After 2 days, 17 hours and 255 selections, the 2006 NFL Draft has come to a close. Overall, the draft provided plenty of action and the Houston Texans got it all started by passing on Reggie Bush for Mario Williams. Some liked the decision, some hated it.

Matt Leinart fell, Vince Young rose (no pun intended) and the Brick gets to go home to the Big Apple.

There was no shortage of trades (nfl insider required) throughout the draft either, with most of the swaps coming on Day 1.

Scouts say that it takes up to three years to efficiently evaluate a draft. It will be awhile before we can see these players play in a live game, but I think I can speak for everyone in saying that I can’t wait for the 2006 season to get here.

Round seven is never really a fan favorite with teams selecting players that are usually unheard of. But many teams find gems in this round that have slipped, because of injury or character issues.

Best Value: Rodrique Wright, Miami. The Dolphins grab Wright, who Mel Kiper saw as a possible Day 1 pick in the seventh round. A little bit of an underachiever, but the former Longhorn has great agility and would fit nicely in a one-gap scheme.

Need Filler: James Wyche, Jacksonville. This was a nice pick for the Jaguars, as Wyche fills an immediate need at defensive end. Paul Spicer is getting older and Bobby McCray is a bit undersized. Wyche is huge at 6’5 258 and if he works on his technique he could possibly become a starter in a couple years for the Jags.

Head Scratchier: Marcus Vick, undrafted. Character issues not withstanding, Maurice Clarett went in the third round last year, the third round! And he hadn’t played all year. Vick is a headcase and I agree with the NFL panel who were saying this guy takes accountability for nothing. However, Ron Jaworski is on something for saying this guy wasn’t going to be a first day draft pick if he hadn’t of had all of these problems. If guys like Michael Robinson and Brad Smith get selected based on athletic ability alone, Vick could certainly land with someone.

Sleeper Section: None, they’re all sleepers at this point.

Round six is over and we’re getting closer to the end of the draft where more and more players are being selected from lesser known schools. Right about now, ESPN has analyzed the first five picks of round one for the 4,000 time.

Best Value: Babatunde Oshinowo, Cleveland. Oshinowo was projected to go in the latter part of Day 1. The Browns nab Oshinowo in the sixth round and might have gotten a potential steal. He doesn’t play with the mean streak that you’d normally like in a DT, but he is extremely intelligent and has tons of power. Oshinowo may lack agility, but he fits well as a big body in the middle of Cleveland’s 3-4 defense.

Need Filler: Tyrone Culver, Green Bay. The Packers struggled last year in the interception department and current safeties Mark Roman and Nick Collins need someone to come in and push them for playing time. Culver should provide that for Green Bay with his sound tackling and play making ability.

Head Scratchier: Adam Jennings, Atlanta. Mel Kiper and Mike Golic projects Jennings to be a solid return man for the Falcons. Fantastic, he can step in line with Allen Rossum, DeAngelo Hall and Michael Jenkins. Why not go after Jeff Webb who was selected almost directly after Jennings and whom would have provided a WIDE RECIEVER for Michael Vick, not the third best return man on the team. Its clear that the Falcons are drafting purely on speed with some of these picks and not overall football ability.

Sleeper Selection: Bruce Gradkowski, Tampa Bay. I’ll go back to back MAC quarterbacks for my sleeper pick and go with Toledo gun slinger Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski is a great rhythm quarterback and once he gets into the flow of the game, he can pick opposing defenses apart. He’s also has some mobility and could be a good backup to Chris Simms.

Here is the link to all of Round 5’s selections. Safeties, tight ends and wide recievers continue to come off the board, but some deep sleepers are still out there. Will Marcus Vick get selected?

Best Value: Greg Blue, Minnesota. Greg Blue is a pure hitter and if anyone saw the highlights that ESPN had on this guy, I think they’d have the same opinion. Blue should come in and be a special teams wizard first and foremost, but might blossom into a solid safety for the Vikings in the near future.

Need Filler: Jeff King, Carolina. The Panthers have very quietly put together a very nice draft. The selection of Jeff King from Virginia Tech is a move that not only fills a need, but might produce an immediate starter. Kris Mangum, the current starter, is a solid blocker, but doesn’t give Carolina a real receiving threat in the middle of the field. King isn’t fast, but is tough in the middle of the field and has decent hands.

Head Scratchier: Mark Anderson, Chicago. I understand that you build depth on Day 2 of the draft. But why, oh why, are the Bears focusing on defense, which was their strong suit last year? Nothing against Mark Anderson, but I thought the Bears major need coming into the draft was tight end? Or what about getting another receiver opposite of Muhsin Muhammad? Five picks for Chi-town, all on the defensive side of the ball.

