Do You Feel a Draft in Here?

(Note: I originally uploaded this whole thing unedited from NotePad. I didn't have internet connection until 7:55 p.m. on Draft Day, so there's some weird spacing at points, but for the most part, it's cool.)

Ahh, the NFL Draft. My favorite sporting event of the year. At this stage of the draft, I'm usually excited about what the Pats will do and very, very nervous about what moves the Bears will make. This year, it's a little different.

Coming off the Super Bowl, I can't say the Bears have a lot of needs. I don't even know if I have a preference for offense or defense. I guess I'm looking for the Bears to draft a safety and a wide receiver.

As for the Pats? The Bill Simmons stance: a linebacker and safety. I really hope they address those two needs with the first round picks. People like Michael Griffin (S, Texas) and David Harris (LB, Michigan) would be absolutley perfect.But if I know the Patriots -- and I do -- they'll bust out a surprise in the first round. They always do. It's pretty much a fact.

Well, let's rock this...

NFL Draft Live Blog 2007 (all times Central)

11:19 - Well, no surprises yet. The Raiders took JaMarcus Russell, which is what they should have done all along.

11:30 - Calvin Johnson to the Lions! I love Millen. I'm not saying this is a bad or good move, I'm just saying it's funny. I suppose if Detroit snags a QB in the second round, they could end up salvaging the draft.

11:36 - Come on, Browns. Draft Quinn already and get it over with. I probably should mention that my buddy Ryan and I are doing head-to-head mock drafts for money. So far,we're tied 2-2. I think he has Quinn, too. So this pick doesn't really matter.

11:41 - Joe freaking Thomas! Ohhhh man. Quinn is falling falling falling. So who's going to pick the Irish QB? Minnesota, I suppose. Washington would be a hilarious wildcard, though. Nothing the Redskins ever do makes sense, to me.They draft Jason Campbell in the first round a few years ago, and now, with limited playing time, they're ready to ditch him. They need to settle down, get some patience,and maybe save their draft picks, for once.

11:45 - Wow, looking at the Bucs depth chart, they REALLY shouldn't be drafting a QB. Wasn't Jeff Garcia, like, thee coveted free agent of the off-season? My money's on Gaines Adams.

11:49 - Goodell seems like he's taking this whole process a lot less seriously than Tagliabue. I feel like he could burst out laughing while he's delivering some of these picks.

Also, I wonder if Joe Thomas heard he's been picked yet. I wish I had the NFL Network so I could see his reaction on that fishing boat of his.

11:54 - Little Gaines Adams action. I'm digging his hair.

Bobby: 3, Ryan: 2

11:55 - I kind of go in and out of being indifferent to Mel Kiper and being totally bothered by him. Here's a guy that can be totally wrong about everything, but just because he's been there for so long, nothing ever needs to be validated. It's like when a college professor gets tenure. He's practically invincible.

12:03 - Well, Michael Smith was right. The Cardinals took OT Levi Brown from Penn State. The surprising thing here was learning Brown was actually higher on the Cardinals' board than Joe Thomas. I guess it makes sense, especially if you think about things in terms of "nastiness," which apparently is an important quality for o-linemen.

12:05 - I'm thinking the Bears aren't going to pull off a trade with the 'Skins.The Bears are such trademark letdowns on draft day. It's hard to believe in them. I'd be kinda nice to see a straight up Lance Briggs for the 6th pick trade. The problem is, Redskins and Bears fans alike claim they wouldn't be getting enough. This makes no sense to me. The Redskins are getting a young, proven player, and the Bears are getting a high profile draft pick. Tell me, who is getting the short end of the stick, here?

12:12 - It's hard to believe that after just five picks, it's already been an hour. This is going to be quite the day.

12:13 - LaRon Landry reppin' the White Sox (hat). Always good to see. And is he wearing a hang down belt? If so, does that make hang down belts cool? I haven't thought of hang down belts as cool since sixth grade. It's a new era for them, I suppose.

12:27 - Adrian Peterson is a great choice for the Vikes. Everybody I'm watching the draft with is claiming Quinn was a better choice, but the Vikings took Jackson last year in what, the second round? Give the kid a shot before you bringin an overhyped Noter Dame quarterback as your 'savior'.

12:36 - Who cares where Quinn is going! I have a new debate: Is Quinn's girlfriend hot?

The Verdict...
Mike: "She's cute"
Ryan: "She looks like she's in high school."
Scott: "She's attractive, but I wouldn't call her hot. I mean, I would go out with her, but Brady Quinn shouldn't go out with her -- I'm not nearly as attractive. Put it to you this way, Brady Quinn must have been pretty drunk last night if he brought her to the draft."

