Live from the NFL Draft!
Good afternoon everyone, we're here at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to bring you all the comings and goings of the 2009 NFL Draft.
I'm Chris Mascaro and I'll be here blogging all the picks, trades, Jets booing and more until the final pick tonight.
The Lions took the suspense out of the top choice, as they signed quarterback Matthew Stafford to a six-year, $78 million deal ($41.7 million of which is guaranteed) late last night. It is the richest rookie contract in the history of the league.
Stafford, who will likely start the season as Daunte Culpepper's backup, was 27-7 as a starter at Georgia, throwing for 51 touchdowns and 33 INTs. The Lions had the first 0-16 season ever and will be starting fresh this year with first-year head coach Jim Schwartz.
After the top selection, it's a crapshoot. Here's our own Mr. G's take on how things will pan out. But, as you all know, things tend to get a little nutty on draft day.
As of right now, here is the order of the top 10 selections:
1. Detroit
2. St. Louis
3. Kansas City
4. Seattle
5. Cleveland
6. Cincinnati
7. Oakland
8. Jacksonville
9. Green Bay
10. San Francisco
The Jets are up at No. 17, and the Giants will choose 29th.
On my way in, I saw commissioner Roger Goodell greeting the fans on line. Two observations on that: 1. Cool thing for the commish to do in my opinion, and 2. The fans will be going absolutely bonkers in the crowd today. I saw two Raiders fans with their faces painted black with a giant Raiders flag screaming their heads off.
Oh, and the Eagles fans are out in full force as well, and just moments ago, I heard the first J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets chant. Should be fun day.
Also got a close-up view of Mel Kiper's widow's peak, which was a lot of fun. Okay, the first pick is just under an hour away. Stay tuned with us throughout the evening, it's going to be a fun ride.
Feel free to post all your comments and questions right here on the blog!
**UPDATE**: Quick bit of non-draft related news. ESPN.com's John Clayton is reporting that the Steelers have signed Hines Ward to a four-year, $22 million extension.
Here is a list of the nine players in attendance today:
Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
Brian Cushing, LB, USC
Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State
Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi
Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
Just a few other observations from the pre-game festivities...
-The Eagles fans gave a Harry Kalas chant as the NFL Network played a tribute to him on one of the big screens.
-The New York fans gave a Yankee Stadium "roll call" to ESPN analysts Chris Berman, Steve Young, Keyshawn Johnson and Mel Kiper, Jr. Berman really hammed it up with the fans and had a good time with it.
-The ESPN and NFL Network sets are raised above the lower-level seats and on opposite sides of the theatre. When Young (working for ESPN) caught the eye of his old coach Steve Mariucci (on the NFL Net set), he signaled to Mooch to give him a call.
-When Deion Sanders came out on the main stage to tape an NFL Network segment, he got the crowd fired up, waving his arms in the air to get them louder.
-The Jets' D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Freeport alum) was brought out for an interview on the NFL Network. He was sweating quite profusely, and heard some boo-birds from the Jet fans.
-Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck were also interviewed on stage.
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Comments (5)
No roll call for Herm Edwards?
No live chat set up?
No Rockettes?
Herm is in the house ... I think Trey Wingo asked him if he plays to win games.
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