1st Round NFL Draft Coverage

The Counselor is IN:

I am live blogging the first round of the NFL Draft. I will update this post continually as the picks are selected.

1. Detroit - Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia

The Lions were able to get a deal done with Stafford and his agent last night. He will be the face of their franchise and he has the skills to be a franchise QB. I think Stafford will be a good QB as long as he does not get gun shy from being sacked continually like David Carr was a few years ago. He does have all the tools with arm strength and decision making.

2. St. Louis – Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
With Pace moving on from the Rams, the Rams needed to get their Left Tackle secure. I think this is a perfect pick for the Rams. They have their LT of the next 10 years. Many think they should have picked QB Sanchez, but I think was their best option at this pick.

3. Kansas City- Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
Jackson is a great 3-4 DE and the Chiefs are changing to the 3-4 this year. I expected for them to pick Curry, the best player on the board. Jackson will be a great help for them with their defense and their line. This is not a bad pick but not the pick I would have made for them.


4. Seattle - Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
The Seahawks get a steal with Curry at four. In my opinion, he is the best prospect in the draft. He will be a name that the AFC West teams will fear for many years to come.


5. Cleveland – Trade the fifth pick to the New York Jets
The Jets send their 1st and second round picks and three players to the Browns


5. New York Jets – Mark Sanchez, QB, Southern Cal
The Jets needed a QB and Sanchez is their guy. I have a lot of questions about Sanchez. He is a system QB from Southern Cal. He only has one season of starting. He does have one more season than Matt Cassel had coming into last year. They will live or die with this pick.


6. Cincinnati – Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
Smith is a huge tackle with a lot of talent. There are questions about his decision making and about the combine issues. He can play very well but there are plenty of questions about how he will be as a person off the field and if he will get in trouble.


7. Oakland -Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
This is a reach pick but what do we expect from the Raiders. Crabtree and Maclin were available. Why not trade down for Bey if you wanted Bey to be your guy. This makes no sense at all.


8. Jacksonville – Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
This is a solid pick for the Jags. Monroe will be a great left tackle for them for years to come. I might have tried to trade down with a team that wants Crabtree but this is still a great pick.


9. Green Bay – B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
Raji is a huge Defensive Tackle and will be a great fit in the 3-4 in Green Bay. The Packers need help stopping the run and Raji will instantly help them. This is a great pick!


10. San Francisco – Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
It is crazy that Crabtree slid all the way down to 10. Crabtree is great receiving prospect. I think he is the second best NFL prospect on the board. The 49ers were handed a gift.

11. Buffalo - Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State

The Bills picked a pass rusher that they badly needed in Maybin. This should add some pop to their D-Line. This is a good pick for the Bills.

12. Denver – Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

This is quite a pick. The Broncos have not drafted a top level Runningback in numerous years. He is a fast back and will be an interesting player for them. They had a lot of other needs like linebacker that I thought would be a better pick. I don’t even have Moreno as the top runningback on the board.

13. Washington – Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas

This is a great pick for the Redskins. Orakpo fell right into their laps. I thought he would have been gone long before this pick. This will make the Redskins much more nasty on defense.

14. New Orleans- Malcolm Jenkins, DB, Ohio State

Jenkins is a great fit with the Saints. The Saints need a lot of help at Corner and Safety. He should be a defensive playmaker for the Saints. I love this pick for the Saints.

15. Houston- Brian Cushing, OLB, Southern Cal

A perfect fit for a team that is in desperate need for a playmaker at outside linebacker. They also need major help at safety but they should be able to address it in the second round.

16. San Diego- Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois

This is bit of a surprise for me. English is a good outside linebacker and pass rusher. This should help the Chargers and he may be a good compliment to Merriman. It is not a bad pick but was not what I expected at sixteen.

