2009 NFL Draft: Day 1 Player News

Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for that wondrous event that is the NFL Draft.

Continue to tune in throughout the day as the Bruno Boys breakdown the picks and the fantasy impact each selection will have on the 2009 fantasy football season.

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To no surprise, with the first pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select University of Georgia quarterback, Matthew Stafford. The pick will cost them $41.7 million in guaranteed money and could cost up-wards of $78 million over the life of the contract.

Fans in Detroit are praying the pick works out and that Stafford is not the next Alex Smith because if he fails, the team is looking at many more dismal seasons ahead as they have tied up a good deal of cash in the pick.

With Stafford coming to town, a revival looks out of the question for Daunte Culpepper, but it should mean good things for stud wide out Calvin Johnson as he'll have a capable arm throwing him the ball.

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Pick No. 2 is Jason Smith, offensive tackle from Baylor, by the St. Louis Rams. The big boy should help open holes for running back, Steven Jackson, and should keep Marc Bulger upright more often than he has been in years past.

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In a surprising move, the Kansas City Chiefs select DE Tyson Jackson out of LSU over LB Aaron Curry of Wake Forest. Jackson's stock had risen leading up to the draft. The Chiefs hope he can put pressure on opposing QBs, something needed for a team that recorded just 10 sacks in 2008.

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With the Chiefs passing on Aaron Curry, the Seattle Seahawks jumped on the linebacker out of Wake Forest. Curry should help a defense that gave up 24.5 points per game last season, ranking them 25th in the league.

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With Brett Favre actually retiring, the New York Jets were in need of a man to line up under center. As such, the team pulled off a trade with the Cleveland Browns to jump to the No. 5 slot in the draft. With the selection, the Jets plucked quarterback Mark Sanchez out of USC. Sanchez should start immediately over Kellen Clemens and does increase wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller's value just slightly.

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The combine may not have been Andre Smith's friend, but the offensive tackle from Alabama still ended up a top 10 pick thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals, a team not shy when it comes to taking players with off-field issues. Smith should give Carson Palmer a bit more time to throw the ball, something he'll need with favorite target, TJ Houshmandzadeh now a Seattle Seahawk.

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Al Davis is indeed his own man as made evident by the Oakland Raiders selection of wide receiver Darrius Heyward in the seventh spot. The overall consensus was that Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech was the best wide out in the draft. The Raiders though are impressed with Heyward's natural ability and with a young squad believe they can mold him into a stud wide out in the years to come for JaMarcus Russell.

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Despite the need for a wide receiver, the Jacksonville Jaguars felt their need at O-line was more important to address. As such, the team has taken Eugene Monroe out of Virginia Tech. Running back, Maurice Jones-Drew should be thrilled as the team's new featured back will find plenty more holes to run through with Monroe on board.

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The switch to a 3-4 defense leads the Green Bay Packers to select defensive tackle, B.J. Raji, out of Boston College. Raji should be able to effectively clog the middle against the run.

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One Bay Area team's loss is another's gain. Thanks to the Oakland Raiders decision to select Darrius Heyward-Bay over Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree, the wide out fell all the way to No. 10 to the San Francisco 49ers.

Crabtree is a legitimate threat on the outside, something the Niners have not had since the departure of Terrell Owens. Crabtree should be able to learn a great deal from veteran wide out Isaac Bruce and could have immediate fantasy impact. He'll be greatly appreciated by either Alex Smith or Shaun Hill, depending on who wins the QB battle.

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The Buffalo Bills are not short on offensive weapons, especially with the addition of Terrell Owens this offseason. Thus, the team went with defense with their first selection in the first round, taking defensive end Aaron Maybin, out of Penn State. Maybin should improve the Bills' pass rush, a unit that had just 24 sacks in 2008.

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Apparently, you can never have too many running backs as the Denver Broncos go ahead and take Knowshon Moreno out of the University of Georgia. Moreno joins the likes of J.J. Arrington, Correll Buckhalter, Ryan Torain, LaMont Jordan, Selvin Young, and Peyton Hillis in what should be a crazy position battle in Denver this offseason.

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Wasting no time following the Broncos selection, the Washington Redskins go with Brian Orakpo out of Texas. The defensive end was considered a top 10 pick by many experts heading into the draft. No doubt, the Redskins are pleased to have the end fall to them. Orakpo will join forces with Albert Haynesworth to form one scary defensive line.

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Drew Brees and co. can give defenses fits. However, the New Orleans Saints' secondary, even in not having to face Brees, also is in fits most of the time. In an attempt to change that, the team has selected cornerback, Malcolm Jenkins. 

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Outside linebacker, Brian Cushing, out of USC, will join the likes of Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye, giving the Houston Texans many young weapons on the defensive side of the ball. With a more aggressive game plan from new defensive coordinator, Frank Bush, Sr., the team could be a nice surprise at the defensive slot for the purposes of fantasy football.

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In another surprising move, the San Diego Chargers took DE Larry English out of Northern Illinois. Many expected English to go towards the back-end of round one, but instead of taking the best player on the board, San Diego wanted to address a need and in getting English they did just that. After losing Igor Olshansky to Dallas, English will fit right into the Chargers scheme and will be rushing the quarterback for many years to come.

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For the second time today Cleveland has traded down in the draft, this time they send the 17th overall pick to Tampa Bay.  This move allowed the Buccaneers to draft their quarterback of the future in Kansas State signal caller Josh Freeman.

Freeman has all of the intangibles and physical ability to be a start in this league, but he is still raw and will be better suited sitting behind Luke McNown or Byron Leftwich for at least one year.

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With their second pick in the first round the Denver Broncos take University of Tennessee linebacker Robert Ayers. A late bloomer, Ayers will be used as a pass rushing linebackers in the Broncos new defensive scheme and should start right out of the gate. The addition of Ayers will help, but not enough for the Broncos become a must own fantasy football defense.

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How fitting, the Cleveland Browns have traded again. For the third time in the first 18 picks Cleveland has traded down, this time they sent the pick to the Philadelphia Eagles and they will receive Philadelphia 21st overall pick.  Moving up, the Eagles jump on University of Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Many thought Maclin would be a top-10 pick, but with Al Davis throwing everyone a curve-ball and drafting Darrius Heyward-Bey it changed the dynamics of the draft.  In Maclin, Philadelphia gets a speedster (4.48 forty-yard-dash) who is a carbon copy of DeSean Jackson.

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Interesting pick by the Detroit Lions with the 20th overall, as they snag Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew is a big-time talent and has the physical ability to be a top-tier fantasy football tight end, but with the Lions offense lacking consistency it could be a year or two before he comes into his own.

Ideally, the Lions should have went after someone on the defensive side of the football but at least they are giving Matthew Stafford the weapons to produce in the Motor City.

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