Last night as a sat around a table of 35 guys enjoying the NFL draft there was something that I noticed. While all of anxiously awaited the picks of each team and to see what teams would trade up, I noticed that there was one guy at the table who was at least 1 or 2 minutes a head of everyone else.

One person at the table had access to twitter where picks and trades were publicized a good 1 or 2 minutes before being broadcasted on ESPN or NFL Network.

Like everything else these days it seemed as though pending on who you follow that your twitter timeline was a third alternative to ESPN and NFL Network when watching the NFL draft.

While I am a huge twitter advocate, the aspect of the speedy reporting on twitter did take away from some of the suspense of the NFL draft. The TV networks were told by the NFL to avoid showing the phone call process in draft room to increase the suspense and mystery of the draft but this seemed to be a failed attempt with the information available on twitter.

Twitter even led to a player being prank called, convincing Mohamed Sanu that he had been drafted by the Bengals in the first round.

As per agent @MikeMcCartney7, someone made a prank call to tell Mohamed Sanu he was being drafted first round by Bengals. Awful.

— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) April 27, 2012

Twitter is a fun means to interact with fans and friends to discuss the draft but it is also a dangerous tool.

While there is no question, twitter and social media has created a whole new world for fans however I am not so sure it has left a positive impact on the draft.

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Yesterday, the Jacksonville Jaguars made possibly the most stunning, and confusing to some, move of the draft. With their third round selection, the Jaguars drafted Bryan Anger, a punter from California. I'll say that again for dramatic effect. The Jaguars drafted a punter in the 3rd round of the draft.

Before we throw the Jaguars under the bus for making Anger the highest drafted punter since the Bears drafted Todd Sauerbrun with their 2nd round selection in 1995. Punters are a very important, especially for a team that doesn't move the ball very well like the Jaguars.

Another aspect of the pick is that it's as close to a "safe pick" as you'll ever get in the NFL. Punters are very easy to evaluate. Kickers tend to get far more consistent in the early years of their NFL careers, but punters tend to come into the NFL more refined than their kicking counterparts.

So we revert to our original question. Is a punter worth a high draft pick? I would argue yes. A good punter can bury a team deep in their own territory. A good punter can also instantly swap field position. Essentially, a punter is a defensive player. A good punt allows the defense to come on the field and attack. No, it's not a glamorous pick, but I like the idea of taking a great punter at the top of the draft.

In the Jaguars' case, the pick combines a need with a great player. I've always been a firm believer that punters and kickers make a huge difference in the game. You can argue that they don't matter as much because they only play a handful of plays per game they aren't as important, but the plays they are in for, they're the focal point, and those plays matter more than most other plays in the game.

If you don't like picking a punter in the first few rounds of the draft, that's a justifyable opinion, but just know that the NFL Network agrees with me on this one.

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The madness that was the first round of the draft has finally come to an end. The top end of the draft was ripe with trades as teams panicked to get the guy they wanted. The teens were fairly relaxed with some picks that fell in line with most projections and then it got wild at the end again when a few backs went off the board and the Pats traded up not once but twice.

The night got off to an interesting start when the Browns jumped up to three to ensure that they would get T-Rich. It was pretty clear that the Vikings were going to go for Kalil, but there was no guarantee that another team wouldn't jump up. So the Browns were flush were picks and made the move for the back that they hope will be the next Adrian Peterson.

The Jags finally figured out that in order for their young “franchise” pivot to have something resembling success they need to have someone for him to throw the ball to. Laurent Robinson and Lee Evans were brought in to be complimentary pieces and then they jumped to five to snag Justin Blackmon. The Boldin clone will hopefully make Gabbert not look like a complete flop.

First shocker? The Cowboys of course. They moved up to grab Morris Claiborne, a player that they had no contact with before the draft. No visits. No calls. Nothing. They got a stud corner to go along with Brandon Carr who they lured in during open market season. What would a draft be without Jerry Jones doing something ridiculous?

As NFL fans around the league psyched themselves up about the newest players on their team and an exciting first night of the NFL draft there are a couple of story lines that might have gone a little under the radar.

1) Mo Claiborne being shocked by the Cowboys

While every by now knows that the Cowboys found themselves a very talented corner, some might not have realized until last night that Mo Claiborne’s whole family are Cowboys fans. Claiborne had no contact with the Boys prior to the draft and was pleasantly surprised when he heard his phone ringing from his childhood team.

2) Ryan Tannehill’s wife

While many fans are excited the Dolphins ended a 13 year long streak of passing on first round QB’s, there are other fans that are more excited to have Lauren Tannehill headed to Miami.

