End of 1st round...

Lots of surprises, lots of tears and not enough Rachel Nichols. Taking a quick peep at the picks, San Fran came out as a winner. Laurence Maroney (New England) and Deangelo Williams (Carolina) were steals as well as Santonio Holmes at the 25th pick by Pittsburgh. Funny how three of the best teams in the NFL just got even better.

More coverage to come later. Nice to see the Redskins make a move. I have no idea how Dan Snyder comes up with all the money. Nice for him, lucky for us.

Congratulations Tye Hill

I can't really explain how happy I am for Tye Hill to go with the 15th pick. He's a small town guy, from a little place called St. George, and he's been making moves ever since. Always a classy guy at Clemson, Tye moved to corner his sophomore year and flourished. With track speed and some real football toughness, he should be a solid NFL corner.

I can't wait to see how fast he runs on the fast track in St. Louis.

Congrats Tye! Make us proud.

Take It away cody

i'll defer to Cody the clemson tiger to tell you why Tye Hill is a great pick for the Rams.

Rating the Draft Thus Far

Making the Grade: How Have they Done?



Houston Texans- Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State
Why? Why did you draft Sam Bowie when you had courted Michael Jordan? Oh well, Williams will make many pro bowls, but he will not be Reggie Bush. You can't really go wrong drafting number one, but I give the Texans two thumbs down for blowing this opportunity.

Grade: C


New Orleans Saints- Reggie Bush, APB, USC
Kudos to the Saints for taking a look at all of the options, then laughing at them and making the smart decision. They drafted the new face of their franchise - a guy with hall of fame talent. He's an even better person than he is football player and should stand as a nice foundation for the future.

Grade: A+


Tennessee Titans- Vince Young, QB, Texas
Its an interesting pick, but you can't doubt the talent in Young and the fact that it fills a need. Jeff Fisher is familiar with a mobile quarterback and Vince Young will have a nice nucleus of young players around him. This is a solid pick and there really was not anything else they could do with this one.

Grade: B


New York Jets- D'Brickashaw Ferguson, LT, UVA
Very good pick here for the Jets. They feel solid at quarterback and left tackles are generally safe picks early in the draft. Ferguson is a guy with incredible talent and some upside. He will be a dominant tackle in the league for the next fifteen years and gives the Jets something to build around on their revamped offensive line.

Grade: B+


Green Bay Packers- A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State
Green Bay went the safe route with the solid linebacker out of THE Ohio State University. Hawk has been a solid player for years at Ohio State and should make an immediate impact in Green Bay. Hawk appears to be a bigger version of Dan Morgan and could be bound for many pro bowls. In this pick, the Packers got a talented player and filled a need for Green Bay.

Grade: A-


San Francisco 49ers- Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
San Fran could have used a QB here, but wait, they drafted one 1st overall last year. Davis will give that offense a much needed weapon. To be blunt, there are too many holes in the 49ers to fill in just one draft, but Davis is a good start. They probably should have gone defense in this spot, but its hard to pass on a freakish athlete like Vernon Davis.

Grade: B


Oakland- Michael Huff, DB, Texas
I don't like it. Simply put, they shouldn't have passed on Leinhart in this spot. Huff is a good player, but there will be DBs availible in the 2nd round that are comparable to Huff in ability. He is not the game changing DB that we normally see taken in the first ten picks. If Oakland is going to have success on the field, they need a good quarterback who is in it for the long haul. Tough loss here for Raiders' fans, who could have had the local boy throwing touchdowns.

Grade: D



Buffalo- Donte Whitner, DB, Ohio State
Bizarre pick, but Marv knows best. I think Whitner is underrated and will be a good player, but this is a little bit of a reach at number eight. Strange pick for the Bills, but perhaps they know something that I don't.

Grade: C+



Detroit- Ernie Sims, LB, FSU
Sims has risen up draft boards steadily. This is a very good pick for Detroit. Maybe Matt Millen will finally learn that wide recievers don't win championships. Sims should be a good fit with that improved D in Detroit.

Grade: B


Arizona- Matt Leinart, QB, USC
Consider Arizona the big winners today. Denny Green had a big smile for a big reason. Great catch here with the west coast QB coming down to the valley. He should energize the fan base and provide stability. Leinart fell a little bit, but his loss will be 'Zona's reward.

Grade: A+

Tye Hill will be a Hit

Don't sleep on Tye Hill.

