For the first time in history, the NFL draft went Prime Time. The draft began today at 7:30pm EST and televised only Round 1. Tomorrow, the NFL will continue with Rounds 2 & 3 then finish off the remaining rounds over the weekend. Two unique updates to the draft this year included Zach Hatfield, a 15 year old Make-A-Wish Foundation cancer patient who was given the honor of announcing the Pittsburgh Steelers first pick in the draft. Also, NOLA Saints QB Drew Brees who was last year's Super Bowl MVP, was given the honor of announcing the Saints draft pick at 32. It is interesting to note that Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers at pick 32.
Because I live in the West Coast, I personally found the Prime Time format to be very inconvenient. I learned very quickly that I am not a fan of this new schedule. While the East Coast fans are settled in at home with their popcorn and chips, the West Coast fans were either still at work or battling traffic at the very moment the first pick was announced. Unfortunately, for West Coast fans like me, resorting to DVR proved to be the only option. Despite this problem, the draft proved to be surprising and interesting! QB Tim Tebow who most expected to fall to the later rounds, was drafted by the Denver Broncos who traded up to 25 to grab him. As a shock to many, Tebow was drafted ahead of Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy. If you happen to follow me on Twitter, you would know that this was not surprising to me whatsoever. While most of the experts and sports fans complained of Tebow's lack of throwing skills and inability to succeed at the NFL level, I believed in him. I've watched him in college and have seen many interviews that showed he is a smart young man who has the will to make it. He comes from a faith-based upbringing and he understands that every opportunity that he gets is a blessing. To me, that expresses volumes about his character.
The other aspect of the draft that I love is watching the newly drafted prospects react to their name being announced by the Commissioner. The excitement of the family, tears of joy, and what they are wearing! Call me crazy but it’s intriguing to see who’s already wearing “bling” and who’s not! Some notable picks were the Cowboys who snatched up WR Dez Bryant. This was a shock to me because I did not think he would still be available at 24. This pick by the Cowboys is clearly in reaction to the poor results shown by current WR Roy Williams. Also, the Chargers traded up to 12 for RB Ryan Mathews who will be groomed to eventually replace veteran LaDainian Tomlinson (who now plays for the Jets after being released this off season). In typical Raiders fashion, they drafted ILB Rolando McClain at 13 which came out of left field in my opinion, considering their obvious QB problem. Lastly, because this is a defensive heavy draft class, it was understandable that majority of the picks were for these positions. So, now we wait for Day 2 to continue the drama and find out where the rest of the top prospects end up.
Round 1
- Rams | Sam Bradford - QB | Oklahoma
- Lions | Ndamukong Suh - DT | Nebraska
- Buccaneers | Gerald McCoy - DT | Oklahoma
- Redskins | Trent Williams - OT Oklahoma
- Chiefs | Eric Berry - SS | Tennessee
- Seahawks | Russell Okung - OT | Oklahoma State
- Browns | Joe Haden - CB | Florida
- Raiders | Rolando McClain - LB | Alabama
- Bills | C.J. Spiller - RB | Clemson
- Jaguars | Tyson Alualu - DE | California
- 49ers | Anthony Davis - OT | Rutgers
- Chargers | Ryan Mathews - RB | Fresno State
- Eagles | Brandon Graham - DE | Michigan
- Seahawks | Earl Thomas - SS | Texas
- Giants | Jason Pierre-Paul - DE | South Florida
- Titans | Derrik Morgan - DE | Georgia Tech
- 49ers | Mike Lupati - OG | Idaho
- Steelers | Maurkice Pouncey - C | Florida
- Falcons | Sean Weatherspoon - LB | Missouri
- Texans | Kareem Jackson - CB | Alabama
- Bengals | Jermaine Gresham - TE | Oklahoma
- Broncos | Demaryius Thomas - WR | Georgia Tech
- Packers | Bryan Bulaga - OT | Iowa
- Cowboys | Dez Bryant - WR | Oklahoma State
- Broncos | Tim Tebow - QB | Florida
- Cardinals | Dan Williams - DT | Tennessee
- Patriots | Devin McCourty - CB | Rutgers
- Dolphins | Jared Odrick - DT | Penn State
- Jets | Kyle Wilson - CB | Boise State
- Lions | Jahvid Best - RB | California
- Colts | Jerry Hughes - DE | TCU
- Saints | Patrick Robinson - CB | Florida State
Love,
Peace,
and Rookies,
-c