LiveBlog!!!! Draft Edition

Alright boys and girls, settle in for the best day of the NFL offseason. We'll be here with you all day, giving you our thoughts on the proceedings.

11:41 AM- ESPN and other media outlets are reporting that the Raiders have indeed centered in on drafting JaMarcus. Ugh. Utterly uninspired. Word is that Al Davis was in love with Russell, Kiffin wanted Brady Quinn, and the Raider's scouts were ripping their hair out in a corner screaming "CALVIN!!! Have you seen this man!?!?!? AHHHH!!!!"

12:07 PM- I think I have already had my fill of Mel Kiper for Day 1. I mean, I am already aware that JaMarcus Russell is large and throws far. Gotcha. I think Kiper used to be extremely useful when the Draft was not such the media event it is now, with mock drafts coming down the pipes for months now. Fans know the first round picks by heart by the time the actual draft starts. Kiper is much more of a service on Day 2, when I really would be curious who the heck the LB from Hofstra is that my team just picked. On an unrelated note, was that Troy Smith in that last video montage? They let second day picks on those now?

12:20 PM-#1 Raiders- JaMarcus Russell: The Raiders tab Russell with the first pick, and even though I am not high on Russell you can't deny that the Raiders needed a QB. I do not however see him being a great top 5 QB or anything though, especially since he is going to get David Carr'ed next year at Oakland. Chris Mortinson just said he should sit for a year....not going to happen. Russell will be under center from opening day.

Alright, now get ready to the most intriguing and important 15 minutes of the draft. Who gets #2? Lions? Bucs? Skins? Falcons?

12:30 PM-#2 Lions- Calvin Johnson: The Lions take Johnson, and now the big question is whether or not they are going to keep him. ESPN reported that the Lions want both of the Bucs 2nd Round picks in exchange, and evidently the Bucs are reluctant to pay that price. I think the Falcons might be willing to trade their two 2nd Rounders...

12:43 PM-#3- Browns- Joe Thomas: Wow. I am shocked. Evidently the Browns are happy with Jamal Lewis and Charlie Frye. My guess is that not taking Quinn points to the Browns being high on one of the 2nd Round QBs, Drew Stanton or Trent Edwards. Now the question is how far does Quinn drop? #7 perhaps?

12:54 PM-#4- Bucs- Gaines Adams: Now, I hate to see Adams go off the board before the Skins pick, but this is a good pick. The Bucs need defensive help, and they certainly do not need a QB or RB. It will be interesting to see if this pick is dealt to the Lions for Johnson. The Brady Quinn and Adrian Peterson is in full effect, one of those strange things that happens every year when teams suddenly decide "Nah, no thanks, I would rather NOT have one of the best players in the draft."

1:04 PM-#5- Cardinals- Levi Brown: This pick is a perfect example of the conflict between need and value. The Cardinals had no kind of offensive line last year, and they also lost Leonard Davis. Brown however, had been projected more in the 8-12 range. So are the Cardinals going to regret getting Brown? I don't think so, unless he ends up being a complete stiff. If you get a franchise QB one year, it makes sense to either get him a franchise receiver or a franchise left tackle. The Cardinals already have two franchise caliber WRs, so this was a bit of a no brainer.

Now the Redskins are in great trading position. Miami is interested in Quinn, and perhaps Houston or Buffalo might want to move up for Peterson. The Skins could also stay pat and take Okoye or Jamal Anderson. Stay tuned.

1:14 PM- LaRon Landry is celebrating. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1:16 PM-#6- Redskins- LaRon Landry: I am not happy about this. Not one stinking bit. Let me just put it this way. The Redskins had the fewest sacks last season in NFL history. EVER. They needed D-Line help, plain and simple. Landry is good and all, but I think the best value for the Skins would have been trading down and taking either Okoye, Anderson, or Alan Branch. Oi. Upsetting.

1:20 PM- By the way, with Brown, Landry, and Thomas going where they went we have already seen every single mock draft done by a media "expert" go up in flames. Can we all just agree not to do those next year? Nobody can ever account for a team's unpredictabilty.

