Photos: New Jets QB Mark Sanchez, SBS Media's Fearless Leader Zennie Abraham, The "Docta" and one of his "grad students" of Football, Yardbarker.com's Dewey Hammond
The Monday After: a Draft Wrap up part 1 By D. Bill Chachkes for Football Reporters Online/Gridiron Draft Guide/SBS Media

The NFL Draft is where the wild things are. This year the Jets fans were more then just wild, They were wildly happy that owner Woody Johnson gave GM Mike Tannenbaum and Head Coach Rex Ryan the Green light to trade up for USC QB Mark Sanchez. But Is Sanchez what the NY Jets really need? While the Jets organization, most of the beat media, and even most fans feel that the USC Product was one of the only two QB's in this draft that could start sooner rather then later, I'm not totally convinced. Personally, i don't dislike him, infact he is very likeable, with a great sense of humor and a great personality, which he showed in the draft press conference Sunday when two of my writing partners, SBS media's Zennie Abraham and Yardbarker.com's Dewey Hammond were razzing him about his hair and the CAL-USC rivalry. It's not his ability, he has plenty. I just think the Jets gave up too much to get him in this economy, and the Jets already have three QB's, including one they won't let play the position (Brad Smith) who passed for over 5,000 yards in college. Maybe they will try the wildcat offense with slow guys. Meanwhile they did not address the issue of getting a fast receiver. Had they done so, any QB would have been good enough for one more year. Give the Jets a B to a B+ depending on how long it takes Sanchez to get it together and adjust to the NFL game, which his agent David Dunn says will happen smoothly.

Thoughts on the other AFC teams:

Bills: 8 Picks. LB Aaron Maybin (rd1) and CB Jairus Byrd are good solid choices, But OC Eric Wood wasn't even among the top 2 Centers, and the other Offensive Lineman Andy Levitre was only an after thought on many Draft expert's charts, including mine. Grade: C to C-

Dolphins: 10 Picks. I'd like to give big poppa Parcells the benefit of the doubt here(and so would at least one of my associates who knows him personally and spend a year following him as research on his book) regarding Vontae Davis, But ego runs in the family (see big brother Vernon). I love Pat White as a QB, but they need to add more speed at receiver for the wildcat to work well. Sean Smith is the biggest CB i have ever seen. no addition of a Stout DL would worry the Phins faithful. Grade: C+ unless White gets the help he needs.

Patriots: 12 Picks. S Pat Chung could play anywhere in the defensive backfield, and Butler is a shutdown CB. Got Depth and scored 2 picks next year by smart trades, but no true "impact" players here. Grade: B

Ravens: 6 Picks: Just on Mike Oher alone Ozzie Newsome and his personnel crew get the "A", but i have to take away a half a grade because CB Lardarius Webb could pass for a 15 year old H.S. player in his pads at 177lbs. soaking wet. Rb Cedric Peerman could develop into a good reserve/role player. Grade: A-

Bengals: 11Picks. If Andre Smith doesn't flake out from the stress, he could someday be in that Building in Canton. Rey Maualuga is the Troy Polumalu of inside linebackers, and TE Chase Coffman has the NFL pedigree through his dad. Add OC Jon Luigs and P Kevin Huber(if he continues to improve his hang time numbers). The issue as always in Cincy is will these guys act their age or their shoe size. Grade: B-

Browns: 8 Picks. Alex Mack is the best Center in this class. Add the two receivers, Robiskie & Massaquoi and LB Kaluka Maiava (who we all know is the nephew of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and you have added enough depth at key positions. Kudos to the Mangeinus for doing the deal with his old team, but there aren't any Real great players here. Grade: C

Steelers: 9 Picks. While i like DT Ziggy Hood, OL Kraig Urbik and OC A.Q. Shipley are back-ups at best for now. CB Joe Burnett is a decent CB for where he was picked. The rest are just back-ups if they make it at all. Grade: C+

Texans: 8 Picks. Houston got one of the steals of round one with Brian Cushing, and Connor Barwin will combine with Mario Williams to greatly improve the Texans D. The only problem here is that no receiver or running back was chosen to help with depth. Grade B+

Colts: 8 Picks. Are you surprised that Donald Brown came of the board before Ohio State's Chris Wells? You shouldn't be, because Brown is more adaptable to more offensive sets. DT Fili Moala, WR Austin Collie, and QB Curtis Painter will help with depth, but they still need another DL from somewhere. P Pat McAfee could get teh job on his toughness alone. Grade: B

Jaguars: 9 Picks. Great use of draft slots to get the best players to fill needs. OT's Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton will help Maurice Jones Drew have a "career" year in 2009, plus adding three receivers (Mike Thomas, Jarett Dillard, and Tiquan Underwood will add bench depth, but they are still missing an instant starter at the position to help veteran FA signing Torry Holt. Liberty;s Rashad Jennings is an undiscovered talent at RB. Grade: B+

