The First Round, Pick By Pick

The night started innocently enough, with the first several picks going as reasonably expected. Then things started getting crazy. The Raiders made a sensible pick, Jacksonville gave us a "Say what?" moment and then the wheeling-and-dealing that is draft day trades began. Let's break down the first night. Shall we?

1. QB Sam Bradford, Rams - We all knew it was coming by now, so we won't spend much time on this pick. But with Bradford, Stephen Jackson and Donnie Avery, the Rams should win more than one game. Hopefully.
2. DT Ndamukong Suh, Lions - Arguably the most talented player in the draft, Detroit would have been foolish to pass up this opportunity. No drama in the pick, but who cares?
3. DT Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers - His talent is up there with Suh's, and is already drawing comparisons to Warren Sapp playing with Tampa Bay. But seriously, I loved watching this guy at the draft. It was fun seeing a guy let his emotions out on the biggest night of his life thus far. In case you missed it, after congratulating the two preceding players picked, he himself broke down when Tampa gave him a call and gave Roger Goodell a hug onstage.
4. OT Trent Williams, Redskins - The third Oklahoma Sooner in the top four, Williams was a pretty safe pick here by Washington. The only question was really whether they'd go for Williams or his Bedlam rival Russell Okung. Question answered, and Donovan McNabb sleeps a little bit better tonight.
5. S Eric Berry, Chiefs - Berry is one of my favorite players in the draft. About as NFL-ready as they come, Berry is the type of playmaking safety that has taken the NFL by storm. Equally able to bring the wood against the run as he is to play centerfield and terrorize quarterbacks, this is a pick that Kansas City is not likely to regret.
6. OT Russell Okung, Seahawks - Seattle has multiple needs, but it's hard to go wrong with a bookend tackle.
7. CB Joe Haden, Browns - My thinking here is that Cleveland has needs in the secondary, and Haden was the best available. Quarterback is a big need for the Browns, and I think they'll be able to address that in the second round. Jimmy Clausen ends up being available there, but I doubt they'll take another Notre Dame guy. With the West Coast offense coming to the Mid-Atlantic, Colt McCoy looks like he'll be a good fit.
8. ILB Rolando McClain, Raiders - Wait a minute. This isn't the Twilight Zone, is it? The Oakland Raiders make a safe, unassuming and otherwise (dare I say it) good pick. They drafted a football player. McClain is a good linebacker, leading one of the best defenses in college football last year for national champion Alabama. I'm still a little bit shocked that Al Davis isn't completely senile.
9. RB C.J. Spiller, Bills - Buffalo isn't taking any chances with Marshawn Lynch getting in trouble, as they take the most electrifying back in the draft. He has a history of coming off the field with nagging, minor injuries so it will be interesting to see how he holds up in the winters of upstate New York. The Bills did ignore many needs they had, but got probably the best player available.
10. DT Tyson Alualu, Jaguars - Absolute shocker at the ten spot. Alualu is a very good player and apparently many  teams were high on him, but I don't think top-ten high. If this is the guy that Jacksonville really wanted in the first round, I believe they could have made a deal to move down significantly, as the next defensive tackle wasn't taken until pick twenty-six. Seriously, they could have gotten plenty of quality picks along with this guy.
11. OT Anthony Davis, 49ers (from Bears through Broncos) - Solid pick from San Francisco, picking up a quality blocker. Offensive line is an area of need for many teams, and as we'll see later San Francisco made significant efforts to improve theirs.
12. RB Ryan Matthews, Chargers (from Dolphins) - Talk about an aggressive move, San Diego knew who they wanted and took no chances. After seeing Spiller go early to the Bills, San Diego made a big jump from pick twenty-eight up to twelve. In my opinion this was quite a reach, as Matthews was a late-first round talent at best. In the same vein as Jacksonville, I have no qualms about the player picked, only in the position they were selected.
13. OLB Brandon Graham, Eagles (from 49ers through Broncos) - Again, maybe a bit of a reach. He should be productive with Philadelphia, but I didn't get the feeling that his draft stock was high enough to warrant two third round picks. Nonetheless, he fills a need on the Eagles' defense as blitzing outside linebacker or rush end.
14. S Earl Thomas, Seahawks (from Broncos) - Thomas is a good get for Seattle, as he is very athletic and versatile. Some say he may be converted to a corner at the next level, but regardless of where he ends up playing in the secondary expect big play potential.
15. DE Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants - Nobody else left in the first round to fill more pressing needs aside from possibly one of the offensive linemen taken soon after, New York adds yet another rush defensive end. This is great for Pierre-Paul given the Giants' recent history.
16. DE Derrick Morgon, Titans - Losing Kyle Vanden Bosch is no longer that big of a deal. Morgan can possibly step in and be just as good as Vanden Bosch, but is obviously much younger. Tennessee is hoping he can revitalize their defensive line.
17. OG Mike Iupati, 49ers - What was once a weakness is quickly becoming a strength for San Francisco, as they show they are very committed to the offensive line with two top twenty picks. It was mentioned that Iupati might move from guard to tackle in the NFL, but it seems that he will stay at guard with Joe Staley and fellow first-round pick Anthony Davis bookending the line. The former Idaho Vandal was also the only offensive guard taken in the first round.
18. C Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers - Pouncey would be a great plug-and-play guy for whoever chose to pick him, but he is especially needed in Pittsburgh, where offensive line woes have been well chronicled the past couple of years. However, if the Steelers are serious about dealing Ben Roethlisberger then I think that Jimmy Clausen would have been an interesting pick here.
