8:14, P.M. Brodie Croyle? Charlie Whitehurst? Bruce Gradkowski? No thanks, says Brad Childress. The same QB-guru who turned a raw option-QB out of Syracuse by the name of Donovan McNabb to a 5-time pro bowl superstar, just moved into the back of the 2nd round to pull a shocker by drafting Alabama State QB Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson, a division-2 standout, is incredibly raw but has arguably the strongest arm in the draft. He'll develop under incumbent Vikings QB Brad Johnson and the tutilage of head coach Brad Childress.

8:00, P.M. As the 2nd round begins to wind down and we enter the territory that only true football-hungry "draftniks" dare enter, there have been no shortage of pick-swapping, stretch picks or unexpected sliders.

The Packers trading embattled wide receiver Javon Walker to the Broncos set off a chain-reaction of the Packers trading up and down, resulting in the selections of speedy Western Michigan WR Greg Jennings and versatile Boise State OL Darryn Colledge.

The Jets who earlier in the day solidified their offensive line with the selections of D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, selected the heir apparent at Quarterback in Oregon's Kellen Clemens. Clemens was on his way to a Heisman-caliber senior campaign before he broke his ankle and did not play for the rest of the year. The Jets now have a bit of a foggy situation at Quarterback, but its a foregone conclusion that they'll have solid protection up front with the selections of Ferguson and Mangold. 

 The Carolina Panthers may have found the best value pick of the 2nd round(behind LenDale White to Tennessee) by selection athletic playmaking CB Richard Marshall from Fresno State. After losing restrictred free agent Ricky Manning, JR. to the Bears in free agency, Marshall can step right in and make plays at nickel DB behind starters Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble.

 Most questionable portion of the 2nd round? The Chicago Bears selecting two very raw defensive backs despite already having Charles Tillman, Pro Bowler Nathan Vasher, and the newly-signed Ricky Manning Jr. The latter of the two picks, Miami's Devin Hester, will contribute immediately on special teams but it remains to be seen if he can make a full transition to one of the skill positions. 

6:18, P.M. After nearly 6 hours of waiting, one of the most productive runningbacks in college football history is off the board. The Tennessee Titans have chosen USC runningback LenDale White with the 45th overall pick. Amidst some character concerns, a reported weight-control issue and a mildly torn hamstring, LenDale saw himself falling quickly despite a great career and even greater potential. He's always remained the #2 overall talent on my board, being an elite power runner who never stops churning his feet to pick up extra yards. He'll team up with new Titans QB Vince Young to form one of the best young backfields in the AFC.

5:45, P.M. USC's Winston Justice is FINALLY off the board, heading to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 39th overall pick. The Eagles traded up to get him in the 2nd round, after almost taking him with their first round pick. Justice is a dynamic athlete but was plagued with some inconsistencies during his career at USC, as well as some reported character issues. He'll most likely be the successor to Tra Thomas at left tackle for the Eagles.

5:27, P.M. One of the surprising "sliders" of the draft, Florida's junior receiver Chad Jackson, is finally off the board. The New England Patriots traded up with the Green Bay packers to select him with the 37th overall pick. The Patriots actually considered taking him with their first round pick, on the basis of a great combine and personal workout. Good value for the Patriots, who are looking to replace the departed David Givens.

5:01, P.M. With the closing pick of the first round, acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Giants select Mathias Kiwanuka, defensive end from Boston College. All this despite the fact that they have two book ends on the DL in Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan. After his productive junior season Mathias Kiwanuka was viewed as a top-15 pick but stayed in school. He had an up-and-down senior campaign, and faired poorly due to a shoulder injury at the Senior Bowl allstar game. I question his repetoire of pass rushing moves and his ability to play the run. Very questionable pick by the Giants here.

4:45, P.M. The Colts have made a big step towards replacing elite runningback Edgerrin James, with the selection of LSU Runningback Joseph Addai. Addai is a great overall back who might've been the only runner in this draft who could fit in every single offensive system; zone blocking, iso formation, a screen offense, etc. He's very adept at picking up the blitz and catching out of the backfield, which is primarily what made Edgerrin James so great. And as of the 31st pick, with Seattle on the clock, OT Winston Justice, RB LenDale White and WR Chad Jackson are all still on the board.