4.3 Forty, fastest man in the draft. This guy was the real deal at Clemson, locking down an entire side of the field and delivering big hits as well. I had the opportunity to watch Hill for four years at Clemson and I can honestly say that he is a class guy.

Whoever picks up Hill in this next hour will be getting one heck of a football player and an even better person. I thought it might be St. Louis at 11 to take him, but he might fall a little bit now. I look for Tye to be the next DB taken, probably ahead of the over-hyped Jimmy Williams.

One More Matt Leinart Odd

100% chance he celebrates by having sex with a cast member of MTV’s Laguna Beach

Matt Leinart Odds

80% chance Matt is a top ten draft pick.
90% chanceMel Kiper calls him a steal
70% chance Matt's mom Cries when he answers the phone.
0% chance anyone every says to me "Hey Danny, you remind me of Matt Leinart"

Vernon Davis is a stud

The man, the machine, the monster, the beast, the cyborg.

Vernon Davis is a phenomenal athlete. I had the pleasure of seeing him play in high school. When I mean pleasure of and when I mean seeing, I mean going up against him in a preseason game. When I mean going up against him, I mean tackling him. When I mean tackling him, I mean attempting too (with three other guys).

It was probably the single greatest athletic moment of my life - or shall I say, our lives - but we all knew this guy (again...machine, monster, beast, cyborg) would be special.

At Maryland, he would make a spectacular catch, but he would not fall to the ground after the catch. Scouts love the YAC (sorry just trying to be cool, it's short for Yards After Catch) and Vernon Davis is all about the YAC.

The 49ers got the guy (again...machine, monster, beast, cyborg) they wanted. And they're automatically on the rise. Congrats Vernon.

Why Vernon Davis is really crying.

Vernon’s phone rings:
MN: Hey Vernon this is coach Mike Nolan, I am going to take you with our first pick in the draft!
VD: umm...wait a second who is our quarterback?
MN: Sadly, Alex Smith.

Steve Young

Wow, what a surprise Steve Young thinks the Jets should have taken a quarterback! Come on Young back off not every team needs to draft QB, Don’t worry Matt a smart kid I think he’ll find some work.

I have heard P. Ramsey and Chad "soft throw" Pennington have already sent fruit baskets to Jets management reading:

Dear Management,
Thank you for the human wall that you have inserted into our offensive line. Please enjoy the fruit basket, we hear the pears are amazing.
Sincerely your QB’s in waiting
Pat and Chad

Obviously Taylor's Thinking...I don't know what the hell he's thinking?!?!

As Ari Gold - yes the stud agent from Entourage who is played by Jeremy Piven - says: you don't pass on a hit.

Passing on Reggie Bush, a hit, is a career ender. Charlie Casserly, by picking Mario Williams #1 overall over Bush, your career is over.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Casserly in his Redskins days. He did a great job in bringing in talent and keeping the fans happy, but if I'm a Texans fan, I am irate.

I've heard the reports that yeah the only way to win in the Division is to beat Peyton and his Colts. Well, how do you know this Williams kid - whose highlight reel consists of a few nice plays against my Maryland Terps - is the real deal?

Reggie Bush is one of those few safe, sure picks. The Texans just passed on a hit.

Blogging The Draft

Greetings NFL Draft Geeks!

Its that finally the day and we have you covered, i will be sitting here blogging the draft all day giving my thoughts and insights (Which will not be very helpful); We will be joined through out the day by Doug Mckinney and others. So sit down, grab a snack, Open a brew and get ready for seventeen hours of draft coverage!

Randy Engstrom's Mock Draft

1. Houston Texans (2-14)
Top five needs: DL, OL, S, and WR
The pick: RB, Reggie Bush, USC.
How can you pass up the most talented player in the draft? You can’t; that is why the Texans will draft Bush.

2. New Orleans Saints (3-13)
Top five needs: LB, QB, Trade down
The pick: DE, Mario Williams, N.C. State.
The Saints got their man in Drew Brees; so their immediate focus becomes the other side of the ball. They improve their pass rush and tackling with the speed and athleticism the sack happy Williams will bring to the defense.

3. Tennessee Titans (4-12)
Top five needs: QB, LB, and RB
The pick: QB, Matt Leinart, USC.
The Titans address their need for a young, franchise quarterback with their 3rd overall pick. Leinart will get to team up with his former offensive coordinator, Norm Chow; last time these two hooked up they won a National Championship together.

