The young, ripped stud of a football player who you see unleashing a primal cry in the picture above is Devin McCourty. Not Dez Bryant. He plays cornerback, not wide receiver. And forget about being toted as the most athletically gifted specimen available, this guy wasn’t expected by some to even go in the first round.
When Roger Goodell strode to the podium and announced that the Cincinnati Bengals would be taking Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham with the 21st overall pick, goosebumps began to form on my arms, and for just a moment my entire body trembled. Somehow someway, Dez Bryant had fallen into our laps. Tom Brady would now have a young, extremely gifted weapon at his disposal much like Donovan McNabb had DeSean Jackson and Kurt Warner was given Larry Fitzgerald.
An imaginary highlight real began to form in my mind involving one handed back of the endzone grabs followed by Brady and Moss running up to give the rookie chest bumps and group head butts. The immediate future for New England’s offense would be unreasonable for defensive coordinators to manage. The New England Patriots would be unstoppable once again.
Then all of a sudden, like when your mom turns the dishwasher on while you’re trying to take a hot shower, life took a minor turn for the worse. The bottom of the TV told me the Patriots had traded down to Denver, a team that desperately needed wide receiver help after the Brandon Marshall trade. It was all but certain the Broncos would take Bryant. It made too much sense.
But just like that, the Broncos pulled a “Darius Heyward-Bey” and DIDN’T select Dez Bryant. How could this be? How often does a marlin wiggle free from his captor’s hook only to stare him square in the face a mere 10 minutes later? With the 23rd pick, the Packers took Bryan Bulaga and once again we had him in our grasp. Not only would we gladly take Dez Bryant, but thanks to Denver, we’d have another pick to play with later on.
Wait a second. What’s this? The Patriots are making another deal? The Dallas Cowboys are on the clock? They’ve taken Dez Bryant?!? This was a major punch in the gut, and adding to it, the decision to draft a cornerback three selections later was a simple case of insult on top of injury.
After 48 hours to cool down and assess their entire draft, I’m not all that upset with what the Patriots did (unless McCourty makes Chris Canty look like Champ Bailey). The selection of two tight ends, re-vamping an all-of-a-sudden-thin defensive line and nabbing possible diamond in the rough Taylor Price.
The NFL Draft is nothing to get too high or too low about. Time is the subsequent judge. Not the TV analysts, mock draft writers, scouts or fans. Time has the answers. Time holds the cards. So let’s be patient and see what happens, for all we know Dez Bryant could end up as the next Mike Williams (althought I don’t suggest taking that to the bank just yet).
The worst move ever.
I can’t believe they passed on Bryant.