If the #Chiefs draft Lauren Tannehill in the 2nd round I won't be upset.

— Jared Speckman (@Speck60) April 27, 2012

We know Ryan Tannehill has good decision making skills. Did you see his wife?? playerwives.com/miscellaneous-…

— Adam Kuperstein (@AKuperstein) April 27, 2012

3) RG3 socks

While we all know RG3 has swag on the field, he has displayed now time after time that his swag is matched off the field. Deion Sanders did a mini fashion show with RG3 at the draft showing off RG3’s kicks and socks.

4) Bruce Irvin? Reach?

While most people criticized this pick, some might not know that Pete Carroll knows Bruce Irvin quite well and clearly has faith in his pass rushing abilities.

Had no idea Pete Carroll recruiting Bruce Irvin to USC before he couldn't qualify. It now makes a little more sense.

— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) April 27, 2012

5) Network battle ( ESPN vs NFLN, Mayock vs Kiper)

While ESPN might be a sports monopoly, come draft season they head to head with NFL Network fighting for fan viewership. It will be interesting to see who will win the ratings battle by the time the draft ends. Both networks have very strong staff assembled with Mel Kiper leading ESPN and Mike Mayock captaining NFL Network,

For the record, I watch NFLN because being a Dolphins fan the sight of Bill Parcells makes me sick.

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For only the fifth time in NFL history, quarterbacks were selected with the first two picks of last night's draft. And as a result of the hype surrounding Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the draft's next-best quarterbacks, Ryan Tannehill from Texas A&M and Brandon Weeden from Oklahoma State, saw their respective stocks rise artificially.

So sure, the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns picked each player higher than they probably should have been chosen. But did either team really have a choice?

In theory, the Dolphins might have been able to drop back a few slots before selecting Tannehill, and it's possible the Browns could've had Weeden with their early second-round pick, but when you consider supply and demand and the value of top-tier quarterbacks, it probably wasn't worth the risk.

It's simple, really: In this league, you can't win consistently -- and you certainly can't win Lombardi consistently -- without a quarterback who can carry your team. And there's a misconception out there that maybe teams like the Dolphins (who haven't had a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino) and the Browns (who haven't had one since Bernie Kosar) don't agree with that theory.

They do. But unfortunately, knowing it and having it are two different things.

I'm not forgiving either team for poor personnel decisions, but sometimes I wonder what their respective fan bases would prefer. Did they want the Browns to mortgage their future for Robert Griffin III? The last three times two quarterbacks have been selected to start the draft, one of each set has become a bust. There's no guarantee RG3 becomes good. There's never a guarantee. Would he be worth it?

I don't blame the Browns for not selling the farm for Griffin, and understand their more reasonable decision to save their draft picks for weapons to complement Weeden, who comes with significantly lower expectations but at a more reasonable price.

I also don't blame the Dolphins for not paying steep prices for top-flight free-agent quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn. Manning, who is 38 and has neck problems, would have cost nearly $20 million in 2012. Flynn could turn into a special player in Seattle, and he's being paid quite modestly, but by all indications, he simply chose the Seahawks over Miami.

That's the rub. Very rarely do quarterbacks who are worthwhile hit the free-agent market, and if your team isn't very good, it probably won't be able to compete for the ones that do. The Browns experienced that when Manning swatted them away early this offseason.

Now at least both of these teams have capable bodies in place to provide healthy competition with the incumbent starters. Maybe they'll hit the jackpot, maybe they won't.

There's a strong chance that neither Tannehill nor Weeden pan out, but the Dolphins and Browns didn't have many other options. And in a quarterback-dependent game such as this one, you simply have to keep swinging until you find the right signal caller.

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Earlier today, I wrote about the teams I thought were winners in the opening round of the draft. Now, it's time to look at the big losers from the first day of the draft. As with the winners, the list is in order of when the teams made their picks. With that, let's jump right in.

Miami Dolphins

In a quarterback driven league, the Miami Dolphins needed a better option than David Garrard who didn't play at all in 2011. The Dolphins most definitely overdrafted Ryan Tannehill, but frankly, if they didn't someone else would have. Miami, like the Browns were later in the round, was put in a position where it had to overdraft a quarterback. That fact speaks volumes about the failure of the Dolphins front office in building a good football team.

