It has been an interesting draft season. Neither one of the top prospects at the quarterback position, Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen, threw at the Combine. At the Senior Bowl, we saw a disappointing performance by Tim Tebow, one of the best college quarterbacks, that led to him changing his throwing technique. He did not throw at the Combine, but really impressed scouts at his Pro Day.
It’s crazy that I am even mentioning Tebow in a discussion about the first round of the draft. He will most likely not get drafted until the second round (at the earliest), but the guy is a marketing machine, so I have to keep you in the loop. Ticket sales for the Senior Bowl increased by 5,000 after he announced that he would participate. He already has a deal with Nike and is on the cover of EA Sports’ college football game. Even the NFL invited him to Radio City Hall for the first night of the draft. (This is unheard of for a player with his draft stock.) Will teams place more value on his image or his skill?
OK, last week I said that the Redskins would trade Jason Campbell to the Rams. If this trade happens on Wednesday evening, everyone is shocked and here is how the first round of the NFL Draft goes.
1. Washington Redskins (from Rams) – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma.
Snyder and Shanahan like McNabb, but they know that he only has a few more years. They prepare for the future with a young quarterback.
2. Detroit Lions - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
4. St. Louis Rams (from Redskins) – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame.
Billy Devaney knew that he needed a quarterback. He got Jason Campbell to go out there immediately and got a great deal on his future starting QB.
5. Kansas City Chiefs—Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
6. Seattle Seahawks—Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
7. Cleveland Browns- Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
8. Oakland Raiders—Earl Thomas, S, Texas
9. Buffalo Bills – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
10. Jacksonville Jaguars—Joe Haden, CB, Florida
11. Denver Broncos—Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
12. Miami Dolphins—Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
13. San Francisco 49ers—Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
14. Seattle Seahawks—C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
15. New York Giants—Everson Griffen, DE, USC
16. Tennessee Titans—Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida
17. San Francisco 49ers—Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
18. Pittsburgh Steelers—Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho
19. Atlanta Falcons—Brandon Graham, OLB/DE, Michigan
20. Houston Texans—Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
21. Cincinnati Bengals—Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State
22. New England Patriots—Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
23. Green Bay Packers—Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
24. Philadelphia Eagles—Taylor Mays, S, USC
25. Baltimore Ravens—Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
26. Arizona Cardinals—Sergio Kindle, OLB/DE, Texas
27. Dallas Cowboys—Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State
28. San Diego Chargers—Sean Witherspoon, OLB, Missouri
29. New York Jets—Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
30. Minnesota Vikings—Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama
31. Indianapolis Colts—Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU
32. New Orleans Saints—Jahvid Best, RB, Cal
As for Tebow, he will go in Round 2 or Round 3 to a team with an established quarterback like the Patriots or Steelers. At the end of the day, this is a sports competition, not a congeniality contest. So skills win.
The NFL will release the full 2010 schedule tonight at 7 p.m. Check out your team schedule at nfl.com.
Ciao!
Heels & Helmets
