The 2009 NFL Draft; Day One Recap
After months of anticipation, speculation, and analysis the 2009 NFL draft finally kicked off around 4:00 P.M. with the announcement that the Detroit Lions were on the clock. Detroit had actually been on the clock since the midway point of last season in route to going 0-16. They had already come to terms with Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford so there was no drama with the first overall pick.From that point on though, things got interesting with some timely trades to move up and down, some outright steals, and a few head scratchers that left you wondering “what were they thinking.”
These are my top moves of day one:
The biggest move of the day had the New York Jets trading their 1st round pick(17th overall) along with a 2nd round pick and three players for Cleveland’s 1st rounder(5th overall) to land USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, whose stock rose dramatically in the final days leading up to the draft.
The Philadelphia Eagles then swapped 1st round picks with Cleveland to move from 21st to 19th to draft Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Maclin had been ranked right up there with Michael Crabtree as one of the best WR’s in the draft.
Cleveland ‘s maneuvering in the first round allowed them to get California center Alex Mack with the 21st pick as well as add three more picks in the second round.
New England as usual was active in the first round, mainly by not picking anyone. They traded down twice in the first round in order to pick up an additional three picks early in the second round.
These are my biggest steals of day one:
-Arizona gets Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells with the 30th overall pick
– Texas Tech wide receiver, Michael Crabtree who was projected as a top 5 pick, falls to the San Francisco 49er’s at #10.
– The Washington Redskins pick up Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo, another potential top 5 pick, with the 13th pick.
– My biggest steal of the day was USC linebacker Ray Maualuga falling all the way to the 6th pick in the second round (38th overall) to Cincinnati. Many boards had Maualuga as one of the top LB’s in the draft.
These are my Head Scratchers of day one:
The Oakland Raiders picked Maryland wide receiver Darius Heywood-Bey with the 7th pick, while Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin were still on the board. Their rational seems to be based on Bey’s time in the 40.
The Minnesota Vikings picked Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin with the 22nd pick. Harvin’s off field issues made him a questionable choice, especially after failing a drug test at the NFL combines, where he knew he would be tested.
With the first two rounds in the book, teams then turned their attention to the next 5 rounds on day two. The biggest names in college football have all found new homes in the NFL. It remains to be seen who are the winners and losers from day one, as only time will be able to answer that question.
Here is a link to the complete Cappers Picks Forums Round 1 Draft Thread
2009 NFL First Round – Pick By Pick >>> (Individual thread started for each player picked in 1st round)
Round 2 – Round 3 – Round 4 – Round 5 – Round 6 – Round 7
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