Dieter the Brock
Fourth responder
- Joined
- May 18, 2014
- Messages
- 8,196
Derwin James at #17
Holy Shit...... what a steal
What a weird 1st round
Holy Shit...... what a steal
What a weird 1st round
CAMP REPORT 2018 NFL Draft: Round 1
- Thread starter CGI_Ram
- Start date
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ReekofRams
Hall of Fame
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- Reek
So what you're in effect saying is, we don't know what in the hell he meant.
THEN WHY IN THE WORLD DIDN'T YOU SAY, "WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IN THE HELL HE MEANT?":neener:
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- Dennis
I agree, that why I believe the Browns picked the wrong guy, which aided the Jets in picking the right guy.
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I counted about 22 players picked that we probably wouldn't have selected based on need. That's a damn good first round for us
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First off wasn't vehement or angry or overly critical. Secondly I forgot that college statistics translated to NFL success. That must explain why Sean Mannion is such a successful NFL QB.
rdlkgliders
"AKA" Hugo Bezdek
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- Don
Right! I onow what you mean. Good thing they don't test GM's for the magic herb ....
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He might not be as much of a minority as some think. Mayfield played a tougher schedule than both of the California kids, and excelled. And you might not care for him because of this factoid or that whimsicality. He is a polarizing kid. He's someone you would love if he's on your team. and someone you'll hate, if he's not. I think Cleveland will be an interesting team this year. Taylor is supposed to guide them this year. But then again, Mayfield did walk on at 2 different teams and claim the starters job in his first year's of eligibility. And he'll be an underdog to do it this year. Will his game translate to the next level..... I have no idea. But it'll be a fun ride to watch from a distance.
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One thing I haven't seen mentioned is how sexy Kay was last night on that red carpet.
View: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft-red-carpet/0ap3000000928829/Best-swag-Best-dancer-Edmunds-family-shows-off-on-red-carpet
View: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft-red-carpet/0ap3000000928829/Best-swag-Best-dancer-Edmunds-family-shows-off-on-red-carpet
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- 20,922
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- Peter
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/04/27/draft-trades-josh-rosen-josh-allen-bills-cardinals-mmqb-peter-king
2018 NFL Draft: Two Trades, Two Joshes, Two Very Happy Teams in Buffalo and Arizona
By PETER KING
Amazing night, in many ways. A few days ago, who’d have predicted the last two Heisman Trophy winners, quarterbacks Baker Mayfield (one, to Cleveland) and Lamar Jackson (32, to Baltimore) would bookend the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft?
I would argue, though, that the two most interesting teams in Round 1 were:
• Buffalo, the team that turned five trades into the most important offensive and defensive players of its future, and the team that cast its lot with a strong-armed quarterback whose racially insensitive Tweets when he was 16 and 17 years old threatened to poison his draft stock.
We won’t know for three or four years if Bills GM Brandon Beane made the right calls in the first 100 minutes of the draft to trade up twice—for the suddenly radioactive Josh Allen at seven and for speedy linebacker Tremaine Edmunds at 16. But Beane certainly had the guts to make calls that will put his job on the line.
• Arizona. Kudos to GM Steve Keim for knowing he had to get a young, developmental quarterback, and getting the fourth passer picked, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, by trading up from 15 to 10 with Oakland. Amazingly, Keim didn’t have to give next year’s first-rounder or this year’s second to get the deal done.
“There’s always pressure to find the young quarterback,” Keim told me near midnight Thursday, “but if you trade away so many picks that you can’t solve your other problems, it’s really too much of a sacrifice to do.”
Late Thursday night, a couple hours after he moved Buffalo into Tampa’s No. 7 spot, Beane told the story of how the Bills vetted Allen during the day Thursday. To Beane’s credit, he sounded pretty clinical about it, the way he’d sound if he were trying to figure out if an inaccurate quarterback was worth a high draft choice. In other words, he already vetted Allen the football player in a day-long trip to Laramie, Wyo., with his owners and his head coach. Now he had to figure out how to vet Allen the social-media user.
“And I don’t even use Twitter,” Beane told me from Orchard Park, N.Y.
Let’s start just after daybreak Thursday, when Yahoo Sports reported that between 2011 and 2013, Allen sent some insensitive Tweets using the n-word and other racially inflammatory verbiage.
“My first thought was, ‘You gotta be kidding me,’” said Beane. “We vetted this guy through and through. We went to Laramie. We met with him for maybe 90 minutes, then worked him out, and we went to lunch. We spent maybe a good 18 hours with him. Thoroughly went over everything. We were totally comfortable with him.
“So, today, we went over what happened. [Coach] Sean [McDermott] spoke to our leadership council [of players] to get their thoughts and to explain what might happen. Between Sean and I and [owners] Kim and Terry Pegula, it was a multi-stage process. We talked to some of our players here.
“It’s not an excuse, saying those things as a 14 or 15 year old. And I am not very good on Twitter. Some of the things I thought he wrote, he actually just liked. We talked to him about it. We had a 30, 35-minute call shortly after lunch, and at first he was very direct and contrite. As we talked to him about this thing, he was emotional.
“You could hear the tears on the other line.
“We told him, ‘Collect yourself.’ And he owned up to it. He explained every one. He was very embarrassed. We let him know what is acceptable and what is not. He understands this is part of him now, and he has to earn the respect of his teammates going forward. And we called a lot of people.
We didn’t find one person—and I am not saying there is not one person out there—but we didn’t find one person who said this is Josh Allen. We found people who defended Josh. So we decided to move forward.”
Beane understands this isn’t over, and that Allen will have to explain himself to the veterans on this team. And whatever Allen says, he’s going to have to prove over time that he’s not the person he seems in those immature tweets.
As a player, Allen will have a lot of prove too. The 56% career passer at Wyoming will have to become a 65% passer in the NFL, in one of the toughest environments in the league to play football. It was thought all along that the Bills wanted Allen above the other quarterbacks because of his arm strength and his size and his experience playing in tough weather.
But it was interesting to listen to Troy Aikman on Thursday night. He made the point many have made in the pre-draft process: When you’re an inaccurate passer in college, it’s not often than you become an accurate passer in the NFL. That will be Allen’s biggest challenge.
