This was the first year the NFL held the first round of the draft in primetime, and the 32 teams did not disappoint anyone who tuned in for the fun.
Seven trades went down, players fell, some players were taken a lot higher than anticipated, and Tim Tebow was taken in the first round by the Denver Broncos. That’s right, the guy who has created more debate than anyone in the draft is now a Denver Bronco and, based on what they gave up to get him, is the future of the Broncos’ franchise.
The Broncos moved back with the Eagles, then traded the 24th pick to the Patriots and moved up to the 22nd pick to select wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. Then, only three picks later, the Broncos came back and selected Tebow with the 25th pick.
They gave up a second, third, and fourth-round pick in order to take Tebow, so that tells him and the rest of the league that they believe he can lead their franchise for the next decade.
There is no debate on whether or not Tebow will start, but it’s now a matter of when will he start.
Speaking of guys who went far too high, the Jacksonville Jaguars surprised everyone with the 10th overall pick by drafting California defensive tackle Tyson Alualu. Alualu was the not even a guy expected to go in the first round, much less be the third defensive tackle off the board.
Dan Williams and Brian Price would have been reaches as a top-10 pick, but not by a whole lot. Both of those guys were rated very highly and are guys who would have fit well in the Jaguars’ defense, but they instead decided to overpay a guy in the first round they probably could have landed in the second round.
There’s one pick, at least, like that every year and this year the distinction of biggest reach goes to the Jaguars.
Other notable picks:
- Rolando McClain to the Raiders
- San Diego Chargers traded up for Fresno running back Ryan Matthews at 12th overall
- Philadelphia Eagles traded up for Brandon Graham at 13
- Dez Bryant fell all the way to the Cowboys at 24
- Kyle Wilson slipped big time and was actually the fourth corner off the board at 29 to the Jets
Oh, and Jimmy Clausen fell out of the first round — in case you hadn’t heard. It’s good to see common sense prevail because Clausen, from his personality to his mechanics, was not a first-round talent. Tebow probably isn’t either, but at least he’s got the unquestioned intangibles to work off of.
The first round was fun, and the second and third rounds appear set to be just as exciting.