NFL Draft first round recap & weekend preview
5 winners and losers, 5 studs still available, and 5 perfect fits
The 2017 NFL Draft is off and running. Myles Garrett went to Cleveland as expected with the first pick, but Thursday night was far from predictable. A draft that lacked offensive playmakers saw eight of them go among the first twelve picks, team after team mortgaged their future to trade up for a quarterback, and Alabama couldn’t buy a pick in the top fifteen. It was a wild and unpredictable night in a draft that was always going to be a weird one.
So who were the first-round winners and losers, which guys look like perfect fits, and what great players are still available?
Five early winners
San Francisco
The 49ers are the biggest early winner under new general manager John Lynch. Lynch made the trade of the draft, moving down one spot while picking up two 3s and a 4 and getting the guy he wanted anyway in Solomon Thomas. Then he used one of those picks to move back into the first round for the other player he was considering at #2, Reuben Foster. Getting two of the top three guys on your draft board AND walking away with two extra picks? That’s a winning draft.
Cleveland
Last year the Browns passed on Carson Wentz to move down for a ton of extra picks, one of which included the #12 pick in this year’s draft… where they passed on Deshaun Watson to trade down for a ton of extra picks. That one Wentz pick has now been turned into two 1s, two 2s, two 3s, and a 4. Wentz or Watson will have to be really good for that not to work out. Cleveland is playing the odds. The odds say that most teams are wrong when they gamble everything on one guy. The Browns are just gathering more lottery tickets, and they used three of them on uber-athletic guys Thursday in Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers, and David Njoku. For years, we’ve praised New England for doing the draft their way. Cleveland may be following suit.
Washington
The Redskins may have gotten the steal of the draft in Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. Allen was the best defender in college football the last couple seasons and was expected to go among the top few picks before falling all the way to the Redskins at 17. There are some injury concerns for sure, but Washington added a beast on the line and a guy that should’ve won the Heisman if we weren’t all blind to that side of the ball.
Outdoor drafts
A few years ago, the NFL Draft left the Rockettes for Chicago and found great success, but it went to new heights outdoors in Philadelphia. Reports of 70,000+ fans filled the streets of Philly and the atmosphere was electric even through the television. Football is an outdoor sport. Maybe the draft was meant to be too.
Draft props
Just as folks were beginning to lose interest, everyone fell in love with Denver offensive lineman Garrett Bolles who brought his baby on stage and raised him like Simba before the crowd. A few picks later, Atlanta edge rusher Takk McKinley brought a large photograph of his grandmother to the stage with a, uh, fired-up message for the crowd and a fiery “Fine me later!” Bolles and McKinley are terrific stories — props to them and their memorable moments.
Five great fits
QB Deshaun Watson, Houston
Houston has a good running back, a bunch of good receivers, and one of the best defenses in football. They’re a quarterback away from contending for a title, and they just traded two 1s to go get the most NFL-ready guy in the draft. It was a steep price to pay, but Watson is a proven winner who will be a day-one starter. Houston is ready to win now so this is a calculated gamble.
RB/WR/KR Christian McCaffrey, Carolina
Cam Newton can do it all, but now he has some help from another guy that does a bit of everything. McCaffrey should get 20 touches a game: a couple returning kicks, a couple catches out of the backfield, a handful of slot receptions, and 10–12 carries. Carolina has downfield weapons and big targets. This may be the final piece in an unstoppable offense.
S Malik Hooker, Indianapolis
Safety wasn’t atop the Colts needs, but Hooker can transform this defense. The Colts have their franchise quarterback. They just landed a quarterback for their defense.
CB Marcus Lattimore, New Orleans
The Saints play in a division with the last two Super Bowl-losing quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Cam Newton and rising star Jameis Winston, and they got the most talented corner in the draft. Lattimore was just what the doctor ordered.
S Jamal Adams, New York Jets
Calvin Pryor hasn’t lived up to expectations from the first round a few years ago, but Marcus Gilchrist will pair with Adams to give the Jets a terrific pair of safeties to anchor the defense.
