The NFL Draft is happening this week, it's one of the marquee dates on the calendar. Every year the pundits line up to share what they think teams need and don't need. Every year those guys are wrong and sound like idiots. I did this a few years ago where I went through the top 10 and talked about the picks, and some more notable picks in the later rounds. Seems like I'll have some time on my hands so I think I'll do a series on these, starting 10 years ago I'll work my way backwards to where I left off all those years ago, believe I got to 2006. The 2010 draft was the 75th NFL draft and was the last year without the rookie pay scale, where teams had to negotiate the salary. The top 10 oddly had no trades.
Pick 1 St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford QB, Oklahoma. Bradford was the consensus top pick coming into the draft, the Rams were hoping he would help bring them back to the promised land. Bradford had won the Heisman as a sophomore at Oklahoma, but decided to go back for another year, and that year showed a glimpse of what his future would be. He got hurt twice and missed significant time. He never got any real traction in St. Louis after having a decent rookie campaign the injuries started his 2nd season and never really panned out. Bradford was always the great what it.
Pick 2 Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh DT, Nebraska. Suh was an absolute beast at Nebraska, probably the last great player to come through Lincoln. What he had in talent he also had in nastiness. Suh is one of the roughest, toughest, and dirtiest players the league has ever seen. I would love to talk about his dominance at the point of attack, but with Suh it always comes back to his antics. Though Suh dominated, he never got Detroit to the next level. They did make the playoffs but with the talent that team had, if Suh could've kept his head they could've gone farther. He's still in the league, bouncing around last couple years, even making the Super Bowl with the Rams. Suh turned out just fine, he was named to the 2010 All Decade team, and will probably find his way to Canton.
Pick 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy DT, Oklahoma. McCoy was a great player at Oklahoma, the 2nd best defensive lineman in the conference behind the guy taken a pick before him. He struggled with injuries his first 2 seasons, but then took off. He made 6 straight Pro Bowls from 2012-2017, before leaving Tampa for Carolina. McCoy is now with the Cowboys and is still playing strong.
Pick 4 Washington Redskins: Trent Williams OT, Oklahoma. 4 picks in and 3 of them are Sooners, kind of crazy. I remember the Redskins having the choice between Williams and Russell Okung from Ok. State (we'll seem him in the next couple picks). If I remember correctly there was lots of talk that they messed this pick up by not taking Okung. Williams was a stud for many years for the Redskins, they won a couple of division titles with him anchoring the left side. He has a little nasty streak in him and I always liked his toughness. Things got a little weird with him last couple years, but he's still around and trying to find a new home.
Pick 5 Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Berry S, Tennessee. Of all the picks in this draft, Eric Berry is probably the most well known guy in the NFL. He has beaten cancer while being one of the better safeties in the league. Eric Berry seems like a good dude, and a hell of a football player. He was named to the NFL All-Decade team, and even though he didn't play in 2019, he's still looking for another shot. He may find himself in Canton some day.
Pick 6 Seattle Seahawks: Russell Okung OT, Oklahoma State. I think this draft was going exactly how the experts were thinking it would go. Okung was no different, it was whomever the Redskins left for Seattle was going to be their pick. Okung is huge human, and he has made a nice living for himself pushing people around. He has a few little injury bugs, but he's been a very good pro, won a Super Bowl with Seattle and has since bounced a round a little, recently being traded to Carolina. This top 10 is very solid and Okung was no exception.
Pick 7 Cleveland Browns: Joe Haden CB, Florida. Haden is an absolute stud, he's been one of the top corners in the league since being drafted. Now of course he went to Cleveland and never got to use his skills for good, but the dude has been awesome. He probably isn't the best player selected in this draft but he's in the discussion. He's still in the league, playing with Pittsburgh after Cleveland released him a couple years ago.
Pick 8 Oakland Raiders: Rolando McClain LB, Alabama. You know those guys who are your guys. You don't see flaws, you just see what you want, well McClain is that guy for me. After this draft I swore he would be a beast, well good thing I'm not a talent evaluator because McClain was a swing and a miss for Oakland. He made it 3 years in Oakland before being released, retired for a season, then went to Dallas. He then got suspended for testing positive for illegal substances and has been out of the league since 2016.
Pick 9 Buffalo Bills: CJ Spiller RB, Clemson. I was Spiller guy as well, thought he had the speed and moves for the NFL. I was wrong. He got over 1,000 yards rushing once. Was a dynamic kick returner but never more than that. He made it a few years but was done after 2017. Spiller can beat out by Fred Jackson for the starting spot in Buffalo and just never got his legs.
Pick 10 Jacksonville Jaguars: Tyson Alualu DT, California. I like to think I was pretty plugged in in 2010, I didn't have kids yet so I knew my sports. I can't remember this dude for nothing. He's even still in the league. Going to Jacksonville probably didn't help his cause. He did alright, a solid starter for most of his career. I still have no idea who he is, he's currently a back up in Pittsburgh.
That's the top 10, lots of talent in those picks. 7 of the 10 have made the Pro Bowl, there are at least 2 hall of famers if not more. I think McClain is the biggest bust of the group, with Bradford behind him. I think Suh is the best player, with Berry and Haden right behind him. Now some notable picks.
11-20 had guys like Ryan Matthews (San Diego), Earl Thomas (Seattle), Jason Pierre-Paul (New York Giants), Mike Iupati (San Francisco), and Markice Pouncey (Pittsburgh). Lots of talent there, especially Thomas, Seattle was laying the ground work for their good teams of the decade.
Dez Bryant went 24, and Devin McCourty went 27.
2nd round the Patriots got this tight end named Rob Gronkowski out of Arizona with the 42nd pick. He did some damage for them.
If you read last week's blog, Jimmy Clausen went 48th to Carolina.
Sean Lee went to Dallas in the 2nd round, he turned out alright.
Seattle crushed it again getting Golden Tate at pick 60
3rd round highlights are Navarro Bowman to San Francisco and Jimmy Graham to New Orleans.
The Bengals snatched up Geno Atkins in the 4th round, I like him on my Madden 2012 game.
5th round Seattle got their other safety Kam Chancellor, damn they were on it.
Greg Hardy went in the 6th round, that dude had an interesting road.
Antonio Brown is the diamond in the rough, going in the 6th round, I don't care what baggage he had in 2019, he was an absolute steal for the first 8 years.
Best draft goes to Seattle, they got so many pro bowl players plus solid starters in this draft.
That's if for this one, come back soon, I'll do 2009 next.
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