But this evening, the 2011 NFL Draft festivities kick off in New York City, and our old friend DJ Steve Porter put together this incredible NFL Draft Remix, to commemorate the event. The video highlights some of the more memorable moments throughout the history of the event, as brought to us by ESPN … you get Kiper and Berman, Rozelle to Goodell, Primetime and Favre (or “Fav-or”, as it was announced on his draft day), and everything in between.

So if you’re worn down from all the lockout talk, and are looking for a little pick-me-up to remind you why you love the draft in the first place, this is for you:

Enjoy this stroll down memory lane:

Ah yes … the Jets’ draft reach is one of the game’s grandest traditions, and we look forward to it continuing tonight.

No Hurt Locker: Vikings seem serious about Jake. (Source: Andrew Fredrickson)

National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson cites an NFL source in reporting that the Minnesota Vikings plan to call in Washington quarterback Jake Locker for a private workout Tuesday.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier has been vocal about finding a quarterback in this draft, but at the No. 12 spot, they could be out of the running for Auburn’s Cam Newton or Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert.

Locker, however, remains an intriguing possibility for the Vikings–much better than the aged Brett Favre, back on his farm tilling soil. The 6’3″, 231-pound Locker is a mobile passer, running the 40 in 4.50 seconds at last month’s NFL scouting Combine, to go along with his 35-inch vertical and a 9-7 broad jump.

Locker will also work out for the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks later this month, according to NFP.

It time for a new start in Minnesota, and it has to excited Vikings fans that Frazier is turning out to be a good organizer and an honest leader who has buy-in. Clouds loom in the distance in Minnesota, with their problematic stadium situation problematic–and Los Angeles positioning itself for a team.

The Los Angeles Vikings? I have a problem with that. This is one of the NFL’s storied teams.

You have to wonder if they’re gunning for Newton–it could be in the works. Some don’t even have Newton in their top 10, but falling right into the Vikings’ lap.

As mentioned in my mock, I just don’t see Ron Rivera passing up this opportunity to bring in a franchise-altering passer with the No. 1 pick in the draft. I expect Netwon to end up as the top pick in this draft–unless the Vikings offer all the gold inside the Metrodome and the head of Favre.

2015 just called to tell us that J.J. Watt is the steal of this draft. (Source: Madison.com)

For picks 1-5, go here.

For picks 6-10, go here.

11. Houston Texans — J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin: We get so many of these projections wrong. The “sure lock” winds up a flaming bust, and players we’re ignoring today — guys who won’t even be drafted — will light up the league. I believe we’ll look back on this 2011 NFL Draft five years from now and call J.J. Watt a top 5 pick. I loved his presence, intensity and motor at the combine. Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 defense is the perfect landing spot for Watt, and a good environment for this hard-working, self-made player. He worked himself onto Wisconsin’s roster, paying his own way at the start of his tenure — delivering Pizza Hut to save up dough. He’s no prima donna. He’s a coachable workhorse who did the requisite work at Wisconsin to make the switch from tight end to defensive lineman. Watt is the steal of this draft at No. 11. Sometime these midround picks are where you find the real gems — where less pressure is placed on the incoming player, as well. Houston and Watt are an excellent match.

12. Minnesota Vikings — Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: The Vikings have been vocal about finding a quarterback in this draft. I see a potential trade up — or down — to get their guy. There was a time when it appeared Minnesota at No. 12 could snag Auburn’s Cam Newton, but the hype machine’s in full swing and I project him to go no less than No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers. He’s the type of passer that’s going to require time to develop, coming from a spread, and Leslie Frazier would love the challenge. There are other possibilities at quarterback for the Vikings — and all of them are better than Brett Favre right now, who’s back on his farm tilling soil. It’s time for a new start in Minnesota. In this mock, with no trades — and Jake Locker a reach — I project the Vikings to jump on Jones, who had an excellent combine and would be a good-value selection here. Sidney Rice could bolt via free agency, so Jones addresses a potential need as well. We all saw what happened to Percy Harvin when Rice was out of the offense — they need a No. 1 guy in there to give the passing game a shot.

