1.06 Detroit Vipers — WR Justin Blackmon

	In the real world: Mel Kiper said in 2010, "(Blackmon is) tough to redirect at the line. He's a tremendous deep-ball threat and someone who is constantly pushing himself to get better." At 6'1", he's not “big” in the same sense as Randy Moss or Vincent Jackson. He doesn't have blazing speed, either, but then again, Michael Irvin didn't and Larry Fitzgerald didn't. But his body control and hands remind Mike Mayock of Fitzgerald. He also ran a 4.46 40 at his Pro Day on March 9. A character red flag came up when Blackmon flew to Las Vegas after Oklahoma State's bowl game, rather than take the charter with the rest of the team back to school; then not work out at the Combine. "He has been raised by Dez Bryant (another Oklahoma State alum who had character issues the year he was drafted)," alleged one NFL GM. In Jacksonville, he instantly becomes the best WR they've had since Jimmy Smith retired over six years ago. Some have said that a wide receiver is only as good as the quarterback throwing to him, and right now, that QB is Blaine Gabbert.  However, a wise man once said to me, "Job situations change, talent doesn't." If Gabbert sucks again this year, then come next year, Blackmon will be catching passes from whoever the Jaguars draft.
	In the TUFF world: A year ago, I said in my Draft Wrapup, "I don't need WRs as much as other teams do," because I thought that between Randy Moss, Donnie Avery, Jerricho Cotchery and Taylor Price, I had good set of reserve wideouts. (In fact, I didn't draft any wide receivers last year.) Was I ever wrong. Filling three wide receiver spots wasn't easy last year. So, for the second time ever, I have used a first-round pick in the TUFF Rookie Draft on a wide receiver. (The only other time I did so was Bryant Johnson in 2003.) Blackmon, the long-overdue replacement for Moss, should be an instant upgrade over Jacoby Ford, whose durability issues from college resurfaced last year and who may be better suited as a reserve. What Blackmon did in each of the last two years is more than double the next-highest Oklahoma State receiver, which tells me he was productive even when double- and triple-teamed, and that his stats were not entirely the product of playing against Big 12 defenses. I'm thrilled to have him on board.
	TUFF trivia: A statistic: Out of the 26 games Oklahoma State played in the past two seasons, Blackmon scored at least one TD in 23. Also, this isn't the first time this franchise selected a Fred Biletnikoff Award winner. When they were the Chicago Blaze, they took Mike Hass, who won that award in 2005, with the 53rd overall pick in 2006.

2.06 Detroit Vipers — QB Brandon Weeden

	In the real world: A well-known issue with Weeden is age (he's already 28). Will he be the next Chris Weinke (who struggled after playing a few years of minor league baseball) or another Kurt Warner (who did not start in the NFL until he was 28, then played until he was 38)? For what it's worth, his Scouts, Inc. grade (86) is close to what Josh Freeman had in 2009 (85) and Colt McCoy had in 2010 (also 86). McCoy and Freeman went late in Round 1 of their respective years' TUFF Drafts. Due to the age factor, Weeden falls to 2.06. Cecil Lammey said in a recent podcast that Weeden profiles more as a backup QB, not someone on whom an NFL team should pin its hopes on as "the starter," citing a lack of mobility; also, he argued that it will be harder to bounce back from NFL hits at age 29 than it would have been at 22 or 25. (I don't recall Warner having a hard time getting up from hits, though.) Weeden definitely has better arm strength than his competitor on the Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy. Greg Cosell called him the best pure pocket passer in this year's draft. Also, KC Joyner of ESPN.com says that based on a statistical analysis of Weeden against Ryan Tannehill, Weeden is the better prospect. The Browns certainly didn't seem to worry about Weeden's age, taking him with the 22nd overall pick. And remember, when the Browns took McCoy two years ago, Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post said at that time that the Browns' front office viewed him as a long-term backup, not as a starter.
	In the TUFF world: Having a good backup QB is extremely important. The Tampa Bay Meat Goats know this; their 2008 season went down the toilet after Tom Brady tore his knee. Last year, Peyton Manning's neck reduced the Denver Devils from one of the AFC's most dominant teams to just another 8-6 team that missed the playoffs. In 2010, my Detroit Vipers started 0-5 while Ben Roethlisberger served his suspension. I took Jimmy Clausen in Round 1 that year (remember him?) with the thought that he would be a decent backup for Roethlisberger by now, but he has yet to respond successfully to questions about leadership and temperament. Anyway, it's not often that a QB who goes in Round 1 of the NFL Draft goes to Round 2 in the TUFF Draft—Ryan Tannehill and Joe Flacco are the others—and I figured that Tampa Bay would have snapped him up at 2.08 if I didn't grab him here. Did I pick for need? Yes, you bet I did. Was Weeden the best available player? That's debatable, but a few web sites — USA Today, the National Football Post, NFLDraftScout.com and ESPN's Scouts, Inc. — gave higher grades or rankings to Weeden than WR A.J. Jenkins (the player I would have taken if Clausen was a starting quarterback today).
	Cowboy connection: That's two Oklahoma State draftees going to Detroit! They may not play on the same NFL team, but come Week 4 (Roethlisberger's bye week), Weeden may well throw a TD pass or two to Blackmon.

