Favorite Picks

Grading drafts before any of the players even see the field is even more pointless than mock drafts. At least mock drafts are fun. Instead of grading the drafts I'll pick the picks that I like from each team. I'll skip the Minnesota Vikings since I, of course, love all of their picks.

San Francisco 49ers
3. Chris Borland  LB  Wisconsin
Borland is simply a football player. Short, slow but he can play the game.

Seattle Seahawks
2. Paul Richardson  WR  Colorado
I've seen Richardson shred Cal's defense twice. That alone isn't saying a lot as many receivers have shredded Cal's defense the past couple of seasons. It's the way Richardson did the shredding. It may be his build but I see something that resembles Chad Johnson in Richardson.

Arizona Cardinals
1. Deone Bucannon  S  Washington St.
Bucannon puts a loaded Cardinals secondary over the top.

St. Louis Rams
1. Aaron Donald  DT  Pitt
Donald was one of my favorite players in the entire draft. He's a fantastic football player. If he was bigger than 6'1" and 285 lbs, he would have challenged Jadeveon Clowney for the top pick in the draft. From a purely football perspective, Donald is the choice. From an overall perspective the Rams seventh round selection of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam is the choice.

Green Bay Packers
1. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix  S  Alabama
The Packers drafted some terrific receivers but I'm going with Ha Ha. Gotta love Ha Ha.

Chicago Bears
1. Kyle Fuller  CB  Virginia Tech
Justin Gilbert and Darqueze Dennard might have received more pre-draft attention but Fuller might be the best corner in the draft.

Detroit Lions
2. Kyle Van Noy  LB  BYU
If the Vikings had gone with any other position but linebacker with their first pick, Van Noy was my preferred pick in the second round. It seems appropriate then that the Lions selected him with the pick that originally belonged to the Vikings.

New York Giants
1. Odell Beckham  WR  LSU
I really liked a lot of the receivers in this draft. Beckham was right with Sammy Watkins as my favorites.

Washington Redskins
6. Lache Seastrunk  RB  Baylor
I feel like I've followed Seastrunk's career since he was in high school. I hated it when he chose Oregon. I loved it when he left Oregon for Baylor.

Philadelphia Eagles
2. Jordan Matthews  WR  Vanderbilt
Another of my favorite receivers in this draft. He might be the hardest working of the bunch.

Dallas Cowboys
1. Zack Martin  T  Notre Dame
I love versatile football players. Martin is one of the most versatile linemen in this draft or any draft.

New Orleans Saints
2. Stanley Jean-Baptiste  CB  Nebraska
As the first round carried on, I wouldn't have been surprised if Jean-Baptiste's name popped up in it. If he Vikings had picked a cornerback early, Jean-Baptiste was the one.

Carolina Panthers
3. Trai Turner  G  LSU
A lot of the players that I like on this list are there because they play a position of need or interest for the Vikings. I've followed them through the drafting process. Guard is, hopefully was, a Vikings need and Turner was one that I liked.

Atlanta Falcons
1. Jake Matthews  T  Texas A&M
It's hard not to like a member of the Matthews family. As the draft approached I saw a stat that Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff had pretty much whiffed on offensive and defensive line draft picks. I don't think that he whiffed on this one.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Charles Sims  RB  west Virginia
I really like first round pick Mike Evans if it came down to only football ability but he often frustrated me. For every terrific play that I saw him make, I saw hem throw a tantrum. I like versatile running backs and Sims is a versatile running back. I think that former Cal coach and current Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford will like Sims. I know that whichever quarterback plays for the Bucs will love him.

Oakland Raiders
1. Khalil Mack  LB  Buffalo
Mack was probably my favorite football player in the entire draft. I would have drafted him before Clowney. It's been a while since I've seen an excellent Raiders draft. Even on paper hours after the draft is done. Nice work Raiders.

Denver Broncos
2. Cody Latimer  WR  Indiana
Peyton Manning can make marginal receivers very good. He can make very good receivers look fantastic. Latimer is a very good receiver. I don't think that the Broncos will be missing Eric Decker this year.

Kansas City Chiefs
5. Aaron Murray  QB  Georgia
If the Vikings hadn't found a way to get Teddy Bridgewater to Minnesota, Murray was my guy. I really think that he's going to be an excellent NFL quarterback. Alex Smith should be getting nervous.

San Diego Chargers
3. Chris Watt  G  Notre Dame
Watt is another guard that I really liked. I like tough, smart football players that make it a point to do everything right. It's really amazing how few of those there are. Watt is one of those football players.

Cleveland Browns
1. Justin Gilbert  CB  Oklahoma St.
For about an entire month of the draft evaluation process Gilbert was my top choice for the Vikings top pick. He has the size and natural ability to be a lot like Antonio Cromartie. I think that Gilbert's ceiling is even higher. As with the Raiders, it is amazing to be impressed with a Browns draft class.

Baltimore Ravens
1. C.J. Mosley  LB  Alabama
Mosley was one of my favorite players in the entire draft. He and Mack are probably the most ready to play in the NFL. The Vikings needed linebackers so Mosley was a natural fit. I think that Mosley will step into the Ravens defensive leader role that was manned for so long and so well by Ray Lewis.

Cincinnati Bengals
1. Darqueze Dennard  CB  Michigan St.
As with Teddy Bridgewater, it was a mystery as to why Dennard was dropping on the draft rankings as we approached the draft. I can't believe that he fell to the 24th pick of the first round.

Pittsburgh Steelers
1, Ryan Shazier  LB  Ohio St.
I liked a lot of linebackers in this draft. Khalil Mack, Anthony Barr, C.J. Mosley, and Ryan Shazier among the first round picks. I can't help but think of Derrick Brooks when I think of Shazier.

New England Patriots
2. Jimmy Garoppolo  QB  Eastern Illinois
After Teddy Bridgewater, Garoppolo might have been my favorite quarterback. His release is unreal. As soon as the Patriots picked Garoppolo I thought of the Green Bay Packers selecting Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Garoppolo will work and learn behind Tom Brady as Rodgers worked and learned behind Brett Favre.

Buffalo Bills
1. Sammy Watkins  WR  Clemson
I think that I liked the Bills aggressive trade up to grab Watkins as much as I liked the player.

Miami Dolphins
2. Jarvis Landry  WR  LSU
I don't think that anything that Landry does truly jumps out at you but he's simply an effective football player.

New York Jets
6. Tajh Boyd  QB  Clemson
Too small. Had some games that weren't to pretty last season. I saw some of them. Boyd probably entered his last season as a top-5 quarterback.  He came out of the season way down the quarterback list. There's just something about Boyd that I really like.

Indianapolis Colts
3. Donte Moncrief  WR  Mississippi
It felt like the Colts barely participated in the draft. They found a good one in Moncrief. Big and fast. Moncrief and TY Hilton will make things fun for Andrew Luck for a long time.

Jacksonville Jaguars
2. Marqise Lee  WR  USC
As a Cal, it's nice to see Lee and Robert Woods out of USC and out of college football. Lee is a smooth receiver. With free agency and the draft, the Jaguars have a whole new offense now. That's a good thing.

Houston Texans
3. Louis Nix  DT  Notre Dame
Despite a terrible 2013 season, the Texans are a talented team. Especially on defense. A defensive line of J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Nix should be a nightmare for a long time. I still haven't heard a reason for Nix's fall to the third round.

Tennessee Titans
2. Bishop Sankey  RB  Washington
Like Marqise Lee, I'm not disappointed that Sankey is no longer in the Pac-12. Sankey is a super replacement for Chris Johnson.

Those are my favorite picks from