NFL Draft

So NFL Girl attended the draft last week in NY and while there had been talk of draftees boycotting and not attending, the event went off without a hitch. Now with the NFL in the midst of a lockout the landscape of the draft was different. Teams couldnt trade veteran players for more or higher draft picks. Instead if teams wished to move up or down the draft board they had to just switch or give up draft picks. Atlanta gave up a total of 5 picks (their #27 pick & 2nd & 4th round picks this year & their 1st & 4th round picks next year) to get Julio Jones with the #6 pick which if it works out will be phenomenal but if it doesnt will be detrimental for the next several years. Carolina drafted Cam Newton which was and wasnt a surprise. Many figured they would go defense or at least offensive line since this was more the issue than quarterback but with Moore and Clausen both looking terrible last year it is understandable why they made such a move. Broncos addressed their terrible defensive line issue from last year by drafting LB Von Miller with their first round pick. Bills immediately did the same by drafting DT Marcell Dareus which shows confidence is Fitzpatrick as their QB. The Bengals picked A.J. Green to fill the void left by TO and Ochocinco neither of whom are guaranteed to return this coming season. Cardinals addressed their secondary problems by drafting CB Patrick Petersen which surprised many who expected them to draft a QB after last year's fiasco. 49ers were expected to draft a QB with Alex Smith proving to be inconsistent at best and horrendous at worse but instead they drafted OLB Aldon Smith which again shocked many draft experts. With the best perceived QB Blaine Gabbert still on the board, the Titans shocked everyone by choosing QB Jake Locker instead. Whether this will be a good decision in the long term will have to be determined. With QB Tony Romo lost for the season due to their poor offensive line, the Cowboys drafted OT Tyron Smith which should also improve their running game this season. With the Titans not drafting Gabbert, their division rival Jaguars jumped on the opportunity to pick him with the 10th pick overall. This is a fantastic choice for them after Garrard played inconsistent all season long and was twice benched for back-ups who were either injured or played poorly. So the first round of the draft shaped up like this:

1. QB Cam Newton -- Carolina Panthers


2. LB Von Miller -- Denver Broncos


3. DT Marcell Dareus -- Buffalo Bills


4. WR A.J. Green -- Cincinnati Bengals


5. CB Patrick Peterson -- Arizona Cardinals


6. WR Julio Jones -- Atlanta Falcons


7. DE Aldon Smith -- San Francisco 49ers


8. QB Jake Locker -- Tennessee Titans


9. OT Tyron Smith -- Dallas Cowboys


10. QB Blaine Gabbert -- Jacksonville Jaguars


11. DE J.J. Watt -- Houston Texans


12. QB Christian Ponder -- Minnesota Vikings


13. DT Nick Fairley -- Detroit Lions


14. DE Robert Quinn -- St. Louis Rams


15. OL Mike Pouncey -- Miami Dolphins


16. DE Ryan Kerrigan --Washington Redskins


17. OL Nate Solder -- New England Patriots


18. DT Corey Liuget -- San Diego Chargers


19. CB Prince Amukamara -- New York Giants


20. DL Adrian Clayborn -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers


21. DL Phil Taylor -- Cleveland Browns


22. OL Anthony Castonzo -- Indianapolis Colts


23. OL Danny Watkins -- Philadelphia Eagles


24. DE Cameron Jordan -- New Orleans Saints


25. OL James Carpenter -- Seattle Seahawks


26. WR Jonathan Baldwin -- Kansas City Chiefs


27. CB Jimmy Smith -- Baltimore Ravens


28. RB Mark Ingram -- New Orleans Saints


29. OL Gabe Carimi -- Chicago Bears


30. DT Muhammad Wilkerson -- New York Jets


31. DT Cam Heyward -- Pittsburgh Steelers


32. OL Derek Sherrod -- Green Bay Packers

Overall the draft was superb considering that no blockbuster trade deals could be made and teams purely had to depend on their draft picks, future draft picks or draft order to get the best possible players on their teams. This draft class was considered decent with several good but not great quarterbacks all available. What the season or even the future will hold for these young stars is anyone's guess but I see great potential in many if not all of those who were picked. Let's hope for an end to the lockout so we can see this rookies play!

NFL Lockout

Ok so I know everyone has been curious what is NFL Girl's opinion on the lockout. Well what can I say honestly? I mean it's a fight between players who feel that owners are being greedy in not wishing to share the $9B television revenue they receive & owners who feel that players already receive an overly generous portion of the entire revenue the NFL generates. I cant say who is actually right in this situation but I do understand the argument the players have. Sadly it is neither the players nor the owners who suffer the most in these circumstances. Owners are billionaires who will generate income from their other avenues and players get paid regardless if they play or not. Who suffers the most are those front office staffers, the concession stand employees, the security personnel and stadium employees. These people will not get paid if there isnt a NFL season. Some may even lose their jobs entirely. So while I cant feel but so much for those that will garner paychecks, I definitely can feel for those who will lose income over the lockout. On top of those people I feel for the fans. Fans just love the game & support their team. They are the ones who buy the tickets, the concession items, the memorabilia, etc. They help to generate the income that the players and owners take for granted. When there is a lockout and players tell draftees not to attend the draft who does it hurt most? The veteran players who are already signed to a team? No. The owners who cant negotiate a contract with the players and who dont attend the draft anyway? No. The only people who suffer are the fans. I was glad to see that the players backed off this ridiculous request and that there was indeed a draft. I didnt understand that stance anyway. Dont punish your fans who according to most polls are on the side of players. Dont turn them against you when they understand your argument and agree with how you feel.

The players got the lockout temporarily lifted but the owners quickly got an injuction to block the lift so we are back to square one. Neither side is willing to compromise. Owners want an 18 game season and more $. Players want 2 bye weeks if they must go to 18 games & more of the television revenue. Who will win this fight remains to be seen. I only hope that the issues get resolved and we have a full season.