NFL Draft First Round live blogging

The Counselor is IN:

I am watching the NFL draft today. I will give an update with each pick and give my opinion about the pick for the team in the first round. I am going to make this an on going post. Check back with it all day long to see my opinion. I am dual blogging on Simple Thoughts and the Fantasy Sports Counselor.

1) Oakland Raiders- QB- JaMarcus Russell- This is the pick that we expected Oakland to make at the end of the day. Russell has a monster arm and is a big guy that is hard to bring down. The Raiders had a lot of needs but Russell should be their QB of the future. I think this is a solid pick for them. It would have been great for them to trade down and get more pick and possibly still get Russell.

Draft Grade: B+

2) Detroit Lions- WR- Calvin Johnson - He is a wide receiver that is 6'5" and still runs the 40 @ 4.38 seconds. With 7 minutes on the clock, the rumors are swirling around the fact that Calvin Johnson is smiling at the table with a phone in his hand. They saw this coming. Is this a pick so others will trade with them and they can get more picks? Maybe, we will see in the next couple of picks if there is a Giants/Chargers trade like a few years ago for Eil.

WR is not their top need but Johnson is a freak of a wide receiver. The problem is Detroit continues to draft and most of them have not worked out. They needed Defense and a QB and not as much at Wide out. The question remains, should they have drafted for need or best player.
Draft Grade: B+ if they keep Johnson and an A+ if they trade him.

3) Cleveland Browns- O.T. - Joe Thomas- 6'6" and 310 lbs. This is a bit of a surprise pick here. Thomas is a superior O.T. This will shore of the Cleveland offensive line. They left both offensive weapons QB- Brady Quinn and RB-Adrian Peterson on the board. They could have used either one of them. I can not fault Cleveland for shoring up their line.
Draft Grade- A-

4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Gaines Adams- D.E. - He is a playmaker on the defense. He can get after the QB. He does have an issue with stopping the run but that can be learned. This defense is getting older and this is a good pick to meet that need. This pick could end up in a trade for Calvin Johnson. The Buccaneers did not need a running back and have some limited at QB. Since Johnson was off the board, this seems to be the best pick possible for the Bucs.
Draft Grade- A- if kept and an A+ if traded.

5) Arizona Cardinals- Levi Brown- O.T. - The Cardinals have a horrible offensive line. This pick makes sense but the question was if this was too early to take him. They needed to land him so it is a solid pick for them. They did not need either the studs at QB or RB. This is a great pick for them.
Draft Grade- B+

6) Washington Redskins (the arch rivals of my beloved Cowboys) - LaRon Landry Safety- He runs a 4.35 40 yard dash- which is extremely fast for a safety. Mel stated that he is the best defensive player in the draft. He is drawing some comparisons to Roy Williams of the Cowboys. The Redskins have few draft picks but seemed to make the most of this one. I hate to see them make this pick since my Cowboys will have to play them twice a year.

Draft Grade- A-

7) Minnesota Vikings- Adrian Peterson- RB- 6'1" and 220 lbs. Peterson has been a stud of a Running Back with Oklahoma when he was healthy. Watching him during his freshman year, I knew he would be a high pick. He will give the Vikings a threat for a home run touch down every time he touches the ball. He is also lightning fast and will play over half of his games in doors. Great pick.
Draft Grade – A

8) Atlanta Falcons- Jamaal Anderson- DE- Anderson is out of Arkansas. He produced 13.5 sacks last year. The top 2 choices for Atlanta are off the board. This was their back up plan. He is a very solid pick. He has great upside.
Draft Grade- B

9) Miami Dolphins- Ted Ginn Jr. - WR- The assumption was that Miami was going to take Brady Quinn. I had already written his summary of that pick. My jaw is still on the floor. Ginn is a nice speedy receiver but he is not polished and not a great pure receiver. He is super fast and a kick and punt returner. He will make the Dolphins better at least as a return man. No one suspected he would go this early. Most mock drafts had him falling to the Titians. This was a huge reach pick. Wow.
Draft Grade - C-

10) Houston Texans- Amobi Okoye - DT- This is the youngest player ever draft. He started high school at age 12. He is a true intellectual. This usually rolls over to be a very smart player. He should continue to solidify this defense. It is a smart pick for the Texans. They could have used Brady Quinn but I am sure that they are a bit gun shy about picking a QB after their lack of success with Carr.
Draft Grade- B+

11) San Francisco 49ers- Patrick Willis- inside line backer- This is a quality pick for the 49ers. This shores up their 3-4 defense. He is the best linebacker in the draft. The 49ers are not ready to give up on Smith at their QB position (which is smart).
Draft Grade- B

12) Buffalo Bills- Marshawn Lynch- RB- The Bills needed a RB but I thought it would be in the second round. They also needed assistance on the defense. This pick will help their QB Losman by the giving them more of a running game. Lynch did have some character issues but it seems to be a solid pick but not necessarily the best pick for their team. It is interesting.

Draft Grade B-

13) St. Louis Rams- Adam Carriker- D.E. - The Rams need to help their horrible defense. This pick does just that. Carriker is solid player who can play either End or Tackle. He is also a character guy. This is a great pick for the Rams.

Draft Grade- A-

14) Carolina Panthers trade their pick to the Jet- to # 25

14) New York Jets- Darrelle Revis- CB. The Jets need a CB and were pleased that they could trade up to get Revis. There were 2 great CB on the board and this landed one of them in their laps. It did cost them to trade up but it seems to be a great pick for them. It seems to be a good trade for the Panthers also.

Draft Grade: B+

15) Pittsburg Steelers- Lawerence Timmons- Outside Linebacker. He is a little undersized but does have good athletic ability. This was a good safe pick.

