broncos traded up for Baltimore's #25 pick. Whoa! People were saying he would not be a quarterback in the NFL. People were saying he would not go in the first round. Tim Tebow is all about proving people wrong. Tebow was the most talked about player leading up to the draft. I am shocked that he went before Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy in this draft. I am shocked that Tebow got picked on a team that already had Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn. It seems like Josh McDaniels is really making a point to get good character guys on his team after what happened with Brandon Marshall last season. I am just baffled by this and I really did not see Denver as a place Tebow would go. They got a good player, but not a player they needed and they will have to overpay for him.
#26. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Williams, Defensive Tackle Tennessee
One of the top defensive linemen in all of college football, Williams is filling a need that the Cardinals have had for a few years. With Kurt Warner retired, the Cards will need to play better defense to stay atop the NFC West and in the mix in the hunt for the Super Bowl.
#27. New England Patriots: Devin McCourty, Cornerback Rutgers
The Pats needed help at secondary and they have McCourty. I thought maybe the Pats would take Dez Bryant...I was wrong. I thought maybe the Pats would take Tim Tebow...I was wrong. Bill Belichick's reasoning could be that they need all the defensive backs they can get with Santonio Holmes playing for the Jets and Brandon Marshall playing for the Dolphins. McCourty could also be a valuable addition to the special teams units. Belichick loves players who are versatile and can do more than one thing and that may have factored into the decision.
#28. Miami Dolphins: Jared Odrick, Defensive Tackle Penn State
Jared Odrick makes sense for what Miami needs. He is solid and consistent and that is what they need as a nose tackle in their defense. With the Dolphin offense improved through free agency, it makes sense to revamp the defense with the first round of the draft.
#29. New York Jets: Kyle Wilson, Cornerback Boise State
The Jets defense is already very good, but the Jets seem to be following a similar philosophy as the Patriots: there are a lot of great wide receivers in the AFC East, and you can never have enough defensive backs.
#30. Detroit Lions: Jahvid Best, Running Back California
The Lions traded up for Minnesota's #30 pick. The Lions are one of those teams that needs a lot of things to improve and the Vikings are one of those teams that has a pretty complete team. All the Vikes really need is a quarterback for the future (but how far into the future is a huge question mark. Brett Favre could be the MVP in 2020 for all we know) so this trade makes sense. The lions need a running back, but they need many other things.
#31. Indianapolis Colts: Jerry Hughes, Defensive End/Linebacker TCU
The Colts like players like this, athletes who can rush but also have speed and athleticism. Dwight Freeney gets hurt a lot, and his injury hurt them in the Super Bowl, so it seems they are drafting a player similar to Freeney because he will not be there forever.
#32. New Orleans Saints: Patrick Robinson, Cornerback Florida State
The Saints are yet another playoff team taking a defensive back in the first round. The Saints know from their own experience that good defensive back play can be the difference in a Super Bowl. With Darren Sharper still unsigned, it is important for the Saints that they maintain their ability to create takeaways because that was the key to their defensive success.
This was in interesting first round. The drama of the NFL draft really translated well to prime time television. There were many surprises, the biggest being Tim Tebow going to a team that already had two quarterbacks (one of which was already their developmental quarterback of the future) and Jacksonville jumping half a round to overpay a player. Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, Toby Gerhart, and many other highly touted college players are still on the board. The NFL has shown yet again why they are the most popular league in North America by attracting all sorts of attention during the middle of the NBA and NHL playoffs and the MLB regular season.
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