Round one of the 2018 NFL Draft is now over with. Months and months of deliberation, uncertainty, and debate are finally over with. Thank Goodness. We now know which quarterbacks are going where, and what the Giants were planning at number two. With every draft, there are teams that will be questioned, and the fans will hate their pick. We aren’t in the war rooms so we don’t know what their thinking is, but seriously, what are some teams thinking!?
Best Pick(s) :
New York Giants- Saquon Barkley
New York Jets- Sam Darnold
The Giants were never taking a quarterback with thier #2 pick, and I’ve been saying that for a couple of months now, and not once did I mock a QB to them during this process. This pick is being discussed heavily by Giants fans, and there is a large group that does not like the pick..Including some top New York sport talk radio voices. I want to make this a short article, so I’ll try to be brief. The Giants took the best player in the draft . Period. I believe the draft should be used as a time to build your team by taking the best player available. Of course, “need” and roster construction should play a role, but it shouldn’t, be the end-all be-all in making selections. Free agency should be used to fill needs, so when the draft comes around you aren’t faced with with passing up on a potentially great player just because he doesn’t fill a need. Regardless, the Giants took the best player. Safest player. Not to mention, it also filled a need. A three-down back that can do it all, and should also help the aging Eli Manning.
The Jets are on this list because they got arguably the best quarterback at the #3 spot, and have been looking for a potential franchise QB for the last 40 years! The Jets were linked to Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen during much of the pre-draft propaganda, but it seems that was only because they were under the belief that Darnold wouldn’t be there for them. Like Giants fans, Jets fans have been vocal, about this pick, both for and against. I’m not going to sit here and compare the quarterbacks in this draft. That has already been done at nauseum and will continue to be. What I know is that Darnold was the #1 QB on many team’s board, and the Jets were able to get him with the 3rd overall pick. Did they overpay to move up? Perhaps. Could they have gotten a top QB at 6? That I’m not too sure about, despite Allen and Rosen being drafted after them. We’ll never know. We don’t know how it plays out if the Colts stay at 3 or trade the pick elsewhere.
Worst Pick:
Pittsburgh Steelers– Terrell Edmunds
Ryan Shazier walking out and making the Pittsburgh pick was absolutely the best part of the night. It was also the best part of the pick. Edmunds is a talented player, but not as talented as his brother Tremaine, who was drafted by the Bills earlier in the night. That Edmunds is a first round pick. This Edmunds is not. I’m not saying that he won’t become a very good player, but the Steelers could’ve had him with their 2nd….or even 3rd round pick. Perhaps Shazier took the card of their guess 3rd round announcer?
Head-scratchers;
Cleveland Browns: Pick #4 Denzel Ward
I love Denzel Ward. He’s the best DB in the draft. However, when you have the 1st and 4th overall picks and come away with Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward, you have to wonder what is going on there. I’m not even going to get into the Mayfield at #1 pick. They had him above all the others, so to each is own. If the Browns weren’t going to take Bradley Chubb with the fourth pick, then that pick should’ve been traded out of. You’re telling me that there wasn’t an offer on the table good enough to sacrifice losing out on Ward? I find that hard to believe. Browns will Brown.
New Orleans Saints: Pick # 14- Marcus Davenport
Come on New Orleans! The Saints traded all the way up from 27 to 14 to select DT/DE Marcus Davenport. Davenport is a talent for sure. He’s also a bit of a project. Apparently the team believes he’s the difference between being a miracle away from going to the NFC Championship, to winning the Super Bowl. You just can NOT give up a future 1st round pick to take a defensive end that still needs time to learn.
Dallas Cowboys: Pick # 19- Leighton Vander Esch
I like the player, not the pick. The Cowboys have other needs including wide receiver. At pick 19, they still had their choice of any receiver in the draft. Vander Esch was not a recruited player out of high school and has only 1 year of starting football under his belt. In addition, there is some speculation that he has a lingering neck issue. The Cowboys must not be too concerned, but I wonder if their first round draft plans would’ve been different had they know that Jason Witten would be retiring and heading into the broadcast booth.
Cincinnati Bengals: Pick # 21- Billy Price
Offensive line is a major need and I expected the Bengals to take one here. I didn’t expect it to be Billy Price here. Heading into round 2, there are still a number of really good offensive line prospects available, and I think Price had a chance to slip to them in the 2nd round.
Baltimore Ravens: Pick # 25- Hayden Hurst
Not surprised that the Ravens, who traded back twice, took a tight end. Hurst is a very good player, but he shouldn’t have been the first player at his position to be drafted, and he’s not a 1st round talent in my opinion.
New England Patriots: Pick #31- Sony Michel
Nothing the Patriots do surprises me. Sony Michel was a hot name heading into the draft, but not all of it was in positive nature. Many teams were scared off of Michel due to a bone-on-bone condition in his knee. The same type of injury that saw Jay Ajayi slide to the 5th round of the 2015 draft. Michel didn’t slide though. In fact, he jumped up ahead of Derrius Guice and Ronald Jones. Two players I had ranked ahead of him.
Seattle Seahawks: Pick # 27- Rashaad Penny
I honestly don’t know what the Seahawks are doing these days or what direction they are planning on going. A team with so many needs decides to take a running back with the 27th overall pick. However, it wasn’t the second…or third…or even fourth best running back. Penny is talented and multi-dimensional, but don’t they already have C.J. Prosise? hmmm
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