3:57, P.M. The Bucs chimed in at #23 with one of the bigger stretches of the draft, taking Oklahoma offensive guard Davin Joseph. Joseph, who was forced to play Left Tackle due to lack of depth on OU's offensive line last year, projects to guard in the pro's and fits Tampa's offensive philosophy. That said, he was the #58 talent on my big board, and could largely be considered a full-round stretch. USC offensive tackle Winston Justice, once considered a top-10 pick, remains on the board.

3:17, P.M. The San Diego Chargers, desperately needing to improve a pass defense that ranked near the bottom of the NFL the last 3 years, made one of the draft's best value picks so far by selecting FSU corner Antonio Cromartie. Cromartie was the NCAA's best cover corner as a sophomore, but blew out his knee in spring drills as a junior and didn't play at all in 05. He stood on the merit he created as a sophomore, and entered the draft despite potentially being a top-5 pick in '07. He has some of the best backpedal and footwork i've ever laid us upon, and the Chargers may have gotten the best defensive back to come out in a few years.

2:45, P.M. The Miami Dolphins have made a pretty healthy stretch pick at #16, by selecting Tennessee Corner/Safety Jason Allen. Allen was a consensus top-20 pick heading into his senior year for the Vols, but suffered a seriously dislocated hip and missed most of the year. He rebounded to come back to full health and performed well at the combine, running a sub-4.4 forty yard dash. Nick Saban loves big, physical corners, and Allen fits the mold. A bit of a stretch nonetheless, in my book.

2:01, P.M. The Ravens and Browns have swapped picks, with the Ravens moving up one slot to get their man: massive Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Ngata, a premiere space-eater, will bring back the hay-days of Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa in Baltimore by clearing up blockers and letting linebackers like Ray Lewis free roam and make plays.

1:48, P.M. The Rams and Broncos took part in the first trade of the young draft afternoon, with the Broncos moving up to #11 to select Vanderbilt Jay Cutler. I personally am not very high on Cutler, but he's a similar prospect to Jake Plummer coming out of Arizona State, so Mike Shannahan definitely got his man.

1:34, P.M. And finally, the "Leinart Watch 06" is over, as Arizona selects him with the 10th overall pick in the draft. A bit surprising that a player with a resume like Leinart's could fall that far, but there are some inefficiencies in his game that made him slide a bit. However, this is indeed the perfect situation for Leinart. He can tutor under incumbent QB Kurt Warner for a year or so, and then take over in 2007 with immense talent around him.

1:27, P.M. The Bills threw the first "curveball" of the draft by selecting torpedo defensive back Donte Whitner of Ohio State. A gutsy pick that some will view as a stretch, Whitner was in fact the #9 talent on my big board due to his versatility and ability to contribute immediately. After losing Lawyer Milloy to the Falcons in the off-season, Whitner fits in nicely.

1:15, P.M.The Raiders on the clock with the 7th overall pick, were staring a sliding Matt Leinart right in the face. But they wasted little time in selecting speedy, hard hitting Texas DB Michael Huff, a selection first predicted right here on BringtheBlitz.com by draft analyst Tim Jennings. Now Matt Leinart could see himself fall all the way to #10 to the Cardinals, or further. Stay tuned.

12:36, P.M. The draft continues to move at a steady pace, as the Titans look little time to draft star Longhorns QB Vince Young. In my mock draft(as seen on BTB.com), I had a hard time beleiving that USC-alum Jeff Fisher and former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow could pass on Matt Leinart. But in the end, general manager Floyd Reese got his man in the duel-threat dynamo that is Vince Young.

12:27, P.M. The Saints took nearly 11 minutes before making their choice, but Southern Cal's Reggie Bush is the pick. Albeit not an immediate need, Bush will immediately re-invigerate a franchise that needs some marquee players. Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson or Ohio State's AJ Hawk would've been a better selection here, when it comes to needs, but its hard to fault the Saints front office for taking Bush after he fell into their lap.

12:15, P.M. As expected, the Texans have selected NC State defensive end Mario Williams with the #1 overall choice in the 2006 NFL Draft. Williams, the number one talent on my draft big board, brings a dynamic pass-rusher to a young Texans defensive line. They will always be questioned for not taking the electric Reggie Bush, but I feel they made the right choice here.