NFL Draft "Live" Blog, Rounds 1 and 2

So since this blog has practically turned into a football blog, I decided what better time to return to the blogosphere than with a post following along with the NFL Draft, the most over-hyped event in all of sports? No better time, I say! So here we go.

First things first, my take on the Broncos/Jay Cutler fiasco: Oh, well. At first I was totally mind-boggled by the Broncos' decision to pursue Matt Cassel when they already had a Pro Bowl QB (not that this says much since it's just a popularity contest decided too far before the season ends), but as the situation moved on and Josh McDaniels made little effort to bring Cutler into the fold, it looked more and more like he wanted Cutler gone from the beginning. Now, with Cutler traded for a very healthy ransom (2 first round picks and Kyle Orton from the Bears, in case you somehow didn't know), I have to say that I'm not too upset about the way things turn out. Now the question is, what do the Broncos do with those picks in this draft to try to get the proud franchise back on its feet? Hopefully, the answer is draft defense, defense and more defense. If we must have Orton at QB to start the year, so be it.

As we go along, a fun storyline will be the fall of Mark Sanchez, the USC QB. After what we saw with Brady Quinn two years ago and Aaron Rodgers a couple years before that, Sanchez could have a long day if he slips passed the Seahawks at 4 or the Browns at 5.

#1 overall pick - The Lions sign QB Matthew Stafford the night before the draft, taking away some of the suspense in this pick. Regardless, I'm not a huge fan of the decision because I don't think all that much of Stafford (he didn't accomplish much in college and left early) and he's going to a very bad situation (first-time head coach with a defensive background, and no good offensive line). If he succeeds, good for him. If not, count me not surprised. ESPN Coverage Note: Thanks for the crack commentary, Keyshawn! In analyzing this pick, he says "The Lions haven't had a winning season in I don't know how long..." Really? You couldn't even be bothered to do research for the first pick in the draft? What will you contribute as the day goes on?

#2 overall pick - The Rams don't surprise anyone by taking OT Jason Smith from Baylor, a replacement for their long-time LT Orlando Pace whom they released this offseason because of his injury issues and age. A little Mark Sanchez chatter for the Rams here, but they have too much invested in Marc Bulger and there is a chance that with a new coach and a rebuilt o-line, Bulger may be able to play decently again someday.

#3 overall pick - The Chiefs pick DE Tyson Jackson to replace Jared Allen who they gave away in a trade last offseason. Good pick, but one they shouldn't have had to make if they didn't blow the Allen situation. Sanchez now on the clock...

#4 overall pick - With Julian Peterson gone, the Seahawks get possibly the only can't miss player of the draft, LB Aaron Curry out of Wake. I like the pick and I think he has defensive rookie of the year written all over him. Sanchez easily could have gone here, but evidently Seattle is not quite ready to get Matt Hasselbeck's replacement at QB.

#5 overall pick - First trade of the day and it's a biggy. The Browns trade with the Jets and New York snags Sanchez, ending the drama very early in the day. This is a great pickup for New York (assuming Sanchez isn't a one-year wonder from USC...) and they will have a shiny new franchise QB to go along with their shiny new stadium this year. The Browns get the Jets first and second round picks, and a collection of no-names from the Jets in return. So the question now becomes, will Sanchez be the next Carson Palmer (whose NFL career is still little better than OK) or the next Matt Leinart/Todd Marinavich, a pair of USC 1st round QBs that failed. Or maybe his inexperience at USC will make him the next Matt Cassel (then again, if it takes him 3 years to get ready, he'll be run out of New York). Should be fun to watch.

#6 overall pick - Amazing. The Bengals take the top player with major character issues. Wow. I guess this shouldn't come as a shock, but you just wonder if this franchise is ever going to learn. I hope Andre Smith doesn't have off-field problems and helps the Bengals improve, but I just don't understand the pick when a guy like Eugene Monroe, a tackle without character issues, is on the board also. Smith will really be under the microscope now, so he'd better tread lightly over the next year or two.