Five early losers
Chicago
Chicago was the laughingstock of the league Thursday as they traded two 3s and a 4 to move up ONE spot, possibly bidding against themselves, to get a guy they probably would’ve gotten at their pick. On top of that, Chicago invested three years and $45 million in new QB Mike Glennon less than two months ago, so the pick is questionable anyway. Mitch Trubisky could end up the best quarterback in Bears history just by being above average, but he’s going to need to be to make Bears fans forget this night.
Kansas City
Like the Bears and Texans, the Chiefs paid a very steep price to move up and take a shot at a quarterback. Everything in recent history says this is the wrong move, but teams keep panic trading anyway. Kansas City was on the verge of a Super Bowl last year and has a quarterback in Alex Smith who will keep Patrick Mahomes on the sidelines for another year or two. Now they’ll add no impact first-round player this year or next. Mahomes may be the QB of the future, but the Chiefs were ready to contend right now.
Tennessee
Many expected the Titans to trade down, but they stayed put and reached on two guys instead for WR Corey Davis and CB Adoree Jackson. Davis is a MAC player unproven against the biggest teams at a position where athleticism is key, and Jackson is a player whose kick-return skills are always the first thing mentioned. The Titans may have missed out on a great early draft.
Atlanta
Remember when the Falcons were up 28–3 in the third quarter of the Super Bowl and had the world on a string? Now they’re Super Bowl losers and just saw each division member walk away with one of the best players in the draft. Carolina’s McCaffrey and New Orleans’s Lattimore were terrific fits, and Tampa Bay added what may have been the best offensive player in the draft in tight end O.J. Howard.
Alabama
Almost everyone expected Alabama players to go early and often, but three of the draft’s biggest fallers were Allen, Howard, and Foster all from Alabama. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey ended up being the first Tide player selected somehow at 16 to Baltimore.
Five teams yet to pick
Green Bay
The Packers won Thursday night without taking a player, moving down a few spots but nabbing the first pick on both Friday and Saturday, in the 2nd and 4th rounds. Those are always key picks as teams take stock of the best players available, so don’t be surprised to see the Packers trade down again.
Seattle
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Seahawks traded out of the first round. Seattle has the second pick tonight which puts them in a powerful position where another trade down could be in the works, or perhaps a big tackle like Cam Robinson will be the pick.
L.A. Rams
The Rams used their first-round pick to move up last year and get Jared Goff. They’ve got the fifth pick of the second round and a whole lot of needs. Maybe they’ll start with one of the talented corners still available from Washington.
Minnesota
The Vikings traded their first-round pick a year ago for Sam Bradford and I don’t want to talk about it. They pick in the middle of the second and should add to either of the lines, where the team got killed game after game in 2016.
New England
The Patriots don’t pick until the third because they used their first couple picks in trades for WR Brandin Cooks and DL Kony Ealy. New England is already a big draft winner. They added talented guys who will help the team contend now while Brady’s around and saw two big AFC contenders Houston and Kansas City turn the team over to a rookie quarterback.
Five great players still waiting
RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State
Cook may be the best pure runner in the draft, but at 5'10, he’s not big enough to handle a 300-carry season. He doesn’t need to be in 2017. Cook was second in the NCAA in yards after contact and first in missed tackles. He can give a team an explosive 12 to 15 carries a game and can score on any touch.
OG Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky
Lamp was one of my five favorite players in the draft, an impact guy at an oft-overlooked position that can transform an offense. He could anchor a run attack in much the same way Zack Martin has for Dallas and would be a great early target today for the Jaguars, Bears, or Chargers.
QB DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame
Kizer may be as talented as any of the three quarterbacks already taken and he’ll come at a fraction of the price. He could be a godsend for the Jaguars or Jets, but don’t be surprised if some team stashes him as the QB of the future. He has all the skills but would do well to sit for a year and learn.
OT Cam Robinson, Alabama
Robinson was expected to be taken in the first round. He anchored a dominant Alabama line that cleared the way for Bo Scarbrough and Derrick Henry and should slot in as a starting right tackle from day one.
CB Kevin King, CB Sidney Jones, S Buddy Baker, Washington
The Huskies were one of the best teams in college football in 2016, and their secondary was a key reasons. Ohio State saw three members of their secondary drafted in round one, and Washington should follow suit tonight. King stands out for his size at 6'3 while Baker’s speed makes him a dangerous run stopper at safety.
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