17. Cleveland –(pick from the Jets) traded to Tampa Bay

17. Tampa Bay – Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State

Is there a team that needed a top level QB more than Tampa? I am not a huge fan of Freeman but he could be the QB of the future for Tampa who has not had a franchise QB in a long time. He does have a great arm and great QB size. I am not a believer in his decision making but if he sits for a year then maybe he will develop into the Quarterback that the Bucs need.

18. Denver (f/CHI)- Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee

Ayers has a ton of potential. He was only a one year starter and is not a master sac artist. He brings intensity and was great at tackling and making plays. This pick should instantly help their defense.

19, Cleveland –(pick from Tampa Bay) - Traded to Philadelphia

19. Philadelphia – Jeremy Maclin, WR, Mizzou

What a steal for the Eagles. Maclin should not have made it out of the top 12. The Eagles trade up and get a difference maker at receiver. He should a wonderful compliment to DeShawn Jackson. McNabb will not have the ability to complain about not having a WR.

20. Detroit (f/DAL) – Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State

The Lions just picked up Stafford and he needs targets. He is a good blocking TE and a receiving TE. I thought they should have picked an offensive tackle in this position at this position but Pettigrew is a good pick up.

21. Cleveland –(pick from the Eagles) - Alex Mack, C, California
Mack can play either Center or Guard. He is a really good lineman. I would have rather had one of the top OT which are left like Oher. Yes they actually made their pick this time.

22. Minnesota – Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

This is an interesting pick for the Vikings. Harvin has a lot of questions around his behaviors and off field life. The Vikings just cleaned house of their character issue players which makes this pick strange. He had a positive test for pot at the combine. He has a ton of talent and Harvin was a stud in for the Gators.

23. New England – Traded to Baltimore for the 26th pick and a 5th round pick.

23. Baltimore– Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
What a great story Oher is personally. He also is a heck of a OT. Flacco must be loving this pick. Oher will be protecting Flacco for a long time to come.

24. Atlanta – Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

Jerry is a top notch defensive tackle. He will bring intensity and toughness to that defense. The Falcons are only getting better.

25. Miami – Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

Davis has slide down to the Dolphins and the Tuna must be ecstatic. Many experts had Davis as a better CB than Jenkins. This is just what the Dolphins needed. He is a little bit of a project but he has great ability.

26. New England – (pick from the Ravens) traded to the Packers for the Packer’s second and 2 third round picks.

26. Green Bay – Clay Matthews, OLB, Southern Cal

This pick is all about the Packers’ switch to the 3-4 defense. They need playmakers in their linebacking group. Matthews is a good player who should help them with this transition. A very good pick for the Packers.

27. Indianapolis – Donald Borwn, RB, UConn

This is a strange pick. The Colts have a bunch of needs on the Defensive side. They have Addai and Hart so what is this pick about.

28. Buffalo (f/CAR via PHI) –Eric Wood, C, Louisville

Wood is one of the best Centers in the draft. This should help the offensive line for the Bills. They had a bunch of needs and Center was not the pick I would have made but it is a good pick for them.

29. New York Giants – Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

Nicks is a big receiver in the model of Burress. He is a jump ball WR and has good hands. He should be a good target for Manning in the Red Zone and across the middle.

30. Tennessee – Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers

The Titans have needed a top level WR for years. They are hoping that Britt can be this guy. He is a big and physical WR that catch the ball over the middle.

31. Arizona – Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB, Ohio State

This is a steal for the Cardinals at 31. Wells was the best RB in the draft in my opinion. He is quick through the line and has a noise for the endzone. The Cards were dead last in running the ball last year during the season. This is a great pick for them.

32. Pittsburgh – Evander Hood, DT, Missouri

Hood was a stud for Mizzou up front. This is a great pick for the Steelers. They could have ILB Rey Maualuga instead but Hood is a good pick. The Steelers will be a little younger on the Defensive Line.

That is the end of the first round. Thanks for joining me for my thoughts on the first round selections.

The Counselor is OUT: