Live from the NFL draft

Cris Carter: Future NFL stars

NFL Draft: Rising stars

11:56 a.m. EDT – Nothing like the sight of middle aged men, stuffed into NFL team jerseys, packing the streets of Midtown Manhattan on a beautiful spring day to remind you restore your faith in this great nation of ours, the United States of America. The terrorists have, indeed, not won.

Radio City Music Hall is already packed with fans, media, agents, sleazy agents, working girls and Mel Kiper's hair.

"J-E-T-S" chants have already begun.

It can't get much better than this.

The NFL is introducing some of the top draft picks on the stage. Mario Williams looks like he still can't believe he is the No. 1 pick. Reggie Bush either. Of course, Bush was introduced as "the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner."

Ah, not for long.

Meanwhile, no truth to the rumor that Matt Leinart came directly from Scores Gentlemen's Club.

This and other insightful information all day long here at Yahoo! Sports as our crack team breaks down one of the 365 greatest days of the American sports calendar.

12:13 p.m. EDT – OK, the draft was supposed to start at noon, the Texans have already signed their pick, Mario Williams, and yet, no one has come out to announce it. They haven't even started the 15-minute clock. Any time the NFL is ready.

• Burt Sugar, the colorful boxing writer, is in the house. He is wearing his trademark hat and a cigar in his mouth even though he can't smoke in here. Got to love the guy.

• According to a guy from Long Island, whom I just met, those who know D'Brickashaw Ferguson from back in the day call him "D-Brick." And here I've been calling him "D-Shaw."

12:20 p.m. EDT – Paul Tagliabue has appeared for his final NFL Draft as commissioner and started the proceedings. Three minutes later he made the big announcement:

"With the first selection in the 2006 NFL Draft the Houston Texans select Mario Williams, defensive end, North Carolina State."

Great, now NC State needs a new DE and a basketball coach.

Jets fans already started mocking Williams with the "overrated" chant. And to think most of them haven't even started drinking yet.

Plenty of critics are calling the Texans decision to take Williams over Reggie Bush (or Vince Young) the NFL's version of the Portland Trailblazers picking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan. It might be.

But that isn't fair to the Trailblazers. Portland had picked Clyde Drexler the season before, so they were set at Jordan's position. While Drexler was no Jordan, he did turn out to be one of the NBA's 50 greatest players. At least there is an excuse for passing on MJ.

If the Texans think Domanick Davis or David Carr are going to be NFL Hall of Famers, then they are stupider than I thought.

• New Orleans is on the clock. Expect a trade.

12:36 p.m. EDT – The television battle being waged between the NFL Network and ESPN is something straight out the battle of the network stars. Their stages are near each other and they are fighting for analysis, interviews and Lord knows what else.

They may have a tug-of-war later.

• Bush to the Saints. Mayhem breaks out as Jets fans scream, in horror. There may still be a trade.

• Live footage of fans at the Saints practice facility shows the "practice facility" is a big tent. Due to reconstruction efforts there, we'll lay off the mid-major comments and suggestions that the Saints are going to join the MAC next season. That would be insensitive.

• The Bush family, accompanied by their real estate agent (he can get you a great deal in suburban San Diego), get on stage to have their picture taken.

In prisons all across California, former Bush business associates try to convince their cell mates, "Seriously, I know that dude. Really, man."

Meanwhile Pete Carroll sits in a darkened room in L.A. and wonders what's next.

• So what are longer odds, the Saints making the playoffs or Bush being named SC alumnus of the year?

12:43 p.m. EDT – Tennessee takes Vince Young. Genius pick. I am guaranteeing this guy is going to be a star. Watching the national title game on ESPN Classic Friday night in my hotel room just reinforced that this is simply one of the greatest college football players of all-time.

A point I had forgotten that was mentioned during the game was that Young led the nation in passing efficiency.

As long as the Titans bring him along slowly and build their offense around his talents, rather than shoehorn him into something else, Tennessee will flourish.

And the joke here is on everyone who ripped Young for taking Major Adams as his agent. They all said he should have taken a "power agent" or his draft status would suffer. Ridiculous stories planted by "power agents."

• The Jets are on the clock and the place is in pandemonium. Matt Leinart was born to be a Jet, the new Joe Namath, at least off the field.

