Last night’s proceedings were an incredible success for the NFL as a whole, given the primetime status of the TV coverage and the speed at which round one was completed. Instead of the five hour affairs we’ve seen in years past, this version was slammed out in just 3 hours, 28 minutes, finishing up in record time and leaving most fans yearning for more. Ratings should be high once again tonight, in both the second and third round.

There were more than a few teams that got a whole lot better last night, and several that left me scratching my head in amazement at their stupidity. Here’s a few of my winners/losers from round one.

Winners

1. Seattle – The Seahawks had two picks in the top 15 last night, and they used both to perfection, snagging a franchise left tackle in Russell Okung at #5 overall and a legitimate playmaker for their secondary in safety Earl Thomas at #14.  True they lucked out a bit in having those two players still available when they picked, but when the pressure was on, they didn’t miss, improving both sides of the ball in a big way.

2. Dallas – Getting Dez Bryant that late in the round is a stroke of genius by Jerry Jones and Co. as Bryant was clearly rated as a top ten talent just a few weeks ago. Adding him into the mix next to Miles Austin and Roy Williams will make the Cowboys offense that much better next year.

3. San Francisco – Mark it down… the best offensive line in the business will be going to battle on Sundays in the Bay Area, and they won’t be wearing silver and black. The 49ers added two talented blockers last night to a group that already has several solid players in it, and they should much improved on offense next year as a result.

4. Detroit – The Lions added two outstanding playmakers yesterday in defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and running back Jahvid Best, improving their team in a big way without giving up anything of value to do so. Having Best in their offense will be tremendous for Matt Stafford’s production next year, as he’ll have a legitimate home run hitter to work with in the backfield.

Losers

1. Denver – I have no idea what head coach Josh McDaniels was thinking last night, outside of potentially having a death wish for his career with the Broncos. He started off strong, making two trades to move back in round one, but then parlayed those shrewd moves into two highly questionable picks of wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and quarterback Tim Tebow.

Thomas has size and speed, but doesn’t run routes all that well and displayed hands of stone at critical moments last season at Georgia Tech. He’ll struggle to transition his game to the pro level. As for Tebow, I love the kid’s heart and determination, but he has to face the facts: he’s not going to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, which makes his selection in round one a bad one by the Broncos.

2. Jacksonville – If the Jaguars had any desire whatsoever to stay put in Jacksonville, they sure have a weird way of showing it. Taking a player that graded out as a mid-second round prospect at best at #10 overall is a disaster of epic proportions, regardless of how much they liked the guy. Letting hometown hero Tim Tebow leave town to play in the Rockies is a worse sin though in my book, given the amount of tickets he would have sold each week. Los Angeles here we come.

3. San Diego – Let me start by saying that I love Ryan Matthews and think he’ll be fantastic for the Chargers. That said, there’s no way I would have sold the farm for him if I were sitting in A.J. Smith’s shoes last night. San Diego clearly had a need at running back after they jettisoned future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson but Matthews could have been had later on in round one, or they could have even waited until their slotted position to take Jahvid Best, saving the picks they gave up to use on other positions of need.

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