Beane would not say where Allen fell in the quarterback pecking order. It’s likely the Bills would have taken any of the top four passers somewhere in the top 10 or 12 picks. But Allen fits them for his arm and his developmental ability. “We didn’t think any of these quarterbacks were flawless,” Beane said, and he’s right about that. “Being able to play in our elements was important us. Josh has big hands, and we saw him play well in a big-time snow game against Colorado State.”
The Bills moved from 22 to 16 in the first round to take Edmunds, using the pick acquired from Cleveland in the Tyrod Taylor deal (65th overall) to get the deal done with Baltimore. Buffalo didn’t have to use next year’s first-round pick to get the deal done. So the Bills got athletic and raw prospects in the first half of the first round. Good moves.
In Arizona, the Cardinals fell into Josh Rosen when he started sliding. Had he gone at six or seven, the price to move up from Arizona’s pick at 15 would have been prohibitive. Keim definitely didn’t want to spend next year’s first-round pick, and there were so many players in a rich second round this year that he didn’t want to use his mid-second-rounder this year either. Luckily, the Raiders settled for third- and fifth-round picks, and the Cardinals had their quarterback of the future.
I’ll always feel that Rosen was the victim of a whisper campaign in pushing him down in the draft. I’m not saying he should have been the first quarterback picked. This year, beauty was in the eye of the beholder; there was no absolutely sure thing.
But Rosen got knocked for being politically conscious, for having rich parents, for some teams wondering how much he loved football, for having some teams wonder if his teammates loved him … it got dizzying, trying to figure which team marked him down for what reason.
Here’s a quarterback who clearly is the most ready to play tomorrow in the NFL, and who’s a different kind of guy, and who’s never been in any serious trouble, and the NFL just kept poking holes in him because he didn’t fit the just-get-in-line-and-don’t-make-trouble mold.
“This is a function of our league sometimes,” Keim told me. “We fall in love with a player, then we start to judge personalities. And we scout the player, and we like the player, and then we judge the guy on his personality? Come on. We found a guy we feel we can build around, and that’s good enough for us.”
2018 NFL Draft: Two Trades, Two Joshes, Two Very Happy Teams in Buffalo and Arizona
By PETER KING
Amazing night, in many ways. A few days ago, who’d have predicted the last two Heisman Trophy winners, quarterbacks Baker Mayfield (one, to Cleveland) and Lamar Jackson (32, to Baltimore) would bookend the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft?
I would argue, though, that the two most interesting teams in Round 1 were:
• Buffalo, the team that turned five trades into the most important offensive and defensive players of its future, and the team that cast its lot with a strong-armed quarterback whose racially insensitive Tweets when he was 16 and 17 years old threatened to poison his draft stock.
We won’t know for three or four years if Bills GM Brandon Beane made the right calls in the first 100 minutes of the draft to trade up twice—for the suddenly radioactive Josh Allen at seven and for speedy linebacker Tremaine Edmunds at 16. But Beane certainly had the guts to make calls that will put his job on the line.
• Arizona. Kudos to GM Steve Keim for knowing he had to get a young, developmental quarterback, and getting the fourth passer picked, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, by trading up from 15 to 10 with Oakland. Amazingly, Keim didn’t have to give next year’s first-rounder or this year’s second to get the deal done.
“There’s always pressure to find the young quarterback,” Keim told me near midnight Thursday, “but if you trade away so many picks that you can’t solve your other problems, it’s really too much of a sacrifice to do.”
Late Thursday night, a couple hours after he moved Buffalo into Tampa’s No. 7 spot, Beane told the story of how the Bills vetted Allen during the day Thursday. To Beane’s credit, he sounded pretty clinical about it, the way he’d sound if he were trying to figure out if an inaccurate quarterback was worth a high draft choice. In other words, he already vetted Allen the football player in a day-long trip to Laramie, Wyo., with his owners and his head coach. Now he had to figure out how to vet Allen the social-media user.
“And I don’t even use Twitter,” Beane told me from Orchard Park, N.Y.
Let’s start just after daybreak Thursday, when Yahoo Sports reported that between 2011 and 2013, Allen sent some insensitive Tweets using the n-word and other racially inflammatory verbiage.
“My first thought was, ‘You gotta be kidding me,’” said Beane. “We vetted this guy through and through. We went to Laramie. We met with him for maybe 90 minutes, then worked him out, and we went to lunch. We spent maybe a good 18 hours with him. Thoroughly went over everything. We were totally comfortable with him.
“So, today, we went over what happened. [Coach] Sean [McDermott] spoke to our leadership council [of players] to get their thoughts and to explain what might happen. Between Sean and I and [owners] Kim and Terry Pegula, it was a multi-stage process. We talked to some of our players here.
“It’s not an excuse, saying those things as a 14 or 15 year old. And I am not very good on Twitter. Some of the things I thought he wrote, he actually just liked. We talked to him about it. We had a 30, 35-minute call shortly after lunch, and at first he was very direct and contrite. As we talked to him about this thing, he was emotional.
“You could hear the tears on the other line.
“We told him, ‘Collect yourself.’ And he owned up to it. He explained every one. He was very embarrassed. We let him know what is acceptable and what is not. He understands this is part of him now, and he has to earn the respect of his teammates going forward. And we called a lot of people.
We didn’t find one person—and I am not saying there is not one person out there—but we didn’t find one person who said this is Josh Allen. We found people who defended Josh. So we decided to move forward.”
Beane understands this isn’t over, and that Allen will have to explain himself to the veterans on this team. And whatever Allen says, he’s going to have to prove over time that he’s not the person he seems in those immature tweets.
As a player, Allen will have a lot of prove too. The 56% career passer at Wyoming will have to become a 65% passer in the NFL, in one of the toughest environments in the league to play football. It was thought all along that the Bills wanted Allen above the other quarterbacks because of his arm strength and his size and his experience playing in tough weather.
