Gonzo
04-27-2008, 05:03 PM
Winners
They're young, and they just got younger, but the Kansas City Chiefs were among those who helped themselves most.
They unloaded last season's NFL sacks leader in Jared Allen, but in trading him to the Minnesota Vikings last week they picked up another first-round pick, and with two selections in the first 15 overall they couldn't have done much better.
With the fifth pick, they took Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who is considered a ready-now playmaker.
The Chiefs then traded up from No. 17, the pick they had acquired from the Vikings, to No. 15 to get an offensive lineman. In Branden Albert of Virginia, they got the lineman who most scouts rated second behind Michigan tackle Jake Long, who went No. 1 overall to Miami.
In the second round, the Chiefs addressed their cornerback need and plucked Virginia Tech's Brandon Flowers, one of the better defensive backs available.
Other first-day draft winners included the Washington Redskins, who traded out of the first round and stockpiled two of the better receivers in Michigan State's Devin Thomas (34th overall pick) and Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly (51st). In between, they added a solid tight end with the 48th pick in Southern California's Fred Davis.
The Dolphins, in addition to drafting and signing Long, grabbed a very good defensive end in Clemson's Phillip Merling with the first pick in the second round and later drafted Michigan quarterback Chad Henne.
Buffalo, meanwhile, made two solid picks with first-rounder Leodis McKelvin, the top-rated cornerback from Troy State, and James Hardy, a top-end receiver out of Indiana.
Jacksonville made a couple of nice trades to move up, and they helped the Jaguars net Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey in the first round and Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves in the second.
The Steelers also drafted well, getting Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first round and Texas receiver Limas Sweed in the second.
Losers
It's hard to say somebody was a loser on draft day, because you simply can't predict how some prospects will pan out in the NFL.
But there were some head-scratchers, and a couple were made by the Baltimore Ravens, who not only traded the No. 8 overall selection but also the 26th pick, which they had acquired from Jacksonville when they traded down.
Oh, they got a quarterback, a position they desperately needed to fill. But they rolled the dice in making a deal to move up to No. 18 and take Delaware's Joe Flacco. He almost certainly would have been available much later.
The Ravens later dropped down again, swapping second-round choices with Seattle and taking Rutgers running back Ray Rice. He's a decent tailback, but there were more impact players available earlier in the round.
The Green Bay Packers also traded out of the first round, dealing the 30th overall pick to the Jets, and then made a stunning choice with their initial selection - Kansas State receiver Jordy Nelson with the fifth pick in the second round.
At least five available receivers were rated far higher than Nelson. And receiver wasn't their most pressing need.
As for the Falcons, it was smart to take a chance on Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, but they reached when making a trade with the Redskins to move back into the second round and take USC tackle Sam Baker with the No. 21 choice.
They're young, and they just got younger, but the Kansas City Chiefs were among those who helped themselves most.
They unloaded last season's NFL sacks leader in Jared Allen, but in trading him to the Minnesota Vikings last week they picked up another first-round pick, and with two selections in the first 15 overall they couldn't have done much better.
With the fifth pick, they took Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who is considered a ready-now playmaker.
The Chiefs then traded up from No. 17, the pick they had acquired from the Vikings, to No. 15 to get an offensive lineman. In Branden Albert of Virginia, they got the lineman who most scouts rated second behind Michigan tackle Jake Long, who went No. 1 overall to Miami.
In the second round, the Chiefs addressed their cornerback need and plucked Virginia Tech's Brandon Flowers, one of the better defensive backs available.
Other first-day draft winners included the Washington Redskins, who traded out of the first round and stockpiled two of the better receivers in Michigan State's Devin Thomas (34th overall pick) and Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly (51st). In between, they added a solid tight end with the 48th pick in Southern California's Fred Davis.
The Dolphins, in addition to drafting and signing Long, grabbed a very good defensive end in Clemson's Phillip Merling with the first pick in the second round and later drafted Michigan quarterback Chad Henne.
Buffalo, meanwhile, made two solid picks with first-rounder Leodis McKelvin, the top-rated cornerback from Troy State, and James Hardy, a top-end receiver out of Indiana.
Jacksonville made a couple of nice trades to move up, and they helped the Jaguars net Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey in the first round and Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves in the second.
The Steelers also drafted well, getting Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first round and Texas receiver Limas Sweed in the second.
Losers
It's hard to say somebody was a loser on draft day, because you simply can't predict how some prospects will pan out in the NFL.
But there were some head-scratchers, and a couple were made by the Baltimore Ravens, who not only traded the No. 8 overall selection but also the 26th pick, which they had acquired from Jacksonville when they traded down.
Oh, they got a quarterback, a position they desperately needed to fill. But they rolled the dice in making a deal to move up to No. 18 and take Delaware's Joe Flacco. He almost certainly would have been available much later.
The Ravens later dropped down again, swapping second-round choices with Seattle and taking Rutgers running back Ray Rice. He's a decent tailback, but there were more impact players available earlier in the round.
The Green Bay Packers also traded out of the first round, dealing the 30th overall pick to the Jets, and then made a stunning choice with their initial selection - Kansas State receiver Jordy Nelson with the fifth pick in the second round.
At least five available receivers were rated far higher than Nelson. And receiver wasn't their most pressing need.
As for the Falcons, it was smart to take a chance on Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, but they reached when making a trade with the Redskins to move back into the second round and take USC tackle Sam Baker with the No. 21 choice.