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| NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell (L) with #1 Overall Pick, Andrew Luck (R) |
The entire list of 1st round draft picks after the break, along with coverage of the first games of the NBA Playoffs, and evaluation of the 1st round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Offensive picks are highlight in blue, defensive picks are highlighted in green.
- Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck QB, Stanford
- Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III QB, Baylor
- Cleveland Browns - Trent Richardson RB, Alabama
- Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil OT, USC
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Justin Blackmon WR, Oklahoma State
- Dallas Cowboys - Morris Claiborne CB, LSU
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mark Barron S, Alabama
- Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill QB, Texas A&M
- Carolina Panthers - Luke Kuechly LB, Boston College
- Buffalo Bills - Stephon Gilmore CB, South Carolina
- Kansas City Chiefs - Dontari Poe DT, Memphis
- Philadelphia Eagles - Fletcher Cox DT, Mississippi State
- Arizona Cardinals - Michael Floyd WR, Notre Dame
- St. Louis Rams - Michael Brockers DT, LSU
- Seattle Seahawks - Bruce Irvin DE, West Virginia
- New York Jets - Quinton Coples DE, North Carolina
- Cincinnati Bengals - Dre Kirkpatrick CB, Alabama
- San Diego Chargers - Melvin Ingram OLB, South Carolina
- Chicago Bears - Shea McClellin DE, Boise State
- Tennessee Titans - Kendall Wright WR, Baylor
- New England Patriots - Chandler Jones DE, Syracuse
- Cleveland Browns - Brandon Weeden QB, Oklahoma State
- Detroit Lions - Riley Reiff OT, Iowa
- Pittsburgh Steelers - David DeCastro G, Stanford
- New England Patriots - Dont'a Hightower LB, Alabama
- Houston Texans - Whitney Mercilus DE, Illinois
- Cincinnati Bengals - Kevin Zeitler G, Wisconsin
- Green Bay Packers - Nick Perry LB, USC
- Minnesota Vikings - Harrison Smith S, Notre Dame
- San Francisco 49ers - A.J. Jenkins WR, Illinois
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Doug Martin RB, Boise State
- New York Giants - David Wilson RB, Virginia Tech
17 defensive players were selected, while 15 offensive players went in the 1st round. Teams with multiple first round picks obtained via trade were the Browns, Vikings, Buccaneers, Bengals, and Patriots. The Browns selected 2 offensive players and the Patriots selected 2 defensive players, addressing their biggest needs as quickly as possible, while other teams chose to fulfill their needs in the lower rounds.
The most controversial picks were Ryan Tannehill to the Dolphins, a team that lost out on getting Matt Flynn, Alex Smith, and Peyton Manning in free agency and was desperate for a QB, and Bruce Irvin to the Seahawks, controversial because of Irvin's criminal record as a repeat offender. Morris Claiborne surprisingly went in the top 10, after his Wonderlic score was leaked and many questioned his intelligence and work ethic.
Brandon Weeden became the oldest player ever selected in the 1st round of the draft (28 years old). Weeden was also the only QB selected in the first round not present at the Draft; it is considered bad etiquette to attend the draft if you are not expected to be selected in the 1st round.
Melvin Ingram was notable for choreographing a handshake with commissioner Roger Goodell prior to being drafted, to be done upon being picked.
The next few rounds were eventful if only because no team truly had a bad draft, thanks to an incredibly deep talent pool, including undrafted free agents that signed with teams on the same day of the draft ending. Oregon RB LaMichael James surprisingly was the 4th RB drafted, after Doug Martin and David Wilson, falling to the 49ers, where James will now play for ex-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. The Indianapolis Colts drafted Stanford TE Coby Fleener, allowing new QB Andrew Luck to continue hitting his most common target at Stanford in a duo that should change many people's predictions of how many wins the Colts can get this year.
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| #17 Andrew Bynum gets his 10th block against #25 Timofey Mozgov |
The NBA Playoffs have begun at last! Six of the eight home teams won, but there were still some notables.
Bulls vs 76ers:
Derrick Rose tore his ACL, after suffering from several injuries during the year to his back and legs. He will be out of commission until after the London Olympics. The Bulls looked dominant in their win over the 76ers, but losing Rose will cost the team in the long-term.
Spurs vs Jazz:
This was a beatdown of beatdowns. It's sad to say that the Jazz have no chance in hell of beating the Spurs, but they're simply not talented enough to contend.
