This week I am going to be taking a deep dive into the NFL Draft. This is one of the most exciting times of the year in the NFL, as 250+ athletes fulfill their life-long dreams of becoming professional football players and every team finds some hope for the future.
Be on the lookout all week for more mocks, predictions, and news on Oregon Sports News.
My NFL Draft coverage schedule for this week…
Monday – Third Round Mock Draft
Tuesday – Second Round Mock Draft
Wednesday – First Round Mock Draft and Analysis
Thursday – NFL Draft Bold Predictions
Friday – First Round Reactions… and Overreactions
First Round Reactions… and Overreactions
Winner of the Night… Los Angeles Chargers
A lot of people had the Chargers targeting a quarterback to be the heir to the throne when Phillip Rivers hangs it up. They likely would have had to trade up to grab a quarterback that they wanted. They didn’t have to do that to get a complete game changer for their team.
Dane Brugler is the NFL Draft scout that I respect the most. He puts everything into his scouting and evaluations of NFL players. He had Derwin James as his #8 player on his board. The Chargers sat and took him with #17. The Chargers add a freak athlete at the safety position.
Loser of the Night… New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints were set to pick towards the end of the first round at pick #27. All of a sudden the Saints were on the clock after trading for the #14 pick in the draft. They gave the Packers the #27 pick, the #147 pick, and their 1st round pick in 2019. Two first round picks and a 5th round pick to move up 13 spots. This has to be for the quarterback of the future, right?
They used the pick to draft Marcus Davenport, the Edge rusher from University of Texas – San Antonio.
Davenport is a raw pass rusher who has never played a high level of competition. Davenport played basketball and ran track in high school. He still has a lot of development in front of him to become worthy of all of the assets the Saints gave up.
Davenport could be a stud… but when the Saints were set to pick at #27 the more established rusher, Harold Landry, was on the board!
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield going first was no surprise if you were paying any attention to ESPN’s Adam Schefter at all on Draft Day. Sam Darnold goes to New York… the Jets. Josh Allen lands in Buffalo, where a lot of people thought he would. Josh Rosen winds up in the desert with the Cardinals.
For the first time in Draft history, four quarterbacks go in the Top-10.
Lamar Jackson later went to the Baltimore Ravens as the 32nd pick in the first round to make up the five quarterbacks that everybody thought would go in the first.
My favorite quote of the night was by the #10 pick Rosen, who said “there were 9 mistakes ahead of me.”
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley went to the New York Giants with the #2 pick. After that there was a lot of silence on the running back front until the Seahawks took Rashaad Penny with the 27th pick.
Both picks are crazy to me.
Barkley is a great back but I have said all along that the Giants needed to draft their quarterback of the future. Instead they took a running back at #2.
Then the Seahawks drafted Penny later on. Penny is a good back, but should have had no place in the first round. Penny is a small back that is brutally bad in pass protection. The Seahawks offensive line is bad enough already. You have to have a running back that can pick up a block occasionally.
After those two, Sony Michel went to the New England Patriots, which is an absolutely great fit.
There is SO MUCH running back talent left for Day Two of the NFL Draft. Derrius Guice, Ronald Jones, Kerryon Johnson, and Nick Chubb. All of whom I have rated as better running backs than who the Seahawks drafted in the first round.
Best Available Headed into Friday’s 2nd & 3rd Rounds
- Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College
- Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
- Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP
- Justin Reid, S, Stanford
- James Daniels, OC, Iowa
- Ronald Jones, RB, USC
- Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa
- Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
- Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
- Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
- Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
- Rasheem Green, DE, USC
- Connor Williams, OG, Texas
- Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
- Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