4. New York Jets (4-12)
Top five needs: OL, RB, DE, and QB
The pick: OT, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Virginia.
The Jets have a lot of needs. This is going to be a very important draft for this team. They are going to take safe, smart picks. They shore up the O-line by drafting Ferguson. Many think a QB is an option here, but they have enough young talent to get by and hold off on a quarterback till the later rounds.

5. Green Bay Packers (4-12)
Top five needs: RB, WR, LB, OL, and DL
The pick: LB, A.J. Hawk, Ohio St.
This is just the player the Pack needs. Hawk brings a passion for the game, not unlike that we’ve seen for many years in Brett Favre. The “times they are a changing” though and Favre won’t be around much longer. The days of a powerful offense out of Green Bay is in the past and their resurgence on defense is in the not so far future.

6. San Francisco 49ers (4-12)
Top five needs: WR, LB, CB, and OL
The pick: WR, Chad Jackson, Florida.
The 49ers need playmakers on the both sides of the ball. Since they have invested so heavily in QB Alex Smith, it makes sense for them to look for a player who can help his progress. I like the Niners to take Jackson for his exceptional size, speed, and athleticism. Many will feel this spot is too early for Jackson, but I see him as having a lot of upside, and someone who will work hard to make a name for himself in the NFL.

7. Oakland Raiders (4-12)
Top five needs: QB, LB, DT, G, and S
The pick: QB, Vince Young, Texas.
The Raiders are getting tons of raw talent and potential with this pick. Everything that could have went wrong for Young before the draft did, so his reputation took a hit. Because of this the Raiders get a remarkable talent with a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove. All signs point to big changes for this troubled franchise.

8. Buffalo Bills (4-12)
Top five needs: DT, OT, TE, S, and CB
The pick: TE, Vernon Davis, Maryland.
The Bills will be pleasantly surprised to find Davis available at this spot. They would most likely be leaning toward taking Haloti Ngata to replace the big hole on their D-line. However, with the way TE’s are becoming so important to an offensive attack they take the highly touted Davis to improve they dismal offense.

9. Detroit Lions (5-11)
Top five needs: OL, DE, DB, and QB
The pick: DB, Michael Huff, Texas.
What the Lions have been doing is drafting the glamour positions. It’s flashy, but doesn’t get your team to the playoffs. That Lions switch it up this year in hopes of changing their luck around. They improve their secondary by drafting the talented Huff from the National Championship team the Texas Longhorns; they’ll hope his winning attitude will rub off on the others.

10. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
Top five needs: QB, TE, S, and OT
The pick: OT, Winston Justice, USC. Although it will be hard to pass up the over-hyped Jay Cutler to fill their need of a young QB; the no longer want to play for the future. The Cards are ready to win games this season, and the key to that is getting their newly acquired running game going. Edge and Justice thank the Cards by helping them make their first playoff appearance in ages.

11.St. Louis Rams (6-10)
Top five needs: CB, DT, C, and G
The pick: CB, Antonio Cromartie, Florida St.
The Rams need a shut down corner. They won’t find one in this draft, but they’ll settle for the closest thing they can find; that being the big corner out of Florida St., 6’3” Antonio Cromartie. He’s recently emerging among teams due to his recent workouts. He’s drawing rave reviews and has solidified himself as a round 1 pick.

12.Cleveland Browns (6-10)
Top five needs: DL, RB, and DB
The pick: DT, Brodrick Bunkley, Florida St.
Cleveland had a busy off-season shoring up their offense through free agency. They’ll use their first round pick, as well as many others, to solidify their defense. This is the year the Browns push for a playoff spot.

13.Baltimore Ravens (6-10)
Top five needs: OL, S, LB, CB, and QB
The pick: DT, Haloti Ngata, Oregon.
Clearly the Ravens are interested in moving down this draft. What they wish to acquire will be around later in the draft; so they are looking to acquire more picks. If not they’ll be pleased to take one of the top defensive players in the draft.

14.Philadelphia Eagles (6-10)
Top five needs: DT, WR, LB
The pick: LB, Chad Greenway, Iowa.
Philly would love to see B’more move down in the draft so they can get a top DT. If this can’t be done they’ll settle for one of the top 3 linebackers available.

