NFL Draft: Round 1 Betting Review
As expected, the Rams made Sam Bradford the top overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft that got underway Thursday night. The 'big uglies' dominated the early going with four lineman among the top six picks.
Thursday was one of the biggest days of Sam Bradford’s life. The St. Louis Rams used their first overall pick at the 2010 NFL Draft to make Bradford their quarterback of the future – perhaps the immediate future.
This could be the beginning of a great career for Bradford, the former Heisman winner with the Oklahoma Sooners, or it could be all downhill from here. That’s the risk you take when you draft a quarterback at No. 1.
Did somebody say risk? That’s what we deal in around here. Rams supporters are hard at work breaking down the draft, trying to figure out what impact Bradford’s arrival in St. Louis will have on the betting odds. It won’t be felt on the Super Bowl futures market, where the Rams are mired in last place at 150-1 after finishing the 2009 campaign at 1-15 (7-9 ATS).
But St. Louis can expect to win more in 2010 with Bradford under center. Even the brutal Detroit Lions were able to go from zero to two wins after picking QB Matthew Stafford No. 1 last year. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Rams are priced when the totals for regular-season victories are released.
Bradford will have a better support staff at his disposal than Stafford was given in Detroit. Coach Steve Spagnuolo had a rough rookie year in the standings, but he remains a respected figure in league circles after breaking through as the defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants. Bradford will also have the luxury of handing the ball off to running back Steven Jackson, who stayed healthy last year and made it back to the Pro Bowl with 4.4 yards per carry.
The Lions should make another step forward in 2010 after selecting defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the AP Player of the Year and the anchor of the dominant Nebraska Cornhuskers defense. Detroit was last in the NFL in defensive efficiency in 2009 and last against the pass; Suh is even better against the run, but he’s also a premium pass rusher on the interior and sure to strengthen the team’s weakest link.
The Lions helped their offense later in the first round by trading with the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 30 pick and using it on California RB Jahvid Best.
In addition to Suh, linemen were taken at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 in Thursday’s first round. All these players are likely to make a difference in 2010. It’s not entirely fair to call these “non-skill” positions, but it is true that linemen have a lot less to learn than quarterbacks do when they make the jump from college to the pros. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers think they have the next Warren Sapp in DT Gerald McCoy, one of three Sooners taken with the first four picks.
Offensive tackle Trent Williams went fourth overall to the Washington Redskins, where he’ll protect QB Donovan McNabb, and OT Russell Okung was gleefully snapped up by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 6. Seattle needs Okung to fill the hole left by Walter Jones, who appears to be retiring from the game at age 36.
The farther you get into the first round, the less of an immediate impact a player is likely to have – in part because the team itself is not as needy. But the Buffalo Bills and new GM Buddy Nix may have landed a big fish at No. 9 with C.J. Spiller, the former running back from Clemson.
Spiller is both physically and mentally gifted and steps into a position of need for the Bills; scouts have compared him favorably to Chris Johnson (5.6 yards per carry) of the Tennessee Titans. Buffalo still had some glaring needs on the offensive line going into the second round of the draft, but there are quality linemen available on Friday. And the Bills definitely have room for improvement after finishing 6-10 (8-8 ATS) last year. Bring on those totals.
As expected, the Rams made Sam Bradford the top overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft that got underway Thursday night. The 'big uglies' dominated the early going with four lineman among the top six picks.
Thursday was one of the biggest days of Sam Bradford’s life. The St. Louis Rams used their first overall pick at the 2010 NFL Draft to make Bradford their quarterback of the future – perhaps the immediate future.
This could be the beginning of a great career for Bradford, the former Heisman winner with the Oklahoma Sooners, or it could be all downhill from here. That’s the risk you take when you draft a quarterback at No. 1.
Did somebody say risk? That’s what we deal in around here. Rams supporters are hard at work breaking down the draft, trying to figure out what impact Bradford’s arrival in St. Louis will have on the betting odds. It won’t be felt on the Super Bowl futures market, where the Rams are mired in last place at 150-1 after finishing the 2009 campaign at 1-15 (7-9 ATS).
But St. Louis can expect to win more in 2010 with Bradford under center. Even the brutal Detroit Lions were able to go from zero to two wins after picking QB Matthew Stafford No. 1 last year. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Rams are priced when the totals for regular-season victories are released.
Bradford will have a better support staff at his disposal than Stafford was given in Detroit. Coach Steve Spagnuolo had a rough rookie year in the standings, but he remains a respected figure in league circles after breaking through as the defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants. Bradford will also have the luxury of handing the ball off to running back Steven Jackson, who stayed healthy last year and made it back to the Pro Bowl with 4.4 yards per carry.
The Lions should make another step forward in 2010 after selecting defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the AP Player of the Year and the anchor of the dominant Nebraska Cornhuskers defense. Detroit was last in the NFL in defensive efficiency in 2009 and last against the pass; Suh is even better against the run, but he’s also a premium pass rusher on the interior and sure to strengthen the team’s weakest link.
The Lions helped their offense later in the first round by trading with the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 30 pick and using it on California RB Jahvid Best.
In addition to Suh, linemen were taken at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 in Thursday’s first round. All these players are likely to make a difference in 2010. It’s not entirely fair to call these “non-skill” positions, but it is true that linemen have a lot less to learn than quarterbacks do when they make the jump from college to the pros. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers think they have the next Warren Sapp in DT Gerald McCoy, one of three Sooners taken with the first four picks.
Offensive tackle Trent Williams went fourth overall to the Washington Redskins, where he’ll protect QB Donovan McNabb, and OT Russell Okung was gleefully snapped up by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 6. Seattle needs Okung to fill the hole left by Walter Jones, who appears to be retiring from the game at age 36.
The farther you get into the first round, the less of an immediate impact a player is likely to have – in part because the team itself is not as needy. But the Buffalo Bills and new GM Buddy Nix may have landed a big fish at No. 9 with C.J. Spiller, the former running back from Clemson.
Spiller is both physically and mentally gifted and steps into a position of need for the Bills; scouts have compared him favorably to Chris Johnson (5.6 yards per carry) of the Tennessee Titans. Buffalo still had some glaring needs on the offensive line going into the second round of the draft, but there are quality linemen available on Friday. And the Bills definitely have room for improvement after finishing 6-10 (8-8 ATS) last year. Bring on those totals.
