There's less than 10 minutes left until a buncha kids a lot younger than us become multi-millionaires. Most of them will vanish from the face of the Earth into obscurity and a select few will be the heroes of future generations of football lovers. I'll be giving you pick by pick updates with my usual (maybe unusual?) Mallzings so let's get busy (c) Arsenio.
Well we already know the Detroit Lions, new logo and all, have finalized a sick deal with former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback, Matthew Stafford to be the first pick in the draft. Stafford is getting $41 million dollars guaranteed for six years and potentially a total of $78 million dollars in incentives and bonuses if he makes the Pro Bowl every year. There's a 98.9% chance that that will not happen for the simple fact that A: he's a rookie quarterback on a team with a proven veteran so he'll be sitting for most of his first year, B: He's a quarterback for the Detroit Lions, and C: He's a quarterback for the Detroit Lions. While $41 mil is nothing to thumb your nose at, let me just drop the name of a quarterback that had a similar big money deal - Alex Smith.
@4:14 PM The St. Louis Rams pick offensive tackle, Jason Smith. This is a good pick up for the Rams who just let Orlando Pace go after an excellent career with them. Somewhere Marc Bulger is smiling that he'll be eating turf a little less in '09-'10 than he did in '08-'09.
@4:25 PM: The Kansas City Chiefs selected former LSU Tiger defensive end, Tyson Jackson with the third overall pick. Jackson will reunite with his one-time teammate Glenn Dorsey. This isn't a vanity pick with a lot of the higher ranked rookies still available but the Chiefs addressed a serious need for on defense.
@4:32 PM: Seattle takes outside linebacker, Aaron Curry from Wake Forest with the fourth pick. Curry will be a great complement to Julian Peterson on the edge of that front seven for the Seahawks. A lotta experts consider him the single best player in the draft and for the 'Hawks that's gotta be reassuring...just as long as he keeps his paws off of Frank Gore.
@4:40 PM We have our first trade of the day. The Cleveland Browns traded their fourth pick to the New York Jets. This sounds like Mark Sanchez time to me. Exactamente, before Roger Goodell can announce it, Sanchez dons his green and white. I'm not too sold on Sanchez to make an immediate impact. He's only started the equivalent of one NFL regular season at USC but with good coaching and gameplanning he could be solid after about three or four years.
@4:52 PM: The Cincinnati Benglas pick up Andre Smith from Alabama. There's a lot of good offensive tackles in this years draft and there's even more teams that need a good tackle. Willie Anderson isn't getting any younger but the Bungles still need a lot more to solve their problems and get back into playoff contention.
@4:57 PM: Darrius Heyward-Bey is chosen seventh overall by the Oakland Raiders. In the first surprise of the day, Al Davis and company pick up the former Maryland Terrapin wideout. The shock isn't so much that they went wide receiver, because they definitely needed someone for Jamarcus Russell and/or Jeff Garcia to throw to but I definitely would have thought Crabtree or Maclin to go ahead of Heyward-Bey. Welcome to Hell Darrius!
@5:05 PM: Jacksonville takes Eugene Monroe, offensive tackle from the University of Virginia. Again, lots of tackles to choose from and former ECU Pirate, David Garrard will welcome him with open arms. Garrard struggled last season after an incredible 2008 season so hopefully the big fella can get him back to his winning ways.
@5:14 PM: B.J. Raji, defensive tackle from Boston College is selected ninth overall by the Green Bay Packers. The Pack now have a heavy load in the middle of that defensive line to help against the likes of Adrian Peterson of the Vikings. Looks like my boys have a plethora of solid draft picks to choose from with the next pick so I hope Mike Singletary makes the best of it.
@5:22 PM Now for the most important pick in this year's draft. The San Francisco 49ers select Michael Crabtree out of Texas Tech. I like this pick a lot even though we have a lot of young receivers. Crabtree is the best player left on the board and we need to score points and have a threat other than Frank Gore on offense. I do believe we can make the playoffs this year and hopefully Crabtree can stay on the field and contribute. Oh yeah, I'll repeat it for those keeping score: The San Francisco Fourty Niners will make the playoffs this season!
@5:27 PM: The Buffalo Bills didn't waste any time with the 11th pick in picking up Aaron Maybin from Penn State. Man, there's a lot of talent still left on the board. I would have picked up Brian Orakpo from Texas who can play LB or DE but Maybin is a solid pick too.
@5:31 PM: The Denver Broncos choose Knowshon Moreno out of UGA. Moreno had a spectacular freshman year for the 'Dawgs but his sophomore year left a lot to be desired. Now I would have said that the Broncos will make him into a 1000 yard rusher but Mike Shanahan is no longer there. The upside is Moreno, despite being pretty smallish, is an excellent receiver out of the backfield.
@5:33 PM: Finally, my boy gets picked up. Brian Orakpo of the Texas Longhorns gets picked up by the Washington Redskins. They are in desparate need of a pass rusher off the end and Orakpo fits the bill nicely. Let's see how they manage to crumble at the end of this season.
@5:40 PM Malcolm Jenkins goes 14th to the New Orleans Saints. I really expected the Saints to do something stupid like draft an offensive player after finishing last year number one in offense and struggling on defense. Jenkins is a very good cornerback who can also slide over and play a little bit of safety. I think he'll be a Chris Gamble type player for the Saints and make an impact fairly early.
