Winners:

Cam Newton-The big question on everybody’s mind going into the draft was who would be draft­ed first and who would pick up Auburn QB Cam Newton. The an­swer to both came quickly as the Carolina Panthers selected the 2011 Heisman winner with the first overall pick. Newton’s work ethic and attitude paid off for him in the draft and is sure to pay off for him financially as well.

New Orleans Saints-The Saints managed to get some help on the defensive line by drafting defen­sive end Cameron Jordan in the first round. The Saints defense was very suspect at times last season, but the addition of Jordan should help. The Saints made anoth­er good move by trading up and drafting top running back Mark Ingram who should provide an ex­tra boost to the already crowded New Orleans backfield.

Atlanta Falcons-Atlanta made a huge splash in the draft by trad­ing away picks to land Alabama WR Julio Jones. Jones has the speed and playmaking ability to make an immediate impact on the Falcons’ chances of making a championship run. The Rod­dy White/Julio Jones combina­tion could be a great boost to Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

Losers:

Reggie Bush-The Saints’ gain may be Reggie’s loss. With the se­lection of top running back Mark Ingram, the New Orleans back­field is stacked. Pierre Thomas has shown himself to be a talented runner, and Chris Ivory had an im­pressive year filling in for Thom­as. Bush has shown glimpses of his talent when used effectively, but with his high salary and lim­ited production, one has to won­der if his days with the Saints are numbered and if his release is im­minent.

NFC West-This division has been one of the worst in the league for a few years now. With an aging Matt Hasselbeck, an inef­fective Alex Smith and a giant void still being felt by Arizona following the retirement of Kurt Warner, vir­tually every team was in need of a franchise quarterback. The Rams addressed that need in the previ­ous draft by selecting Sam Brad­ford, and the move has worked so far. However, the other teams in the NFC West went another direc­tion this year, ignoring their team needs by refusing to draft a quar­terback. That’s bad news for 75% of the division, but good news for Rams fans.

The NFL-Commissioner Rog­er Goodell walked out to a cho­rus of boos as the draft began, and the ratings for the draft were down as well. Fans are upset with the lockout as owners and players still have not come to terms on a new labor agreement. Legal news sur­rounding the lifting and reimposi­tion of the lockout by judges large­ly overshadowed what should have been a special week for the new rookies in the league.