17. San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina) -- Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho
Another great pick, but this means San Francisco clearly has lost faith in David Baas. I'm a little shocked that the Niners didn't address the secondary at all in the first round, but they are truly committed to a great running game. Iupati and Davis are phenomenal run blockers.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Maurkice Pouncey, OG, Florida
Another terrific pick, one that I actually thought Pittsburgh would make regardless of a trade. They need to recommit to the running game and Mendenhall. This is the first step to a team that finally got a good year out of tackle Willie Colon.
19. Atlanta Falcons -- Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri
I already made my thoughts known in my mock draft. DROY candidate right here.
20. Houston Texans -- Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama
I'm really surprised they took him over Dan Williams, but I actually really like the pick as Jackson is one of the most versatile corners on the board. He's a great cover man and extremely physical.
21. Cincinnati Bengals -- Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
I learned a valuable story today about why you never trust most reports on draft day. A report surfaced that Cincinnati only drafts players that they have had pre-draft interviews with. Gresham was not one of those guys. Case in point. Either way, I love the pick as Gresham can be a Bubba Franks type as a terrific red zone threat and he has the potential to be a far better overall receiver than Franks even if he is not the same level a blocker.
22. Denver Broncos (from New England) -- Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech
I thought this was a terrible pick. First and foremost, Thomas needs to learn a few more routes (other than the fly pattern). Secondly, it was highly unlikely Green Bay was going to take him at 23. My best guess on some of these trade-ups was that another team was in the process of trying to trade and that's why Denver felt they had to trade up to get him. Either way, ahead of Dez Bryant is a travesty.
23. Green Bay Packers -- Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
I'm not his biggest fan, but Bulaga is a very good run blocker with great athleticism. He should fit the Packer's zone blocking scheme, but how will he hold up in pass blocking? He's been suspect at times.
24. Dallas Cowboys (from Eagles through Broncos and Patriots) -- Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
This was a great trade for the Cowboys. Bryant has Andre Johnson potential, but he needs to learn a pro-style offense first. And of course, we need to find out how real those character concerns were. Great value for Bryant though.
25. Denver Broncos (from Baltimore) -- Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Josh McDaniels thinks a lot of himself--I know that. In ten years (maybe less) people are going to look at him as either a visionary for grabbing Tebow in the first round...or as a total fool. Tebow's a great fit for Denver as he will do everything that McDaniels says but he's going to take a lot of time to adjust to the NFL--almost as long as it took for Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith. Still, playing in Denver's offense which is the closest thing to a spread in the NFL outside of New England is a much better fit. Only time will tell if Josh McDaniels knew what he was doing.
26. Arizona Cardinals -- Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee
The value here is superb. Gabe Watson is a consummate underachieve it seems and Williams excelled in Monte Kiffin's defense. He's a stout nose tackle who has some solid penetration ability. He has a very high ceiling (think Casey Hampton).
27. New England Patriots (from Dallas Cowboys) -- Devin McCourtey, CB, Rutgers
There were quite a few upsets and I think this is one of them. New England wants to improve on defense, but I'm shocked in the first round with Leigh Bodden returning after a great year and 2009 2nd round prospect Darius Butler waiting in the wings. Still, it's clear New England is worried about the amount of receiver talent in New York in Miami.
28. Miami Dolphins (from San Diego) -- Jared Odrick, DT/E, Penn State
This was pretty shocking. Kendall Langford and Randy Starks are two very good 3-4 defensive ends. Starks signed a five-year 20 million dollar deal just two years ago and is only 26. Does Miami forsee it being unable to re-sign Kendall Langford? Very strange move here.
29. New York Jets -- Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
When the Jets were on the clock at this point I said I was pretty sure they'd go Kyle Wilson here. Rich Cimini reported yesterday that the Jets were excited at the prospect of Wilson falling. So he did. Cromartie is on just a one year deal, and Dwight Lowery can move to dime corner which should give the Jets an extremely dynamic secondary. If, and this is a big if, Brodney Pool stays healthy the Jets may actually have the best defense in the NFL next year. The biggest issue in New York right now is that they've got to find a 3-4 DE.
30. Detroit Lions (from Minnesota) -- Jahvid Best, RB, California
I thought the Lions were a good fit for Jahvid Best in the 2nd round (and they only moved up four picks), but I thought for sure they'd trade up for Charles Brown. I was wrong. Still, with Kevin Smith's career about to take a serious turn for the worse thanks to a devastating injury, the Lions needed to add an explosive open field player whose speed will be maximized on a turf.
31. Indianapolis Colts -- Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU
Indianapolis sure loves their undersized ends. I think Hughes will play end in Indy, but there's a chance he may be a full-time 4-3 OLB as a strong side backer. Overall though Indy gets a great pick-up in a guy who is going to be a problem for teams in the fourth quarter.
32. New Orleans Saints -- Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
This is a guy with first round talent, great ball skills, and is great reading routes. Steve Young made a good point about strange coverages being used by New Orleans and New York to protect the blitz.
Who are the guys with first round talent and stock who fell out of round one?
QB Jimmy Clausen
WR Golden Tate
OT Bruce Campbell
OT Charles Brown
OG John Jerry
DE Carlos Dunlap
DE Everson Griffen
DT Terrance Cody
OLB Sergio Kindle
S Taylor Mays
S Nate Allen
Eleven guys who could have gone in the first are still available.
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