NFL Draft: Day One Analysis

Let me start with the disclaimer: I do not watch Mel Kiper, Jr. because I find him a little creepy.  I can't put my finger on it, but he reminds me of Joe Francis.

While I enjoy Todd McShay, I try not to watch too much of these draft "gurus," because my opinion of them as blowhards who talk like they know more than they do is coloured by my feelings about Kiper.

I watch some NFL Live, but I can take so much football when the season is so far away.  The same goes for the constant retreading of draft comments.

In other words, I don't know what I am talking about.

But I do know the basics about football better than most people, and I do know my NFL.  In my delusional world, that makes what I think of this draft worthy of an audience, for which I am glad there is a blog available.

There were 14 first round picks acquired via trade, the second-most since 1970.  I want to rank each team's draft, so to do that one must analyze what teams gave up or got for sliding up or down.  

I watched as much of the draft as my job and tolerance for the one thing on television with less action than a golf or bowling tournament, or watching cars drive around in a circle in support of terrorism funded by their waste of petroleum, would allow.

But they did not tell you the full trade, only the resulting change in who holds that one pick.

I have spent over an hour looking on both the NFL and ESPN websites looking for a summary of the draft day trades.

Nothing.

Sorry, but I have a job and a real life (and wife) to get back to.  It's great to know I did two hours of work for nothing, since some schmuck who does this for a living cannot put together a simple list stating "Green Bay Packers traded No. 30 to Jets for No. 36 and No. 113..." etc. 

Even my video games give me this, so why can't the NFL website?

I was able to ascertain this one because while I cannot devote the time to search team-by-team, I will devote the time to research the trade for my team. 

I want my hour back. 

Had I known I would not be able to find a list, I could have spent that hour searching each team's website.  Now I must resign myself to a touchdown's worth of observations:

1. Felix Jones (pictured above) is the steal of the draft and will be the best running back from it when it is over.
2. The Raiders were dumb to take McFadden for several reasons: he fumbles a ton, he runs upright but lacks the physicality of Adrian Peterson, and he will struggle when faced with no longer being markedly faster than his opponents. He has never been called upon to run the ball as often as the fourth pick in the draft should, and never did so out of a standard set. Oh, and they already have Super Bowl XLI MVP Dominic Rhodes, former Louisville standout Michael Bush, former 1000-yard rusher LaMont Jordan, and last year's leading rusher Justin Fargas!  Most of those guys have no trade value, now that teams know at least one of them will have to be cut.  Typical Al Davis idiocy. It is time for the league to step in and remove him, evoking the "for the good of the game" clause since it is wrong to have a professional 32-team league with only 31 professional teams.  Okay, I'm done with that rant.
3. Speaking of using your top pick on a position you are already overloaded on, what was Green Bay's Ted Thompson thinking trading down so far he missed Brandon Flowers?  Most people thought they were going to pick at No. 30 because they need an immediate nickel corner and someone who can step in when aging stars Al Harris and Charles Woodson get nicked or eventually retire.
4. And what was Thompson then thinking by grabbing a receiver?  I actually think Jordy Nelson may have been the best receiver in the draft (they all fell to the second round for a reason), but is Thompson planning on trading one of the four starting-quality players at that position currently on the roster?  At best, this guy could elevate to the No. 3 wide-out, but that would relegate the third-round pick of James Jones last year a waste.  2006 second-rounder Greg Jennings was Favre's go-to guy when Driver was covered last year, and Driver is the team's only Pro Bowl receiver.
5. All teams did well in picking quarterbacks today.  The Falcons had to take a quarterback, and Ryan was the safest pick at that position and a true top six guy in talent.  The Ravens then made the right move trading down to bolster their roster and still grabbed Joe Flacco, who I believe will be the best quarterback out of this year's draft because of his size and athleticism.  The Packers were smart to grab Brian Brohm based on Aaron Rodgers' limited resume and apparent propensity for injury, and the Dolphins desperately needed an upgrade at that position and got the best guy left in Chad Henne.
6. As a Packers' fan, I thank the Lord the Bears are in the NFC North. We may not have the Raiders to get fat on, but the Bears are a slightly more talented version.  How do they pass on all three quarterbacks available to them at the No. 14 pick AND both that are still available at No. 44?  Even if they believe Rex Grossman will come around (which would indicate tremendous incompetence), he is only signed to a one-year contract, so if he plays well he will be costly or gone.
7. And the extra point, which may or may not be good...Vernon Gholston will be this year's draft bust.  I say this because he was inconsistent, and his athleticism will not be as superior in the NFL as it was in the smashmouth Big Ten (Eleven) Conference.  He will struggle against the speed of NFL players just as he did against Florida in those championships.

Now if I can get a breakdown of every trade, maybe I can rank the entire draft on Monday; tomorrow I'll be writing on the Sharks' Game Two match-up against Dallas.