Thread: NFL Draft - First Round

Are you all ready to watch, listen to, or read about the NFL Draft tonight? Rouind 1 kicks off at 8:00 ET (6:00 Denver time) at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Smokescreen season is over and, after months of suspense in Houston, the Texans will finally seperate fact from fiction. Although we don't pick until after the 49ers barring a trade up, I will watch all 32 picks tonight.

The first round is always crazy - teams reaching, players dropping, blockbuster trades, etc. Also, the first round picks are what teams usually talk about (or for some losers, moving up into Round 1 from their second round picks), so it has the most suspense and mystery of any round. Here are some things to look out for:

1. The Falcons obviously want to trade up for Jadeveon Clowney. Are they willing to pay a king's randsom (similar to the Robert Griffin deal) to move up five spots? The Texans often said a trade is fine with them, indicating they want to move down. Now they are demanding too much compensation for most teams to move up, but the Falcons paid a lot to pick Julio Jones so it is possible. Either way, Clowney is expected to be the first pick, but that is not guaranteed considering Houston runs a 3-4 defense better suited for OLB Khalil Mack.

2. Don't believe the Johnny Manziel rumor. The Rams probably mentioned his name to encourage a trade down because they already expressed support for Sam Bradford. Why would a team want to shop Bradford, who is coming off a torn ACL, and draft a quarterback completely unlike him? I am not buying it. Somebody else in the top 10 may want to leapfrog the Jaguars, who have many holes including quarterback. But it is more likely a leapfrog trade would be for Mack or WR Sammy Watkins, who would also fill needs in Jacksonville.

3. When will the Browns pick Teddy Bridgewater? We know they love him and don't like Manziel. Most people think he will be their second pick at #26, but with the Raiders picking after them, not wanting Manziel, and needing a quarterback, they might want to pick Bridgewater at #4 just to avoid missing out. OTOH, the Raiders seem to want to pick a wide receiver (Watkins) at #5.

4. The Buccaneers said they want to shop Mike Glennon and draft a quarterback at #7. This came after Lovie Smith sounded like they want to trade down from that pick. Will they trade Glennon to move down and pick Bridgewater? Another possibility is picking a defensive player at #7 because they need help on that side of the ball too. There is not much talk about the pick, but a lot of options are available to make it interesting.

5.The Cowboys are crazy. Jerry Jones said he wants Manziel to be available but not to pick him. Huh? I never heard that one before. Mike Mayock thinks the Cowboys want Manziel and, because quarterback-needy teams also need help at some positions with more talented players available, Jones will get his wish. After all, we already know the Browns and Raiders don't want Manziel. I'm not sure why the Cowboys would be interested in a quarterback in the first round after cutting their best pass rusher. My guess is Jones wants to trade down.

5. The 49ers have ammo to trade up. Mayock claimed they want to but so far I have not read anything else about that. Such a trade would probably surprise many people who aren't 49ers fans. However, the fact that a possible trade up was mentioned tells me we should pay attention to what they do, being the last team that picks before us if the #30 pick is not traded.

I don't follow college football or scout players much, so all I can say about the prospects is, "Expect the unexpected," because there are surprises in both directions every year.

With that said, get ready for some excitement and let the draft begin!