2010 NFL Draft Report – Detroit Lions and SF Niners Win Big In First Round

The first round of the 2010 NFL Draft is in the bag, and it goes without saying that it was a doozy! Not surprisingly the St. Louis Rams chose Sam Bradford first overall. I’ll have my grades up on Monday after the entire draft has gone down, but there were some big moves in the first that have caught my attention.

Detroit and San Francisco must be beaming after their first rounds, but the biggest news (unfortunately) is that Tebow was drafted by Denver late in the first. While the Lions and Niners walked away as the uncontested winners of the first round, Buffalo and Denver are sadly at the back end the grade bus.

Detroit Lions Score Suh and Best
The long standing and woeful state of the Detroit Lions took a tremendous turn in the right direction when they were able to nab Ndamukong Suh in the first round. Making a daring trade later in the round, the Lions also selected Jahvid Best from the California Golden Bears with the 30th pick, which they acquired from the Minnesota Vikings.

Suh’s immediate insertion alongside Kyle Vanden Bosch will give Detroit a huge boost on defense and now gives Lions fans two franchise guys on both sides of the ball. Suddenly, a team that ranked at the bottom of NFL stat sheets against the rush is now a formidable force. I still hate that they traded Ernie Sims away in exchange for Tony Scheffler (they don’t need him as much as they need a linebacker). Sims would’ve been the guy who benefited most from the type of disruption Suh and Vanden Bosch will create.

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Reaching for Jahvid Best early in the first fills a big need for Detroit, which can’t be thoroughly convinced that Kevin Smith is an every down back. Still, the tandem of Smith and Best gives Detroit more flexibility on offense, and if they can get Pettigrew back healthy sooner rather than later, Detroit will at least be an interesting team to watch.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Detroit Lions are still a team which will hover around the 6-10 SU mark in the 2010 NFL betting season, but the Detroit Lions took a huge step towards redemption in the first round.

Biggest Mistake – Buffalo Bills Draft C.J. Spiller
This was a typical case of Buffalo feeling like it needed to take the “best player on the board”. The problem is that Spiller at ninth isn’t exactly the best move for them. An all-purpose utility man, Spiller shattered records in the ACC, but the main problem is that he’s now caught in a backfield that has three guys that could all start. Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch are probably terrified of their statuses right now. Spiller is better than both of them from a talent standpoint, and Lynch has been speculated in trades especially.

Still, while getting Spiller can be called a win, it’s a pretty bad blunder by a Bills team that had so many other holes to fix. Surely they feel like their offensive line could’ve used a bump. The only way that Buffalo redeems itself is if they can grab Clausen in the second round. They’ll pick 41st (or ninth in the second round) tonight.

Biggest Surprise – Denver Moves Up To Take Tim Tebow
Some will say that Denver giving up second, third and fourth round picks to move ahead of New England and draft Tim Tebow is a shock. Others will say that it’s a bold move that indicates the team has little to no faith in Brady Quinn and they’ve exhausted all their hopes for Kyle Orton.

What do I think? It only shows the arrogance of coach Josh McDaniels.

Denver went from a playoff contender to a laughing stock in a matter of weeks. They’ve lost Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, mostly because McDaniels wasn’t able to unhinge the steel doors of his newfound regime. Now the former Belichik understudy is going to prove that he can take a talent like Tebow and turn him in to a Pro Bowler, just like he did with Tom Brady.

Listen, I like Tebow, but intangibles don’t always win football games. He has all the traits we used to like about Ben Roethlisberger, but without the canon arm. He has a way with words that reminds me of Steve Young at times, but he doesn’t have Young’s smart feet or killer instinct.

I don’t care that he’s refined his throwing motion because it still looks stiff, unnatural and rehearsed. When I see it in a game situation, after he’s been blasted by a bloodthirsty defensive-end, maybe then I’ll start to believe he’s managed to overhaul his mechanics. You simply can’t undo a life’s worth of habits in three weeks. This is football, not a freaking a CPR course.

Smartest First Round – San Francisco 49ers Bolsters Front Line
They may not have the quarterback they want, but holy hell did the rest of the team come together! Taking Anthony Davis at offensive tackle and Mike Iupati at offensive guard gives San Francisco one of the best offensive lines in the game. Ok, maybe not now, but at least in one or two years. The Niners are making bold statements in this off-season by boosting their offensive-line and grabbing Ted Ginn Jr., who I haven’t given up on.

I’m telling you right now that the Niners are winning the NFC West. The division’s a mess, and even though Alex Smith isn’t the quarterback that can carry them to a title, the Niners have made a clear statement to their former first overall pick: it’s do or die time. Jeff Garcia, keep your phone lines open because the Niners may come calling if they need a veteran.

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