But it was interesting to listen to Troy Aikman on Thursday night. He made the point many have made in the pre-draft process: When you’re an inaccurate passer in college, it’s not often than you become an accurate passer in the NFL. That will be Allen’s biggest challenge.
Beane would not say where Allen fell in the quarterback pecking order. It’s likely the Bills would have taken any of the top four passers somewhere in the top 10 or 12 picks. But Allen fits them for his arm and his developmental ability. “We didn’t think any of these quarterbacks were flawless,” Beane said, and he’s right about that. “Being able to play in our elements was important us. Josh has big hands, and we saw him play well in a big-time snow game against Colorado State.”
The Bills moved from 22 to 16 in the first round to take Edmunds, using the pick acquired from Cleveland in the Tyrod Taylor deal (65th overall) to get the deal done with Baltimore. Buffalo didn’t have to use next year’s first-round pick to get the deal done. So the Bills got athletic and raw prospects in the first half of the first round. Good moves.
In Arizona, the Cardinals fell into Josh Rosen when he started sliding. Had he gone at six or seven, the price to move up from Arizona’s pick at 15 would have been prohibitive. Keim definitely didn’t want to spend next year’s first-round pick, and there were so many players in a rich second round this year that he didn’t want to use his mid-second-rounder this year either. Luckily, the Raiders settled for third- and fifth-round picks, and the Cardinals had their quarterback of the future.
I’ll always feel that Rosen was the victim of a whisper campaign in pushing him down in the draft. I’m not saying he should have been the first quarterback picked. This year, beauty was in the eye of the beholder; there was no absolutely sure thing.
But Rosen got knocked for being politically conscious, for having rich parents, for some teams wondering how much he loved football, for having some teams wonder if his teammates loved him … it got dizzying, trying to figure which team marked him down for what reason.
Here’s a quarterback who clearly is the most ready to play tomorrow in the NFL, and who’s a different kind of guy, and who’s never been in any serious trouble, and the NFL just kept poking holes in him because he didn’t fit the just-get-in-line-and-don’t-make-trouble mold.
“This is a function of our league sometimes,” Keim told me. “We fall in love with a player, then we start to judge personalities. And we scout the player, and we like the player, and then we judge the guy on his personality? Come on. We found a guy we feel we can build around, and that’s good enough for us.”
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- Bo Bowen
Let's get them tonight boys!!!! 54 picks and WE ARE ON THE CLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ball:
ball:
nighttrain
Legend
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/...lls-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
The Winners and Losers From Round 1 of the NFL Draft
From Buffalo’s baffling Josh Allen decision to the rebirth of the running back, here’s what we learned from the first 32 picks
By Rodger Sherman
Loser: Roger Goodell
The NFL had a plan to prevent Roger Goodell from being bathed in boos at the start of the draft. To kick things off, the commissioner was accompanied onto the stage by Cowboy legends Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, and Jason Witten, a trio likely to get cheers from the Dallas crowd.
The plan did not work:
View: https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/989657487551975424?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
I do, however, like the premise of Boo Bodyguards to shield bad people from the criticism they deserve. Next year, Goodell is going to come on stage with a basket filled with Labrador puppies, and he’ll still get booed to hell. It must be a real drag when every public environment you walk into doubles as a reminder of how monumentally unpopular you are, but getting paid $30 million a year probably makes up for it.
Winner: Steve Smith
Maybe the only thing more fun than watching Steve Smith play wide receiver was listening to Steve Smith talk. Luckily, he hasn’t stopped talking now that his playing career is over:
View: https://twitter.com/PanthDomination/status/989699560095272961?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
Smith also called Maryland’s D.J. Moore his “spirit animal” and said that the wide receiver will give you “instant grits all day long.” Smith was the undisputed star of the NFL Network’s draft coverage, and I now believe that all NFL games should be broadcast with Steve Smith’s running commentary.
Loser: The Buffalo Bills
I would consider any team that used a first-round pick on Josh Allen to be the biggest loser of the first round. No good NFL quarterback has ever had statistics as bad as Allen’s college stats; his best-case statistical comparables include Brian Griese and Josh McCown.
There are just so many videos of him missing easy passes so badly. Sure, his arm is strong enough that teams should value his potential, but “extremely strong quarterback who may never learn how to throw to receivers” seems to me like a Day 3 pick, not a first-rounder. I remain baffled that he was treated like a top prospect throughout the entire draft process.
But the Bills didn’t just draft Allen. They traded up to get Allen, giving up two second-round picks to move up five spots. That’s a massive overpay on any draft value chart. And then the Bills also traded a third-rounder to the Ravens to move up from the 22nd pick to the 16th to select Tremaine Edmunds.
Trading up is the move of a team in win-now mode. The Bills did so—but they selected a quarterback whose supporters even consider him a project. That doesn’t jibe. I’m so happy that the Bills got to the playoffs last year, and so confused about their future.
Winner: All the Teams That Didn’t Draft Josh Allen
Congrats to the Browns for listening to me and drafting Baker Mayfield instead of Josh Allen! Baker Mayfield was historically efficient at passing in college, setting the record for yards per passing attempt as a senior. Meanwhile, Josh Allen averaged fewer yards per passing attempt than Rashaad Penny averaged per rushing attempt against the same competition in the Mountain West Conference.
Congrats to the Bears, who picked eighth, one slot behind where Josh Allen was taken. Since the pick ahead of theirs was used on a quarterback who struggles to throw a football to his teammates, the Bears got to draft Roquan Smith who, in my opinion, was the best defender in college football last year.
Congrats to the Cardinals, who picked 10th, and got to take Josh Rosen, because one of the teams ahead of them took the other Josh! Congrats to the Chargers, who got Derwin James—a projected top-10 pick—at no. 17! Congrats to the Ravens, who got Lamar Jackson—potentially the best quarterback in the draft!—with the 32nd and final pick in the first round! For the most part, life was really good for the 31 teams who didn’t take Josh Allen.
Winner: Running Backs
Running backs are just about worthless in the modern NFL. They get paid less than kickers and punters. But don’t tell that to the teams picking in this year’s NFL draft!
