Josh's Justified Jargon

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that this year's NFL draft was shaping up to be the craziest in recent memory. I had no idea how right I would be. After the relative tranquility of the draft's first six picks, the trade machine hit overdrive. Three of the next four spots changed hands, all in a matter of about a half hour. Ten more picks were switched, leaving every mock draft - including the Fourth Estate's version - in shambles. As usual, there was plenty to take in and scrutinize this weekend. What better place to start than home?

Packers draft

General Manager Ted Thompson's first two moves Saturday were surely no surprise to me. The third, however, was. Thompson, notorious for trading down in the draft order, did just that when the Packers hit the clock with the No. 30 overall pick. The New York Jets struck a deal with the Green and Gold, moving up to take Purdue tight end Dustin Keller. Taking Keller at No. 30 was a great move, but it should have been the Packers taking the Boilermaker tight end and not New York. Much like last year, Thompson's first actual selection was a head-scratcher. This year, it was Kansas State wide receiver Jordy Nelson instead of defensive tackle Justin Harrell. Nelson set the field ablaze in a Wildcats uniform, doing everything from catching passes to returning punts and kicks. To draft a kick returner or, at best, at No. 3 or 4 receiver in the beginning of the second round, however, is reckless draft strategy. But when Thompson selected Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm with the No. 56 pick, I was stunned. I was so stunned, in fact, my reaction is not suitable for print in this newspaper. Ever since Brett Favre retired, the Packers have spent endless amounts of time backing Aaron Rodgers. Drafting a relatively highly regarded quarterback in the middle of the second round doesn't exactly scream support. If Thompson wanted to add depth at quarterback, he could have used a late-round pick on a signal-caller - like he did by taking LSU's Matt Flynn in the seventh round. There are still adequate free agents that could also have been signed to provide depth. Like Ricky from "I Love Lucy" would say, "You got some 'splainin' to do." Needless to say, it's going to be an interesting summer in Titletown.

Surprises

Jacksonville selling the proverbial farm to Baltimore for the No. 8 pick was the draft's first big surprise. The Jags obviously coveted Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey but paid an unnecessarily steep price for the former Gator. Harvey was never projected in the top 10 of any mock draft I read and was projected to go No. 13 in last week's Fourth Estate mock draft. Needless to say, Jacksonville did not have to move into the top 10 to grab Harvey. Even more confusing was Jacksonville's second-round selection of Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves. The Jags were looking to add one defensive end, but the addition of two of the top four defensive end prospects in the draft leaves more questions than answers. My Jaguars insider, however, says Groves could be moved to outside linebacker because of his 6-foot-3, 259-pound frame and his quick jump at the snap. Equally as surprising was the amount of first-round projections that fell completely out of the first carousel of selections. Groves, Clemson defensive end Philip Merling, Michigan State wide receiver Devin Thomas, California wide receiver DeSean Jackson, Miami defensive end Calais Campbell and Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed were all projected mid- to late-first round selections but fell to the latter half of the second round. This may be the type of motivation these prospects need. Falling further than expected tends to make players play with a chip on their shoulder.

Biggest winner

Three days before the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs traded their best defensive player, Jared Allen, to the Minnesota Vikings. Some may have seen that as an ominous omen. They'd have been wrong. Kansas City's first break came when LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey slipped down to them at No. 5. Coming into the draft, the Chiefs were thought to be high on trading out of the five slot, but Christmas came early when one of the best defensive prospects in the draft fell to Kansas City. The Allen trade also netted the Chiefs another first-round, which allowed them to begin the rebuilding of their offensive line with Virginia's Branden Albert. Some mock drafts had Albert in the top 10, so grabbing him at No. 15 may be considered a slight steal in come schools of thought. Even more, another prospect fell to Kansas City. Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers slid completely out of the first round and the Chiefs were happy to snatch him up with the fourth pick of the second round.

Biggest loser

Aching for help along the offensive line and in the running game, the Houston Texans were confident they'd be able land one of the draft's top-tier offensive lineman. The first round unfolded in every way Houston didn't want, so the Texans made one of the biggest reaches of the first round by selecting Virginia Tech offensive tackle Duane Brown. Brown, widely considered a second- to third-round talent, has only played offensive line for two years. Brown was a tight end at Virginia Tech before making the move to tackle.

Biggest first-round reach

After the retirement of Steve McNair, the Baltimore Ravens were in dire need of a quarterback since Kyle Boller has clearly not made the progress Baltimore brass expected him to. After trading out of the No. 8 spot when Atlanta selected Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan third overall, the Ravens jumped up from No. 26 to take Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco. While Flacco's name was being mentioned at the end of the first round - only if a team were to trade up to draft him - he was never thought to have gone this early. The Ravens paid a steeper price for a second-round caliber prospect, a player they could have waited until the 26th overall selection for. Baltimore General Manager Ozzie Newsome knows what he's doing in the draft, so maybe Flacco is worthy of the selection. It's awfully hard to justify at this point, though.