NFL Draft Thoughts

Some quick thoughts on the NFL Draft. Doesn't look like I'll have time for a full-fledged preview, thanks to being scheduled to work almost every day this week.

Todd McShay brought up a great point, and that is, if Detroit doesn't get a good enough offer to trade out of the 2 slot, why not stay there and pick up Calvin Johnson? My personal opinion is that they should stay right there and draft Brady Quinn. Detroit sticking with Jon Kitna is a lot like Oakland staying with Aaron Brooks and passing on Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler, and we have seen how that has worked out.
But if they don't feel as if they need a QB, Johnson is the best player on the board, so why not get him? As McShay said, they shouldn't let their past blunders dictate what they are doing this year. Gaines Adams is a big reach at No. 2, and Joe Thomas isn't a necessity. It seems likely, however, that Tampa and Detroit will swap picks.
My sources tell me that Atlanta is considering trading up to get Calvin Johnson, but that seems foolish. They have three young receivers, who while they aren't great, are now getting the chance to be tutored by the great Joe Horn. I say give them some time. Atlanta has much bigger needs at safety (they'll probably draft LaRon Landry) and at tackle (picking up Staley in the second round would be an absolute steal).

If I'm picking, and keeping in mind what the teams' preferences are, here is what my top 10 would look like:
1. Oakland--JaMarcus Russell
2. Tampa (from Detroit)--Calvin Johnson
3. Cleveland--Brady Quinn
4. Detroit (from Tampa)--Gaines Adams
5. Arizona--Joe Thomas
6. Washington--Amobi Okoye
7. Minnesota--Adrian Peterson
8. Atlanta--LaRon Landry
9. Miami--Levi Brown
10. Houston--Leon Hall

A couple final notes: 2-3 years down the road I think people will be wondering why Adrian Peterson and Ted Ginn Jr. didn't go higher, Ginn especially. I think these two are absolute superstars, should be top-5 picks, but have dropped because of recent injuriese. That is a mistake.

Here is how I would rank the tremendous wide receiver crop, with grades out of 10
1. Calvin Johnson--9.7
2. Ted Ginn Jr.--9.0
3. Robert Meachem--8.5
4. Dwayne Jarrett--8.4
5. Sidney Rice--8.1
6. Dwayne Bowe--7.8
7. Steve Smith--7.3
8. Anthony Gonzalez--7.0

I think I may attempt a running diary for the NFL Draft. That would be fun!