The New York Post's Page Six is praying the Jets take Leinart. He's good for years of sighting at Suite Sixteen, 40/40 and every other hot nightclub in New York. He'd be the best thing to happen to that column since Billy Joel started drinking again.

Someone lock up the Olsen Twins. Lindsay Lohan, too.

1:03 p.m. EDT – Jets take D'Brickashaw, which was a Bill Belichick thing to do, as Bergen Record columnist Adrian Wojnarowski pointed out. Going after Leinart would have been how the Jets used to do things. But with Eric Mangini in charge now, improving the line was the right plan.

Still, Broadway Matt would have been entertaining.

• Jets fans' reaction was mostly positive, although one guy in a Richard Todd jersey immediately spun around and walked out of Radio City Music Hall, apparently in protest. Tough crowd, you know?

• Let's see, Brett Favre is retiring soon, Aaron Rodgers hasn't wowed anyone and Matt Leinart is on the clock.

• Oh, and by the way, would whomever stole Jerry Kramer's Super Bowl I ring please give it back?

"I'm pissed," Kramer growled to me this week. "And I'm pissed for a long time. I've mellowed out a little bit but I'm still angry a little bit."

1:08 p.m. EDT – The Pack go with A.J. Hawk. Although we generally hate it when analysis runs along racial stereotypes – you know, athletic black players, gritty white guys – Hawk does kind of fit the old-time Packers mold. He could have played in the Ice Bowl.

But Hawk is not the fifth pick in the draft because he is smarter or harder working than other players. He is the fifth pick because he is an exceptional athlete and physical talent, too. This guy can flat-out play.

• All of that said, Hawk is going to be one popular guy in Wisconsin.

• San Francisco is on the clock and by my estimation the Niners need help at offensive line, running back, wide receiver, tight end, defensive line, linebacker, secondary and special teams. Other than that, they are just a player or two away from the Super Bowl.

• With Alex Smith in the fold already, Leinart to Oakland seems like a possibility.

1:21 p.m. EDT – Niners take Vernon Davis, who looks like he just finished a set with his reggae band. Mel Kiper says he is an excellent player, which he probably is. But a tight end with the sixth pick?

• Did you know that the Raiders once selected Ray Guy with the 23rd pick overall? These are the things the NFL shows you on their big screen. No wonder the crowd is bored. Couldn't we have cheerleader highlight tapes or something?

• The Raiders go with Michael Huff out of Texas, opting for defense over Matt Leinart, who is sinking fast. Huff is a crushing tackler, though. He wasn't even invited to the draft, which will tell you this is a little bit of a surprise.

• Leinart is trying to put a brave face on it but I am thinking that the prospect of playing in Buffalo or Detroit – lot of nightlife there – is beginning to set in.

1:33 p.m. EDT – Buffalo goes with someone named Donte Whitner, a safety from Ohio State. Actually, the guy hits harder than a Vegas hangover.

However, he was considered a mid-to-late first rounder by most "draft experts." You know, like Charles Robinson, who is also a good speller. Actually our guy John Murphy called this pick last night. The guy is genius.

• Millen should take Leinart. He said earlier this week he might take a QB even though he signed two in the off-season.

The two things you need in the NFL are a good quarterback and a good coach. The Lions haven't had either one in forever. Which is why they've won a grand total of one playoff game in 49 years.

• Lions czar Matt Millen claimed this week he is looking for "hungry" football players in the draft this year. He apparently thought that former first round pick Charles Rogers was hungry, but judging by Rogers' many drug issues, it turns out he just had a case of the munchies.

• If I am Millen, who had Supreme Court level job security, I draft wide receiver Chad Jackson out of Florida just to stuff it in everyone's face.

• About the only thing that could make a Lions draft worse is if their helmet phone didn’t work. Actually, on second thought, not having Millen pick at all the past couple of seasons might have been a blessing.

1:39 p.m. EDT – Ernie Sims? The Lions haven’t had a quarterback since Gary Danielson and they pass on Leinart? Wasn’t this the guy who won all those games at SC? How bad could his arm strength be?

• Not that the Lions didn’t need some defensive help. But Millen better hope Leinart doesn’t turn out to be a great talent.

• With Leinart dropping fast, he bailed on his table and went where the cameras were not. Now that is a good PR move. As great of a player as Warren Sapp turned out to be, his draft day embarrassment is still one of the indelible images of the guy.

