RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL – The two-day marathon known as the NFL Draft kicked off this afternoon and BET.com will be blogging live from Radio City Music Hall.

If you have never been to the NFL Draft before, let me help describe the scene.

Imagine if you round up every obnoxious, jersey wearing, unemployed fan from across the league and then placed them in one room for hours on end.

Memo to the NFL – how about hiring an IT guy to make sure the Internet works.

The wireless connection at Radio City has been about as spotty as the New York Jets offense last season.

Speaking of which, the “J-E-T-S, JETS” chants have broken out so the hometown team is on the clock.

3:55PM – Back-to-back trades has the crowd buzzing. The Jacksonville Jaguars jumped up to the eighth pick from Baltimore. This was minutes after the New England Patriots swapped picks with the New Orleans Saints, who selected Sedrick Ellis from USC.

4:OOPM – What were the Jacksonville Jaguars thinking? They traded four draft picks (First-round pick, two third-round picks and a fourth-round pick) to move up and select a guy who probably would have been on the board at the end of the first-round in Derrick Harvey. Officially the first bad move of the day and a great move for Baltimore.

4:18PM – In between picks, they are playing songs that are associated with that team’s city. Legendary reggae singer Bob Marley just rolled over in his grave as they played “Buffalo Solider” for the Buffalo Bills.

4:37PM – We are just over 90 minutes into the NFL Draft and we are already at pick #15. To put that in comparison, last year’s first-round of the NFL Draft lasted six hours. You could have flown from New York to Los Angeles and would still have had time to watch the tail end of the first-round.

4:53PM – The first HBCU football player was selected in the draft. Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, a 6-foot-1 cornerback (and cousin of San Diego’s Antonio Cromartie) was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 16th overall pick.

5:10PM – Almost as annoying as Jets fans are Eagles fans, who paused mid-chant of E-A-G-L-E-S when it was announced that Philadelphia T-R-A-D-E-D their pick.

5:21PM – Josh Howard’s favorite college football player, Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib, was selected by the Tampa Bay Bucs with the 20th overall pick. Talib is a player who has been labeled as having character issues because of a report that he had smoked marijuana while at Kansas.

5:26PM – It’s a little eerie that the Washington Redskins have the 21st overall pick. R.I.P. Sean Taylor.

5:29PM – And just like that, the Redskins no longer have the 21st pick. Washington has traded with the Atlanta and the Falcons selected offensive tackle Sam Baker, the third USC Trojan selected in the first-round.

5:39PM – Damn you, Dallas Cowboys fans. You got a steal in running back Felix Jones from Arkansas. And they still have one more first-round draft pick left. Sigh. If you select wide receiver DeSean Jackson from Cal, I’m going to be pissed.

5:50PM – A little behind the scenes action at the NFL Draft. Sitting next to ESPN analyst Keyshawn Johnson is an open KFC box. Way to live up to the fried chicken stereotype, Keyshawn. Were the tepid wieners in the press room not good enough for you? You just had to send out a PA to snag you a two-piece dark meat meal, huh?

6:01PM – Pacman who? The Dallas Cowboys traded up for the 25th overall pick and selected cornerback Mike Jenkins from South Florida. Maybe Jerry Jones is not convinced that Adam “Pacman” Jones will be playing football in 2008.

6:18PM – Normally the University of Miami dominates the first-round of the NFL Draft, but the USC Trojans are cleaning up so far. Defensive end Lawrence Jackson was selected No. 28 by the Seattle Seahawks, making him the fourth Trojan selected in the first-round compared to zero for the Hurricanes.

6:29PM – The New York Jets continue to play with my emotions. After trading up with the Green Bay Packers for an additional first-round pick, and with their choice of any wide receiver on the board, the Jets go out and freakin take a tight end. Dustin Keller, prepare for the boos Week 1 at the Meadowlands.

6:35PM – With the New York Giants selecting Miami safety Kenny Phillips, the first-round of the NFL Draft ends in a crisp 3 hours and 30 minutes. Bring on Round 2!

6:42PM – It only took 32 picks but finally the first wide receiver is selected in this year’s draft. If I told you Donnie Avery from the University of Houston was selected over Malcolm Kelly from Oklahoma or Devin Thomas from Michigan State, you would think I was kidding. To Avery’s credit, he did catch 91 passes for 1,456 yards last season.

7:02PM – Radio City Music Hall is much quieter as the NFL Draft moves along through Round 2. The only folks left are the hardcore nuts who are holding their breath every time Gene Washington steps to the podium.

7:20PM – The longer the NFL Draft goes, the worst the music selection is. Currently playing is “Big Yellow Taxi” by the Counting Crows. (Although I started humming quietly when “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey came on) Come on Roger, no Soulja Boy for the media and fans to enjoy?

7:40PM – ESPN just interviewed quarterbacks Chad Henne from Michigan and Brian Brohm from Louisville and both looked unhappy their names were still on the board. Only two quarterbacks (Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco) have been selected through 46 picks so far. 2008’s version of Brady Quinn is not nearly as dramatic but says a lot about the direction teams are going in this year’s draft.

7:41PM – Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Baby” just came on and all the Black media members started doing a two-step in their seats.

8:00PM -If you are looking for a real sleeper for next season, keep your eyes on DeSean Jackson of Cal. The Philadelpha Eagles selected the speedy wide receiver with the No. 49 pick in the second round. Might not do much as the fourth-string wide out but should be an instant threat on special teams.

8:20PM – After zero wide receivers were selected in Round 1, nine have gone so far in Round 2, highlighted by Malcolm Kelly of Oklahoma going to Washington and Limas Sweed of Texas going to Pittsburgh. Seven picks to go before Day 1 is wrapped up.

8:25PM – Finally, some suspense. The Green Bay Packers, short one quarterback after Brett Favre cried his way out of the league, selected Louisville’s Brian Brohm. Aaron Rodgers, the pressure is on.

8:29PM – Another franchise in desperate need of a quarterback, the Miami Dolphins selected Chris Henne from Michigan with the No. 57 overall pick. The Dolphins selected John Beck from BYU in last year’s draft, but when you go 1-15, you need all the talented players you can select.

8:47PM – The crowd perked up when it was announced the New England Patriots were on the clock. A sea of boos filled Radio City Music Hall, a trend that has been popular whenever the Cowboys (Giants rival) or Patriots (Jets and rival to everyone in the NFL) have been on the clock.

8:55PM – With the last pick in the second round, the Giants take cornerback Terrell Thomas from USC. Of the 63 picks in Day 1 of the NFL Draft, seven were Trojans. And with that selection, that’s my cue to bounce.

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