I’m going to have to go ahead and go against Steve here. Clearly there was a lot more going on this weekend than the Broncos taking a RB that is already drawing comparisons to Kevin Faulk. Have to go with the first real surprise of the draft, the Jets moving up to pick Sanchez. I have to say, I did not see this coming. In fact, with word out of the Browns camp leading up to the draft, I expected Sanchez to be a Brown. Sanchez gives the Jets a viable starter for years to come, and they got him at a great price. Some might look at the amount players traded away as too hefty a price but remember, the Jets traded Eric Mangini’s guys to Eric Mangini. Rex Ryan has his own defense in place, and now he has someone who can effectively lead his offense. Of course, this also means that the Jets recognized Kellen Clemens was not a viable option at starter, which is something I was personally not sure about.

Jump ahead a couple picks and we get to the Oakland Raiders. Darrius Heyward-Bey. Yet another example of the effects of Alzheimer’s. This is a serious, serious illness, and we need to do more about it. If Terrell Owens was on the Raiders, he’d be able to diagnosis Al Davis. No knock on Owens there, Owens has a long history of raising money and donating funds to Alzheimer’s. And as a result, Michael Crabtree fell to the 49ers. Have to say, a fantastic spot for him to land, there were concerns about his attitude and now he is going to play under Mike Singletary, who may drop his pants and hump Crabtree into submission should insubordination occur. It’s a shame the 49ers are a run-first team now, because Crabtree could have had some great success.

Fantasy Outlook:

Sanchez will take over for NYJ at some point, likely early on, this season. When he does come in, he’ll be raw, and he’ll have to play a lot of difficult defenses thanks to the division the Jets are in. Jets receivers take a hit, and with the addition of Shonn Greene, Thomas Jones will lose carries and thus value. I would steer clear of Jets players this season, but Greene and Sanchez are good targets for Dynasty and Keeper leagues.

Heyward-Bey is not going to pan out. I’m sorry, but I just don’t see it happening. There isn’t a whole lot of talent down there, they don’t have a top end QB, their line is average, and the list goes on. The only thing the Raiders have going is the strength of the running back position. I wouldn’t even want to classify Heyward-Bey as a marginal WR3, more of a WR4, but I’ll go with the former. I’m assuming his ceiling is Devin Hester’s numbers from last year, but likely will only match Bethel Johnson’s career year in NE. I do feel it is necessary to note that the second round pick of the Raiders, Michael Mitchell, seems to have generated a bit more support despite being a three round reach.

Crabtree steps in as the 49ers top receiver. Of course, he is also a well rounded player, tall, can catch the ball, runs goods routes, and shows strong burst. What he lacks in straight-line speed, he makes up for in the ability to make plays. As for his value, he is on a run first team that is shaky at quarterback, (despite the 49ers continued success using Shaun Hill versus any of the other quarterbacks on their roster). Crabtree as of now is a mid to upper WR3, with potential to reach mid to higher end WR2. It will depend on how the season plays out, if the 49ers fall behind often, etc. Crabtree will have Isaac Bruce on the field with him showing him the ropes, and there has been word that Jerry Rice will be around to help mentor the young receiver. He is a good target in round 7 or so in redraft leagues, and much earlier in Dynasty leagues. Frank Gore also gets a small boost because the presence of Crabtree will help prevent opposing defenses from stacking the box, and can also help out in blocking downfield.

The three teams I went with in this post I picked for a reason. Jets are my favorite movers in this draft, Raiders get the worst grade, and 49ers get the best grade.