Top and Bottom 5 Drafts? (my own breakdowns included)

[bananabucket]

I'm aware I wasted my time for probably 2-3 replies lol.  I had nothing else to do today and was bored.

 

This is based on my personal player rankings, how I felt each team addressed their needs, and how I see each class helping down the line.  This is not a ranking of flashiness, number of big names, or media reception.  I do not expect many to agree.

 

Let's face it, we're all going to be laughably wrong anyway.

 

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2017/04/2017-nfl-draft-results-by-team

 

1    Miami Dolphins

1-22: Charles Harris, DE (Missouri)
2-54: Raekwon McMillan, LB (Ohio State)
3-97: Cordrea Tankersley, CB (Clemson)
5-164: Isaac Asiata, OL (Utah)
5-178: Davon Godchaux, DT (LSU)
6-194: Vincent Taylor, DT (Oklahoma State)
7-237: Isaiah Ford, WR (Virginia Tech)

 

What I like:

From top to bottom, this is my favorite blend of need and value of any team's draft.  Harris adds a much need boost to the pass rush now and a replacement for Cameron Wake later.  Timmons was signed as a stopgap for their desperately lacking LB group, but they needed a long term solution as well as someone who can contribute right away.  McMillan provides both of those. While they are not starved for CBs, their secondary does need some help.  Tankersly is excellent value at the end of the 3rd.  Asiata will compete for a starting position right away.  Godchaux and Taylor are both great value picks to potentially help out next to Suh.  Ford has a shot to make the final 53.

 

What I don't like

While I liked the Asiata pick, he alone is not enough to fix their woeful interior.  Would have liked to see a safety taken somewhere.

 

 

2    San Francisco 49ers

1-3: Solomon Thomas, DL (Stanford)
1-31: Reuben Foster, LB (Alabama)
3-66: Ahkello Witherspoon, CB (Colorado)
3-104: C.J. Beathard, QB (Iowa)
4-121: Joe Williams, RB (Utah)
5-146: George Kittle, TE (Iowa)
5-177: Trent Taylor, WR (Louisiana Tech)
6-198: D.J. Jones, DT (Ole Miss)
6-202: Pita Taumoepenu, DE (Utah)
7-229: Adrian Colbert, CB (Miami)

 

What I like:

Much like our Colts, the 49ers have so many holes that one draft will not be nearly enough to turn things around overnight.  However I think this draft gets them off to a great start.  This defense severely needs impact players, and Thomas and Foster are day 1 starters with potential to become elite sooner rather than later.  Witherspoon is another one of those perfect team-player pairings, and they got tremendous value by landing him in the 3rd.  Williams is a classic boom-or-bust type of player at a skill position, so the 4th or 5th round is exactly where he should be taken.  We all know Kittle has good potential as well.

 

What I don't like:

CJ Beathard in the 3rd round.. enough said.  Either address the QB position early or take a late round flier with potential.  Don't waste a reasonably high pick on a scrub.  I don't hate their later round picks, but they leave me fairly unimpressed. 

 

3    Cincinnati Bengals

1-9: John Ross, WR (Washington)
2-48: Joe Mixon, RB (Oklahoma)
3-73: Jordan Willis, DE (Kansas State)
4-116: Carl Lawson, DE (Auburn)
4-128: Josh Malone, WR (Tennessee)
4-138: Ryan Glasgow, DT (Michigan)
5-153: Jake Elliott, K (Memphis)
5-176: J.J. Dielman, OL (Utah)
6-193: Jordan Evans, LB (Oklahoma)
6-207: Brandon Wilson, S (Houston)
7-251: Mason Schreck, TE (Buffalo)

 

What I like:

I'll start by saying that I would not have taken John Ross at #9.  With that said, I completely understand Cinci's logic.  Andy Dalton is no superstar, but he has shown that he can perform with enough talent around him.  Ross is the perfect compliment to AJ Green and just adds another dimension to their offense.  Mixon at pick 48 is a ludicrous steal.  However, at this point in the draft I thought they had unwisely neglected the DE position, their biggest need. Sure enough, they snag two arguably 1st-2nd round talents with their next two picks.  I have no strong feelings about the rest of their draft, but their top 4 picks have such high potential that I have to rank them accordingly. 

 

What I don't like:

Like I said above: Love how Ross fits, don't love taking him at 9.  Especially with guys like Barnett, Allen, and Foster on the board.  One other slight hesitation to slating them this high is that as draftniks, we tend to overrate a class or two each year based on popular perception.  Typically guys who "fell" did so for a reason.