First, the Giants made Saquon Barkley the highest-selected running back since Reggie Bush in 2006, using the second pick in the draft on the Penn State playmaker. I normally wouldn’t understand why a team would draft a running back so highly, but Barkley is special and can potentially reshape the way the position is used in the NFL. I actually like the pick. Barkley joins Ki-Jana Carter and Blair Thomas as top-two running backs out of Penn State, and, ah, don’t look their careers up.
Later, the Seahawks took San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny with the 27th pick. It was a confusing selection—few considered Penny the second-best running back in the draft, and the Seahawks have plenty of other needs besides running back. Any time you can use a first-round pick to fill a non-pressing gap with a not-highly regarded player at a non-important position, you gotta do it.
And finally, the Patriots took Georgia’s Sony Michel 31st overall. It’s odd, considering the Patriots have typically put little value into individual running backs—they’ve had committees of free-agent veterans for the past few seasons.
If the Patriots are doing something, that means it’s smart, right? So, I guess running backs are important again.
Winner: Ryan Shazier
Something supposedly inspirational happened Thursday night: Ryan Shazier, who suffered a potentially paralyzing spinal injury while playing for the Steelers in December, walked onto the stage to announce Pittsburgh’s pick.
View: https://twitter.com/espn/status/989714454928650240?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
It is so relieving to see that Shazier can walk so soon after his injury. We should admire the fight and determination Shazier has shown in his recovery, but I hope the NFL realizes that Shazier’s is not a story worth celebrating. Four years ago, he was a first-round pick, and now we’re applauding his ability to walk. That’s football’s fault. The best way the NFL can honor Shazier is to do whatever it can to make sure that what happened to him never happens to any of its players ever again.
Loser: Sam Bradford (and Everybody Else in Josh Rosen’s Way)
Two years ago, Sam Bradford signed a $36 million contract with the Eagles—two months before the Eagles selected Carson Wentz with the second pick in the 2016 draft. A month and a half ago, Bradford signed a $20 million contract with the Cardinals—and Thursday night, Arizona traded up to take Josh Rosen, who surprisingly dropped all the way to the 10th pick in the draft. Rosen provided the quote of the night about his fall:
View: https://twitter.com/LATimesfarmer/status/989697004455579648?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
Some feel that Rosen might be the best quarterback in the draft, and that the Cardinals got great value to find him at no. 10. But alas, it means the Bradford era in Arizona could end before—or soon after—it starts. Poor Sam—err, actually, extremely rich Sam. But regardless, it’s another bummer for the former no. 1 pick.
Winner: James Daniels
I have never seen somebody with a better draft day setup than the center from Iowa:
View: https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/989694149724000256?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
He’s chilling in an extremely luxurious chair, in a bar, wearing a smoking jacket over pajamas.
The draft itself was kind of a bummer for Daniels—he went undrafted in the first round while centers Frank Ragnow and Billy Price did go off the board—but it doesn’t seem to matter to Daniels. He’s already too opulent and comfortable to care.
Loser: Mock Drafts
In91 percent of mock drafts, Sam Darnold or Josh Allen went first overall to the Browns. Instead, the Browns listened to me and drafted Baker Mayfield first overall. And, well, if a mock draft misses on the first pick, it’s probably not going to be very accurate with the rest.
I haven’t found any mock drafts that put Denzel Ward on the Browns with the fourth pick; I haven’t found any that had Bradley Chubb falling to fifth, where he was selected by the Broncos. The Ringer’s mock draft—put together by Danny Kelly, who I promise you is very smart and good at his job—had just one accurate pick in the entire first round. The most accurate mock draft was by this 49ers reporter:
View: https://twitter.com/CamInman/status/989637152009994240?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
We have already discovered the complete futility of the seven-round mock draft, but this year, even the first round was impossible to project. Please forget this instantly and read a bunch of mock drafts next year; bloggers need you to click on them so we can feed our families.
The Winners and Losers From Round 1 of the NFL Draft
From Buffalo’s baffling Josh Allen decision to the rebirth of the running back, here’s what we learned from the first 32 picks
By Rodger Sherman
Loser: Roger Goodell
The NFL had a plan to prevent Roger Goodell from being bathed in boos at the start of the draft. To kick things off, the commissioner was accompanied onto the stage by Cowboy legends Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, and Jason Witten, a trio likely to get cheers from the Dallas crowd.
The plan did not work:
View: https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/989657487551975424?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
I do, however, like the premise of Boo Bodyguards to shield bad people from the criticism they deserve. Next year, Goodell is going to come on stage with a basket filled with Labrador puppies, and he’ll still get booed to hell. It must be a real drag when every public environment you walk into doubles as a reminder of how monumentally unpopular you are, but getting paid $30 million a year probably makes up for it.
Winner: Steve Smith
Maybe the only thing more fun than watching Steve Smith play wide receiver was listening to Steve Smith talk. Luckily, he hasn’t stopped talking now that his playing career is over:
View: https://twitter.com/PanthDomination/status/989699560095272961?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
Smith also called Maryland’s D.J. Moore his “spirit animal” and said that the wide receiver will give you “instant grits all day long.” Smith was the undisputed star of the NFL Network’s draft coverage, and I now believe that all NFL games should be broadcast with Steve Smith’s running commentary.
Loser: The Buffalo Bills
I would consider any team that used a first-round pick on Josh Allen to be the biggest loser of the first round. No good NFL quarterback has ever had statistics as bad as Allen’s college stats; his best-case statistical comparables include Brian Griese and Josh McCown.
There are just so many videos of him missing easy passes so badly. Sure, his arm is strong enough that teams should value his potential, but “extremely strong quarterback who may never learn how to throw to receivers” seems to me like a Day 3 pick, not a first-rounder. I remain baffled that he was treated like a top prospect throughout the entire draft process.
But the Bills didn’t just draft Allen. They traded up to get Allen, giving up two second-round picks to move up five spots. That’s a massive overpay on any draft value chart. And then the Bills also traded a third-rounder to the Ravens to move up from the 22nd pick to the 16th to select Tremaine Edmunds.
Trading up is the move of a team in win-now mode. The Bills did so—but they selected a quarterback whose supporters even consider him a project. That doesn’t jibe. I’m so happy that the Bills got to the playoffs last year, and so confused about their future.
