2009 NFL Draft: First Round Sleepers and Busts

By The Redshirt Senior.

Watching Mel Kiper, Chris Berman, and the rest of the ESPN crew dissect prospects, one thing was abundantly clear; apparently The Señior knows nothing about football.

Somehow Graham Harrell torches every defense that has the gall to step on the field, yet he doesn't even get drafted?

The draft was full of decisions both puzzling (Javon Ringer didn't get picked until the fifth round?) and certifiably insane (Ohio University's Mike Mitchell in the second round?).

But there's no more debatable ground than the first round, so let's take a look at the first 32 picks through the eyes of someone who doesn't care about potential, just what these guys did when they were the heroes of Saturdays' past.

1. Lions—Matthew Stafford, QB (Georgia)

The guy has always had an elite arm but was there anything Stafford did as a Bulldog that made you think he deserved a six-year, $78 million contract? Stafford never took UGA to the next level and never put the team on his back.

2. Rams—Jason Smith, OT (Baylor)

Smith may be the most overachieving converted tight end in history. He became one of the better linemen in the Big 12, but would you have ranked him ahead of Oklahoma's Phil Loadholt or Duke Robinson?

There's nothing worse than these combine wonders who see their stock rise while players who had better college careers drop. Speaking of which ....

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