2010 NFL Draft First Day Winners and Losers

The most anticipated event of the NFL off-season is the draft. It’s an honor for these young men to hear their name called, especially those called on day one.  The selection(s) each organization makes can change their team’s outlook for years to come–for the good or the disastrous.

You would think making a wrong selection would be impossible with amount of rigorous testing they have put these young men through–on top of hours of game film.

They have had them run, jump, interviewed, examined and drug tested. We know more about them than we do Osama bin Laden and he’s a wanted terrorist.

Some of these draftees will become millionaires by just putting their signature on a piece of paper, and others will get the chance to become so by sacrificing their bodies.

Which draftees from 1st round of the 2010 NFL Draft were great picks; which ones were surprising; and who will we think back upon as a bust?

First Day Winners

Here is something that most of us aren’t use to hearing: The biggest winners on day one have to be the Detroit Lions.  With the 2^nd pick they took the best in the draft DT (Defensive Tackle) Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska.

They also scored the “Best” RB (Running Back) from California in Jahvid Best, with the 30^th selection.  These two picks should be the most productive things the Motor City has seen in a long time.

Just when I thought the San Diego Chargers were going to run an empty backfield next season, they drafted Ryan Mathews from Fresno State.  Mathews should get a healthy amount of carries and have success racking up yards with his big body.

The San Francisco 49ers look to be focusing on the essentials, drafting two linemen in the top 20 picks.  With their 11^th pick, they took OT (Offensive Tackle) Anthony Davis from Rutgers and OG (Offensive Guard) Mike Iupati from Idaho.

These two players should not only help Frank Gore in the running game, but improve pass protection and keep head coach Mike Singletary’s pants on at halftime.

I thought the Dallas Cowboys made the perfect selection for their team.  They have Miles Austin and Roy Williams (who sucks more than a prostitute), but drafting WR (Wide Receiver) Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State was a great move.  Bryant is a Jerry Jones (Owner) kind of guy and has a tremendous up-side.

Surprises from Day One

The Denver Broncos made the biggest splash in the headlines when they drafted QB Tim Tebow from Florida.  There is no debate about his ability as a college player, but many questions surrounding his potential in the NFL.

Tebow will play QB in this league and will be successful doing so.  You can make all the comparisons you want to other guys who have had similar attributes and failed, but no one has had his determination and focus.

The Broncos also made a great pick earlier at No. 22 by drafting WR Demaryius Thomas from Georgia Tech.  Broncos head coach, Josh McDaniels, knows that he can’t replace the talent level of Brandon Marshall, but he can strengthen the character of a team by selecting guys like Thomas.

The Cincinnati Bengals made a surprise pick going with TE (Tight End) Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma.  Gresham’s run blocking ability is similar to the vocal talents of William Hung, but what he does give them is another asset in an already dangerous passing attack.

This pick should prove to be good for the Bengals, even if the only thing he does is avoid getting a mug shot.

Hindsight Is a BEEEEEP

As many people predicted the St. Louis Rams selected QB Sam Bradford from Oklahoma with the No. 1 pick.  The percentages for this QB delivering on his hype for number are really low, especially for a guy who didn’t win big games, played in spread offense and has had surgery on his throwing shoulder.

I feel the Rams will find out the only thing more overrated than choosing Bradford at one is watching movies in 3-D.  If they don’t throw him to the wolves right out of the gate, his chances of survival will be much higher.

The Cleveland Browns went a complete different route with the No. 7 pick and selected CB (Corner Back) Joe Haden from Florida.  I’m not saying it was bad pick, but they could have selected a game changer on offense.  It’s clear that this is an area where they need more help than Stevie Wonder does driving.

A bit of advice for the Pittsburgh Steelers No. 18 pick OC (Offensive Center) Maurkice Pouncey: The man putting his hands between your legs tends to get a little frisky.

A telling sign that Steelers are not looking to move Ben Roethlisberger was that they didn’t draft Jimmy Clausen.  I think that trading Roethlisberger would be a huge over reaction to the recent events.

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the draft has in store for football fans and the organizations.  The later rounds are where the good teams become great and the bad teams become…well, the Oakland Raiders.