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BY MAX BERMAN

The 75th annual NFL draft was recently held at the Radio City Music Hall in New York and here is how I see the picks that could affect their team’s future.  The St. Louis Rams took Oklahoma quarterback, Sam Bradford. Bradford still has to prove himself because of a season ending shoulder injury in his senior year. Being a Rams fan I have faith in him.

At first I wanted them to take Nebraska defensive end Ndamukong Suh, in my opinion the best player in the draft. But looking ahead Bradford is the best pick for the Rams future. The thing I am afraid of is that if the Rams put Bradford into a situation he isn’t ready to handle. There have been three rookie quarterbacks to take their teams to the playoffs; Ben Rothlisberger with the Steelers, Joe Flacco with the Ravens, and most recently Mark Sanchez with the Jets. Those teams had two things in common, a tough defense and a strong running game. The Rams don’t have a tough defense and their running game is questionable. They have Steven Jackson in the backfield and he’s among the top three backs in the league. And they’re trying to add former Philadelphia Eagle, Brian Westbrook. But, they still lack an offensive line. They also need to improve a very young receiving core with a veteran, play producing, go to receiver. Terrell Owens could be the perfect fit, a veteran receiver who always wants the ball. And, this could be his last chance to shine.  He might also jumpstart Bradford’s career.

After a two-win season the Detroit Lions had the second pick in the draft. This may seem like a disappointment, but after a 0-16 season two years ago, this past season the Lions showed signs of improvement, led by rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. In this draft the Lions focused of the defensive side of the ball. They went for Ndamukong Suh, who was considered to be the best defensive player in the draft, if not the best overall. Suh, brings toughness to the defense, something the team definitely needs with the loss of linebacker, Ernie Sims. Suh was an obvious pick for the Lions, but what may have shocked people was when they traded up to grab underrated, explosive Cal running back, Jahvid Best. Best brings another weapon to the Lions backfield, adding a one-two punch with Kevin Smith. Best will help the young, up and coming star Stafford. The Lions not only added through the draft, but they acquired Nate Burleson to assist Lions leading receiver Calvin Johnson. The Lions could be a surprising team this season. I’m calling it now, I see the Lions winning 4-5 games next year. Of course, that may not seem like a lot, but having only won two of their last thirty-six games, this team is on the rise.

Coming into the draft there was a lot of buzz involving the remaining quarterbacks (Clausen, Tebow, and McCoy) and where they would fall. Notre Dame’s Clausen was projected as the second best quarterback after Bradford. While many thought that he would fall somewhere in the first round, the Denver Broncos shocked everyone by taking Florida’s Tim Tebow with the 25th pick. The questions about Tebow was because his collegiate career revolved around the wildcat offense as opposed to being a traditional NFL pocket passer. The question of where Tebow will play was answered when Broncos coach Josh McDaniels told the press he would only play quarterback. Now I’m wondering why they took him? The real puzzler in the draft was Jimmy Clausen.  Clausen’s game seems more NFL ready, but he ended up falling into the hands of the Carolina Panthers in the second round.  For Colt McCoy, it wasn’t until the 4th round that his name was called by the Cleveland Browns.

Former University of Southern California and new Seahawks coach Pete Carroll reportedly had the best draft. With the 6th pick they took offensive tackle Russell Okung out of Oklahoma. Okung was one of the top tackles coming into the draft. What shocked many was when the Seahawks selected safety, Earl Thomas, out of Texas. Prior to Carroll signing with the Seahawks, he was the head coach at USC for over a decade. In his last season Carroll’s defense was led by senior All-American Taylor Mays. Carroll had the opportunity to take his former captain, but chose Thomas, which caused the real shock. Mays went on to blame his fall in the draft on Carroll. What also made draft day better for the Seahawks were trades for running backs LenDale White and Leon Washington. With White’s power and Washington’s speed the Seahawk’s running game could be looked at as a serious threat. White also played at USC under Carroll which some believe may have impacted the decision to get him.

Another team that had a grade A draft is the Baltimore Ravens. They didn’t have a 1st round pick, but with two picks in the 2nd round they chose a pair of potential 1st round picks in Sergio Kindle and Terrence Cody. Not only did they add talent in the draft, but they also acquired wide receivers Donte Stallworth and Anquan Boldin. Boldin, established himself as a very proven receiver in Arizona and Stallworth had some productive years with the Eagles. They added young players to the defense and two experienced receivers to help a young quarterback in Joe Flacco.

Another stunning moment was at pick twenty-two, the Broncos went with Demaryius Thomas out of Georgia Tech, making him the first wide receiver taken in the draft. Two picks later, the Dallas Cowboys took Dez Bryant out of Oklahoma State at twenty-four. The Broncos just said goodbye to star receiver Brandon Marshall and they needed a new leader. I admire their willingness to trade up for a better pick, but with Bryant still on the board one would think his selection would be a no brainer. The receiver from Oklahoma State may have had some problems in his final year, but there’s no doubt that this guy has talent. That is the second pick the Broncos have made I didn’t understand. Are the Broncos really going in the right direction?

With the Broncos making some questionable decisions the other teams in their division may have taken a step forward. With the 5th overall pick, the Kansas City Chiefs took safety, Eric Berry out of Tennessee. Berry is a young defensive back with a tremendous amount of talent. The Raiders appeared to have gotten their draft act together as they took Ronaldo McClain, a linebacker out of Alabama with the 8th pick. He gives the Raiders a more physical look on defense, something the Raiders have always been known for, but recently have been lacking.  The San Diego Chargers traded up to the 12th to take Fresno State running back, Ryan Mathews. Mathews is a strong inside runner and will to add to Darren Sproles different style of running. Mathews is special because he doesn’t only possess strength, but also can be explosive and quick. He may not look like it, but in the open field he can run the defender over and juke him out of his jock. Once he develops he may be compared to Rams running back Steven Jackson.

The draft is the time of year when young teams make picks that hopefully will make their future brighter. Some teams are successful while others aren’t. Teams like the Rams and Lions made choices that will help them. They have to build around the talent they drafted and most have done that. And, other teams like the Seahawks and Ravens drafted players to build around an already solid foundation. Of course, we can talk as much as we want, but we won’t truly know what the new season will hold until it starts. Until then, we can only guess.

I’m Max Berman and that’s what I think.