Picks 13-20 after the jump.

13. Detroit Lions — Tyron Smith, OT, USC: Detroit has to be concerned about Matthew Stafford‘s durability. They won’t say as much, but two seasons running, he’s been shotgunned out of the lineup with significant injuries. He’s a tough kid, that’s not the issue. We recall his gritty performance against the Cleveland Browns two seasons ago. If shoring up the line will keep Matt healthy, selecting the athletic Smith — who bulked up significantly for last month’s combine — is the move here at No. 13. The Lions also could look to Nate Solder or Anthony Castonzo — this is a good class for line prospects. The Lions showed signs of life in 2010. Jim Schwartz has begun turning this program around and keeping Stafford in one piece for a full season could land the Lions in the playoffs, or very close to it.

14. St. Louis Rams — Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri: I think the Rams would love to add a wideout like Julio Jones, but he’s gone in this mock. You exit the top 10, and there’s still a flock of quality DE/OLB prospects available — Ryan Kerrigan and Justin Houston come to mind. Cameron Jordan seems like a find for the Rams at this spot, but he’s done his best work at the left end position, typically Chris Long‘s haunt in the Rams’ D. Smith is an intriguing find. He’s a versatile, dispruptive defender, but he’s not projected as an immediate starter by most. He could really come on if a team like St. Louis can find a way to grow him. He could present problems for offenses as a hell-or-high-water edge passer for years to come.

I seem to remember another diminutive, "too-slow" #22 slipping past half the National Football League on draft day. (Source: mkrob.com)

15. Miami Dolphins — Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama: Miami’s tandem of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have been effective for the Dolphins — at times, sensational. Both are free agents, and that makes Ingram Jr. — son of the former New York Giants wideout with the same name (I feel old) — an ideal choice at this spot. …I don’t get it. Ingram’s attached to a subpar class of running backs, and it’s possibly diminished his stock. His 40 times are not ideal, but this is a tough, driven runner who’s been compared to Emmitt Smith for more than his stature. Take it to the bank: if the Dolphins make this pick, he’ll change their offense for a decade. Ingram enters the league at a time when teams are shifting away from the lone-back. This guy doesn’t need a committee. He’s going to leave his stamp on the National Football League. Mega-steal in the 15 slot.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars — Cameron Jordan, DE/DT, California: The Jaguars’ defense needs all sorts of help, and I strongly believe they’ll zone in on a cornerback (or two) in this draft (they finished 28th against the pass last season, and it likely cost them the playoffs). With Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara long gone, none of the remaining corners fit here at No. 16. Make no mistake, the Jaguars would be thrilled to land a player like Jordan. He’s a special pass rusher, one the Jaguars could insert immediately into their scheme. Unlike some of these first-rounders, Jordan did his time as a four-year starter, and his versatility to switch between tackle and end is a huge plus. People overlook the Jaguars, but this team knocked on the playoff door last season, and a good draft could help them finally topple the Colts.

17. New England Patriots (from Oakland) — Ryan Kerrigan, DE/OLB, Purdue: Kerrigan’s ability to wreak havoc off the edge is documented — he’s ideal in the Pats’ 3-4. We saw how New England’s inability to get to the quarterback ended their season against the New York Jets. Bill Belichick coached that D up in 2010, but adding Kerrigan to the mix, primarily as an outside backer, gives this team a Purdue product who will abide by the Patriot Way. New England — per usual — could wheel-and-deal this pick, but No. 17 is a good opportunity to get an impact player. I stopped doubting the Patriots about 10 years ago — they’ll do the right thing, they almost always do. Note: If Ingram were ever available at this spot, I love the idea of him paired with Tom Brady, but it’s a long shot he gets past Miami.

