Conversation with the wife this morning.
Wife: Do you want to go to Angie’s play class with us this morning and then run some errands?
Me: Uh, no. Not really. I kinda’ want to watch at least some of the draft. You know, to see where some of the Pitt players will go.
Wife: (Rolling the eyes.) How long is the draft?
Me: Um, 17 hours.
Wife: Blank stare.
Me: Not in a row.
Wife: You’re not watching it all day.
Me: (Lowering my eyes.) Yes, dear.
So how was your draft day?
Look, it wasn’t expected that Pitt would come near what Miami players did in the draft on the first day. Six picks in the first round? Geez. And if Gore (the running back) hadn’t gotten hurt, he might have been in the mix if he declared.
Still, for Pitt, this was one of their best showings on the first day of the draft in over a decade.
Larry Fitzgerald went #3 in the draft to the Arizona Cardinals as expected. The first Pitt player to go in the top five since 1992 with Sean Gilbert going to the then LA Rams.
Pitt had two other players go in the latter half of the second round (ESPN Insider subs. req’d). Shawntae Spencer went #58 overall to the San Francisco 49ers, in something of a slip since there were a lot of rumors of him going late in the 1st or early in the 2nd Round. He was the 7th Cornerback taken in the draft.
This is a great pick for the 49ers. We had some other cornerbacks rated a little bit higher than Spencer, but he was the fastest rising player in the entire draft over the course of the last month. He is a 6-1 cornerback who ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and also held up extremely well as a three-year starter at Pittsburgh. The 49ers desperately needed to find their nickel cornerback in this draft, and Spencer will fill that role.
In something of a surprise to the ESPN scouts, Kris Wilson went at #61 to the KC Chiefs. The 4th Tight End taken in the draft.
Adding Wilson improves depth behind Tony Gonzalez, but more importantly he makes the Chiefs’ two-tight end sets that much more dangerous. Like Gonzalez, Wilson has the speed to stretch the field, and Kansas City should be able to create more single-coverage matchups when he is on the field
And Mel Kiper, Jr. said of Wilson:
An excellent pass receiver who is an underrated major-college performer. Wilson would have gotten much more attention if he were a little taller, but he has similar size to Shannon Sharpe and Alge Crumpler. He is an adequate blocker and a fine overall project pick.
Rounds 4-7 are tomorrow. Only about 7 hours left.
