Pick #1: Detroit Takes Matthew Stafford

This year’s crop of college quarterbacks was generally considered to be below average. So the two that were ranked far above the others, Matthew Stafford of Georgia and Mark Sanchez of USC, generated considerable interest. As the first choice in the draft, Stafford was able to negotiate a six-year contract worth $72 million, with a record $41.7 million guaranteed. After an ignominious 0-16 season in 2008, the Detroit Lions were eager for a superstar among NFL rookies who could make an immediate contribution. They believe Stafford to be that player.

What sets Stafford apart from the average rookie quarterback are his strong, accurate arm and winning record. Three times he guided his team to bowl victories, which speaks well to his ability to perform well under pressure. With so much interest from pro teams, Stafford opted to skip his senior season, and he was richly rewarded. An intriguing footnote to being drafted by Detroit is the so-called Layne curse. When the Lions traded quarterback Bobby Layne in 1958, an angry Layne said that the Lions would not win for the next 50 years. Since that time, Detroit has won only a single playoff game. With the curse due to expire, perhaps Stafford will have an extra intangible in leading his new team back to respectability.

Pick #2: St. Louis Takes Jason Smith

Baylor’s Jason Smith continued the trend of offensive tackles’ being taken very high in the NFL Draft. In recent years, teams have put a premium on protecting their quarterbacks from outside rushes, which can easily create turnovers. Smith, nicknamed J. Smooth, was the top offensive lineman drafted because of his strength, quickness, and overall athletic ability. The departure of perennial All Pro offensive tackle Orlando Pace left the Rams with a critical need at the position.

Smith was slowed by knee injuries during his junior year at Baylor, but he rebounded to have a brilliant senior year, filling highlight reels with pancake blocks and blocks that cleared the way for touchdown runs. Smith had already started graduate school by the time of the draft, and he has earned high marks for leadership attributes.

Pick #3: Kansas City Takes Tyson Jackson

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the top picks in the 2009 NFL draft was defensive end Tyson Jackson of Louisiana State University. Jackson was ranked as about the tenth best player by most scouting services, but he ended up being a top-three pick. The Chiefs front office indicated that Jackson impressed them in an interview with his love for football. The Chiefs needed to fill a hole at this position and Jackson appears to be a good fit for the team’s new 3-4 defense.

Jackson shows excellent quickness for a man of his size, and he is a certified run stopper. There has been some concern about how well he maintaings his intensity throughout a game, and his pass-rushing credentials seem rather ordinary. But at 6 foot 4 and 295 pounds, Jackson will certainly be a presence on the Chiefs’ defensive line.

Pick #4: Seattle Takes Aaron Curry

Linebacker Aaron Curry from Wake Forest is considered a “sure thing” for NFL success by many leading scouts. The main reason he was not taken until the fourth spot in the draft is that linebacker is a position that is not considered to have as much potential impact as other positions have.

Curry received the Butkus Award as the nation’s top college linebacker in 2008. He wowed scouts at the NFL Combine in February, showing exceptional speed and athleticism, especially for a man 6 feet 2 inches tall and 254 pounds. At Wake Forest he demonstrated the ability to play both the run and the pass well, and his tackling ability in the open field was outstanding. Curry’s intelligence is evidenced by his solid academic performance as a psychology major; he hopes to attend law school at some point.

Pick #5: Jets Takes Mark Sanchez

One of the most dramatic moments of the 2009 draft came when the Jets traded up for the right to the fifth choice overall. They gave up their first and second round picks, plus three players, to take USC junior quarterback Mark Sanchez. Although Sanchez was the starting quarterback at USC for only a little more than one season, he led the Trojans to a 12-1 record in 2008 and a 38-24 victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Sanchez has distinguished himself as a passer with a quick release and a high degree of accuracy. At 6 foot 2 and 227 pounds, Sanchez has adequate size for a quarterback, and he also boasts above-average running ability.

With last year’s Jets starting quarterback Brett Favre having departed, Sanchez will compete with Kellen Clemens, last year’s backup, for the starting job. Sanchez has wisely stayed away from making bold projections about the outlook for the 2009 Jets, instead just promising that he will work hard to help the team.

These rookies may someday be the ones to famously light up the football scoreboards throughout the country.