Winners and losers in round one

Round one of the NFL draft has concluded and now it’s time to cast judgement on the winners and losers, before any of the players have even taken the field for their respective teams, but hey, isn’t that why it’s called Monday morning quarterbacking?

Who’s the biggest first round winner?  I really like what the Detroit Lions did.  First they bolstered their defensive line with the player I think was the best in the draft, Ndamakong Suh.  Then they made a deal to move up and get a second first rounder and choose Jahvid Best, giving young QB Matt Stafford some offensive help.

The top six teams really did what was expected and all should benefit from their choices.  The Big 12 has to be puffing out it’s chest.  The first four picks were out of their league and five of the first six.  The lone exception was Eric Berry of Tennessee going to the Chiefs.  He should start immediately.

Other winners are Buffalo with C. J. Spiller, San Diego trading up to get running back Ryan Matthews to replace Ladainian Tomlinson, the Seahawks moving up to get Safety Earl Thomas and Dallas trading up to get Dez Bryant after he slid down the board.  I also like Indy’s pick up of speed rusher Jerry Hughes from TCU at the bottom of the round.

The losers?  Well, you have to wonder what the Jaguars were thinking when they took D-tackle Tyson Alualu with the 10th pick when there were several other higher ranked linemen on the board.

Denver had one of the most interesting first days, skipping over Bryant for Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas.  Coach Josh McDaniels said Thomas reminded him of Brandon Marshall.  You mean the guy you just traded away?  Then the Broncos took the biggest gamble of the first round by selecting Tim Tebow with a second pick acquired from Baltimore.  Tebow could turn out to be the biggest bust or biggest steal of the draft.  who knows at this point, but McDaniels is putting his job on the line with the pick.

This means both Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy are still available, but it’s doubtful for long.  The early question in the second round will be whether the Chiefs jump at Clausen with Charlie Weis now on board as offensive coordinator, despite having paid big money to Matt Cassell last year.

Expect a lot of wheeling and dealing in the second and third round tonight, but until these players hit the field, it’s all a crap shoot.