NFL Draft Viewers Diary

The first round of the NFL is one of my favorite days of the year and what better people to share it with than you, loyal Oregonsportsnews.com readers? I’m going to be letting you guys into my head as I watch the draft. This is going to be fun, so kick back, relax, and enjoy the show.

4:15 PM: Wow I wasn’t going to be starting this diary for another half hour but the Vikings and the Browns just completed a trade that is either great or seriously dumb depending on what the Browns actually gave up. I’ll talk about it more when more details are known.

4:44 PM: Alright details of the Browns Vikings trade have come out. The Vikings move back from the third pick to the fourth and receive a pick in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds. The Browns get the third pick and are expected to take Trent Richardson. The Vikings got a great deal here. They can still take Matt Kalil or Morris Claiborne at four and they got three extra picks. I don’t get this trade from the Browns’ perspective. I believe that Trent Richardson will be a great player in the League but Today’s league is a passing league. If the Browns believe that Colt McCoy is their future at quarterback I would have suggested taking a wide receiver like Justin Blackmon with their first pick. If they don’t believe in Colt McCoy than Ryan Tannehill, who I do not believe in, should have been the pick.

4:59 PM: Here we go!

5: 03 PM: Goodell’s at the podium, Colts are on the clock, Andrew Luck is on the Phone.

5:06 PM: Luck’s on his way to Indianapolis. We are all surprised. Redskins are on the clock.

5:07 PM: I love when the players selected give the Commissioner a hug. It’s what I would do. Good move Luck. Like hearing Radio City Music hall chanting RGIII also.

5:13 PM: Hey look they are booing the Commissioner, that’s unusual. Also another pick that’s not a surprise, Robert Griffin the third is a Redskin. Sorry RGIII.

5:14 PM: Two picks, Two Hugs. I like this.

5:18 PM: Robert Griffin reveals Redskins socks. Guess he wasn’t surprised they took him either.

5:20 PM: Trent Richardson. Great running back but I’m not sure if that position provides enough value. The Browns are hoping that a solid running game will help the passing game.  He’s never going to be Jim Brown, no one will, but he could be Adrian Peterson.

5: 23 PM: Trent kept the hug streak going, glad to see it.

5:27 PM: Minnesota gets their man, their very large man. They took the same player, Matt Kalil that they would have taken with the third pick, they really won that trade. Speaking of trades Jacksonville is now on the clock.

5:29 PM: I’m surprised the Commissioner can still breathe after getting a bear hug from Kalil.

5:31 PM: Details of the Jacksonville and Tampa Bay trade are released. The trade is a swap of the fifth and seventh picks with Tampa receiving a fourth rounder. Jaguars select a wide receiver, Justin Blackmon. This is the right pick; the Jaguars’ horrible quarterback needs a receiver to throw to when he’s terrified by the defenders looking at him. By the way I’m not a Blaine Gabbert fan, he seems too squeamish for an NFL quarterback maybe he can fix that with some protection and a receiver but I don’t know.

5:34 PM: five hugs in a row and the Cowboys have traded up for the sixth pick. Only one team so far has picked in their original spot. The Cowboys swap firsts with St. Louis and give St. Louis a second rounder.

5:37 PM: Commissioner booed again, probably going to be hearing this all night. The Cowboys select Morris Claiborne. This pick surprises me. I thought for sure the Cowboys would take Mark Barron but this is still a good pick. The Cowboys needed defensive backfield help and Claiborne is obviously that.

5:44 PM: Tampa Bay selects Mark Barron. I love Nick Saban coached defenders so I love this pick. Also just checked and the hug streak is still going. Claiborne hugged the Commissioner and now so has Barron.

5:49 PM: The second team to draft in their original slot takes the third quarterback of the draft. Miami selects Ryan Tannehill. The best thing about this is that he’ll be playing for his college coach. Tannehill also keeps the hug streak going. It’ll be interesting to see if Tannehill can make the transition to NFL quarterback. He’s already proven that he can make transitions, going from high school quarterback to college wide receiver to college quarterback.  Worst case scenario he’s the third best wide receiver on the Dolphins.

