Risen Star
Likes Collector
- Messages
- 86,889
- Reaction score
- 203,985
http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2019/i...-winners-head-scratching-picks-2019-nfl-draft
Winners from Round 1
Washington Commanders
The picks: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State (No. 15); Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State (No. 26)
The board fell perfectly for the Commanders at No. 15. There have been rumblings that they wanted to trade up to get Haskins -- maybe even as high as the top five -- but he fell right into their lap in the middle of Round 1. With Alex Smith's future uncertain, Washington had to get its quarterback of the future in this draft.
Haskins is the most accurate passer in this class, and he's a natural touch thrower. He's going to sit in the pocket and drop dimes. He's raw -- he started only one season at Ohio State -- but he could be a star, and he was No. 7 overall on my board. Now we're going to get Haskins and the Commanders vs. Daniel Jones and the Giants in the NFC East for years to come. And can you believe Haskins is the first Big Ten quarterback to be drafted in the first round since Kerry Collins in 1995?
Washington then traded back into the first round, surrendering the No. 46 pick and a second-round pick in 2020, to get Sweat, one of the best pass-rushers in this class. He was ranked No. 12 on my board. Though I don't always love these kinds of trades, this isn't too much to give up for a prospect like Sweat. I like what Washington did on Day 1.
Arizona Cardinals
The pick: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma (No. 1)
Kliff Kingsbury got his guy. It's as simple as that. This is about the Cardinals giving their coach the best chance to succeed right out of the gate.
I had a high grade on Josh Rosen last year, and I believe in his talent. But if you're going to hire Kingsbury, you need to get a quarterback -- and leader -- who fits what you want to do. That's Murray, one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks I have ever scouted. Yes, he's 5-foot-10, but I don't care. This is 2019, and almost every offense is geared toward the spread (though the Cards' offensive line is still not great). Murray can make every throw, and he's going to make a few defenders miss on runs this season.
Meanwhile, GM Steve Keim needs to get something in a trade for Rosen. I'm interested to see what happens next.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The pick: Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky (No. 7)
Credit the Jaguars for going with the best player available here. I thought they might go with tight end T.J. Hockenson or even an offensive tackle. But Tom Coughlin & Co. went with Allen and got tremendous value. Jacksonville didn't have an immediate need at defensive end, but Allen went from good to elite in 2018, racking up 17 sacks and forcing five fumbles. Now he joins Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue to form an outstanding edge rush group.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The pick: Devin Bush, ILB, Michigan (No. 10)
My pal Louis Riddick called Bush pound-for-pound the best player in this draft. Though I won't quite go that far, I love this fit, and I love Pittsburgh being aggressive in getting its guy, trading the Nos. 20 and 52 picks plus a third-round pick in next year's draft to get the sideline-to-sideline linebacker. Bush is going to slot in at the weakest spot on the Steelers' roster, as the team hasn't been able to replace the production of Ryan Shazier.
San Francisco 49ers
The pick: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State (No. 2)
Consider the Niners' front seven fortified with the addition of Bosa, my top-ranked overall prospect, and trade for Dee Ford this offseason. Yes, the 49ers have now taken four defensive linemen in the first round since 2015, but Bosa is the real deal. He could be a leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma (No. 25)
Baltimore secured the draft's best receiver, and it added extra picks by trading down three spots with Philadelphia. That's a win for new GM Eric DeCosta. Brown will make Lamar Jackson's life easier this season.
Detroit Lions
The pick: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa (No. 8)
Detroit passed up the edge rushers to grab the best tight end in the class -- a complete player who will make Matthew Stafford's life easier. GM Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia saw the impact Rob Gronkowski made in their time in New England, and though Hockenson isn't Gronk -- my comp for him was longtime Steeler Heath Miller -- he has a chance to be a 10-year starter.