Heat vs Knicks:
OK, this was even more of a beatdown. When you win 100-67, that's a sign that the other team has absolutely no idea how to play defense. Iman Shumpert tore his ACL, although the Knicks will not miss him as much as the Bulls will miss Rose. Jeremy Lin says he will be able to return to the Knicks in time for Game 4, but it may not be enough.
Thunder vs Mavericks:
The Thunder pulled off an impressive comeback to win this game, with help from Rick Carlisle's incredibly poor timeout management. After Kevin Durant scored the game-winning basket, the Mavericks still had 1.5 seconds left to go for the win... except Carlisle had blown all the team's timeouts, forcing a full-court play that did not get a shot off in time. This series will be highly competitive, but the reigning champions are very likely to be eliminated in the first round.
Pacers vs Magic:
Why did the Magic win this game? The entire game suffered from poor play, other than Roy Hibbert getting an impressive 9 blocks... even though his team still lost. I can't see the Magic winning this series, but the Pacers don't look talented enough to pose a real threat.
Lakers vs Nuggets:
As Shaq said before the playoffs began, he nicknamed this series, "TBS," Too Big, too Strong. The Lakers proved Shaquille O'Neal correct, as Kobe Bryant scored a pedestrian 31 points, Pau Gasol almost got a triple-double, and Andrew Bynum got the 2nd triple-double via blocks in NBA playoff history, becoming only the 3rd man to get 10 blocks in a playoff game. The Lakers bench also stepped up big time, the entire team seemingly turning on the fabled Lakers Playoff Switch. Denver coach George Karl was waving the white flag during the post-game press conference, admitting the team has little chance to win if the Lakers continue playing the same way.
Celtics vs Hawks:
Although the Celtics were the higher seed, the Hawks had home court due to having a better record. The Hawks took full advantage, making sure the Celtics never got too close to taking the lead. Every time the Celtics made a run, the Hawks seemed to respond by making a big-time 3-pointer. Near the end of the game, Rajon Rondo was ejected for arguing with a referee and then intentionally bumping into him. Rondo faces a 1-game suspension, which could seriously hurt the Celtics' chances of even getting past the 1st round.
Grizzlies vs Clippers:
This game wasn't even close. The Grizzlies dominated the game with spectacular 3-point shooting and were helped by Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan all playing like shit, with the Clippers routinely being called for traveling, including one hilarious travel where Chris Paul attempted to flop, but was called for traveling instead. And then.... the Clippers came back from a 27-point deficit to win the game. Seriously. The CLIPPERS won a playoff game after being down 27 points.These aren't your daddy's Clippers apparently, although the Clips did lose Caron Butler to a broken (non-shooting) hand. If Butler has any balls, he will play with the broken hand.
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| #32 Jonathan Quick saving one of a gazillion shots against him by the St. Louis Blues |
The 2nd round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived! After an upset filled 1st round, it was only fitting that the 2nd round would get in on the upset fun.
Rangers vs Capitals:
With both teams coming off 7-game series, no clear advantage was given, but the Rangers did what they were supposed to do and won Game 1 by a score of 3-1. The Capitals impressed many by beating the Bruins, but they are not predicted to pass the Rangers.
Blues vs Kings:
Coming off one of the biggest upsets in NHL Playoffs history, the Kings strolled into St. Louis and casually got a 3-1 win, which included a short-handed goal and an empty netter scored in the dying seconds, supported by Jonathan Quick being probably the best goalie in the playoffs thus far, echoing Jaroslav Halak's incredible goalkeeping efforts 2 years ago.
Flyers vs Devils:
More overtime games! This looks to be the fun series to watch, the game being closely contended until Danny Briere netted the game-winning goal in OT. This easily looks like it could go a full 7 games.
Coyotes vs Predators:
Although they were both the higher seeds in their respective 1st round series, the Red Wings and Blackhawks were heavily favored to win over the sun belt teams. The analysts were dead wrong, the Predators winning in dominant fashion and the Coyotes securing their first playoff series win since 1987, when they were still the Winnipeg Jets. In the 2nd round, the Predators were heavily favored, yet they are currently down 2-0 in their series against the Coyotes.
In a clear case of old vs new, every Western Conference team remaining have no Stanley Cup wins and reside in regions with no snow, while the Eastern Conference teams have 9 Cup wins between them and are all snowed regions. There is also a strong possibility of a jet-lagged Stanley Cup Finals, should the Kings or Coyotes make the Finals.
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