5:55 PM: The Carolina panthers select Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechley. I’m happy about this because it means the Seahawks won’t be taking him. I’m scared of taking a linebacker early after Aaron Curry.  Kuechley is the first player selected to not hug the Commissioner because he’s the first player selected who wasn’t in the green room.

5:58 PM: The Bills continue to bolster their defense as they’ve done all offseason. Stephon Gilmore will strengthen their defensive backfield. The hugs continue, this one was particularly long. I wonder what the Commissioner whispered in Gilmore’s ear.

6:02 PM: The Kansas City Chiefs have submitted their pick. I’m hoping the pick is not David DeCastro. I’d love to see Dontari Poe selected here, it would help the Chiefs defense and leave a great offensive lineman, in DeCastro, for the Seahawks at pick 12.

6:04 PM: POE! Your friendly neighborhood sports-writer is happy. Poe is very athletic, if he can keep his motor going in the League then the Chiefs just grabbed a great player.

6:06 PM: Everything had gone right for the Seahawks. DeCastro was available at the twelfth pick allowing the Seahawks to create one of the best offensive lines in the League. Instead the Seahawks trade with the Eagles for a first round swap, going from twelve to fifteen, and two picks in the later rounds. I can’t fault this decision as I’ve been advocating trading back for a long time but I kind-of feel like the Seahawks may just have passed on Steve Hutchinson 2.0. In other news the commissioner has received another hug from a man much larger than him and we are going to commercial for the first time since the first pick.

6:11 PM: Eagles select Fletcher Cox, defensive tackle from Mississippi ST. If he plays like he did towards the end of his final college season then this is a great pick and a worthwhile trade. The longest hug the Commissioner’s had all night, it’s nice to see a big man like Fletcher Cox so happy. David DeCastro is still on the board and the next three picks are all NFC west teams.

6:18 PM: The Arizona Cardinals grant Larry Fitzgerald his wish and take Michael Floyd. It doesn’t really matter what kind of player Floyd ends up being, the Cardinals had to keep Fitz happy. One more pick before the Seahawks and DeCastro is still on the board. What will St Louis do? Here’s another long hug for the Commissioner.

6:27 PM: The Rams leave DeCastro on the board and take Michael Brockers, the LSU defensive tackle. Makes sense for their new coach and will help Chris Long become a better player. Seahawks are next and it will be a massive disappointment if they don’t take DeCastro. Brockers swaggered up to the commissioner for his hug. I like the confidence he was walking with and yes I did just use swagger as a verb.

6:30 PM: NO! Bruce Irvin has great speed and could help the pass rush but the Seahawks just left one of the best guards I’ve ever seen on the board. Irvin reminds me of Vernon Gholston and this is a huge reach. I am a not a happy camper.

6:36 PM: Still not happy. I haven’t been this unhappy about a Seahawks pick since they took a long snapper in the sixth round a couple years ago.  This kid better pan out, I can’t believe that they just took a guy with at best a second round grade over DeCastro.

6:39 PM: Majority of Jets fans don’t boo. What universe am I in? Quinton Coples jumped ahead of Melvin Ingram and it made Jets fans happy. I think every player in the green room is going to hug the commissioner.

6:43 PM: If you haven’t seen the Buffalo Wild wings commercial about getting caught up in the moment you need to see it. It’s a very funny commercial. If you have seen it, watch it again.

6:46 PM: Dre Kirkpatrick to the Bengals. He’s the third Bama boy to go in the first round. Like I said earlier any time you can select a Saban coached defender I’m not going to question it. A Saban player is NFL ready.  Like Richardson and Barron before him Kirkpatrick made sure to hug his college coach before the commissioner.

