NFL Draft 2011: Can Rounds 2 and 3 Be as Exciting as Round 1?

Wow!

Really think back to what happened last night.  Has there ever been a first round like that before?

We had trades.  We had surprises.  We had players getting drafted way too high.  We had players falling fast and hard.

It was like watching the greatest sitcom, drama and reality TV show all rolled into one.

I almost feel bad for the second and third round.  Is there anyway that it can captivate viewers as much as the first round did?

There are a few things that could happen to make Rounds 2 and 3 just as exciting as Round 1.  Here are some of them below.

 

The Race for a Quarterback

 Four quarterbacks were taken in the first round.  Cam Newton, Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Christian Ponder were all drafted in the first 12 picks.  However, only Carolina (Newton), Tennessee (Locker) and Minnesota (Ponder) addressed their need for a quarterback.

That means that Buffalo, Arizona, San Francisco, Washington and Miami all still need to find a quarterback.  With only Andy Dalton, Ryan Mallett and Kevin Kaepernick as the remaining potential starters, there could be a trade frenzy to grab one.

Look for all five of these teams to attempt to move to the top of the second round to draft their potential franchise quarterback.

 

The Continued Slide of Da'Quan Bowers

 To me, Da'Quan Bowers not getting drafted in the first round was the most shocking thing.  The guy was once talked about as a potential first overall pick.  Teams must know more about Bowers' knee than they are revealing.

When you think about the Bowers situation, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  Even if Bowers is only in the league for five to seven years, shouldn't a team have taken that chance?  Five to seven dominant years as an elite pass rusher is extremely rare in the NFL these days.  What if Bowers' knee allows him to play 10-plus years?  Will every team in the first round be kicking themselves for passing on him?

This could be a great motivational factor for Bowers and don't be surprised if Bowers is in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Whatever happens today and tomorrow, one thing we can be certain of is more excitement from the NFL draft.  It might not match the excitement from the first round, but it should keep us on the edge of our seats.

Don't you just love the NFL draft?

Kylie Bax Diora Baird Laura Prepon Ashley Scott Michelle Behennah