On a few specific picks, I am not angry as much as I am puzzled.

In the post-draft press conference, Jerry said (with regard to not taking a wide receiver): "We liked what we have here, better than what was out there."

Really? I mean, I like what we have here, too, but *really*? There was nobody on the draft board who could challenge Miles Austin? Because to my mind, he has shown exactly nothing as a wide receiver in his two years on the team. Nothing. At the same time, even though Austin is a pretty good kick returner, we have drafted another kick returner in each of the last two years. Yet Jerry thinks nobody in this year's draft could have challenged the undrafted Miles Austin for the number FIVE receiver spot? And nobody could have challenged Isaiah Stanbeck for the number SIX spot? Isaiah Stanbeck, who has yet to play the position? A guy who was a very athletic college quarterback, and who we drafted as a project player? Nobody could have challenged for his number SIX spot at wide receiver? Really? Hey I know we have experience in taking athletic, multi-talented, college quarterbacks and turning them into successful wide receivers. And maybe Stanbeck can become the next Patrick Crayton. Someday. Or not. But right now, he ain't. And Patrick Crayton, despite the very capable job he did as our #2 receiver last year, is really our #3. Unless Terry Glenn can prove he can still play, we don't have a #2. But NOBODY we could have drafted would have improved the WR corps?

They may have had a good reason for not drafting a WR, but the one they gave us isn't it.

The Martellus Bennett pick also was confusing, especially in the context of the trade with Miami Friday night. I thought Anthony Fasano was pretty solid as our #2 TE. He was a second round (#53 overall) pick. We traded him on the eve of the draft, then used our second round (#61 overall) pick to draft a TE. Is Bennett an upgrade over Fasano? I have no clue. But I did watch the team play last year, and I just don't think that upgrading the back-up tight end position was a high enough priority to use our second round pick on it. And make no mistake, he IS the back-up. There is no way on God's green earth that Bennett is challenging Witten for the starting spot. And I am pretty sure that a rookie second round TE is not going to be a salary cap savings over a third year second round pick still on his original contract, so that's not the reason, either. This may have been my biggest head-scratcher of the weekend. And, just to tie it all together: nobody on the board could possibly improve our WR corps, but we just had to make a move to improve what we had at TE???? Really?

Now, I will defend some of the other picks. Jean-Jacques Taylor of the Dallas Morning News argues that you should never use a 1st round pick on a back-up, which is what Felix Jones will be. Sorry, I don't buy that. Whatever happened to "take the best player available, regardless of need?" I love Marion Barber, but who says Felix Jones is guaranteed to be the back-up? Everybody had Jones graded as first round talent. Some say Mendenhall was better, and that's a legitimate argument, but it's also just a judgment call. The Cowboys reportedly had Jones's work ethic, among other things, graded higher. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any serious analyst who thinks the Felix Jones pick was a reach. Barber shared carries with Lawrence Maroney in college and with Julius Jones here. And now he will share carries, and maybe even lose some, to Felix Jones. I'm on board with that pick. We didn't draft a back-up, we drafted a RB. It remains to be seen where he ends up on the depth chart, but I think our backfield improved whether he is #1 or #2.

As for the choice of...er...Choice, same deal. Good value at the spot. He may be (probably is) an upgrade over Tyson Thompson.

The DE from Tennessee State was kind of an unknown, so we will see if he is a hidden gem. I hope he is, because we are pretty strong at outside linebacker.

Jenkins was high value and also filled a need. Great pick, IMHO. Ditto Scandrick. Suddenly we are flush with CBs and the decision to let Nate Jones and Jacques Reeves go in free agency seems to be a consistent part of a strategy. And the idea that we would act as if Pacman is not on the team seems also to have been true.

I'll close out with one more puzzlement: Akin Ayodele. I thought Zack Thomas, the geriatric middle LB recovering from a head injury was going to have to compete for a spot. I guess not. Don't get me wrong - if he can still play, Thomas is definitely an upgrade, particularly in pass defense. For all the crap Roy W gets about coverage skills, I began to think, as the season wore on, that Jon Kitna had a point about Brady James in coverage, and I really kind of wonder how much the coverage weaknesses at ILB make Roy's weaknesses look worse than they are. But when it comes right down to it, Ayodele has been a solid contributor. Didn't Parcells want Bobby Carpenter? Just wondering...