1:27 PM-#7-Vikings- Adrian Peterson: Peterson is a great back, I would say better than Cadillac and Ronnie Brown when they came out two years ago. This pick again signals the shift in the NFL towards a two back system, with the Vikings already having a solid young starter at RB in Chester Taylor. Now, this pick also tells me that the Vikings still have faith in Tavaris Jackson, since they left Quinn on the board. It would be nice if anyone else in the NFL felt the same way about Jackson...

1:38 PM-#8- Falcons- Jamaal Anderson: The Falcons take a player at a position of need, perhaps a little bit higher than many people had expected Anderson to go. Anderson is a strong DE, and is very athletic. What this pick really show though, is that teams are scared out of their mind to trade up right now, as both the Falcons and Redskins presumably wanted to trade down from their positions. Teams are more reluctant than ever to give up their 2nd Rounders, especially with the huge difference in contract money between the 1st and 2nd round.

Now the Dolphins are on the clock, and they are poised to take Quinn, and that pick just feels perfect. The Dolphins have been searching forever for a replacement for Marino, and Quinn looks like the total package for them. Now, about those tens of millions they owe Daunte Culpepper...

1:50 PM-#9- Dolphins- Ted Ginn Jr: This is what I wrote about this pick before it happened when it looked like they were going to take Quinn: "I think this pick might end up getting the Double Checkmark Award, for being the best combination of value and need in the entire draft. I mean, how often does a guy that was projected 1 or 2 all season long fall to #9? And how often is the team sitting at #9 in need of that player's position. A perfect marriage." That is all I have to say about this pick.

1:56 PM- How dumb do the Texans feel right now for trading for Schaub?

2:05 PM-#10- Texans- Amobi Okoye: The Texans continue to remodel their defensive line with the selection of Okoye. Say what you will about Mario Williams, but the combination of the two gives the Texans one of the better young D-lines in the league.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux watch continues. Rumors are circulating that the Browns might be trading a 2nd and 3rd Rounder to trade back up for Quinn. Now THAT would be interesting.

2:19 PM-#11- 49ers- Patrick Willis: I like this pick a lot, Willis is about the only ILB prospect that is of first round quality. The 49ers look like they are turning the corner back towards respectabilty, making intelligent draft choices. Willis should make a big impact in his rookie season, and if none of the pass rushers are able to rack up big sack numbers he might be in line for the Defensive Rookie of the Year a la DeMeco Ryans last year.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: So is now the right time for the Bills to quit on JP Losman? When else are they going to be able to grab a QB the quality of Quinn this low ever again?

2:26 PM-#12-Bills- Marshawn Lynch: This might have been a bit of a reach value-wise for Lynch, but the need was huge for the Bills. They could not realistically go into the season with Anthony Thomas at RB. The second order effect of this pick is that the Packers can no longer depend on getting a first round RB. They are in a lot of trouble, and are going to have to start looking at the 2nd tier RBs such as Tony Hunt or Pittman.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: Marc Bulger is no spring chicken, and Quinn could use a couple of years as an understudy and then step into a talented offense.

2:37 PM-#13-Rams-Adam Carriker: Carriker is one of those prospects that slowly shoots up the draft chart during the spring. This is about where he was projected to go. Not an inspired pick, but not a bad one either.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: The Panthers have traded to the Jets, who look to take a corner. The drop continues.
*Panthers 1st and 6th for Jets 1st, 2nd, and 5th

2:53 PM-#14-Jets-Darrelle Revis: The Jets were headed into the season with Hank Poteat as their #2 CB. Suffice it to say, this was a good pick, though it can be debated whether Revis or Hall from Michigan is truly the top cover corner in the draft. It will be interesting to see what will come of the 2nd Round pick that the Jets had to sacrifice in order to get here.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: Now the Steelers are on the clock, so the slide will continue for at least one more pick. Is anyone willing to trade up? And does Quinn have a disease or something? Also Goodell made a great move by inviting Quinn to the back room to avoid the media. Good Commissioner this guy.

2:59 PM-#15-Steelers-Lawrence Timmons: The Steelers have two big needs on the defensive side of the ball, and they chose to fill the hole caused by Joey Porter's departure rather than going for a CB. Leon Hall would have been a better value at this position, but new coach Mike Tomlin wants to make a statement this season with his linebacking corps.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: Now this would be the irony of all ironies. Could the team that took the first Aaron Rodgers take the new Aaron Rodgers? How delicious.