Seattle Seahawks
The pick: L.J. Collier, DE, TCU (No. 29)
As ESPN's Adam Schefter pointed out, Seattle came into the day with two first-round picks but not much capital after that. After trading back twice, GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll will now have nine picks, including four fourth-rounders. And after dealing away Frank Clark, they got a capable edge rushing replacement in Collier, who fits Seattle's scheme and plays with tremendous energy.
The biggest head-scratching moves
New York Giants
The picks: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke (No. 6); Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson (No. 17); Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia (No. 30)
I said earlier this week that the Giants were the team that had to nail this first round. They had to get impact starters. This is after an offseason in which they let Landon Collins leave in free agency, traded Odell Beckham Jr. and committed to Eli Manning for another season. GM Dave Gettleman needed to get everything back on track.
Did he do that in Round 1? I have questions, particularly around value. Are Jones, Lawrence and Baker -- for whom they traded up to finish with three first-rounders -- going to make the Giants better in 2019?
I like Jones' potential, and I picked him to go to the Giants in my final mock draft ... at No. 17. I had Dwayne Haskins and Drew Lock ranked higher. So this is high for him, but the Giants clearly identified Jones as their guy. Lawrence is a solid player, but he's not going to provide much as an interior pass-rusher as a 342-pound nose tackle. Baker is a good, solid player, but his technique was sloppy last season, and he dropped a little on my board. Again, he was clearly No. 1 on the Giants' board, as he was the first cornerback taken in the draft.
So the jury is still out here, and New York doesn't pick again until the 95th pick because of the trade up for Baker.
Oakland Raiders
The picks: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson (No. 4); Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama (No. 24); Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State (No. 27)
Let's just focus on Oakland's first pick as the head-scratcher. Ferrell is a reach at No. 4. He is a good, solid player who had 27 career sacks in college. Can he be a great player? Based on the player I've studied and where he landed on my board, his ceiling is lower than edge rushers such as Josh Allen, Rashan Gary and Montez Sweat. This is reaaalllly high for a guy who was ranked No. 25 on my final Big Board.
Now, this is Jon Gruden not overthinking value. If he likes a player, he's going to get him and not worry about what guys like me have to say. And we know the Raiders, who had a league-low 13 total sacks last season, needed an edge rusher. But this is the very definition of a head-scratcher in terms of value.
As for Jacobs and Abram, I like those selections much better. We knew Gruden was a prime candidate to take Jacobs, the best running back in this class, and we knew Oakland had a huge need at safety. Jacobs could be in line for a ton of touches as a rookie, and I expect Abram to be an immediate starter.
Green Bay Packers
The picks: Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan (No. 12); Darnell Savage Jr., S, Maryland (No. 21)
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26545631/2019-nfl-draft-pros-cons-every-first-round-pick
Let's be clear: I like the prospects Green Bay got. Gary is a top-five talent, and Savage is a versatile defensive back who fills a need. But does Aaron Rodgers like these guys ? I have been saying all along that the Packers needed to help out their superstar quarterback in Round 1. How can they not take a pass-catcher or an offensive lineman with one of these picks?
The Packers for years have tried to get by with midtier talent at skill positions, and though there's not an elite, No. 1 wideout on the board, Marquise Brown could have really helped. GM Brian Gutenkunst also traded up to get Savage, dealing two valuable fourth-round picks in the process.
Houston Texans
The pick: Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State (No. 23)
I get that Andre Dillard had just been picked, but there were better offensive linemen available on my board. Howard was my eighth-ranked offensive tackle, and I ranked him No. 70 overall. That's a third-round grade. Jawaan Taylor was still there. Same with Cody Ford. Howard is a work in progress with some upside. But he's not a first-round prospect.
Los Angeles Chargers
The pick: Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame (No. 28)
I see what the Chargers are doing here. Their biggest need is at defensive tackle, and they felt as if there might not be a guy they like left in Round 2. So they reached for Tillery, whom I had No. 56 overall, behind two other interior players in Khalen Saunders and Dre'Mont Jones. Again, I see the fit, but this is about value. Tillery is a talented but inconsistent player. He also has a torn labrum and could miss some time in training camp.
