1. Matthew Stafford - Detroit. No surprise here. Best arm since Jay Cutler. The Lions better draft another OL with their #20 pick later on (and maybe again before this weekend is over) because all the arm strength in the world won't help you when you're on your back. But this dude makes Calvin Johnson better in the same way that Matt Ryan made Roddy White better -- scary.

2. Jason Smith - St. Louis. Again, surprise. He replaces Orlando Pace, who is now a Bear. And I think a member of the football team, not a patron of a particular bar I found myself in once.

3. Tyson Jackson - Kansas City. OK, I'm shocked. I had picked Eugene Monroe for these guys. Jackson is a 3-4 end, sure, maybe the best in the draft, but he's not good value here; he's a late riser. And why does KC want to run a 3-4 anyway? Glenn Dorsey is not a NT. Do they really want Mike Vrabel and Zach Thomas on the field at the same time? Someone needs to call Scott Pioli and tell him it's not 2003 anymore.

4. Aaron Curry - Seattle. GREAT pick for the Seahawks. He and Lofa Tatupu are going to be scary together for years now. This guy was my favorite overall guy in this draft.

5. Mark Sanchez - NY Jets. The first trade of the draft nets Favre's replacement. Good for the Browns to move out of this spot. They wanted Curry to fall to them and he didn't.

5a. Whoa. The Jets gave up a lot for a pretty boy who beat up on the Pac-10 for all of one year. The Jets traded their 1st rounder (17th overall), their 2nd rounder (57th overall), QB Brett Ratliff, S Abram Elam, and DE Kenyon Coleman. The players are chumps, but they're Mangini's chumps, and the Browns did well to trade down if the guy they really wanted/needed wasn't there. Cleveland is going to suck again this year either way.

6. Andre Smith - Cincinnati. Wow, the Bengals choose a guy with well-noted character issues. Won't be the last time this weekend. I had this guy falling to the Bills at #11. I predict that Andre Smith will be the first offensive tackle to write a book called "Give Me The Damn Ball!".

Want more proof that Al Davis is crazy? Well there you go.

7. Darrius Heyward-Bey - Oakland. Cool, the Raiders pick this year's Troy Williamson at the #7 spot. I can't *believe* they passed on Michael Crabtree AND Jeremy Maclin. This dude wasn't a first-round value, let alone a top 10 pick, until the Combine, when he suddenly ran the 40 in a mere .03 seconds faster than the next guy. Wow. His issue? Waaaaaait for it: Hands.

Ideally, he's get a few years to line up against nickel and dime backs, but considering that Oakland's leading receiver last year was Johnnie Lee Higgins, my guess it that DHB is going to start early and often. Dicey.

8. Eugene Monroe - Jacksonville. Good pick for the Jags. This is actually a good slot for him, value-wise. I can't believe Crabtree is falling this far. All that guy did in college was produce.

I bet the Packers pick B.J. Raji or Brian Orakpo next but a guy like Crabtree has to be tempting. The Packers are in GREAT shape with this pick. They want to switch to a 3-4 and two of the top three 3-4 defenders are still available. AND the top WR, just for shits.

9. B.J. Raji - Green Bay. Wow, the Packers lucked out here, and get arguably the best DT and easily the best 3-4 NT in the draft, right here. I wonder if Raji knew he was going to Green Bay from the mustard-yellow shirt he was wearing. Or if he just likes condiments.

10. Michael Crabtree - San Francisco. AWESOME pick for the 49ers. The most talented receiver in the draft since Calvin Johnson. But who's going to throw to him? Shaun Hill? Me? Tarv?

11. Aaron Maybin - Buffalo. This is NOT the DE I would've taken here. A Penn State DE? You realize that they only played three ranked opponents all year, and got their ass handed to them by USC? or do people in Buffalo not watch the Big Ten?

12. Knowshon Moreno - Denver. Cool, they get the best RB in the draft, but these guys didn't need an RB. Look at their roster. (I know, they had *seven* RBs go on IR last year, but still). They have: Corell Buckhalter, J.J. Arrington, Lamont Jordan, Selvin Young, Ryan Torain, Peyton Hillis, and now -- Knowshon Moreno.

Sure, he's the best available player, but are they going to run the wishbone offense? Josh McDaniel is mental. And I'm not saying Moreno isn't going to be a great RB -- he is. Maybe they figure with Neckbeard at their QB they're going to be running a lot, or maybe they'll trade one of their other guys.

