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The 2009 NFL Draft is now in the books.  It was a day of football super hype where we won’t know the true outcome of who was right and who was wrong for another 4 years, but that will never stop us from offering our critique today.

I will of course start this all with “I was right.”  Go back and read my preview and you will see that I stated if Peria Jerry was on the board, then we [Atlanta Falcons] take him regardless.  For those that have known me over the years know that this is a big deal for me to get a pick right.  So therefore, I throw to you my new favorite joke.

Hip! Hip! Peria!  (You pronounce his name as Per-RAY)

Overall, the Falcons draft grade from me is (B+). Here’s the quick summary of the picks thanks to NFL.com.

1. Peria Jerry (Mississippi) – Defensive Tackle, Round 1 Selection 24 ==> The Falcons address their thin defensive line by picking up Jerry. As a hard-working one-gap penetrator, Jerry gives Mike Smith the “3-technique” that he covets in the middle of the defense. Though Jerry’s production in college was a byproduct of an aggressive movement system, he’s a solid player who fits in well with the Falcons.
2. William Moore (Missouri) – Safety, Round 2 Selection 23 (55 Overall) ==> The former Tiger was regarded as a top-tier prospect heading into his senior season until injuries and inconsistency derailed his play. In spite of those flaws, he’s an intriguing prospect with the potential to blossom in the Falcons’ two-deep scheme. His range is above average and he has a knack for coming down with INTs. If he plays to his potential, he’s one of the draft’s biggest sleepers.
3. Christopher Owens (San Jose State) – Cornerback, Round 3 Selection 26 (90 Overall) ==> The Falcons pick up an aggressive corner with good cover skills. Owens loves to challenge receivers with his physical style, and he’ll compete for time as a nickel or dime corner in the Falcons’ sub-package.
4. Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. (Richmond) – Defensive End, Round 4 Selection 25 (125 Overall) ==> Sidbury Jr. played in the Shrine Game and then flew right to the Senior Bowl. He has really good pass-rushing skills and had 37 tackles for loss and 20 sacks in college. He’ll be a situational pass rusher for the Falcons.
5. William Middleton (Furman) – Cornerback, Round 5 Selection 2 (138 Overall) ==> The Falcons continue to stockpile defensive players on the draft’s second day. Middleton gives the team another athletic corner to groom as an eventual nickel or dime defender in their sub-packages.
6. Garrett Reynolds (North Carolina) – Offensive Tackle, Round 5 Selection 20 (156 Overall) ==> The former Tar Heel is a tough, hard-nosed blocker with the size to be an imposing right tackle as a pro. With time, Reynolds could develop into a potential starter.
7. Spencer Adkins (Miami) – Linebacker, Round 6 Selection 3 (176 Overall) ==> Adkins is an undersized linebacker with excellent speed. He’s a very good kick coverage player on special teams. The Falcons can use Adkins to beef up their special teams.
8. Vance Walker (Georgia Tech) – Defensive Tackle, Round 7 Selection 1 (210 Overall ==> Walker had 29 starts in college with 11.5 sacks. He did not have a great Senior Bowl week, but he was struggling with a bum ankle. Walker ran slow at the combine, which is why he fell down the draft. He fits in a four-man front that stunts and is a one-gap guy. He helps the Falcons add depth to what was a depleted defensive tackle position.

Otherwise, here are my quick hit thoughts from the draft.

• Is Oakland trying to create the NFL’s version of the Florida Gators?  Their huge reach in the first round was fueled by speed more than anything else.  Why not take Crabtree who was available instead of going after the 5th best available WR, Darrius Heyward-Bey?  Did his grandfather play in the NFL and that’s who Al Davis thought he was picking?
• Yay, the Jets have a QB.  Now I’ll get to hear about nothing else from Mike & Mike in the morning other than the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.
• If I was an NFL team and the Patriots offered to trade their picks to me, I’d quickly hang up the phone because I would know that whatever I use that pick for would be wrong.  How many more years before the petition the league to remove their requirement for accepting a 1st round pick?  I know of no other team that continues to try to trade further and further down the draft.
• There was no real crier this year because you can’t pick Michael Oher due to his situation/story.  However, Michael Crabtree was as close as you could get.
• Michael Oher has a great story so I’m going to make a terrible joke here and state that I need to start timing the homeless that I see to scout for the best 40 time.

