by Adrian Doerfler
Daily Lobo
Now that the inexact science of the NFL Draft is over, football fans get to see if their team's selections will turn out to be the next late-round franchise savior, such as Tom Brady, or the next first-round bust, such as the infamous Ryan Leaf - who is now a golf instructor.
The best thing about the end of the draft, though, is that we won't have to look at Mel Kiper Jr.'s mullet for the next 10 months.
One of the highlights of the draft came in a trade that sent problematic wide receiver Randy Moss to the Patriots in exchange for a fourth-round pick - quite a discount. If Bill Belichick can get through to Moss, the Patriots - who also signed playmaker Donte' Stallworth from the Eagles - are going to be the overwhelming favorites heading into next season.
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The top three draft picks will be franchise players for the future and solid contributors immediately.
LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell is a monster at 6 feet 6 inches and 265 pounds, and he has a rocket arm, which he displayed during a rout of Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
One question is, will he duplicate that success in Oakland? His top receivers from LSU were selected in the first round, and they might be more talented than any of the Raider receivers.
No one thought the Lions could possibly draft another wide receiver for the fourth time in five years, but they hope they finally got it right with Calvin Johnson, who by far has the most upside of any player in the draft. Johnson, despite admitting to smoking marijuana in predraft questionnaires, will be welcomed with open arms in the Detroit community.
The Cleveland Browns had the most successful first round by finding a way to pick up a franchise quarterback in Brady Quinn and someone to block his backside in offensive tackle Joe Thomas with the No. 3 pick. Thomas, who chose to be on a lake boat instead of in New York for the draft, was probably disappointed he didn't go to the Vikings.
The team that had the best draft was the San Fransisco 49ers. The Niners drafted linebacker and Butkus Award winner Patrick Willis to fit in head coach Mike Nolan's 3-4 scheme. Then they traded up in the first round to snag agile offensive tackle Joe Staley to block for quarterback Alex Smith. The 49ers also traded division rival Seattle to steal one of their top receivers, Darrell Jackson.