#7 overall pick - Wow again. Al Davis does it again. The man that's addicted to speed (um, maybe I should rephrase that...) chooses the fastest receiver in the draft, Darrius Heyward-Bey. Instead of taking a solid player that could contribute to a young team, the Raiders take a raw receiver with good tools but without the big-game experience and without the skills to contribute early. This is an awful pick (as Kiper and McShay agree), but sadly not a big surprise that Davis would reach. Herm Edwards takes credit for the pick, so that should tell you just how bad it was. This guy has Troy Williamson (read: bust) written all over him. Beware the workout warriors that wow at the Combine but not on the field in college.

#8 overall pick - The Jags don't make the sexy pick (WR Michael Crabtree) but instead pick Monroe, the OT that will help shore up a very poor offensive line from last year. Looks like a solid pick, although it may not excite the fan base. Now, however, the Crabtree watch begins as the top-5 caliber player has begun to slip and who knows where he may land. Jacksonville seemed like it might be as low as he'd go, but now the bottom may be falling out.

#9 overall pick - ESPN ruins the drama again by showing the player at his home celebrating before the pick is announced (honestly, I hate this. I'd rather the commissioner announce all the first round picks to improve the suspense more. Enough of ESPN patting itself on the back by breaking the story 45 seconds before the pick's announced.). DT BJ Raji, a player I would love to see in Denver, goes to Green Bay to give them a strong inside force on defense. From everything I've heard, Raji is far and away the best DT in the draft, and it's a position a lot of teams needed, so I wonder a bit why he fell as far as he did.

#10 overall pick - Well, the Crabtree watch doesn't last too long as the offensively-challenged Niners take the big Texas Tech wideout at #10. I like the pick, and even though their QB situation isn't too hot, the Niners needed to get a talented weapon at WR to complement RB Frank Gore and TE Vernon Davis and now they should be able to score much better in a weak defensive division.

#11 overall pick - Yet another spoiler alert from ESPN as the start discussing the pick 2 minutes before it's announced, and I still hate it. The Bills take Aaron Maybin, a one-year wonder at Penn State that came out as a redshirt sophomore and should add a pass rusher to the Bills d-line. I'm not necessarily sold on Maybin and frankly I'm glad he didn't end up with Denver (again, I'm not a big fan of guys that only had one good year in college and then came out early). Speaking of Denver, Broncos pick #1 now on the clock...

#12 overall pick - Hmmm, well, the Broncos break the Mike Shanahan mold immediately by taking a RB with their top pick, Knowshon Moreno out of Georgia. I'm okay with this pick because he is clearly the top RB in the draft, but again my concern is that, as just a two-year player at Georgia, does he have the experience to be a great player quickly. On the other hand, RB is a position that tends to convert well to the NFL from college, so if Moreno stays healthy he could easily contribute as a rookie. I will be downright shocked if the Broncos pick another offensive player today (2 more picks).

#13 overall pick - The Redskins get a guy that the Broncos probably should have taken, DE Brian Orakpo. This is a classic Redskins move as they pounce on the best on board guy (taking less than a minute to announce the pick, giving ESPN no time to screw us out of the drama), taking the sexy pick and bringing in the big name. I like the pick, and he should help their team very early on. This Redskins team could be a solid team if they can get good play out of Jason Campbell and some of their draft picks from the last two years.

#14 overall pick - Good pick by the Saints as they take DB Malcolm Jenkins out of Ohio State. ESPN tried to ruin it with any early camera shot of Jenkins, but props to Jenkins for having a solid poker face and not really giving anything away. Jenkins could have been a top 10 pick last year if he had come out, but he returned to school to try to win a championship (obviously didn't work out as planned) and may have cost himself some money. Still, he provides a lot of talent for a very bad New Orleans secondary.

#15 overall pick - Huge choice here for the Texans as this is a make or break year for Gary Kubiak in Houston. The Texans take LB Brian Cushing from USC and I think this is a good pick. I liked all three USC LBs and, while I think Rey Maualuga was the best, Cushing will be a very good complement to Xavier Adibi on the outside with Pro Bowler DeMeco Ryans in the middle. Very good young corps for Houston and hopefully this will give them the defensive presence to finally compete for a playoff spot.