Sleeper Selection: Omar Jacobs, Pittsburgh. Another MAC quarterback taken in the draft with Omar Jacobs going to the Steelers at No.164. Jacobs raked up all kinds of numbers for the Falcons at BGSU, but is extremely raw. As Mel Kiper noted, Jacobs has an unorthodox throwing style, but he’s got good size and has great touch on the mid-range pass.

I realize that, for most, this is not news, but Bill Walton said something especially contradictory during the Heat/Bulls game. After labeling the game as a “must-win” for the Heat early in the first quarter, he later said, “Miami does not have to win today to win this series.”

Make up your mind, Bill.

Day 2 has started and as ESPN has been advertising, these are the rounds you build solid depth for your franchise. Round 4 has seen nine wide recievers taken and two highly rated safeties chosen.

Best Value: Darnell Bing, Oakland. Bing was once projected to go in the first round behind Michael Huff. The Raiders grab him in the fourth and will immediately feel his presents on special teams. Bing has an outstanding combination of size, speed and he flies to ball. Some feel he might have trouble grasping the complexity of an NFL playbook, but at No. 101 overall, he’s definitely worth a shot.

Need Filler: Ko Simpson, Buffalo. At first glance I was ready to put this pick in my head scratchier section, because of the Whitner selection in the first round. But on second though, Ko Simpson makes a lot of sense for the Bills. Lawyer Milloy went to Atlanta in free agency and Troy Vincent is on the back side of his career. So, what the Bills do is pair up Whitner and Simpson, two highly rated safeties of the 2006 class.

Head Scratchier: Michael Robinson, San Francisco. Excellent athlete, but what position will Michael Robinson play? Quarterback at Penn State, ESPN has him slated as a runningback on TV and a wide receiver at their website. The Niners have had an excellent draft, but they’re going to have a lot of work to do as far as where Robinson will play.

Sleeper Selection: Alan Zemaitis, Tampa Bay. Some boards had Alan Zemaitis rated below fellow Penn State teammate Anwar Phillips, but I think Zemaitis has a bigger upside than Phillips at the next level. Zemaitis seemed to always be around the ball for Nittany Lions and is a play maker. He has good size and plays well against the run, but his speed is a big question mark.

There were some thrillers and some snoozers on Friday and Saturday - here’s what happened:

Cavaliers 97, Wizards 96 (Cleveland leads series, 2-1)
Maybe LeBron James is developing that killer instinct after all. The King scored 41 on 16 of 28 shooting, including the final bucket with 0:05 remaining, which gave Cleveland the lead for good. He clearly traveled on the play and then whined about not getting a foul call as he ran down court. But he scored the winning bucket, and that’s all that matters.

Sacramento 94, San Antonio 93 (San Antonio, 2-1)
I thought the Kings had a shot in this series and the last two games proved why. After losing a heartbreaker in Game 2, Sacramento kept fighting in Game 3, holding a lead for much of the game before finding themselves down, 93-92, with 0:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mike Bibby stole the ball from Manu Ginobili with just four seconds to play and pushed the ball up to Kevin Martin, who made a circus layup to win the game at the buzzer.

LA Lakers 99, Phoenix 92 (Lakers, 2-1)
Which team is the #2 seed? The Lakers balanced attack proved to be too much (yet again) for the Suns, who haven’t looked particularly good in this series. Five Lakers scored in double figures, led by Smush Parker’s 18 points. Parker somehow managed to play almost 40 minutes without tallying a single rebound or assist. Lamar Odom has stepped up his game in the postseason, going for 15 points and 17 rebounds in Game 3. And you have to hand it to Luke Walton, who parlayed limited ability (and a NBA father) into a scholarship at Arizona, a starting assignment for the Lakers and 17 points and 10 rebounds on Friday night. Somehow, Walton attempted more shots than any other Laker, even Kobe. If this keeps up, Phoenix is in serious trouble.

New Jersey 97, Indiana 88 (series tied, 2-2)
New Jersey snatched back home court advantage with a win in Game 4. Vince Carter once again led the Nets with 28 points, six boards and seven assists. The Pacers were their own worst enemy, turning the ball over a brutal 22 times.

Dallas 94, Memphis 89 (OT) (Dallas, 3-0)
Poor Memphis. Had they lost a couple more games during the regular season, they would have been the #6 seed with home court advantage over the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Instead, they’re the #5 seed and get to face the Mavericks, one of the league’s elite teams. Dirk Nowitzki was the star again, dropping 36 points, including a difficult, overtime-forcing three at the end of regulation. He also tallied nine boards and five dimes. This series is all but over.

