Gannon Knight Sports

     From Peyton Manning with the first overall pick to Tom Brady in the sixth round, great players have been chosen throughout the National Football League draft.
     However, for every success story like Manning, there are unmitigated disasters like Ryan Leaf. While the jury will be out on the 2010 NFL draft until the newest players actually play a down, speculation can always be made.
     The draft switched to a three-day format this year. The first round took place on Thursday while rounds two through seven were split on Friday and Saturday.
     As expected, the St. Louis Rams took University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the first overall pick, a move that was essentially set in stone after the team cut ties with veteran Marc Bulger earlier in the offseason.
     The second pick came as no surprise either, as University of Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was selected by the Detroit Lions.
     There weren’t any real surprises until the eighth overall pick, when the Oakland Raiders chose University of Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain.
     While draft pundits didn’t expect McClain to be selected as high as eight, the real shocker here was that the Raiders actually made a solid pick in the first round instead of choosing a project player, leading some to question the true whereabouts of Raiders owner Al Davis.
     The selection was followed by another surprise pick when the Buffalo Bills took Clemson University running back C.J. Spiller.
     The pick would have been less surprising if the Bills had traded Marshawn Lynch, but Spiller has the upside to become the next Chris Johnson. The downside? Reggie Bush.
     Jacksonville topped the previous two picks in terms of eyebrow-raisers when the Jaguars selected University of California defensive tackle Tyson Alualu at No. 10.
     Jags fans voiced their displeasure that the team didn’t take University of Florida hero Tim Tebow, but General Manager Gene Smith chose Alualu, projected as a late first-round pick, later saying the draft process “is not a popularity contest”
     Aforementioned hero quarter Despite the inconsistencies, Lombardi said he believes that a strong returning core combined with a strong finish leaves the team with a good taste in its mouth.
     “I feel like we’re going to be a lot better,” he said. “We show a lot of promise and we have a lot of distinct goals for our game both mentally and physically. We just have to push the guys on the team.”
back Tebow was taken in the first round by the Denver Broncos, but two other star college QBs fell in the draft like a person who misses the first step at the top of a flight of stairs. Despite the precipitous drop, Jimmy Clausen of the University of Notre Dame and Colt McCoy of the University of Texas may be better off because of it.
     Clausen was taken in the middle of the second round by the Carolina Panthers. In Carolina he has a decent shot at becoming a starter early in his career on a team that isn’t as awful as normal quarterback-hungry teams.
     McCoy was the 85th overall pick after some draft pundits mentioned the possibility of having his name called on the first day.
     While he lost out on a big signing bonus, he finds himself in a great situation with the Cleveland Browns, whose West Coast-style offense fits him perfectly; he is playing under new Browns team president Mike Holmgrem, a master at developing quarterbacks.
     The local teams – the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills – all had solid, but not very flashy, draft classes.
     The Steelers addressed a huge need on the offensive line by taking Florida center Maurkice Pouncey with the 18th overall pick in the first round. Linebackers Jason Worilds and Thaddeus Gibson can both be developed into disruptive pass rushers.
     The Browns missed out on safety Eric Berry in the first round, settling for cornerback Joe Haden with the seventh pick, who will help shore up a porous pass defense. The pick of McCoy in the third round is a steal at that point in the draft.
     Spiller could end up being a game-changer for the Bills and will provide some new energy to Buffalo. Nosetackle Torell Troup, however, had the lowest grade of any player taken in the second round, according to nfl.com.
     While the winners and losers of the draft can be speculated, the only real way to decipher who walks out on top will be when the NFL resumes play next season starting with a Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints matchup Sept. 9.