13. Brian Orakpo - Washington. The best DE left on the board to a team who needs one. I don't know much else about this guy besides that he's from the U of T, and the Vikings have had decent luck with players from that program (Cedric Griffin, Brian Robison).

14. Malcolm Jenkins - CB/S. Awesome -- I love it when a player goes where he should. This is the best DB in the draft going to a team that badly needs one. By all accounts a class act off the field too.

I bet the Texans take an LB with the next pick, either Brian Cushing or Clay Matthews.

Whoops, forgot to mentions where Jenkins went. New Orleans Saints.

15. Brian Cushing - LB, Houston. I like this pick mostly because it means that thug Ray Maualuga falls (I wouldn't be shocked if the Chargers take that guy next; I think he scored below a 10 on his Wonderlic -- Google "wonderlic test sample" and see if it's possible for a sentient adult to score below a 10)

Jeremy Maclin is STILL available. God, he'd be great fit for the Vikings. I think the Chargers will go with Maualuga or Beanie Wells.

16. Larry English - DE/LB, San Diego. Blarg! I'm shocked. This is a bit of a reach, but the career sack leader at Northern Illinois does fill a need for the Chargers. They lost Igor Olshansky in the offseason and Shawne Merriman is in a free agent year. If this is the guy they really wanted, they had to take him now, he wouldn't have made it past Arizona.

It's official. I have no idea who Cleveland is going to take next. Every one they could possibly taken would qualify as a "need" pick. Personally I hope they pass on Maclin and Oher -- the closer those guys get to the Vikings the more excited I get. Maybe Cleveland should take Pettigrew to replace Winslow. Or Clay Matthews. Oh crap, they just traded pick #17 to the Buccaneers it looks like.

Christ, that last post was rife with spelling errors.

17. Josh Freeman - QB, Tampa Bay. They got the player they wanted and I guess they felt he wouldn't get past Denver. Maybe he wouldn't. But then again, Denver might pick RB Chris "Beanie" Wells, arguably the best player available.

Dude, Freeman is a stack! He's got like 6 inches on Deion Sanders, easy. Maybe he's wearing Pee-Wee Herman platform shoes, but wow, that is one tall man.

It also officially means that the best 3 QBs in the draft are gone and there's a HUGE CHASM between #3 and #4 at that position. I love Pat White but he's a crapshoot and his success will depend on who picks him and how they use him.

18. Robert Ayers, DE - Denver. Huh. Another one-year wonder. A bit of a reach and late-riser. At least they didn't take another RB I guess, but there's always round 2. But this is awesome -- Maclin and Oher continue to fall, fall, fall. I don't think Oher makes it past Detroit but I'd love to see the Vikes get Maclin.

Oh crap the Eagles traded up. There goes Maclin I think. Damn Browns, why can't they make a pick already. Are they going to keep trading down until they don't have a pick until next year?

Damn.

19. Jeremy Maclin, WR - Philadelphia. Oh, the Vikings are going to regret not trading pick #22 and a sixth-rounder for this guy (that's what Philly did). But hey, the Vikes don't have a 6th rounder anyway -- they traded it for KELLY HOLCOMB. Everyone's a loser.

20. Brandon Pettigrew, TE - Detroit. Well, the Lions get the consensus top TE in the draft and a legit weapon for Stafford. They probably should've taken Oher, but as long as I've been playing fantasy football in the HFFL, I don't think anyone has ever had a Detroit TE on their roster, even as a sick joke. Now, it's going to happen before I'm 35.

I've just heard that Minnesota is now on the clock. Cleveland I guess finally made a pick. I'd take Chris "Beanie" Wells if I were them.

21. Alex Mack, C - Cleveland. Wow, they take a center! Huh! I guess they figured the Vikings were going to take him. Personally I think Mack would've been available the next time Cleveland picks, but whatevs.

Wow, the Vikes are up. It's going to be Michael Oher or Percy Harvin. I hope.

PERCY HARVIN!

Gutsy!!! I love it.

I remember the last time the Vikings took a WR who fell in the draft because of "character issues." Harvin is not Randy Moss -- he's more like Reggie Bush -- but I'll gladly, gladly take that. He's not a #1 receiver, but every year there are late risers and late fallers, and this guy was a late faller and very good value at #22.

23. Michael Oher, OT - Baltimore. This is the best value of the draft so far. Good on Baltimore with that young QB for trading up to get this guy. It wasn't that long ago that this dude was considered the top OT in the draft. The Ravens were lucky to get him here.