18. San Diego Chargers — Cameron Heyward, DE/DT, Ohio State: San Diego’s search to fill the spot opposite defensive end Luis Castillo could come to and end with Heyward. An elbow injury kept him out of OSU’s pro day, but he’s set to show off his skills later this month in a separate session. Cameron — the son of former New Orleans Saints bulldozing runner Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, a Tecmo Bowl legend– excels as a 5-technique and fills a missing puzzle piece for the Chargers. You wonder how many more years San Diego has to knock on the door, especially after a disappointing finish in 2010 (despite a statistically powerful season). There are other needs at this slot, but Heyward’s on the short list.

19. New York Giants — Nate Solder, OT, Colorado: The G-Men desperately need help along the offensive line. Nothing is more important than protecting Eli Manning. You have to wonder if Tom Coughlin‘s Boston College background could sway him toward OT Anthony Castonzo, but I believe Solder will be the pick. Solder’s dropped on some boards. He’s 6’9″ — he could block an automobile from hitting Eli — and he was a rock at Colorado, a guy who avoided injuries and flat-out got the job done. Check the video above to see what he did to a Denver Broncos scout  during CU’s pro day — he’ll do the same to some poor, lonely Washington Redskins defender come autumn.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa: Check out the suddenly dangerous Bucs. Last year at this time, we had no idea where this team was going. Now, coming off a 10-6 season, with Josh Freeman blossoming into a presence at quarterback, this team must be taken seriously. I love what Raheem Morris did with the young roster last season — he shrugged off a laundry list of late injuries, plugged players in, and kept chugging. The Bucs are in need of a defensive end to pair alongside Gerald McCoy. In such a deep draft for defensive linemen, they get an interesting prospect in Clayborn. Much has been made of his struggle with Erb’s Palsy, which causes intermittent paralysis of the upper arm — but Clayborn has played with it for years and it didn’t prevent him from having a sensational junior year at Iowa. He didn’t match that last season, but remains an intriguing prospect.

My mock draft will continue later this week with picks 21-32.

Colt McCoy needs a dance partner. A.J. Green will do. (Source: BCSknowhow.com)

For picks 1 through 5, go here.

Let’s continue with picks 6 through 10.

6. Cleveland Browns – A.J. Green, WR, Georgia: Cleveland’s in a terrible spot. They’re moving to the 4-3, but have nothing along the defensive line. They have a promising young quarterback in Colt McCoy — and they’re moving to the West Coast Offense — but he’s got almost nobody to throw to. They just cut NT Shaun Rogers along with a flock of grizzled defensive veterans — a fiscally sound move, but one that’s left Browns fans wondering who will take the field next season. Changing offensive and defensive philosophies during a lockout-hampered offseason in which coaches cannot communicate with players is tougher. The free-agency window possibly opening for mere weeks, if at all, is tougher. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and Baltimore have stayed the course. This draft is critical for the Browns, forced to address needs all over the place. Pat Shurmur was brought in to groom McCoy and flip the switch on offense — and Green is the kind of sizzling wideout the team’s been missing since Braylon Edwards broke free in 2007 — and before that, since Webster Slaughter. Still, many could question the Browns passing up one of the blue-chip defensive linemen — but how do you meet two needs at once?

7. San Francisco 49ers – Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson: This is a tough one for me. In a mock with trades, I see Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers pressing for a quarterback, or possibly even trading down into a spot where they can gather picks and select Florida’s Christian Ponder late in the first. Honestly, how many more coaches can call Alex Smith their starter? That experiment needs to cease. With Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert off the board, the 49ers select Bowers, a defensive end who comes with question marks around the health of his knee, but, if ruled healthy, could serve as defensive stronghold while Harbaugh seeks a quarterback elsewhere. Moroever, there are some promising young passers to be had later in the draft, such as Washngton’s Jake Locker and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick – not to mention the polarizing Ryan Mallett out of Arkansas.

Picks 8-10 after the jump.

