Despite the ongoing labor

struggle between the players and owners in the NFL that has resulted in an “on-again” lockout, fans and bettors alike got a chance to somewhat enjoy the three-day annual league draft this past week. The boos NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell endured before he announced the very first overall draft pick echoed all the way from New York to Las Vegas, where the impact is not only felt but multiplied several times over due to the potential loss of sports book revenue if the upcoming season is reduced or lost.
Goodell did not surprise many people when he announced that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was selected first by the Carolina. The Panthers are currently listed at 125/1 to win Super Bowl XLVI after finishing with the NFL’s worst record in 2010 at 2-14.
It was a bit of a surprise though to see Goodell hug each of the draftees after they were picked, especially Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller who went second overall to the Denver Broncos (60/1).
Miller is the only former college player who is also a plaintiff in the antitrust lawsuit against the league’s owners along with nine other NFL players. The former Aggie is also viewed by some as the early favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors because of his potential to improve the Broncos, who ranked dead last overall in points (29.4) and yards (390.8 per game) allowed.
Denver did a decent job addressing its defense, also nabbing UCLA safety Rahim Moore in the second round and North Carolina State linebacker Nate Irving in the third. While the Broncos will not be able to fix their problems in one draft alone, you need not look further than the Detroit Lions to see just how quickly a team can begin to turn around and build a solid foundation for the future.
The Lions (35/1) have been a laughingstock in the NFL for more than a decade due mostly to the ineptitude of Matt Millen from 2001-08 following the sudden retirement of Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders in 1999. They were 31-97 during that period, the worst stretch of any team in the history of the league.
However, GM Martin Mayhew has done a masterful job of turning Detroit’s fortunes around since then, primarily through the draft.
One of the biggest surprises of this year’s draft also benefits Mayhew and the Lions, as Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley fell to their spot at No. 13 overall after being projected as a Top 5 pick. Detroit added Boise State wide receiver Titus Young and Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure in the second round, providing an already explosive offense with even more weapons.
Now the team just needs to keep Stafford healthy, as he has played in only 13 games over his first two seasons due to injuries. Another four-game improvement from 6-10 is not out of the question.
Another team that saw vast improvement from 3-13 two years ago to 10-6 last season and enjoyed another positive draft is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30/1). Like the Lions, the Buccaneers may have benefitted greatly from a top prospect slipping if Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers proves healthy enough to contribute over the next few years.
Bowers was picked in the second round after being talked about as maybe the most talented player in the draft. The downside is that he may require additional microfracture surgery on his knee after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on the same knee following the 2010 season.
Still, Tampa Bay earlier picked Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn in the first round and could potentially end up with a defense that rivals the one that won Super Bowl XXXVII.
“Potential” is obviously the key word when discussing all of these draft picks, who have taken on a boom or bust reputation, especially the quarterbacks. Outside of Newton, three other signal callers were selected among the first 12 picks overall (Washington’s Jake Locker at No. 8 by the Tennessee Titans, Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert at No. 10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars and Florida State’s Christian Ponder at No. 12 by the Minnesota Vikings).
Two more QB's went very early in the second round, TCU’s Andy Dalton to the Cincinnati Bengals and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick to San Francisco.
None of those teams finished better than 8-8 last year, and a duplication of what 2010 top overall pick Sam Bradford accomplished with the St. Louis Rams (40/1) nearly making the playoffs seems highly unlikely. The Vikings have the best shot to win the Super Bowl of that group at 35/1 just two years removed from making it to the NFC Championship, but many critics have panned the selection of Ponder as the successor to future Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
The Bengals (60/1) might be the most intriguing team since current starter Carson Palmer has demanded a trade and wide receiver Chad Johnson could be on his way out as well. That could leave Cincy very dependent upon Dalton and Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green (picked in the first round).
Finally, the Atlanta Falcons (16/1) might have made the riskiest move of the entire draft in mortgaging their distant future to win in the near future. The Falcons dealt the 27th overall pick along with second- and fourth-round picks this year and first- and fourth-round picks next year to the Cleveland Browns (65/1) for the right to select Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones sixth overall.
Jones might or might not be the missing link to a Super Bowl title down the road opposite All-Pro Roddy White, but he should at least give quarterback Matt Ryan another young target.
Whether Atlanta follows in the footsteps of NFC South division rival New Orleans after the Saints made a similar move for former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams in 1999 remains to be seen. The Falcons appear to be a lot closer to their goal of winning the Super Bowl, which was eventually achieved by New Orleans two years ago sans Williams. The theme remains common with all of these drafted players – only time will tell.