19. OLB Sean Weatherspoon, Falcons - This playmaking backer out of Mizzou should fit right in on Atlanta's defense. He's got good size, speed and intelligence to be a solid starter in this league.
20. CB Kareem Jackson, Texans - With Ryan Matthews off the board, the only question was which of the three corners (Jackson, Kyle Wilson and Devin McCourty) Houston would select. My personal favorite was Wilson, but I'm happy with Jackson. And if he ends up being great, there's already a Houston nickname that will be ready for him (Kareem "The Dream"). Let's just hope receivers don't Dream Shake past him.
21. TE Jermaine Gresham, Bengals - After missing the entire 2009 season, Gresham has flown a bit under the radar this draft season for a guy with his athleticism and talent. He's a reliable pass catcher and has great size, this is a pick that won't be talked about a lot but will turn out wonderful for Cincinnati.
22. WR Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (from Patriots) - The Broncos had Thomas rated over Dez Bryant, and apparently not because of behavioral issues as one would think. Obviously fills a need after losing Brandon Marshall.
23. OT Bryan Bulaga, Packers - The final offensive lineman taken in the first round. Bulaga probably won't start this year, but will give always needed depth on the line and a plan for the future.
24. WR Dez Bryant, Cowboys (from Eagles through Broncos and Patriots) - Jerry Jones was not about to pass on a playmaker like Bryant. Bryant has top-ten talent, but dropped through the first round and wasn't even the first wide receiver taken. Dallas should be excited about the prospect of giving Tony Romo a playmaker to pair with surprise Pro Bowler Miles Austin.
25. QB Tim Tebow, Broncos (from Ravens) - Quite simply, the pick of the draft, regardless of whether good or bad. I don't know of anybody who thought that Denver would be a potential Tebow suitor, much less to take him in the first round. I'll refrain from passing any judgement on how Tebow will fare in the NFL, as I honestly see both sides. But the most interesting prospect is that Denver now has three quarterbacks--Tebow, Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn--each of whom believes he can legitimately be the starting quarterback. Training camp should be fun. (Alternate analysis: After seeing sought-after linebacker Rolando McClain go off the board, Broncos trade down and select Tebow, with plans to make him their middle linebacker.)
26. DT Dan Williams, Cardinals - Most (except the Jaguars, apparently) thought Williams was the best defensive tackle prospect not named Suh or McCoy. For Arizona, his talent allowed them to pick the best available rather than by need, which they'll address in the latter rounds.
27. CB Devin McCourtey, Patriots - You can never have too many corners, and with three picks in the second round, New England is able to pick up a solid defender that can contribute on special teams and subbing in on defense that can be a solid starter in years to come.
28. DT Jerod Odrick, Dolphins (from Chargers) - Odrick can be a versatile player in Miami's 3-4 defensive front, as he has the skills to play both the 5-technique end and nose tackle.
29. CB Kyle Wilson, Jets - Right now I hate the Jets. They should not be able to have the offseason they are having. Let's recap. Free Agents: LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor. Trade: Antonio Cromartie for a conditional third round pick, Santonio Holmes for a fifth round pick. Draft: Kyle Wilson. The Jets' defense is stacked, and can possibly get better in subsequent rounds. Kyle Wilson is the quite possibly the best nickel corner in the league, as he was probably the second best corner in the draft. Rex Ryan should be giddy.
30. RB Jahvid Best, Lions (from Vikings) - Good pick, gives more options to Matthew Stafford in the offense. Best is one of those smaller backs that have become more prominent with the spread offenses. The onus will be on the coaching staff to make sure that he is utilized in a way that takes advantage of his skill set.
31. DE Jerry Hughes, Colts - Just what the Colts need, another rush end. Because he's a little bit smaller than most prototypical 4-3 ends (6'2", 255 lbs.) he may have fit better as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. But he was a traditional end at TCU, and a darn good one at that, so he should be able to do well under the tutelage of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
32. CB Patrick Robinson, Saints - Again, you can never have enough cornerbacks. The defending Super Bowl champions could have gone multiple ways with this pick, however. Safety Taylor Mays and outside linebackers Sergio Kindle and Daryl Washington are all still available, and all would have filled needs with terrific talent.

Looking ahead to the second round, the biggest question is now where will Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy end up? For both, and especially Clausen, it may end up better for them that they dropped to the second round, as disheartening as it may have been. Whichever team selects them will have already used a first round pick to better the team that will be around them. I love second and third round running backs, and there should be plenty tonight. My three favorites are Toby Gerhart, Jonathan Dwyer and Dexter McCluster. But also keep an eye out for whoever grabs Joe McKnight, he was very hyped coming out of high school and got a bit mixed up in the overabundance of running backs at USC. He can be an impact athlete on an NFL team. As much as everybody loves the glitz and glam of the opening round, the reality is that drafts are made in the second through seventh rounds. There are plenty of big names and no names that are ripe for the picking in the coming hours and days. It's going to be fun.

One last guy to watch, not only in the draft, but in the coming years: inside linebacker Brandon Spikes, out of Florida. Leader of a great defense the past two years, possibly was a first round pick last year, but he is still a physical specimen that knows how to play football, and play it well.