Winners from Round 1
Washington Commanders
The picks: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State (No. 15); Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State (No. 26)
The board fell perfectly for the Commanders at No. 15. There have been rumblings that they wanted to trade up to get Haskins -- maybe even as high as the top five -- but he fell right into their lap in the middle of Round 1. With Alex Smith's future uncertain, Washington had to get its quarterback of the future in this draft.
Haskins is the most accurate passer in this class, and he's a natural touch thrower. He's going to sit in the pocket and drop dimes. He's raw -- he started only one season at Ohio State -- but he could be a star, and he was No. 7 overall on my board. Now we're going to get Haskins and the Commanders vs. Daniel Jones and the Giants in the NFC East for years to come. And can you believe Haskins is the first Big Ten quarterback to be drafted in the first round since Kerry Collins in 1995?
Washington then traded back into the first round, surrendering the No. 46 pick and a second-round pick in 2020, to get Sweat, one of the best pass-rushers in this class. He was ranked No. 12 on my board. Though I don't always love these kinds of trades, this isn't too much to give up for a prospect like Sweat. I like what Washington did on Day 1.
Arizona Cardinals
The pick: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma (No. 1)
Kliff Kingsbury got his guy. It's as simple as that. This is about the Cardinals giving their coach the best chance to succeed right out of the gate.
I had a high grade on Josh Rosen last year, and I believe in his talent. But if you're going to hire Kingsbury, you need to get a quarterback -- and leader -- who fits what you want to do. That's Murray, one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks I have ever scouted. Yes, he's 5-foot-10, but I don't care. This is 2019, and almost every offense is geared toward the spread (though the Cards' offensive line is still not great). Murray can make every throw, and he's going to make a few defenders miss on runs this season.
Meanwhile, GM Steve Keim needs to get something in a trade for Rosen. I'm interested to see what happens next.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The pick: Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky (No. 7)
Credit the Jaguars for going with the best player available here. I thought they might go with tight end T.J. Hockenson or even an offensive tackle. But Tom Coughlin & Co. went with Allen and got tremendous value. Jacksonville didn't have an immediate need at defensive end, but Allen went from good to elite in 2018, racking up 17 sacks and forcing five fumbles. Now he joins Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue to form an outstanding edge rush group.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The pick: Devin Bush, ILB, Michigan (No. 10)
My pal Louis Riddick called Bush pound-for-pound the best player in this draft. Though I won't quite go that far, I love this fit, and I love Pittsburgh being aggressive in getting its guy, trading the Nos. 20 and 52 picks plus a third-round pick in next year's draft to get the sideline-to-sideline linebacker. Bush is going to slot in at the weakest spot on the Steelers' roster, as the team hasn't been able to replace the production of Ryan Shazier.
San Francisco 49ers
The pick: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State (No. 2)
Consider the Niners' front seven fortified with the addition of Bosa, my top-ranked overall prospect, and trade for Dee Ford this offseason. Yes, the 49ers have now taken four defensive linemen in the first round since 2015, but Bosa is the real deal. He could be a leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma (No. 25)
Baltimore secured the draft's best receiver, and it added extra picks by trading down three spots with Philadelphia. That's a win for new GM Eric DeCosta. Brown will make Lamar Jackson's life easier this season.
Detroit Lions
The pick: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa (No. 8)
Detroit passed up the edge rushers to grab the best tight end in the class -- a complete player who will make Matthew Stafford's life easier. GM Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia saw the impact Rob Gronkowski made in their time in New England, and though Hockenson isn't Gronk -- my comp for him was longtime Steeler Heath Miller -- he has a chance to be a 10-year starter.
Seattle Seahawks
The pick: L.J. Collier, DE, TCU (No. 29)
As ESPN's Adam Schefter pointed out, Seattle came into the day with two first-round picks but not much capital after that. After trading back twice, GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll will now have nine picks, including four fourth-rounders. And after dealing away Frank Clark, they got a capable edge rushing replacement in Collier, who fits Seattle's scheme and plays with tremendous energy.