8. Tennessee Titans – Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn: Yet another top 10 team that would love to bring in a young passer to groom under a new coach, in this case Mike Munchak. People say the Titans are among the franchises hurt the most by a lockout, but I disagree. I see other teams with bigger challenges than the Titans, who have bounced back from poor season before and have cleansed the house of core issues by parting with Vince Young. Kerry Collins has morphed into a Vinny Testaverde-esque veteran — perhaps he’ll play into his mid-40s, but if he goes down, the Titans can’t be comfortable with Rusty Smith at the helm. Warren Moon recently advised the Titans to go after Newton — not sure that holds any weight, but sitting pat won’t do. In this little mock draft that possibly four people are reading tops, the QBs of the day — again — are gone, and Munchak will choose Fairley, who has the frame to gain bulk without losing agility. Fairley’s stock has dropped a bit over the past month due to work-ethic concerns. But look, they called Warren Sapp a pot smoker. That worked out OK for Tampa, if I recall.

9. Dallas Cowboys – Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska: Dallas has backed itself into a good position. Last season’s massively disastrous start paved the way for Jason Garrett‘s more disciplined regime in Big D, and the team responded down the stretch. The addition of Rob Ryan is meaningful — he’s the perfect foil to the down-tempo Garrett, and players love him and play hard for him. I believe this team must address the cornerback position and will select Amukamara, Nebraska’s best defender last season. I also think the Cowboys will take a close look at the remaining top defensive lineman in this draft and they’d love a tough guy like Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt — but that’s a slight reach at this spot. Overall, this organization would be helped if Jerry Jones toned down the rhetoric and empty promises and let Garrett coach game by game through (whatever we have of) the regular season. The annual, undeserved preseason hype, 15 years running, has hurt this team’s soul. They have pretty uniforms, but aren’t even the second best team in their four-team division. Much work is to be done.

10. Washington Redskins – Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina: You can make the argument that Mike Shanahan‘s debut in Washington last season was one of the bigger disasters of recent memory. Putrid on the field, the team managed to stay in the news all season thanks to the bizarre dissembling of Albert Haynesworth and the benching of starting quarterback Donovan McNabb. Shanahan’s handling of both players was a failure, and it’s hard to imagine either returning with the team next season. Assuming (for our sanity) they don’t, quarterback and defensive line are two of the team’s bigger needs. Rex Grossman is not an answer for an NFC East team that must find a way to win inside the division, and I strongly believe that Shanahan and the free-wheeling ‘Skins will pursue a passer with this pick. If they can’t trade up and Newton and Gabbert are off the board, Washington could select the athletic Quinn, who comes with question marks after missing his senior season at North Carolina due to rules violations, but looks like the type of player Shanahan would like to team with Brian Orakpo in the 3-4. Quinn can play DE or OLB and could be a help to a team that had a lot of problems pressuring the quarterback (other than its own) last season. Note: I also think Shanny could dive on a player like wideout Julio Jones, but the team has bigger needs.

For picks 11-20, go here.

Bank on it, this will be the new face of one NFL team come Draft Day (Source: Jimrome.com)

The 2011 NFL Draft could serve as our last dose of football for an unfriendly amount of time (especially if you’re an Oakland Raiders fan). Although it’s going to be awkward to watch NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell approach the podium before a packed house during a lockout, Draft Day (or, at this stage, Draft Thursday Night…) remains tangibly intriguing when a blue-chip quarterback has the chance to go No. 1.

