After watching just about all of the NFL Draft proceedings, here would be my terribly important thoughts:
This would be the best draft from Packers in Ted Thompson era. While I like Aaron Rodgers, Brian Brohm would be a great insurance policy who could potentially replace him down the road in a couple of years. Jordy Nelson may not have the upside of a Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly, he should be a solid NFL receiver with great character and little downside. Also, his size at 6-3, 217 complements the smaller Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. Patrick Lee really came on during the draft process, and should be a nice initial complement and eventual replacement for Al Harris and Charles Woodson. Adding athletic tight end Jermichael Finley later on, along with a heady potential third QB in Matt Flynn makes this a strong effort from the Pack.
While the Vikings did have a ton of picks in abundance, they made them count by getting the best safety on the board in many people's eyes in Arkansas State's Tyrell Johnson, along with USC QB John David Booty (who could eventually push Tarvaris Jackson for Vikes starting job). Notre Dame C John Sullivan had an awful senior season, but his form as an underclassmen showcased nice NFL potential and he could be a good value in the sixth round if he can revert back to old form.
Detroit finally started to re-evaluate their drafting policy for the better, and had a mixed bag of results. The run on offensive tackles forced them to reach on Gosder Cherilus a bit, but he could be a solid RT who can thrive in the run game. Speaking of reaches, LB Jordan Dizon probably got taken 1-2 rounds too early, and Detroit passed on strong prospects in Tavares Gooden, Dan Connor and Xavier Adibi to take the undersized (6-0, 229) Colorado linebacker. Kevin Smith should be a solid pro, but he already has a ton of carries under his belt and may be more prone to injury than your typical rookie. Major props to Matt Millen for taking Army S/LB Caleb Campbell in the seventh round, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he may be one of the Lions best picks in an otherwise underwhelming effort.
Finally, I don't hate the Bears draft, so that would be a marked improvement over a lot of years. Chris Williams should be a solid NFL LT, and after Ryan Clady went off the board to the Broncos, he was the probably the best available prospect at a spot the Bears sorely needed to address. Tulane RB Matt Forte should be solid pick, and he will get a chance to get major carries from day one (especially with rumors that Cedric Benson's leg injury has been slow to heal and may permanently affect him). Jerry Angelo has always been a good second day drafter, and guys like WR Earl Bennett, DT Marcus Harrison and S Craig Stelts should have an opportunity to compete for immediate playing time. TE Kellen Davis would be an intriguing athlete that could potentially be moved in the NFL (also played DE in college), and WR Marcus Monk has nice upside for a seventh round pick (has the size and skills to be effective in the redzone). My one major complaint would be passing on a QB like Erik Ainge in the fourth or fifth rounds, but this could be the draft that infuses the Bears with much needed young talent.
Other random thoughts:
Kansas City "won" the draft, but as long as the Chiefs keep Carl Peterson and Herman Edwards around, they should have plenty of chances to repeat this distinction.
Matt Ryan over Glenn Dorsey will be one of those picks that will haunt the Falcons for years, especially if Dorsey has a Warren Sapp like career and Ryan's mimics Kyle Boller.
Santana Moss will finally have some nice receiving friends in Washington (besides Chris Cooley), and this could make Jason Campbell an intriguing player to follow next year.
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