The biggest head-scratching moves
New York Giants
The picks: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke (No. 6); Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson (No. 17); Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia (No. 30)
I said earlier this week that the Giants were the team that had to nail this first round. They had to get impact starters. This is after an offseason in which they let Landon Collins leave in free agency, traded Odell Beckham Jr. and committed to Eli Manning for another season. GM Dave Gettleman needed to get everything back on track.
Did he do that in Round 1? I have questions, particularly around value. Are Jones, Lawrence and Baker -- for whom they traded up to finish with three first-rounders -- going to make the Giants better in 2019?
I like Jones' potential, and I picked him to go to the Giants in my final mock draft ... at No. 17. I had Dwayne Haskins and Drew Lock ranked higher. So this is high for him, but the Giants clearly identified Jones as their guy. Lawrence is a solid player, but he's not going to provide much as an interior pass-rusher as a 342-pound nose tackle. Baker is a good, solid player, but his technique was sloppy last season, and he dropped a little on my board. Again, he was clearly No. 1 on the Giants' board, as he was the first cornerback taken in the draft.
So the jury is still out here, and New York doesn't pick again until the 95th pick because of the trade up for Baker.
Oakland Raiders
The picks: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson (No. 4); Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama (No. 24); Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State (No. 27)
Let's just focus on Oakland's first pick as the head-scratcher. Ferrell is a reach at No. 4. He is a good, solid player who had 27 career sacks in college. Can he be a great player? Based on the player I've studied and where he landed on my board, his ceiling is lower than edge rushers such as Josh Allen, Rashan Gary and Montez Sweat. This is reaaalllly high for a guy who was ranked No. 25 on my final Big Board.
Now, this is Jon Gruden not overthinking value. If he likes a player, he's going to get him and not worry about what guys like me have to say. And we know the Raiders, who had a league-low 13 total sacks last season, needed an edge rusher. But this is the very definition of a head-scratcher in terms of value.
As for Jacobs and Abram, I like those selections much better. We knew Gruden was a prime candidate to take Jacobs, the best running back in this class, and we knew Oakland had a huge need at safety. Jacobs could be in line for a ton of touches as a rookie, and I expect Abram to be an immediate starter.
Green Bay Packers
The picks: Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan (No. 12); Darnell Savage Jr., S, Maryland (No. 21)
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26545631/2019-nfl-draft-pros-cons-every-first-round-pick
Let's be clear: I like the prospects Green Bay got. Gary is a top-five talent, and Savage is a versatile defensive back who fills a need. But does Aaron Rodgers like these guys ? I have been saying all along that the Packers needed to help out their superstar quarterback in Round 1. How can they not take a pass-catcher or an offensive lineman with one of these picks?
The Packers for years have tried to get by with midtier talent at skill positions, and though there's not an elite, No. 1 wideout on the board, Marquise Brown could have really helped. GM Brian Gutenkunst also traded up to get Savage, dealing two valuable fourth-round picks in the process.
Houston Texans
The pick: Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State (No. 23)
I get that Andre Dillard had just been picked, but there were better offensive linemen available on my board. Howard was my eighth-ranked offensive tackle, and I ranked him No. 70 overall. That's a third-round grade. Jawaan Taylor was still there. Same with Cody Ford. Howard is a work in progress with some upside. But he's not a first-round prospect.
Los Angeles Chargers
The pick: Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame (No. 28)
I see what the Chargers are doing here. Their biggest need is at defensive tackle, and they felt as if there might not be a guy they like left in Round 2. So they reached for Tillery, whom I had No. 56 overall, behind two other interior players in Khalen Saunders and Dre'Mont Jones. Again, I see the fit, but this is about value. Tillery is a talented but inconsistent player. He also has a torn labrum and could miss some time in training camp.
