Sports in Stilettos

This is Blaine Gabbert, former Missouri QB who may or may not be taken before Cam Newton in the NFL Draft.

SI.com’s Andrew Perloff and NFL draft expert Gil Brandt agree that Gabbert will go first. To be honest, I tried to avoid watching Missouri games last fall, so the only opinion I have to offer is that he looks like an alpine skier in this photo.

I did, however, watch some Auburn football solely because of Newton. Girl’s gotta get her fix of flashy, good-looking Heisman winners who are electrifying on the field and in eligibility trouble off it. (As a dutiful USC fan I’m supposed to hate Reggie Bush for getting the Trojans in NCAA trouble and that’s fine, but I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t incredible to watch back in the day, just as Newton was last season.)

FOXSports.com has a great column by Kevin Hench about Newton being a little too high on himself to be a safe choice in the draft, and to be honest, I didn’t realize it until all his quotes about God heaping him with talent and blessings were gathered in the same place. Maybe Gabbert’s low(er) key, head-down, hard-work approach will bring him more success than Newton’s ridiculous athletic prowess. And maybe between the charm and the good looks that figure to make Newton an “entertainer-slash-icon,” I really won’t care.

With the 26th pick in the NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select….

Well, we’ll find out soon enough.

I hope it’s not Jimmy Smith (and I reserve the right to retract that statement if they do pick him and he turns out as good as they think he might).

Everyone’s talking about his problems with drugs and alcohol - two charges of underage possession of alcohol and three failed drug tests. There’s been less attention paid to his arrest for aggravated assault and the pair of abortions obtained by two women he impregnated. And he’s not even in the NFL yet.

I wouldn’t be concerned by the underage drinking - he’s in college, it’s really not a shock - but the assault, positive drug tests and lack of basic knowledge of contraception are big red flags for me. I’m just not okay with any of it.

I also hope the Ravens don’t pick Texas’ Aaron Williams. Partly because he’s from Texas, and I don’t like Texas, end of discussion. Partly because they went the Longhorns’ route with Sergio Kindle and that didn’t work so well. Sure, those are really stereotypical and not entirely justified reasons, but whatever, that’s how I roll (I would, however, much prefer Williams over Smith).

So who would I like them to pick?

Oregon’s Casey Matthews would work for me.

Yeah, I know he’s from Oregon which isn’t super cool, but I love his brother and if we can’t have Clay, I’ll take Casey. The Matthews clan is becoming a pretty trusted brand in the NFL, and I’d feel comfortable that the younger, less-blonde one wouldn’t disappoint.

I’d be happy with Maryland’s Torrey Smith, too. I think he’s undervalued - he had a great season in 2010 but I think it might’ve just been the beginning for him. I think he’ll continue to improve, and I don’t see him going the disappointing Darrius Heyward-Bey route (partly because he won’t go as surprisingly high as DHB).

Matthews and Torrey Smith probably won’t go in the first round, so there’s a good chance the Ravens could take one or both of them.

But who’ll be #26?

Make your pick in the comments!

Ravens Pass on 26th Pick but End Up with Jimmy Smith Anyway

The Ravens were on the clock with the 26th pick, and as the seconds ticked away, I crossed my fingers tighter and tighter and hoped they wouldn’t announce Jimmy Smith.

And then Chris Berman gasped, and Jon Gruden smiled weirdly, and Mel Kiper looked awkward, and they said the Ravens picked….no one.

They passed. (This literally happened seconds after some Seahawks fans on my Twitter feed wistfully mentioned they wished Seattle could pass and wait a few turns, which just added to the confusion.)

So apparently, you can not pick when it’s your turn. It usually doesn’t happen, but sometimes, when the clock’s a little off in the war room or, more likely, when teams are trying to work on a trade and they run out of time, they get skipped.

Apparently, Baltimore wanted to work out a trade with the Bears, it (obviously) didn’t happen, and the Ravens got bumped. So after they were out of time, they dropped the trade notion and grabbed Colorado’s Jimmy Smith immediately, in the 27th spot. Because that makes sense.

Let me be clear: I was completely anti-Jimmy Smith until precisely 17 seconds after the Ravens officially took him.

Now that I’m stuck with him, I’ve accepted it, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it might not be such a bad thing, for a few reasons (not including his abs):

1. He has a cute Cam Newton smile. The ESPN cameras awkwardly showed Smith absolutely emotionless about five seconds before he got the call, but five seconds after we knew. It was a “Let’s get his reaction” that cut to the facial expression equivalent of *crickets.* And then his phone ring and the smile came out and melted my Grinch heart.

2. He wore a Scarface t-shirt to his draft-watching party. It’s not what I’d wear if I knew a national television audience was watching closely to see who took a chance on my troubled past, but it’s a quality film, so props for that.

3. Smith might have had his issues in the past, but it’s not like every single Raven is a clean-cut, record-free upstanding citizen. There have been a number of guys who’ve had their run-ins with the law and overcame them and were/are tremendous players for Baltimore. If Jimmy Smith becomes the next guy to do that, I’m fine with it.

4. The Ravens have traditionally done very well drafting guys that might not be top on everyone else’s draft board, because of on-field or off-field concerns. Prior to the draft, a lot of reports had Smith going to either Philadelphia or Seattle, if he lasted even that long, but both passed, and reports from Philly basically said the Eagles weren’t comfortable with his past and wanted nothing to do with him (I can relate). The Ravens, though, have taken some risks in the draft before and they’ve been worthwhile. I can see this being another case in which other teams were scared away but the Ravens stuck by their guy - and by some accounts, Smith was always their guy if they could get him - and it paid off big-time. Hope so anyway.

5. Smith has incredible athletic talent. (Duh, right?) So are the other most of the draftees, or they wouldn’t make the NFL, but he’s a standout at cornerback, and the Ravens need that. Character issues can be overcome, off-the-field lessons can be taught and learned in the proper environment, but when it comes to making plays, you can’t teach talent and instincts. Smith says he’s grown a lot since his legal troubles and he’s committed to being a better person and making it in the NFL. The Ravens are certainly going to be committed to fostering an environment that supports those goals, and if he’s on board with that, and he plays the way they think he can play, that’s the total package.

So, Jimmy Smith, welcome to Baltimore. Now don’t screw it up.

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