As the draft comes to a close, we look to recap what was promised to be an entertaining draft as the league looked to work back to what is considered “normal.” And boy, were we not disappointed.
Favorite drafts:
Lions: the lions have had a history of being an underachieving franchise and with a new Coach and GM at the helm, they engineered a great first draft. They first moved on from the QB Matt Stafford netting a future first round pick (2022), while snagging the best Offensive Tackle in this draft in Penei Sewell. He can help establish a new mentality upfront along side Center Frank Ragnow as the Lions look to be more physical in the trenches. Speaking of trenches on defense they select two big bodies who, on my board, were top 4 Interior lineman in Levi Ownzurike and Alim McNeil. Another big step in being a more physical football team. Also on defense, they added Derrick Barnes who can come in and compete for a starting job and Ifeatu Melinfonu who was an athletic, physical Corner. He will require some additional development in man coverage, but brings a physical edge to this defense and fits the trend that Coach Campbell is instilling in this team. They started day 3 off selecting Amon-Ra St Brown who could come in and command a hefty share of targets right away. Year 1 under Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell is 100% moving in the right direction.
Jaguars: Urban Meyer has come in and made a huge statement with this draft, as the middling Jaguars looked to add high potential players. Meyer has made it clear he values high ceiling players selecting several former 5 star recruits. Lawrence at #1 has been a no-brainer, and aside from Etienne (who was their only head scratcher) everyone else will be able to come and compete day 1. Tyson Campbell is a big, athletic corner who can push former 1st rounder CJ Henderson for snaps while providing depth at an important position. Walker Little two years ago was considered a 1st round lock before injuries and opting out, he’ll look to develop into a book end and possibly kick Cam Robinson into guard. Andre Cisco is a true ballhawk and missile at Safety who can come in and help fills position of need on defense. Jay Tufele is another high ceiling player, who had first round buzz just 2 years ago. He can hopefully come in and compete at an interior d-line spot right away. Lastly, Jordan Smith is a project EDGE rusher but for a 4th round pick, that’s expected. Dylan Moses as a UDFA is criminal as he was considered a first rounder his entire career before injuries. For a team who was worst in the league last year, these are all big swings that can help kick start a rebuild.
Panthers: Carolina hits a home run on all 3 days. Jaycee Horn may have been a little reach but they get a stud, shutdown corner. They snag Terrace Marshall in the 2nd who can play a big slot role, that many had as a 1st rounder. Third rounder Brady Christianson could be a viable option at LT, while sixth rounder Deonte Brown can develop into a starter at an interior spot. Daviyon Nixon is a high ceiling player who was mentioned as a first rounder earlier in the year, but in 5th round he is definitely worth a swing to build into a contributing IDL. Matt Rhule’s second draft has been better than his first, which is tough to believe after how well the team did in year 1.
Least favorite drafts:
Cowboys: the Cowboys started off strong taking a top defender in Micah Parsons after trading back, but stumbled hereafter taking 3 players in the 2nd/3rd rounds that many had graded as 7th rounders/UDFAs. That’s not ideal when your a team who was drafting in the top 10, especially with a bottom 5 defense. They did net Kelvin Joseph who is a great talent, and could develop into a star. However he has seen off the field troubles at both of his collie gate stops. If he can stay on the right path, he can become a huge piece on this defense, but with as bad as they have performed, Jerry and Stephen Jones could have looked to move for additional “safer” picks. Joseph and Parsons move the needle for me and even Jabril Cox is a good selection, but the other selections seem to be low floor players who could be huge question marks moving forward.
Packers: This is mainly a product of what happened just minutes before the 1st round. Aaron Rodgers shocked the world and said he no longer wants to be a part of the organization. The front office than took a CB (Eric Stokes) in the first over players who could support Rodgers. Stokes is a fine player but is more of a middle 2nd rounder in my opinion. Josh Myers is a fine prospect as well, but with Creed Humphrey available the Packers reached. Amari Rodgers was a plus pick, and can come fill a Slot/Gadget role for the team. They stick to the same script as last year adding a couple offensive lineman on day 3, in addition to Kylin Hill at running back. Hill in the 7th round is real value and could be a perfect RB2 in the future if Jones leaves. The low outlook is mainly due to the impact players selected at high picks, who we project as reaches. Also, due to the bungled Rodgers scenario and the position it puts the team in.
Steelers: Najee Harris is a perfect back for their system and Pat Freiermuth is a steal in the late 2nd round. But Pitrsburgh needed a high impact offensive tackle and not selecting one until the 4th round is puzzling. Quincy Roche is a bargain where he was selected, and Kendrick Green helps replace Pouncey, but the rest of the draft is puzzling as Steel City tries to remain competitive with Roethlisberger at the helm. Which is another issue within itself. No replacement for Big Ben seems to be present unless you consider The Dwayne Haskins project possible. End to end, this draft had only 2 or 3 selections that made sense.
The good thing about the draft is that it is not an exact science. Many of the selections made on all 3 days could be flops or perfect fits. Even some UDFAs can take the league by storm. All organizations have hope following this weekend and only time will tell who was the true winners and losers.
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