It’s no sure thing, but with Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert rising up the board, it’s possible both could go in the top 10. One could argue that four of the first five teams to pick could go quarterback. I also wouldn’t rule out a team moving up for one the young guns — especially with Shanahan’s Redskins buried in the 10 slot — but this mock doesn’t include trades. Next month’s v.2 mock will take a shot at pinpointing some possible move-up/down scenarios. With that said, here’s my top 5 picks:

1. Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton – QB, Auburn: Some don’t even have Newton in their top 10. I just don’t see Ron Rivera passing up this opportunity to bring in a franchise-altering passer with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Newton has his flaws, but there’s no way Carolina takes on the NFC South with what we’ve seen out of (granted, young) Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen. While it’s awfully tough to bypass some of the defensive line talent in this draft, I believe Newton will continue to rise up the board. It’s only mid-March. This quarterback’s gifts will only become more coveted as we approach late April. The Panthers are serious about Cam Newton and I expect him to end up as the top pick in this draft.

2. Denver Broncos – Marcell Dareus – DT, Alabama: John Fox is going defense with this pick. At 6-foot-3, 319 pounds, Dareus fits well into Fox’s 4-3 scheme, and has the potential to wreak havoc as a 3-technique the way Warren Sapp did in Tampa Bay — and Sapp himself has showered praise on the prospect. For the many top-shelf defensive line prospects in this draft — it’s one of the more stunning DT/DE draft classes in years — Dareus might be the safest pick, as a guy without looming medical or off-the-field concerns. If Nick Fairley has more potential, Dareus appears to have the work ethic for continued growth.

3. Buffalo Bills – Patrick Peterson – CB, LSU: The Bills are courting Newton and no doubt Chan Gailey is enticed by his athleticism. If Carolina passes, Newton could land here at No. 3.  If he’s gone — and he is in this mock — the Bills will take Peterson, possibly the best football player in the draft. It’s unusual for a team to strike on a corner this high, but I don’t see the Bills taking Gabbert with this pick. Besides, in Ryan Fitzpatrick, they have a passer the team believes in and grew behind in 2010. The Bills need help all over the place on defense and go with the best player available here.

4. Cincinnati Bengals – Blaine Gabbert – QB, Missouri: If Carson Palmer wasn’t so inconsistent, you work out the issues, get him back in the house and move on. Palmer and the Bengals are at a crossroads, and with the QB making it clear he’s had enough in the Queen City, it’s time for Cincy to find his replacement. I’m not in love with Gabbert. Accuracy is an issue when you look beyond his short-field body of work. That said, with Newton gone, Gabbert represents a new dawn for Marvin Lewis.

5. Arizona Cardinals – Von Miller – DE/OLB, Texas A&M: Some are calling Von Miller‘s decision to join the players’ antitrust lawsuit against the NFL a risk. Is he an immediate problem? A guy with a renegade spirit? No. Another way to look at it — this is someone who has chosen to take a leadership role among his peers and represent his rookie class on a critical issue to the players (even if you think they already make too much). That aside, Miller is perhaps the most versatile defensive talent in the draft and music to the ears of the Cards. I keep hearing over and over that Arizona does not go quarterback with this pick — mainly because this could be it for Ken Whisenhunt, and you don’t risk a critical season on a rookie. You have to wonder if the Cards would surprise people and shoot for Newton or Gabbert is one is available.

For picks 6-10, go here.

For picks 11-20, go here.

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin

NFL Network lights over Lucas Oil Stadium

Denver Broncos general manager Brian Xanders

Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier

Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff

Arizona Cardinals general manager Rod Graves

Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt

Washington quarterback Jake Locker

Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli

Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur

For those who don’t remember (or care), the Supplemental Draft is intended for players who failed to declare for April’s draft, or had other issues affecting their eligibility.  This year, there were a grand total of 4 players eligible for the draft, and the Chicago Bears played it crafty, waiting until the 7th and final round to select RB Harvey Unga from BYU.  They were quickly followed by the Dallas Cowboys, who pounced on Illinois DT Josh Price-Brent later in the round.

