San Diego Charger fans, meet your new MLB: Manti Te’o
To the 2013 NFL Draft Class,
This is the weekend your life will change forever. You’ve come this far. You’ve finally reached the next step of your journey.
It took dedication, sacrifice, and hard work beyond what you may have ever imagined to get here. Now you’re joining the proud ranks of the NFL. Wilson, as American made as the league itself, will be the only game football you use from here on out.
Wilson has been part of the greatest moments in all of the NFL and now it’s your time.
We’re proud to welcome you to the Wilson family.
#WilsonWelcome
Very classy move by Wilson.
I love the NFL Draft. A definite highlight on my sports calendar. However, one of the things that I don’t enjoy, is what seems like the unnecessary focus on players like Geno Smith sitting in a Green Room, seemingly squirming to the delight of TV producers who are putting on a glorified sports reality show.
Then a company like Wilson, so deeply entrenched in the tradition of the NFL for so many years, reaches out to Smith & the rest of his draft class & it restores a good bit of the sportsmanship & humanity in the sport we all love so much.
Kudos to Wilson & their President, Chris Considine.
Aaaand finally, with the last pick of the first round, reigning champs the Baltimore Ravens went defense (natch) by taking Safety Matt Elam out of Florida.
With Bernard Pollard and Ed Reed moved on, the Ravens needed a spot filled in their safety corps. Oh, and just a side note, the last time the Ravens took a safety in the first round, was in the 2002 Draft, when they picked up Ed Reed himself. If Baltimore gets even half the man Reed is out on the field, they did themselves pretty good.
And then the Dallas Cowboys got in on the 2013 Draft. After trading down with the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys used their first round pick to get Center Travis Frederick at the 31st spot out of Wisconsin.
After inking QB Tony Romo for a few more million/years, one way to ensure Romo lasts and maybe becomes effective was to strengthen their interior. The only question about this, was why did they take what was largely seen as 3rd round talent in the 1st round? Is this enough for Romo and his injury-prone backfield?
So, Jeff Fisher and the St. Louis Rams did a little shifting during the 1st round of the 2013 Draft. First they traded up with Buffalo to get Tavon Austin on their receiving core, and now they’ve traded down with Atlanta to snag Inside Linebacker Alec Ogletree out of Georgia at the 30 spot.
And just like that, Fisher took care of two large concerns the team has had in the past and things are looking up.
Well, the Minnesota Vikings sure had a day. Having the 23rd & 25th picks in the first round wasn’t enough, so they went ahead and gave the New England Patriots 4 of their picks to get the 29th pick, taking Tennessee WR Cordarrelle Patterson.
That’s two defensemen and a wide receiver to support QB Christian Ponder and/or maybe QB Matt Cassel. They gave up a lot, including WR Percy Harvin, but it looks as though the Vikings are ready to get RB Adrian Peterson a decent shot at a ring.
Just what the Denver Broncos needed, a heavy duty addition to their defense. With the 28th pick in the 2013 Draft they were able to wrangle Defensive Tackle Sylvester Williams out of North Carolina.
So now that everyone knows QB Peyton Manning works and since the addition of WR Wes Welker, why not just add some depth and youth to your defense in front of monster OLB Von Miller?
WR DeAndre Hopkins out of Clemson is now a Houston Texan after being selected 27th in the 2013 Draft.
This is what most people have demanded and expected for the Texans. Another receiver to help distract and keep defenses honest for big WR Andre Johnson. If you’re a fantasy football player, watch Johnson do well yet again this year, barring any injuries. Good on Houston.
The Green Bay Packers have taken Defensive End Datone (Day-tone) Jones at 26th in the 2013 Draft.
Green Bay is only becoming scarier and scarier at this point. Having Jones adding pressure on the line this big can only help the Pack and hurt everyone else.
With the Minnesota Vikings choosing again in the first round, the Vikes take another defensive player in Cornerback Xavier Rhodes from Florida State at 25th.
Well, if it wasn’t apparent before, it looks as though the Vikings will be defensive minded this season.
The Indianapolis Colts have taken Defensive End Bjoern Werner 24th in this 2013 Draft.
Smart move for the Colts. Their offense is fairly sound, so beefing up their defense would be welcome in making them a bit more meaner and dangerous.
Defensive Tackle Sharrif Floyd out of Florida has been taken by the Minnesota Vikings at 23rd in the 2013 Draft.
The Vikings have a ways to go in order to legitimately become a contender for a championship. Obviously, their run game is fantastic with RB Adrian Peterson in video game mode, so why not step up their defense?
