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Now that the dust has settled, and the 2018 draft is over and done with, I thought I would take a look at who benefitted the most and who suffered the most from their teams' picks. The 2018 NFL Draft was held between the dates of April 28th-28th. Held in the AT&T Stadium in Texas, all 32 teams came together to select the talents that they think will help take their team make it to the next level.
A total of 256 players were selected over 7 rounds of picks, with 32 being made on the first day. The Baltimore Ravens had the most selections in this year’s draft with 12, whereas the Tennessee Titans had the fewest, with just 4 new players added to their roster.
With numerous struggling teams desperate to find their franchise QB, this year’s draft was only the third draft in history where 5 Quarterbacks were selected in the first round. Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield were all chosen in the first round and all have a chance to top their team’s depth charts come to the end of the year.
The draft isn’t just about offense though, as this crop of players included numerous difference makers on defense. Bradley Chubb, Denzel Ward, Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick will almost certainly start from the get-go for their respective teams.
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Here I take a look at my 3 Winners and 3 Losers from this year’s draft and look into the impact the new recruits may have on their teams.
Winners
The Cleveland Browns
Notable Picks
First Round: 1.01 Baker Mayfield, 1.04 Denzel Ward
Second Round: 2.01 Austin Corbett, 2.03 Nick Chubb
Many people were shocked with the Browns first two selections in this year’s draft. The Browns were loaded with draft capital after acquiring picks from the Texans after they traded up for Deshaun Watson last year, and from the Eagles when they traded for Carson Wentz. After passing on those two Quarterbacks who look like they will become elite players in this league, the Browns were desperate to find a franchise QB of their own. They selected Baker Mayfield with the first overall selection.
Rumors got out on draft day that the Browns had Mayfield at the top of their board, ahead of the expert’s consensus pick, Sam Darnold. Mayfield, who was the Heisman trophy winner in 2017, will start the season learning the offense behind Tyrod Taylor. As soon as he’s acclimatized to this offense, I expect him to push Tyrod for that starting role. Mayfield has a great resume coming out of college. During his time playing for Oklahoma, Mayfield threw for 12,292 yards and 119 TDs, throwing just 21 interceptions in the process.
He had an impressive completion percentage of 69.8% and a 67% completion rate when on the run. He is accurate on short to mid-range passes but excels on passes over 20 yards. His main attribute is his competitive spirit and his leadership. Mayfield is a passionate leader who demands the best out of his fellow players.
Mayfield is walking into the ideal situation in Cleveland. He doesn’t have to be rushed into the offense like DeShone Kizer was last year. He can bide his time and grow more comfortable with the playbook, whilst Taylor leads the team for the first half of the season. When he starts, Mayfield will have a wealth of weapons at his disposal. Jarvis Landry was acquired from the Miami Dolphins and immediately signed to a long-term deal.
Landry is a great talent who creates good separation and demands high volume from the slot. Josh Gordon is back in the league and looking in phenomenal shape. If he can find his form from before his ban and stay on the straight and narrow, then the Browns have a top 5 receiver on their hands. They also drafted WR Antonio Callaway in the 4th round.
Callaway, like Gordon, has had his off-field issues. He was one of the most talented receivers in the league, so Browns fans will be hoping he behaves himself and develops into a genuine starter on the outside.
Not to mention, Sophomore Tight End David Njoku who is a premier athlete and could be a star at the position. In Mayfield’s hands, the Browns could have a powerful offense for years to come.
The Browns also selected Denzel Ward in the first round. This pick was questioned by many as most people thought they would select Bradley Chubb with that pick. Instead, the Browns decided to get the lockdown corner they needed to help solidify their secondary. Ward will come in immediately and be a difference maker in this defense.
In the second round, the Browns selected OT Austin Corbett, who has big shoes to fill after the retirement of Joe Thomas. I would have preferred to pick Will Hernandez here, but Corbett should be a solid starter from week 1. Running Back Nick Chubb was also selected in the second round.
After the Browns came to their senses and decided to pass on Saquon Barkley with the first overall pick, they chose Chubb to be their Running Back of the future. He should push Carlos Hyde for snaps this year, who will likely be let go after the season concludes.
The Los Angeles Chargers
Notable Picks
First Round: 1.17 Derwin James
The Chargers make this list purely for the fact that one of the best players in this draft somehow fell to them at pick 17. Derwin James, a Safety out of Florida State, tumbled down the draft with many teams not targeting Safety as a position of need, The Chargers were more than happy to snap him up and add him to a very talented Defense.
The Chargers are in ‘Win Now’ mode, with a high powered offense now complemented with a top 10 defense. James will join a Defense that includes stars such as Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and Casey Hayward. James is a versatile player who at 6’2, draws comparisons to the recently retired Cam Chancellor.
He has the ability to line up at corner or nickel with his speed but also possesses the size and strength to come down into the box to help stop the run game or cover Tight Ends. I expect this Defense to make waves similar to that of Jacksonville and New Orleans last year.