Georgia Players Selected

• Mattew Stafford (QB) – Detroit Lions, Round 1 Selection 1 (1 Overall)
• Knowshon Moreno (RB) – Denver Broncos, Round 1 Selection 12 (12 Overall)
• Mohamed Massaquoi (WR) – Cleveland Browns, Round 2 Selection 18 (50 Overal)
• Asher Allen (CB) – Minnesota Vikings, Round 3 Selection 22 (86 Overall)
• Corey Irvin (DL) – Carolina Panthers, Round 3 Selection 29 (93 Overall)
• Jarius Wynn (DE) – Green Bay Packers, Round 6 Selection 9 (182 Overall)

And if it matters, this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant” is Ryan Succop, a kicker from South Carolina.

The end of April is almost here and that means Draft Day baby. This is the day that ushers in the NFL season for me even though we are several months away. I’ll crowd around a TV and watch 4 hours of what some may call boring television in order to discover the newest players and where my Birds will go from here.

Thanks to the amazing season last year, the Falcons pick 24th in this year’s draft. The following bullets are a compilation of several mock drafts I found online about 2 months ago.

Mock Draft, Round 1

• Brandon Pettigrew, TE OSU
• B. J. Raji, NT BC
• Mike Mickens, CB Cinci
• William Moore, S Missouri
• Brian Orakpo, DE Texas
• Louis Delmas, S Western Michigan

Mock Draft, Round 2-End

• Peria Jerry, DT Ole Miss
• Jared Cook, TE, South Carolina
• Michael Hamlin, SS Clemson
• Emanuel Cook, S
• Dorel Scott, DT Clemson
• Chase Coffman, TE Mizzou
• Mark Parson, CB Ohio
• Max Unger, OC Oregon
• Willie VanDeSteeg, DE Minn
• James Casey, TE Rice
• Alex Magee, DE Purdue
• Ramon Foster, OT UT
• Lawrence Sidbury Jr., DE Richmond

I’m also throwing in the mock drafts for UGA players.

Mock Draft, Round 1 UGA

• M Stafford, QB Lions (1) or Seahawks (4)
• K Moreno, RB Browns (5) or Bucs (19) or Jets (17) or San Diego (16)

Mock Draft, Round 2-End UGA

• Mo Mass -> Jets or Dallas
• A Allen -> Cardinals or Lions or KC
• Jeremy Lomax -> Baltimore
• Brannan Southerland -> Steelers
• Corey Irvin -> Compensatory Pick

Now with the mocks out of the way, here are my thoughts.

1. First, I know everyone is saying TE for Atlanta, but I don’t know why. Our offensive system does not throw to a TE enough to pay 1st round money to a TE, maybe late rounders but not 1st.
2. The Falcons have several needs on defense but the top of the list is defensive tackle so that is my pick when Mr. Goodell calls for the Falcons.  Of course, if a better athlete is available here, then you draft best available.
3. People talk about the CB situation with the Falcons.  Please understand that is not as big of a hole as people not familiar with the team might think.  Yes, they lost Foxworth, but Houston played well.  Rookie Jackson held his own.  Grimes is small but speedy.  Hutchins returns from a season ending injury.
4. If Peria Jerry is available at 24, then the pick better take less than 1 minute to make.
5. I honestly believe this will be a failed draft for the Falcons.  I’m stating this on nothing more than the fact of how well last year’s draft went and the numerous wins.  I just don’t see lightning striking twice.  This is the Falcons and the back-to-back curse must continue.

Now to end with the pre-Draft awards.

