Best and Worst of Day 1

BEST:

1. Saints: Anytime you get two rookies who were ranked in the top 16 players of the draft, you had a great day. Cameron Jordan is an extremely smart and physical player who has the frame that they look for in their defensive ends (6’3 280 lbs) and he could have gone as high as 9^th overall to the Cowboys. Ingram is an every down back, which is a dying breed in the NFL. They had to give up a lot to get him, but he allows them to get rid of Reggie Bush and his huge contract. Bush would make $11.8 million in 2011 if he stayed on the Saints’ roster.
2. Jaguars: They landed the top quarterback in the draft by trading up to only the tenth pick. Blaine Gabbert is in the perfect situation in which he can sit behind David Garrard for a year while he learns a pro-style offense and works on his accuracy. The Redskins came out on top as well because they gained more picks to beef up a depleted roster after missing out on Jake Locker.
3. Browns: They managed to trade out of the top ten, which they were hoping to do, and pick up FIVE draft picks (Falcons' 27th pick overall, second and forth round picks this year, as well as their first and forth round picks in 2012). They then traded up to get the player they wanted in Phil Taylor: the 330 pound nose tackle who will be a great asset against the run and the pass in their switch back to the 4-3.
4. Patriots: They once again acquired another first round pick in next year’s draft, and still managed to get the best pass protecting left tackle in the draft. Look for them to trade the first pick in the second round to someone trying to get either Andy Dalton or Ryan Mallett.
5. Bills: I hate putting the Bills and Patriots on this list since I am a Jets fan, but the Bills as well got out of the first round with a great player. The Bills probably would have liked to draft Newton, but they ended up having the best player in the draft fall to them at the third pick. Dareus will be a great defensive end in their 3-4 defense, who can slide inside to tackle on passing downs.

Honorable mention:

Vikings: I could put a lot of teams here (Cardinals, Lions, Rams, Giants), but the Vikings landed my favorite quarterback in the draft, Christian Ponder. Most people think this is a reach for Ponder, but I knew that he would end up in the top half of the draft. He has the “it” factor that coaches look for and will be able to get the Vikings locker room behind him even as a rookie. He has elite accuracy and is a sneaky athlete, which will allow him to effectively use all the Vikings’ offensive weapons.

WORST:

1. Panthers: Cam Newton was a huge reach here and was a desperation pick. They needed a quarterback. Newton was not the best option, but he was the quarterback with the most potential. They drafted two quarterbacks last year and drafting Newton makes them wasted picks, which is not a good thing for a team that has not had many draft picks in the last few years. They need help all over the place and with no second round pick, they will not be able to address even half of them. If Newton is a bust, the Panthers will not be back in the playoffs until the turn of the decade. Also, there is no way they are going to be able to keep Steve Smith on this team. He does not want to wait for another quarterback to develop.
2. Titans: Surprise, surprise, it is another team that reached for a quarterback. Locker probably should have been a second round pick. He could take 2-3 years to develop into a decent starter and that’s way too much time to give a player taken in the top ten. Locker might play less than Tebow did this year, and that’s not worth $20-30 million guaranteed.
3. Seahawks: With Andy Dalton, Ryan Mallett, Gabe Carimi, Derek Sherrod, and many top rated defensive prospects still on the board, they inexplicably took an offensive lineman that had a late second round grade on him. James Carpenter better at least turn into a solid player, otherwise they passed on two possible franchise quarterbacks as well as better prospects at the same position.
4. Eagles: Andy Reid again reaches for an offensive or defensive lineman, while passing up a top notch cornerback in Jimmy Smith as well as some really impressive defensive lineman. I never thought they would let Carimi get past them. Watkins will be a decent player, but there was better talent to be had and he will turn 27 during the 2011 season. 
5. Chiefs: They managed to trade down in the first round, yet they still reached for a player. Jonathan Baldwin could turn out to be a great player and receiver is a huge need for the Chiefs, but Baldwin has a ton of character concerns. The Chiefs already have to put up with Dwayne Bowe's poor work ethic and problems off the field. Bowe and Baldwin could have a negative impact on each other and really make this offense take a step backwards.

Dishonorable Mention:

Broncos: I have no doubt that Von Miller will turn into a very good player, but Miller is a much better fit for a 3-4 defense than the 4-3 defense the Broncos are switching to. Miller and their best defensive player, Elvis Dumervil, are best fit to be OLBs in a 3-4 defense, where they can consistently rush the passer from both sides. They will have to incorporate some 3-4 into this defense for it to be more effective and utilize their best players. They also passed on possibly the best player in the draft in Marcell Dareus, who would have filled a huge need for the Broncos.