When word broke on Thursday night that the Eagles had traded up in the first round to the 13th pick, everyone assumed that they would select playmaking safety Earl Thomas. The Eagles have been missing a playmaker at the safety position since Brian Dawkins was released before the start of last season and this seemed like it was too good to be true for the boys in the City of Brotherly Love. When Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the Eagles had taken Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham and not Thomas, everyone was stunned. While I was among the surprised, I thought it about it some more and I actually like the pick. I thought that going into the draft, Brandon Graham was the best pure pass rusher. The Eagles defense hinges on getting to the quarterback and Graham, teamed up with Pro Bowler Trent Cole on the other side, will provide nightmares to NFC East offenses.

It is also possible that the Eagles were just as high on their second round pick, saftey Nate Allen from South Florida as many were on the safety they passed over in the first round, Earl Thomas. Allen and Thomas are actually very similar players. Both are considered a little bit undersized, but accel in pass coverage and even have the ability to line up at cornerback. Allen is projected to be a big time playmaker in the Eagles defense, as he will be given the opportunity to play center field and use his excellent speed to make plays on the ball and help the Eagles get takeaways. The addition of Graham will cause quarterbacks to release the ball quicker and make poor decisions and the Eagles hope that their second round pick, Nate Allen will be the recipient of those poor decisions.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Seattle Seahawks were one of the clear winners of the 2010 NFL Draft. The orginization knew going into the draft that their two biggest weaknesses were the vital left tackle position, and the defensive backfield. Seattle was able to address those needs in the first round by selecting left tackle Russell Okung out of Oklahoma State with the 6th pick and Earl Thomas, the saftey out of Texas with the 14th pick. Both Okung and Thomas were the top rated available players at their respective positions and may be have been the top remaining overall players at the time they were picked. Okung is a great athlete with long arms and should solidify the left tackle position for the next decade, much like the man he is replacing, future hall of famer Walter Jones. Earl Thomas is a ballhawking saftey who also has the ability to play corner. Many have compared Thomas’ ball skills to Ravens saftey Ed Reed. If Thomas is anything like Reed, the Seahawks will be pleased.

In addition to their first two picks, the Seahawks were able to make other moves to improve their team over the weekend. In the 2nd round, the Seahwaks drafted Notre Dame reciever Golden Tate. Going into the draft, many thought Tate would be selected towards the end of the 1st round. The addition of Tate to an already solid group of wide recievers should help Seattle’s offense in a wide open NFC West. The final set of big moves by the Seahwaks over the weekend was the addition of two running backs through trade. First, the Seahwaks acquired Lendale White from the Titans. The acquisiton of White reunites him with his old college coach, Pete Carrol. In addition to White, the Seahawks also added speedy running back Leon Washington from the New York Jets. Washington is coming off of a major knee injury, but when fully healthy, can be a gamebreaker for the Seahawks.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Carolina Panthers should have options aplenty tonight as they join the NFL draft after sitting out Round 1.
They held onto their 2011 first-round pick and are expected to do so again today, which would end a two-year stretch of trading away a future first-rounder.

Carolina’s long wait is now over as they’ll be closely watching tonight as the picks ahead of them come off the board.

The Panthers are situated at the midpoint of the second round, No. 48 overall, and would prefer to land a defensive lineman or wide receiver, but also could opt for a cornerback.

Based on pre-draft projections, nothing much happened in the first round to detract from players who were expected to be available when the draft resumes tonight.

There continues to be a good chance Carolina can come away with a defensive lineman, especially a tackle, or a wide receiver since those are perhaps the two deepest positions in the draft.


Click here to read the full article – By Charles Chandler of http://www.heraldonline.com

Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix understands that the team he now runs has needs at a number of positions.

And his hope over the next couple of days is that he can find some players in the NFL draft who will fill those spots.

But when it came time to execute the ninth overall pick in the first round Thursday night, Nix could not ignore what he believes to be the most pressing issue for the Bills.

Click here to read the full article – By SAL MAIORANA of http://www.democratandchronicle.com

Here’s a look at what other media are saying about the Ravens draft decisions. The Ravens traded the 25th pick of the first round Thursday to the Denver Broncos, who selected Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. In return for the 25th pick, the Ravens received picks from Denver in the second, third and fourth rounds of the draft.