 

4    Indianapolis Colts

• 1-15: Malik Hooker, S (Ohio State)
  2-46: Quincy Wilson, CB (Florida)
  3-80: Tarell Basham, DE (Ohio)
  4-137: Zach Banner, OL (USC)
  4-143: Marlon Mack, RB (USF)
  4-144: Grover Stewart, DL (Albany State)
  5-158: Nate Hairston, CB (Temple)
  5-161: Anthony Walker, LB (Northwestern)

 

What I Like:

Malik Hooker is a top 5 talent and one of the best ball-hawking safeties to come out in a long time.  If the Ed Reed comparisons make you uncomfortable, see if Earl Thomas makes you feel any better.  Our defense is notoriously bad at getting picks, and Hooker is a huge first step in turning that around.  Wilson has first round talent and was one of the best shutdown corners in all of college football last year who fell largely due to a lackluster combine.  Basham a pretty balanced prospect who will go some way in replacing the tenacity and relentless effort that walked out the door with Robert Mathis. Mack is great value and the perfect compliment to Gore/Turbin IMO.  Walker is also great value.

 

What I don't like:

Mixon felt like a perfect storm scenario.  We needed a RB to split carries with Gore this year, and we will desperately need a feature back starting next year.  Mixon is arguably a top 10 talent who fell right into our laps in the middle of the second round.  He's not a risk to fall out of the league due to injuries.  He's not a risk to fall out of the league due to failing drug tests.  He is not a risk at all!  If you want to cast him straight to hell for allowing himself to be prodded into a making a dumb mistake, that's your prerogative.  It ain't mine.

 

Outside of that I just have a few minor gripes.  I suppose I can stomach the Banner pick because we were still able to land Mack and Walker later on.  Stewart and Hairston however feel more like high-upside 7th rounders to me.  I think those picks would have been better spent elsewhere.

 

 

5    Pittsburgh Steelers

1-30: T.J. Watt, LB (Wisconsin)
2-62: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (USC)
3-94: Cameron Sutton, CB (Tennessee)
3-105: James Conner, RB (Pittsburgh)
4-135: Joshua Dobbs, QB (Tennessee)
5-173: Brian Allen, CB (Utah)
6-213: Colin Holba, LS (Louisville)
7-248: Keion Adams, OLB (Western Michigan)

 

What I like:

Watt is one of my favorite players in the draft and fits the Steelers perfectly at their position of greatest need.  Juju gives Ben another weapon to work with as his career winds down.  Their secondary needs some major help, and Sutton/Allen have decent potential.  Dobbs has his flaws but his upside warrants being selected here.  Plus we all know Ben is no stranger to missing a game here and there.

 

What I don't like:

I worry they focused a bit too much on offense.  Their secondary remains shaky and could really hold them back.  Conner feels like a bit of a reach.

 

 

 

Honorable mentions: 

Jacksonville Jaguars -- Fournette gives them a potential beast RB.  Robinson could really help solidify their OL.  Westbrook is an *.  Unfortunately he's an * with a really high ceiling.  If the Jags ever get their hands on a good QB (a big "if"), we could have a serious problem on our hands.

 

San Diego Chargers -- Was Mike Williams a reach at 7?  Eh, probably.  But combined with getting the two best interior OLmen in the draft in rounds 2 and 3, Rivers could have himself a seriously improved supporting cast.

 

Cleveland Browns -- Garrett and Njoku go without saying.  Peppers is boom or bust.  I like spending a 6th on Brantley who has 2nd round talent.  If you need to cut him, no harm done.  Most of the rest of their picks are high potential guys.

 

Minnesota Vikings

[bananabucket]

28    Seattle Seahawks

2-35: Malik McDowell, DT (Michigan State)

2-58: Ethan Pocic, OL (LSU)

3-90: Shaquill Griffin, CB (UCF)

3-95: Delano Hill, S (Michigan)

3-102: Nazair Jones, DL (North Carolina)

3-106: Amara Darboh, WR (Michigan)

4-111: Tedric Thompson, S (Colorado)

6-187: Mike Tyson, S (Cincinnati)

6-210: Justin Senior, T (Mississippi State)

7-226: David Moore, WR (East Central Oklahoma)

7-249: Chris Carson, RB (Oklahoma)

 

What I like:

Everyone knows that McDowell has one of the highest ceilings in the draft, so I can't get too mad at someone spending a second rounder on him.  Pocic has pretty decent potential.

 

What I don't like:

They either needed to make the OL the unquestioned front-and-center focus of this draft, or they needed to draft Russell Wilson's replacement.  They did neither.  While I like Pocic reasonably well as a prospect, he is not nearly enough to fix this mess of a line by himself.  What did Seattle do instead?  They used their first pick on the biggest boom-or-bust guy in the draft, followed by about 700 DBs each taken about a round or two higher than their talent warranted.  Their secondary needed help, don't get me wrong.  But are you seeing the solution in this draft class?  Me neither.  Then I guess in a poor effort to appease Wilson, they drafted a couple token WRs. 

