FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was draft night.  The top 2 picks were foregone conclusions:  Stanford QB Andrew Luck went to the Colts, and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III became the man for the Redskins.  But then… things got interesting.  Right away, the Cleveland Browns traded up to ensure that they got Alabama superstar running back Trent Richardson.  This year saw a lot of trades due to the rule changes in the NFL (settled during the strike).  Before rookies could stand to make some serious money for being top picks, but now there is a rookie salary ceiling, meaning that teams have nothing to lose for trading up.  Sure, they’re giving up additional picks (which can turn into solid players), but they’re going for safer bets and nabbing some of the higher tier players.

Heading down the first round, some of the highlights included the Dallas Cowboys trading up 8 spots to take the top cornerback in the draft in LSU’s Morris Claiborne.  Shortly after, the Miami Dolphins made a leap of faith and took a risk on Texas A & M’s Ryan Tannehill, finally giving Miami  the potential franchise quarterback they’ve been looking for.  Tannehill is thought to potentially be the steal of the draft.  Then, with the #13 pick, the Arizona Cardinals finally got Larry Fitzgerald a threat on the other side, drafting Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd.  And the Patriots traded UP, atypical for Bill Bellichick (who typically tries to stockpile picks), but this year he moved up to draft two solid defensive players that the Patriots sorely needed.  Then, at the end of the first round, we finished up with 2 running backs coming off the board — Boise State’s Doug Martin going to the Tampa Bay Bucs, and Virginia Tech’s David Wilson going to the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.  The Giants needed another back after letting their big man Brandon Jacobs go to the 49ers.  The draft continues tonight on ESPN, with many stars still on the board looking for a team.

BASKETBALL

Finally, in the NBA, a milestone has been set, as the Charlotte Bobcats 2011-2012 season is officially the worst in NBA History.  They finished the season 7-59, ending it on a 23-game losing streak.  This team simply had nothing to offer.  They had a decent rookie in UCONN’s Kemba Walker (who, to be fair, showed some serious upside), but aside from him, it was a bunch of scrubs.  Their other best player, former Duke standout Gerald Henderson, would barely ride the bench on a contender.  It’s very likely that head coach Paul Silas will be ousted very shortly, but the Bobcats are hoping to land a superstar in June’s draft.  And who’s overseeing this horrible team — none other than the greatest basketball player of all-time:  Michael Jordan.  Interesting.