24. Peria Jerry, DT - Atlanta. Superb pick if you need a DT, he's the best one on the board. I guess the Falcons do. They needed a LB too, but that's a deeper position this year.

25. Vontae Davis, CB - Miami. A year ago, he was considered top-5 material. Decent value here. Maualuga and the other USC guy Matthews continue to fall, fall, fall. Nice.

Green Bay just traded up.

26. Clay Matthews, LB - Green Bay. I surprised this is who they traded up for -- don't they have enough LBs? Hawk, Kampman, Collins, Poppinga, Chillar? OK, whatevs.

I'm impressed on the Vikes for passing on longtime favored pick OT Eben Britton who continues to be ignored. He won't be available when the Vikes pick in round 2, but another strong OT (maybe Loadholt, if they're lucky, or William Beatty) will be.

27. Donald Brown, RB - Indianapolis. Interesting pick for these guys; I guess they figured they needed some insurance for Addai -- and franly they do -- but RB is a deep position in this draft and you're picking a backup in round 1? Surprised they took Brown with Beanie Wells still available, or picked an RB over an LB or DE, but the guy's going to play this year.

28. Eric Wood, C - Buffalo. Wow, another center. He's highly rated, but it's a reach, and these guys couldn't trade down? Maybe they're afraid the Steelers would take him (and they might've; I predicted they'd take Alex Mack, and now I think they'll take Max Unger or Eben Britton).

The Giants are on the clock. I think they'll take a WR.

Wow, franly I'm a bad speller today. There goes the orthography degree.

29. Hakeem Nicks, WR - New York. The exact guy they should've picked. I don't know if he'll help immediately, but he'll get a chance.

30. Kenny Britt, WR - Tennessee. A solid WR, in a few ways better than Nicks, but won't be as good as Nicks, because the Titans don't have Eli Manning. Not great value at this pick.

Beanie Wells has fallen to Arizona. I would spring to the podium if I were them.

31. Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Arizona. Wow, GREAT pick for these guys. I can't believe he fell this far. He'll be a factor right away.

32. Evander "Ziggy" Hood, DT - Pittsburgh. Huh! I thought for sure they'd taken an OL here; everyone did. He's actually a great pick at this spot, with all of the OLs falling especially, but this is fairly high to take Casey Hampton insurance. Still, Pittsburgh always knows what they're doing.

That's the end of the 1st round. A lot of big names have fallen. Everette Brown, Ray Maualuga, James Laurinaitis, Darius Butler, Brian Robiskie -- all were projected as first rounders by various draftniks. They're going to go fast.

I hope a strong OT falls to the Vikings -- it's looking more and more likely. I think their dream pick is Loadholt so if he's still available 2 or 3 picks away don't be shocked if they trade up.

33. Louis Delmas, S - Detroit. The best safety in the draft gets to move from Kalamazoo to Pontiac.

34. Patrick Chung, S - New England. Good pick for them, a permanent replacement for Rodney Harrison.

35. James Laurinaitis, LB - St. Louis. He's an improvement for them, but I would've taken an OL.

36. Brian Robiskie, WR - Cleveland. GREAT pick for these guys. Exactly the kind of WR they need.

37. I think the Broncos just traded up for this pick. Probably for that choad from USC.

I am following along...I have no idea what any of this means...but how could I miss the one of the highest comment counts ever?

37. Alphonso Smith, CB - Denver. Awesome. A great CB, but he's a little short. And he's not Maualuga. But Denver gave up their 2010 first-rounder for this. Josh McDaniel is brain-damaged.

38. Ray Maualuga, LB - Cincinnati. Cool, an awesome value pick for the Bengals -- they got a man with first-round character issues in the second round. After passing on Randy Moss twice because of his perceived character issues -- man, are they intent to not make that mistake again.

39. Eben Britton, OT - Jacksonville. There goes a guy who would've been an awesome value pick at #54, the next time the Vikings pick. It also puts Loadholt in danger of being picked sooner.

40. Ron Brace, DT - New England. He's good, but -- grooming a guy behind Vince Wilfork already? (The Raiders originally had this pick, and the Patriots gave them a 2nd, a 4th, and a 6th for this).

41. Darius Butler, CB - New England. The best CB left in the draft, a good pick for these guys.

42. Jairus Byrd, CB - Buffalo. Interesting. He's on a lot of teams' "bust" lists. And it seems like the Bills have a ton of DBs already. All the commentators are complaining that the Bills didn't pick an OL, with a ton of good ones left.

