What if I told you more WAC players would be taken in the first round than PAC players? What if I told you the Broncos would give up their 2nd, 3rd and 4th round draft picks to trade back into the first round and pick up…Tim Tebow? That Cal’s defensive tackle Tyson Alualu would go 10th overall to Jacksonville while Jimmy Clausen’s phone would never ring? What if I told you the Raiders would actually draft with their brains instead of what’s down their pants? And what if I told you not a single USC Trojan would be taken in the first round?

–

Um, yeah…The only other Pac-10 player to get drafted in round one was deserved running back Jahvid Best, also from Cal, who was picked up by the Lions after they traded into the Minnesota’s spot. There were four Trojan players that were potential first rounders: defensive end Everson Griffin, safety Taylor Mays, wide receiver Damian Williams and tackle Charles Brown. Barring any bizzaro circumstances, expect them to get picked up somewhere tonight in round 2, or early round 3. I expect Williams to have the most success in the next few years. He’s a smart, possession receiver with excellent speed and hands, in the mold of Giants’ Steve Smith. It seems the raw-talent receivers have a harder time adjusting to the NFL than the guys who are polished route runners and know exactly how they fit into the scheme.

And don’t forget the rest of the Trojans up for grabs: Corner Kevin Thomas, running back Joe McKnight, tight end Anthony McCoy, guard Alex Parsons, tackle Nicholas Howell, guard Jeff Byers, running back Stafon Johnson, safety Will Harris, safety Josh Pinkard, and defensive tackle Averell Spicer.

It’s not really true USC got the shaft. The talent just wasn’t that deep, coming off of a less than perfect season. Still, it was interesting start to the 2010 draft. There’s clamor and disbelief that Pete Carroll took Texas’ safety Earl Thomas with the Seahawks’ second pick (#14) instead of Mays. That’s not real surprising at all, considering Thomas had 63 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 8 interceptions last year, including two he took back to the house. Compare that to Mays’ 88 tackles, but only a single interception. In fact Thomas has more interceptions and forced fumbles in two seasons (10 INT, 5 FF), than Mays has in four as a starter (5 INT, 1 FF). You think Mays is maybe second guessing his decision to come back?

And as for Tebow, what did he say when asked about all the criticism he faced leading up to the draft, and all doubt that he could fit into a pro-style offense as quarterback? When asked about what he has to say to all his cynics…he thanked them. Yes, in typical holier-than-thou fashion, he thanked everyone that spewed hate upon him for giving him motivation to excel. Then he surely thought, ‘except for you. F*&k you, Jerry Jones.’

Hey, at least no one from LSU got picked up either. That’s like a consolation prize.

*