1st Round Winners and Losers

For the 1st time ever, the NFL Draft moved to Prime-time last night and something amazing happened…the 1st Round took just 3 and a half hours to complete.  Now this might seem like a long time to a lot of you, but let us not forget that it was not too long ago that the 1st round would take close to 6 hours to complete!  So, with that in mind, we the fans are the first winner in this whole process.  Now a look at the other winners and losers after the 1st round…

Winners:

1. Detroit Lions–Lions fans everywhere should be thankful that the Rams took QB Sam Bradford with the 1st pick in the draft because that let the most dominant player in the Draft fall to them in DT Ndamukong Suh.  Anyone who watched the Big 12 Championship game knows how Suh is one of those play-makers on defense that single-handily changes the game.  Think Warren Sapp with the Bucs or Dwight Freeney with the Colts…that’s what Suh brings to the Lions.  He is someone that offensive coordinators will have to game-plan specifically against.  Then the Lions traded into the back of the 1st Round and picked up RB Jahvid Best from Cal.  Best is a burner, a dynamic runner, who will really help Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense.  With an offense consisting of Stafford, Best, and WR Calvin Johnson and a defense anchored by Suh, the Lions appear to be headed in the right direction.

2. Seattle Seahawks–Seattle made two major moves to upgrade their team and didn’t have to move out of their spots to do so.  After the Redskins took OT Trent Williams with the 4th pick, OT Russell Okung with the 6th pick.  Seattle offensive line coach Alex Gibbs is really high on Okung, saying that he is the starting left tackle right now, filling the hole vacated by retiring perennial Pro-Bowler Walter Jones.  Then with the 14th pick, S Earl Thomas fell in their lap.  Thomas, widely regarded as the second best safety in the draft after Eric Berry (picked by KC at #5), should be able to step in immediately and fill a major hole in Seattle’s secondary.  Pete Carroll, a defensive minded coach, should love this.

3. QB Alex Smith & RB Fred Gore (49ers)–These two guys should be salivating at the mouth after round 1.  The 49ers moved up from 13 to 11 to OT Anthony Davis out of Rutgers.  Davis is an excellent pass-blocker who should slot right in at LT and protect Alex Smith’s blindside.  While his run-blocking leaves a little bit to be desired, Davis is a kid that has tremendous potential.  Then at #17, Mike Singletary showed he wants to go back to a bruising, between the tackles running game, and selected G Mike Iupati out of Idaho.  Iupati, the only G selected in round 1, should help open up big holes for Frank Gore, who is one of the most underrated players in the NFL.  Both Smith and Gore should be excited about their future after round 1.

Losers:

1. QB Jimmy Clausen–Jimmy is an easy pick as the biggest loser in the 1st round.  Here is a guy with enormous talent who played in a pro-style offense at Notre Dame, and as of the time this is being written (currently on pick #38), Clausen is still on the Board.  Claussen was once thought of as a Top 5 pick, but circumstances and questions swirling around him dropped him out of the 1st round.  Claussen could end up as the big winner when all is said and done if he winds up falling to a team on the rise. 

2. Denver Broncos–Count me as one of the numerous people who has no idea what Coach Josh McDaniels is doing in Denver.  He trades away his franchise WR Brandon Marshall for character issues and then drafts a WR to replace him, but it isn’t Dez Bryant.  No, that distinction goes to WR Demaryius Thomas, who was rated behind Bryant on every draft board and behind WR Golden Tate and Arrelious Benn on some.  Then, McDaniels traded back into the 1st round to take QB Tim Tebow at #25.  Tebow, who I have rated as the #4 QB in the draft, is nowhere near an NFL ready QB at this time.  His throwing motion, footwork, and reading defenses all need major work.  Tebow at #25 is a MAJOR reach when he probably would have been well into the 2nd round, as both Jimmy Claussen and Colt McCoy are still undrafted through 42 picks.

3. Buffalo Bills–The best player on the Bills is easily WR Lee Evans.  Their second best player?  That title probably belongs to RB Marshawn Lynch.  So taking RB C.J. Spiller out of Clemson at #9  raises some questions.  Spiller is easily the best RB in the draft and will be an electric player in Buffalo.  But with the Bills having holes on the offensive line and all over their defense, did they really need to take Spiller when they already have Marshawn Lynch?  This makes me wonder if Lynch will still be in Buffalo come September.