15.Denver Broncos (13-3) from Atlanta
Top five needs: DT, QB, WR, and S
The pick: WR, Santonio Holmes, Ohio St. Denver’s top priority is grabbing playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. They would have rather taken Chad Jackson, but are still pleased to find Holmes fall in their lap.

16.Miami Dolphins (9-7)
Top five needs: OL, LB, and DB
The pick: DE/LB, Kamerion Wimbley, Florida St.
Miami will use their first rounder on Kamerion WImbley. They like his versality and physical attributes. Wimbley will have a chance for a starting spot if he proves himself during training camp and the pre-season.

17.Minnesota Vikings (9-7)
Top five needs: LB, RB, and QB
The pick: RB, DeAngelo Williams, Memphis.
Although the Vikes acquired Chester Taylor in the off-season, he isn’t a proven starter. The Viking were high on Williams and will gladly take him with their 17th pick.

18.Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
Top five needs: OT, LB, FS, and QB
The pick: QB, Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt. The Cowboys solidified their team through free-agency. They don’t really have any glaring needs, so they’ll look to add depth. With the aging Bledsoe at the helm; the Cowboys will take “safest player in the draft”, according to Ron Jawarski.

19.San Diego Chargers (9-7)
Top five needs: S, CB, WR, OT, and LB
The pick: WR, Sinorice Moss, Miami(FL). The Chargers will have to wait till later rounds to fill their glaring needs on the offensive line with the likes of Sinorice Moss available. They’ll be happy to give young QB Phillip Rivers another flashy option down the field. Moss also is a capable special teams player.

20.Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
Top five needs: CB, DE, WR, and OT
The pick: CB, Jimmy Williams, Virginia Tech. This pick is really a toss up between Williams and Jonathon Joseph out of South Carolina. K.C. is in desperate need of a corner who can not only be a ball hawk, but a solid tackler as well. One of the two should fit the bill.

21.New England Patriots (10-6)
Top five needs: LB, WR, K, and T
The pick: LB, Ernie Sims, Florida St.
The Patriots need to come up with a linebacker who can play right away in this draft. They’ll be hard pressed to pass up Ernie Sims in this position. Manny Lawson could intrigue them because of his versatility; which the Patriots love in their draft picks.

22.San Francisco 49ers (4-12) from Washington through Denver
Top five needs: LB, CB, and OL
The pick: CB, Jonathon Joseph, South Carolina. This is the exact reason the 49ers traded for this spot in the draft. Not only do they improve their passing game, but now they have a weapon to shut down the opposing teams air attack.

23.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
Top five needs: CB, OT, and DE
The pick: DE/LB, Manny Lawson, N.C.State.
Tampa gets a real physical specimen with this pick. Lawson is a beast at 6’6”, 250 lbs.; and will be an iatrical part of that dominant Bucs D in the future.

24.Cincinnati Bengals (11-5)
Top five needs: DT, DB, TE, and DE
The pick: DB, Jason Whittner, Ohio St.
The real need here is a safety. With Whittner and Allen to choose from, they’ll take the local product and hope he can help produce right away.

25.New York Giants (11-5)
Top five needs: DB, LB, and WR
The pick: LB, DeMeco Ryans, Alabama. This is debatable with the new signing of LaVar Arrington, but Ryans is spoken highly of throughout the Giants organization; and he’ll be a hard talent to pass up in this position.

26.Chicago Bears (11-5)
Top five needs: TE, LB, DB, and WR
The pick: DB, Jason Allen, Tennessee. This is a versatile pick. He can play corner and safety. He’s an aggressive player, and would fit in nicely with the Bears defensive scheme.

27.Carolina Panthers (11-5)
Top five needs: DB, TE, and RB
The pick: S, Daniel Bullocks, Nebraska.
Bullocks is not rated this high, but he fits a need of the Panthers. Not only does he fill a gaping hole, but he brings a tough attitude and commitment to the team that the Panthers are really looking to acquire with their first round pick.

28.Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
Top five needs: CB, OT, LB, and S
The pick: CB, Tye Hill, Clemson.
Jacksonville is starting to get thin at the corner position. They’ll realize Hill is the best corner left in the draft and will pounce on him before addressing their other needs. Hill will likely contribute right away in nickel situations.