3:08 PM- I really like Brady Quinn after watching his interview just now. Mature, well spoken, joking. "What are your plans?" "Maybe order some food or something. We don't know how long we are gonna be here." CLASSIC! His hair looks a lot messier than it was at the beggining too. Some team is going to get an absolute steal. Maybe Cleveland trading back up?

3:13 PM-#16-Packers-Justin Harrell: Harrell is a player that was rated a lot higher last year, and if not for an injury this season he may have been a top 10 pick. That being said, I don't see the sense in this pick for the Packers, especially with Alan Branch still on the board. Harrell is a reach here. There were so many receivers on the board, as well as Olsen at TE, how could they not take one of them to help Favre? Wow.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: The Jaguars have been waffling between Leftwich and Garrard, and if they do not take Quinn then the drop is really going to hit Rodgers range with the Bengals, Titans, Giants, Broncos, and Cowboys drafting next. This is really getting ugly. The Chiefs would poop themselves if he fell to #23.

3:23 PM- Trade: Jaguars #17 for the Broncos #21, 3rd Rounder, and 6th Rounder. Who do the Broncos have their eye on? Branch? Hall?

3:27 PM-#17-Broncos-Jarvis Moss: The Broncos must believe that some team between 18-20 was targeting Moss. Moss has the most speed of any DE in this draft not named Gaines Adams, although his stock had dropped a bit as teams questioned his ability to play the run. The Broncos have been looking for ways to generate a pass rush, and this pick is a good start.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: I feel as if the Jags got good value for their pick in the trade, and now could take Quinn at #21 or shop it to a team like Cleveland or Chicago as the Quinn position.

3:36 PM-#18-Bengals-Leon Hall: Best pick of the draft by far. The Bengals had an uncertain situation at corner with Deltha O'Neal likely to leave the team and Tory James already gone. So not only do they fill a big need on defense, they also get a top 10 caliber prospect at #18, and even more importantly for them a prospect with absolutely zero character issues. Fantastic pick. Might hold up as the best pick in the draft, depending on where Quinn ends up.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: Well, Tennessee is certainly not going to take Quinn. The landing point looks to be between 21 and 23.

3:47 PM-#19-Titans-Michael Griffin: I'm sure the Titans were salivating over the prospect of Hall falling to them, but missed out by one pick. Now here is the conspiracy theory for you. The Titans did not really need a safety that badly. They need a RB, CB, and WR much more. Do you know who needs a safety? The Chargers, who might be swapping with the Titans for Michael Turner.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: It is getting obvious at this point that unless someone pulls the trigger on a trade for Quinn in the next two picks that he is going to go to the Chiefs at #23.

3:58 PM-#20-Giants-Aaron Ross: This is a good pick for need, as the Giants do not have much depth at corner. They could have gone tackle here as well, but either way they would not have been able to get true value with this pick. I can't believe that they were not getting any decent offers for Quinn.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: This is the spot. Either a trade happens around here, or the Chiefs set a record for fastest pick ever at #23. Mark May is an idiot by the way, saying that he thinks Dallas is most likely to take him. Stick to college Mark.

4:04 PM-#21-Jaguars-Reggie Nelson: This pick lines up right behind the Bengal's pick as one of the best in the draft. Reggie Nelson is an extremely athletic safety with great coverage skills for the position, and the Jaguars probably would have taken Nelson at #17. So you get the player you wanted for less money, plus a 3rd and a 6th? Great job.

The Aaron Rodgers Redux Watch: Are the trade winds blowing here? Or is Jerry Jones crazy?

4:17 PM-#22-Browns-Brady Quinn: Wow. Just amazing. There is no way the Browns could have foreseen that taking Joe Thomas would result in the dominoes falling in just the right way for them to get Quinn as well. It will be interesting to see what they had to give up to get him.

4:21 PM- The Browns gave up the 36th pick in this draft plus next year's 1st rounder. They might have hoped to keep the 2nd rounder in exchange for a 3rd or 4th, but this is such a unique opportunity to grab a potential franchise QB at #22.

