It's common knowledge that winning the Heisman Trophy, first awarded in 1935, is a gift and a curse for college football players.

It's a gift because you're acknowledged as the best at what you do. And it's a curse because most Heisman winners bomb in the NFL. Kind of like if Jennifer Lopez starred in a film that won at Cannes before starring in "big budget" films.

New St. Louis Ram Sam Bradford is a member of that fraternity. The winner of the 2008 Heisman, Bradford Thursday night became the 17th Heisman winner to be tapped at No. 1 in the NFL Draft and the seventh quarterback.

Bradford seems like a good guy. But if history is any indication, Bradford's career could resemble that of Macauley Culkin's.

Of the 75 Heisman winners, 17 have been chosen No. 1 in the NFL Draft. Of those 17, only three are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - Earl Campbell, Paul Hornung and O.J. Simpson.

Seven of those 17 are quarterbacks. Hornung is the only one of those gunslingers to have been enshrined in Canton, Ohio. It remains to be seen if Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer - No. 1 in 2003 and still active - will have a Hall of Fame career.

Of the 75 total Heisman winners, only eight had Hall of Fame careers - Doak Walker, Hornung, Roger Staubach, Simpson, Tony Dorsett, Campbell, Marcus Allen and Barry Sanders.

Who ever would have thought winning such a prestigious award would mean so little for long-term prospects?

Hopefully, for Bradford's sake, he's able to buck a trend.

It remains to be seen how serious the Pittsburgh Steelers are about dealing two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

His recent transgressions, in some people's eyes, have made him expendable. I don't know how smart that thinking is, but if a deal does go down and Roethlisberger is dealt, Pittsburgh would have to get a veteran signal caller in return because it isn't a team that looks to be in rebuild mode.

The Steelers' roster isn't one filled with young studs. It's a veteran-laden squad that is set on winning right now. Pittsburgh gave up a seventh-round pick in this weekend's draft for quarterback Byron Leftwich, earlier this month and signed him to a two-year deal. The move fills out the QB spot on the team's depth chart and puts Leftwich in competition with veteran back-up Charlie Batch and second-year QB Dennis Dixon. Leftwich is a stopgap and was brought into Pittsburgh for his second stint with the team because he knows the system.

I think there's a better option on the market, though. If I'm an exec with the Steelers, I'm putting in a call to recently-retired Kurt Warner. The retirement is still fresh, and I'm sure he still has the the itch to play. Warner is a proven quarterback, while Leftwich, well, isn't.

Roethlisberger is expected to serve a six-week suspension to start the season, meaning he would miss his teams first five games - if he's not traded. With Roethlisberger, I'd pick Pittsburgh to win four of those five (against Atlanta, Tennessee, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Cleveland). Without him, and with Leftwich, they might win two of those.

Warner could win four of those five, as well, and serve as a more than serviceable placeholder until Roethlisberger returns. Based on his last two seasons in Arizona, where he took the team to a Super Bowl in one season and close to it in another, it's obvious Warner still has more than a little left in his tank.

Warner may say no, but Pittsburgh brass owes it to themselves and to their fanbase to put the team in the best position to win until Roethlisberger returns...if Roethlisberger isn't traded. If he is dealt, Pittsburgh would be wise to ask for, along with draft picks, another team's starting quarterback.

First three picks pretty much set in stone. After that, look for a number of trades to take place.