Ouch.

I'm still on the fence. I'd think I'd have to hear her talk first to develop a better opinion.

12:39 - Do you think old runningback Jamal Anderson is upset that the Falcons drafted a player with the same name (but an extra A in the first name)? I mean, what if new Anderson becomes amazing in the A.T.L.? That's an overshadowed legacy, right there. Oh well, he'll never have the dirty bird.

12:41 - With Miami on the clock, Mike, a huge Dolphins fan, is pretty much going Quinn crazy right now: "What's taking so long?! Just pick! Just pick!"

He's presenting some theory about how the Dolphins should pick faster because it would put more pressure on the Texans to make a pick afterwards, but I'm not really sure why he has it out for the Texans. At least he makes sense to himself.

12:47 - The new consensus here is that Suzy Kolber looks hotter with long hair. I always liked Suzy. Not enough to name a blog after her, but she really knows her football.

12:50 - And the Dolphins take Ted Ginn, Jr.

Mike: "No, No! No?! NOOOOO!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!"

Haha, it's kind of like he didn't believe it at first, then it really hit him.

12:54 - I'm still kind of coming to terms with Ted Ginn getting picked in the Top 10. So much for all those claims about his foot injury altering his draft stock. Good for him. Minor injuries shouldn't play a part, anyway. We're talking five, 10, and15 year careers, here. Why get over-concerned about an injury that will obviously heal.

1:04 - Nailed the Okoye pick. Ryan claims he's going to make a push later in the round.

Bobby: 5, Ryan: 3

1:18 - Patrick Willis rockin' a White Sox cap, too. Are the White Sox 'in' again? Are they the hang down belts of MLB teams? Quite possibly.

1:27 - Well, Packers fans everywhere just cringed. Every single cheesehead I know was positive they were gonna snag Lynch in the draft. Oh, well.

I'm debating if I feel bad for Quinn or not. I mean, as a society, should we really feel THAT bad if all of these players are going to be millionaires, anyway? Should the NFL be at fault for inviting him? I don't know. I don't think it's that big of a deal.

1:39 - Quite the picture of Adam Carriker; enough there to rattle a roomful of guys. I think each one of us gasped.

1:43 - TRADE! I love trades. Panthers swapping with the Jets. Are the J-E-T-S drafting Quinn?

Or are they making a push for Hall? Oh, man. I love the NFL Draft.

2:02 - Pittsburgh takes Lawrence Timmons from FSU. I got the pick right, but so did Ryan.

Boo.

Bobby: 6, Ryan: 4

2:02 - With the Packers on the clock, I have no idea who they've got in mind. I think I'll make a call to my friend Chris (big time Pack fan).

2:09 - He, uh, didn't pick up. Might be taking the Lynch loss pretty hard. That, or he's ignoring me. Either way.

2:13 - The Packers picked up DT Justin Harrell. I think it's a good move, despite the fact that some little white kid in a Packers jersey started booing the camera.

What does he know?

2:24 - TRADE! Broncos swap with the Jags to land Florida d-lineman Jarvis Moss....interesting.

2:33 - Sorry, I'm kind of slacking on the comments. But the Bengals are on the clock, so it's all getting interesting again. What if they drafted a shady character guy?

2:34 - Leon Hall to Cinci. Meh. I'm a huge Michigan fan, but Hall is the first guy from UM in a while that I really wasn't excited about being drafted. Him and Branch never really stood out to me. I mean, all season long, I was told that Hall was a lock to be a first round pick, but nothing he ever did on the field jumped out at me. There was never a time where I thought, "Wow, we're lucky to have this guy." Still, best of luck in Cinci, Leon. Stay out of trouble.

2:37 - We're planning a huge trip to Chick-Fil-A at the end of this round. I've never been before, but one just opened up in Iowa City. The real wrinkle here is that Ryan apparently won a year's supply of free Chick-Fil-A. Unfortunatley, Round 1 is at Pick 19, so we're far away.

2:47 - Damn. The Titans nabbed Michael Griffin. The Pats are going to have to re-think their draft strategy. I'm really thinking they're going to back out of this sensible S/LB policy. Is wide receiver a possiblity? I like Dwayne Bowe from LSU. Can't imagine he'll still be available when the Pats pick.

3:05 - Reggie Nelson to the Jags. Dan Shanoff's favorite player in the draft going to his 'favorite' team in the NFL. Gotta imagine he's pretty happy. I didn't even have Nelson going in the first round.

Oh, and just to update...Bobby: 6, Ryan: 4

We've both gone a little cold. Can we use these trades as an excuse?

