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The first day of the NFL draft is done, lets hear what The Champ says, so we know the Truth about it....

 GREETINGS FAN NATION! The Champ was watching the draft all day yesterday, and I thought it was a pretty solid class all around. There were some surprises, such as Brady Quinn, who was projected to possibly go as high as #1, plummeted to #22. However, he was still picked by his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, which is where he thought he would go in the first place, so that worked out for him. His disappointment was visible, but he handled it with class. The Champ highly approves of the championship behavior he exhibited throughout what was certainly an embarrassing episode. Kudos to Roger Goodell for allowing him to stay in his room to avoid the press. Ok, enough chit chat, lets break it down

1. Oakland Raiders - QB JaMarcus Russell - LSU

 The Raiders did what they pretty much had to do, showing that Al Davis still has some use....hold on...this just in...THE RAIDERS TRADED RANDY MOSS TO THE PATRIOTS FOR A 4TH ROUND PICK!!! WTF!!! You cant be serious. Wow, well so much for JaMarcus having it easy. Randy Moss has been extremely unhappy in his stay at the Raiders, and is known for his mouth, but I give him the benefit of the doubt because look at the teams he was on...Art Shell gave him an offensive coordinator who was out of league for over a decade...of course he was disgruntled. Thats no excuse for his mouth running, that is the first commandment of championshipness - thou shalt not run thy mouth; but with a new coach and new QB the caliber of Russell, I thought he would stay. Moss to the Pats is huge, that pretty much insures they will be in the AFC Championship game; but that is another blog. 

 Russell was a good pick for the Raiders, they need aQB and havent had a serious leader since Rich Gannon. This will be their franchise QB, and the Raider Nation is not going to go easy on him, they are sick of losing. It bothers me that they traded Moss, but maybe he just wouldnt sign on to any situation with the Raiders, and going to the Pats, jeez, I would do that too!

2. Detroit Lions - WR Calvin Johnson - Georgia Tech

Well, they went and did it. Picked another receiver at #1. I want to assault the intelligence of Millen, but you cant do that with the pick of Johnson. he is a trancendent player who will probably be a Hall Of Famer, barring injury of ridiculous situation; which is possible in Detroit. Now, the question is who will throw him the ball, it sure wont be Jon Kitna, all due respect to him as he respects the game. They drafted Drew Stanton in the second round, the QB from Michigan State. He has a lot of potential, but he has to be developed. That doesnt bode well for Johnson, but maybe he can compliment the growth of Stanton. I cant fault either pick. Millen, you better produce a winner, and sooner than you think. 

3.  Cleveland Browns - LT Joe Thomas - Wisconsin

This pick surprised me, as I thought they would pick Adrian Peterson or Quinn, but this turned out to be a brilliant pick. Thomas is a stud at LT and that is one of, if not THE most important position on the offensive squad (The Champ used to play LT), so it was essential for them to fill that void. They must have faith in Jamal Lewis that he can carry the load, with Thomas, he will help anchor that shaky O-line to open some holes for Lewis, lets not forget. he broke 2000 yards a few seasons ago (granted half of that was earned against Clevand, the team he is now on). The brilliance of the pick, and this draft was when Quinn plummeted, they move to trade up and grab him, getting the two most valuable picks they could have gotten. A+ draft for the Browns, I think this could be a big year for them, and the Champish Dawg Pound deserves something to cheer for

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DE Gaines Adams - Clemson

The only pick the Champ correctly predicted, oh well. Great pick, as Simeon Rice is getting to the twilight of his time in TB.  He should be a great plug-in for their defense.

5. Arizona Cardinals - T Levi Brown  - Penn State

The Champ predicted Thomas would land here, but the Browns shook up the draft when they took him. Jones was the next best thing, he is a beast in his own right, so he should be a great addition to another shaky O-line down in the desert.  Arizona fans, such as The Champ's great friend, the #1 fan of the Cardinals, The Kid...should be excited about this season, new strong headcoach, new talented QB, veteran RB, weapons at WR....now if we could just do something about that D...
 

Other notables from the draft:

• The Miami Dolphins  shocked their fans the most when they passed on the still available Brady Quinn and grabbed WR Tedd Ginn Jr. out of Ohio State with the 9th pick. Cam Cameron had to address the distraught fans, who booed passionately at this pick. Cameron, who is supposed to be the brains of the fins operation said "He will be a great punt returner in this league"....yeah. They ended up picking a strong QB in the second round, John Beck from BYU, who has tremendous upside, but needs to work on his release, according to the 49er legend, Steve Young. Not to good of a draft, I must say. There have been worse though
• The niners had a spectacular draft with the acquistions of Senior Bowl standouts LB Patrick Willis, and OT Joe Staley. Willis is an absolute stud and should be a force to be reckoned with on defense. Im anxious to see him play. He is extremely athletic and versatile. Staley is going to replace the very replacable Kwame Harrisat RT. GOOO NINERS! (for more niners draft coverage, go to the 49er fan group)
• The consensus from teams that skipped Brady Quinn, was that the other QBs in the later rounds were not too much different than Quinn; Im sure Quinn is going to have a huge chip on his shoulder for the next few years, should make for some fiery competition.
• The Raiders traded Moss, I wonder what JaMarcus Russell is feeling today? 
• The Patriots got Randy Moss for a 4th rounder!! They are going to be unstoppable. I dont think Moss is as venomous as Owens. Moss has proven that when you put him on a winner and have a leader with some backbone, he can produce. I think this could just about guarantee a superbowl birth for the pats next season....Who has had a more effective off-season than the Pats??