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Quick Hits on Day 3 of the 2010 Draft


And so it ends. The first 3 day draft in history wrapped up Saturday afternoon and ended with the Lions selecting 2010's Mr. Irrelevant, Tim Toone. 2010 was a talented class and I believe there were a lot of great players selected here this week. A number of high profile players also changed hands today, headlined by Oakland's acquisition of QB Jason Campbell. So let's get started.

Favorite Moves of the Day
The Raiders dip into 2012 to acquire a starter: The Raiders were the first team to trade away a 2012 draft pick when they acquired Jason Campbell for their 2012 4th round pick. Campbell will start for this team. Russell's days as a Raider are numbered. To make things even better, I think this will be a break out season for Campbell, who has played in the wrong offense for years. The Raiders offense will better utilize his arm strength as it is a much deeper passing attack than the west coast offense.

Raiders have a very Un-Raiderlike draft: The Raiders have made some very poor draft picks the last 3+ years. They've taken a lot of heat for picks like JaMarcus Russell and even Darrius Heyward-Bey last year. Largely the complaint hasn't been taking bad players, but more taking great athletes ahead of great football players. But this year was very different. The Raiders surprised many by taking Rolando McClain with their first pick, despite having other needs. It was a great move as McClain gives them a LB that will be the cornerstone of that defense for the next 10 years. They followed that up with solid picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Then they went for the Raider style by selecting specimens in Bruce Campbell and Jacoby Ford. But the difference is that this draft, they took those guys when they were good value instead of reaching up for them and missing out on other great players. Congratulations to the Raiders on an excellent 3 days.

Myron Rolle to the Titans at the end of the 6th: I was really hoping the Vikings would give this guy a shot because he is an excellent cover-2 safety. People question his commitment to football because he is smart enough to do other things, but I think it's a shame when intelligence is held against a player. I believe he would have been a 2nd or 3rd round pick if he hadn't spent his senior season studying at Oxford University (yea, the one in England). I think the Titans got a steal here.

Everson Griffen to the Vikings: I love this pick, but not in a homer way. I love this move for Griffen. Griffen was evaluated as a mid to late first round talent. But question marks about his locker room presence and his inconsistent effort on the field dropped him out of the first 3 rounds. Most notably, he was passed on by college coach Pete Carroll three times, despite having recently lost Patrick Kearney. That is the kind of thing that puts a chip on a young man's shoulder, which may be just what this kid needs to turn things around. I expect Griffen to re-evaluate his approach to the game after the way this week went. Additionally, Griffen goes to a team known for getting the most out of their defensive line. Just look at how Jimmy Kennedy has begun to resurrect his career there. Griffen won't have an easy path to the field as he will have to fight hard for playing time along the best front four in the league. But he has the ability and the Vikings can get it out of him if anyone can.

The Vikings
I'm going to have a more in depth look at all the Vikings picks tomorrow but for now I will just say this about their 3rd day: it was a solid day. They added a lot of players that can be contributors on this team, most of which carry versatility on their resume. We drafted a G/T and a LB/FB, as well as several special teams standouts. The selection of UAB QB Joe Webb gave us a WR project that can double as a wildcat trigger man and emergency QB. The Vikings didn't really turn any heads with their draft but they did what a Super Bowl caliber team is supposed to do, bring in competition for your depth chart and improve your special teams. No QB of the future for now, but I'm not convinced they're ready to completely scrap Jackson yet either (not to mention this draft was short on potential franchise QB's after Bradford, despite what you may have been told).

Biggest Move of the Day
Perhaps the biggest move of the day was the announcement that the Jets would be releasing 9 time Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca. He is sure to garner significant interest on the open market, despite being 33 years old. Honestly, this is the only move the Jets have made this offseason that I have really questioned. I don't know who they are planning to replace him with (they did draft a linemen in the 2nd round) but they will be a downgrade. When you're hoping to be competing in February, that's generally not a word you want to hear.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.