The NFL Draft usually tells you everything you need to know about a franchise. The Colts more or less threw an entire season's worth of games in order to land Luck, who--they pray, is the "next big thing." The Redskins, a notoriously shoddy organization, mortgaged their entire future (three first-round picks, a second-round pick and a late-round pick) for an unconventional quarterback who will have very little in the way of surrounding cast.
With the drama sucked out of the first two picks, here's our reaction to the rest of the draft:
3rd pick (Browns): Surprise, surprise, the Cleveland Browns, another historically terrible franchise, trades this year's 4th, 5th and 7th-round picks to move up ONE SPOT to take Trent Richardson, RB. While there's no question Richardson is an immense talent, there was no real threat for the Vikings to take him off the board or execute any blockbuster trade with another team. The Browns squandered 3 chances to find a late, contributing gem for...? What? I don't really know.
4th Pick (Vikings): Matt Kalil, OT. There's nothing cool about drafting an offensive lineman early in the draft. It's just not sexy. But the fact is that the best teams in the league have the best offensive line.
5th Pick (Jaguars): Justin Blackmon, WR. Unquestionably the best WR in the draft. Like we said in the last post, though, taking a WR this high in the draft is one of the bigger risks a team can take. Now the Jaguars will have to hope they have a QB on their roster who can get them the ball.
6th Pick (Cowboys): Dallas Cowboys give up the 14th overall pick and their 2nd round pick to select Morris Claiborne, CB. Have to scratch my head over this one. It's a cardinal rule these days in the draft not to draft for need. Draft the best player available. Not only did the Cowboys draft for need, they moved up 8 spots in the first round to do it, losing their 2nd round pick in the process. They better hope Claiborne turns out to be an absolute superstar.
7th Pick (Buccaneers): Mark Barron, S. A hard-hitter with decent ball-skills, Barron is a nice piece to the buzzle, but the Bucs have a long way to go before they're legitimately competitive.
Side note: Why can't Gruden shut up and let someone who actually does this for a living (Mel Kiper, maybe?) get a work in edge-wise. Maybe his blonde butt-cut just bothers me.
8th Pick (Dolphins): Are they really going to go with Tannehill? I'll find out in a few minutes, but this could be a Christian Ponder-sized mistake. The fact that he played WR in college before he even transitioned to QB has to be a red flag.
And they took him. Wow. Dolphins QB Depth chart: Matt Moore, David Garrard and Ryan Tannehill. Somewhere Tom Brady is drinking champagne made of liquefied diamonds and laughing his ass off. Tannheill threw 9 interceptions to Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma state--the biggest games on the biggest stages in his collegiate career. Who is his supporting cast? Davon Bess and Fasano. Good luck, kid.
John Gruden: "I like this pick for Miami." Of course you do, Gruden, you like every pick.
9th Pick (Panthers): Luke Kuechly, ILB. They need help on defense and they got it. Kuechly is supposedly the best linebacker in the draft. Like the Bucs, it's a nice start.
10th Pick (Bills): Stephon Gilmore, CB. I've never seen a player look more miserable to get drafted in the top 10 of the first round. Can you blame him? He's going to Buffalo.
11th Pick (Chiefs): Dontari Poe, DT. Well this could spell disappointment for the Ravens. The Steelers were rumored to be very interested in Poe. Now that he's off the board, Pittsburgh is free to go after Hightower. It's also a bit of a reach for the Chiefs, but if he's anywhere near as good as the Haloti Ngata comparisons he's getting, Poe will dominate for the Chiefs.
Apparently there are concerns that he has motivation problems. Can you say Albert Haynesworth?
12th Pick (Eagles): Eagles traded up. Some DT. Who cares.
13th Pick (Cardinals): The cardinals have needs almost everywhere except for WR.
...And they took a WR. The Cardinals took Michael Floyd from Notre Dame. Now they have an amazing WR corps with Fitzgerald, Floyd and Early Doucet, but no established QB to throw them the ball.
14th Pick (Rams): The Rams have positioned themselves for absolute dominance over the next few years. Not only did they make the blockbuster trade with the Redskins, but they also made a huge trade with the Cowboys. They have more 1st and 2nd round picks than almost anyone over the next couple of years.
They took Michael Brockers, DT. Good pick. They definitely need help on defense.
15th Pick (Seahawks): Bruce Irvin, DE. 4.4 Speed but he's only a pass rush specialist.
16th Pick (Jets): Does Tebow have any siblings? If so, the Jets will draft him.
They took Quinton Coples... no relation Tebow, however, Tim was quoted as saying, "we are all God's children, so we're all brothers right!?"
17th pick (Cincinnati): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB. Good player on Alabama's defense. A big hitter that will have a chance to start right away for the Bengals.
18th Pick (San Diego):
19th
20th....
Honestly, we got bored and ordered a pizza during the middle rounds. They just didn't really have any effect on us and most of the teams were terrible.
21st pick (Patriots): Pats trade up for Chandler Jones, brother of Ravens Aurthur Jones and UFC Champion Jon Jones. They are all freaks of nature; Chan Jones is 6' 5".
22nd Pick (Browns): Brandon Wheeden, QB. Yes the Brown just took a guy whose turning 30 this year. Every QB has a learning curb so by time Wheeden figures it all out he could be 32 or 33. Questionable pick unless he can play until his 40's.
23rd Pick (Lions): Riley Reiff, OT.
24th Pick (Steelers): David DeCastro Gaurd. Definitely the biggest need for the Steeler, surprised they didn't go with Hightower honestly but they filled their biggest hole here. The guys on ESPN also said they were surprised Hightower isn't a Steeler
25th Pick (Patriots): Pats take Hightower off the board here; way too much talent and leadership to pass on. Would have loved to see him on the Ravens but I'm glad he's not a Steeler.
26th Pick (Houston): Whitney Mercilus DE. Don't know much about him. Sweet last name...
27th Pick (Some Team): Some Gaurd. getting bored talking about these guys just want the Ravens to pick already.
28th Pick DE Nick Perry DE / OLB from USC.
RAVENS PICK: Thank god ....
Just kidding we traded the pick. The Ravens must not have loved anyone so they traded out for more picks. It's definitely a buzz-kill, but I'm not gonna question Ozzie Freakin' Newsome.
We'll be back tomorrow night to take a look at some actual players who have joined the Ravens. Look for Peter Konz or Courtney Upshaw to be on the top of their list as they're both still on the board.
OK, I have to ask, since you mention it in a couple of places: "Is Gruden "slow?" Now, there used to be another name for it, but in the PC world we live in, we dare not use terms that were commonplace most of our lives, lest we be labeled insensitive. The pace of his speech, his flailing arm motions, his excessive touching and of course, the exuberance that let's you know he has definitely taken his "meds," all lead me to believe that he has no consciousness regarding his demeanor. And ESPN is thinking what?
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