@5:45 PM: With the 15th pick, the Houston Texans pick up Brian Cushing from USC at linebacker. With the obvious exception of David Carr, the Texans have picked some pretty good rookies in their short history, particularly on defense. He'll take some pressure off of Mario Williams and help Houston improve their defense.
@5:52 PM: The San Diego Chargers picked up linebacker, Larry English from Northern Illinois. I know, I know, I'm asking the same question: Who?
@6:01 PM: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers add yet ANOTHER quarterback to their roster. The Bucs take Josh Freeman from Kansas State. Freeman is a big quarterback with a big arm but his decision making is pretty questionable. Much like another quarterback on their roster by the name of Byron Leftwich.
@6:06 PM: Denver picks up a defensive end to help out with their swiss cheese D. Robert Ayers from Tennessee will be added to a defense that has lost many a game for the Broncos. *shrugs* ...Couldn't get any worse.
@6:13 PM: The Philadelphia Eagles move up to the 19th pick to choose Jeremy Maclin out of Missouri. Finally Donovan McNabb has more than two guys to throw to but with Desean Jackson, who had an excellent rookie year already on the outside I'm not too sure if that was the best pick for them. Maclin's a good receiver but I think they should have picked up an offensive lineman or a running back to help out an aging Brian Westbrook.
@6:19 PM: Brandon Pettigrew is chosen 20th by the Detroit Lions. Pettigrew is the best tight end in this draft, not that there's a ton of tight ends but it's a solid pick for the Lions. He's a big guy with great hands and will be a reliable target for Stafford because Calvin Johnson will definitely be double teamed most of the time.
@6:25 PM: Finally, the Cleveland Browns take a pick. They started the evening with the fifth pick and end up with the 21st pick to choose Alex Mack, center out of California.
@6:29 PM: The Minnesota Vikings pick up Percy Harvin out of Florida at wide receiver. Harvin gives the Vikes a good wide receiver and a good returner. The Wizard (A.K.A. Bizarro Mallz) is good friends with Harvin's girlfriend. I'm trying to get her to strengthen that friendship. I'm trying to apply for NFL player entourage.
@6:36 PM: The Patriots trade the 23rd pick to the Baltimore Ravens who pick up Michael Oher. Oher is a very good offensive tackle out of Ole Miss. Oher is a great pick for the Ravens who will need to protect Joe Flacco. Oher also has a great story, he was adopted by a White family who helped him overcome his rough upbringing and got him into college where he became a great lineman. And his adoptive sister is type fine too.
@6:41 PM: Atlanta selects Peria Jerry, defensive tackle out of Ole Miss. Jerry is more of a pass rushing defensive tackle rather than the traditional run stopper. The Falcons shocked had a pretty good season after striking gold by picking up Matt Ryan in the draft. Peria Jerry will help them become a little more stout on that defensive front.
@6:48 PM: Vernon Davis' little brother, Vontae is chosen by the Miami Dolphins 25th overall. Davis is a physical defensive back who'll need a little coaching to make an impact for the Fish. Just keep the microphone out of his face. Please.
@6:55 PM: The Patriots trade the 26th pick to the Green Bay Packers who takes USC linebacker, Clay Matthews. Matthews is the second linebacker from So. Cal taken in the first round and he probably won't make an immediate difference but the Pack get some much needed depth at linebacker.
@7:00 PM UConn running back, Donald Brown was selected 27th overall by the Indianapolis Colts. Brown is rather small but he's a talented back who can block and has 4.4 speed. Brown led the NCAA in rushing with over 2,000 yards on the season. Granted he did that in the Big East, which isn't the powerhouse in football as they are in basketball so we'll have to see if that will translate to the big leagues.
@7:04 PM: The Bills use their second 1st round pick to take center, Eric Wood out of Louisville. Wood may spend some time at guard until he can learn to make reads at the line at this level but I doubt he start this season anyway. Do I have to say pause after saying his name?
@7:09 PM: The New York football Giants pick up Carolina wideout Hakeem Nicks. So now that they have a big, physical wide receiver do they still try to pick up Braylon Edwards? This is a great pick up for the G-Men but I still say they should go after Edwards.
@7:18 PM: Tennessee selects Kenny Britt, the Rutgers wide receiver with the 30th pick. This is a smart pick for the Titans who pretty much ran their way to the best record in the NFL last season. With the departure of Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth I would have thought they would have looked for someone to replace him but I think going receiver makes more sense. The Titans are now not as one dimensional as they were last year but they still need a big body in the middle of that defensive line.
@7:27 PM: Chris "Beenie" Wells is selected 31st by the Arizona Cardinals. This was a no brainer for the NFC champs who finished last in the NFL in rushing. The question now is if Wells can be durable and last through a 16 game regular season. Beenie is a big, physical back who can punish defenses in the middle and in the NFC West he should do just fine.
@7:33 PM: With the final pick of the first round, the Pittsburgh Steelers pick defensive tackle, Ziggy Hood out of Missouri. Hood will probably play defensive end in Pittsburgh's 3-4 defense. Hood is a relentless player who has a great motor and will more than likely sit most of the season and learn from some of the best.
The first round is in the books and I can't say this will be a memorable draft. I'm just glad the 49ers made a great pick. The USC Trojans sent three players to the NFL in the first round and the Missouri Tigers & Mississippi Rebels each sent two. I think out of all the players picked in the first round, Aaron Curry, Brian Orakpo and Michael Crabtree will probably have the biggest impact on their respective teams. Now, I'm going to sit on my couch and enjoy the second round where the real gems are picked.
