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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Draft day not
short on surprisesSHOCKED. Like the guy from "Casablanca," I am shocked, stunned at the happenings of this year's National Football League Draft. I am reeling, knocked to the living room floor, paralyzed, while I struggle to come to grips with this kind of surprise.
The fact that Mel "Mousse" Kiper, formerly the star of ESPN's draft coverage, is almost invisible, and has been rendered all but moot, or, dare I say it, mute?
The revelation that it turns out that Bill Romanowski, the spitting-mad master of psychotic episodes and performance enhancers, is actually such a nice guy?
That ESPN TV announcer Chris Berman has somehow convinced every NFL coach and general manager to call him "Boomer"?
Yes, yes and yes.
But the one that knocked me flat was this:
With the 11th pick in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams take Pisa Tinoisamoa, linebacker, University of Hawaii.
Wow.
No one, no one (though many may try) should be able to tell you with a straight face that he or she saw that one coming.
But this is the magic of the draft. It's a wild, wild scene, man.
Let's face it. Everything was thrown out the window yesterday morning, once you got past the first few prescripted opening plays. Surprises. Trades. Berman was frothing at the mouth. All the experts were wrong, and that includes the ones from the Vikings who, for the second straight year, couldn't quite figure out how all this works.
They PASSED!
This isn't "Family Feud," guys.
And you had to feel bad for Kiper, as they kept parading his "best available" list across the screen, and pick after pick after pick, they were still available.
I'd fade into the background too.
Wayne Hunter, the former Hawaii tackle and soon-to-be instant millionaire, said it best this week. We liked the quote so much we blew it up on Page 2 in yesterday's paper.
"The coaches aren't going to call the guys doing the mock draft and ask who they should pick," Hunter said. "They really don't know what they're talking about."
No, apparently they don't. More than a few of them, including Kiper, had Hunter going in the first round, but Hunter slid to the third, to Seattle.
You just never know.
But it was a good pick. He is a third-rounder, an unproven commodity. A workout wonder. Yeah, he can bench press 225 pounds until YOU get tired, he's 6-foot-5, 300 pounds without fat, has albatross arms, a high IQ and a nasty temper. Looks good, except he hasn't had even one great season.
At the third round, Hunter isn't a gamble. He's a smart investment. It's a good situation for him. He'll get his money, he'll get his chance.
Same with Vince Manuwai on the pick before. The Jaguars wanted him, and moved one of their guards to center, apparently to make room. Vince isn't the legend he's been built up to be, but he gives you his heart out there. Good third-round pick.
The surprise was Pisa. But the Rams have been known to make picks that make sense only for them. They want speed, and they got it. A pick in the second round means they expect him to become a starter. Good news for the man from San Diego. He couldn't have found a better situation.
You can imagine the phone call he took, so early in the day. It must have been like Bill Cosby's old comedy routine, God calling on an unbelieving Noah: "Who is this really?"
It was a surprise, and a big one. On draft days, the very best kind.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com