Thursday, May 8, 2014

Live Blog: 2014 NFL Draft



I'll be live blogging the 2014 NFL Draft tonight.  (Well, round one anyway.)

Friday and Saturday, rounds 2 through 7... I don't know if I'll have time.  I've got an awards banquet on Friday night and a track meet on Saturday.

However.  Tonight, I will be watching, and discussing the picks.

I've spent less time on the draft this year than just about any other year.

So who will be the first pick?  Signs point to JaDaveon Clowney from South Carolina... Apologies if I spelled your name wrong, Mr. Clowney.

As I type this line... we are like 5 minutes from the start of the draft.

I'll type in the picks as they roll in, maybe share a thought or two..and also include others opinions...I'll be on twitter using the hashtag:  #doofusdraft

I just tweeted my first question of the night, Who will pick Johnny Manziel?

New to the draft this year... they will be playing "Walk Up Music" for each of the picks selected that are in attendence... could be kinda cool, but it could also be bad.

I'm really sick of this "I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man" song.  We get it, you're the man.

I'm starting the night on espn, but I'll switch back and forth with the NFL Network...but I've watch Chris Berman do the draft for so many years, it feels like it would be wrong to start somewhere else.

The Commish gets a loud round of boos, as he opens the draft.

The Texans are on the clock.  How long will they make us wait?
-earlier today said they weren't taking any trades, and they had their pick ready...so why are we waiting?
The Pick is IN:  And it's, it's, it's... Jadeveon Clowney, DE from South Carolina.

Sure glad we waited ten minutes for that.

The Rams are on the clock.  They could go any number of ways, but probably an offensive lineman.

My brother Rich is commenting in the comments below.  Let's see if we can get him on the twitter, and I can include his thoughts along with my stream of consciousness.


The Rams Pick is in, and it's Greg Robinson, Offensive Tackle from Auburn.
-seems like a good pick because their quarterback got killed last year against the Seahawks and 49ers, and the Cardinals defense is no joke either.  They gotta give Sam Bradford a chance.

The Jaguars are on the clock, and the thought is that they will pick Kalil Mack, the Linebacker/Pass Rusher out of Buffalo...but they need alot of help.  Rich also thinks they take Kalil Mack.

Jason LaConfora is tweeting that the pick is Blake Bortles the QB from University of Central Florida.
The Pick is in...and it is Blake Bortles.

The Browns are on the clock... Johnny Football time?  Or Something else?  Personally, I don't want Sammy Watkins or Kalil Mack going to the Raiders, and it looks like one of them will be there.

And Bortles, girlfriend Linsay Duke was tweeted out within one minute of him being drafted.  So that's at least some kind of record.

The Browns have traded the Pick to Buffalo, and the Bills pick is in:  Wide Reciever?  Offensive Tackle?  Trade is from 9th pick to 4th...so they probably didn't have to give up an arm or a leg.
With the 4th pick, the Bills select Sammy Watkins, WR from Clemson.  Whew, glad he's not in Oakland...but now Kalil Mack is still there.  Still...Sammy Watkins is a big time playmaker.

Raiders on the clock, and I think they take Mack, unless, unless, they trade back...
-the pick is in.  5th pick is... Khalil Mack, LB from Buffalo.
The Atlanta Falcons are on the clock.  The could go O Line, they could go D Line.  They shouldn't go Wide Receiver.
Tampa and Minnesota both follow the Falcons, and they both could use a quarterback...could Johnny Football be taken soon?  Falcons are taking their sweet time.

The Pick is Jake Matthews, Offensive Tackle from Texas A&M.  I think he'll be a good player.
-and based off the "pick after the Raiders" theory...he'll probably be a hall of famer, like his Dad.

The Bucs are on the clock...and they are taking WR Mike Evans, WR from Texas A & M

The Vikings are on the clock...could this be Johnny Football?  And, and, and... three straight picks from Texas A & M ?  Let's see...

Minnesota has traded the pick to the Browns... let's see what Kevin Costner does here!

