This upcoming draft is sure to be intriguing for those directly and indirectly involved. The NFL is inviting more draftees to Radio City Music Hall than ever before due to the primetime scheduling (Round 1 Thursday night, 2-3 Friday night and the rest on Saturday). Below are 21 things to watch for and what can be guaranteed at the conclusion of the 2010 NFL Draft.
1. Sam Bradford WILL be the #1 overall pick:
The Rams can't pass for a third year on a potential franchise QB (Ryan in 2008 and Sanchez in 2009). Coach Spagnuolo will want to put his stamp on this franchise who has to recreate the magic of the Kurt Warner days. It can't be said that Bradford will turn into Kurt Warner, but the Rams have to take a chance and the 3rd time will be charm when they select Bradford.
2. The flow of the draft will be determined with the Kansas City Chiefs & Cleveland Browns:
Sitting at #5, the Chiefs will be the first team to determine the direction of those who follow, particularly the Browns at #7. If the Chiefs go the route of OT, which would cause a calm flow of SEA going OT, then Cleveland taking Berry. However, if KC selects Eric Berry at #5, the Browns will either take the next available DB in Earl Thomas, DL (Pierre-Paul, Morgan), Clausen, Haden or move down and collect picks. The intrigue around KC taking Berry may cause Cleveland to move up to #3 or #4 to ensure they get Berry before KC. A little posturing by Pioli and company may shake up this draft.
3. The Raiders will do something stupid:
Can anyone remember when Al Davis made a smart pick in recent history? Heyward-Bey, Russell, Gallery, Huff, Brayton and possibly McFadden. If Al Davis falls in love with Bruce Campbell (or Mike Iupati as Michael Smith indicates) the trend of reaches and bad picks will continue. One has to wonder if Al Davis knows what he is doing these days.
4. Philly fans will hate who they pick:
The fans get off on this stuff. They could pick the reincarnation of Norm Van Brocklin or Reggie White and they still will boo the pick. I hate Philly and I hate their fans, especially LOD shoulder pad dude.
5. Bill Belichick will do something sneaky and wise on draft day:
Doesn't he always; watch for Ryan Mathews to be wearing Patriot colors. It might be the best pick of Round 1.
6. McShay v. Kiper
I'm starting to think that Mel Kiper is the ESPN version of a talk radio host who says ludicrous things to get attention. McShay, although somewhat baffling in his summations, is more rational than Kiper. Bryant to Cleveland at #7? Come on now, Mel! I also heard that Mel hates to take bathroom breaks during the draft, mostly to make sure that McShay doesn't handcuff himself to Mel's chair.
7. Trent Dilfer will make a fool of himself critiquing QB's since he has no idea what he is talking about. Trust me, did you see him in Cleveland and San Francisco? And don't tell me that he earned that Super Bowl ring. He'll tie one of the quarterbacks to Brett Favre or Mark Sanchez and proclaim their eternal greatness. He'll also make sure to sound smarter by talking slowly and loudly.
8. Tim Tebow will get more face time than Bradford, Suh and Clausen combined. The over/unders on cutaways to his house is about 47.5.
9. Colt McCoy, at the end of the next 15 years, will be the best QB in the league. His mentality will set him ahead of the others; and don't undermine him due to his size. Drew Brees 2.0 anyone?
10. Tim Tebow will be right behind McCoy, which puts Bradford a solid 3 out of this class. Clausen will be servicable in his career, but won't make a big impact as a starter.
11. The next LT: CJ, and not because of the 2 letter names. Spiller is dynamic both taking handoffs and catching passes. He will make people remember the glory days of LT... you know, 4 years ago.
12. 100% surefire bust: Dez Bryant. They say he is this year's Randy Moss, but Moss had some top end speed. Bryant will end up being too immature to flourish.
13. The recipient of the Leafie (player who is the most destructive and ruins any future he has in the league): Carols Dunlap - What he did at Florida (DUI, suspended for SEC Championship) was all I needed to see. Physical specimen: Check. Mental specimen: (knock knock) Hello! Anybody in there?
14. Pittsburgh better take a QB in the early rounds, because I got a feeling #7 is going to be finding a new zip code after the season.
15. The winners of the 2010 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns (Safety and QB of the future in this draft along with supplementing the talent they already have.
The losers of the 2010 NFL Draft: Tie --> Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals (Al Davis and Mike Brown choosing the players. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum/Lloyd and Harry).
16. Team that will mortgage their future: Cowboys - New stadium and Jerry Jones wanting to win now coupled with Wade Phillips always hanging in the balance).
17. School with the most draft picks: Oklahoma - Bradford, McCoy, Williams and Gresham all 1st round picks. How does Bob Stoops not perform better and win more titles? Stop the bashing on Tressell; at least he wins some bowl games.
18. School with the least draft picks: Murray State - don't worry, you'll become more irrelevant with the coming college football armageddon.
19. Mr. Irrelevant: Aaron Pettrey, K, THE Ohio State University... it's gotta be some sort of kicker, doesn't it?
20. 2010 Brady Quinn: Jimmy Clausen - My crystal ball predicts a precipitous fall for the young Clausen, if he gets past his "Miami" in Jacksonville.
21. Smartest pick in the 2010 NFL Draft: Round 4, Pick 127 --> Seattle Seahawks select RB from USC, Stafon Johnson. Pete knows this kid and will snag him up knowing how he produced at USC. Johnson was the most complete back in his days at USC and will contribute at the next level as a Pierre Thomas type back.
There you have it draftniks; what to look for this upcoming draft weekend. I hope everyone enjoys the festivities, because I know I will. The Yoders will be live blogging the draft tonight and I'll try and throw in some witty remarks as well. Until next time, be careful out there...
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