St. Louis Rams

This one comes with a bit of an asterisk. I love the Rams' trade to move from 2nd overall to 6th overall, but this list is who lost on day 1 of the draft, not the entire process. The Rams misfortunes began when Justin Blackmon was drafted by Jacksonville at 5th overall, one pick in front of the Rams. So, the Rams traded down again which seemed logical. Then the Cardinals drafted Michael Floyd at 13th overall, one pick in front of the Rams again. In the end, Michael Brockers should be a solid pick, but the Rams should have walked away with a playmaker, not a defensive lineman.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle's first round pick just looks bad. With the 15th overall pick, the drafted Bruce Irvin, a situational pass rusher. Maybe this is just me, or maybe I'm old fashioned, but if I'm picking a guy in the first half of the first round of the NFL draft, I want him on the field the majority of the time. The pick just confuses the hell out of me. I know that you have to rush the passer to be successful defensively, but that's an outrageously high cost to get a pass rusher with off the field problems.

San Diego Chargers

In my winners article, I said the Bears were fortunate enough to have Shea McClellin fall right into their laps. They can thank the Chargers for that nice gift. I spoke briefly with Derek Hughes, a Chargers blogger, and he was livid the Chargers went with Melvin Ingram over McClellin. Hughes believes the Chargers need a pass rushing linebacker, not another defensive end to get pressure, and I can't say I disagree.

Cleveland Browns

Brandon Weeden has potential. There's no doubt about that, but then again, Colt McCoy still has potential too. I liked that the Browns added a solid running back in Trent Richardson, but I thought Richardson was overrated, and no quarterback can be successful without a few good weapons. The Browns need to be helping McCoy be successful. The only thing drafting Weeden accomplished is it brought the quarterback controversy back to Cleveland.

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If the first round of the 2012 NFL draft felt a little different than usual, it's not because you stopped taking your medication. Well, that could be a factor, too, but this year's draft was truly and remarkably unique because teams were jumping around more than ever. 

Seriously. Ever. And it's not even close.

Prior to last night, there had never been more than 14 trades made in the draft's maiden round. But this year, a record-breaking 19 deals were struck in Round 1. That's more than the last three first rounds combined, and a 475-percent increase from last year's total of four. No more than nine trades had been made in any first round since 2002.

But this wasn't an anomaly. TGS's Shane Clemons predicted yesterday that there'd be more wheeling and dealing at the top of the draft. What will surely become a trend can be traced back to the new collective bargaining agreement and the rookie wage scale therein. Prior to 2011, rookies selected in the first round -- and especially in the top 10 -- were paid like movie stars. Last year, when the draft took place mid-lockout, nobody was certain what they'd be paying such players. 

But this year, restrictions are officially in place, limiting high-end picks to reasonable salaries. No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, for example, is expected to sign for only $22 million over four years. 

As coverage wrapped up last night, NFL Network's Mike Mayock summed it up, stating that teams are no longer afraid to move around the board because "if you made a mistake [in the first round in years past] it crippled your franchise for years to come."

"What we see now is a system that’s working, and we’re seeing teams moving up and down and finding the players they covet," Mayock said. "The price is a draft pick, it’s not financial."

This is obviously great for the game. Not only does it make the draft more entertaining -- can you imagine how much of a bore last night would have been without the deals? -- but it gives the cash-strapped and/or frugal teams another chance to better control their destiny. With financial implications off the table, it's an even playing field on draft day.

And in another way, the effect is Darwinian. In years past, the league's top teams -- who for obvious reasons usually have less cap money to throw around -- wouldn't dream of moving up in the first round. But on Thursday night, we saw the New England freakin' Patriots -- serial trade-down artists historically -- trade up, not once, buttwice. So I suppose the possible drawback here is that the richest teams have a chance to get richer by acquiring the more highly-touted prospects. 

Very rarely does the league make a change that pleases all, but it appears this is one of those cases. The key is control, and all 32 teams are now empowered by more of it.

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The perception of winners and losers on draft day is tough to call, rather impossible actually, but that won't stop me from making an attempt. Because there's no way of knowing whether specific players will pan out or become huge busts, I'll speak in terms of popular beliefs and perceptions from both the team executives and fans. Now, straight to your day 1 winners (in the order they picked).

Indianapolis Colts/Washington Redskins

These two teams are obvious picks. They both got the guy they wanted, and they now both have franchise quarterbacks to lead their teams. Mike Shanahan will likely be on a warm seat in 2012, so it's important that Griffin can make an immediate impact on one of the league's most boring teams. Andrew Luck won't be under quite as much pressure, especially because the perception is that Indianapolis doesn't have much talent outside of Luck and a few other key players.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Speaking of boring teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been working on the league's most boring offense since the season ended. After giving up a 4th round pick to move up 2 spots in the draft order, the Jaguars selected Justin Blackmon. I thought the Jaguars got a great deal in only giving up one additional pick (on top of the 7th overall pick), and Blackmon represents the true #1 receiver the Jaguars really needed. Suddenly, the Jaguars' offense doesn't look too bad.

