Below are some of my thoughts from round 1 of the 2011 NFL Draft that took place Thursday night.
I certainly was glad to see picks come off the board in a timely fashion to get things going and the draft moved along at a great pace. I hope it continues today.
The Bengals drafting of A.J. Green might signal the end of Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati, but they still do not have a quarterback if Carson Palmer sticks to his word of wanting out. Green is a beast so the Steelers secondary needs to get addressed with a more physical cornerback today in round 2 to counter that pick.
The 49ers pick of Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith was a bit of a surprise to me.
When the Titans picked Washington quarterback Jake Locker, I knew the raining of quarterbacks would begin and was glad to see it as it helped several players drop.
The Falcons think that they can win now after they traded up 21 spots with Cleveland to draft Alabama receiver Julio Jones with the sixth overall pick. They gave up their own 2011 first-round pick (27th overall), their 2011 second-rounder (59th overall) and a their 2011 fourth-rounder (124th overall) along with a first and fourth round pick from next year.
I think the Texans got a steal with Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt as they move to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
The Vikings should of traded down if Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder was their man all along. I think they might have panicked.
The Lions got a good player in Nick Fairley, but I think they will be kicking themselves for not drafting Prince Amukamara instead. They might have their sights on Aaron Williams or Brandon Harris in round two now.
Mike Pouncey stays in Florida as he was selected by the Dolphins and most consider it a bland, but safe pick.
Not surprised to see the Patriots fill their offensive line need and then trade their other first rounder to stock pile even more picks.
You know the Buccaneers had to be hoping Amukamara would fall just one more spot to them in light of the Aqib Talib situation.
The Browns drafted Phil Taylor from Baylor and it sets up for some long running Maurkice Pouncey battles and some match-up problems for the Steelers guards if he slides off the nose.
The Eagles got a great player in guard Danny Watkins. Good kid off the field and Conrad Dobler on the field.
I really think the Seahawks reached with the selection of Alabama tackle James Carpenter with Derek Sherrod still on the board.
I thought the selection of Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin was a bit of a reach too by the Chiefs.
The Bears did good to address their offensive line problem and they better hope Gabe Carimi can step in on day one.
Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith to the Ravens scares me, because if Ray Lewis can straighten him out, he has the tools to be a 4 time Pro Bowler. The Steelers likely had him off their board because of his character, but I was hoping the Eagles would of drafted him instead.
You have to wonder how long of career Alabama running back Mark Ingram will have with the Saints playing on that turf in the Superdome. Talk about boom or bust pick.
The Packers did good to get Sherrod at the end of round one.
