2010 NFL Draft, First Round: Quick Thoughts
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Steals
Russell Okung, 6: Alright, maybe this is only homer optimism. But Okung could’ve gone as high as second overall and was almost guaranteed to be a top-five pick for most of the offseason. Thanks to Trent Williams’ impressive workouts and soaring draft stock, Okung falls right into the lap of a team desperate for an offensive tackle.
Derrick Morgan, 16: Morgan was considered by many to be the best pass-rushing defensive end available in this year’s draft. Unfortunately for Morgan, he is best suited for a four-man front and teams who could have selected him passed for more pressing needs. Morgan is another player whose stock took a late hit; early in the draft process, he was considered a top ten pick and probably would be any other year.
Bryan Bulaga, 23: Bulaga has question marks, but he was definitely worth a top-15 selection. The Green Bay Packers desperately needed to address their offensive line issues and were probably prepared to select the best available lineman at 23rd overall. Fortunately for them, a good one slipped through the cracks and fell right into their hands.
Dez Bryant, 24: No doubt, Bryant is one of the best playmakers in the 2010 class. If he didn’t have character issues, he would have easily been selected in the top ten. Even with concerns, some mock drafts had him going as high as sixth overall to Seattle (I’m sure some were higher). In a few years, there are going to be a handful of teams scratching their heads and wondering why they passed on him – see Randy Moss.
Dan Williams, 26: Many mock drafts had Williams being selected somewhere in the top 15, and most considered him the best defensive tackle after Suh and McCoy. With a big, stout frame, Williams is capable of providing bulk in the trenches and offers very good value near the end of the first round. I think he would fare better in a four-man front, but the Cardinals got a steal after several teams opted for other players.
Kyle Wilson, 29: I thought Wilson had a chance to be the first cornerback selected in the 2010 draft, especially after Joe Haden, the consensus top cornerback entering the offseason, failed to impress during pre-draft workouts. Wilson has excellent natural ability and is a great pick at 29th overall. Michael Smith of ESPN.com said Eric Mangini told him that Wilson was the closest thing to Darrelle Revis in this year’s draft.
Reaches
Joe Haden, 7: Haden was slotted here early and many considered him the best cornerback in this year’s class. After unimpressive pre-draft workouts, however, it is possible the Browns could’ve dropped down a few spots and he would’ve still been available. Finding a trading partner isn’t always possible though, and it looks like the Browns got who they wanted.
Tyson Alualu, 10: I’m not sure what happened here. It almost seems as if the Jaguars were focused entirely on drafting C.J. Spiller and were caught completely off-guard when the Bills selected him. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, they were unable to trade down and were forced to select Alualu, who barely cracked the first round in most mock drafts. This franchise needed to make a big splash that would excite fans, not leave them scratching their heads.
Demaryius Thomas, 22: Not only did Denver unnecessarily jump around and move ahead of Green Bay, they selected Demaryius Thomas ahead of Dez Bryant. Thomas is worthy of a first-round selection, but I’ll bet the Broncos will regret passing on Bryant in a few years. Then again, Thomas is a pretty good player himself.
Tim Tebow, 25: Hate it or love it, Tebow was selected in the first round; everyone seemed to know it was going to happen. Whoever drafted him was going to receive criticism no matter what pick. Tebow might be a good investment, but 25th overall is probably too high for a quarterback whose NFL-skills are highly questionable. The Broncos are taking a huge risk, especially considering both Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy were available.
Surprises
Thomas before Bryant: I thought the Broncos were skillfully maneuvering around the first round of the draft, stockpiling picks and still selecting the player they could’ve easily taken at 11th overall. And then they drafted Demaryius Thomas. Thomas is good, but over Bryant?
Tebow before Clausen: Someone was going to trade up and draft Tebow, we just didn’t know it was going to be in the first round. And we didn’t know Jimmy Clausen would still be available when it happened.
Clausen not selected: At one point, Clausen was considered a top-five talent at quarterback. In fact, some analysts rated him better than Sam Bradford, who was selected first overall by the St. Louis Rams. Now he’ll be an early selection … on the second day of the draft.
Still wondering …
Why did the 49ers move ahead of the Dolphins to select Anthony Davis? Understandable if Davis was high on their board, but wouldn’t he have been available at 13th overall?
After trading down and acquiring additional picks, why did the Broncos feel it was necessary to leapfrog the Packers to select Demaryius Thomas? And why Thomas instead of Dez Bryant?
Is Jimmy Clausen that overrated? Apparently Mike Holmgren was right on with his analysis. Will someone trade up in the second round to select him?
Shaun Dolence: dolencesm@gmail.com
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