As the 2011 NFL Draft comes to an end, there were a little of everything.  There were a fair share of shockers, disappointments, excitement and hope.

There was also a cloud that hung over the draft, as the lockout rained on the festivities’ parade.

Here are some observations I made from the draft:

Bravo to the fans who booed Roger Goodell’s ass at every turn.  Watching the NFL Commissioner react to the fans’ booing when he was introduced was priceless.  He kept playing it off by saying “I hear ya” and “I agree” to the booing and chants of “We want football!”  Hell, dude looked like he wanted to cry when he was on stage.  That’s what happens when you are the driving force of the lockout.  What was funnier was Alabama coach Nick Saban trying hard to keep from laughing when he was on-stage with the Commish.

The Panthers should not have drafted Cam Newton, at least they should have traded out of it.  I understand why the Panthers drafted Newton.  They desperately needed a new face of the franchise.  They need some excitement for the fickle Charlotte fan base.  And quite frankly, Jimmy Clausen sucks.  It’s just that to me Newton screams “Vince Young”.  I see the same arrogance I saw in Young when he came into the league.  I’m not so sure Newton will take preparation and coaching seriously enough to be the star he aspires to be.  Besides, Carolina has so many hoes all over their roster and could have used the extra draft picks in a trade.

For the first time in recent memory, Bengals fans have something to cheer about.  I never thought I see the day Bengals fans will be dancing a jig after an NFL draft.  They had plenty of reason to this year.  AJ Green is going to be a flat-out stud for Cincinnati, thus allowing the Bengals to unload Chad Ocho-dopo.  I really loved the Andy Dalton pick in the second round.  He was a stud at TCU, and will give the Bengals a fresh start in Cincy.  As long as the coaches work with Dalton, he should thrive in Jon Gruden’s brother West Coast offense.  It’s obvious that coach Marvin Lewis locked owner Mike Brown out of their war room.

The Titans and Vikings panicked with their first round picks.  This is why teams should never draft for need.  They tend to panic when their targets are in danger of getting plucked off the draft boards.  While the Vikings may be ok with Christian Ponder, they could have gotten him in the second round.  The Titans pick of Jake Locker was baffling.  Locker was probably the most inaccurate QB in the draft.  Does anyone remember him completing only 5 of 16 passes against Nebraska in last year’s Holiday Bowl?  As the late great Bill Walsh once said, you can’t improve inaccuracy.

Categories: NFL, sports story