• They have a live remote in Evansville, Ind., for Jay Cutler and his family (and, apparently his girlfriend). This way we can see Cutler’s reaction when he eventually gets picked. We also get to see it when he isn’t selected.

Why in the world would an agent allow this to happen? What is the benefit for a player to have a live camera on him during draft day, especially if he isn’t a guaranteed top-five selection? It is like boarding the Titanic. You are asking for draft disaster.

The publicity generated from having the camera on you will not increase endorsements. It will only hurt them if you drop. The only one who benefits is the agent who gets a little face time and can convince next year’s client recruits about his “connections” with the TV networks.

I swear pro sports agents care less about their clients than Jiffy Lube workers.

• By the way, there is no group in America who spends more money on clothes and yet look more ridiculous than football agents. It is almost impossible to make $5,000 suits look worse.

1:47 p.m. EDT – Leinart returned to his table and was promptly selected by Arizona. The Cardinals have to be ecstatic – new stadium, big name QB. The lack of arm strength buzz is all over Radio City Music Hall, he didn’t wow anyone in workouts, they are saying.

What about the actual games? Remember the fourth-down pass in crunch time at Notre Dame?

• You think Leinart’s agent, Tom Condon, is wondering if all of that work stealing Matt Leinart away from Leigh Steinberg was worth it? You know, one thing you can say about playing for the Cardinals, the endorsement dollars just fly at you. Much better than being a Jet.

1:54 p.m. EDT – The Rams traded the 11th pick to Denver and the announcement here was the most exciting thing to happen in a half hour. St. Louis gets the 15th and 68th selections.

• Our guy John Murphy immediately predicted that the Broncos would take Jay Cutler. We’ll see. Cutler just got a phone call and is smiling.

• And boom, Jay Cutler to Denver.

• NFL Network just showed the Cutlers after the pick and there are some attractive women in there – not sure who they are. But then NFL Network immediately went to tape of Cutler, shirtless, getting measured at the NFL combine. Radio City Music Hall let out a groan.

• Cutler hails from Santa Claus, Ind. Later, Boise State's Daryn Colledge should be picked at some point. He is from North Pole, Alaska. Do we break this stuff down or what?

2:07 p.m. EDT – The Ravens moved up to 12 from 13 (and gave Cleveland a sixth rounder) to take Haloti Ngata, a defensive tackle from Oregon. What a great name for cheesy sports broadcasters. “You run into Ngata and you'll get Ngata yards.”

• Judging by the video from the Ngata draft party, things there are pretty wild. That easily looks like the best draft party going, no sitting on your hands and being polite. They are going to tear it up tonight.

• The Browns must have at least considered drafting LeBron James' toddler son with the 12th pick. They must figure he’ll still be available at 13.

• USC halfback LenDale White's draft stock is plummeting due to a reported failed drug test. Just a total shock. It's no big deal though, according to White. “(The NFL) ain’t worried about it,” White told the L.A. Daily News.

I just love the draft.

2:23 p.m. EDT – Browns go with Kamerion Wimbley, defensive end out of Florida State. He's one of about 17 Seminole defensive players who are expected to get picked today, which begs the question, how the heck did Florida State lose five games last season?

• No surprise Romeo Crennel went with a defensive player.

• The Eagles are up next. WIP listener line is ready to rip to shreds whatever they do.

• The NFL is showing a preview of a Mark Wahlberg movie about an Eagles walk-on player from the 1970s. It's called “Invincible” and I have to say it looks pretty good.

Now they are interviewing Greg Kinnear (who is also in the movie) and the cross-promotion is getting to be a bit much. The crowd is booing Kinnear.

2:34 p.m. EDT – A small collection of Eagles fans, many with their bodies painted for the draft, started an E-A-G-L-E-S chant which prompted Jets fans to get the ever-original “Eagles suck” chant going. This and other junior-high level maturity still to come.

• Philly selects defensive end Brodrick Bunkley, another Florida State defensive player. And they claim Bobby Bowden has lost his recruiting touch?

• The Eagles fans broke into a rendition of “Fly Eagles Fly.” They will now buy a case of beer and proceed to Penn Station for the train ride back to Philly. What a way to spend a Saturday.

• Valued Reader Email:

Just a comment on the Jets' selection of D'Brickashaw Ferguson instead of Leinart and the fans' reactions (being mostly positive): In addition to potentially being a great NFL tackle, D'Brickashaw Ferguson is a Long Island guy and NY'ers tend to support their own.

