After 252 picks and 15 hours, we finally have our draft class of 2008, from Jake Long at #1 to this year's Mr. Irrelevant, David Vobora of Idaho.
The later rounds are important in building the foundations of teams, and occasionally a diamond in the rough emerges.
The Jets look to repeat their late-round draft prowess, having selected Leon Washington and Jerricho Cotchery, amongst others, on the second day of the draft. Day two looked like this for Gang Green:
Round 4, Pick 113: Dwight Lowery, CB, San Jose State
Round 5, Pick 162: Erik Ainge, QB, Tennessee
Round 6, Pick 171: Marcus Henry, WR, Kansas
Round 7, Pick 211: Nate Garner, OT, Arkansas
The Jets tried to address skill positions on day 2 of the draft. Lowery and Garner have some potential, and Henry could be a solid #3 or #4 receiver. The most interesting pick Sunday for the Jets was the biggest name, Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge. Son of Celtics great Danny Ainge, Erik Ainge split time at quarterback his first two years at Tennessee, and dealt with injuries his other two years. While another weak-armed QB is not what the Jets need, Ainge has potential and could add more intrigue to the upcoming season's battle between Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens.
The Giants had arguably the best draft class by far in 2007, with almost every pick contributing in some way to their playoff run and eventual Super Bowl victory. Ahmad Bradshaw and Kevin Boss figured greatly in their offensive scheme. Here's how day two went down for Big Blue:
Round 3, Pick 95: Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan
Round 4, Pick 123: Bryan Kehl, OLB, BYU
Round 5, Pick 165: Jonathan Goff, ILB, Vanderbilt
Round 6, Pick 198: Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
Round 6, Pick 199: Robert Henderson, DE, Southern Mississippi
The G-Men took a couple fliers on offensive skill players, while adding depth to their lineback core and D-line. Manningham is a very solid, albeit undersized wide receiver who has an uncanny ability of getting open (as an unabashed Notre Dame fan that sentence is painful to write, and resonates with the pain of witnessing such catches first-hand). Woodson has the raw talent and size to be a great quarterback, but the intangibles and game management skills just don't seem up to snuff.
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The other big story on Sunday was the selection of the Detroit Lions at pick 218. They 
selected Caleb Campbell, a safety from the United States Military Academy, otherwise known as Army. Because of recent changes in Army's terms of service, Campbell will now be able to immediately play in the NFL without having active military service. If he makes the Lions, and continues to play, he will still technically remain "active", though his service will essentially be spending some time at recruitment centers around Detroit.
The somewhat silent crowd at Radio City gave Campbell, who was in attendance, a hearty cheer upon hearing his name called. Campbell then got some airtime on the ESPN network, joining Mel Kiper and Co. for a short interview, followed by a video conference with his new head coach, Rod Marinelli who, they pointed out, was a Vietnam veteran himself. That's not the only tie that Campbell has to the Lions. Matt Millen's son Marcus was a teammate of Campbell's at Army.
A good way to end the weekend in this blogger's humble opinion.
(Caleb Campbell photo c/o usma.edu)
-- Tim Fiorvanti