Illinois Draftees: The fact that four Illinois players were drafted before any players from Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, or Texas is astonishing ... especially if you watched Illini football. This comes on the heels of two Illinois defenders (Martez Wilson and Corey Liuget) going last year. I like Whitney Mercilus and the range he went on Thursday (26th to Houston), but A.J. Jenkins went at least twenty picks early. Jeff Allen was a solid pickup by the Chiefs to bolster their OL, although like Jenkins he probably went a half-round early. And then there is safety Tavon Wilson. I would like to say something intelligent about New England, but I never really considered him a remote possibility to be drafted so I did not spend any time on him. This is a much bigger reach than when the Raiders took Mike Mitchell of Ohio University in a similar spot three years ago. Rams Recap: The St. Louis Rams certainly had an interesting Friday. With the first pick of the night they took Appalachian State wideout Brian Quick, a long-levered project that I like more than most but who is not ready to contribute much in 2012. They came right back and took the bait on Janoris Jenkins, the notorious pothead/bastard factory who also happens to be an exceptionally talented cover man. In the predraft show Jenkins appeared on camera in a bandanna and tank top, looking more like he was heading to the park to play some pickup hoops than having the biggest night of his life. That is not exactly a good sign if he cannot acquiesce to common sense for his big moment. To his credit he did well on camera once the draft started and his daughter is one cute kid. But I digress... Jenkins is a huge risk, and that risk is exacerbated by the coaching situation. Gregg Williams was going to run the defense before he got busted and suspended. There are experienced coaches all over the place with Jeff Fisher, Chuck Cecil, and Dave McGinnis, but right now there is no defensive coordinator. This is also not a team with a notably strong locker room, though Chris Long and James Laurinaitis certainly command respect. To make things more interesting, the Rams took Montana DB Trumaine Johnson in the third round. Johnson is also a project and comes from a zone scheme. It appears the team is going to transition him to safety, once again without a true defensive coordinator. I really like the Isaiah Pead selection, as he is the perfect complement to Steven Jackson as the No. 2 running back. I sense Rams fans will grow impatient with this draft class. Packers, Giants Pick Well: From the "rich get richer" files, look at what the Packers and Giants came away with on Friday. Green Bay picked Jerel Worthy at #51 overall. Worthy is every bit as good as 2011 #13 overall pick Nick Fairley and the same sort of disruptive, in-your-face sort of attacking defensive lineman. He dominates when he guesses the snap count correctly, and he slips into gaps with a rare litheness for a man of his girth. The Packers badly needed an infusion of attitude up front, and they got it. He should pair nicely with first-round pick Nick Perry, who I am not overly enthusiastic about but was worth the shot where they got him. They followed that with Vandy corner Casey Hayward, a ball-hawking zone corner that is excellent insurance against Tramon Williams forgetting how to play once again. For a defense that places emphasis on forcing turnovers, he is an excellent fit even though he drops a fair share of INTs and tackles by diving at feet. The Giants, meanwhile, added Rueben Randle and Jayron Hosley to go with final pick of the first round David Wilson. Randle unexpectedly fell; he was still in the green room at Radio City until the final pick of the second round. I have heard several theories but the most credible is that Randle was not very good on the white board when teams interviewed him. No team develops talent better than the Giants, so even though I buy into the axiom that "everyone that falls, falls for a reason," this is the best possible landing spot for Randle. Hosley had borderline first-round talent but had a positive drug test and measured in shorter and slighter than expected. He remained the #4 corner on my board for his ball skills, enthusiastic run support, and field awareness, plus I am a sucker for Hokie DBs. Fellow Virginia Tech runner Wilson capably fills the Brandon Jacobs hole with more dynamic outside ability, though he is almost freakishly bad in short yardage situations (15 attempts, just 6 first downs with two fumbles and 5 carries for loss on 3rd and less than 3 in 2011) and has some injury issues. If healthy and used properly, Wilson is a great value at #32. Cincinnati Defense: The Cincinnati Bengals have some ridiculous depth on defense, which should make for a spirited training camp as the depth chart gets sorted out. Friday saw the Bengals take defensive tackles Devon Still from Penn State in the second and Brandon Thompson from Clemson in the third. Both have very good physical talent but do not always play to it, particularly Thompson. Still was widely considered a first rounder until