Three Picks I Love
41. New England Patriots Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut The Patriots let just about everyone in the world know that they were high on Darius Butler. So high, that several folks expected them to take the Jersey kid at No. 23 overall in the first round. Well, they traded down and still got him. Excellent value for a first-round talent. Butler didn't record a single interception last season. That's because no one threw at him.
251. Chicago Derek Kinder, WR, Pittsburgh I know it seems like I'm drinking some sort of Jerry Angelo-flavored drink, but I can't get over the Day 2 the Bears had. Kinder is the icing on the cake. Though the Bears already scooped up highly touted prospects at receiver in Juaquin Iglesias and Johnny Knox, Chicago gets an athletic freak in Kinder. If it weren't for injuries, Kinder could have had a fantastic college career. Alas, he never developed into the next Antonio Bryant/Larry Fitzgerald Pitt fans had hoped for. He'll get a chance to start anew in Chicago where there's an opportunity to make the squad and make a real impact. At 6-1, 210 with great speed and hands, why not?
Two Head Scratchers
250. Jacksonville Rashad Jennings, RB, Liberty What happened here? Before the draft, Jennings was slated in as a late first-day, early second-day pick. Yet, here we are, with Jennings slipping all the way to the end of the seventh round. At 6-1, 230, Jennings is a bruiser capable of picking up the extra yard in third-and-short and fourth-and-short packages. He was a touchdown machine in college. Jennings could get the opportunity to be the short-yardage back in Jacksonville, spelling the smaller Maurice Jones-Drew. A good fit, but an unfortunate slip for a kid who likely didn't see it coming.
All Those Quarterbacks: Todd McShay favorite Brian Hoyer, Mel Kiper favorite Drew Willy, Ron Jaworski favorite Mike Reilly and my personal favorite Hunter Cantwell none of them were selected. In a down year for quarterbacks as a whole, some of the more promising prospects never got that phone call. Watching Hoyer on camera first with his girlfriend cuddled on the couch, then alone standing up on the phone, and finally pacing back and forth in his living room was just downright brutal.
Five Guys Still On the Board That Shouldn't Be