Rob
Long Island, N.Y.

You couldn’t be more D’right about D’Brick and the D’Jets.

2:47 p.m. EDT – Tye Hill, defensive back out of Clemson, goes to the Rams. The pick elicited no reaction here in New York.

For some reason the NFL decided to celebrate the pick by setting off a Studio 54-level amount of strobe lights.

• Miami is on the clock at 16, halfway point of the first round. Nick Saban will emerge from his lair here and make some decision that he won’t tolerate anyone questioning. We don’t want to piss Saban off, so we promise to be nice.

• Of course, the Dolphins could really use a running back who would never, ever get caught by the NFL trying to smoke the end zone grass. You know, like LenDale White.

• The Dolphins select Jason Allen, a defensive back out of Tennessee, who looks to be having a Ngata-level draft party that is sure to rage into the wee hours of the night.

• Minnesota on the clock. Maybe LenDale can go there. Or else someone who can drive a party boat.

2:58 p.m. EDT – Reggie Bush hopes to be a little better to New Orleans than President Bush, which is nice. “I feel like I could help possibly bring some smiles back to the faces of New Orleans.”

• No word on whether Michael Michaels has any connections with a FEMA trailer.

• Texans owner Bob McNair said he expects some negative fan reaction for picking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush and local hero Vince Young – “I realize that,” he said. But he said the key to winning the division is stopping Indianapolis. The Colts have to feel good that their offense is so daunting they forced a division “rival” to not pick the two best offensive players in the draft.

“You know,” said McNair, “look at it this way, if we had Bush, would we outscore Indianapolis? Our decision was no. What’s our best chance of beating Indianapolis? That’s with a pass rush and that’s Mario Williams.”

Are the Texans aware they finished 12 games behind the Colts last season? Making draft moves based on beating a team that is infinitely better than you is ludicrous. Williams may turn out to be great, but the thought process is absurd. Try beating Cleveland and Oakland next year before thinking about the Colts.

• The Vikings take Chad Greenway, a linebacker out of Iowa who looks like just about every other linebacker to ever come out of Iowa, capable of eating a bushel full of corn and lifting a tractor with one hand. He’ll sign a Farm Bureau Insurance advertising deal by next week.

3:06 p.m. EDT – How’d D-Brick (we go way back) get named D’Brickashaw? His mom watched "The Thorn Birds" on TV once and named him from that. Here’s the scoop:

“I definitely think this is the most asked question in America, so hopefully this will be the last time I have to answer this,” D-Brick said.

“D’Brickashaw comes from the movie 'The Thorn Birds.' It was a mini-series in 1983 starring Richard Chamberlain.

“It was a great epic between this guy’s love for God and his love for this girl he fell in love with, there’s great interplay.”

• The Post should give D-Brick a movie review column.

• The NFL honored some military heroes on the stage – Tags doling out the handshakes – and in the spirit of American unity, Jets, Giants and Eagles fans joined together in a chant of “USA, USA.”

The NFL Draft, bringing America together.

3:13 p.m. EDT – Nick Saban appeared from his labyrinth sporting some classic Crockett and Tubbs teal sport coat. Who knew Saban was so smooth?

• "Miami Vice" was a good show but we always liked its knock-off, the USA Network classic “Silk Stalkings.” Cheap budget, weak acting, predictable story lines but the same wardrobe and gratuitous mini-skirted women.

They don’t make shows like this any more.

• Dallas snags Bobby Carpenter, another man-eating linebacker out of Ohio State who apparently thinks a mullet is a good look. Not that I’d dare criticize him to his face. This is a Bill Parcells kind of guy if I’ve ever seen one.

3:28 p.m. EDT – Antonio Cromartie, a defensive back out of Florida State, goes to the San Diego Super Chargers and one thing we can say is, Antonio Cromartie just sounds fast.

Of course, ESPN is already wondering if Cromartie was a reach at 19. I can't say, but his decision to keep his sunglasses on for the interview was decidedly pimp-tastic. I’m sure it wasn’t to block out bloodshot eyes from the party last night, no, he just likes to accessorize. The look on Suzy Kolber's face was priceless.

While there is no scientific proof, it says here that the ability to dress is a key predictor of a D-Back's success. You just don’t want a lock-down cover who wears overalls and flannel shirts.

