NFL Draft: First-round Analysis

"Boom or bust?" That's the question every fan asks himself (or herself!) when his team is making their pick. So many questions and answers go into selecting each prospect; however, sometimes those answers supplied aren't the right ones.

This year's draft had another dimension: Finances. Sure, it's always nice not having to pay a boat-ton of money to someone who hasn't stepped on the NFL field for a game yet (thus, so many teams desiring to trade down). Factor in this isn't one of the greatest draft classes we've seen recently, and one would've thought many a top-10 deal would've gone down. But the fact is, most teams considered themselves fortunate enough to be lower in the first round, as their salary cap hit will be much less.

With the financial ruin besetting so many, saving money is the theme. Which makes the contract Detroit (owned by the Ford family...yeah, THAT Ford family....with the huge auto problem) tendered Matthew Stafford for the first overall pick that much more interesting.

And with that, let's hit the draft:

Biggest surprises:

Oakland, 7th pick: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR: For the record, nobody who saw draft coverage today is surprised by this being the "biggest surprise." What DID catch me off-guard what just how stupid Al Davis really is. Heyward-Bey posted a 4.3 40-yard dash time, the fastest in the draft. But barring JaMarcus Russell simply chucking a ball up and letting him catch it (not a guarantee- he doesn't have great hands), Crabtree and Maclin were certainly better selections here. Their route-running skills, not to mention their ability to take a short pass and turn it into something huge or tiptoe along an out-of-bounds line, were the reason they were so highly regarded.

Fun fact: ESPN SportsNation polling: "Which is the crazier first-round Raiders pick: Sebastian Janikowski in 2000, or Darrius Heyward-Bey?"

A receiver vs. a kicker. That should tell you something. And right now (roughly 10:45 PM when I'm typing this) the kicker is up only 51-49%.

Denver, 12th pick: Knowshon Moreno, RB: Yes, Jay Cutler's gone. I won't even get into that. But when your coach says "When you can get a great back, you get him" that doesn't scream smarts to me. Especially when you decided to fire the offensive coordinator after he directed the league's 2nd-best offense, despite ending the season with seven running backs on injured reserve. And having your two leading receivers out at some point during the season.

Oh yeah, and the defense was ranked 26th overall. So much for immediately addressing need. Denver did take Robert Ayers (from the University of Tennessee!), a defensive end who created a lot of problems during his time in the SEC. But at #12, there were Malcom Jenkins (CB), Brian Orakpo (DE), and Brian Cushing (OLB) still available. For a defense that managed 6 interceptoins, 26 sacks [less than 2 a game], and 45 tackles for loss [less than three per contest], the defense needs an overhaul.

Philadelphia, 19th pick: Jeremy Maclin, WR: Projected by draft gurus Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay to go in the 9-12 pick range, Maclin spiraling to 19th definitely surprises me. Of course, when Oakland...oh, never mind. The point is, Philly's receiving corp of DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, and Kevin Curtis doesn't scare anyone. Jackson led the team with 62 receptions for 912 yards.

What stands out to me is how Philly's third-leading receiver was Brian Westbrook, their running back. That tells me the Eagles don't feel confident they have a legit #1 receiver (like a Roddy White, T.J. Housmanzadeh, Marques Colston, etc.) with the big-play threat. Jackson's more of a speed-burner with some route-running skills attached, a fine #2, but I'm thinking he'll create more matchup problems with a standout opposite him. Maclin is similar to Jackson in build and skill set, but can improve his ability to get off the line. And he can make immediate impact in the return game, as well.

Maclin falling this far to 19th is fantastic for the Eagles.

Detroit, 20th pick: Brandon Pettigrew, TE: They already got their QB. They have Calvin Johnson (gotta love the irony: Georgia QB to Georgia Tech WR), and a solid RB (Kevin Smith, the standout at UCF). And a defense ranked 31st last year. Plus an O-line that allowed 52 sacks.

A lot more pressing needs than a pass-catching TE. He's useless if Stafford doesn't have time. And that defense will not get better by itself: At #20, the Lions could've taken Michale Oher (OT), Perria Jerry (DE), or a USC linebacker (Maluaga or Matthews). Just sayin'.

The "What the Heck?" moment (besides whatever the Raiders did):

Cleveland, 21st pick: Alex Mack, C: The whole Cleveland-trading-down saga caused me to scratch my head. With the fifth pick, the could've taken anyone except Matthew Stafford, Tyson Jackson, Jason Smith, or Aaron Curry. Their offense and defense weren't among the league's top-20.

So WHY keep trading down (by my count, at least twice....these three-way deals throw things off) and then take a center, of all people? Looking at the last five years, only two centers have been taken in the first round:

2006: Nick Mangold, 26th overall, NY Jets
2005: Chris Spencer, 26th overall, Seattle Seahawks

Six (seven counting this year) centers have been selected in round two since 2004. Only two aren't playing at the center position (moved to other O-line spots). It's worth noting that every single one is still playing with the team the drafted them.

My point? Cleveland could've waited until round two. They had more pressing needs, certainly all over the place on defense. While I applaud the efforts to move down for the salary cap, and the deal with the Jets (receiving a later first-round and a sixth-round pick, plus a backup QB, starting S, and DE) might help fill some holes for a bit, they need a big playmaker. And they didn't get it.

Chris Berman: NOT the guy you want as the main guy for announcing: I haven't seen so many awkward pauses during a sentence, nor in two hours of coverage. For anything. Heck, my first GCSU softball play-by-play game, I didn't know I was DOING radio until five minutes beforehand. And I didn't have that many awkward pauses.

Sure, there's a lot to keep up with, and plenty of "breaking news" moments going on. But c'mon. If you're talking about Tampa Bay stocking quarterbacks, don't veer onto Michael Oher's great story because he's on the screen mid-sentence. Finish your thoughts.

As aside: I love Berman doing highlights. Such as Freeman's, when he rolls left, and Berman asks "do you think he has any arm strength?" and upon Freeman flicking it 60 yards downfield: "WHOOP!"

How'd my Falcons do? Great!

From ESPN NFL South blogger Pat Yasinskas: "There's no doubt Jerry will be starting next to Jonathan Babineaux on opening day. There's almost no doubt Peria would have started for the Saints or Bucs right away. We'll grade this draft in a few years. But, as of right now, the Falcons are the only NFC South with an absolute certain immediate starter."

Total bias moment: Dimitrioff and Smith have done a fantastic job drafting. Last year was immensely awesome. Rebuilding the defense with the first two picks is exactly what needed to be done. Nice not having "miraculous" picks like Oakl-er, nice staying on-task and playing it smart.

Winners: Green Bay (two defensive players that can play in their new 3-4 scheme- great job), Philadelphia

Honorable Mention: San Francisco (Winners of the "how far will Michael Crabtree fall?" sweepstakes at #10)

Big Losers: Oakland (surprised?), Cleveland (blew the first-round pick, in my book)

Honorable Mention: Denver (RB as first pick, option to take Josh Freeman to challenge Orton for QB position taken away by Tampa Bay trading up)

Just remember: This is all immediate reaction. We won't know exactly how each pick fares for a couple of years. Of course, we'll have a couple more drafts to agonize over before that time, too.