3:09 - It offends me that ESPN is addressing the possiblity of Quinn going to the Cowboys. Tony Romo has to be at home thinking, "What the hell's going on?!"

I know that ESPN has to keep things interesting, but Quinn is NOT playing in Dallas next year. Is it possible that Quinn could fall to the second round? What a story that'd be.

3:14 - The Pats are so close to Harris. And with the Cowboys and Chiefs in front of them, there is no one standing in their way.

3:15 - TRADE! Browns swapped with Dallas. All signs point to Brady Quinn. Good for him...I guess.

3:17 - It's official. Quinn's a Brown. Ryan just put on "Hero" by Enrique Igleasis, and it's blasting. This, meshed with shots of Quinn dressed in a Browns uniforn as a kid makes this easily a Top 10 NFL Draft moment of my entire life. The chorus of the song started the second Quinn walked onto the stage in New York.

3:19 - I can be your hero, baby! I can kiss away the painnnnnn.

3:30 - The Chiefs used up all 15 minutes of the clock. Looks like their GM took a class or two in Herm Edwards Clock Management School. That joke doesn't even make that much sense. Whatever, Herm Edwards can't manage games...ha!

3:32 - Dwayne Bowe to KC! You know what this means? David Harris, David Harris, David Harris.

Come on, Pats.

3:33 - I have this hope that the Patriots won't take up as much clock as the other teams. You know, they're your team, you're hoping they act cooler than the other time wasting franchises that prolonged this first round.

Keep dreaming, Bobby. (Yeah, we've reached third-person mode).

3:43 - Well, the Pats drafting early into the 15-minute clock was a pipe dream. 1:37 left. Come. On. Pats.

3:44 - I'm getting a bad feeling about this. I'm bracing myself for a letdown. Mort's suggesting a trade. Nahhh. Keyshawn suggested a WR as a choice. Nahhh.

3:46 - Announce it, already!

3:46 - Brandon Meriweather, Safety, Miami (Fla.). Well, I originally had Griffin going in this spot. So, I think I can say things are alright so far.

3:47 - They just showed the video of Meriweather stomping on some FIU player during the FIU-Miami brawl. I'm feeling good about this. The thing is, I never really saw a lot of Meriweather in college, so I associate him with the only other safety from The U that comes to mind: Sean Taylor.

So, although I know nothing about him, I'm stereotyping him as a heavy hitter, playmaker,and loose cannon. Seems OK.

Hopefully Harris is still good to go in the 28 spot.

3:49 - Michael Smith's brilliant breakdown of Meriweather's ability to replace Ellis Hobbs in some complicated nickel package has talked me into the pick, more so.

I love Michael Smith.

3:50 - Sean Salisbury called the stomp in the FIU game "bush league." You tell 'em, Sean.

3:51 - Another interesting thing to think about: this pick came from the Seahawks. So immediatley, the question becomes, is/was Meriweather worth Deion Branch?

With the kind of free agency the Patriots have had in terms of wide recievers, I'd like to think that thus far, the trade will come out with the Pats in an advantageous position.

3:55 - Whoooo. Dodged a huge bullet with the Panthers taking Beason. When ESPN cut backfrom the commercial, I overheard Mort say "They took a Linebacker." Man, was I scared

Harris on the board. Harris on the board.

3:57 - "Are they playing the Rocky song for Philly's pick?" Ryan asks as he looks over at me. "You should blog about that one, don't you think?

3:58 - TRADE! Dallas and Philly swap, with Dallas now on the clock. Who do the Cowboys have in mind, here? I knew Jerry Jones couldn't go without a first round pick.

4:00 - Man, that Chick-Fil-A is becoming increasingly appealing. Buuuut, the Bears and Pats still have first round picks. Gotta stick it out, can't quit now.

4:03 - Oof, I just realized we passed the five hour mark.

"Doesn't seem like it," Ryan says. "It's going pretty smoothly."

I've gotten a second wind, so I'd have to agree with him. Mike and Scott probably don't, though. They've been gone for hours.

4:06 - ...and the Cowboys pick DE Anthony Spencer from Purdue. The Cowboy fans don't look happy. On the plus side, I just clinched the first round head-to-head mock draft victory!

The current score...Bobby- 6, Ryan- 4

Yeah, we're not that good.

4:08 - A lot of people thought Keyshawn would be a disaster analyzing this draft, but he really hasn't bothered me at all. Although he has talked about the wide receiever position pretty excessively, it's what ke knows, so I understand. I look forward to his comments just as much -- if not more -- than most of the other guys.

