1. He is young. He is handsome. He is smart. He is personable. And he promises to work as hard as he can to prove he belongs. That combination will make Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez an easy sell in New York, where Madison Avenue figures to line up behind the guy.
The obvious question: Can he win? He will have his chance. Kellen Clemens is the only quarterback with experience on the Jets roster, but he was the choice of the previous regime. Sanchez is the choice of the people, and if you don't believe it, you didn't hear the buzz inside Radio City Music Hall on Sunday when he walked into the auditorium. "It's rare that you find a team that you fall in love with in the draft process," he said of the Jets, "and then get to go there. I'm very fortunate."
So is New York. The Jets tried to take some of the post-Super Bowl attention from the Giants by signing Brett Favre, but that lasted only until he hit the wall. They have a chance for a greater share of the city with the charismatic Sanchez, who seems to punch all the right buttons. Example A: Shortly after he was drafted he got in touch with Clemens, the man whose job he will take. That shows uncommon sense and self-confidence. He will need both to survive New York.
2. Kansas City GM Scott Pioli spared Seattle a tough decision at the fourth position. The Seahawks were looking at Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree ... that is, until the Chiefs bailed on Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. Curry was the best player in this draft, the safest pick and a reprieve from Crabtree. Seattle should be grateful.
• Draft Tracker | Prisco's Grades | Day 1 recap | Draft talk!3. I'm sorry, but after one draft I have no confidence Denver knows what it's doing. All I know is that I would like to be there when Denver owner Pat Bowlen asks Josh McDaniels why it was such a good idea to spend Bowlen's money on free agents J.J. Arrington, Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan when the Broncos would use their first pick on running back Knowshon Moreno.
4. Carolina GM Marty Hurney was hired by Bobby Beathard when the two were in Washington and followed him to San Diego, where they worked for years together. Now, Hurney has become Beathard, trading away the next year's first-rounder for the second successive year.
5. Just for the record, Cleveland, Eric Mangini has six players from the league's 16th-rated defense ... otherwise known as the New York Jets. Oh, yeah, one other thing: Mangini starts his career in Cleveland just as he started his career in New York -- by exercising his first draft pick on a center.
6. Maybe the league should make an exception for the Dallas Cowboys and award them an extra five minutes before their first draft pick ... you know, just to allow them to get their act together. I've seen less confusion at Penn Station at rush hour.
7. It was a good weekend for New Jersey and not merely because Rutgers had one more first-rounder (Kenny Britt) than the University of Miami. There were six first-round choices from the Garden State, a record rivaled only by Dallas, which had three players (Matthew Stafford, Jason Smith and Michael Crabtree) among the top 10. "Hopefully," said Southern California linebacker Brian Cushing, a New Jersey native, "people will start respecting the state. We put out some pretty good players."
8. I never thought I would see the draft where someone from Western Ontario was drafted before anyone from Michigan, Notre Dame and Miami. Ladies and gentlemen, meet San Diego defensive tackle Vaughn Martin.
9. I guess Atlanta's Mike Smith is serious about shoring up the league's 19th-ranked defense. Smith had eight picks, and he used one -- just one -- on an offensive player, tackle Garrett Reynolds in the fifth round. There were three defensive linemen, one linebacker and four defensive backs.
10. Don't tell me the Colts' choice of Donald Brown wasn't a wake-up call for Joseph Addai. Remember, the Colts' season ended when they couldn't gain 2 yards down the stretch in San Diego. Indy was the league's 31st-ranked rushing unit last year. If nothing else, this is the team's way of saying that won't do.
Ten biggest winners
1. Minnesota receivers coach George Stewart. People who say Percy Harvin is a risk don't know Stewart. He can handle him. He handled Terrell Owens in San Francisco. And he can help Harvin. In fact, it was Stewart who went to bat for the guy. Trust me, without Stewart, the Vikings wouldn't have gone after Harvin. If he stays healthy and out of trouble, the Vikings just stole one of the draft's top playmakers.
2. Washington quarterback Jason Campbell. The club is his ... for now. The Redskins were interested in Jay Cutler. They didn't get him. They were interested in Sanchez. They didn't get him, either. So now it's Jason Campbell or bust. "I have all the confidence in Jason Campbell," said coach Jim Zorn. Yeah, whatever. Consider yourself warned, Jason. It's time you prove you belong.
