Horse Racing

With the 2009 NFL Draft under wraps after the great spectacle at New York Radio City Music Hall, attention now turns to mini-camps and possible trade speculation.

None of the big-name veterans changed teams over the weekend – unless you count Ellis Hobbs being traded from the New England Patriots to the Philadelphia Eagles for a pair of Fifth Rounders – but there was still plenty of drama all around.

Of course, a draft can never be properly evaluated 48 hours after it’s over – let alone 48 weeks for that matter, but some teams displayed some deft maneuvering in moving up and down the draft board and in snapping up highly-ranked prospects who fit a key need.

Let’s look at the teams that qualify as movers and shakers in this year’s NFL draft:



Emphasizing quality over quality, the Jets traded with the Cleveland Browns to move up to pick #5, where they snapped up Mark Sanchez to be their franchise quarterback of the future. Eat that Dan Snyder! On Day 2, the Jets also traded up to take running back Shonn Greene with the first pick of Round 3. Coupled with their strong Free Agent class of 2008, the Jets addressed their two key areas of need in this draft. However, they did not address their need for a wide receiver and time will tell how they address that. Perhaps a trade of next year’s draft picks for one of the available veteran wideouts is in order.

Patriots

The Patriots, who always find themselves on the Movers & Shakers list emphasized continuity over quality or quantity. Their biggest splash was a Safety, Patrick Chung out of Oregon, who should fit their system well. However, they locked up two additional second-round picks in the 2010 draft and that is a major coup for the team, setting them up nicely for next year’s richer draft class.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles were involved in the most draft-day trades, trading both up and down, to find the players they wanted. They were surprised to see Jeremy Maclin sitting there at #19, and traded up a couple spots (giving up a 6th-rounder to do so) and plucked him. They were expecting Knowshon Moreno to be there, but he was surprisingly taken at #12 by the Denver Broncos. Getting LeSean McCoy in the 2nd round made up for that, and both Maclin and McCoy will add some serious punch to their offense, joining Brian Westbrook, DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis. The Eagles also picked up a sleepr in Tight End Cornelius Ingram, who could be a monster on the gridiron if his surgically-repaired knee holds up.

NFL Draft overview for sports bettors.

The NFL Draft has become a big day for TV over the last few years, and it has also become a popular event for sports betting. The NFL odds have been up for a while at many online sportsbooks and sports bettors have been taking their shots who they think will go to which teams.

Seven rounds, 256 picks. Yes, the flurry of the NFL draft is upon us this week and as owners, coaches and scouts from all 32 teams crowd into their respective ‘war rooms’ to finalize plans, sportsbettors can rejoice in having the luxury of sitting back and watching the plot unfold.

It’s a nervous time for NFL teams right now and the mood may seem especially tense for those involved with any one of the 11 franchises that finished the 2008 regular season with a sub-.500 record. For the 20 clubs that missed out on the post-season there is plenty of room for improvement, too, and if you are even still receiving a paycheck from the Detroit Lions organization it must be tough getting oxygen with the noose so tightly collared around your neck.

In the Motor City there is not a lot of margin for error as the club enters the 2009 campaign but then again, it would be difficult for the team to do worse than the 0-16 record posted in 2008.

Detroit has technically been on the clock since December 21 when New Orleans mashed in a 42-7 thumping to close out the home season for the Lions, guaranteeing that even the pitiful St. Louis Rams (2-14) would finish with a better record. Detroit will more than likely take a quarterback with its first pick but there are stirrings that the team is also considering the services of top-rated offensive tackle Jason Smith out of Baylor to protect the backside of the crusty, old QB that finished the season in silver and blue.

Check out all the NFL draft odds and the NFL future odds at SPORTSBETTING.com and enjoy the big draft day.