Opinion: NFL Draft

So as you may know, the 2011 NFL Draft kicked off last night in New York City. This year they did things a little differently, calling out just the 32 first round draft picks on Thursday, and making it a weekend long process for the rest of the players not selected in the first round. I can't say that I am a fan of that. The NFL is the ONLY sport to drag out its draft process...and I'll tell you why. The almighty dollar. Enough about the process, let's get into the picks that were made and also some strange one's that were not made.

1. Carolina Panthers select Cam Newton QB Auburn-
I'll be the millionth person to say this, but Carolina...I feel sorry for you, Cam Newton is now your problem. What a waste of a 1st overall pick. Cam Newton is exactly the same model as Vince Young, except Vince Young didn't have any off the field problems to note before getting drafted. Where is Vince Young, and why don't you ask the Titans organization how that pick worked out for them? What makes even less sense is, in 2010 the Carolina Panthers selected QB Jimmy Clausen in the 2nd round. Did he play well during last years regular season for the Panthers? No. But who did?? He was playing with nobody. We've seen this type of occurence time and time again. A rookie QB thrown into the fire on an awful team, only to be thrown under the bus for not performing well.....David Carr, and Joey Harrington are two big names that come to mind. But instead of drafting talent to build around a young rookie QB, you go and draft ANOTHER QB. Awesome job scouting, awesome.

Draft Grade: D

4. Cincinnati Bengals select A.J. Green WR Georgia-
This pick I think threw a lot of the other teams off. The Bengals get a very talented WR with great size, speed, and hands. But, who do they plan on throwing the ball to A.J. Green? Most people had the Bengals going with a QB here, especially after QB Carson Palmer continues to say that he will not be back next season to play with the Bengals. Do I love the player? Yes. Do I love they went with a replacement for Chad Johnson when he leaves? Yes. Do I think it was the position they most needed now? No. So overall, not bad selection...but not outstanding for where they picked in the draft.

Draft Grade: A-

6. Atlanta Falcons select Julio Jones WR Alabama-
Absolutely love this pick. An already stacked Falcons team moves all the way up to No. 6 in the draft and snags a tremendously athletic and fast WR in Julio Jones. The Falcons get what they needed, another great WR to put next to their already Pro-Bowl WR Roddy White. The pair of them, put with a very powerful running game in Michael Turner and a Pro-Bowl QB in Matt Ryan is amazing. This might be one of my favorite picks in the draft. Way to go Atlanta, way to go.

Draft Grade: A+

8. Tennessee Titans select Jake Locker QB Washington-
Let's start off with this. The Titans needed a QB, badly. Rusty Smith was definitely not going to cut it at QB, and Vince Young is as good as gone. Locker most likely would have been the No. 1 overall pick had he come out of college last year and entered the draft. He dedcided to stay in school, and play one more year at Washington. Washington as a wholeplayed terrible for most of the 2010 season, and Locker's stock dropped quite a bit when his numbers really took a hit. His accuracy and footwork I think are the main things he needs to work on, but definitely has some talent. The Titans drafting him here at No. 8 I think might be a little bit of a stretch, but the Titans did draft a position of major need.

Draft Grade: B

10. Jacksonville Jaguars select Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri-
You have a decent QB in David Garrard, and a great RB in Maurice Jones-Drew. What do you draft with the 10th overall pick? Another QB in Blaine Gabbert??? This one is a reach for me. The Jaguars have been known for "reaching" in the first round, when last year they drafted Tyson Alualu with the No. 10 overall pick. Maybe they see something we don't. We will have to wait and find out.

Draft Grade: C

12. Minnesota Vikings select Christian Ponder QB Florida State-
Speaking of reach, this one by far was the most shocking pick in the first round to me. I applause the Vikings for picking a major area of need in the QB position, but Christian Ponder...and at No. 12??? You have in my opinion the best QB available on the board still with Ryan Mallett from Arkansas, or even Andy Dalton from TCU. This by far was the biggest "reach" in the first round, and as you can see by my grade, wasn't a good pick.

Draft Grade: D

13.Detroit Lions select Nick Fairley DT Auburn-
This is one scary pick for any opposing offensive line next year. You have Kyle Vanden Bosch, Ndamukong Suh, and then you add a player of Nick Fairley's talent to that line? Look out. Love the pick here at 13. The Lions may have to be recognized next year as a threat, as long as young QB Matthew Stafford can stay healthy.

Draft Grade: A

19.New York Giants select Prince Amukamara CB Nebraska-
Prince dropped somewhat in my opinion, and CB was a major area of concern for the Giants. Prince is very raw, but has great speed and size. At this spot in the draft, you can't blame them for taking one of the best players on the board. He'll need some time to develop all his skills, but the talent is definitely there. Giants get a need checked off their list, and potential star while doing so. Nothing wrong with that.

Draft Grade: B+

22.Indianapolis Colts select Anthony Castonzo OL Boston College-
Here is a guy who could have gone much higher in the draft, but the Colts get lucky enough to nab one of the best OL prospects in the draft all the way back at No. 22 in the draft. Peyton needs protection to throw that ball, and this guy should give him just that. Love the pick, and this should help the franchise QB stay off his back a little less often.

Draft Grade: A-

26.Kansas City Chiefs select Jonathan Baldwin WR Pittsburgh-
With Baltimore not working out a last minute trade to move out of the No. 26 position, they did the rare thing. Simply let the pick pass. So Kansas City ends up snagging a great sized, and tremendous athlete in Jonathan Baldwin. If he was at any other college getting the ball actually thrown to him often, I could only imagine the stats this guy could've put up. Another piece to the puzzle is added with this pick, putting a talented receiver on the other side of the field from Pro Bowl WR Dwayne Bowe.

Draft Grade: A-

28.New Orleans Saints select Mark Ingram Jr. RB Alabama-
This to me is where the strangest thing happened in the first round. You have the New England Patriots originally in the spot to pick. The glaring need for the Patriots is a running game, and you have the former Heisman Trophy Winner in Ingram left on the board....and you trade the pick? It's extremely hard to criticize the Patriots, due to the fact that Belichick is a draft "genius". But this one had me scratching my head. New Orleans is now the benefited team, and get's a Emmitt Smith clone to add to an already high powered offense. They get a round of applause for stepping up and making a trade to add such a talented player that late in the draft....It was actually the first time ever in the history of the draft that the first RB wasn't selected until No. 28. And they got a dang good one in Mark Ingram.

Draft Grade: A+