2010 NFL Draft Winners and Losers (Round One)

With Round One of the 2010 NFL Draft now behind us, Gambling911.com looks at the winners and the losers.

ESPN.com's John Clayton believes that the Denver Broncos made a terrible mistake in drafting Tim Tebow, although that move sure got plenty of buzz.

"Tebow might be the most interesting selection of Day 1, but why Denver? After going 2-8 down the stretch in 2009, a bad start to the 2010 season (and a losing season) could put McDaniels' job in jeopardy. McDaniels inherited an offense in Denver that didn't need a lot of change. QB Jay Cutler was coming off a 4,500-yard season in 2008, and Brandon Marshall was a 100-catch receiver. Like Quinn, whom McDaniels picked up for virtually nothing, Tebow is a developmental quarterback. The question facing the Broncos' organization is whether McDaniels can earn enough time to succeed with developmental quarterbacks. Current Denver starter Kyle Orton may just have this year left at quarterback under these circumstances."

Others are sure to disagree with this sentiment.  So we wouldn't be quick to suggest Denver is a loser in the 2010 NFL Draft just yet.  They have plenty more picks.

Jimmy Clausen is another of the big losers, dropping down into the second round.  At least he will make Friday night's NFL Draft Round Two fascinating.  Whichever team inherits him should be considered a winner we suppose.

The Seattle Seahawks have come up big winners (maybe the biggest in the first round), grabbing Russell Okung, a left tackle to they desperately needed to strengthen their offensive line.  They also got Earl Thomas.

From Randy Lutz of the Bleacher Report:

Okay so the cat's out of the bag that the Seahawks are on this list, but how could they not be?

Seattle manages to add what many considered to be the top tackle prospect in this draft class with the sixth overall pick, and a game changer in the secondary with the 14th overall pick.

Having a guy like Earl Thomas behind the linebacking corps they've got in Seattle can only mean good things for that defense.

Thomas should be an immediate starter and impact player in Seattle, and Okung should step in immediately to try to protect Hasselbeck's blind side and keep him healthy for the first time in a long time.

The Eagles were big winners according to Mark Craig of the Star Tribune:

They traded up from No. 24 to No. 13, got a top pass rusher -- Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham -- and didn't have to surrender their two second-round picks to do so. While trading Donovan McNabb to the Redskins this offseason wasn't a wise move, Graham will give the Eagles a fine young pass rusher to get after McNabb twice a year.

Tennessee came up a winner. 

From ESPN.com:

Not in their wildest dreams could they envision Derrick Morgan falling to them with the 16th pick in the first round. Coach Jeff Fisher and defensive line coach Jim Washburn are great at molding defensive linemen. In Morgan, they get a talent who might be considered a top-10 pick in a normal year.

Another big winner appears to be the San Francisco 49ers.  At least that is the concensus. 

Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com