Round 1 in the Books

I have to admit I liked the prime time format. Kids were asleep, quiet in the house except for the blaring white noise machine to soothe the baby and keep me from listening to 4 hours of Rich Eisen.

I got 10 picks right: the first seven, then Davis to the Niners, Pouncey to the Steelers, and Gresham to the Bengals.

I think I should get extra credit for:

1. Correctly calling the Philly-San Fran 13/24 trade.
2. Tebow in the first round (but not Tebow before Clausen, so maybe it's a wash)

Surprised by:
1. New Orleans taking Patrick Robinson at the end of the first round. Tracy Porter, Malcolm Jenkins, and Patrick Robinson?
2. The Eagles trading up for Brandon Graham but giving up that many picks?
3. The Chargers giving up so much to move up for Ryan Mathews?
4. The Lions moving up for Jahvid Best. Nice complement back, but compelmenting what exactly?
5. Bill Belichick drafting yet another DB in the first round. I guess when you can't get to the quarterback, you better be able to cover.
6. Jerry Hughes to the Colts. Who am I to question Bill Polian, but maybe he sees Freeney getting hurt so much he needs another solid option?
7. WTF, Sergio Kindle? I had you as a top-15 talent.
8. Jimmy Clausen, dude, people look at character in the NFL when they look at QBs. Does he make his teammates better? Does he win? Can he lead? Clausen: no, no, and no.
9. Surprised somewhat by Brian Bulaga's freefall. Looking at him, he looks like a Russian hitman or bodyguard. But he really will be an ORT in the NFL - his arms are too small.
10. I read in some mock draft that somebody predicted that Kareem Jackson would be overdrafted because he was the best corner in a Nick Saban defense. Nick Saban is a good defensive mind and he covers his players' deficiencies.
11. What in the Sam Hill is up with all these dudes crying when they get picked? I hope they get hazed like heck in camp for that. It's the NFL not the Oscars. Come on.

Things I liked about the draft:
1. I like the Rolando McLain pick. He may have been overdrafted but what is really going to help the Raiders anyway until they have real management? McLain is a solid kid and a great football player and the best prospect in the draft. What could the Raiders realistically expect to achieve at 8th anyway? I think picks 5/6 through 10 are Death Valley for drafters.
2. I like what the Niners did. A lot. They are going to be in a position to lock down the division in a year or two depending on how fast their rookie OLmen can get on the field and play.
3. I like Josh McDaniels' stones to move down then accumulate picks to get the guys he wanted. He overpaid for Tebow but until we see what happens in the future, the picks are just picks. But he masterfully traded down and picked up Demaryus Thomas, the guy you'd think they wanted all along.
4. I like Trent Williams to the Skins. The right fit for the system and much more upside.
5. I like Belichick picking up picks despite compulsively picking up another overhyped DB.
6. I like the Phins moving down and getting their man. I think they would've been happy with Dan Williams but I really like Jared Odrick especially paired with Kendall Langford. Langford is a real sleeper of a DE for you 30 in '10.
7. I like Jerry refraining from trading up for Earl Thomas and hanging back and seeing what value would be there in the 20s. I like him giving up 29 spots (swapping picks with the Pats) in the 3rd to 4th round to get Dez Bryant. I am trying to tell myself that Dez will be ok at Valley Ranch - for all the stuff you've heard about him, he has no legal troubles and no wrap sheet. His family is a disaster but Jerry can give him a good environment in which to succeed. I like the upside it brings to the offense and it gives them a potential legitimate #1 WR talent-wise. It also puts the WR on notice.
8. I like Tyson Alualu but I don't like him at 10. They could've traded back and gotten him. Maybe they tried, who knows.
9. I like the stones on McDaniels for taking Tebow. Laugh all you want about Tebow but the kid is a winner and he will work hard as heck not just to win but to prove everybody wrong. (I forgot to mention this about Dez Bryant - he has motivation to prove everybody wrong) McDaniels with Thomas and Tebow is remaking the team in the Patriots' image: hard working, character guys who are team-first players.
10. I like the prime-time Thursday night format. Pleasently surprised, Roger.

Overall it was a good draft. Plenty of trades made it exciting.