• Best Player in the Draft – Aaron Curry (OLB), Wake Forest => This guy is a freak of nature.  He’s fully ready to start on day 1 and can be a leader in the locker room.  If you have a a defensive hole on your LB line, take him yesterday.
• Most Overrated Player – Matthew Stafford (QB), UGA => I’m a UGA fan, but I’ve never truly been a Stafford fan.  Hearlded as the next big thing for UGA, he never accomplished all he was hyped to win.  Arm strength is nice, but it isn’t everything.  For a QB to be taken within the top 15, he must be prepared to start on day 1 and lead.  I just don’t believe that Stafford is that guy.  If he goes to the Lions, he will fall harder than Carr.  If he goes to a team where he can sit for a year or two, then he will have a better chance in the long run.
• Most Underrated Player – Pat White (QB), West Virginia => The biggest issue here is  where to place him on the field.  Scouts want to convert him to a WR, but he wants to play QB.  He doesn’t have the size but he has the skills.  The question is what team can convince him to sign up for WR but work him into the new hot wildcat offense.
• Most Likely to Cry on Draft Day – Percy Harvin (WR), Florida => I’m not making this pick because of his school of choice, but because of the dumb things since leaving UF.  He amazed the scouts and had many offensive minds thinking of a new, better Reggie Bush explosive player.  Now his outside the lines issues are coming to light and could drop  him farther than he originally was predicted in going.  Percy, you will follow the same footsteps as Matt Lienart. I hope to enjoy the quality television.  If it gets bad enough Percy, you can contact Andre Smith and discover you weren’t the biggest loser on Draft day.

I’ll post again after the draft to list all of the new Falcons as well as where my UGA Alumni are headed.   Draft coverage begins at noon and the 1st round starts at 4PM (not sure why this late other than to  keep the west coast people quiet).

Here’s the next set of reviews from my Netflix queue.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters Who would have thought a movie about Donkey Kong could be so entertaining? “People work because they can’t play video games.” [Rating: 4.5/5]	This Film Is Not Yet Rated This film is rated A for Awesome. I’m glad I now know that the ratings system means absolutely nothing. Thanks Hollywood. [Rating: 4.5/5]
Punisher: War Zone This is the best Punisher movie yet…wait, that’s not really saying much. At least we actually got the violence part this time. [Rating: 2/5]	Choke For those not fans or familiar with Palahniuk’s style or humor might have a difficult time swallowing this film. The book is better, but the movie stays as close to the pages as possible. [Rating: 3.5/5]
F**k: A Documentary It started out strong and was interesting at times but I did find that the movie lost itself at as time passed. [Rating: 3/5]	Get Carter Your typical 70’s movie (sex, violence, etc.) but Michael Caine is always fun to watch. [Rating: 3.5/5]

For those noticing a pattern, I am trying to switch between regular films and documentaries when I can.

Yes you are reading this correctly. I went to see Dragonball Evolution and I’m actually stating it publicly. Have you ever known that a movie would be terrible but knew if you got the right group of friends together that it could be decent? Well it worked for Snakes On A Plane so maybe it could work as well. Only problem is that most of the original viewing crew backed out at the last minute. Booooo on them.

Also for the record, I’d like to state that I am not fully knowledgeable of all things Dragonball.  I only  watched Dragonball Z when it was being shown on Cartoon Network and that is apparently a different era of time.  Go figure.

As for the movie, I must state that it was much  better than I had anticipated.  That could be due to the fact that I lowered the bar so low for this movie but it’s always nice when things end up surprising you.

There was limited action for a movie based on an action packed anime cartoon but there was enough (for those that arrive on time. 😉 )  The characters were campy and believable at the same time.  I mean, how realistic can you be with a big green alien fighting a young white kid that should have been played by an asian. Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat) was probably the best cast character but everyone else  worked well too.  I wasn’t truly happy with the white kid instead of an asian for Goku (Justin Chatwin), but I was able to get over that issue quicker than I thought.  Just think of a younger Keanu Reeves and you’ll be able to picture the look and dialogue for Goku.

Nice to see Jamie Chung of Real World fame getting the part of Chi Chi.  Ummm….I’ve probably already said too much.

Overall, it wasn’t worth the high price to see it on the big screen, but I’m at least up for renting any sequels they make. The rating below is a strong 3 out of 5.

[Rating: 3/5]