• Cromartie didn't even play last season in Tallahassee. He blew out his knee. This was good news for the FSU defensive coordinator, who can at least use that as his excuse for not shutting everyone out this season.

3:41 p.m. EDT – Tamba Hali, the best story of the draft after coming out of war-torn, AIDS-ravaged Liberia, goes to the Kansas City Chiefs. Terrific story of perseverance in the most difficult of backgrounds. Take that, Charles Taylor.

Expect Kansas City Star feature writer Wright Thompson to be on the next plane to Monrovia.

• Just wondering but how come anytime a Big Ten player is selected his highlights always show him nearly maiming and/or running over a player from Illinois and Michigan State. The Big Ten first-round selections should donate $1,000 each to those schools for employing coaches who don’t believe in blocking or tackling.

• You know, the photo section of ProFootballTalk.com is about as entertaining as it gets.

• Herm Edwards appeared on the big screen here and was lustily booed by the Jets fans still remaining.

• Pats on the clock. Smart pick coming.

3:49 p.m. EDT – Bill Belichick goes with Laurence Maroney out of Minnesota and sure enough, video of him running roughshod over Michigan State follows immediately. The Patriots have a long history of not having great running backs, so maybe this changes that.

• Belichick is so money that even though Maroney was behind Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams on a lot of draft boards, no one here even bothered to question it. Now that's respect

• Maroney is another player with long hair flapping out the back of his helmet. Between white guy mullets and black guy braids, this is the draft of the free-flowing locks.

• Prior to the San Francisco pick at 22, a Niners fan held up a sign reading: “We Need Defense.” Apparently he hoped someone at the Niners table would notice the sign and realize that, indeed, San Francisco is terrible defensively.

Chalk it up to the power of one but it couldn’t have been a coincidence that San Francisco picked N.C. State defensive end Manny Lawson.

4:06 p.m. EDT – From the “quotes that are sure to be regretted during training camp hazing" department comes new San Francisco 49er tight end Vernon Davis discussing his grandmother’s pet name for him.

“She calls me Duky, her Duky.”

Leinart said Tennessee offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who used to coach him at USC, was trying to get him but the Titans went with Vince Young at No. 3 anyway.

“I’ve had a lot of talks with Norm Chow in recent days and he was doing everything he could to get me,” said Leinart. “But it’s really not his decision, you know. And I think what I take from this whole experience is everything happens for a reason.”

He went on to say Arizona coach Dennis Green called and said, “It was a gift from heaven that I was there at 10.”

Then he said he doesn’t think his nightlife image hurt him.

“If teams passed on me for that reason, that’s their problem not mine. I don’t think there’s a Hollywood image. That’s where I’ve been for five years. I grew up in Southern California. That’s the way my life has become, because USC has become so big out in L.A. That never affected my play on the football field.”

• Tampa Bay picked big offensive lineman Davin Joseph from Oklahoma, who they say had more pancakes than IHOP. As a high schooler in Florida, he was a national champion wrestler.

4:16 p.m. EDT – Cincinnati grabbed defensive back Jonathan Joseph out of South Carolina and that’s smart, especially if the Bengals followed the Texans' reasoning that a little more defense might get them past Indianapolis. Cincy is close, Houston isn’t.

• We’re sure Matt Millen meant this in the best possible way, but considering his track record of draft failures, is this the best explanation of taking Ernie Sims?

“The one thing we said was that the guy that we were going to get was going to be a guy who was going to exemplify all of the non-talent issues,” said Millen. “That’s exactly what we picked.”

So the Lions picked a guy with non-talent issues?

• Charles Rogers has got to be hoping that LenDale White is available in round two.

• It’s not just White, of course. Anyone seen Winston Justice? The SC players have had one rough day.

• The Giants are on the clock and the energy level inside Radio City has returned to life after a couple-hour lull.

4:32 p.m. EDT – We got to endure 15 minutes of Giants and Jets fans taunting each other – “J-E-T-S, suck, suck, suck” and other pithy comments – only to have the Giants deal the pick to Pittsburgh for the 32nd, 96th and 129th picks overall.

That seems like a lot to give up for seven spots, but the Steelers immediately grabbed Santonio Holmes, who appeared to be holding his draft party at a middle school. Actually, I thought that because there was what appeared to be finger paintings hung on the wall, but for all I know that was just the Buckeyes' football academic building, aka the Maurice Clarett School of Education.