I think I expected Baltimore to take Williams once he dropped to the Ravens’ pick at 25. The Ravens loved him. I thought it was incredible value if they’d have gotten him at 25. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to pay big money to both Haloti Ngata and — potentially — Williams if he pans out. Here’s where the story gets interesting. Baltimore paid a low three to acquire Anquan Boldin. To trade down 18 spots to a lesser-money pick (25 to 43), the Ravens acquired a high three. They viewed it as a no-brainer, and it’ll be a good choice unless all their players of choice for late in the first round are gone at 43.

Click here to read the full article – By Baltimore Sun staff of The Baltimore Sun

Even after signing Dunta Robinson, the Atlanta Falcons were still focused on defense in the NFL draft.

The Falcons selected Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon with the 19th overall pick Thursday night and believe he’ll make an immediate impact on a unit that was ravaged by injuries, didn’t get much pressure on the quarterback, and gave up a huge amount of passing yards.

“We were very excited to have the opportunity to take an outside linebacker who’s going to ramp up our speed, our enthusiasm, our athleticism,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “In our minds, this guy is going to be a four-down player for us.”

Weatherspoon was thrilled, too.

“I’m a falcon!!!” he tweeted before his selection was even announced.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of http://www.gainesvilletimes.com

The Arizona Cardinals chose defensive tackle Dan Williams of Tennessee with the No. 26 overall pick in the NFL
draft.

The team needed defensive help at several positions, and nose tackle was certainly one of them. Last year’s starter, Bryan Robinson, was not re-signed and Alan Branch was shifted to defensive end. That left Gabe Watson the only nose tackle on the roster.
The 6-foot-3, 327-pound Williams started all 13 games for the Volunteers last season with 70 tackles, 36 solos.
Williams could start alongside Pro Bowler Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell on the Cardinals’ defensive line.

Click here to read the full article – By Dave Staley of http://www.newschannel9.com

If there were any doubts about the type of offense Mike Singletary and the 49ers will run this season, they were swept away – no, stomped away – Thursday evening.

Fearing the offensive tackle they coveted and badly needed would be stolen in front of them, the 49ers traded up two places to snag Anthony Davis, a 323-pound junior tackle from Rutgers. Six picks later, they added even more beef to their offensive line with 331-pound Idaho guard Mike Iupati.

That’s 654 pounds of power-blocking offensive linemen added in less than an hour. Davis will line up at right tackle and Iupati at left guard, the position he played with the Vandals. Singletary cautioned that both players might not start in Week 1 – Davis is one of the youngest players in the draft at age 20 – but he made it clear he expected both to start at some point this season.

Click here to read the full article – By Matthew Barrows of The Sacramento Bee

The Detroit Lions have the 2nd pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, and they face a difficult decision. Believe it or not, the Lions 2-14 record was actually a major improvent on their historical 2008 mark of 0-16. The Lions were actually competitive in a number of games and have something to build on with Matthew Stafford, who at times looked like a star and other times looked like a rookie, and Calvin Johnson who is an absoulte stud. The question for the Lions is who do they take with the #2 pick in the draft. I think you have to narrow it down to two guys, the best offensive lineman in the draft, Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung, and prehaps the best player in this years draft, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Like nearly every unit on a 2-14 team, the offensive and defensive lines need upgrades, but with Jeff Backus and 2008 first round pick Gosder Cherilus, the Lions are pretty solid at the offensive tackles. The defensive line however, is another story. The Lions ranked 26th in rush defense and 29th in sacks, so their defensive line neither plugged holes nor rushed the passer effectively. For those reasons, Ndamuknog Suh should be the selection. Suh was the most dominant player in college football last season, as he was often double and triple teamed, but was still very productive in one of the top two conferences in college football. Many believe that Suh has the ability to step into the NFL right away and help a team improve, which is something that the Lion’s defense sorely needs. If the Lions take Suh, it will be a big step forward for their defense, as he will be able to anchor that side of the ball for the next decade.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Linebacker Jason Taylor is leaving the Dolphins to play for the Jets, his agent, Gary Wichard, told the Miami Herald.

League sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Taylor — the NFL’s active sacks leader with 127½ — agreed to a two-year deal that could be worth as much as $3.75 million in the first year.

The Miami Herald reported that Taylor is tentatively scheduled to travel to the New York area on Wednesday to sign the contract.

Because of the Final Eight rules that restrict the Jets from signing Taylor for more in the first year than what Jay Feely received from leaving the Jets to join the Cardinals, Taylor will be on the Jets’ books for $1.75 million in 2010, but he could earn another $1.25 million to $2 million depending upon his performance.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPNNewyork.com