I had the great fortune of witnessing the pageantry of the NFL Draft live and in living color back in April of 2006. You know. That was the draft that started with the Mario Williams bombshell and included college football heroes & seemingly Canton-ready superstars Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Matt Leinart. It was an exciting sight to behold, nonetheless. The fans are revved up and face-painted and lined up around the block. That isn't to say that you're not fired up at home. You're just a little less likely to throw on the ill-fitting jersey if you're sitting at home alone (just a tad), but there's no shame in your game if you're attending the event with a throng of thousands.

For this year's event, the family and I are doing a mini-tour of the San Francisco area. I've shaken a number of hands and kissed a few babies to recruit members of team Harmon. Hey, all canvassing for office begins with hitting up co-workers, former co-workers, family and friends. I still saw a number of fans decked out in their team colors. Raider Fan was fired up at the local Starbucks this morning. Decked out in a No. 80 RICE jersey, he was praying for a receiver, and went off about the legend that would be MICHAEL CRABTREE as a member of the silver & black (he would later settle for another speedy receiver). After getting a little green tea in me (you need tranquility in this action-packed day while toting toddlers), I bid the Raider Fan adieu and strolled back to pick up the family. I passed a gentleman sporting a Denver Broncos jacket with logos that made my mind race back to the days of Sammy Winder. Would Josh McDaniels add another running back like the former coach in the Mile High City (yes. will he commit to Knowshon Moreno?) The last fan I spotted during the short journey was wearing a light blue jersey, or at least that's all I could make out. As I approached the car he was loading, I noticed that the sweater was actually teal, and that he'd leaned back into the car to don his Sharks helmet (a modified hard hat with a Great White shark-type topper). Phenomenal stuff! It was good to see some pucks love mixed therein.

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The draft itself kicked off without a whole lot of intrigue. Matthew Stafford, as had been widely reported, donned his Lions cap and grinned for pictures seemingly forever. He was later joined by tight end Brandon Pettigrew from Oklahoma State. The Stafford pick can be debated for years - should they have taken a lineman? or Sanchez? In the end, I believe they needed to attach a new face to the franchise. Get a player who can usher in a new era with Coach Schwartz and get this team moving forward. The Pettigrew pick gives the Lions a solid tight end who should probably contribute right away, and who could become a spot fantasy starter in his rookie season. However, I was left wondering why there wasn't an offensive lineman on the table here? I did like to see them circle back and draft a potential game-changer/enforcer in the secondary with Western Michigan safety Louis Dlmas. He can flat-out hit.

Jason Smith of the Baylor Bears (some positivity for the Bears!) was the seemingly obvious pick for St. Louis. They needed a new force on the offensive line to protect long-term contract holder Marc Bulger.

The Chiefs were a bit of a wild card at No. 3 and opted for Tyson Jackson out of LSU, the second straight LSU D-Lineman to come their way in the first round (Glenn Dorsey in 2008). I would have liked to have seen an offensive tackle here to protect newly-signed Matt Cassel, but that's just me.

The Seahawks offered the first real punctuation mark of the first day. In a spot where USC's Mark Sanchez and Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree were still available, the team opted to build defensively withe Aaron Curry out of Wake Forest. There's absolutely nothing to dislike about the pick. The NFC West is up for grabs (sorry AZ fans), and he can contribute immediately.

At pick No. 5, the New York Jets pulled off the deal with Cleveland that had to be made. They didn't trade for Cleveland's discarded QB. No, they traded up to the five hole and grabbed charasmatic draft season darling Mark Sanchez. He's played in the bright lights of Los Angeles and has mingled with Hollywood stars for quite awhile now (the LA Mayor is probably on his speed dial), so he shan't be shell-shocked by the Big Apple. After the big trade that sent Jets fans into a frenzy, the draft started to wobble on the tracks a bit.

In the No. 7 slot, Al Davis and the Raiders tried to take the train off of the tracks with the selection of speedster Darrius Heyward-Bey out of Maryland. True to form, Davis and his staff went for speed, speed and more speed with Heyward-Bey, who turned in ridiculous 40-yard dash times. He's still got some issues with consistency, but can certainly run under the deep ball from JaMarcus Russell. This one is going to be debated for quite some time. In fact, I'll hit it back later in the week. The irony in Davis's decision to forego the selection of Crabtree is that he was still up on the board when the 49ers picked 10th overall. They'll be forever linked and their histories intertwined. Which player will lead his team back to the promised land?

The Bills rolled the dice in a big way at No. 11 with Aaron Maybin. He's a raw, young talent from Penn State who could help pick up the pressure for Dick Jauron's defense. If the pick hits, then the QBs of the AFC East are in trouble.

 As expected, the Eagles added a speed receiver in Jeremy Maclin out of Missouri. Somewhere, Donovan McNabb flashed his most expensive smile.

The Vikings also added a speed receiver with Percy Harvin, who has been the subject of intense scrutiny during the final weeks of draft preparation. He helps shore up the receiving corps (and return game) alongside Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian.

 I liked the Tampa Bay pick-up of Josh Freeman to give the team a potential franchise quarterback. Jon Gruden battled for years with a revolving door of options. With Jeff Garcia off to Oakland, the 6-foot-6 Freeman might step in immediately.

The Colts drafted for need (and speed) late in the first round with the selection of Donald Brown. With Joseph Addai seemingly always dinged-up and Dominic Rhodes off to Buffalo, the selection of a running back seemed fairly obvious. The fact that Beanie Wells was passed over (foot injury hangover?) was a bit of a surprise, but nobody can question the Brown pick.

The Giants didn't execute a deal for a receiver on Day One, but they did have the luck of Hakeem Nicks falling into their laps at No. 29. He's got good size and speed to immediately crack Tom Coughlin's lineup.

Tennessee also landed the tall receiver they wanted, but didn't get, when Torry Holt signed in Jacksonville. Kenny Britt stands 6-foot-4 and runs a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. He's pretty polished and will make a nice third option alongside Justin Gage and deep threat Nate Washington.

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 I'm still marinating the picks of round 2. I liked the aggressiveness of the Dolphins to snag Pat white, and I'm still a bit shocked that Rey Maualuga fell to No. 37. I'll write about the USC linebackers more extensively this coming week, but I'm surprised he fell to the Bengals here. He's a complete football player who always seems to be around the ball. Can Maualuga break the streak of rough entries by Cincy linebackers? I'll break down the rest of round 2 and all of Day 2 while doing some Monday ranting.

Until then, I'm off to Fairytale Land. Yeah, that's right.