2009 NFL Draft Day Conversation

T-minus 1 hour until the Lions walk up to the podium with the envelope that gives them the right to overpay Matt Stafford up to $78M over the next 6 years. The Rams are effectively on the clock right now and the frothing at the mouth is beginning on ESPN2.

We’ve had a few months to flap our gums about who our teams should draft and which players are going to amount to anything. Today we at least get the answer to the first half of that question. I know a bunch of you are going to be settling in to watch the manufactured drama with me, so lets start the banter anew.

I’ll predict the Rams will select Baylor OT Jason Smith with the second over all. Others are projecting Eugene Monroe, but I think Smith is a much better prospect and the Rams will replace Pace with a more athletic guy like Smith.

I’m really hoping either Curry or Sanchez make it to #5. Curry to draft, Sanchez because ideally someone will trade for him. I’m not that enthusiastic about Crabtree but I wouldn’t hate the pick. Everyone else (Orakpo, Jackson, Raji) isn’t that appealing and might be available 5 picks later.

I’m in! I’ll be playing the role of the needy Doper for today. I don’t have access to ESPN, so I’ll need pick by pick updates from the rest of the Dopers, please. And I won’t be paying. Also, updates on the boo volume from the Jets fans.

I’m hoping for a lot of wheeling and dealing. That has always been my favorite part.

And FFS, I hope we can survive the day without a Braylon Edwards trade. If it actually happens for the proposed 2nd and 5th I’m gonna blow the whole thing up.

This may be a way of watching the draft live. Not exactly sure what coverage will be avaialble at this link:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/live/landing

Thanks, SenorBeef. I’ll check it out. It starts in half an hour, right?

It seems like every year there is the near certainty of a couple big draft day trades to get that franchise QB or other need player in the days prior to the draft. It almost never happens. Wonder if this year will be any different, I’m starting to doubt it. The amount of money paid to Stafford probably makes a move into the top 5 even less likely considering the price those spots will now command.

I think that neither Edwards, Ochocinco or Boldin get traded either. Boldin is the most likely, but if it happens it will be after the draft ala Shockey last year.

It’s gonna be interesting being a Bears fan at the draft and not having any first round picks. You guys won’t get the pleasure of hearing me commit hari kari as they proceed to fuck it up and my favorite guys get drafted ahead of us.

I predict another HUGE slide for the WRs this year. Last season not a single WR was taken in the first round and many of the mocks have 7 or more WRs going this year. I don’t think that happens. I think Crabtree will fall out of the top 8. I think Maclin slides past Oakland and both guys might fall even farther back. Kenny Britt will go ahead of Heyward-Bey and Nicks is out of the first round altogether. Harvin might go in the final 2 or 3 picks. I think Mel will be screaming about the WRs and RBs still on the board come pick 20.

First pick is due at 4:10PM EST.

ESPN.com has a pretty good live Draftcast that will give you all the updates. They also have streaming radio feeds. The NFL might have live video too.

I have heard from a buddy who has the kind of network of contacts to know that there is one NFL team with Percy Harvin at #2 on that team’s board, and there are 3 receivers in the top 7 and 4 in the top 10 on that same team’s board. That’s the overall board, ranked not by need or availability or anything.

the Live feed at the Link SenorBeef gave just started up. Is that Deion Sanders announcing?

Edit to add: They just showed him, it is Prime Time.

That would be shocking information from any team not named the Raiders. I wonder if that ranking is current or if that was before all the Pro Days and private workouts.

As an Eagles fan, I’m hoping for a trade for Boldin. Supposedly a 2nd rounder plus a player gets him. My dream scenario:

Trade our #2 and Reggie Brown for Boldin
Get a RB and a DB in the draft.

That would be fantastic.

I know, but it factored in everything except possibly the drug thing – I don’t know how early that was known. But it was as of, like, this week, supposedly. Weird, right?

furt, did you mean Sheldon Brown?

This is good for the Lions. They used to draft people and never signed them. Already we are doing better.
A rookie QB eats up a bunch of money and will not impact the team for quite a while. We need help now. As far as helping this year, this draft choice is a waste.

I’m almost hoping Harvin comes off the board shockingly early so that we can know who this nutty team is!

This feed I linked earlier seems to be the straight NFL network feed, which is great. I was going to watch ESPN, but this is better. And Mayock is probably better than Kiper.

I’m really hoping the 49ers do something intelligent. Now that Nolan is gone, we have a chance of doing that.

No wait on that first pick, nice.