As the amazingly entertaining NBA Playoffs rages on, the completely overhyped NFL Draft finally took place last weekend. Despite all the coverage, the draft is hard to judge until multiple seasons afterwards when the players have had adequate time to adapt and develop. Nevertheless, here are some of the main storylines:
The Oakland Raiders took LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick, and is expected to sign a contract well over $50 million for the next six years. Good luck behind that poor offensive line.
The Raiders traded Randy Moss to the New England Patriots for a fourth round pick. The Patriots are the unofficial offseason winners as Bill Belichick prepares for one last push for a Super Bowl run.
The Detroit Lions could not get a satisfactory trade proposal so took freak athelete Calvin Johnson, wide receiver out of Georgia Tech.
Notre Dame's Brady Quinn free fall was well documented, as the Cleveland Browns passed on him at No.3 for dominant left tackle Joe Thomas. The Browns later traded back into the first round for Dallas' No.22 to nab the hometown boy.
In the biggest shock of the draft, the Miami Dolphins passed on Quinn taking the injured Ohio State receiver and returner Ted Ginn Jr. New head coach Cam Cameron, the genious behind the San Diego Chargers' powerhouse offense the last few years, was met with heavy boos at a press conference.
NFL.com: The 10th pick was 19-year-old defensive tackle Amobi Okoye of Louisville, by Houston. He's the youngest player drafted in the first round since the merger and will join last year's No. 1 overall pick, defensive end Mario Williams, on the line.
Teams were not afraid to draft running backs early, starting with the Minnesota Vikings selecting Adrian Peterson at No.9 and Buffalo Bills selecting Marshawn Lynch at No.12.
Ohio State Heisman winning quarterback Troy Smith was finally selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the final pick of the fifth round. Look for Smith, who is nothing but a winner, to flourish behind Steve McNair and a scary defense.
Sports Illustrated on the champs: Indy has lost defenders Cato June, Jason David, Nick Harper, Mike Doss and Montae Reagor this offseason. So they need to draft defenders, right? The Colts first two picks were receiver Anthony Gonzalez and offensive tackle Tony Ugoh.
The Seattle Seahawks, without a first-round pick because of the Deion Branch trade, went with a corner and defensive tackle for their first two picks. Their big splash was trading away Darrell Jackson to divison rival San Francisco for a fourth round pick. This puts Branch as the undisputed No.1 option, with D.J. Hackett the favorite to start alongside him, and Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram rounding out the still deep receiving corps.
Early Super Bowl pick, and note this has nothing to do with who they drafted: Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots.
As the amazingly entertaining NBA Playoffs rages on, the completely overhyped NFL Draft finally took place last weekend. Despite all the coverage, the draft is hard to judge until multiple seasons afterwards when the players have had adequate time to adapt and develop. Nevertheless, here are some of the main storylines:
