The 2007 NFL Draft

I love the NFL draft. Since I enjoy football far, far more than any other sport, the draft is a great gift during the off-season to get me a little primed for the coming year. Plus, it's the only time you get to see highlight footage of offensive linemen which, while may be some pretty dull footage for some, is fantastically enjoyable to yours truly. Anyway, just a few thoughts on the proceedings:

--Poor Calvin Johnson, who was definitely the best player in the draft. Unfortunately, he was drafted by the Lions who can't seem to comprehend the idea that taking players which your team needs is more important than taking players who are flashy. Matt Millen, listen close, because I shouldn't have to tell you this: football is a team sport, in which every position is important. Wide receivers are not the pinnacle of a football team. The upside of this pick is that, after Johnson's stature is ruined by two straight 4-12 seasons, Denver should be able to pick him up cheap.

--Best draft? The Cleveland Browns, hands down (there ya go Mr. Trend). I don't believe that they'll be a force in '07, but look forward to '08. Taking OT Joe Thomas at the third pick, and then shrewdly trading their way back into the first round to pull Brady Quinn is a masterstroke. Anybody who says they were crazy to not take Quinn at #3 is crazy. They wouldn't have Thomas had they squandered their first pick and they have Quinn anyway, so they obviously knew something others didn't. I just hope Romeo Crennel has the opportunity to see this through to the finish. Other honorable mentions include Dallas (unfortunately, although it will make me laugh to see a bunch of hopeful rookies disenfranchised by the wretch that is Wade Phillips), San Francisco (especially for LB Patrick Willis, who will make an impact a la Shawne Merriman, and New England (which has little to do with who they picked and more for being able to score Randy Moss for a 4th rounder).

--Worst draft? I'm torn between Tennessee (who may as well have not drafted at all) and the Eagles (who traded down with the division rival Cowboys). I guess I'm leaning toward Philly for the ludicrous move with Dallas to get into the second round to draft a 4th quarterback...ridiculous. Expect the downward trend of the Eagles to continue toward rivalling Washington for most wretched.

--Other draftees of note: the Saints pick up RB Antonio Pittman. Why? Many are saying it is because they are looking at a future without Deuce McAllister. These people are wrong. I truly believe they are hedging their bets with Reggie Bush. Maybe I am just a hater, but they guy did nothing last year and it remains to be seen whether he can play with the pros, or if he's just better than a bunch of 18 year old amateurs. Minnesota picks up Adrian Peterson, who is still an unknown commodity, much like Willis McGahee of a few years ago, who became viable. I think he'll be quite good with the Vikings, but I'm not convinced that the team will be any better. While the Raiders' pick of JaMarcus Russell and TE Zach Miller were both correct picks, they trade Randy Moss away. Now, with no receivers, they expect a quarterback with a cannon arm to succeed with no go-to target? No dice and I'm glad; I am afraid of a team with Russell to Moss, not Russell to whatever jerk they field in the same position.

--Denver's selections are a mixed bag for me. I'd question the choices more had Shanahan not had such an otherwise stellar off-season, and I've learned not to question his choices. But they gave away the farm to draft (Denton, TX native) Jarvis Moss. Don't get me wrong, they needed a DE (they got two), but they likely would have been able to get him anyway. With all their moves and drafts, they look to have one of the toughest defenses in the league (if they can get another top flight linebacker, they may well have the best).

--On a final note, I can't be more digusted with the issue of "character" in this draft. We always hear when somebody is a really nice guy or a huge criminal but, this time, there was more discussion of the players' character than ability. Listen, if I wanted to watch a bunch of nice guys playing sports, I'd watch the Mathalympics. I want to watch football, and the idea of being nice on the field means nothing to me. The real issue here is fear of Commissioner Roger Goodell and his apparant penchant for suspending players, which I find abhorable. No matter what Pacman Jones may have done, he's been convicted of nothing, but there's no outcry for the lack of justice. Will Goodell levy the same punishment on Michael Vick if he's implicated in this (admittedly, disgusting) dog fighting issue? Maybe, but if Tom Brady gets a DUI, I guarantee he'll get off scot free. I honestly fear that if Goodell continues on this hardline path, that there will be a strike, something we did not see for the entire career of Paul Tagliabue who, without unjust suspensions, Tagliabue turned the NFL into a true international organization. Goodell seems to be bent on the moral conservatism that has become a hallmark of our political system.