1. St. Louis-Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma
2. Detroit-Ndamukong Suh, DT Nebraska
3. Tampa Bay-Gerald McCoy, DT Oklahoma
4. Washington-Trent Williams, OT Oklahoma*
5. Kansas City-Eric Berry, S Tennessee*
6. Seattle-Russell Okung, OT Oklahoma State
7. Cleveland-Dan Williams, DT Tennessee*
8. Oakland-Derrick Morgan, DE Georgia Tech
9. Buffalo-Jimmy Clausen, QB Notre Dame*
10. Jacksonville-Jason Pierre Paul, DE South Florida*
11. Denver-Rolando McClain, LB Alabama*
12. Miami-Carlos Dunlap, DE Florida
13. San Francisco-Sergio Kindle, LB Texas
14. Seattle-C.J. Spiller, RB Clemson
15. New York Giants-Earl Thomas, S Texas*
16. Tennessee-Dez Bryant-Oklahoma State
17. San Francisco-Bryan Bulaga, OT Iowa*
18. Pittsburgh-Maurkice Pouncey, C Florida*
19. Atlanta-Anthony Davis, OT Rutgers
20. Houston-Joe Haden, CB Florida
21. Cincinnati-Jermaine Gresham, TE Oklahoma
22. New England-Brandon Graham, LB Michigan*
23. Green Bay-Jerry Hughes, LB TCU
24. Philadelphia-Kareem Jackson, CB Alabama
25. Baltimore-Mike Iupati, OG Idaho
26. Arizona-Sean Witherspoon, LB Missouri
27. Dallas-Everson Griffen, DE USC
28. San Diego-Darryl Washington, LB TCU
29. New York Jets-Eric Norwood, LB South Carolina
30. Minnesota-Terrence Cody, DT Alabama*
31. Indianapolis-Jared Odrick, DT Penn State
32. New Orleans-Brandon Spikes, LB Florida

*Indicates strong potential for a trade

When news broke earlier today about the Lions sending Ernie Sims to Philadelphia as part of a three-team deal that netted Detroit tight end Tony Scheffler from Denver, I didn't know what to think.

My first thought was that Calvin Johnson is the only first-round pick left from the Matt Millen era, which is awful on a number of different levels.

My next thought was what does this mean going into this weekend's draft? I still believe Detroit will stay at number 2 overall and draft Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. But now the intrigue centers around what the Lions will do with the 34th overall pick - No. 2 in the second round.

Dealing Sims, who, in 59 career games, all with the Lions, recorded 420 tackles including 2.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and one interception, creates a huge hole at middle linebacker. There will be middle linebackers available early in the second round, including Penn State middle linebacker Sean Lee and Missouri outside linebacker Sean Witherspoon, who people think could be converted to a middle linebacker. If one of those guys is available at 34, that has to be the direction Detroit goes in. If not, GM Martin Mayhew will have some explaining to do.

As far as Scheffler goes, he's put up solid numbers so far in his young career. The Western Michigan grad, in four seasons, has totaled 138 catches for 1,896 yards and 14 touchdowns, all for the Broncos. He caught 31 passes for 416 yards and two TDs last year. Adding Scheffler gives Detroit the flexibility to run two-tight end sets with he and Pettigrew, which will allow second-year quarterback Matt Stafford to have two safety valves on the field. It also will help in the area of pass protection and run blocking.

If the Lions continue to start Matthew Stafford, there's a chance he would end up being Peyton Manning, who went from going 3-13 and taking every snap his rookie year in 1998 to becoming one of the seven best signal-callers in football history.

I'm don't see that happening. Manning came out as a senior. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy race and beat virtually every team on his schedule outside of Gainesville and Lincoln.

Stafford came out after his junior year. His Georgia teams, outside of an inflated preseason ranking last summer, were average at best. Had Stafford waited until 2010 to enter the draft, he would have likely been, at the highest, the fifth quarterback selected.

That's why Daunte Culpepper should start the remaining 14 games for the Lions. Stafford isn't ready. There's no harm in sitting the young fella and giving him a chance to analyze defenses and coverages from the sidelines for a season or two. Some people argue you can't sit him because of the $72 million tied into him. I say that's the reason you should sit him. Don't worry about instant gratification. Worry about getting a solid return on a long-term investment.

If Stafford starts all 16 games this season, the Lions could go 2-14 at best, leaving them in the running for the No. 1 overall pick. That means Detroit would have to shell out another, say, $65 million ($30-$35 million guaranteed) on someone who has never taken a snap in the NFL.