Winner: All the Teams That Didn’t Draft Josh Allen
Congrats to the Browns for listening to me and drafting Baker Mayfield instead of Josh Allen! Baker Mayfield was historically efficient at passing in college, setting the record for yards per passing attempt as a senior. Meanwhile, Josh Allen averaged fewer yards per passing attempt than Rashaad Penny averaged per rushing attempt against the same competition in the Mountain West Conference.
Congrats to the Bears, who picked eighth, one slot behind where Josh Allen was taken. Since the pick ahead of theirs was used on a quarterback who struggles to throw a football to his teammates, the Bears got to draft Roquan Smith who, in my opinion, was the best defender in college football last year.
Congrats to the Cardinals, who picked 10th, and got to take Josh Rosen, because one of the teams ahead of them took the other Josh! Congrats to the Chargers, who got Derwin James—a projected top-10 pick—at no. 17! Congrats to the Ravens, who got Lamar Jackson—potentially the best quarterback in the draft!—with the 32nd and final pick in the first round! For the most part, life was really good for the 31 teams who didn’t take Josh Allen.
Winner: Running Backs
Running backs are just about worthless in the modern NFL. They get paid less than kickers and punters. But don’t tell that to the teams picking in this year’s NFL draft!
First, the Giants made Saquon Barkley the highest-selected running back since Reggie Bush in 2006, using the second pick in the draft on the Penn State playmaker. I normally wouldn’t understand why a team would draft a running back so highly, but Barkley is special and can potentially reshape the way the position is used in the NFL. I actually like the pick. Barkley joins Ki-Jana Carter and Blair Thomas as top-two running backs out of Penn State, and, ah, don’t look their careers up.
Later, the Seahawks took San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny with the 27th pick. It was a confusing selection—few considered Penny the second-best running back in the draft, and the Seahawks have plenty of other needs besides running back. Any time you can use a first-round pick to fill a non-pressing gap with a not-highly regarded player at a non-important position, you gotta do it.
And finally, the Patriots took Georgia’s Sony Michel 31st overall. It’s odd, considering the Patriots have typically put little value into individual running backs—they’ve had committees of free-agent veterans for the past few seasons.
If the Patriots are doing something, that means it’s smart, right? So, I guess running backs are important again.
Winner: Ryan Shazier
Something supposedly inspirational happened Thursday night: Ryan Shazier, who suffered a potentially paralyzing spinal injury while playing for the Steelers in December, walked onto the stage to announce Pittsburgh’s pick.
View: https://twitter.com/espn/status/989714454928650240?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
It is so relieving to see that Shazier can walk so soon after his injury. We should admire the fight and determination Shazier has shown in his recovery, but I hope the NFL realizes that Shazier’s is not a story worth celebrating. Four years ago, he was a first-round pick, and now we’re applauding his ability to walk. That’s football’s fault. The best way the NFL can honor Shazier is to do whatever it can to make sure that what happened to him never happens to any of its players ever again.
Loser: Sam Bradford (and Everybody Else in Josh Rosen’s Way)
Two years ago, Sam Bradford signed a $36 million contract with the Eagles—two months before the Eagles selected Carson Wentz with the second pick in the 2016 draft. A month and a half ago, Bradford signed a $20 million contract with the Cardinals—and Thursday night, Arizona traded up to take Josh Rosen, who surprisingly dropped all the way to the 10th pick in the draft. Rosen provided the quote of the night about his fall:
View: https://twitter.com/LATimesfarmer/status/989697004455579648?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
Some feel that Rosen might be the best quarterback in the draft, and that the Cardinals got great value to find him at no. 10. But alas, it means the Bradford era in Arizona could end before—or soon after—it starts. Poor Sam—err, actually, extremely rich Sam. But regardless, it’s another bummer for the former no. 1 pick.
Winner: James Daniels
I have never seen somebody with a better draft day setup than the center from Iowa:
View: https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/989694149724000256?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
He’s chilling in an extremely luxurious chair, in a bar, wearing a smoking jacket over pajamas.
The draft itself was kind of a bummer for Daniels—he went undrafted in the first round while centers Frank Ragnow and Billy Price did go off the board—but it doesn’t seem to matter to Daniels. He’s already too opulent and comfortable to care.
Loser: Mock Drafts
In91 percent of mock drafts, Sam Darnold or Josh Allen went first overall to the Browns. Instead, the Browns listened to me and drafted Baker Mayfield first overall. And, well, if a mock draft misses on the first pick, it’s probably not going to be very accurate with the rest.
I haven’t found any mock drafts that put Denzel Ward on the Browns with the fourth pick; I haven’t found any that had Bradley Chubb falling to fifth, where he was selected by the Broncos. The Ringer’s mock draft—put together by Danny Kelly, who I promise you is very smart and good at his job—had just one accurate pick in the entire first round. The most accurate mock draft was by this 49ers reporter:
View: https://twitter.com/CamInman/status/989637152009994240?tfw_site=ringer&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17289496%2F2018-draft-winners-losers-buffalo-bills-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-baltimore-ravens
We have already discovered the complete futility of the seven-round mock draft, but this year, even the first round was impossible to project. Please forget this instantly and read a bunch of mock drafts next year; bloggers need you to click on them so we can feed our families.
The Ramowl
Starter
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- 706
I think the Browns fucked up. College wins don't seem to matter a lot in terms of how a QB transitions to the NFL. Baker Mayfield sounds like a talented guy but also a troublemaker and a big ego.He could probably do wonders in some teams but I don't think he fits the profile to make the Browns rise from the ashes.
I felt like the Browns couldn't go wrong with Darnold, who has a high ceiling and is a guy you can see playing in Cleveland in December. And then Ward definitely looks like a reach at #4
I'd hate to see them stay a bad team honestly, years of rooting for the Rams taught me how it feels as a fan to have your team suck year in year out, and i'd like the Browns fan base to get some winning time, I hope they do well.
Also I think the Giants made a mistake with Barkley, he might be an amazing talent but the Giants look like they need to rebuild and that is not a rebuilding move at all.
