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That was a rather eventful first round, was it not?
My quick reactions to what transpired:
1. After months of speculation, arguing, and arguing about speculation, your Houston Texans took Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. My gut feeling is that Clowney was the top guy on their board, and no team was willing pay the price the Texans set for moving the pick. While I would have taken a different player at No. 1, my duty is clear.
Welcome to Houston, @clownejd. I am contractually bound to love you now.
— battleredblog (@battleredblog) May 9, 2014
Jadeveon Clowney is one of us now. I shall embrace him.
2. Blake Bortles to Jacksonville, huh? As a fan of a different team in the AFC South, I applaud that selection.
3. For the sake of the Bills and their fans, I truly hope Sammy Watkins is awesome.
4. That Johnny Manziel slide...wow.
5. I think Taylor Lewan is going to be a very solid offensive lineman. Hence, I was disappointed to see the Titans draft him.
6. Still can't believe the Cowboys didn't draft Johnny Football. It was so perfect. It was so Dallas Arlington.
7. I am truly grateful that I don't have to spend the next 15+ hours listening to talk of the Texans taking Johnny Manziel with the first pick of the second round. Cleveland rocks.
8. As teams kept selecting players not named Teddy Bridgewater, I did my best to keep my enthusiasm in check. That was due in large part to the realization that the Texans passing on Bridgewater at No. 33 would wound me far worse than another team taking him before then.
That said, I was crushed when the Vikings traded up, one spot ahead of the Texans at No. 33, to draft my guy. Congrats to our friends at Daily Norsemen; I believe they just got themselves a franchise quarterback.
I also choose to believe that Rick Smith's failure to trade back into the first round for Bridgewater was entirely due to Bill O'Brien not loving Teddy Bridgewater as a potential starting quarterback in the NFL; the alternative is that Rick got outWhataburgered, and that would be embarrassing. For those of us who dreamed of Teddy as a Texan, I can only suggest you play this on a continuous loop until further notice:
9. What will the Texans do with the first pick of the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft? Here's a list of the best players available. I'm guessing/hoping they refrain from going QB and target DL, OL, LB, or TE.
10. By that estimate, I am implicitly saying I vehemently disagree with TexansDC's rabble-rousing.
11. I also believe that this theory adds credence to the rumor of the Texans acquiring Ryan Mallett from the Patriots.
12. That last point does not make me happy. I can live with a deal for Mallett if it means the Texans surrender a fifth round pick or less. Anything more is going to hurt.
13. I need to go to bed. Big day tomorrow.