BYU Running Back Harvey Unga is now a Chicago Bear (Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel/US Presswire via ESPN.com)

As we’ve discussed here before, the Supplemental Draft is something of an enigma, in that it holds very little significance, even for draftniks like ourselves.  Hell, it doesn’t even seem to be a real event — more likely a conference call or online draft, a la fantasy football.  But do you think that they make some poor sucker sit through hours of calling out team names and waiting for their time on the clock to run out? I mean, there were only four players entered in this thing, and the first one was taken with the 12th pick in the 7th round!!  Even if there’s only 2 minutes on the clock per pick, that works out to over SEVEN HOURS before the first pick was made!!!  I guess that’s why this isn’t a televised event.  Goodell certainly isn’t hanging around and watching it unfold.

Of course, every time I think about the supplemental draft, I always wonder how many players taken here have really made an impact in the NFL. Fortunately for us, Len Pasquarelli gives a nice breakdown on ESPN.com:

Cris Carter: the best of the supplementals (Photo: ESPN.com)

Only five of the previous 38 players chosen had careers that spanned 100 or more regular-season appearances, and wide receiver Cris Carter, probably the lone choice in the supplemental draft with Hall of Fame credentials, is the only player to appear in 200 games. In fact, the average span is 42.1 appearances, the equivalent of a little more than 2½ seasons.

The supplemental draft has produced only six Pro Bowl players, and Carter, a Hall of Fame finalist in each of the past two years, accounted for exactly half of their 16 all-star appearances. Only two other supplemental picks, wide receiver Rob Moore and nose tackle Jamal Williams, notched more than one Pro Bowl invitation.

There hasn’t been a Pro Bowl participant chosen in the supplemental draft since Williams (San Diego, second round) and offensive lineman Mike Wahle (Green Bay, second round) in 1998.

So there you go.  The odds are not exactly in John Price-Brent’s favor (even if Len did leave out Bernie Kosar on his list of supplemental success stories).

Unga is BYU’s all-time leading rusher with 3,455 yards, including three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.  He left school and declared for the supplemental draft after being kicked off the team at BYU for violating the school’s Mormon honor code.  And now, Unga will get to compete for a #3 RB job with the Bears, who already have Matt Forte and Chester Taylor on the roster.

Has Jamarcus Russell failed badly enough to make him the biggest flop in league history? (Original photoshop/hack job by ArtieFufkin)

When news broke that the Raiders released former #1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell yesterday, the sports blogosphere collectively wondered weather Russell had claimed the throne as the biggest draft bust in the history of the NFL. And while it would be easy to place the Rotund Raider at the top of the list, we’re not going to hand him the crown just yet.

Until now, the general consensus has been that Ryan Leaf – the #2 overall pick of the San Diego Chargers in 1998 - is the biggest draft bust of all-time.  For our money, it’s Tony Mandarich, who the Packers selected with the #2 overall pick in 1989 (you can read our previous pieces on Mandarich here and here). But most people seem to think it’s Leaf, and since both he and Russell are QB’s, it makes things much easier for the purpose of this conversation.

The guys at Shutdown Corner put together a nice statistical comparison between the two quarterbacks, and while both players were godawful, the numbers paint Russell in a more favorable light:

So based on these figures alone, Leaf has the edge (for being worse, that is … 14 TDs vs 36 INTs?!?  Ouch.) And when you take into account Leaf’s locker-room outbursts and the fact that he was universally hated by his teammates, Russell doesn’t really even come close to eclipsing the train wreck that was Ryan Leaf.

For us, the question of how big a draft bust someone is always comes down to one main thing: expectations.  Sports Illustrated took a look back at the pre-draft hype on JaMarcus Russell from 2007, which includes some incredible gems from some of the draft’s top prognosticators, including Mel Kiper:

JaMarcus Russell is going to immediately energize that fanbase, that football team — on the practice field, in that locker room. Three years from now you could be looking at a guy that’s certainly one of the elite top five quarterbacks in this league. …You’re talking about a 2-3 year period once he’s under center. Look out because the skill level that he has is certainly John Elway-like.”

Way to go Mel. Good call. But he wasn’t alone … at the time, Todd  McShay, Terry Bradshaw, and a slew of other “experts” were all drooling over Russell’s physical skill set.

