Final Thoughts On The First

Randy’s going to be weighing in with his own tales from Arrowhead at the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs Draft Day Party, but I thought I’d relay one of my own, even though I was not there.

My family is crazy about the Chiefs, a typical Chiefs family except our intensity is incredibly strong. I blog for a Chiefs website, my sister and mother are two of the most football-literate women you’ll ever meet, my brother-in-law knows people within the Chiefs organization, and my father is a die-hard season ticket holder and Section Chief. (Sidenote: my fiance and my future in-laws are huge OU fans, and no doubt were happy with how the top of the 1st fell…)

Every year my sister, my father and I all go out to the Chiefs Draft Day Party. Even though I could not attend (more on that later), they still did. They were able to mingle with some Chiefs players, and my dad was able to meet Brandon Flowers and have him sign some materials just as the Chiefs went on the board. Dad stood right next to Flowers as Eric Berry was announced, and according to Dad, he was “grinning from ear to ear.”

My thoughts on the first round, after the jump:

• Anybody else simply treasure Paddy’s work at Radio City Music Hall?
• Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News once again proves he is the man with the best read on Scott Pioli. Nailed the Eric Berry pick. Of course, so did Paddy in the Fansided mock. Good job Paddy!
• The biggest winner in the first round? There were several good picks, but nobody took a pick that I thought was an absolute steal. The closest would have to be CJ Spiller at #9 overall, but realistically he was not going to be chosen in the first eight picks. The Chiefs getting Berry was fantastic value, of course.
• Terrible picks everywhere. I don’t know what was worse: the Raiders dropping the #8 overall on Rolando McClain? DT Tyson Alualu for the Jags, a third round talent while the Jags are the worst passrushing team in the league? The Broncos trading away a second, third, and fourth to obtain Tim freakin’ Tebow at #25 overall???
• Nah, it’s not even close. Tim Tebow. I simply can’t believe it. McDaniels has done so many weird things atop the 2009 and 2010 NFL Drafts. Reaches for a running back at #12 overall last year that they didn’t need. Picks up a passrusher in the first round that doesn’t fit their defense last year. Trades away a first rounder in 2010 to pick up a nickel corner in 2009. Demaryius Thomas is a pretty good pick (although a reach…), but the Tebow selection just continues the freakshow that is the Denver Bronco war room.
• Dan Williams falling didn’t surprise me. The Dolphins taking Odrick instead of Terrance Cody, thereby assuring he’d last until today, really surprised me.
• As you can imagine, I think Clausen should be our pick tomorrow. I’m guessing the Vikings pick him up a couple picks ahead of us.
• My guess is that San Fran tries Mike Iupati out at right tackle before giving up and sliding him inside.
• JPP is destined to bust. I can’t believe the Giants picked him up.
• I was unable to participate in AA’s Live Draft Chat or to even keep up with the Draft in general because I had to give a presentation in my graduate school class (hi, Dr. Maxfield!). Just as I had to take the platform, the Chiefs went on the clock. As I took the floor, I prefaced my presentation that “if anybody’s keeping up with the Draft, give me a thumbs up if we go with Berry, and a thumbs down if we go with Okung.” Nothing happened for the first fifteen minutes of my presentation, so I interrupted midway and demanded “has anybody heard anything?” In the very back, a young man slowly raised his thumb up into the air. The rest of the presentation was a blur from that moment on.