The Green Bay Packers
Notable Picks:
First Round: 1.18 Jaire Alexander
Second Round: 2.13 Josh Jackson
New Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, pulled off the heist of the century in the first round. This gets a little complicated, so stick with me. The Packers traded back from their number 14 spot, acquiring the Saints number 27 pick and their FIRST ROUND PICK in the 2019 draft in the process.
The Saints desperately wanted Marcus Davenport and paid up big time to get him. The Pack then traded up themselves, to the number 18 spot, gaining the No. 248 pick in the process. The Packers gave the Seahawks picks number 27, 76 and 176 for the privilege. In basic terms, the Packers moved down 3 spots and picked up a first-round pick next year, by just losing a third-round pick. Still with me?
After all of that, Gutekunst drafted the corner that this secondary so desperately needed. Jaire Alexander was selected with the 18th overall pick, and he is the perfect fit for new DC Mike Pettine’s defense. Injuries plagued his 2017, but now fully healthy, Alexander will look to get back to ball-hawking play that made him stand out when playing for Louisville. His mixture of speed and aggression will transfer well to the NFL, and despite being slightly smaller than most CBs, he has shown he can go up and get the ball against bigger receivers.
In the second round, the Packers solidified the secondary again by selecting Iowa CB Josh Jackson. Jackson and Alexander were in the top 3 CBs available in the draft for many experts, and the Packers pulled off a real feat by managing to draft both of them. Jackson is more of a shutdown corner, who has more size than Alexander.
With these two additions, Pettine will hope they Packers can play more man on man coverage, creating more personnel available to rush the passer. This team could go from one of the worst defenses in the league to a top 10 D.
Losers
Russell Wilson
Poor Russell Wilson. Coming off a season where Wilson excelled, the Seattle Offense has been decimated. The offensive line is one of the worst in the league, with only a 5th round pick being used to strengthen the position. Not only that, both Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson left in Free Agency to the Packers and Redskins respectively.
Graham was a huge RedZone weapon for Wilson last season and his replacements Ed Dickson and Nick Vannett are hardly exciting options. Richardson was replaced by aging veteran Brandon Marshall, who looked slow and out of shape last year in New York. Neither position was addressed in the first few rounds of the draft.
The legendary ‘Legion of Boom’ defense is no more. The team has lost Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril, with Earl Thomas being rumored to be on the trade block. They are all huge loses for this team and it will pile more pressure on Wilson. Wilson will have to put up more points as the defense will likely be conceding a lot more. The defense was reinforced in the draft with Rasheem Green, the iconic Shaquem Griffin and Safety Tre Flowers. They will do well to live up to their predecessor’s level of play.
Rashad Penny was brought in to help beef up a lackluster running game. However, using a first-round pick on him when there are such glaring needs is questionable. This looks like it will be a long season for Wilson and Co.
Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco is the ultimate loser from draft day. The Ravens drafted exciting former Heisman trophy winner, Lamar Jackson with the 32nd overall pick in the draft. Jackson is one of the most exciting players to come into the league in recent years. He has drawn comparisons to the legendary Michael Vick, with his explosive speed and elusiveness make him a nightmare for opposing defenders.
Although his arm is nowhere near as good as Vick’s, he will likely be a star in this league over the coming years. His addition piles some pressure on the 33-year-old Flacco. Flacco’s style of play has become tiresome for Ravens fans, who are bored of his reluctance to throw down the field. Jackson’s style of play is the complete opposite of Flacco’s and having him under center will bring a breath of fresh air into this franchise.
The writing is on the wall for Flacco. It's just a matter of when Jackson takes over. Will it be sometime this season? Or will it be next? All I know is that as soon as Flacco starts struggling, the Ravens faithful will be clamoring for Jackson's call-up.
Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott rounds up my losers from this year’s draft. Dak struggled hugely in his second year when the team lost Ezekiel Elliott to suspension. His Wide Receivers did little to help him and it left everyone questioning whether his rookie year was somewhat of a fluke. In an offseason where the Cowboys have lost their main 2 passing weapons in Jason Witten and Dez Bryant, many thought the Cowboys would target a WR in the first round.
With Calvin Ridley, Courtland Sutton and DJ Moore still on the board, the Cowboys drafted Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. Vander Esch is a great player who excelled at the combine. But his addition did nothing to help a weakened passing game. The team did draft Michael Gallup in the third round. Gallup impressed in college, accumulating 176 catches, 2690 yards and 21 TDs in two seasons.
However, he’s not the same physical specimen as the aforementioned rookies. He should see some volume as this season progresses, but don’t expect him to be a world beater from the get-go.
This leaves Allen Hurns as Prescott’s WR1. Hurns hasn’t caught more than 39 passes and 500 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. This doesn’t bode well for Prescott considering his struggles last season. Will they make a trade and sign another veteran receiver? Or will they possibly resign Dez Bryant on a more team friendly deal? I think both are unrealistic options and they will just roll with what they’ve got for the 2018 season. 2018 could be tough for Dak.
