Draft Thoughts 2009

- Being a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, I was once again bitterly disappointed by the way Jerry Jones conducted the draft. I am perfectly okay for them trading out of the first two rounds to stockpile draft picks, especially when all the guys he liked had just been taken ahead of the Cowboys' turn. But when they did pick, they never address their obvious need in wide receiver and safety, and instead took a small-school prospect in Jason Williams as their first selection. And for a head-scratcher, why did Jerry draft David Buehler, when you already have one of the best kickers in the league, Nick Folk, on your team?

- I have never been so sure about a prospect. But mark my words: Mark Sanchez is going to be a BIG STAR in the league. And so my hat is off for Mike Tannenbaum of the New York Jets for trading up take the quarterback from USC at number five. For the second year in a row, Tannenbaum has made a bold move for a top QB.

- The unfortunate Detroit Lions just couldn't catch a break. The tried to send the first overall pick to the Denver Broncos for Jay Cutler, but the Broncos were not willing to bite, mainly (or solely) because of the huge salary it's attached to. As they are stuck at number one and with a glaring need at QB, they rolled the dice on Matthew Stafford, a player who has a big arm but lacks consistency. If I were their GM Martin Mayhew, I would have taken Sanchez at number one, in a heartbeat.

- It's a joke for Michael Crabtree, the consensus top wide receiver, to fall to number ten to the San Francisco 49ers. And it's an even bigger joke for the Oakland Raiders to pick Darrius Heyward-Bey at number seven, despite him being a much inferior player to Crabtree. Just like what Todd McShay has said, the Raiders seem to be drafting by their own rules, and you just have to live with that.

Numbers Game 2009

I know I have done it before, and so I am going to do it again.

I am really crazy for the Dallas Cowboys, and the NFL Draft too.

After spending two full nights listening to the webcast of the draft, I have once again finished typing the information of all draftees into a neatly-prepared Word file.

Thanks to the Wikipedia and the internet, I no longer have to wait for months to find out what the jersey numbers of the draftees are.

So please indulge me for listing the jersey numbers of their draft class of 2009:

58 LB Jason Williams
79 OT Robert Brewster
7 QB Stephen McGee
57 LB Victor Butler
59 LB Brandon Williams
31 CB DeAngelo Smith
36 S Michael Hamlin
18 PK David Buehler
55 LB Stephen Hodge
89 TE John Phillips
33 CB Mike Mickens
87 WR Manuel Johnson

Now there is one more happy man in the world.