The 2010 NFL Draft began with a somewhat strange first day. The high strangeness continued to abound during the second day. Here were my favorite storylines:
Odd storylines continue on second day of 2010 NFL Draft
1. Jimmy Clausen finally gets drafted: Coming into Friday, most believed the Panthers would have to trade up to get a franchise quarterback. They didn't have to. Instead, they get arguably the second-best signal caller in this year's draft. Some thought Clausen fell because of perceived attitude issues. Others thought he fell because of a toe injury that slowed him in 2009. But now he's the face of the Panthers' franchise and none of that matters anymore.
2. Al Davis continues to make sense: The bizarreness of the NFL Draft continued on Friday thanks in large part to Al Davis. He's supposed to draft athletes. First Oakland took defensive tackle Lamarr Houston with the 44th pick. He upgrades their shaky defensive line immediately. With their second pick they took the offensive tackle they need in Jared Veldheer. While he's a developmental player, his upside is limitless.
3. Cranky old man spices up the second: Not so fast, with Davis. He threw a strange wrench in to the top-half of the second round. With the 42nd pick ... we had a passed pick .... or a trade? When the time expired with pick 42, there was confusion. Roger Goodell ended up in the draft pit to fix it. When he came out, the Patriots traded up for tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Raiders traded back and added more picks. Al Davis' confusion turned into a gain for Oakland. What the hell?
4. Browns shaky in second, stars in third:
Cleveland had one of the more curious second rounds. With the 38th pick, the Browns were expected to take Clausen or Colt McCoy. Instead they took an injury-prone safety (T.J. Ward). Then the team traded three picks to get back into second and take an injury-prone running back (Montario Hardesty). It was the Browns being the Browns. But then the team struck in the third grabbing quarterback Colt McCoy and guard Shawn Lauvao. Both may start as backups, but won’t be on the bench for long.
5. Twitter ruins the draft: The e-popularity contest known as Twitter practically ruined the draft. Several picks were being tipped via Twitter, whether it was from teams or from talking heads like Chris Mortensen. What is the point of watching the draft on television if the picks get tipped so much? It’s certainly not to hear the wisdom of Tom Jackson or Rich Eisen.
6 Philadelphia accumulates numerous picks: I think the
just traded for two more third-day picks. No? Could have fooled me. The Eagles enter the final day of the draft with four fourth-round picks, two fifth-round picks, two seventh-round picks and a sixth-round pick. By my count, Philadelphia has traded or traded for 14 different picks in this year’s draft. Don’t be surprised if one of these fourth-round picks becomes a 2011 third-round pick.
7. Carolina continues to mortgage future: Coming into this year’s draft, the Panthers had no first-round pick after trading into the second round last year to take defensive end
. This year, they traded a 2011 second-round pick to select quarterback wide receiver whothehellknowswhat Armanti Edwards. It’s a risky move on a relative gamble.8. Seattle looks like early draft winner: With Russell Okung, Earl Thomas and Golden Tate, it looks like Seattle may win the premature evaluation of the 2010 NFL Draft. Each should be a rookie starter and good ones. I had Okung as the top-rated offensive tackle and Thomas and Tate ranked as the second-best players at their positions. To get Tate with the 60th pick was a coup for the ‘Hawks. With six picks on Saturday, Seattle could add a few more starters and solid depth.
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