6:53 PM: Chargers take Ingram off the board. Ingram is the end I’ve been the highest on and I’m glad to see him come off the board. John Gruden thinks he can return kicks; I’d like to see that. This has to be the Commissioner’s favorite day of the year; all those hugs have to make him feel good; Even if he does miss on high fives.

6:59 PM: Chicago passes on DeCastro to take an outside linebacker. Glad to see a Boise Player come off the board but I’m surprised they didn’t look to protect Jay cutler.  Even If McClellin is good, if Cutler gets hurt the bears won’t win many games. Didn’t get to see if Shea McClellin gave the Commissioner a hug, I’m going to wager a guess that he did.

7:02 PM: The New England Patriots make a trade to move forward in the draft. Typing that sentence feels wrong. It’s not in Belichick’s MO but I guess it’s probably because Brady only has a few more years and they are trying to push for wins now.

7:07 PM: Robert Griffin’s favorite receiver gets to go play in Tennessee with Jake locker or Matt Hasselbeck. Kendal Wright can fly, though I’m not sure if he’s faster than his college quarterback though I’m sure he’s quicker. Kendall did hug the commissioner.

7:10 PM: The Patriots select Chandler Jones from Syracuse to avoid giving up a million yards. Hopefully for them Jones will put pressure on opposing quarterbacks allowing the leads Tom Brady creates to stand. I like that Jones actually uses his hands in pass rush.

7:12 PM: Have the Browns given up on Colt McCoy? Brandon Weeden may be the most NFL ready quarterback in a draft that contains Andrew Luck but he is twenty eight years old. The Browns’ quarterback competition is going to be one to watch.

7:14 PM:  Proud to be an American. Love the salute to the Armed Forces. Thank you to all who have served. Cool to see the Commissioner shaking all those service men and women’s hands.

7:19 PM: Megatron! Glad to see him on the Madden cover and glad to see him announcing that the Lions selected Iowa tackle Reilly Reiff. Iowa linemen are often good choices. If you need a lineman and there is one that played at either Iowa or Wisconsin on the board, you have to take the lineman from Iowa or Wisconsin.

7:20 PM: That was quick. The Steelers take DeCastro. Their interior line is going to be dominant.

7:23 PM: The Patriots move forward again. They select Dont’a Hightower from Alabama. A Nick Saban coached defensive player is almost always a good choice. The Patriots defense will be much better this year. Dont’a continues the trend of hugs for the commissioner.

7:28 PM: Whitney Mercilus is a Texan. I’m going to defer to my friend Josh, a Texans fan, for a reaction to this pick. “Wth. He is good but he doesn’t fit [the Texans] defense very well.” Josh would also like to point out that he would have preferred Cordy Glenn.

7:34 PM: The Bengals take Kevin Zeitler. Zeitler’s a Wisconsin guard who came out ahead of Cordy Glenn on the Bengals board. Like I said four picks ago Wisconsin linemen are almost always good picks.

7:40 PM: The Packers add another USC linebacker to their defense. It worked out well for them last time so we’ll see what happens this time.

7:44 PM: Another trade, the Vikings move back into the first round. With their new pick they take Harrison Smith, the safety out of Notre Dame. My reaction to this pick: “Who?” San Francisco is on the clock.

7:50 PM: A.J. Jenkins is a Forty Niner. San Fran needed a receiver. The pick makes sense. Two picks left.

7:54 PM: Another trade. The Buccanneers trade into Denver’s spot to take Doug Martin from Boise State. Doug Martin is a hard worker who can play on every down. Legaratte Blount is a guy who didn’t set foot in the weight room last year and can’t play on third down. The question here is how long it takes for Blount to punch Martin in the face.  One pick left.

8:04 PM: David Wilson is a New York Giant. The draft analysts have been high on LaMichael James during the process leading up to the draft often considering him the second best running back and yet three running backs were taken before him.

8:09 PM: This draft for me is about three things: three quarterbacks being taken in the first round, the Seahawks taking Bruce Irvin over David DeCastro and the massive amounts of trades. If the point of the new CBA was to make the draft more exciting, it succeeded.