#16 overall pick - Whoa, the Chargers come out of nowhere to select LB Larry English, a pass-rusher that should help out with pressure along with Shawne Merriman. I'm not sure this is the best pick they could have made, but supposedly they are so overflowing with talent (according to Chris Berman) that they could make a luxury pick. Honestly, I think the Chargers "talent" is overrated, but they are still a good team and their defense was definitely a weakness last year and this pick should help.

#17 overall pick - Browns move down again as the Bucs this time move up to take the spot (possibly vying for a defensive player or QB Josh Freeman they think the Broncos were coveting). And sure enough, Freeman is the pick (clearly the third best QB in the draft with a dramatic dropoff after him) and the Bucs will start the Raheem Morris era with a new QB. This seems like a good pick, although the concerns about Freeman's consistency could be a problem for a team that relies on its defense to win (turnovers by the offense tend to sabotage good defense). We shall see how Freeman progresses.

#18 overall pick - Good insight from Ed Werder at Broncos HQ as he spells out the Broncos pick, DE Robert Ayers from Tennessee. Evidently the Broncos believe Ayers has a great deal of versatility as a DE/LB or even DT, making him an easy pick. As for Moreno, the Broncos believe that he will be a great, durable back that will make the offense better and really help Orton or Chris Simms at QB. I'm not going to argue with this logic, and I certainly hope it's right. Meanwhile, Steve Young continues to cry foul about the Broncos' handling of the Cutler (hard to argue with) and their seeming lack of a backup plan with Cutler gone. While this is certainly true, I do still wonder just how good Cutler will be or would have been as his win-loss record (a little overrated for QBs, but can still tell you something) was only average in his first 2-1/2 years and he hadn't been on a winning team since high school. Let's just say I won't be rooting for Cutler to succeed in Chicago.

#19 overall pick - The Browns trade down yet again, this time allowing the Eagles to jump up and pick WR Jeremy Maclin out of Mizzou. Many mock drafts I saw had Maclin going as high as #7 to Oakland, so this seems to be a good value pick for Philly and I think is a solid pick to combo him with DeSean Jackson as targets for Donovan McNabb. The concern, as voiced by the analysts on ESPN, is that Maclin is a very similar to Jackson and the Eagles could have used the pick to trade for a proven receiver in Anquan Boldin instead of taking a chance on a rookie. Still, if the Eagles really valued Maclin's return ability, then this could be a good pick. It just means the Eagles will be small at wideout.

#20 overall pick - The Lions stay on the offensive side of the ball with their second pick, adding TE Brandon Pettigrew to give Stafford more weapons on offense. I like this pick as the TE can be the QBs best friend, especially when the team has a poor o-line. Good pick and clear evidence that Matt Millen is finally gone.

#21 overall pick - The Browns finally make a pick! And it's... Alex Mack? A center? Okey-doke. Seems like an interesting pick (remember Mangini took center Nick Mangold in the first round when with the Jets, so maybe he values the position). It's just not the kind of pick that can rally a fan base, but it could help their o-line and therefore help QBs Quinn and Anderson be more productive.

#22 overall pick - Wow, the Vikings make a surprising pick of Percy Harvin, a WR/returner/RB that could be a versatile part of an offense, or could be a big time bust. Harvin has some off-field issues (tested positive for pot at the Combine) and is undersized for a wideout in the NFL. The big wonder is whether Harvin can really be a productive pro with more college-style skill set. I hope this works out well for Minnesota, but I think this is a pretty risky choice.

#23 overall pick - This Pats pick leads me to a topic that came up this offseason. The NFL has finally changed the draft order rules so now a team's postseason results actually impact their draft order. It is absolutely ridiculous that the Pats, who were 11-5 yet missed the playoffs, are picking seven spots lower than the Chargers, who not only made the playoffs but even won a playoff game. Next year, this will not be the case. As for this year, the Pats trade the pick to the Ravens who use it on OL Michael Oher out of Ole Miss. ESPN is playing up the backstory angle of this pick as Oher was evidently homeless as a young man but has found his way to riches in the NFL. It was cool to hear him say that he could have "went in the seventh round" and he wouldn't have cared, and that he's sure he'll play 10+ years. Sounds like a great guy to have. Another interesting story is that Oher could have been a top 10 or even top 5 pick if he had come out last year, and knowing his history it's amazing that he didn't but instead stayed in school like so many guys should. Easy to root for this guy to succeed in Baltimore.

