The draft is over (thank goodness; the thrill of that first pick when you are covering the event tends to fade quickly as the rounds drone on and on on the second day). Although I will say, the Cards certainly had their share of interesting stories on the second day, from Greg Toler's background as super sleeper in the draft to Louisiana's biggest baby ever to the sparkplug from Pitt. We'll see how the draft plays out over the next couple of years, but no one really knew how good the 2008 class was seemingly going to be and it turned out pretty good. You do have to like the "want-to" that covers the second day picks. That should drive them to at least some success.
Ultimately, the early returns from the class will come down to RB Beanie Wells (and, to a lesser extent, LB Cody Brown). Wells has to perform early and often. He's got a chance to show he should have been a top 10 or top 15 pick.
I'm not going to go into too much stuff now, not with a month or two coming up to write all about these rookies. But some extra points:
-- I know I already mentioned in the blog the emotion of Pitt RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, but if you have a chance, listen to it. It humanizes the whole process.
-- Wells will wear jersey No. 36. Brown will wear No. 52. Stephens-Howling, by the way, gets the Larry Centers special – No. 37. UPDATE: Spoke too soon. I guess the numbers aren't set it stone yet. I will update this info when I can.
-- Lots of post-Saturday Anquan Boldin talk. The Bears said they would of given up a second-round pick. Uh no. And it's hard to believe the Dolphins would have believed a second- and a third-round pick would have gotten Boldin, because I am pretty sure it would not have. Titans coach Jeff Fisher said he tried to call the Cards to ask about Boldin but never heard back – nonetheless, I find it hard to believe Tennessee would have blown away the Cards with an offer, and that's what it would have taken to pry Boldin loose. Again, the Cards didn't want to lose Boldin.
OK. That's enough for one weekend. I'm shutting it down.