Smart picks by AZ and SF, this division isn't getting easier.
I felt like the Browns couldn't go wrong with Darnold, who has a high ceiling and is a guy you can see playing in Cleveland in December. And then Ward definitely looks like a reach at #4
I'd hate to see them stay a bad team honestly, years of rooting for the Rams taught me how it feels as a fan to have your team suck year in year out, and i'd like the Browns fan base to get some winning time, I hope they do well.
Also I think the Giants made a mistake with Barkley, he might be an amazing talent but the Giants look like they need to rebuild and that is not a rebuilding move at all.
Smart picks by AZ and SF, this division isn't getting easier.
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- 43,985
Just looking at round 2 I'll guess the following.
Browns - Connor Williams makes too much sense with the Joe Thomas retirement.
Giants - Could go one of two ways. Will Hernandez to bolster the interior line and place next to Solder. Or Landry to help the conversion to a 3-4. I'll go with Landry to replace JPP.
Browns - Guice makes a lot of sense in keeping building the offense.
Colts - DT Hurst, they need defensive and offensive line badly
Colts - Could be a back here but Joshua Jackson is still on the board.
Tampa - Hernandez heads to Tampa and they get a steal.
Bears - Hey Lorenzo Carter is available and they need some more LB help and he is next to his college buddy again. James Daniels is a possibility and they move him or Whithair to guard.
Bronco's - Could replace Talib with Oliver or they could go OLine with Daniels or Austin Corbett
Raiders - Who knows with these guys but they need help defensively so I'd say Carlton Davis but hell they'll probably take a fast WR
Browns - Connor Williams makes too much sense with the Joe Thomas retirement.
Giants - Could go one of two ways. Will Hernandez to bolster the interior line and place next to Solder. Or Landry to help the conversion to a 3-4. I'll go with Landry to replace JPP.
Browns - Guice makes a lot of sense in keeping building the offense.
Colts - DT Hurst, they need defensive and offensive line badly
Colts - Could be a back here but Joshua Jackson is still on the board.
Tampa - Hernandez heads to Tampa and they get a steal.
Bears - Hey Lorenzo Carter is available and they need some more LB help and he is next to his college buddy again. James Daniels is a possibility and they move him or Whithair to guard.
Bronco's - Could replace Talib with Oliver or they could go OLine with Daniels or Austin Corbett
Raiders - Who knows with these guys but they need help defensively so I'd say Carlton Davis but hell they'll probably take a fast WR
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- Peter
https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-best-picks-from-the-2018-nfl-draft-round-1
PFF's eight best picks of the 2018 NFL Draft's first round
BY ERIC EAGER AND GEORGE CHAHROURI
The 2018 NFL Draft made history during it’s furious opening round with a record number of quarterbacks taken in the first 10 picks. Not to be lost in the five total quarterbacks taken on Thursday night were multiple teams trading up and down, one player’s slide down the first round and a number of highly-ranked players on PFF’s top 50 prospects still available.
As the dust settles on Round 1 and the NFL world shifts focus to Rounds 2-3 on Friday night, we at Pro Football Focus outline our top eight picks that we like from a value and team fit standpoint. Check out our best available remaining prospects for more insight on those players who could hear their name called on Friday night.
BAKER MAYFIELD, QB, OKLAHOMA (CLEVELAND BROWNS, PICK 1)
Our longstanding top player overall finally came to fruition when Mayfield was selected first overall as Mayfield earned the best grade of any quarterback since PFF started grading college production in 2014 at 95.2 last season. Using the actual ball location of each pass to determine accuracy, Mayfield was the most accurate quarterback in the class with an accuracy rate of 48.5 percent (passes that are in a perfect location or on the receiver’s frame).
The narrative that Mayfield benefitted from a great offensive scheme is true, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t perform at the highest level when asked to make throws that are important at the NFL level.
Using our “NFL Throws” metric that bucket’s the common throw throw types into either “NFL Throws” (passes that separate quarterback performance and value such as a horizontal lead throw at or past the sticks into tight coverage) or “non-NFL Throws” (the expected throws that most NFL quarterbacks make on a consistent basis, think screen or an open throw well short of the sticks), Mayfield was the highest graded quarterback on “NFL Throws” and the only quarterback to eclipse a 50.0 percent accuracy percentage on those throws.
As we stated before, his tape and numbers said he should go No. 1, and now he has. The Browns made the shrewd choice to value what a player has done and can do in football games and for that all of Cleveland should be thankful.
SAM DARNOLD, QB, USC (NEW YORK JETS, PICK 3)
Darnold fell into the laps of the New York Jets at No. 3 overall, after the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley at No. 2. Despite a rough stretch in the middle of the season, Darnold graded was the third-highest graded quarterback across every other week (taking out Weeks 4-7). Even with that, the Jets add a quarterback in Darnold who led the nation in big-time throws, throwing 34 of our highest-graded throws a season ago.
He capped a brief, two-year career of playing experience at USC with the majority of his positively graded throws coming across the middle of the field, an area where he generated a 108.1 NFL passer rating. All told, Darnold’s top-end passes are among some of the most impressive in the class, and he’s extremely clutch, as our Steve Palazzolo outlined earlier this offseason.
MINKAH FITZPATRICK, CB, ALABAMA (MIAMI DOLPHINS, PICK 11)
The rare highly-regarded, predominantly-slot player coming out of college, Fitzpatrick begins the rebuilding process for the Dolphins by immediately plugging in at what is a very valuable position in today’s NFL for what was the third-lowest-rated pass defense in the league.
While his coverage numbers dipped a bit in 2017, he did enough things well in each game to have just one (slightly) negatively-graded game the entire season, while finishing his career allowing only a 66.5 passer rating into coverage. To top it off, he led all college cornerbacks in pressure generated, which is an added value to a defense that will need it moving forward.
DERWIN JAMES, S, FLORIDA STATE (LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, PICK 17)
The versatile James was an absolute gift to what could be the league’s best defense in 2018. He offers substantial value as a coverage player (he allowed just a 58.1 passer rating into his coverage while at Florida State) and as a blitzer (he generated 38 total pressures during that time).