This has to be for Bridgewater or Manziel... gotta be for a quarterback.  Minnesota picked up a 5th round pick for dropping back one spot.  I'm trying to stay off twitter to avoid spoilers, until after the pick is announced.
With the 8th Pick in the draft...the Browns select... Cornerback Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State.
-Woah a surprise pick!  He's the best corner in the draft, but it's surprising they traded up one spot to get him.  Cries of "Cleveland sucks" echo throughout the draft hall.

The Vikings are on the clock... and Manziel and Bridgewater are still there...but maybe they are thinking Corner too?  because Cleveland traded up for a reason?  Let's see what happens...the pick is in.  Rich thinks the Pick is Aaron Donald the DT from Pitt...and I'm not checking twitter to have it spoiled.

The 9th pick in the draft, the Minnesota Vikings select:  Anthony Barr, LB from UCLA
-a surprise pick for sure...but I know alot of Chargers fans who really, really liked him.

With the 10th pick, the Lions waste no time, and their pick is in, and Barry Sanders makes the selection of:
Eric Ebron, the TE from UNC.  He's a very talented player. But not anyone I would have suspected going there. (By the way, if you have a few minutes... click on the Barry Sanders link... Wow, he was fun)

I tell you what, I'm no draft expert...but these last 3 picks have me shaking my head...I can see Gilbert I guess, but why trade up for him?

Meanwhile, the Heat are up 85-77 right now in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, over the Nets.

The top 10 Selections are done.  The Titans are on the clock.
-The Titans select Offensive Tackle Taylor Lewan from Michigan...he's a good player. (Of course, they are all really good college players, this is why they are being selected in the first round of the draft.)

The Giants are on the clock... Adam Schefter just speculated that Johnny Manziel could fall to the Cowboys.  Which would be amazing, but only if they took him.
The New York Giants select: Odell Beckham, WR from LSU.

The Rams are on the clock again:  DT Aaron Donald from Pitt is the selection.

The 14th Pick belongs to the Bears...who ya got Rich?
-Rich thinks it's Calvin Pryor or Kyle Fuller.

The Pick is in...and it's Kyle Fuller CB from Virginia Tech.
-Darn, he's a good player...but I was hoping he'd drop to the Chargers.  By the way... 11 picks to go, and only 2 cornerbacks have been taken...the chargers have a big need there, but lets see who goes in these next 10 picks.

Rich likes the pick (he's a Bears fan).  He thought they would go safety, but he (Fuller) makes sense.

The Steelers are on the clock with #15:  Steelers take Linebacker Ryan Shazier from Ohio State.

The Cowboys on the Clock!  Pick 16!  Johnny Football is still there!
-Everyone on twitter is urging Jerry to do it.  This is hysterical.  I'm actually laughing out loud.

The Pick is in: and its.... It's... It's... Zach Martin, OT from Notre Dame. So, they don't take Manziel, and they don't pick a defensive player.  That was... anticlimatic.

The Ravens are up, and they usually draft very soundly.  They select CJ Mosley, LB from Alabama.
-No surprise... Ray Lewis really likes this pick.

The Jets are on the clock, and I think they have to be thinking WR...because there have only been 2 taken, and they don't have much at that position...and they Pick Calvin Pryor, Safety from Louisville.
Interesting that the Jets ignored the offense.

The Dolphins are on the clock... not sure what they need, Maybe an offensive lineman?
-I asked my friend Joey who the Dolphins wanted and he said Morgan Moses, but trading down is the first option.  And they took alot of the time up.
-the pick is in, and it is:  Jawuan James OT, from Tennessee  They needed help on the line.  That pick makes sense.

Sounds like NO, has traded up into the 20th pick...must have someone specific in mind.
-The Saints select Brandin Cooks, WR from Oregon State  That guy has some wheels!  Lance Moore is gone, Darren Sproles is gone...the Saints could use a little Boom! as the playmaking positon.  That's another guy I was hoping would last to the Chargers.