Milwaukee 124, Detroit 104 (Detroit, 2-1)
As a longtime Bucks fan, it feels so good to type this: Bucks rout the Pistons. Michael Redd filleted the Pistons defense for 40 points on a stellar 14 for 21 shooting. Redd scored in every manner imaginable, hitting long jumpers, driving to the hole and at the free throw line. Six Bucks scored in double figures, while T.J. Ford had a game-high 15 assists. Milwaukee’s 124 points was the most that the Pistons gave up all season. Expect Detroit to come out angry in Game 4.

LA Clippers 100, Denver 86 (Clippers, 3-1)
The Nuggets had no bounce in Game 4, and looked like a team that is about to go home for the summer. Seven Clippers scored in double figures, led by Corey Maggette’s 19 points off the bench. If you remember, Maggette was almost traded to the Pacers for Ron Artest, but Indiana backed out of the deal over worries about Maggette’s foot. Maggette has since resigned himself to the notion that he won’t be with the team next season, but I think he’s jumping the gun. Just because the Clippers tried to trade him for Artest doesn’t mean that they don’t think he’s a valuable asset. Anyway, expect this series to be over on Monday, with a possible “Hallway Series” in round two (as the Lakers and Clippers square off).

ESPN.com’s John Clayton has posted his first day winners and losers from Day 1. The first loser on his board is USC quarterback Matt Leinart. Clayton reports that if Leinart would have declared himself eligible for the draft last season, Leinart would have recieved at least $20 million in guarantees (much like first overall pick Alex Smith did last year), because he would have been selected in the top spot. Leinart slips to No.10, however, and probably will max out at 6 to 8 million in guarantees.

Some draft day winners from Clayton’s list include Denver, Arizona and San Francisco.

Last round of the day, round three. Less well-known names came off the board in this round than round two, but plenty of quality players none the less. There are still a lot of solid players left for day two.

Best Value: Brodie Croyle, Kansas City. Mel Kiper loves this guys arm strength and character. Kansas City makes a nice move here to sure up their backup quarterback position once Trent Green decides to hang it up. Chris Mortensen projects that Croyle can be solid after two to three years of grooming under Green.

Best Need Filler: Leonard Pope, Arizona. Pope was basically snatched away right in front of Chicago, whom I believe would have loved to have Pope slip all the way to them in the third round. Pope, however, goes to the Cardinals where newly drafted Matt Leinart will have Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and now Pope as weapons. Not a bad offense after you throw Edgerrin James in the mix.

Head Scratchier: Brian Calhoun, Detroit. Not to keep going to the well, but what are the Lions doing? Once again, not that they picked a bad player, but Brian Calhoun? He should fit well on the depth chart along with Kevin Jones, Shawn Bryson, Artose Pinner and Arlen Harris. The Lions should have a draft day motto of: “Detroit Lion football: You can never have enough wide receivers or runningbacks!”

Sleeper Selection: Ashton Youboty, Buffalo. This isn’t necessarily a sleeper, because Youboty was rated right around a third round selection. I just figure that I’ve been hammering the Bills strategy all day and I actually like the Youboty pick. He fills a need and might start in the nickel slot as early as this season.

Well, that does it for day one, but check back tomorrow as we’ll have more draft coverage. Also, make sure to check the player profiles early next week as they will be updated with new articles on some of the top ranked players.

As the second round is coming to a close, here is a link to all of the second round picks.

Finally, some of the top names that slipped out of the first round are called. Most noteably, LenDale White goes to the Titans at No.45, teammate Winston Justice heads to Philadelphia after a trade and Jimmy Williams winds up in Hotlanta with former Virginia Tech partner DeAngelo Hall.

Best Value: White, Tennessee. ESPN has rumored all day that teams have stayed away from this kid because of workout issues and health concerns. But this is a guy had a very productive career at USC and is a pure power back. I give Jeff Fisher credit for finally snatching White off the board.

Best Need Filler: Williams, Atlanta. The Falcons have had great success from former Hokie players and if Williams is even half the player former teammate DeAngelo Hall is, Atlanta got a steal at No.37. Williams might have attitude issues, but he has the size and speed to take over for an often inconsistent Jason Webster on the opposite side of Hall.

Head Scratchier: My head scratcher pick goes out to the Lions at No.40. Daniel Bullocks is a fine player. But why do the Lions stand pat at No.9 in the first round and select Ernie Sims when they obviously could have traded back with Denver had possibly add more picks in later rounds. Then they allow two teams (Falcons and Eagles) to jump ahead of them in the second round when Winston Justice was there for the taking. I think they settled for Bullocks once Justice was off the board.