With Casey Hayward, Jason Verrett, Desmond King and Jaleel Addai as holdovers for what was already the highest-rated pass defense in the league, James won’t be asked to do too much too early, raising the floor on a pick that already has a substantial ceiling for them at Pick 17.
JAIRE ALEXANDER, CB, LOUISVILLE (GREEN BAY PACKERS, PICK 18)
Green Bay addresses a substantial need here with Alexander, and did so via trading back, and then up – accumulating a 2019 first-rounder in the process. While the majority of his snaps the last two years were on the outside, he projects as a player that can play on the inside of the Packers defense if needed. Though he missed much of 2017, he allowed less than a 20.0 passer rating into his coverage on the year, and less than a 55.0 passer rating throughout his college career.
He figures to compete with 2017 draft pick Kevin King (41.0) and longtime Packer Tramon Williams (88.8) in a Green Bay secondary that finished in the bottom third in the league in our rating system.
FRANK RAGNOW, C, ARKANSAS (DETROIT LIONS, PICK 20)
Our top-graded center in each of the past two seasons, Ragnow joins a Lions team in desperate need both a run-blocker and a pass-protector on the interior of their offensive line. Detroit finished last season with the 20th-ranked pass-blocking unit and the 17th-ranked run-blocking group. Ragnow consistently graded extremely well in run-blocking, including last season in which he ranked first among draft-eligible centers in run-blocking success percentage (94.6 percent).
Rounding out his skillset on the interior, Ragnow also did not allow a sack across 1,242 snaps in pass protection during his four years at Arkansas and allowed only a total of 35 total QB pressures in four seasons.
CALVIN RIDLEY, WR, ALABAMA (ATLANTA FALCONS, PICK 26)
Ridley appears to be a great fit and value for a Falcons team that was never able to recoup the production from 2016 Taylor Gabriel. Ridley brings 4.4 speed, as well as great route running ability that allows him to create a lot of open throws. This is good news for Matt Ryan, he threw to a below average of “open” targets (41 percent vs league average of 43 percent).
Ridley provides versatility having run about 20 percent of his routes from the slot in his career and seeing 16 percent of his targets on screen passes while also averaging 45.1 yards per catch on deep passes (seventh in the class).
There are certainly concerns with Ridley, he is 23 years old and ranked 111th in drop rate (7.2 percent) and while drop rate is a fairly unstable metric at the NFL level it is certainly still a bit worrisome. Overall at Pick 26, getting a player who can help reboot the potent Falcons offense to 2016 levels is one of the better picks in the first round.
LAMAR JACKSON, QB, LOUISVILLE (BALTIMORE RAVENS, PICK 32)
The capital it took to secure this pick in a trade from the Eagles notwithstanding, being able to pick a quarterback of Jackson’s caliber at No. 32 is excellent value. Jackson ran for 8.7 yards per rush in college with 73.0 percent of his rushing yards coming on designed runs. The ability to create passing-like yardage with his feet is of tremendous value. Jackson was not the most accurate passer in this draft ranking 10th of the the 10 draft class quarterbacks that we charted ball location for this past season.
That being said he made the fourth-highest percentage of perfectly accurate throws and his biggest struggles were on passes behind the line of scrimmage where his accuracy percentage was 20.0 percent below the class average. Jackson was much more of a pocket passer than common perception would lead you to believe, in fact he threw to his second look more frequently than any other passer in the draft.
When he did, he had an above average accuracy rate (55.0 percent vs 51.8 percent average) while also limiting turnover-worthy throws (2.27 percent vs 6.83). Jackson brings the ability to provide value in many ways on each play and the Ravens will now be tasked with constructing the offensive scheme to maximize that.
PFF's eight best picks of the 2018 NFL Draft's first round
BY ERIC EAGER AND GEORGE CHAHROURI
The 2018 NFL Draft made history during it’s furious opening round with a record number of quarterbacks taken in the first 10 picks. Not to be lost in the five total quarterbacks taken on Thursday night were multiple teams trading up and down, one player’s slide down the first round and a number of highly-ranked players on PFF’s top 50 prospects still available.
As the dust settles on Round 1 and the NFL world shifts focus to Rounds 2-3 on Friday night, we at Pro Football Focus outline our top eight picks that we like from a value and team fit standpoint. Check out our best available remaining prospects for more insight on those players who could hear their name called on Friday night.
BAKER MAYFIELD, QB, OKLAHOMA (CLEVELAND BROWNS, PICK 1)
Our longstanding top player overall finally came to fruition when Mayfield was selected first overall as Mayfield earned the best grade of any quarterback since PFF started grading college production in 2014 at 95.2 last season. Using the actual ball location of each pass to determine accuracy, Mayfield was the most accurate quarterback in the class with an accuracy rate of 48.5 percent (passes that are in a perfect location or on the receiver’s frame).
The narrative that Mayfield benefitted from a great offensive scheme is true, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t perform at the highest level when asked to make throws that are important at the NFL level.
Using our “NFL Throws” metric that bucket’s the common throw throw types into either “NFL Throws” (passes that separate quarterback performance and value such as a horizontal lead throw at or past the sticks into tight coverage) or “non-NFL Throws” (the expected throws that most NFL quarterbacks make on a consistent basis, think screen or an open throw well short of the sticks), Mayfield was the highest graded quarterback on “NFL Throws” and the only quarterback to eclipse a 50.0 percent accuracy percentage on those throws.
As we stated before, his tape and numbers said he should go No. 1, and now he has. The Browns made the shrewd choice to value what a player has done and can do in football games and for that all of Cleveland should be thankful.
SAM DARNOLD, QB, USC (NEW YORK JETS, PICK 3)
Darnold fell into the laps of the New York Jets at No. 3 overall, after the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley at No. 2. Despite a rough stretch in the middle of the season, Darnold graded was the third-highest graded quarterback across every other week (taking out Weeks 4-7). Even with that, the Jets add a quarterback in Darnold who led the nation in big-time throws, throwing 34 of our highest-graded throws a season ago.
