Jeff Hart: Friday Linkfest for April 27, 2012

By: Jeff Hart | Posted: April 27, 2012

In case you weren’t glued to ESPN last night for the trade-happy first round of the NFL draft (personally, I was watching Leslie Knope flay Bobby Newport), here’s some way too early grades on all the first round picks. Because the only thing less accurate than mock drafts are talent projections.

Anyway, the real entertainment of the draft isn’t derived from learning which promising 28 year-old rookie quarterback goes where; no, the draft is all about watching Roger Goodell wrap these kids up in some seriously awkward hugs.

And then there are those times when Goodell takes his game to the next level, like when he trotted out this complicated (for Roger, anyway) secret handshake with Melvin Ingram. Where is the green room footage of the hour it took Ingram to teach the commish that?

Perhaps the most intriguing pick of the first round was Seattle’s selection of Bruce Irvin with the 15^th overall pick. Irvin is viewed as the best pure pass rusher in the draft, but he’s also a guy that most scouts had off their boards because of serious off-the-field red flags like that time he did time for robbing a drug dealer’s house. Irvin wasn’t at the draft in person or it’s a sure thing he would’ve gotten the stink-eye during his Goodell pat-down.  

Let’s get some negativity in here, shall we? When asked what he thinks of Cleveland’s rookie RB Trent Richardson, Browns great Jim Brown responded with a resounding “meh.”

 The Classical also provides some nay saying, with slams ready for each of the top QB prospects. Describing Ryan Tannehill as “law school hot”? Probably the most accurate piece of draft analysis I’ve read.

Finally, as The Football Girl discussed yesterday, it’s looking like none of these rookies will ever earn a free trip to Hawaii to enjoy a rough approximation of football. The Pro Bowl is probably being canceled, but The Big Lead’s Jason Lisk has a great idea for its replacement: 7-on-7 all-division teams in a single elimination tournament. Where can I sign the petition to get that going?

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