4:32 PM-#23-Chiefs-Dwayne Bowe: The Chiefs have had a perrenial problem at wide receiver, and Bowe is a good value here as he was projected to get a little bit higher than this slot. Getting another passing option was key with Tony Gonzalez and Eddie Kennison not getting any younger. The Chiefs did however, need some line help with two starters retiring in the past two seasons, so perhaps Joe Staley would have been a better pick in this spot as a left tackle.

4:35 PM- The Patriots have two picks coming up at #24 and #28, so expect them to do something excellent, because they always do. By the way, has anyone else noticed that the Lions STILL have Calvin Johson? I guess they are going to stick with him. I was really sure that they were going to ship him to the Bucs for Gaines Adams and additional picks. This has certainly been a crazy draft thus far.

4:45 PM-#24-Patriots-Brandon Merriweather: This is a talented player, much more talented than this draft position, but this is the first big character guy to go in the draft. Considering that it is the Patriots taking him though, you have to believe that they know what they are doing with this guy and that they are convinced that he is not going to be the next Pac Man. They also do have a need at safety with the aging Rodney Hariss on the downside of his playing days.

4:55 PM-#25-Panthers-Jon Beason: Beason is a player that performs better on the field than in scouting tests, perhaps causing him to drop a bit in the draft. With Dan Morgan missing the entirety of last season the Panthers needed to make a move to add some insurance at the outside linebacker position. Again, not an overly inspired pick but a decent one in terms of value and need.

4:59 PM- A trade between Dallas and Philly? What? Dallas sends a 2, a 3, and a 5 for the first rounder. A good trade by the Boys followed by a bad one. So it goes.

5:07 PM-#26-Cowboys-Anthony Spencer: Spencer is the last of the elite pass rushers left, but to be honest I am not overly thrilled with this pick, if only because of the price tag that came with it to trade up. Greg Ellis is getting old and all, but I think that receiver would have been more of a need, and certainly I would not have envisioned the Cowboys trading three picks when they are picking again right around the corner at #36. The strangeness of this draft continues.

5:16 PM- By the way, Alan Branch is still on the board. Yet another curious fall by a player once considered a lock for a top ten selection.

5:20 PM-#27-Saints-Robert Meachem: The rich get richer on the Saints offense. The Saints now boast a lineup that could see Marques Colston and Reggie Bush split out with Meachem on the field as well. This is a good value pick, but Greg Olsen might have been a much better fit in terms of need while also giving the Saints a similar value.

5:34 PM-#28-49ers-Joe Staley: In the same vein as the Cardinals earlier pick of Levi Brown, the 49ers trade up to get a rising left tackle prospect to protect Alex Smith. Staley made a late surge up draft boards, and the 49ers may have gotten a steal selecting Staley at this position. Coupled with their earlier pick of Patrick Willis, the 49ers are having a very good draft thus far.

5:42 PM- You knew the Patriots were going to make a good move at some point. They picked up a 4th this year and a 1st next year for the #28 pick. This is a great move for the Patriots, as next year's draft is much deeper at all of the offensive skill positions and the 1st Rounder they will gain from the 49ers will certainly be higher than #28.

5:44 PM-#29-Ravens-Ben Grubbs: Well, I may have grown to hate this guy by this point if only because Mel Kiper will not shut up about him, but if he can indeed step in and start next year than this is an excellent pickup for the Ravens. And ladies and gentlemen, Alan Branch is still on the board, in case your team is looking for a DT.

5:57 PM-#30-Chargers-Craig Davis: Wow. This draft has been nothing if not unpredictable. A lot of people were saying that the Chargers were going to be looking for a WR here, but few thought that it was going to be Davis. The Chargers passed up the chance to take one of the two USC WRs from their own back yard.

6:12 PM-#31-Bears-Greg Olsen: I'm not so sure about this one. I mean, wasn't Desmond Clark a stud last year? Next up are the Colts, and Alan Branch would figure to be a great pick for a team with big problems with rush defense....but you would have thought the Dolphins would never have passed on Quinn either.

6:19 PM-#32-Colts-Anthony Gonzalez: Well, that was a fitting way to end the round. The Colts, with a shot at a top 15 talent at their biggest need....instead draft a mediocre WR that will be no better than #3. Mind-boggling.