Titans: 11 Picks. I'd grade them higher if i could but they didn't get someone who could even develop into Al Hanesworth's replacement. Sen'Derrick Marks is good but not good enough yet to do it alone. WR Kenny Britt and TE Jared Cook will add some zest to the passing game, and smallish RB Javon Ringer was a Michigan State stand out and quality person all around, who could be the next Dave Meggett talent wise. Grade: B

Broncos: 10 Picks. Although Ex-Georgia Bulldog Knowshon Moreno was the best RB in the Draft in my mind, Denver did little else to help other need areas, like the defensive line. Also didn't address the offensive line until late in the draft. Grade: D-

Chiefs: 8 Picks. Nice job of starting to rebuild the defense. RB Javarris Williams from Tenn. State in the Ohio Valley Conference was one of our "small school prospect unknown" and another steal at his position in round 7.Still need more help for QB Matt Cassel. Grade: B+

Raiders: 7 Picks. If Al Davis would only retire or at least let someone else handle the personnel side of things, maybe the raiders can move forward. While Darrius Heyward-Bey is a quality receiver he wasn't the 7th pick overall, and who the heck is Michael Mitchell? Grade: D+ if Heyward-Bey develops faster then expected, otherwise they get the big "F" again.

Chargers: 8 Picks. While I really like LB Larry English as a defensive player, there is no way he should have been a 1st round pick no matter how much you are worried about Shawne Merriman not being able to come all the way back. Explain to me why you also pick 2 OG's in a weak class for Guards? LSU's Demetrius Byrd is a better receiver then his slot would indicate. Seems to me like they had a Brain Cluster after Denver picked Moreno ahead of them. Grade: B-

Next: The Giants and the NFC

Did I Feel a Draft Pass By…
By Dr. Bill Chachkes

Talk about your fast first day! After last year’s Marathon six hours and eight minutes, we had a rapid fire three hours and thirty-three minutes for a first round. Some people are already claiming it was too short. I say that as much as I love the draft, leave it at a shortened first two rounds, maybe adjust the time back up to twelve minutes and the second round to 8 minutes. Lets roll it back to 2 Pm next year and it will still end around the same time. Some of the more memorable moments of the 2008 NFL Draft:

Jets fans can say all they want that Vernon Gholston is their man, but plenty of them were chanting for Darren McFadden at Friday’s Prospects Preview event at the Winter Garden atrium at the World Financial Center, as well as at the draft Saturday morning and afternoon. The two time Heisman Trophy runner up put all that disappointment behind him by becoming the 4th overall pick to Oakland. Our Partner Zennie Abraham had the best questions of the press conference for McFadden. He had the best attitude answering them as well.

Right now, Kansas City’s GM Carl Peterson looks like the genius of this draft. A Glenn (Dorsey of LSU) first, then two Brandon’s (Albert & Flowers) makes him look real smart. But will Herm Edwards be able to win the game(s) with these raw recruits? We shall see….

Everyone expected Chad Henne or Brian Brohm to be the next QB selected. No one thought Joe Flacco was Good enough to be a first round QB. Except maybe Ozzie Newsome, and our own Jon Wagner, and myself (read John’s piece that was posted before the draft elsewhere on the site!) While I myself thought that Flacco was as good as Henne or Brohm, I thought the natural course would be for the teams looking for QB’s to take the FBS (1-A) Players before the FCS(1-AA) Players, at least at QB, since so many of the better QB’s from 1-AA slid after All Star games, Combine’s and Pro Days.
Joe Flacco never slid in my mind.

On Sunday we got to speak to 4 People who are the very fabric of the game. First, I had 60 seconds with Commissioner Roger Goodell. By the 30th second he had confirmed what I knew all along before ever meeting him. While no one could ever be perfect, the game we love is safe in his hands. At least for now anyway. Then I spoke to a man who believes that every man deserves to be congratulated for what ever he does in this world. He also believes that the last pick in the draft is every bit as special as the first. I’m talking about Mr. Irrelevant's Paul Satala. We should have more grand men of the game like him.

Finally two men who have always kept it strait in their reporting spent a few minutes each with me. CBS Sports’ Clark Judge, and ESPN’s John Clayton. Both thought it was a wild first day. Clark had said to Zennie and I late Saturday that he thought a few teams had gone retro with their scouting this time out (I said “you mean like back in the 60’s with yellow legal pads in front of the TV watching college games Saturday afternoon?).
John Agreed with me that the Lions Pick up of Army’s Caleb Campbell was a quality selection for Round 7, but can he score touchdowns? Who Knows….


Photos: Howie Long Speaks to the Media(Left) before his Son Chris(Right) took the stage stage in the interview room at the 2008 NFL Draft