29.New York Jets (4-12) from Denver
Top five needs: OL, RB, DL, and QB
The pick: C, Nick Mangold, Ohio St.
The Jets know they need a RB. Curtis Martin is on the wrong side of 30, and his replacements won’t be able to handle a regular workload. However, their O-line is in worse condition and will be addressed by grabbing their centerpiece for years to come.

30.Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
Top five needs: RB and LB
The pick: RB, Laurence Maroney, Minnesota.
This is going to be one of the biggest steals in the draft. Maroney has incredible tangables. He is very shifty and elusive. He has great ability to break it around the corner and pick out the weak man to attack. The Colts shouldn’t lose a step by replacing Edge with Maroney. Prediction: AFC Championship appearence

31. Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Top five needs: CB, DE, S, and OL
The pick: DE, Mathias Kiwanuka, B.C.
Earlier in the year Kiwanuka was considered a top 10 pick. Then he got dominated by D’Brickshaw and his stock plummeted. He’s going to have to work hard, but the Seahawks get a future starter with this first round pick.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Top five needs: WR, RB, and C
The pick: RB, LenDale White, USC.
Is this a Jerome Bettis clone, or Ron Dayne? The Steelers need to replace the Bus with another big man; White is the perfect compliment in the Steelers running game and should spell Willie Parker admirably.

A Colossal Blunder: Houston Texans, Meet Sam Bowie

A Colossal Blunder: Houston Texans, Meet Sam Bowie
Coby DuBose

8:00 AM

With the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft, the Houston Texans select...Sam Bowie? Wait a second, isn’t that the guy that Portland chose over Michael Jordan? Oh yeah.

On Friday, ESPN.com reported that the Houston Texans had reached a deal, in principle, with N.C. State defensive end Mario Williams. While Williams is a nice player, and probably has many pro bowls ahead of him at the defensive end position, he’s not Reggie Bush. Mario Williams is a once in a draft type of talent, while Bush is a once in a generation type of guy. Simply put, the Texans gaffed badly on this one. Reportedly, the team had trouble reaching a financial agreement with Bush. Hey Texans, draft him now, sign him later. Instead, the Texans have destroyed mock drafts like a March Saturday beats up office pools.

Word out of New Orleans says that Saints’ front office personnel are planning to send a Bush-sized thank you card to Houston following Saturday’s proceedings. They unexpectedly unwrapped a bar of chocolate and found the golden ticket. “Oh My, Charlie!” Come to think of it, Reggie Bush is exactly what New Orleans needs. He will come and make an impact immediately, energizing the community and fan base. In ten years, when Bush is living out those comparisons to Sanders and Sayers, Texans front office executives may only receive air time for their Titanic sized flub up.

Like in the 1990s classic, Dumb and Dumber, a busload full of scantily clad Hawaiian Tropic girls came to Houston, asking them to draft Bush, the preverbal oil to their tanned skin. Like in the movie, the Texans’ front office sent them down the road, happily explaining that there were a couple lucky GMs in the town right ahead. Don’t be surprised if the Texans are still picking first in 2015, and are shaking their heads saying, “One day, Harry, we’ll get our chance...”

There’s still time to fix this. All hope is not lost. Maybe I will wake up tomorrow and this will all have been a dream. The Texans will draft their Michael Jordan, and the Saints will be left to fill a Sam Bowie sized need. For the sake of those in Houston, we can only hope that this is the case.

The Masters

During one of the Masters commercials the other day, I saw an allergy advertisment - I believe Nasonex - where a young bee was allergic before taking the medicine which then allowed him to successfully do his business in a flower containing pollen. I was scratching my head at how a bee can be allergic and also the fact that some marketing manager thought it was a brilliant idea to make an advertisment featuring keeping a bee healthy and alive.

Then when the coverage came back on, my eyes laid on something even more astonishing. Phil Mickelson is the only player to finish in the Top 10 in seven consecutive Masters. After having an impressive third round of gold this morning, Mickelson has to battle off the likes of Fred Couples and Tiger Woods in order to capture his second Masters green jacket.

It'll be a lot more interesting to watch his run rather than watching a bee use allergy medicine.

Welcome

Welcome one and all to Feature Presentation. Hope you enjoyed opening day as much as we did. I was at the Orioles-Devil Rays game at Camden Yards - or at least this morning I was told I was - and it brought a smile to my face (maybe that was the beer) to see baseball return. Should be an interesting year. Make sure to check out all of our MLB coverage to kick off the new season. Enjoy.