Winners
New England Patriots
The Pats stood … pat in the first round at No. 32, which was a surprise given Belichick’s tendency to deal down, and landed N’Keal Harry out of Arizona State. He’s a great complement to Julian Edelman, Philip Dorsett and the weapons New England currently has on its depth chart. Chase Winovich out of Michigan might very well end up being better than his teammate Rashan Gary. Damien Harris is a downhill destruction machine who can go from Nick Saban to Bill Belichick, ensuring the Patriots plan to pound the rock. Jarrett Stidham is the latest in a long line of “set to replace Tom Brady” quarterbacks who the Patriots will probably flip for a second-round pick in three years.
Josh Rosen
It was a rough run for the former first-round pick, but at the end of the day he landed in a spot where they’re rebuilding and would love to see him end up becoming their franchise quarterback. There’s minimal pressure in Miami despite all the scrutiny over the last few weeks. He got done dirty by Arizona, but he handled everything with incredible class. It’s hard not to root for Rosen right now.
Arizona
Steve Keim’s been a hot-button front office guy over the last few weeks/months. We haven’t seen a team in modern NFL history select quarterbacks in the top 10 in back-to-back drafts. It’s difficult to evaluate what they did in a vacuum; dumping Josh Rosen, a top-10 pick a year ago, for No. 62 in this draft is a brutal L to take. Not being able to grab Nick Bosa or Quinnen Williams with that first pick. The draft will ultimately hinge on Kyler and how he plays, even in his first season. If Murray struggles and Rosen goes down to Miami and wins some games, it’ll be a bad look
Buffalo Bills
Sometimes you play the board, sometimes the board plays you, and sometimes the board drops your way and you don’t have to do much of anything at all. While Ed Oliver wasn’t going to fit in every defense, he fits perfectly in Buffalo. The fact that versatile offensive lineman Cody Ford was available in the second was simply kismet. While drafting a receiver would have placed a cherry on top of the sundae, this is a draft good for both coach and quarterback.
Washington Redskins
Dan Snyder reportedly had a heavy hand in this year’s draft and… he did well? At the very least, the Redskins had a reasonable plan. Dwayne Haskins at 15 and Montez Sweat at 26 were good value, especially Haskins since the Giants took an inferior QB prospect earlier. They then added players around Haskins, grabbing a pair of offensive linemen and receivers, and Bryce Love.
Jacksonville Jaguars
No one thought the Jaguars would take Kentucky’s Josh Allen at No. 7, because no one thought he’d be there. He can help fix a defense that took a step back last season.
The Jaguars moved up from No. 38 to No. 35 to take Florida offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, a player some thought Jacksonville would take at No. 7 overall. The Jaguars also waited and got a nice pick in San Jose State’s Josh Oliver. Temple running back Ryquell Armstead could steal some carries from Leonard Fournette.
Losers
The Raiders/Mike Mayock
Mayock has been evaluating draft picks for years, but he’s never had a job remotely close to the one he has now, and it showed. Even Clelin Ferrell thought he was a reach at 4th overall, and then they took a running back in the 1st, which is poor value.
New York Giants
The Giants got the most attention by taking Duke quarterback Daniel Jones at No. 6. He could’ve been the pick at No. 17, and even that would’ve been a reach, in terms of potential. Jones at No. 6 is one of the biggest head-scratchers in recent draft hist.
Dexter Lawrence at No. 17 was another odd choice. He’s a good player and should make an impact. But why trade a known commodity in Damon Harrison for a fifth-round pick and take his replacement in the first round? The Giants traded back into the first round for cornerback Deandre Baker, their best first-round pick.
Oshane Ximines is a classic, Giants-style pass rusher with his ability to play standing up or with his hand down. Arguably their best value pick was Julian Love at No. 108. He has great instincts to play the nickel.
