NFL Draft 2010: A Few Thoughts on Rounds 2 and 3

First and foremost, it was nice to see the red carpet stay locked in the shed for Jimmy Clausen. Yes, he may have shown up to Notre Dame in a super shiny limo, but getting picked 49th by the Carolina Panthers made it all better. If only Oakland would have grabbed him. No, no – I don’t wish that on anybody. Clausen has a chance to succeed in Carolina, and like Tim Tebow, another kid that EVERYBODY seems to hate, I’ll be rooting for him. Yes, I never thought I’d say it, but it is now cool to hate on Tebow and Clausen, and thus I will be looking for reasons to like these guys – and honestly, it hasn’t been that hard to do thus far.

Jimmy’s Irish teammate, Golden Tate, was drafted by Seattle, and I can’t see how their draft could be going any better. I would have loved to see Taylor Mays fall to them at 60 (as they could have just flat out used two new elite safeties, but Tate is a great pick up that late in the 2nd round. After losing Nate Burleson, Tate’s big game, big play skills will go a long way in Seattle.

The Jaguars continued to reach and make head scratching moves. And that is by no means calling the players that they chose, bad – I’m just saying, they are drafting out of value’s line – and that makes them bad at drafting.

The Ravens made out of the second round like gang busters, pulling two guys that easily could have been first round players and a great tight end. If Sergio Kindle’s knees stay healthy, and Terrence Cody stays under 4 bills, then they did a great thing in trading out of the first round. Then they go get Ed Dickson, who, quite honestly, is probably the most consistent sure thing tight end in the draft.

The Raiders grabbed another solid player but have yet to address a need.

The Patriots drafted great value players that are, get ready, great football players. Who would have thought?

I actually think the Redskins did well on Day 2. They didn’t trade away the best defensive tackle in football for a 3rd round pick, and any time a team doesn’t do something they were expected to do that was that dumb, well, it’s a very good thing. I have a feeling they can find some place to put the best DT in the game that will help them win football games. Call me nuts.

NBA Playoffs: Free Saturday Basketball Playoff Picks

Here are my picks for Saturday’s NBA Playoff Games. Lots of these series are getting very interesting. Charlotte gets their first home game against Orlando, as do the Bucks. Portland and Oklahoma try to even up their respective series after winning one out of the first 3 games.

Orlando Magic @ Charlotte Bobcats (+2) (4-24: 2:00 PM ET – TNT): It almost seems wrong to take the Bobcats, but I’m not letting the first two outcomes sway me. I still think Charlotte matches up fairly well with the Magic, and playing their first ever playoff game at home should get them pumped to play, and maybe start out the game not getting behind big early. That has been the difference, so I’ll take the Bobcats to start better and upset the Magic.

Phoenix Suns (+1.5) @ Portland Trail Blazers (4-24: 4:30 PM ET – TNT): I think Phoenix has the Blazers figured out a bit, and playing away from home isn’t going to hurt them. They won easily two nights ago, and the Blazers aren’t getting Brandon Roy or either of their two centers back anytime soon, so they’ll continue to struggle. If Jason Richardson continues his stellar play, the Suns will win by double digits again. More on NBA playoffs odds for Suns V Trail Blazers.

Atlanta Hawks (+1) @ Milwaukee Bucks (4-24: 7:00 PM ET – ESPN): Playing in Milwaukee doesn’t mean Bogut will heal miraculously – so just like the last couple games, this is Atlanta’s to lose. I see the Hawks sweeping the Bucks.

LA Lakers (+2) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (4-24: 9:30 PM ET – ESPN): The Lakers lost last time out despite Durant struggling from the floor, again. He made some really big shots down the stretch. but his teammates really helped him out. Russell Westbrook had about the sickest playoff dunk I’ve seen this year as he dunked all over every Laker in the history of the franchise. But again, if the Lakers just go to their bigs, they should win fairly easily. I’m hoping I’m wrong, and I’m hoping I’ll be wrong every time I ever pick L.A. but I have a feeling the Lake-show goes up 3-1 in this one.