Winners
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals had one of the best days. Following Carson Palmer and Blaine Gabbert’s departures, the Cards went into the Draft with zero QBs. Many expected the Cardinals to trade up big for Lamar Jackson, who is considered the fourth or fifth best QB in this year’s Draft. Instead, Josh Rosen slipped down, so the Cardinals traded up to Oakland’s spot to scoop him up at 10. Arizona took the most natural, clean passer who potentially has the highest chance among the rookie QBs to be a starter his first year, and the Cardinals didn’t have to give up much to get him. They gave up only their first, third, and fifth round picks to pick up a QB who was projected to go in the top 3.
Denzel Ward
The fourth overall selection was the biggest surprise of the Draft after Baker Mayfield going at pick one. Denzel Ward (DB) was projected to go in the top-10, but definitely no one expected him to go fourth overall. I wanted the Browns to select Bradley Chubb to greatly strengthen the Browns’ defensive line. Chubb is the best defensive NFL prospect this year, and he has the lowest bust potential. But with a major need at CB, the Browns selecting Denzel Ward at four was not negative. In the end, Denzel Ward was selected higher than expected, as he joins a young, talented Browns defense, rendering him a winner in this Draft.
Offensive linemen
In the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, six o-linemen were selected. This number is a huge leap from last year, where only two o-linemen were selected in the first 32 picks. On top of the mere number of o-line personnel selected, each of the six big guys will protect a top rated QB next year. Quenton Nelson (OG) will HOPEFULLY protect Andrew Luck, Mike McGlinchey (OT) will protect Jimmy G, Kolton Miller (OT) will protect Derek Carr, Frank Ragnow (C) will protect Matthew Stafford, Billy Price (C) will protect Andy Dalton, and Isaiah Wynn (OT) will protect Tom Brady. Many o-linemen went in the first round, and all of them should be motivated to provide services to their new NFL teams when they protect star QBs. Thus, o-linemen have been winners in this Draft thus far.
Buffalo Bills
In my opinion, Josh Allen is not the answer at QB for the Bills. Buffalo should have drafted Rosen at seventh overall. However, from their perspective, Allen is the gunslinger they wanted after releasing Tyrod Taylor. The Bills probably want a big-arm QB after their disappointment with Tyrod, who doesn’t make the big, risky throws. Tremaine Edmunds, who they chose at 16th overall, was probably the biggest steal of the first round. He is still super young at age 19, and his athleticism at LB is absolutely insane. At 6’5 and 253Ib, he ran a whopping 4.54s 40-yard dash during the Combine. In 2017, he recorded 108 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 13 games at Virginia Tech. While I don’t agree with the Bills’ hype over Josh Allen, they matched their own objective by drafting him, and they also drafted a future star in Edmunds, thus the Bills were a winner.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens WON. Baltimore traded down, yet they managed to fill a major need at TE by grabbing Hayden Hurst at #25. By giving up their #22 pick and a seventh rounder to the Titans, they received a #25 pick and a third-rounder. Essentially, moving down three spots didn’t interfere with their plan to fill their need at TE, but rather, allowed them to move up from a seventh rounder to a third rounder in the latter part of their transaction. What a deal. On top of this great draft maneuver, they also made a great transaction to trade up to pick up Lamar Jackson. The Ravens gave up a #52 pick, #125 pick, and a 2019 second rounder to obtain the #32 and #132 pick from the Eagles. To put the matter simply, Baltimore obtained the most electrifying player from college just by giving next year’s second rounder. What a deal. Whether or not Baltimore can actually build a system around Lamar Jackson is in question, but for now, the Ravens have a Heisman Trophy winner to develop behind Joe Flacco before he potentially lights up the NFL in the coming years.
Baker Mayfield
With his legendary copycat picture where he poses like Brett Favre, his confidence prior to the Draft was clear. Not many people expected him to go #1 though. Some reports flowed in a day before the Draft, but many brushed these developments as speculations. But, Baker was actually chosen first. While Browns QBs have been cursed for decades and Baker might fall victim to the system, this situation gives way for Baker to yet again to shine bright under the lights. This surprising pick also benefits Baker’s reputation, as he seems to profit widely from buzz. Thus, this pick renders Baker a winner in terms of both a football player and a public figure.
Losers
Wide Receivers
Unfortunately, wide receivers lost in round 1. The first 32 picks consisted of two WRs. Surprisingly, DJ Moore (WR) went first at pick 24 to the Panthers, followed closely by Calvin Ridley at 26 to the Falcons. Courtland Sutton, who was considered a top WR prospect, was not taken in the first round. Clearly, this class lacks depth at WR, so they are losers of this first round.
Lions
Picking Frank Ragnow (C) at #20 was very questionable. To be honest, I didn’t know who he was before this pick. Billy Price, despite his injury, would have been a better option at center. Further, there were so many abled players that had slipped down to their hands. Finding a second WR to accommodate A.J Green, or picking a major defensive talent that had trickled down, were better options.
SOURCES
“2017 NFL Draft.” 2018. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. April 27. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NFL_Draft.
“Depth Chart.” 2018. News Stories RSS. Accessed April 28. http://www.bengals.com/team/depth-chart.html.
Lambert, Terry A. 2018. “2018 NFL Draft: Titans Trade up to 22nd Pick.” Music City Miracles. Music City Miracles. April 27. https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/2018/4/26/17287180/2018-nfl-draft-titans-trade-up-to-22nd-pick.
“NFL Draft & Combine Profile – HAYDEN HURST.” 2018. NFL.com. Accessed April 28. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/hayden-hurst?id=32462018-0002-5600-72f9-7623b6673aa8.
“NFL Draft & Combine Profile – RASHAAN EVANS.” 2018. NFL.com. NFL. Accessed April 28. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/rashaan-evans?id=32462018-0002-5600-737b-93a2d4fa1f16.
“NFL Draft & Combine Profile – TREMAINE EDMUNDS.” 2018. NFL.com. Accessed April 28. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/tremaine-edmunds?id=32462018-0002-5600-62d0-412c60099aca.
Patra, Kevin. 2018. “Cardinals Trade up to Get Josh Rosen at No. 10.” NFL.com. Accessed April 28. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000929007/article/cardinals-trade-up-to-get-josh-rosen-at-no-10.
“Tremaine Edmunds College Stats.” 2018. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Accessed April 28. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tremaine-edmunds-1.html.
Wesseling, Chris. 2018. “Ravens Trade up to Take Lamar Jackson at No. 32.” NFL.com. April 26. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000929151/article/ravens-trade-up-to-take-lamar-jackson-at-no-32.
Featured image:
Weinstein, Arthur. 2018. “NFL Draft 2018: Extreme Twitter Takes on First-Round Winners, Losers.” Sporting News. April 27. http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/nfl-draft-2018-10-extreme-twitter-takes-first-round-winners-losers/lvvs27q7zhc01mt259zy8kefl.
Akira's Analysis 