3. New Orleans punter Thomas Morstead. Start getting used to Sundays off, Thomas. The Saints punted only 53 times last season.
4. Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb. He told the Eagles he wanted more playmakers on offense, and coach Andy Reid responded. First, he protected his back by getting him tackle Jason Peters. Then he went out and chose wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy, both of whom know how to find the end zone. The politicking is over, Donovan. Now it's time to play.
5. The University of Connecticut. Until this weekend, the Huskies never had a player chosen in the first two rounds of the draft. That streak ended with Brown at the 27th pick, but there were three others who joined him by the end of the second round. That’s four in two rounds, or almost as many UConn products (6) currently in the league.
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| Will he run? Will he pass? A terrific running quarterback, Pat White is a perfect choice for Miami's gadget formation. (Getty Images) |
7. Green Bay's Ryan Grant and Aaron Rodgers. In Quinn Johnson, the Packers just acquired the best blocking fullback in the draft.
8. Pat White. Pro scouts didn't take him seriously as a quarterback, but they loved his workout at the combine. Perfect for the "Wildcat" offense, people said, because he can run and throw and catch. Hmmm, let's see, who runs the Wildcat? Oh, yeah, it's Dan Henning and the Miami Dolphins. Talk about an ideal fit.
9. Chicago GM Jerry Angelo. He took the first day off after trading away a second-round choice, but he went back to work Sunday and produced results. Getting defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert at the top of the third round was a steal. Getting Joaquin Iglesias at the bottom was another bargain. But maybe his best move was acquiring defensive end Henry Melton in the fourth round. A former running back, he was one of the few defensive ends in this draft with size and speed.
10. Eli Manning. He needed someone to replace Plaxico Burress as well as someone to protect his back. So the Giants draft wideouts Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden and tackle William Beatty. Perfect. They also found outside linebacker Clint Sintim, someone they might have considered in the first round if Nicks hadn't been there. Sintim was still sitting there at the 45th pick when the Giants chose, and they couldn't pass.
Ten biggest losers
1. Oakland. Question: Are the Raiders using a draft board or a dart board?
2. Cleveland wide receiver Braylon Edwards. He thought he was going to the Giants. He's not. The Browns just spent two of their first three draft picks on wide receivers, so imagine what he's thinking now.
3. Cleveland quarterbacks Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson. Mangini doesn't make the Mark Sanchez deal unless quarterback Brett Ratliff is included. That means he values the guy. Uh-oh, that means he thinks he can start, too. Either Quinn or Anderson goes.
4. Arizona running back Edgerrin James. With the addition of running backs Chris Wells and LaRod Stephens-Howling, James is ballast the Cardinals no longer need. The club was just waiting for another running back to come along before it would move James out. Wells and Stephens-Howling are those running backs. Say goodnight, Edge.
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| Mike Singletary and Michael Crabtree smiling in the same picture? How long will this last? (AP) |
6. Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin. He was hoping to go somewhere he would get a pay raise. Last time I checked, nobody punched a plane ticket.
7. Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber. I'd bring a lot of ice for that leg, Kevin. You're going to need it.
8. The San Francisco coaching staff. Good luck with Crabtree, fellas. At least when Terrell Owens was a rookie, he was humble. Try telling Crabtree what to do.
9. The Fords. Their cars don't sell. Their team can't win. And now they're on the hook for $41.5 million in guaranteed money for a quarterback who might or might not be the answer. I thought there was a recession going on ... with Detroit and its auto industry among the hardest hit. I thought the NFL was talking about cutbacks, too. Someone please pass the message to the Lions.
10. Clemens. First it was Pennington. Then Favre. Now Sanchez. Mangini envisioned Clemens as the Jets' future starter, but that was 2006 and now Mangini is gone. So are Clemens' chances as the team's franchise quarterback.
Five biggest gambles
1. Michael Mitchell, S, Oakland: Draft expert Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News had him rated as the 231st player on his board. Former Dallas exec Gil Brandt has him as his 225th. ESPN had no tape on the guy, and he wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. I think you get the idea. Nevertheless, the Raiders made him the 47th choice of the draft. Not to be outdone, the club turned a fourth-round draft choice into Oregon State linebacker Slade Norris, the 311th player on Gosselin's board.
