Thoughts on the Draft..

By Scott

Todd McShay had a good time at the draft, did you?

Well, the 2009 NFL Draft is in its closing stages as I type, and what a weekend it has been.  ESPN gave us a slew of unforgettable moments, the Raiders continue to leave the nation in puzzlement, and so much more. 

• Plenty of criticism against the Lions for picking Matthew Stafford over Jason Smith or Aaron Curry.  But, I personally like Stafford for a few reasons.  He has a laser arm that is undoubtedly NFL ready, he played against the best competition college football has to offer in the SEC, and Stafford was a 3-year starter at Georgia where he saw his numbers steadily increase every year.  The Lions also added TE Brandon Pettigrew and speedy WR Derrick Williams to their roster.  Aided with budding superstar Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith, the Lions could actually showcase a productive offense this year.

• The Chief's decision to pass on Aaron Curry for Tyson Jackson is not as crazy as it sounds.  Kansas City's transition into the 3-4 will be much easier with Jackson who is a natural five-technique player.  Curry is going to have a great career, but the Chief's went with the player they deemed better fit for their developing defense.

• The Jets made the biggest move of the draft, moving up 11 spots from #16 to #5 in order to draft USC QB Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez is certainly a good looking prospect, but his lightning quick rise up the draft board worries me for a guy with so many question marks. Only 1 year of starting experience, surrounded by some of the best talent in the country has to cause concern.  The upside for Sanchez is the fact that the Jets are ready to win.  A solid offensive line aided with a veteran running back gives Sanchez plenty of help and will relieve some pressure.  However, people who expect Sanchez to have a "Matt Ryan-type impact" are dreaming.  Remember, Ryan was a 4-year starter at Boston College.  That allowed him to essentially experience every possible game situation and plenty of adversity, something Sanchez has not had time to endure.  I think he'll see moderate success in the NFL, but won't live up to the expectations he's already faced with.

• The biggest "Did that seriously just happen?" moment of the weekend came when the Raiders drafted WR Darrius Heyward-Bey with the 7th pick, passing on Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin.  Heyward-Bey ran a 4.3 40 at the combine making him the fastest player in the draft and an obvious target of the Raiders.  Al Davis has been in a constant search for the next Cliff Branch, but it's time for Davis to realize that the fastest player on the field isn't that much of an advantage anymore.  Straight ahead speed is no longer as valuable for NFL receivers as the difference between the fastest and second fastest player on the field is now miniscule.  The criticisms have really stemmed from the fact that the Raiders could have potentially gotten Heyward-Bey 10 or more picks later.  The Maryland WR has bust written all over him, and Oakland will regret passing on Crabtree all while Al Davis will continues to baffle the nation with his antics.

Darrius Heyward-Bey's mother is happy her son was selected.

• The Green Bay Packers quietly had the best first round in the draft.  Boston College DT B.J. Raji and USC LB Clay Matthews will both make huge impacts right away for the Packer's defense that is making the transition into the 3-4.  Raji is a massive presence who can eat up space in the middle, and Matthews has great upside and could have gone much higher than 26.  The Packers may have improved their team for now more than any other team in the draft.  Green Bay has huge sleeper potential, and I think they'll make a serious run at the NFC North title, and possibly more.

• The Dolphins had the most interesting draft of the weekend.  Vontae Davis has great upside and concerns about his work ethic are pointless.  Once he enters an NFL camp and gets burned a few times, he'll be in the weight room.  I don't understand the criticism against Miami for taking Pat White with the 124th pick overall.  White might not evolve into a starting quarterback in the NFL, but think of how much thicker the Dolphin's playbook just got.  The Wildcat formation will be completely unpredictable and opens up everything else for Miami's offense.  Opposing defenses will have some sleepless nights preparing for the arsenal the Dolphins bring.  A 6'3" frame made Sean Smith the tallest corner in the draft, and he should turn into a solid presence in the Dolphin's secondary.  Parcells loves physical corners and he drafted two this weekend.  If you're able to get around Miami's front 7, you'll have just as much of a problem getting by the most physical secondary in the league.  Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline are two more notable names Miami selected this weekend.  Turner is a project with a ton of potential.  Whether or not he'll ever come into his own after being declared a bust at USC, is impossible to predict.  Regardless, the Dolphins had holes and filled them.  And knowing Bill Parcells, this draft could turn out some big time players for Miami.

• Chris Berman looked as though he was fading in and out of consciousness throughout the first 2 rounds on Saturday.  Set aside his mysterious appearance, Berman one-upped himself this year, dropping a googolplex of awkward and horrible jokes.  Most of the words that came out of Boomer's mouth weren't even logical.  Berman also drew serious comparisons to Fred Flinstone. 

• That's not to mention the rest of the cast struggling to maintain a strong conversation without an awkward silence.  Herm Edwards made his first big-time appearance for ESPN, and after showing some flashes of Emmitt on Saturday, Herm got settled in and was a great contributor on Sunday.  Speaking of Sunday, the main table on day 2 was much more enjoyable to watch.  I'm not sure where Keyshawn gained credibility as a draft analyst, and Jaws should have replaced him on Saturday.
  


• Perhaps the biggest moves over the weekend were the ones that didn't happen.  The rumors that Braylon Edwards was heading to New York never came to fruition, but the Giants won't be missing out for too long with the additions of Hakeem Nicks and Cal Poly prospect Ramses Barden.  Even more surprising was the Cardinals decision to hold onto Anquan Boldin.  It's unknown if Arizona received any decent offers, but for the number of teams interested, the Cardinals should have pulled the trigger and avoided the long-term holdout that is probably coming their way.  The Eagles were rumored to have inquired about Boldin and Bronco's TE Tony Scheffler.  Philly didn't get either, but did the draft WR Jeremy Maclin in the first round.  Maclin has a lot of bust potential, and the Eagles have once again lost out on acquiring an offensive weapon that could take them to the next level.