Anthony Davis, Devin McCourty selected in first round of NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers were one of the teams linked most closely to Anthony Davis prior to the draft. Perhaps fearful of another team leapfrogging ahead, the Niners traded up to #11 to select the tackle. It makes sense - they have a gigantic hole at Right Tackle. Davis has the most talent of any tackle this year. There was a wide disparity between him and Bryan Bulaga, so they probably put a premium on landing Davis.

I understand it in that sense, and in grabbing the best available player, but I'm not sure if Anthony Davis is the best fit in San Francisco. In Joe Staley, they already have a pass protecting specialist. While Davis has more bulk, he's absolutely a natural left tackle, and a better fit on the blind side. That as a concern may have been a big reason why they selected mauling guard Mike Iupati with their second pick.

San Francisco seems like an organization on the rise. This selection will place Davis with a noted disciplinarian in Coach Mike Singletary. San Francisco's offensive line coach is Mike Solari, who favors larger linemen in his man-blocking schemes, and is one of the best at his job in the entire league. It's a good fit in that sense, and that the icing on the cake is that Anthony didn't end up falling into the black hole of a franchise sitting across the bay in Oakland.

Davis became the highest ever Scarlet Knight to be selected in the NFL Draft, but a swell night became ever better after the Patriots plucked Devin McCourty. Anthony Davis is a gamble, but few if any will question McCourty's credentials. New England fans, you're going to love him.

Interestingly enough, there was just a story earlier in the day that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has developed a close relationship with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. Belichick's son plays lacrosse for Rutgers, and the hooded one actually was on campus several weeks back as the keynote speaker at a coaching clinic. I'm still floored by the fact that Belichick wore a Rutgers sweatshirt earlier in the day, as if taunting the entire world of his intentions. The Ravens would have been better, but everyone outside of the Jets fans out there should be happy with this result.

A fun little postscript to the pick is that the New York Jets took Piscataway's Kyle Wilson with the very next pick (he attended high school five minutes away from the Rutgers campus). Owing to geography, position, and now their pro teams, McCourty and Wilson will now forever be linked over the course of their careers. They're close to mirror images in terms of skills and temperament, so I wish all the best to Wilson going forward. Unlike that terrible, no good, very bad usurper named Hakeem Nicks.