NFL draft day is finally here and I couldn't be anymore excited because this is probably my favorite weekend of the sports year.  The fates of all 32 NFL teams will be altered by what goes down Saturday and Sunday.

The first pick of the draft is already locked in with Jake Long out of Michigan going to Miami and it appears Chris Long out of Virginia is headed to St. Louis at pick two.

Even though it appears there won't be much drama early, there's no doubting the day will be full of intrigue. It would certainly not be surprising to see the Rams do something other than take Long despite the reports that are surfacing right now. That's just how the NFL draft goes.

I'll be here throughout the day to provide my thoughts as the action happens at Radio City Music Hall.

3:05 p.m. EST: Well that was the first good sign of the day. The Dolphins just made the pick without even going on the clock, which is not the usual. St. Louis on the clock now and Chris Long should be going here.

3:11 p.m. EST: No surprises from the Rams with picking Long. Atlanta is on the clock now, and this is the first pick with some kind of suspense. ESPN's talking heads all seem to think it's Matt Ryan out of Boston College, but I think the pick will be Glenn Dorsey.

3:19 p.m. EST: Well there goes my perfect day. I don't think that's the right pick for Atlanta. It doesn't matter who your quarterback is if he doesn't have the pieces around him to succeed. I think we could see the first trade of the day now with someone moving up to get Dorsey.

3:28 p.m. EST: Another head-scratcher to me even though it had been reported that Oakland wanted Darren McFadden. They now have five running backs on the roster that could be NFL starters. They could have spent this pick much more wisely. Dorsey has to go next.

3:35 p.m. EST: Dorsey's finally off the board and the Chiefs just made the best pick of this draft that wasn't already decided heading into today. Vernon Gholston to the Jets is the likely pick right here and that would mean the six players who were invited to the draft were the first six taken. Not sure that's ever happened before.

3:45 p.m. EST: I'm loving the pace this draft is going at right now with six picks in 45 minutes. It will slow down before long. The Patriots are now on the clock. I think this will be a trade with either Cincinnati or New Orleans moving up to grab Sedrick Ellis. If New England stands pat they'll take Keith Rivers.

3:54 p.m. EST: New Orleans moved up to get Ellis. That's not too surprising. Jacksonville moving up from 26 to eight is a huge surprise to me. I'm not really sure what the Jaguars are moving up to get here. I think the value here is along the offensive line, but I'm not sure that's a big need for the Jags.

4:01 p.m. EST: Derrick Harvey in the top ten? That seems like a huge reach to me. The Jags needed the pass rusher and don't have many other needs, but they could have gotten Harvey a little later I think. Rivers is a lock to go to the Bengals now.

4:14 p.m. EST: Well it appears I was dead on with my prediction of Jerod Mayo to be the player drafted much higher than expected. I wish he hadn't gone to the Patriots, but I believe Mayo will be one of the best players to come out of this draft.

4:28 p.m. EST: There's another surprise. I like Jonathan Stewart more than any of the remaining running backs so I don't think that's a huge reach, but I didn't expect him to come off the board that early. Chicago needs to go offensive line here. And to answer the first comment, yes I would have rather Mayo gone to the Bengals. I dislike New England that much.

4:44 p.m. EST: Kansas City is having quite a good draft. Rumor had it they were considering taking Branden Albert at the fifth overall pick, and they managed to get him at pick 15 to go along with Dorsey. To answer your question Alyx, Dixon proved himself last season, but he's not going to be going on the first day of this draft. He'll go somewhere between the fourth and sixth rounds and it won't surprise me if he shines should he get a shot to start after a few years.

4:59 p.m. EST: I don't even know what's happening right now. That's two huge reaches in a row in my eyes. I at least had Gosder Cherilus as a first-round pick, but I'm shocked he was taken over Jeff Otah. I know a lot of people had Joe Flacco as the number two quarterback, but I think he should have been fourth and I certainly don't see him as a top 20 pick.

5:12 p.m. EST: Now we're getting into what I expected ahead of the draft. Trades are flying all over the place and we're getting more and more controversial picks. This is why I love the draft.

5:21 p.m. EST: Tampa Bay just got the best cornerback in this draft. Aqib Talib will be the closest thing to a shut-down corner in this class as long as he can steer clear of marijuana problems. Good pick for Jon Gruden and company.

5:31 p.m. EST: Well I did have the Falcons taking Sam Baker in my mock draft. It's just that it was with pick six in round two, not No. 21 overall. Baker fills a need for Atlanta, and with all of the other top offensive lineman the trade up makes some sense. This is still a reach, though.

5:53 p.m. EST: I don't understand the pick the Titans just made. Running back was not a first round need for Tennessee. The team needed defensive line, cornerback and wide receiver much more than another back. Being a Tennessee fan, I'm pretty disappointed.

6:26 p.m. EST: The 49ers got good value with Kentwan Balmer at No. 29. The Jets traded to pick up No. 30 meaning the two New York squads will close out the first round. Good pick for the Jets with Dustin Keller. He's a freakish athlete at tight end and will help whoever the quarterback is.

6:34 p.m. EST: The Giants close out round one with Kenny Phillips. Good pick for the defending champions that fills a need following the departure of Gibril Wilson to Oakland. I'm calling it a night. The Titans have depressed me so much I can't comment on any more picks.