recent weeks, while Thompson was in the top 60 of most draftniks and the Bengals got him at #93. But in a rotation with solid starters Domata Peko and Geno Atkins, they get to compete for the same active roster spot. I love that philosophy; dangle the carrot and see how bad they want it. They have five one-time first-round picks at cornerback, including Dre Kirkpatrick this year, that also get to fight it out. They also added Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu, a great value in the third round and a classy redemptive move by the Bengals to Sanu, who was pranked by someone claiming to be the Bengals on Thursday night. Detroit Reaction: My Detroit Lions made me a very happy fan by taking Oklahoma WR Ryan Broyles and Louisiana Lafayette CB Dwight Bill Bentley. Broyles was the best inside receiver in this draft, an uncoverable demon underneath coming out of the slot. He is the all-time NCAA reception leader even though he tore his ACL in early November, and what happened to the Sooners offense in his absence demonstrates his value; QB Landry Jones went from a potential top 10 pick in this draft to maybe a third round pick in 2013 instantly. With Nate Burleson still under contract for another year, the Lions do not have to rush his recovery and then the base offense going forward looks like this: Matt Stafford throwing to Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, Broyles, and Brandon Pettigrew behind an upgraded line (hello Riley Reiff!) with 2011 second round pick Mikel Leshoure or even Jahvid Best. That unit is going to score a lot of points, and that makes me like the Bentley pick even more. He was one of my favorite players in this draft, a physical, aggressive, cocksure slot corner that is built to handle the Percy Harvins and Randall Cobbs of the world. He has his warts -- lacks great speed, average tackler, lacks ideal size, marginal competition -- but during Senior Bowl week he was better than Janoris Jenkins and proved he could more than hang with the big boys. GM Martin Mayhew is building his team to win its division and I love it. Jaguars Baffle: Jacksonville is noted for truly baffling draft picks, and this year is no exception. In the third round they chose Cal punter Bryan Anger. That is right, punter in the third round. I am not crazy about second round pick Andre Branch either, though Branch does have intriguing potential as a pass rushing end and was not a reach where they got him. I will say this with conviction: no specialist should ever be taken before the 6th round, period. There have been two exceptions in the last 35 years and both play for the Raiders right now, Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler. Titans Win: I count the Tennessee Titans as winners on Friday as well, though I think they could have done even better. Zack Brown can fly all over the field and is quick to react and close, though he is not as instinctive or physical as Lavonte David, who went a few spots later. I love Michigan DT Mike Martin in the third round. He will never be a Pro Bowler but Martin is going to have a long, solid career and offers enough skill to stay on the field for three downs if needed. Mixed Reaction In Philadelphia: Philly fans got a lot of reason to cheer and a little to boo, as they do better than any other fan base. Cheer for Cal LB Mychael Kendricks, an undersized, play-making missile who will be excellent alongside Demeco Ryans. Cheer for Vinny Curry, adding more depth to the edge pass rush and insurance against Jason Babin reverting to bust status and the ongoing inability of Brandon Graham to stay on the field. Curry is one of the most natural pass rushers in this draft and fits the wide-nine scheme to a T. Boo for Arizona QB Nick Foles, an absolute reach in the third round. I know the Wildcats had turmoil around him and he still improved on his completion percentage, but Foles is Charlie Frye 2.0, a doe in the headlights. Hair Note: Can ESPN hire whoever does hair for Mel Kiper to work on Jon Gruden? Kiper has subtly toned down the volume without losing the trademark vigorous and impeccable look, but Gruden appears to have a stringy, greasy mop on his head. Kudos to Brian Billick for shaving his ridiculous looking full beard over on the NFL Network, and can someone hire this guy to coach again please? The best players available: Ole Miss T Bobby Massie Georgia CB Brandon Boykin Cal WR Marvin Jones Boise State S George Iloka Washington NT Alameda Ta’Amu Arizona WR Juron Criner Oklahoma LB Ronnell Lewis Arkansas WR Greg Childs Tennessee DE Malik Jackson Arkansas WR Jarius Wright Utah State RB Robert Turbin Georgia OL Ben Jones Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins San Diego State LB Miles Burris South Carolina S Antonio Allen Michigan State WR Keshawn Martin Nevada LB James Michael-Johnson Florida DT Jaye Howard Texas LB Keenan Robinson Iowa CB Shaun Prater Virginia DE Cam Johnson Oregon LB Josh Kaddu Coastal Carolina CB Josh Norman Alabama DB DeQuan Menzie NC State LB Terrell Manning Nevada WR Rishard Matthews Tennessee RB Tauren Poole Texas A&M RB Cyrus Gray Iowa WR Marvin McNutt