2. Tyson Jackson, DE, Kansas City: The Chiefs picked him because he was the best 3-4 defensive end in the draft, but look what they left behind: Aaron Curry. I don't doubt that Jackson will be productive, but the question is: Could the Chiefs have done better with Curry? Getting Jackson at the third spot was a reach, but GM Scott Pioli gets the benefit of the doubt because of his record in New England. He also gets a bouquet of roses from Seattle.
3. Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Oakland: I understand why they chose him. I just don't understand why they chose him with the seventh pick. So he has speed. Big deal. If that's all you care about, draft Michael Johnson. Michael Crabtree had 41 career touchdown catches. Heyward-Bey had 13. Jeremy Maclin averaged 202 yards in all-purpose yards per game. The Raiders bailed on him, too. Don't get me wrong. I think Heyward-Bey could be a productive player ... but with time. The Raiders just used the seventh pick of the draft on a wide receiver who hasn't had more than five touchdowns in any season and who went nearly a month last year without catching a ball.
4. Larry English, LB, San Diego: I know the Chargers love pass rushers, but English was ranked as a second-rounder and has 4.8 speed. That's not a combination I'm looking for at the 16th spot.
5. Darcell McBath, S, Denver: The Broncos must start patching their defense now, but not like this. McBath is undersized, isn't fast and had fourth-round value. The Broncos took him in the middle of the second.
Five second-day moves I like
1. Running back Gartrell Johnson to San Diego. He had a streak of 554 consecutive carries without a fumble and lost only one fumble in his collegiate career. So why not take him at the back of the fourth round?
2. New England turns two third-round draft picks this weekend into a seventh-rounder and two second-rounders next year. You want to know how the Patriots stay on top? With moves like these.
3. Jarron Gilbert and Joaquin Iglesias to Chicago in the third round. Both could've -- maybe should have -- gone a round higher. The Bears waited and walked off with second-day bargains.
4. Wide receiver Austin Collie to Indianapolis. He's Brandon Stokely all over again, and that's good.
5. Arizona taking safety Rashad Johnson at the bottom of the third round. The guy was a walk-on at Alabama and a two-year captain. That is extraordinary, and it should tell you something about his character.
Five moves I don't get
1. Tampa Bay trading up two spots in the first round to draft quarterback Josh Freeman. The Broncos weren't interested. Neither was Cleveland. So why make the move? "He's a franchise quarterback," said Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik. "You have to take him." I know 16 clubs that passed, including Denver. For Dominik's sake, I hope he's right.
2. Michael Mitchell. I think we've beaten this horse enough.
3. Detroit taking Derrick Williams in the third round when wide receivers like Ramses Barden, Mike Wallace, Patrick Turner and Deon Butler were available.
4. Buffalo passing on tackles Eben Britton and Phil Loadholt as successors to Jason Peters. In fact, they passed on Loadholt with two second-round picks before Minnesota chose him.
5. Dallas freezing when Seattle took Max Unger and Cleveland chose Mohamed Massaquoi in the second round. The Cowboys wanted them. They weren't there. So they choked, passing on the pick before trading it away. We measure players by how they produce in the clutch when their options are limited and when something, anything, is demanded. Maybe it's time we start measuring front offices that way, too.
Five quotes to remember
1. "This was the no-question pick" -- Oakland coach Tom Cable on the choice of Heyward-Bey.
2. "When you see some highlights of this guy, you're going to see a guy that has that Ronnie Lott, that Jack Tatum, mentality. He literally knocks people out." -- Cable on the choice of Mitchell.
3. "Normally, when you get great players, sometimes you get a little bit of attitude with them. I think for us a little swagger is fine with me." -- San Francisco coach Mike Singletary on Crabtree.
4. "This was not who we had targeted. He just happened to be one of those guys who fell a little bit and kind of fell into our laps." -- Philadelphia coach Andy Reid on Maclin.
5. "If he's our best quarterback then he plays." -- Detroit coach Jim Schwartz on Matthew Stafford.
Five Numbers to Remember
0 -- Wide receivers the Jets drafted for Sanchez
5:47 -- Time it took to complete the first two rounds
5 -- Teams that held the 141st pick before Denver finally used it.
12 -- First-day trades.
175 -- Number of players taken before someone from the University of Miami showed up.