43. Everette Brown, DE - Carolina. Carolina's first pick of the whole draft, and they get a first-round value. Good work.

44. Pat White, QB - Miami. WOW!!!!!!!! Pat White goes to the home of the Wildcat. I'm going to have to change my pants. This is the pick they got for trading Jason Taylor last year.

45. Clint Sintim, LB - New York Football Giants. A 3-4 linebacker to a 4-3 team? Maybe they know something about Clint Sintim I don't. In fact I'm sure they do. But I think I know more about Martin Van Buren than they do, so there. This is the pick they got for trading Jeremy Shockey last year.

46. Connor Barwin, DE/LB/TE - Houston. This guy seems like the prototypical Patriot player to me; I don't know what position the Texans will use him at. Probably punter.

47. Mike Mitchell, S - Oakland. A major reach. He ran a fast 40 at his pro day, and so the Raiders take him in the second round. He was graded as a 7th rounder by a lot of people.

48. Darcel McBath, CB/S - Denver. Who am I kidding, I don't know much about this guy, but I think Denver is having a weird-ass draft.

49. Max Unger, C/G/T - Seattle. Damn! Now here's a team having a annoyingly strong draft. This guy is the most versatile OL in the draft and should've gone much earlier.

The Browns pick now. They'll probably trade down again, so next year they will have every pick in the draft.

50. Mohamed Massaquoi, WR - Cleveland. Their second consecutive WR, why not? I can't name more than two on their roster going into today.

The Cowboys make their first pick of the draft right now. They might go for a safety like William Moore.

51. Andy Levitre, G - Buffalo. The first true guard of the draft goes to the Bills. This was supposed to be Dallas' first pick of the draft and the clock ran out on them and who knows how Buffalo got it.

52. David Veikune, DE - Cleveland. I don't know anything about this guy except that he is Hawaiian and fast and I don't care that he didn't fall to the Vikings.

53. LeSean McCoy, RB - Philadelphia. They needed an RB to replace Buckhalter; this guy is a good receiver out of the backfield, and he'll be used whether Westbrook stays healthy or not.

Lots of good people available for the Vikings. I bet they take Loadholt.

54. Phil Loadholt! A Viking! This is the guy they wanted all along and he fell to them. He's a huge, huge man - 6'7" and 334 lbs. Should be a force in the run game. Against fast DEs and LBs blitzing on his side, he's got room for improvement. But I really like this pick.

55. William Moore, S - Atlanta. Good value; this guy was a projected 1st rounder not so long ago. He has the skills but had a weak senior year. he'll get a nice second chance in an improving defense.

56. Fili Moala, DT - Indianapolis. A good pick for a team that could use a DT. I had picked the Colts to take Peria Jerry in the first round; Moala's not as talented but is likely a starter sooner than later.

57. Paul Kruger, DE - Baltimore. One of these "high-motor" guys that coaches rave about. A number of mocks I saw had this guy going much earlier in this round.

58. Sebastian Vollmer, OT - New England. A German guy, known as the "poor man's Phil Loadholt" -- taken just a few picks after Loadholt. Nothing against Germans, but he wasn't exactly the best player available. A reach, but it's the Patriots, so he'll probably be an All-Pro in two years.

59. Sherrod Martin, CB/S - Carolina. I don't know much about this guy but I know Carolina needs a CB and I need a drink.




59.

60. William Beatty, OT - New York Football Giants. He's the best OL available. Splendid pick. The University of Connecticut has had *three* people drafted now(!?!?) I say wha?

OK, enough of this ... my friend George is here, and we're going to go to happy hour at the canal club & a party at a bookstore.

Well, g2g,

Kaizer from CA

Nice analysis. I, too, applaud the Vikes' draft strategy. Taking a chance on Harvin is well worth the risk. Game-planning against the Purple was becoming too easy: stack the box and stop the run. Now, with Harvin as our weapon of choice, we can be more creative and stretch defenses.

Loadholt (God, is that name fitting) should allow us to run more to the right. We're lucky he fell to us at #54.

As a playoff team ready to take the next step, I don't buy the argument that we should have taken Oher at #22 and the best available receiver in the 2nd round. Oher may be marginally better than Loadholt. Ultimately, though, a right tackle won't take us the next level. Harvin is a game changer. He may be a jackass, but if helps us advance further in the playoffs, I can live with his jackassery.