Let's face it, we all saw this one coming

But while everyone seemed to agree that Russell’s physical skills warranted a roll of the dice, there were plenty of questions about his mental state of mind from the beginning.  In the linked SI article, Peter King and Gil Brandt were among those who expressed serious doubts as to whether or not JaMarcus had the desire & work ethic to be a top-level NFL quarterback.

When Russell – who was the best QB in a weak draft class for the position – went to the Raiders, it seemed like a bust made in heaven.  After all, Al Davis has made a living out of spending draft picks on physical specimens with questionable heads.  And with Lane Kiffin taking over at the helm (if temporarily) for Art Shell, the Oakland organization was entering a dysfunctional heyday in 2007.  We all knew how this story was going to play out, didn’t we?

It wasn’t quite as obvious with Leaf, who was thought by some to be a better prospect than Peyton Manning heading into that year’s draft.  But Leaf had questions of his own maturity & intelligence coming out of college, with the Colts making the best choice in franchise history in passing on him in favor of Manning.

Mandarich, whose dominance at the collegiate level would later be found to have been fueled by steroids, was viewed as an absolute lock pro-bowler for the next decade by just about everyone around the league at the time. But upon entering the league, Mandarich stopped using steroids and became addicted to painkillers, getting cut by the Packers 3 years later without ever really ever making an impact with the team.

This piece on Mandarich from ESPN gives a pretty good picture of the quintessential draft bust in my mind:

So JaMarcus, if you’re gunning for the title, you’ve still got a little bit of work to do.  I suggest getting yourself back into shape and tricking another team into giving you a shot, before ballooning to 350lbs and having a heart attack on the field.  That should make you a shoe-in.

Oregon's LeGarrette Blount went undrafted ... but well rested. He later signed with the Titans as an undrafted FA (Image: Deadspin.com)

Is anyone else uncomfortable that the draft is over and it’s only Saturday?  What the hell am I supposed to do with the rest of my weekend? Go outside or something???  Oh well … since Thursday night was the highest-rated draft ever, we’d better get used to this new format.

Now that Mr. Irrelevant has been picked, it’s time for armchair GMs everywhere to start second-guessing NFL executives and handing out their annual draft grades.  Nevermind the fact that we’ll have no idea how this draft is going to pan out for at least 2-3 years … these type of knee-jerk assessments are what the draft is all about! At first glance, we really like what the Raiders, Seahawks and 49ers did over the last 3 days.  In case you’re interested Pete Prisco at CBS has graded every single pick of the draft, and Shutdown Corner has their Best & Worst of the 2010 draft.

And just because the draft is over doesn’t mean teams are done adding players. Keep track of all this Undrafted Free Agent Signings list to see what camp fodder each team is bringing in.  For your reference, here’s NFL.com’s list of the best players available after the draft.

In case you missed them through the sweat dripping off of Berman’s huge cranium, here are a few more stories of note from the weekend:

• The Raiders got QB Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins [ESPN.com]
• The Seahawks traded for RB’s Leon Washington of the Jets and Lendale White of the Titans [NFL.com]
• The Jets released all-pro G Alan Fanceca [NY Daily News]
• The Jaguars traded for Raiders LB Kirk Morrison [PFW]
• Lawrence Taylor’s memory of the day he was drafted in 1981 is a little bit fuzzy … probably because he had 41 Coors Lights [SI.com]

Tim Tebow has plenty of reasons to smile ... even if he never plays a down (Photo: NYDailyNews.com)

Roger Goodell said something earlier that wanted to make me throw up in my mouth: this weekend, NFL teams will hand out approximately $600 million in guaranteed rookie contracts (including $45 million to #1 pick Sam Bradford). That means if only half of those rookies end up making an impact in the NFL, they will have thrown away $300 million dollars.  On kids who never even made it in the league.

Nice thought, huh?