If Culpepper starts, here are the games I say the Lions have a REALISTIC shot at winning. He doesn't even have to put up stellar numbers in order for them to win these games. All he has to do is not kill them.

Sunday vs. Washington - This one is really a pipedream since I know Stafford will get the start. I know the Redskins have beaten on the Lions throughout the series history (40 games) like Chris Partlow beat on Bug's dad in The Wire, but these aren't the same Redskins. No one has confidence in quarterback Jason Campbell, who led Washington to a win over Detroit last season. If this game were played in Washington, I wouldn't give the Lions a shot in Haides at winning.

Nov. 1 vs. St. Louis - This is the game everybody has circled as the game the Lions finally get a W. I know it's early, but through two games (20 offensive drives), the Rams have scored 7 points.

Nov. 22 vs. Cleveland - Cleveland has less playmakers than the Lions. Don't give me Braylon Edwards. The only way he may ever have another good game his entire career is if every team on Cleveland's schedule for the next decade or so signs Jaren Hayes week by week.

Dec. 6 at Cincinnati - I'd be willing to bet that by kick-off this game, at least 35 percent of Cincinnati's starters will be locked up somewhere.

That's four wins. Four more than last year.

Those four wins are difference between paying Russell Okung (Oklahoma State Offensive Tackle) or Taylor Mays (USC Safety) $65 million and $35 million.

I know because of revenue sharing, no matter if no one shows up to Ford Field, the Lions would still make money hand over fist. But you have to be able to field a team. Paying two number one overall picks hampers that process.

So start Daunte Culpepper and let Matthew Stafford sit and learn for a while.

Or watch the fans continue to revolt.

It was brought to my attention recently that the Detroit Lions made an administrative hire this offseason that didn't include new Head Coach Jim Schwartz.

The squad brought in former Jacksonville Jaguars VP of Player Personnel James Harris, giving him the title of Senior Personnel Executive.

According to his bio on the Lions' Web site, Harris spent the past six seasons as the Jaguars vice president of player personnel. While directing the Jaguars player personnel area, he oversaw all player acquisitions, including: college draft, free agency, undrafted player signings and the scouting of players in other professional leagues.

If you take a look at the Jags' draft history during the time Harris spent with the team, you'll notice a similar pattern to one familiar to all Lions fans:

Picks: 49
First-round picks: 6
Starters: 8

Take a look at the Lions' drafts during that same timeframe:

Picks: 47
First-round picks: 7
Starters: 9

Why would a team that just got rid of a general manager who couldn't draft well bring in someone else with the same shoddy drafting record? That's like trading a Jack Haley rookie card for a Dwayne Schintzius. Sure, Matt Millen drafted Charles Rogers (drug addict) and Mike Williams (bum), but Harris, in the same time frame, drafted Matt Jones (drug addict) and Reggie Williams (bum).

This move hasn't been discussed as much as others, which may mean Harris' role may be a minor one. Maybe it's so minor that the team didn't mention what his role will be with Detroit in Harris' online bio (it doesn't).

So watch out for some of the moves that are made. If certain draft picks don't pan out, that blame will be able to be spread around, which is a (somewhat) welcome change from the past.

In the past decade or so, the NFL Draft has become a full-fledged spectacle.

Hardcore football fans have gained enough knowledge, thanks to a boatload of publications and the 24-hour news cycle, on each and every prospect set to enter the league each April. It's gotten so bad that Detroit Lions 2009 seventh-round pick Zack Follett has already become sort of a cult hero to Lions fans even though most know he'll only play on two circumstances: special teams, or if every other linebacker on the roster contracts swine flu.

The weekend of the two-day draft (traditionally, the first three rounds took place on Saturday, with the remaining four taking place that Sunday) is just as big, as guys get together with friends to take everything in. Bars offer specials to get gridiron heads off the couch. Teams even host draft-day parties, complete with autograph signings, snacks and a viewing party. The Lions even sold Matt Stafford jerseys the day of the draft this past April.

