NFL Draft Notes

The Patriots have finished drafting, they just selected center Mike Elgin of Iowa with pick No. 247. Breaking it down by position, the Pats selected three offensive lineman (Clint Oldenburg, Corey Hilliard, Mike Elgin), two defensive lineman (Kareem Brown, Justin Rogers), one safety (Brandon Meriweather), one cornerback (Mike Richardson), one linebacker (Oscar Lua) and one running back (Justise Hairston). As for the Draft as a whole, there were some interesting stories. Brady Quinn's drop from the Top 3 of the Draft to No. 22 was the story of the first round. The free fall of some juniors who declared early (Brandon Siler of Florida, Darius Walker of Notre Dame) could cause some underclassmen in the future to stay in school. Here are 10 Things I Liked About The 2007 Draft: 1. The Browns getting a franchise left tackle (Joe Thomas) and a franchise quarterback (Quinn) on the same day. If these two live up to potential, Cleveland will have a football team to be proud of again. 2. Matt Millen and the Lions making the right pick in Calvin Johnson, regardless of the fact that the lowly Lions took wide receivers with their first pick in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and only have Roy Williams to show for it with Charles Rodgers and Mike Williams already out of Detroit. Johnson is a great talent. 3. Troy Smith going to the Ravens. This was the best fit for the Heisman winner. Steve McNair will turn 72 in August and former first round bust Kyle Boller will be an unrestricted free agent following the '07 season. Smith will prove many people wrong for skipping over him. 4. Dallas taking Purdue pass rusher Anthony Spencer. With DeMarcus Ware lining up on one side and drawing double teams, all Spencer has to do is not fall down and he will get many unmolested shots at opposing quarterbacks. 5. Jacksonville traded spots with Denver and moved from No. 17 to No. 21, gaining multiple picks in the process, and still took the player they wanted, Florida safety Reggie Nelson. 6. Robert Meachem falling to the Saints at No. 27. He joins an explosive New Orleans offense. 7. The Patriots trading the No. 28 pick to the 49ers for a fourth round pick this year (that they dealt to Oakland for Randy Moss) and a first round pick in the 2008 Draft. Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli always work to gain value and a pick that could be in the Top 15 or 20 is better than the No. 28 pick. 8. San Francisco showed balls in trading up to No. 28 with the Patriots. They are gambling that Joe Staley is a franchise left tackle and that they will not see the Pats acquire a high first round pick next year. Mike Nolan is building a winner. 9. Green Bay not taking an offensive player because it's the "right thing to do for Brett Favre." The Pack took Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell, a monster of a talent who missed most of 2006 with a biceps injury. 10. Daren Stone of Maine may never make the Atlanta Falcons but the highlight of the safety jumping over a car on ESPN was worth watching the draft for a good portion of my Sunday. Here are 5 Things I Disliked About The 2007 Draft: 1. The fake Joe Thomas fishing trip. Thomas was applauded by many for skipping the excess of New York City on draft day to go fishing with his dad and some friends. Personally, I originally thought it was cool but the television cameras that were there made it seem like more of a public relations event than a father-son moment. 2. The Titans. They took safety Michael Griffin in the first round, following the advice of top draft pundits like myself and going defense over offense. In the second round they took Arizona running back who, as Mel Kiper Jr. said didn't produce in the Pac-10 so why will he produce in the NFL. They failed to get a top wide receiver prospect to play with Vince Young. 3. The Bears not moving up for Brady Quinn. Chicago may well have won the Super Bowl if not for Rex Grossman. Quinn would be an instant upgrade at QB. 4. The lack of attention for JaMarcus Russell. The top pick was mostly ignored with a lot of attention being paid to Quinn's drop. Russell is not as well known as the Notre Dame bred Quinn and I was hoping for some more insight on draft day. 5. Jets fans. You are all pathetic. No matter who you draft, you will never beat the Patriots. 3 Reasons I'm Upset The Patriots Are In The AFC East: 1. David Harris, ILB, New York Jets 2. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Buffalo Bills 3. Lorenzo Booker, RB, Miami Dolphins 3 Reasons I'm Happy The Patriots Are In The AFC East: 1. The Jets paid too much to move up from No. 25 to No. 14. I don't know if Darrelle Revis will be worth the price they paid for him. 2. I like Lynch as a player but Buffalo's defense has lost Nate Clements, Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher this offseason so they might have wanted to go defense at No. 12. 3. The Dolphins passing on Brady Quinn at No. 9 to take Ted Ginn, Jr. Ginn is a good receiver and a dynamic kick returner but they needed the quarterback. I don't think John Beck of BYU -- selected at No. 40 -- will be the QB of the future in Miami.