Sleeper Selection: Danieal Manning, Chicago. Manning is extremely athletic and fluid in his movements. He lacks good technique, but joining up with strong safety Mike Brown and defensive minded head coach Lovie Smith will only help Manning succeed at the next level.

Javon Walker got his draft day wish by being traded from the Green Bay Packers. Walker’s new home will be in Denver as the Broncos traded their second round pick, 37th overall, to the Packers for the rights to Walker. Walker will join Jay Cutler, whom the Broncos selected in the first round after swapping picks with the Rams.

No. 24 Cincinnati Bengals, Jonathan Joseph
At one point, Joseph was the top rated cornerback on Mel Kiper’s draft board. However, as the draft neared, Kiper swapped Joseph with Tye Hill. Joseph is explosive in his first step and has the speed to compete at the next level. He tends to gamble much and doesn’t have much experience after being a former juco transfer, but Joseph could add to an up and coming Bengal secondary.

No. 25 Pittsburgh Steelers, Santonio Holmes
The Steelers traded up to select a man that they think will replace Antwan Randle El. The Steelers cough up a third and fifth round pick, but they must feel that Holmes, arguably the best wide receiver in the draft, is going to be the perfect match to Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward.

No. 26 Buffalo Bills, John McCargo
Another member of the NC State defensive line is selected as John McCargo gets picked by the Bills. McCargo wasn’t highly ranked at all, which only adds to the confusion of why the Bills traded with the Bears to nab McCargo. I’m not saying that Buffalo didn’t get quality players in Whitner and McCargo, but their strategy has got me lost.

No. 27 Carolina Panthers, DeAngelo Williams
Desperate for a runningback with Stephen Davis on the way out and DeShuan Foster often injured, DeAngelo Williams is a speedster with great agility. Williams will join the likes of Duece McAllister, Reggie Bush, Cadillac Williams and Warrick Dunn in the highly competitive NFC South.

No. 28 Jacksonville Jaguars, Marcedes Lewis
Jacksonville selected Marcedes Lewis, which was a definite need for them at 28. The Bears were interested in Lewis before they traded out of the first round. The Jags must be excited to select a player that they figured probably wasn’t going to bet there when they were up to pick.

No. 29 New York Jets, Nick Mangold
The biggest hole coming into the draft for the Jets was the offensive line and they have defiantly upgraded the position with D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Mangold. The loss of Jason Fabini is a little less dramatic with Mangold stepping into the fold. Mangold has great power and is tough off the ball.

No. 30 Indianapolis Colts, Joseph Addai
The choice of Joseph Addai over LenDale White has to tell me that White’s off the field problems are very fresh in teams minds. Addai is fast and versatile with a powerful build for a guy who is only 5’11. He might lack ideal size, but Addai is highly underrated and he’ll obviously get a solid shot at the starting RB position with Edgerrin James bolting to Arizona.

No. 31 Seattle Seahawks, Kelly Jennings
Seattle needed DB help, but mostly at safety with Ken Hamlin trying to recover from a skull fracture. Marquand Manuel left via free agency so I wonder why the Seahawks didn’t take a shot at Jimmy Williams here at 31. Williams is slated at cornerback, but is big enough to play safety. Jennings isn’t as thick as Williams, but he has solid football instincts and is very quick.

No. 32 New York Giants, Mathias Kiwanuka
As Chris Berman so nicely put it, the Giants have a solid group of names for Scrabble. Kiwanuka joins fellow defensive lineman Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Kiwanuka was once thought of as a top 15 pick and with the Giants addition of Lavar Arrington, they have a solid defensive front seven to compete with any opposing running game.

No. 19 San Deigo Chargers, Antonio Cromartie
Cromartie has arguably the biggest risk/reward potential out of anyone in the draft. He missed the entire 2005 season after tearing his ACL, but had tremendous offseason workouts that teams took notice. Slated to go somewhere in round two, Cromartie has excellent size and speed and might end up bigger a huge value at 19.

No. 20 Kansas City Chiefs, Tamba Hali
Hali was projected by some early mock drafts to go in the top 15, if not the top 10. Hali’s height might have been the reason he slipped all the way to 20. Hali will bring power and speed off the end for the Chiefs and should make an immediate impact.