#24 overall pick - Falcons snap up DT Peria Jerry, a pass-rushing tackle and I'd say a pretty solid pick. This is a team that needed a little help on the d-line, and Jerry should take some pressure off of John Abraham to get pressure on the QB for Atlanta.

#25 overall pick - The Dolphins make a rather unsurprising pick, taking the best corner in the draft Vontae Davis out of Illinois. This is a Miami team that really needed help in the secondary, and Davis should help immediately. Also, and this is a big plus, Mel Kiper is very impressed with his chiseled upper body. So, there is that.

Side note - Other than the Raiders, it's really starting to look like mock drafts are getting better and better at projecting the picks. It really doesn't feel like there are many surprises in this first round, and maybe this is because there are new mock drafts released every 7 minutes in the U.S., but it might be that people are finally starting to figure out what NFL teams are looking for in the draft and projecting more accurately. Then again, maybe NFL teams are using mock drafts to do their research for the draft. Who knows.

#26 overall pick - Pats follow the Browns lead and trade their pick again, opening the door for the Packers to select USC LB #2, Clay Matthews. Matthews seems like just the kind of guy that will fit with the blue collar mentality in Green Bay, and I think he'll work well with Packers MLB AJ Hawk and Kiper seems to think he may play some DE as well, lining up opposite Aaron Kampman. Looks like a good pick.

#27 overall pick - Very odd pick here as the Colts pick Donald Brown, a RB out of UConn. I guess this means the Colts don't think Joseph Addai can carry the load himself. Certainly I'll grant that most NFL teams need at least 2 solid back and Addai did get banged up some last year, but it also seems to me that the Colts could have found a fine back later in the draft and addressed their defense with this pick. Regardless, Brown should be a good player in the pros and it should help Addai stay healthy all year.

#28 overall pick - Bills are another team that's quick to pick, and they take an offensive lineman, but not a tackle to replace the man they traded away for this pick, instead they take a center. Sure, if they believe that Eric Wood is the best lineman on the board, then more power to them, but it just surprises me to see multiple centers go in the first round (and Kiper thinks a third could go as well). Still not sure what Buffalo is going to do at tackle this season...

#29 overall pick - No surprise for the Giants pick here as they take Hakeem Nicks, a WR out of North Carolina. Nicks is known as the best big wideout in this class which is precisely what the G-men need to replace the released Plaxico Burress. I like this pick a lot and I agree with the ESPN talking heads that think Nicks will be an immediate impact player in the NFL. I watched him play a few times this year and came away impressed each time.

#30 overall pick - Once again the Titans making a surprising pick, taking WR Kenny Britt out of Rutgers. ESPN pulled a little head-fake on this one as they show us Chris Wells laughing and smiling on the phone and even having McShay break down Wells, only to find out the Titans pick Britt. Almost makes me think the Titans were watching the draft coverage and decided to pull a fast one on the ESPN producers (major props to them if this is true). Either way, it's about time the Titans finally spent a decent draft pick on a WR and Britt sounds like he should be a solid addition. He lacks great hands, but has size and speed and could be a good option for Kerry Collins, although I don't expect too much in his rookie year.

#31 overall pick - Sure enough, it was probably the Cardinals on the phone with Wells as the RB goes here and will be the back to replace Edgerrin James in Arizona. Seems like a good choice and no matter how productive he is in Arizona, Wells will have to be an upgrade over their running game last year. Durability questions are the biggest concern with Wells, and we'll have to see if that continues in the pros. If not, the Cards may have gotten a real steal.

#32 overall pick - The Steelers make a pick of DT Ziggy Hood out of Mizzou, a player I know very little about. It's hard to ever doubt this organization's defensive draft picks, though, given their track record, so I'm guessing this was a good pick. The big thing to note is the sheer volume of defensive linemen (and linemen in general) taken in this first round. Looks like teams are really starting to believe that games are won in the trenches.

