Monday Links (4/27)

A few final thoughts on the draft...

-- The reaction to the deal Matthew Stafford got with the Lions has been tepid at best. I get. The truth is, Stafford isn't deserving of that much money because he's never played a down in the NFL. But Detroit is betting on Stafford's future, which looks very bright. He has the right attitude, he's embraced the challenge ahead of him, and he has all the tools to become the quarterback Detroit is betting he will be. I'll be surprised if he is the starter Week 1, but I'd bet he starts at least five or six games this coming season.

-- Denver is not going to be an especially good team in 2009, but the Broncos selection of Knowshon Moreno was a good one. Knowshon is the perfect fit for that offense, and he'll make an immediate impact in both the passing and running game. His selection came earlier than most expected (and I would have loved if he had fallen to the Eagles) but it was by no means a reach.

-- I was suprised to see Mohamed Massaquoi go quite as early as he did, but it just goes to show how much he has taken his game to a new level over the past year. It's also funny that he landed in Cleveland because he is everything the Browns' top two receivers last year -- Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth -- are not.

-- Georgia had not had a first-round pick since 2005, when Thomas Davis and David Pollack went in the top 17. This year, the Bulldogs had two, and five in the top 100.

-- As much criticism as Asher Allen received for leaving school a year early, I'm not sure he cost himself too much money. Yes, with a strong 2009 he might have been a high second-rounder. Instead, he was a high third-rounder. His injury last season mitigated his poor stats, but if he had a similarly disappointing 2009 he could have fallen late into the second day. Overall, he made out just fine (and he'll get a chance to try to pick off passes from Stafford in Detroit now).

-- Very happy for Corvey Irvin. He ended up going a lot earlier than most expected at season's end. He did some fine work in improving his draft stock this offseason, and the results were obvious. Plus, he'll get to stay pretty close to home with the Panthers.

-- Irvin and fellow draftee Jarius Wynn prove just how good Georgia's recruitment of JuCo players went two years ago when the Dawgs landed those two and lineman Vince Vance.

-- I'm shocked that Brannan Southerland didn't get selected. But I have no doubt he'll land a job quickly. He was widely regarded as one of the top two or three fullbacks available, but there just isn't the need for fullbacks in the NFL that there used to be. Dannell Ellerbe was also a surprise non-selection, but like Southerland, an injury filled 2009 season hurt his stock. Again, good evidence of why Allen made the right decision. Southerland, Ellerbe, Demiko Goodman and Kenneth Harris have already signed free-agent deals, according to the Banner-Herald. CJ Byrd should land a free agent deal, too.

-- Once again, the SEC led the pack with 35 selections in the draft, and Georgia was near the top of the board with six picks. That number is also a little low given how much NFL talent Florida has returning. USC led the day with 11 players taken, but two other Pac-10 teams had no one taken.

So, what about you? What did you take away from this weekend's draft?

Now, some links for the day...

-- The reaction from Detroit media hasn't been overly enthusiastic, but they have to admit, Matthew Stafford could be very, very good (and given the Lions' history, it's easy to understand why they're wary).

-- Blutarski tackles the interesting question of how the spread offense may affect QBs in the draft. This was one thing that Mark Richt pointed out Saturday: Georgia helped Stafford and Moreno by putting them in an offense that helped showcase their NFL skills.

-- There was a lot more excitement over Knowshon Moreno in Denver.

-- Josh McDaniels is pretty happy with his first-round draft choice as well.

-- Mohamed Massaquoi had good things to say when speaking with the media after being selected by the Browns.

-- 960 the Ref talks about the Falcons' draft take with D. Orlando Ledbetter.

-- The Banner-Herald's Bill Hager says that if the men's hoops team is ever going to get better, they probably need to get out of Stegeman Coliseum.

-- Georgia's women's tennis team won the SEC championship.

-- Bryce Massanari had three home runs Saturday, but Georgia's offense couldn't get going against Ole Miss on Sunday.

-- Former Georgia closer Josh Fields earned his first professional save over the weekend for the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. (h/t Matthew Borenstein)

-- Desmond from "Lost" has been named in a sexual harrassment lawsuit by a former crew member on the show.

-- And finally, here's a list of the 10 most notable hangouts from TV shows. Sadly, no mention of The Max from "Saved by the Bell."