• The NFL is trying to pitch “Day Two Diehards” tickets to people who want to spend Sunday listening to obscure players get selected.

Expect a wave of homeless, currently living over a grate by the public library, to snap them up. Especially if it rains.

• Want to know why Vince Young is going to be great? Four Ohio State players have been selected in the top 25 picks, including three on defense. And Texas beat Ohio State in Columbus because Young was unstoppable.

• Buffalo picked up the 26th pick from Chicago in exchange for the Bills' second-round and third-round selections.

4:44 p.m. EDT – Buffalo picked defensive tackle John McCargo out of North Carolina State, which means three of the Wolfpack’s defensive front four went in the top 26. And NC State finished 6-5? How?

State let North Carolina, Clemson, Boston College and Wake Forest (not exactly a fearsome foursome of opponents) score 27 or more points on them. Hey, way to coach them down there in Raleigh. At least they are good recruiters.

• Carolina immediately took DeAngelo Williams, the 5-9 running back out of Memphis. Williams ran for about 40,000 yards in college but got almost no attention. The Memphis athletic department even tried to pitch him for the Heisman by sending out these model cars with Williams' name on them.

They would have been better served saving the money to try to outbid SEC schools for future recruits.

• Jacksonville picked Marcedes Lewis, a tight end out of UCLA, who may have the coolest first name in the first round.

• Jets are on the clock for No. 29 and the “LenDale White” chants have begun. No confirmation that LenDale is halfway through a bag of Cheetos right now, listening to reggae music.

4:51 p.m. EDT – Nick Mangold, a mountain of a center from Ohio State, goes to the Jets. Mangini is all about rebuilding the offensive line, which is never a bad idea. You can see the Belichick influence here, completely unconcerned with flash, star power or what the fans want.

• The fans, who seemed to want LenDale, decided to support the selection with a loud roar. They even acted like they knew who the center from Ohio State was.

• Mangold has the same long hair of all the other Ohio State guys, which means it's been a tough couple years of business for Columbus barbers. They won’t be sorry to see these guys leave.

• That’s five Ohio State players in the first round, tops thus far.

• Indianapolis immediately tried to make up for the loss of Edgerrin James by selecting Joseph Addai, a speedy running back from LSU. Smart pick to fill a glaring hole. He won’t be the Edge, but he might be enough for the Colts to finally make a Super Bowl.

5:03 p.m. EDT – Valued Reader Email with a good AFC conspiracy theory:

New England probably took Maroney just to keep Indianapolis from getting him.

Brian
Cincinnati

If so, even better move by Belichick. You know he wasn't going to draft LenDale White because sometimes the Pats, in an effort to slow down the Colts, like to grow the grass long at Gillette Stadium and he wouldn’t want to tempt his first-round pick.

I'm guessing those finger paintings were from Santonio's kids … he's got three, which is one reason he left OSU early.

Also, the reason Texas beat OSU last year (I was there by the way, best game I've ever attended!), was not that OSU couldn't contain VY (who is the best QB in the draft), but because the OSU offense wasn't in synch enough to get by Texas' underrated defense. Just thought you should know. OSU contained VY as much as any team did all year. If the OSU offense was playing then as they were at the end of the year, it would likely have been quite a different outcome.

Tom Keeling
Columbus, Ohio

The Ohio State offense was a mess. But Vince just would have scored more.

5:11 p.m. EDT – Tags made his final draft announcement ever (he’s retiring) and received a standing ovation from some of the NFL personnel here who are now employed by a company that practically prints money.

Just to mess with the Commish, the Giants picked Boston College defensive end/tongue twister Mathias Kiwanuka, which Tagliabue only slightly muffed with a quick smile. New York actually wanted Ko Simpson, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.

• Now announcing the selections is NFL Director of Operations Gene Washington, aka Scab Tags.

• LenDale has slipped through the first round and if the L.A. Daily News is to believed, he might be wondering if in draft interviews he really should have made such a case for legalizing a certain cash crop.

“But it makes strong rope.”

5:26 p.m. EDT – With the end of round one comes the end of this blog. It's one thing to make fun of first-round picks, entirely another to do it to the second rounders. We’ll leave further analysis to Charles Robinson, who actually knows who most of these guys are.

All in all, a strong day at the draft, even if I was disappointed to find out they got rid of the immortal helmet phone.