No. 21 New England Patriots, Laurence Maroney
To me, Maroney is a bit of a mystery pick for New England. I don’t know if he should be ranked higher over DeAngelo Williams. But hey, I think the Patriots brass know what they’re doing. And although they still hope to get production out of Corey Dillion, Maroney should be a great change of pace back.

No. 22 San Francisco 49ers, Manny Lawson
With their second pick in round one, the 49ers decided to fill a defensive need at defensive tackle. With need at linebacker, cornerback and safety, the choice of Lawson, Mario Williams fellow end at NC State, is a bit of a question mark. Although blessed with raw athletic ability, Lawson is a bit undersized and may struggle against stronger offensive tackles at the next level.

No. 23 Tampa Bay Buccs, Davin Joseph
The first guard selected in the draft is Davin Joseph who goes to Tampa. Joseph was ranked as one of the top guards, if not the top guard. Joseph, out of Oklahoma has the quickness to be a solid pulling guard, although he lacks ideal height.

No.14 Philadelphia Eagles, Brodrick Bunkley
The Eagles don’t necessarily fill a need here since they’re pretty loaded at defensive tackle. However, Bunkley was certainly the best player available at 14 and could step up as a starter if Hollis Thomas, Darwin Walker and Mike Patterson continue to underperform.

No. 15 St. Louis Rams, Tye Hill
Hill was clocked at 4.3 and took the honor of fastest cornerback at the combine. Mel Kiper had Hill as the highest rated corner in the draft over Virginia Tech’s Jimmy Williams.

No. 16 Miami Dolphins, Jason Allen
Allen has an exceptional combination of size, strength and speed. With all of those skills intact, Allen has the making of a solid safety. With Sam Madison now in Kansas City, however, Allen might also be looked at to play cornerback as well.

No. 17 Minnesota Vikings, Chad Greenway
Minnesota filled an immediate need at linebacker by going with Greenway out of Iowa. Greenway is tall and has great lateral speed, which would be great in the Vikings traditional 4-3 defense. He might need to add some size to his 243 pound frame.

No. 18 Dallas Cowboys, Bobby Carpenter
With the Cowboys filling most of their pressing needs through free agency, Carpenter is a great value pick at 18. Carpenter excels in pass coverage and is tough and versatile. One of his weaknesses might be overall strength, however and needs to clean up his technique.

With the No.13 pick, acquired from Baltimore, the Browns selected Kamerion Wimbley out of Florida State. Wimbley probably needs to add more weight to his frame to be a defensive end in the NFL. However, as Tom Jackson commented, he can become an outstanding hybrid player in the Browns 3-4 defense. Wimbley is fast, intelligent and if used right, could become a bit of a sack artist at the next level.

Baltimore traded with the Browns and took Haloti Ngata out of Oregon. Ray Lewis’ commented that he needed big bodies in front of him such as when the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000. Ngata is a big body who isn’t fast out of his stance and has had injury problems in the past.

In return, Cleveland gets Baltimore’s first round pick, No.13 overall and also acquires a sixth round pick from the Ravens.

The Denver Broncos swapped picks with the St. Louis Rams and nabbed Jay Cutler. Cutler, the top rated quarterback on many scouts’ boards, will get the opportunity to groom behind Jake Plummer.

Once again, why did Buffalo select Whitner when they could have obviously traded down? The Broncos where dying to select either Leinart or Cutler and I doubt Whitner was even a top 15 pick on most teams boards. Strange.

After almost two hours of waiting, Matt Leinart finally has found a home. Leinart will join Dennis Green in Arizona and might have the chance to start immediately. With Kurt Warner on the downside of his career and Josh McCown in Detroit, Leinart could finally give the Cardinals a solid quarterback.

The rumors came out strong yesterday that there might be a possibility that Leinart would fall out of the top 10. With basically no time wound off the clock, Arizona selected Leinart to be their franchise.

Well, at least the Lions didn’t pick a wide receiver. Detroit selected Florida State linebacker Ernie Sims over the likes of Matt Leinart, Brodrick Bunkley and Haloti Ngata. Sims has had injury concerns and disciplinary issues as well.

If I’m the Lions, why do I take the second rated linebacker in the draft, over the top rated defensive tackle (Bunkley)? Both were needs for D-Town.

The Buffalo Bills win the first ‘What the?’ for their selection of Ohio State safety Donte Whitner. ESPN’s 2006 draft guide had Whitner has the fourth rated safety behind Michael Huff, Darnell Bing and Ko Simpson.

What’s interesting here is how the Bills probably would have landed Whitner at No.14 or 15, where the Eagles and Broncos apparently wanted to trade up. If the trade rumors were true, Buffalo could have got more picks and still got their man.