The NFL draft begins Saturday. Have you heard? On Thursday, the NFL Network featured “Path to the Draft.” The crawl on ESPN under breaking news was that the Falcons acquired Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez for a second-round draft choice. – from LAtimes
Reporting from New York — If Friday belonged to Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford — who agreed to a six-year deal with the Detroit Lions with almost $42 million guaranteed — then today belongs to USC’s Mark Sanchez. OK, so there are lots of prospects on the verge of realizing their dreams, but a lot of eyes are on Sanchez. Where he goes in the early part of the NFL draft could affect the rest of the first round. – from LAtimes
If there are two things the likely top selections in the NFL draft have in common, they are winning and losing. Most have been winners throughout their football careers. Why else would they be chosen so quickly, even if their teams weren’t all that successful in college? And many of them are about to experience — 
frequently — the disappointment of defeat in their early pro careers. They are headed for the likes of the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders, consistent losers for most of this decade. – from Yahoo
The Detroit Lions hope Matthew Stafford ends their decades-long search for a star quarterback. Stafford will be the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 overall draft pick after agreeing Friday night to a six-year deal that NFL.com’s Steve Wyche reports will pay the quarterback $41.7 million in guarantees and could be worth as much as $78 million. Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, who both represent Stafford, confirmed the terms of the deal to The Associated Press. – from NFL
The 2009 NFL Draft hasn’t even started yet, but the No. 1 overall pick is already yesterday’s news–literally. Word broke late last night that the Lions reached agreement with Georgia QB Matthew Stafford on a six-year deal that is reportedly worth as much as $78 million, with $41.7 million guaranteed. So unless former Detroit czar Matt Millen bursts into the team’s draft room and forces the Lions to take a wide receiver, the suspense won’t start until the Rams pick at No. 2. – from WSJ
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum arrived at the team’s draft headquarters a little before noon Saturday and began looking at his options with the 17th pick in Round 1. Tannenbaum said the Jets would like to move up in the first round — the first time he’s admitted that publicly. He said the team is not fixated on drafting quarterback Mark Sanchez. But it’s clear that the Jets have a genuine interest if Sanchez drops within trading range, which would be approximately at pick No. 8. – from ESPN
For a league so in love with the passing game, NFL teams probably won’t exactly be rushing to take wide receivers right away in the draft.
Yes, Michael Crabtree’s a coveted prospect, and his talent will eventually be too much to ignore. But for most teams, picking a pass-catcher is a task that can wait. Crabtree aside, it’s possible all the other talents in this year’s draft — Jeremy Maclin, Kenny Britt, Percy Harvin, Hakeem Nicks and others — will have to wait until early Saturday evening and possibly later to hear their names called. In a draft with few superstars and possibly not as talent-rich as some others, teams are even more uncomfortable spending first-round money on a player unlikely to be a consistent game-changer. “There aren’t people that every team says, ‘These are franchise guys. They’re going to be in the Hall of Fame.’ You just don’t have that,” Seahawks president and general manager Tim Ruskell said. – from AP
Congratulations everyone, you’ve officially survived the offseason so far and have made it to draft day! By the end of this weekend we should have a pretty good idea of what the Eagles team will look like come opening day and we’ll have a clearer picture of the direction this franchise is headed. Over the next 36 hours we may see the great Eagle(or Eagles) selected or maybe we’ll see the next total bust. The Eagles could trade up, trade down, or trade for a veterant player… That’s why the draft is so great. This is where teams are built, this is where the foundations for a superbowl winner are made, and it’s the one event that really seperates the good teams from the rest. For anyone that doesn’t know, I have been officially credentialed by the NFL to cover the draft live from Radio City Music Hall. I’m hopping on a train to New York this morning to meet up with my colleagues at Mile High Report and Stampede Blue. We’ll talk some draft over breakfast and probably record our conversation for a podcast that will be released on Mocking the Draft. At 1pm, MHR and I will head to Radio City to pick up our credentials and head in. The draft doesn’t actually start until 4, but hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to talk with lots of NFL insiders, rookies, and more. We’ll also do our best to dig up some rumors or nuggets about might happen later in the day. – from Bleeding
