Draft Stuff

I think you realize where I'm going to start with this, but overall this was one of the weirdest drafts I can recall. Players that were drafted way above or below where they would normally be selected, and teams doing things in direct opposite of their normal Draft M.O. Not to mention I really didn't care for the Thursday & Friday Night Prime Time Airings which ultimately made the long event that is the draft, even longer. Also, I want to make perfectly clear that I'm not going to "grade" or give "winners and losers" of the draft because we just don't actually know if a team had a good or bad draft until three years from now.

With that said, here's some more observations regarding the 2010 NFL Draft :

• This draft managed to combine two sports entities that I despise, into one doomed-to-fail marriage with Denver trading three picks to Baltimore to move up and draft Tim "Jesus Christ" Tebow. There's so much to pick apart here it's baffling. Tebow, at best case scenario, is a three year project before he's ready to play quarterback in the NFL. That's the BEST case scenario. The worst (and most likely) scenario is that Tebow ends up a washout. For Denver to not only trade three picks to get him, but also commit first round guaranteed money for a guy who's a project is just silly. First round picks are spent on guys you expect to contribute right away, not for "Development". As a team, you just don't commit all that money to a guy like that, especially when the coach that's drafting him might not even be coaching the team by the time Tebow's ready! Like I said earlier though, this allows both Tebow and McDaniels to be put under one Umbrella of Hatred for The Beard, and for that I salute them.



• "Is Jimmy Clausen an Axe-Murderer"? That's probably the best reaction I heard during his notorious draft sliiiiiiide into the second round before he became a Carolina Panther. It was pretty remarkable seeing a guy who is way more polished as quarterback than Tebow be taken in the second round. Clausen has a good arm with a quick release, very accurate in the short passing game, has run a pro-style offense during his tenure, yet Tebow goes before he does? Not that I particularly like Jimmy Clausen, but if it were up to me and I needed to draft a QB out of this bunch, Clausen is a much more stable selection despite his perceived "Dickheaded-ness".



• Sorry Whitey, but the Baltimore Ravens continued to be a team that is willing to make bold, big-nuts, draft picks, with their selections of Sergio Kindle and Terrance Cody both in the second round. Kindle and Cody both have red flags attached to them, but red flags never scared Ozzie Newsome and he's been right more often than not as he's produced 11 Pro Bowl players over his tenure as GM. If they work out they might have shored up a defense, that finished as the #3 defense in the league last year.



• Is it me, or do the Detroit Lions look like they know what they're doing? Not only did they land Ndamukong Suh - who's been called the best college football player in the last twenty years - but they also traded up to get Cal Running Back Javid Best who is better than most people think. Couple those picks with the free agent signings of Nate Burleson and Kyle Vanden Bosch to go along with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson....and it's not out of the question to say these aren't your sisters Detroit Lions anymore.



• Speaking of knowing what they're doing, BOTH Bay Area teams really went against the grain and made logical need picks this time. The Raiders were expected to take Bruce Campbell at #8, and the got him at #106. They did reach by taking McClain at #8 because now McClain is the highest picked Inside Linebacker ever taken in the last 15 years. They did help him out though by selecting Lamarr Houston to play DT in front of him. Their best move of the draft though, was obtaining Jason Campbell from the Redskins. With Campbell, they finally get a stable QB that looks like he's played football before, and with this story on profootballtalk.com, the end of the JaJokeus Russell era may finally be over.



• On the other side of the Bay, the Niners made some pretty interesting picks as well. They still don't have a quarterback, but whoever lines up under center will have two new offensive lineman with Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati. Davis might end up a bust, but Iupati looks like he could be good. The pick that most intrigued me though was Taylor Mays in the second round. I like Mays because he's not only very talented physically, but I'll take my chances on a guy who opts to make a big hit rather than play the ball in coverage. A conversion to linebacker is not out of the question in my opinion...



• The one team that really impressed me this draft, as well as this entire offseason is the New York Jets. The Jets picked up Antonio Cromartie to lineup opposite Darrelle Revis at corner, so naturally they drafted a cornerback - some say the best corner in the draft - in Kyle Wilson. This pick actually makes sense simply because the Jets, and their #1 ranked defense, is a very blitz happy scheme which demands excellent man to man coverage from their secondary. With Wilson, they got deeper at a position that is pivotal for their defensive scheme to work. They also picked up Josh McKnight from USC, who I think his football speed is a lot faster than his 40 time. Their second round selection of Vlad Ducasse makes Alan Faneca expendable and there is one team in the Midwest that should be VERY interested in Faneca...



• ...And that team is the Chicago Bears. Faneca would be a huge addition for the Bears simply because they are going to need offensive lineman that know what they are doing. Faneca more than fits that bill. Hopefully they pull the trigger on him. As far as the Bears draft is concerned - ehhh...Major Wright joins the list of safeties they've drafted over the years in Chris Harris, Al Afalava, Danieal Manning, and Craig Steltz. Corey Wooten just strikes me as a "guy". Is it too much of a stretch to ask Dan LeFevour to be better than Caleb Hanie??