With that, I will be doing fewer posts for the second round, and later on this week I will try to post my thoughts on the overall drafts of some of my favorite teams. I won't pretend to know enough about every player to grade teams, and for this reason I won't go through every team's draft, but if you want my thoughts on anyone's draft, post a comment or email me and I'll write a post on them. Now, on to the second round.

#33 overall pick - Berman drops a Bob Sanders comparison on us with the Lions pick of S Louis Delmas. Pretty high standard to live up to.

#35 overall pick - Rams pick up James Laurinaitis, LB out of Ohio State and a guy like Jenkins that came back for a senior year and may have cost himself some money. Laurinaitis was a mid-first projected player last year but decided not to leave early, and now he falls into the early second.

During a side segment, McShay and Kiper rip on the Raiders some more for reaching for DH-B at #7, saying it was the biggest reach in the first round. Hard to argue with that assessment.

#37 overall pick - Broncos give up a first rounder next year to pick up this pick from the Seahawks. With the Broncos up again, I'm expecting another defensive player to come off the board and sure enough, the Broncos go D but they surprise me by taking CB Alphonso Smith. I guess this will be the replacement for Dre Bly to play opposite Champ Bailey at corner, and most analysts seem to be touting Smith as a playmaker in the secondary, something Denver has really been lacking the last 2 years.

#38 overall pick - The Bengals get a steal (in my opinion) picking up USC LB Rey Maualuga early in the second. I think Rey got a bad rap for supposedly having a lack of discipline on the field (not playing within the system) and having short arms, but I think this guy is a very good playmaker and will really make an impact for Cincy, one of the worst defenses in the league last year.

#39 overall pick - The Jags wisely add more o-line depth, picking up Eben Britton who was a potential first rounder.

#40 overall pick - Pats trade with the Raiders to get another 2nd round pick. Pats then have consecutive picks, giving them 10 minutes to make 2 picks instead of the usual 5 for 1. Not surprisingly, the Pats use both picks on defense. Here's my questions: which of those guys gets paid more? I mean, couldn't they argue to be paid the same since it was really just the Pats choice which one went first? Their agents may have a field day with this one.

#44 overall pick - Shocking development as Miami take QB Pat White (who may play WR in the NFL) in the second round. This seems like a very odd choice, although the Phins may be looking at White as the optimal Wildcat-type player for them. Regardless, this seems very early for a guy like this.

#46 overall pick - The Texans jump at the plumeting Connor Barwin, a LB/DE player that has been expected to go for at least 10-15 picks now. Great pick and hopefully this will give the Texans the pass rusher they need opposite of Mario Williams.

#47 overall pick - The Raiders "reach" (that term may even be generous) for an unknown S that Kiper had ranked at #73 at his position. What the hell, Al?

#48 overall pick - The Broncos make another pick on defense, adding S Darcel McBath out of Texas Tech. Not exactly a household name either, but certainly less of a reach than the Raiders had.

#50 overall pick - The Browns take their second WR of the round, which makes me start to wonder if Braylon Edwards is indeed on the trading block as has been rumored.

#53 overall pick - Interesting to see LeSean McCoy move accross the state and end up in Philadelphia after leaving Pittsburgh early. This is a player that may have cost himself money by coming out early instead of waiting another year.

#64 overall pick - In classic Shanahan fashion, the Broncos steal the headline and make the final pick of the first day. Denver jumps up to #64 to take blocking-oriented TE Richard Quinn from North Carolina. Possibly this is an indication that Tony Scheffler, upset by the Cutler saga, may be on the way out. Another possibility is that Daniel Graham, a more expensive blocking TE, may be out soon instead. Either way, a little peculiar for the Broncos to trade up for a guy like this.

Well, nothing else exciting to report in round 2. I will not be going to distance with this draft because, frankly, who cares? The third round is the only one of any real interest and even then it is a reach to try to evaluate the players at this point, so as I said before I will simply take a look at a few teams complete drafts later on, but not the whole league. Hope you enjoyed or maybe learned something because I did.

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