3.06 Detroit Vipers — TE Dwayne Allen

	In the real world: Todd McShay said last October: "Allen has burst on the scene with good production this season. He has legit size for an inline tight end, and his speed and body control could help him become the top tight end on the board." His is an example where talent and job situation don't seem to meet very well; he has the talent and tools to be an every-down starting tight end, but not with the Colts, who took Coby Fleener a round earlier. (Then again, I thought Brandon Pettigrew's job situation got messed-up after the Lions picked up Tony Scheffler, but Pettigrew's been getting his share of receptions and TDs.) While it is assumed that Coby Fleener will get more looks from Andrew Luck by virtue of 1) being drafted earlier than Allen and 2) having worked with Luck at Stanford, last time I checked, the head coach's name is not Andrew Luck. It is Chuck Pagano, who says that the Colts' new offense will feature more two-TE sets. Besides, draft position goes out the window once the season starts (just ask WR Bryant Johnson, who was drafted a round earlier than Anquan Boldin in 2003, and we all know how that turned out).
	In the TUFF world: To be fair, the ESPN.com article that quoted Pagano came out two days after I made this pick. Even though I don't need a tight end—I already have Jason Witten and I plucked Zach Miller out of the Dallas Junglehawgs' garbage last year—Allen was the most talented player on the board and his job situation was as good as or better than anyone still on the board. It all depends on how well he and the other players fit Bruce Arians' new offense. I may need depth at wide receiver more, and one can never have too many running backs. But I just couldn't pass up this talent.
	Trophy Mania: This is the second time that a TUFF team has drafted the previous year's winners of the Fred Biletnikoff Award (awarded to college football's most outstanding wide receiver) and the John Mackey Award (which goes to college football's most outstanding tight end). The first to do so was the Houston Tethered Swimmers, who drafted Braylon Edwards and Heath Miller in 2005.

4.06 Detroit Vipers — WR Juron Criner

In the real world: The first half of Criner's 2011 season was a downer for these reasons: He lost time in the summer when a close family member became ill. He missed one game in September due to an appendectomy. He missed more than three quarters of one game in October with a mild knee sprain. The Wildcats had regressed as a team, starting out 1-5. Over the final six games of the season, however, Criner had 49 receptions for 616 yards and 8 touchdowns, suggesting a recovery of the form he showed in 2010 (as well as a few games in 2009). Matt Waldman calls him "one of my favorite players in this rich draft class of receivers." Todd McShay, after the Raiders selected the 6'3", 224-lb. Criner, said this: "Criner is the anti-Raiders receiver. While everyone else will be streaking downfield, he'll be settling in zone coverage, using angles and his big body to shield defenders and taking advantage of the other receivers stretching the defense to get open for QB Carson Palmer. Criner won't separate from defenders and will always be making contested catches, but his hands and sideline awareness are also assets and Criner could become a valuable contributor."

In the TUFF world: Criner could be a good #2 receiver in Oakland — the Raiders don't have anyone else with his size — and having him as a handcuff for Jacoby Ford is a bonus. He's going well before the 54th pick in most rookie drafts, and the majority of the writers at footballguys.com put him among the top 35 in their rookie rankings. I'm usually leery of players whose grades with Scouts, Inc. grades decline from the 80s in September to the 50s in April, as Criner's did this past year; however, I'm willing to wager one fourth-round pick that this one time, Scouts, Inc. is wrong.