5 Picks until the chargers come in... The CB Dennard is there.  Also, my favorite choice is a trade back for someone trying to get a QB.

The Packers are on the clock... could be the CB Dennard...could be the Safety from Alabama.
-with the 21st Pick, the Packers select: HaHa Clinton Dix, the CB from Alabama.
He's a pretty solid selection this late in the first round.  He played in a 3-4 style pro system in Alabama...he'll be a pretty good fit in Green Bay, I think.

4 Picks until the Chargers...and 3 of the Top 5 corners are still there.  Although Dennard is the one I really want...he's most likely to be taken before them... would still like a trade down for someone wanting Johnny Manziel, and/or Teddy Bridgewater.

The Browns have moved up... taking the Eagles pick... here comes Johnny!  or Teddy?  Reports out of Cleveland earlier today said that they favored Bridgewater, so let's see what happens.  But it has to be a quarterback, right? The Pick is in:  Johnny Manziel, Quarterback, Texas A & M... Johnny Football is finally drafted!

The Eagles picked up a 3rd rounder for dropping back 4 spots.

The Chiefs are on the clock:  They could go OLine, they could go WR, they could go DB.  Whoever they pick, I'll end up being disgusted with in about 6 months.
-This is the 23rd pick.  Dee Ford, DE Auburn  He don't impress me... I would have been upset if the Chargers took him, and they needed a pass rusher worse than the Chiefs.

24th Pick:  The Bengals are up.  Last year, the guy I wanted got picked one pick before the Chargers.  So it'll probably happen again.  You know what?  It worked out OK.  DJ Fluker turned out pretty good.

And yep, I was right:  The Bengals select Darqueze Dennard, CB from Michigan State
-There goes the guy I've been hoping for all day.  Ha.

The Chargers are on the clock.  The could go corner...they could go pass rusher, they could go offensive line, they could go Nose Tackle.

And the Chargers select CB Jason Verrett from TCU.  I'm ok with this pick, with Dennard off the board.  I didn't want Roby, the CB from Ohio State...and the Chargers need a cornerback who can play.  He's not a big guy...but he's fast, and he brings the wood.  He's a decent pick, and I don't think he's a reach.

The Eagles are on the Clock at 26, and there are only 6 picks left after that.
The Eagles select Marcus Smith, DE from Louisville.  I don't know much about him.

With the 27th Pick:  Deone Bucannon Safety from Washington State to the Cardinals.

At 28 the Panthers select WR Kelvin Benjamin from Florida State.  He's a big target.

With the 29th selection, the Patriots will probably do something surprising, because that's what they Patriots do, and they always make it work.  I'm gonna guess DeMarcus Lawrence from Boise State just for fun...let's see how I do... the pick is in:  Dominique Easley, Defensive End from Florida  He's a gamble, he only played 3 games his senior season.  Talent , yes!  But a definate risk.

San Francisco is on the board at 30, then Denver, then Seattle.

The 49ers select Safety Jimmie Ward, from Northern Illinois  I don't know that guy at all...but Northern Illinois had a very good team.  Only two picks left, Super Bowl competitors Denver and Seattle.  That's four safeties in the first round.

With the 31st Selection, the Broncos select...I'm gonna guess someone to protect their old balls Quarterback.  And I'm wrong again...they picked CB Bradley Roby from Ohio State.  He was the one corner out of the top 5 that I didn't want the Chargers to take, because he played very inconsistent.  He's all kinds of talented though.

Seahawks are up!  Let's see if I can get another pick wrong... Maybe a WR?  The Lee kid from USC?
-Hear that the Vikings are thinking of moving up, by Trading with Seattle to get a QB.  Teddy Bridgewater?  Derek Carr?

And the Vikings have moved up, and Twitter is saying it's for Teddy Bridgewater.  And that is the pick.

He was my favorite of the three quarterbacks taken in the first round.  And he'll fit Norv's offense much better than Bortles or Manziel.

OK, I'm done.  Maybe tomorrow, I'll do a quick update or something...but for tonight...I'm done.


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