Thoughts from Day One of the NFL Draft

Early thoughts from day one of the NFL Draft.

Winners

Green Bay Packers

I think the Pack were very fortunate to see BJ Raji fall to them at pick No. 9. In a division that features the great Vikings' Adrian Peterson, an up and comer in Bears' Matt Forte, and another good looking young runner in Lions' Kevin Smith, you've got to be stout in the middle. Raji is.

They then traded back into the first round to acquire USC LB Clay Mathews. This kid's motor never stops and he should provide a solid pass rush from the outside.

New England Patriots

After realizing that this draft was deep in the middle—second, third, and fourth rounds—the Pats became trading partners with a number of teams and ended up with eight total picks in the second and third rounds.

They used all four second round picks wisely to solidify their defense and add some depth in the secondary. The Pats have a lot of guys 30 and older and realized they needed to get younger at a number of key positions.

When great teams get begin to age, it usually signifies the end of the run; this draft, if they hit on their picks, will probably be looked back upon as the bridge from the great Pats' teams in 2000s to the team which remains near the top through the first half of the next decade.

New York Giants

The Giants came in with one glaring need and addressed it. Although he's not as big as Burress - few are, Hakeem Nicks is built similar to Anquan Boldin and possesses excellent hands. He should be able to provide Manning with the big target he was missing after Burress was suspended at the end of last season.

In round two, they landed a pass rushing linebacker and added depth to their offensive line. When it comes to the draft, Reese and his staff are among the best (see 2007 and 2008's draft). And day one is yet another example of why in New York they say "In Reese We Trust."

The guy doesn't miss.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles came away from day one feeling very pleased about their situation. And LT Jason Peters, who was acquired from Buffalo for pick No. 28, has to be included in those selections.

Thanks to a ridiculous reach by the Oakland Raiders at pick No. 7, WR Jeremy Maclin fell all the way to No. 19 where the Eagles smartly moved up two choices to grab him.

Maclin can fly, and is the type of big play receiver McNabb's been lacking since he's been in Philly, outside of a year with T.O. They scooped up Pitt RB LeSean McCoy in round two and he'll be a good change of pace for Westbrook.

Losers

Oakland Raiders

They don't even have to show me the rest of Oakland's picks, their 1st round pick, No. 7 overall, was a reach that brings to mind Donte Whitner a few years back, when the Bills selected him at No. 8 although he projected to be there at the end of round one.

Now Darrius Heyward Bey is certainly not a bum, but Michael Crabtree was clearly the best receiver in this draft followed closely by Maclin. If you're so desperate to take Bey, at least trade back, acquire extra picks, and still get him in the middle of the round. 

At least that's how a good team would do it. But then again, the Raiders are not—and as long as Davis calls the shots will not, be a good team.

Cleveland Browns

Just because you begin the day with five picks and end up with 10, doesn't mean you're doing things right. You still need to pick the right guys. It's obvious that Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry was a guy they targeted at pick No. 5. And then when he came off the board one pick too soon, they decided to deal back. And then back again.

Until finally they selected a center at pick No. 21. In round two, they selected two wide receivers as they prepare for the eventual departure of Braylon Edwards after 2009.

With so many issues on defense, and so many good defensive players in the top two rounds, why only one choice—DE David Veikune from Hawaii? Maybe giving up 22 points per game in 2008 wasn't that big of a deal after all. Just make sure you start anyone that play the Browns this year in your fantasy leagues.

Denver Broncos

Josh McDaniels has singlehandedly destroyed the Denver Broncos organization as we knew it. After signing three RBs in the off-season, he selected Knowshon Moreno at No. 12, and then dealt away next year's 1st round pick later on to grab CB Alphonso Smith at pick No. 37.

Something tells me that first round pick will turn into a top 10 pick in 2010 for the Seahawks.

But back to McDaniels for a second; first the Cutler fiasco and now this? We haven't seen this type of rapid deterioration from a franchise since the days of Rick Kotite.