Both Clubs Select DB's in First Round of 2007 NFL Draft
Radio City Music Hall has seen many great performances. From the Rockettes to the Christmas Spectacular. But the NFL rolled out the red carpet this weekend and held the 2007 Draft at the famous Manhattan facility. The NFL's slogan for the event was 'Who wants it more?' By the end of the first round over five hours later, it was apparent that some teams may have wanted it more than others.
The Oakland Raiders were the first team up and selected a franchise quarterback in JaMarcus Russell of LSU. No big surprise there. They would come soon enough.
When asked on what he needs to work on going into the NFL, Russell said, "Everything. As a quarterback, you may work on some things too much and not enough for something else."
The Jets made noise first out of the local teams when they traded up with the Dallas Cowboys to select cornerback Derrelle Revis from Pitt at number 14. In doing so, the Jets surrendered their first round selection (number 25), their second and fifth round picks. The Cowboys also included their sixth round selection.
The masses dressed in green in the balcony cheered the selection, which made sense for a team needing to upgrade their secondary. Leon Hall of Michigan was believed to be the top defensive back coming out, but experts had stated that Revis had passed Hall up in the past few weeks. The Cincinnati Bengals selected Hall four spots later.
"Darrelle was a guy we spent a lot of time on," Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum told reporters at team headquarters. "We liked the tape on him as a person and, as everyone knows here, that is really important to us. So as a player and a person, we think he is a good fit."
The Giants selected Aaron Ross, a cornerback from the Texas Longhorns. The G-Men needed to have an infusion of youth at this position after starting veterans Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters there in 2006.
"In Aaron Ross, we certainly found a guy who is an outstanding physical corner," head coach Tom Coughlin informed reporters outside the Giants' war room. " He can play in the press position. He is a physical guy who has been a good tackler. At Texas, he's obviously played in an awful lot of big games."
The shock of the day was the freefall of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. Expected to go third overall to the Cleveland Browns or even ninth to the Miami Dolphins, the Ohio native did not hear his name called until number 22. And surprisingly, it was Cleveland who traded up to take him.
"I felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders," said Quinn. "Obviously, I hated the wait and being there for a little longer than expected."
The Browns have to receive rave reviews by not only getting a potential franchise quarterback in Quinn, but also an anchor to their offensive line in tackle Joe Thomas of Wisconsin, who they picked third overall. They did pay a hefty price to get Quinn in trading their second round pick (number 36 overall) and their first round pick in 2008 to Dallas. But when there is a player like Quinn still on the board, you have to make a move.