For the past few years, my boys and I have gotten together to analyze and scrutinize every pick; to debate the ESPN and NFL Network talking heads, and to generally enjoy a spring day where football, technically in its off-season, towers above all. There's even some hi jinx involved. In 2007, my best friend Matt, who's admittedly a sensitive guy, got upset and left my apartment after some good-natured ribbing. To top it off, he took a half-eaten pizza he had brought over with him. Talk about taking your ball and going home. I never thought I'd see anybody take such ownership over a Hot-N-Ready.

That may change next April, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Thursday notified teams that the draft would be spread over three days in 2010, running Thursday, April 22, through Saturday, April 24. The first round will start in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET.

"We continue to look for ways to make the draft more accessible to more fans," Goodell said in a statement. "Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television."

ESPN and the NFL Network will continue to televise the entire show.

The second and third rounds will start at 6:30 p.m. ET on April 23.

Rounds 4 through 7 will be on April 24, starting at 10 a.m. ET.

According to published reports,

From 1988 to 1994, the NFL held its draft on Sunday-Monday two-day blocks. From 1995 to 2009, the league made it a Saturday-Sunday event.

That change may spell the end of my NFL Draft watching.

As subtle as it may seem, that's a big change. Whenever the draft comes along, the day of the event, something inside my head says to me, "Have another Summer Shandy. The stores just put them on the shelves TODAY. It's a Saturday, have some fun." I can't have that much fun on a Thursday night. I'll take a Thursday and Friday off for the first two days of the Big Dance, but not for the draft. I don't have that many vacation days, anyway.

Another killer for me is the NBA Playoffs begin around the time of the draft. For the puck heads, the NHL post-season is already in full swing by late April. So I'd have to ask myself, "watch Kobe and KD (Kevin Durant) go shot for shot in a playoff game, or listen to Mel Kiper Jr?" That's not that difficult a decision. You could always utilize the multiple TV approach, but come weeknights in mid-April, my mind is on the Lakers and the road they have to take to the title.

I know the NFL is banking on its immense popularity to draw people in on Thursdays, but that night is huge for the networks. That time of year signals the end of seasons of shows such as Law & Order (my Mom and girlfriend could watch marathons of this for days. Get them a bedpan and they wouldn't even get off the couch), Grey's Anatomy and 30 Rock. As big as the NFL has become, it doesn't have a stranglehold on the mainstream. Plus, you can get away with bogarting the remote on a Saturday afternoon, but on a Thursday? In primetime? Significant others aren't having it.

But NFL officials aren't idiots. It's a money move: for the league AND its network. Thursday and Friday will add two prime nights to the TV schedule (Thursday more so than Friday. Last I checked, Surviving Suburbia wasn't "Must-see TV."), bumping the NFL Network on the key nights, allowing them to seal advertising revenues at a significantly higher rate and result in a push from people wanting to add NFL Network to their cable package.

The bottom line is vital to NFL execs. But what about the fans? Nobody I know is gonna hold a draft-day party for the 4th-7th rounds. I know those are the rounds where most of the gems are hidden, but I'm not gonna waste a traditionally good day (weather-wise) listening to Adam Schefter over-analyze some left tackle from Idaho.

I can see Friday-Sunday. That would lead fans to believe the NFL had them in mind, giving them a reason to rush home at the end of the workweek, call their buddies, whip up some seven-layer dip and watch the first round. But why Thursday?

Wouldn't the league stand to generate more revenue if they did Friday-Sunday if for no other reason than watching the draft would give people a reason to sit at home on a Friday night? Not to mention all the money it would generate for bars. People work Friday mornings, so most are not getting wasted on a Thursday night. But a Friday is a totally different story, especially since that would lead into when people are used to sleeping in and watching the draft, anyway.

I'm not a fan of the change, and in some ways, it brings out a certain arrogance from the league.

So my viewing of the draft will probably diminish thanks to this bad idea.

Now, putting the Super Bowl on in prime time on a Saturday...