By Patrick Hayes

As I mentioned last night, Draymond Green somewhat surprisingly fell into the early second round of last night’s draft after the mock drafts of every major outlet had him going in the 20-30 range for weeks. The Golden State Warriors are fortunate to get him, according to much of the coverage today.

Hall of Famer Jerry West, now an executive with the Warriors, spoke about Green following the draft.

“We needed size desperately and also toughness,” West said. “Draymond Green’s a terrific player in the second round — shocking that he would get there to us. But these drafts sometimes produce results sometimes you just go unexpected, and we’re very, very pleased with what we did tonight.”

Many on ESPN’s coverage, including Jay Bilas, expressed shock that Green made it out of the first round. Seth Davis of CBS Sports tweeted this as Green was sliding:

Seriously, guys, time to take Draymond. You’re embarrassing yourselves.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) June 29, 2012

Chad Ford of ESPN wrote this:

I love this pick for the Warriors. He was one of my favorite players in the draft. Advanced statistics say he’s going to be very good as a tough, versatile player with a high basketball IQ. I think he’ll be in the league for a long time. Reminds me a bit of Shane Battier.

Here’s Warriors blog Golden State of Mind on Green:

This pick must’ve been too hot for TV or something because ESPN was on a commercial break when it was announced. Come on Draymond- show them how much they screwed up next season and beyond. Let’s welcome Michigan State‘s all-time leading rebounder to the Bay!

Green, as he always is, was positive despite slipping into round two. Via CSN Bay Area:

“I’ll tell you one thing, and it’s that I’m not going to worry about (falling back in draft),” Green said. “I’m going to make the best of my situation. I’m the 35th pick at Golden State and that’s what it is. I want to go in and win some games. I just want to go in and help in any way I possibly can.”