He capped a brief, two-year career of playing experience at USC with the majority of his positively graded throws coming across the middle of the field, an area where he generated a 108.1 NFL passer rating. All told, Darnold’s top-end passes are among some of the most impressive in the class, and he’s extremely clutch, as our Steve Palazzolo outlined earlier this offseason.
MINKAH FITZPATRICK, CB, ALABAMA (MIAMI DOLPHINS, PICK 11)
The rare highly-regarded, predominantly-slot player coming out of college, Fitzpatrick begins the rebuilding process for the Dolphins by immediately plugging in at what is a very valuable position in today’s NFL for what was the third-lowest-rated pass defense in the league.
While his coverage numbers dipped a bit in 2017, he did enough things well in each game to have just one (slightly) negatively-graded game the entire season, while finishing his career allowing only a 66.5 passer rating into coverage. To top it off, he led all college cornerbacks in pressure generated, which is an added value to a defense that will need it moving forward.
DERWIN JAMES, S, FLORIDA STATE (LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, PICK 17)
The versatile James was an absolute gift to what could be the league’s best defense in 2018. He offers substantial value as a coverage player (he allowed just a 58.1 passer rating into his coverage while at Florida State) and as a blitzer (he generated 38 total pressures during that time).
With Casey Hayward, Jason Verrett, Desmond King and Jaleel Addai as holdovers for what was already the highest-rated pass defense in the league, James won’t be asked to do too much too early, raising the floor on a pick that already has a substantial ceiling for them at Pick 17.
JAIRE ALEXANDER, CB, LOUISVILLE (GREEN BAY PACKERS, PICK 18)
Green Bay addresses a substantial need here with Alexander, and did so via trading back, and then up – accumulating a 2019 first-rounder in the process. While the majority of his snaps the last two years were on the outside, he projects as a player that can play on the inside of the Packers defense if needed. Though he missed much of 2017, he allowed less than a 20.0 passer rating into his coverage on the year, and less than a 55.0 passer rating throughout his college career.
He figures to compete with 2017 draft pick Kevin King (41.0) and longtime Packer Tramon Williams (88.8) in a Green Bay secondary that finished in the bottom third in the league in our rating system.
FRANK RAGNOW, C, ARKANSAS (DETROIT LIONS, PICK 20)
Our top-graded center in each of the past two seasons, Ragnow joins a Lions team in desperate need both a run-blocker and a pass-protector on the interior of their offensive line. Detroit finished last season with the 20th-ranked pass-blocking unit and the 17th-ranked run-blocking group. Ragnow consistently graded extremely well in run-blocking, including last season in which he ranked first among draft-eligible centers in run-blocking success percentage (94.6 percent).
Rounding out his skillset on the interior, Ragnow also did not allow a sack across 1,242 snaps in pass protection during his four years at Arkansas and allowed only a total of 35 total QB pressures in four seasons.
CALVIN RIDLEY, WR, ALABAMA (ATLANTA FALCONS, PICK 26)
Ridley appears to be a great fit and value for a Falcons team that was never able to recoup the production from 2016 Taylor Gabriel. Ridley brings 4.4 speed, as well as great route running ability that allows him to create a lot of open throws. This is good news for Matt Ryan, he threw to a below average of “open” targets (41 percent vs league average of 43 percent).
Ridley provides versatility having run about 20 percent of his routes from the slot in his career and seeing 16 percent of his targets on screen passes while also averaging 45.1 yards per catch on deep passes (seventh in the class).
There are certainly concerns with Ridley, he is 23 years old and ranked 111th in drop rate (7.2 percent) and while drop rate is a fairly unstable metric at the NFL level it is certainly still a bit worrisome. Overall at Pick 26, getting a player who can help reboot the potent Falcons offense to 2016 levels is one of the better picks in the first round.
LAMAR JACKSON, QB, LOUISVILLE (BALTIMORE RAVENS, PICK 32)
The capital it took to secure this pick in a trade from the Eagles notwithstanding, being able to pick a quarterback of Jackson’s caliber at No. 32 is excellent value. Jackson ran for 8.7 yards per rush in college with 73.0 percent of his rushing yards coming on designed runs. The ability to create passing-like yardage with his feet is of tremendous value. Jackson was not the most accurate passer in this draft ranking 10th of the the 10 draft class quarterbacks that we charted ball location for this past season.
That being said he made the fourth-highest percentage of perfectly accurate throws and his biggest struggles were on passes behind the line of scrimmage where his accuracy percentage was 20.0 percent below the class average. Jackson was much more of a pocket passer than common perception would lead you to believe, in fact he threw to his second look more frequently than any other passer in the draft.
When he did, he had an above average accuracy rate (55.0 percent vs 51.8 percent average) while also limiting turnover-worthy throws (2.27 percent vs 6.83). Jackson brings the ability to provide value in many ways on each play and the Ravens will now be tasked with constructing the offensive scheme to maximize that.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2013
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- 26,690
Well the Jets now have 5 QB on their roster, just need to pick up 1 more so they can have 1 QB for every day of the week.
Except Sunday
Cleveland having a great draft IMO, and now they can grab Arden Key or Harold Landry.
Better use up as many Browns suck jokes as we can because I'm seeing those days numbered
Elmgrovegnome
Legend
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
- Messages
- 25,076
Everyone loves to pile on the Browns. It is a different regime.
I have been saying Mayfield is the best QB in the draft for weeks btw. No secret there.
ReekofRams
Hall of Fame
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2018
- Messages
- 3,958
- Name
- Reek
Relax, for in Goff we trust. By the way, it's damnem, not damem. We want to curse them, not cause blockage in their intestinal track.
On second thought, let's damnem and damem.:deadhorse:
Elmgrovegnome
Legend
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- 25,076
Man ion had a huge flaw. He is a statue. No mobility, can’t sense pressure.
I don’t recall siting any stats. I just sad Mayfield doesn’t have any holes in his game. He only has one negative, which I think scared some media types into lowering their rating on him. He has a lot of swag. He is arrogant and likes attention. That doesn’t mean he can’t play or be coached. He did fine at Oklahoma. His personality didn’t hold him back.