A New Beginning

In less than 24 hours, we will know who the number one pick will be in the 2010 NFL Draft. There has been tons of hype for the draft ever since the Saints beat the Colts on February 7. The NFL Draft is now a 3-day event: the 1st round is on Thursday, the 2nd and 3rd rounds are on Friday and rounds 4-7 are on Saturday. Many people are anxious to find out where some of their favorite college players will be next year. I know I can't wait to find out if Tim Tebow and/or Colt McCoy are drafted tomorrow in the first round. I'm no expert on this stuff, but I am an avid sports fan with an opinion. I'm not going to be making a mock draft or anything like that. Instead, I'm going to briefly talk about a few players who I think will have solid NFL careers. One of the biggest debates in this year's draft is how Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen will do in the pros. I personally think they can both have solid NFL careers if they can find a good fit. Here are a few other mid-1st to mid-2nd rounders who I think can have solid careers at the next level.

Jermaine Gresham - Oklahoma
Gresham missed his entire senior season with a knee injury, but in his junior year, this tight end was explosive. Gresham has the body to be a great pro at 6'5" and 261 lbs. In 2008, he had 66 receptions, 950 yards and 14 touchdowns, incredible numbers for a tight end. While his draft stock was hurt after missing the year, Gresham is a very athletic tight end, and I think that he can be an impact player in the years to come, whether he is drafted in the middle of the first round or the end.

Jerry Hughes - TCU
I've watched Jerry Hughes for the last two years, and his acceleration amazes me. In high school, Hughes was a running back. Three years later, he gets 15 sacks and 52 tackles as a defensive end. Now a linebacker, Hughes is ready to earn a starting job on an NFL team. He could probably play in a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense because of his athleticism. I think he will be drafted late first round to early second, and he ran a 4.69 40-yard dash. Hughes is a player who I think we'll be hearing a lot about in a few years.

Sean Weatherspoon - Missouri
Now here's a guy that I've noticed throughout the past few years. Whenever Missouri's on TV, I see this 6'1", 239-pound linebacker controlling the defense. As a junior, Weatherspoon had 149 tackles. I know that was in college, but to put it in perspective, only Patrick Willis had more tackles in the NFL in 2009. Weatherspoon will be a great pick for whoever takes him, and his 388 career tackles shows he has a lot of experience. Watch out for Weatherspoon in the pros because I think he's got the potential to make an impact on a pro team in the future.