Arizona Cardinals

Selecting Michael Floyd had as much to do with pleasing Larry Fitzgerald as it did making the Cardinals' troubled passing attack potent once again. We don't know if Kevin Kolb can succeed as an NFL starter, but the Cardinals are at least trying to make his life a little easier by providing as many targets for him to throw to as possible. Look for Kolb and the Cardinals to air it out early and often in 2012 with Fitzgerald and Floyd as their feature receivers.

Chicago Bears

This may be the least popular pick on this list, but I was convinced Shea McClellin was going to San Diego. The Chargers need help with their pass rush, and McClellin is relentless. The fact that the he fell right into the Bears lap, and the Bears were smart enough to take him and run, lands the Bears on this list of day 1 winners.

Detroit Lions

Oh the Detroit Lions. For years the draft was considered their Super Bowl. If that sentiment was true, the Lions used to be the Buffalo Bills of the draft Super Bowl, but those days are long gone. Since Martin Mayhew took over as the Lions GM, it's been one blockbuster draft after another, and this year's edition is already shaping up very well. The Lions snagged Riley Reiff, an OT from Iowa, with the 23rd pick of the draft. If there's one complaint you could have made about the Lions' air attack in 2011, it was that Matthew Stafford didn't ever have enough time. Reiff is a big step towards fixing that problem, and he should be a starter from week 1.

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The NFL is always looking for ways to increase the entertainment value of its events, and last night's first round of the draft was no different. It's funny, though, because while Thursday's opening round was chock-full of drama, the suspense of the evening had nothing to do with the league's latest effort to add intrigue to its product.

Last night's first round was dramatic because of the record-breaking 19 trades, six of which affected the first seven picks. It was dramatic because we saw four quarterbacks fly off the board and a running back was taken in the No. 3 spot. 

It was dramatic in spite of the fact that the NFL's attempt to eliminate pick spoiling went to hell. 

If you aren't familiar with pick spoiling, you've never watched the draft. Every year, the broadcasting networks would subtly or not-so-subtly tip the vast majority of first-round picks by either dropping cheesy verbal hints (Berman, Chris) or showing soon-to-be-drafted players on their cellphones in the green room. 

That was supposed to change this year. And while the networks generally avoided the shots of sobbing prospects taking calls in the green room and Berman and NFL Network pilot Rich Eisen generally avoided giving picks away before throwing to commissioner Roger Goodell for the official announcement, the majority of viewers were, unfortunately, already well aware of who was going to be chosen.

There were probably only about five occasions Thursday night where I wasn't 99.9 or 100 percent sure whose name was about to be called. The problem is that the NFL introduced this mandate about half a decade too late. Nowadays, what with the Twitter and all, there's no preventing the public from discovering the picks -- whether they want to or not -- ahead of time.

Unless they completely avoid Twitter for the night, but that would just be absurd. 

To truly be surprised by a draft pick nowadays, you have to shut down the laptop and mute the TV between selections. There's really no other way. At some points Thursday, Twitter was three whole picks ahead of ESPN and NFL Network.

I do believe the networks made a conscious effort to abide by the league's request, but by the time the Browns were set to draft Brandon Weeden at 22, they'd pretty much given up. They showed Weeden in one of those clichéd family-room shots, spoiling nothing for anybody because Twitter had already been shouting the pick at us for 120 seconds. By the time the Buccaneers were on the clock with the 31st pick, ESPN's Adam Schefter was flat-out telling us that Boise St. running back Doug Martin was the selection.

As ESPN's Rachel Nichols pointed out on Twitter during the broadcast, the league was only able to mandate that no official TV broadcasts or team employees could tip, but that nothing else was regulated. So technically, Schefter breached that rule by tweeting out pretty much every selection ahead of time. And if Seahawks owner Paul Allen counts as a "team employee" he pissed all over said mandate by preemptively tweeting the first 15 picks and several trades.

But it's tough to ask Schefter, who is paid to break news, to abstain from doing his job, and even if you muzzle Allen -- and that might have happened -- there'll be others who will emerge to reveal the gifts before Christmas morning. 
It's 2012, man. There's no such thing as a secret anymore. Just ask the Saints.

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