4:12 - It feels like the Saints have been on the clock forever, and they still have seven minutes left. I think I'm starting to hit another wall.

4:19 - Muh-Muh-Muh-Meachem to the Saints. They just cut to Meachem and he looked more surprised and upset than anything else. You just got drafted, dude. And the Saints aren't bad anymore.

Pats back on the clock, and I'm getting a third wind.

4:27 - Oh man, Greg Olsen is still available. Are you listening, Bears???

4:28 - Four minutes left until the Pats make their second pick of the first round.

4:29 - It's gotta be Harris or Poz, but which one?

4:31 - TRADE! Pats swap with the 49ers. I'm assuming the Pats are going into the second round because they don't currently have a second round pick. Maybe Belichick and Pioli know they can get a 'backer for cheaper in Round 2. Kind of like when they traded into the second round and got Chad Jackson last year. As far as cap space goes, this makes sense.

4:34 - Details of the trade are still unannounced. Get on it, ESPN!

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5:36 - Ryan and I ended up caving and leaving for Chick-Fil-A as soon as the Niners drafted Joe Staley. I caught the details of the trade on the radio, and they seem pretty solid (the major highlight being the Patriots getting the Niners first round pick next year). It'll be nice to root against a team all year like I got to do with the Seahawks last season. Get the voodoo curses on Frank Gore's ACL going, ASAP.

As for the rest of the first round, I'm glad the Bears finally got the tight end everybody wanted them to get...it just took a year longer. Olsen was a combine stud, and hopefully that translates into some success in the NFL.

It's also worth nothing that the Colts got Anthony Gonzalez with the last pick. Man, Ohio State, then the Colts. That's a recipe for some hating. I can't wait to start rooting against him.

Well, I think I'm going to take it easy for the second round. After (almost) making it through the longest first round in NFL history, I'm a little burned out. So if you'll excuse me, I've got some loungin', eatin', and hangin' out to do.

Here's to a stellar Rounds 2-7.

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5:48 - Eh, it got boring not blogging. Plus, the Eagles picked QB Kevin Kolb! Now that's inexplicable. The Eagles fans look a bit upset. Too bad Kolb didn't get to walk on stage. He would've been McNabbed so hard. Philly fans are insane.

I think I'll post some updates sparatically.

6:08 - GET OFF OF TED GINN! These NFL Live guys won't quit. I don't even like Ted Ginn that much, but these guys refuse to let go of the fact that he hurt his foot in the National Championship game in January. What did they want? For him to go undrafted? This injury isn't a big deal! Maybe it will effect the start of his season this year. Maybe. But that's about it. They act like he's recovering from paralysis or something.

6:10 - Meanwhile, the Dolphins redeem themselves (at least in the eyes of their fans) by taking the Brigham Young QB, John Beck. The fans were mad because they didn't get Quinn, but if Beck is as good as Quinn -- which some of the analysts are saying -- then maybe Miami ended up saving a lot of money and gained wide receiver/punt returner in Ginn.

I don't know a lot about Beck, but I kind of get the feeling Miami is doing the right thing. Not like that basketball team of theirs! ... Zing! ... Sorry, I had to.

3-0!!!

6:36 - Dwayne Jarrett to the Carolina Panthers. The ironic thing is, Keyshawn Johnson, his future teammate, was one of the more prominent people saying Jarrett should have stayed at USC for his senior season.

This whole selection led Keyshawn to say something like, "I can TEACH him to be physical, I can TEACH him to be agressive..." Ohhhh, man. Keyshawn is regeretting that call.

Keyshawn eventually interviewed a very emotional Jarrett, who is barely able to speak after being selected. Understandable, but we haven't seen a lot of that today.

Also, after re-watching highlights of Jarrett, how the hell did he slip to the second round?! He just dominated in college, and even if his speed is a problem, his hands and size pretty much ensure a certain level of success in the NFL. I really am rooting for him this season.

6:44 - David Harris to the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS. Mangini strikes again. Bummer. Well,I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been available when the Pats pick in the THIRD round.They better get a solid linebacker.

7:10 - And the Titans draft Arizona RB Chris Henry. Ouch to LenDale White. Thankfully, former Trojan Keyshawn Johnson backs up his boy White. Everything is right in the world.

7:30 - Well, Ryan is kicking me out of his place. Says he has to go to work or something. Weak. So, I guess this ends my live blog. In better news, he just offered me a free ticket and ride to the Cards-Cubs Sunday Night Baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis tomorrow, and I'm in. So, say 'goodbye' to a live blog for Day 2, and say 'hello' to a probable post on my experience at Busch.