Draft Grade: B

16) Green Bay Packers- Justin Harrell- D.T. - This is a great defensive pick for the Packer. They really needed to address some of the offensive concerns and to help Favre. This would be a fabulous pick if their biggest need was on defense. This pick is good for their defense but not as good for their team.

Draft Grade: C+

17) Jacksonville Jaguars- Traded pick to the Broncos for the Broncos first round- 21st pick and the 3rd and 6th picks.

17) Denver Broncos- Jarvis Moss- D.E. - This is a pick to trade up for. He is a Q.B. sacking machine. They needed this explosion on the end. He does have some character issues because of violating a "Team Rule". It seems to be a good trade for both teams.

Draft Grade: B+

18) Cincinnati Bengals- Leon Hall- CB- This is a great pick for the Bengals. He could have gone in the top 10. This should help this porous defense. It fills a need and is a steal. He is also a high character guy- who they needed.

Draft Grade: A

19) Tennessee Titans- Michael Griffin - Safety- The common thought was that the Titans would either go WR or RB. They need to get help for Vince Young. Griffin is a solid pick for defense. The Titans might be able to address their WR and RB needs in the later rounds but they had a lot of good offensive options at 19 and did not pull the trigger.

Draft Grade: C+

20) New York Giants- Aaron Ross- CB- This is a great pick for the Giants. Many mock drafts had him going to my beloved Cowboys. I am dreading facing him twice a year. Giants could have gone Left Tackle or Linebacker (which the had injuries at last year). Ross will immediately help this secondary.

Draft Grade: B+

21) Jacksonville Jaguars- Reggie Nelson- Safety- This is a team with a very solid defense. Nelson is a playmaker who is athletic. This is a very solid pick for an already elite defense.

Draft Grade: B

22) Dallas Cowboys (How about those Cowboys!)- Trade with the Cleveland Browns for the Browns 2^nd round pick this year and next year’s 1^st round pick. The Cowboys should be able to get one of the good WR that is left on board with Cleveland's 2nd round pick.

22) Cleveland Browns- Brady Quinn- QB. The Browns wanted him in the first round but did not take him at number 3. They were able to trade with Dallas and came backup to get him. I do not know how he fell to 22. Miami blew their chance on this franchise QB. Yes, I know the knocks on Quinn but I think he has the leadership skills needed along with the natural ability of a passer. He does not have the arm strength of Russell but Quinn has proven he can handle the pressure during his college career at Notre Dame. I believe that he is the best QB in this draft. I do not agree many of the ESPN commentators that he is not ready for this stage. At 22, he was a steal.

Draft Grade- A

23) Kansas City Chiefs- Dwayne Bowe- WR- I thought that they might go with an offensive lineman but Bowe is a really good pick at 23. He also fills a huge need a WR for the Chiefs. This is a very solid pick even though WR are not a key position for an Edwards ran offense.

Draft Grade- B+

24) New England Patriots- Brandon Meriweather- Safety- He has a bunch of ability but did not have a great year last year. I thought he slide to the second round. He also has some character issues that throw up some flags. This will probably work out for this franchise.

Draft Grade- B-

25) Carolina Panthers- John Beason- Outside Linebacker- He was able to make impact plays but he is not as fast as suspected at the Combine. He will stop the run and rush the passer. He is a good addition to this defense.

Draft Grade- B

26) Philadelphia trade pick to the Cowboys for a second, third, and fifth round pick. I am not sure which second round pick they gave up. There will be more to come. (Fourth pick of second round)

26) Dallas Cowboys (How about those Cowboys!)- Anthony Spencer- D.E. - He is able to go from the D.E. to the O.L.B. and back and forth. This is great from their 3-4 defense. This brings another pass rusher to Dallas. They struggled last year when Ellis was injured. This is a fine pick for the defense. It makes sense but as a fan I was looking for them to pick either a Wide Receiver, an offensive lineman or a defensive back (either CB or safety). They continue to age at Wide Receiver. I was hoping it was for WR Meachem.

Draft Grade: B-

27) New Orleans Saints- Robert Meachem- WR- This is was a bit of an unexpected pick. They are loading up on the fire power. This should be one of the most powerful offenses in the NFL. I am feeling a little jealous since I wanted my Cowboys to get him. This is a great offensive pick.

Draft Grade: A-

28) New England Patriots- Traded the pick to the 49ers. 49ers give up next years number 1 and this year's 4th pick.

28) San Francisco 49ers- Joe Staley- O.T. This is a great pick up for the 49ers. They had a bunch of picks and Staley is a bargain at the 28th pick. Staley will be a stud on their line for years to come. This is a great move for the hated 49ers.

Draft Grade: A

29) Baltimore Ravens- Ben Grubbs- O.G. - This is a great pick. He should have been gone a long time ago. He could have been a top 15 pick. Baltimore gets a steal and shores up a line for McGahee to run behind.
Draft Grade: A

30) San Diego Chargers- Craig Davis- WR- He was thought to be a mid to late second round pick. This is a bit of a reach pick but he is still going to help their WR corpse. They went with speed over size with Davis.

Draft Grade: C

31) Chicago Bears- Greg Olsen- T.E. - This is a wonderful pick for the Bears. Olsen was supposed to be a top 15 pick. The Bears get a steal. If Grossman can get him the ball, Olsen should be able to be a work horse like the Chargers Gates.

Draft Grade: A

32) Indianapolis Colts- Anthony Gonzalez- WR- He will be a good slot receiver for this team with great speed and a huge vertical leap. They lost Stokley and Gonzalez should be a great replacement.

Draft Grade: B

This is my First round coverage.

The Counselor is OUT: