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2005 NFL Draft - Running Commentary
April 23, 2005
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
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10:30 AM EDT- Woke up on my own. I checked the internet, going to ESPN and Sportsline (the usual suspects), but there was still no news on the 49ers pick. I found that surprising, figuring that at the very least something would've leaked overnight or in the early morning hours.
10:40- For breakfast, I had a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats. SportsCenter was showing something non-draft related, so my attention paid to the TV was minimal. I've never quite understood why ESPN doesn't go wall-to-wall NFL on draft morning.
11:00- Draft coverage has begun. This is exciting for people like me who follow the draft closely.
11:03- Our first bit of real news: Sal Palintonio reports from 49ers headquarters that San Francisco might draft Alex Smith and then trade him after that. At this point I don't believe any news coming from 49ers camp, though with all the Alex Smith reports, it's looking like he'll be the pick if a deal can't be completed.
11:04- Mel Kiper on Alex Smith: "Smartest player ever to go from college to pro in NFL history." That's a BOLD statement. What about former Bengals punter and Harvard graduate Pat McInally? The guy scored a 50 (perfect score) on his Wonderlic test. I'm not doubting Smith's intelligence, but smartest ever is a huge statement.
11:08- They showed Aaron Rodgers entering the Javits Center. When prompted for his thoughts, he said, "Once in a lifetime thing. Just hope it's early." Apparently Rodgers doesn't speak in complete sentences.
11:58- I've spent the past 40 or so minutes playing MVP Baseball 2005 on my PlayStation 2, as SportsCenter has covered seemingly every sport but the NFL. Wouldn't this be a good time to do some sort of team needs one hour overview show?
12:00- The open has a Wall Street theme, but it's nothing special. It looks like a rejected intro for The Apprentice.
12:02- Braylon Edwards has a pimp watch. The agent advantage for him must've been nice.
12:06- Chris Mortensen commented that "Mike Nolan is simply playing the game" with the secrecy surrounding the first pick. Playing the game? What is this, Survivor?
12:08- Nice montage with Mel Kiper's top eight prospects.
12:09- Where is the 49ers countdown clock? Is this like the WWE Royal Rumble where they're going to shave time off at will?
12:11- I have seen the Next Generation of Madden, and it is great. Seriously, that EA Sports commercial for Madden NG was sweet. Now that EA Sports has the exclusive NFL license for console games for the next 5 years (or however long it is), they've got a responsibility to put out top notch content. Graphically, it looks like they're well on their way there.
12:12- The 49ers didn't go on the clock until now. What, the draft isn't long enough as it is already?
12:18- An ad for the NBA Playoff Tripleheader reminds me: I need to buy a second TV to replace the broken 27" Zenith that I bought from one of my fraternity brothers in college. In this era of multi-tasking, I'd like to have the draft and the NBA on at the same time, keep tabs on both. Or maybe play some more MVP 2005 if the draft starts to lag. I love the draft, but watching it live can be a trying thing.
12:23- Michael Irvin out, Torry Holt in. I guess with only one guy from "The U" (Miami of Florida) projected to go in round one, Irvin decided to take this draft off. That's fine, as Holt may be less animated that Irvin, but he is intelligent and articulate.
12:24- We have our first agent interview of the day, as we hear from Tom Condit. It takes a pretty brazen businessman to have a salt-and-pepper mullet in 2005, but if anyone can pull it off, it's Tom Condit.
12:25- The 49ers take Smith. On the 49ers jersey they have for him, I wonder why it says "A. Smith" for his name instead of just "Smith"? Okay, I checked online, Corey Smith and Derek Smith are also on the roster. Fair enough.
12:34- Chris Mortensen declares "The drama is over!" We'll see about that.
12:39- Miami takes Ronnie Brown. Great pick. Brown is an outstanding talent who fills the Ricky Williams void very well.
12:48- It's ESPN roundtable time. This can be hit-or-miss, but Rodney Harrison is articulate. He has a future in broadcasting after his NFL career.
12:51- The tables at the Jarvis Center for the players in the green room are funny, complete with the name plaques. "We'll have some bread right out for you, Aaron Rodgers."
12:54- Braylon Edwards to Cleveland, no shocker. That damn stock bell letting people monitoring the draft via TV audio that a pick is being made is annoying. I know it fits the theme, but much like the open, it falls flat in its place in the draft presentation.
12:55- Paul Tagliabue's forced smiles with the draft picks look awkward. This makes me think of a girl I knew in high school who was a model. She told me how she had to "learn how to smile", which I thought was ridiculous. But apparently there's a certain way to smile to look better while being photographed. Though when you're Paul Tag, you can do as you please.
12:57- Torry Holt just called Braylon Edwards "a kid". Holt was born on 7/5/1976. Edwards was born on 2/21/1983. Is Holt allowed to call him that because he's on his way to a possible hall of fame career while Edwards is a rookie? For now I'll say: yes. Though I don't think adults should be allowed to call one another "kid" on TV if there's less than a seven year age difference between the two. But don't read this as a knock on Holt; I've enjoyed his contributions to the ESPN team.
Click here to read page two of the 2005 NFL Draft Commentary.
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