 

29    Detroit Lions

1-21: Jarrad Davis, LB (Florida)
2-53: Teez Tabor, CB (Florida)
3-96: Kenny Golladay, WR (Northern Illinois)
4-124: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee
4-127: Michael Roberts, TE (Toledo)
5-165: Jamal Agnew, DB (San Diego)
6-205: Jeremiah Ledbetter, DT (Arkansas)
6-215: Brad Kaaya, QB (Miami)
7-250: Pat O’Connor, DE (Eastern Michigan)

 

What I like:

LB was probably their greatest need, so Davis was a pretty good pick at 21.  Tabor probably has first round talent so he might be worth the risk.  Kaaya is a good value and they needed a backup QB.

 

What I don't like:

Detroit's front seven is.. well we'll be super nice and call it "lacking".  The only probable upgrade in this whole draft is Jarrad Davis.  They have no one opposite Ansah, Ngata has declined drastically, and both their depth and starting LBs are horrible.  They neglected all of these positions in this draft.  They opted to spend their 2nd rounder on a CB, where they are already reasonably strong.  Then they spent their 3rd on one of the biggest reaches in the draft by my estimation.  Taking WR as a BPA pick would have been semi-excusable, but Golladay sure as hell wasn't that.  Then no DE until the 7th?  No DT until the 6th?  Man this draft really sucks.

 

30    Chicago Bears

1-2: Mitch Trubisky, QB (North Carolina)
2-45: Adam Shaheen, TE (Ashland)
4-112: Eddie Jackson, S (Alabama)
4-119: Tarik Cohen, RB (North Carolina A&T)
5-147: Jordan Morgan, OL (Kutztown)

 

What I like:

Eddie Jackson is a solid prospect who fell because he got injured.  Getting him in the 4th is nice.  Everyone knows how electric Cohen can be.

 

What I don't like:

Where to start?  Okay, I can understand the logic behind trading up for Trubisky if the Bears are super high on him.  Do I think that's the case?  No, I think this is a case of some decision makers desperately trying to save their jobs in the small chance Trubisky becomes a franchise QB.  Okay, what's done is done, let's focus on getting our new guy some weapons to maximize his chance to succeed.  Oh wait, we barely have any draft picks left after trading them away.  I guess we'll have to settle for a project TE in the 2nd and a RB with maybe 1% starting potential in the 4th.

 

Welcome to the 2018 NFL Draft.  The Chicago Bears are on the clock.

 

31    New York Giants

1-23: Evan Engram, TE (Mississippi)
2-55: Dalvin Tomlinson, DT (Alabama)
3-87: Davis Webb, QB (California)
4-140: Wayne Gallman, RB (Clemson)
5-167: Avery Moss, DE (Youngstown State)
6-200: Adam Bisnowaty, T (Pittsburgh)

 

What I like:

Engram is a nice weapon for Eli.  And they at least tried to draft a replacement for Hankins. Webb was gotten later than people expected, so there's that I guess?

 

What I don't like:

All the rest.  Tomlinson feels like a significant reach in the 2nd round considering he was surrounded by the nation's best front 7 and still didn't overly impress.  Webb is decent value here like I said, but who on this planet expects him to be a franchise QB?  I've made my thoughts known on Gallman before.. he's below average to average at just about everything, and is great at absolutely nothing.  The last two picks are bleh.

 

32    Kansas City Chiefs

1-10: Patrick Mahomes, QB (Texas Tech)

2-59: Tanoh Kpassagnon, DL (Villanova)

3-86: Kareem Hunt, RB (Toledo)

4-139: Jehu Chesson, WR (Michigan)

5-183: Ukeme Eligwe, LB (Georgia Southern)

6-218: Leon McQuay III, S (USC)

 

What I like:

Similar to the Bears, the idea of going all in to get who you think will be your next franchise QB makes sense in theory.  Kpassagnon could be good down the line.  Hunt is alright.

 

What I don't like:

Trainwreck of a draft.  Maybe the loss of Ballard hurt them more than they thought it would lol.  First, they gave up a king's ransom to go get a gunslinger from an offense about as far away from what he'll play in the pros as you can find.  Does he have potential?  Sure he does.  But right at this moment, this feels like a very grim mistake.  To make matters worse, Alex Smith is only 32!  Some will argue that they have a ceiling with Smith that falls short of a Super Bowl, and that they needed to go get someone who actually has a chance to elevate that ceiling.  Looking at it the other way, Alex Smith provides a pretty solid floor as well.  If Mahomes comes in and bombs, you just surrendered your window as a respected contender in the playoffs.

 

Unfortunately the rest of the draft did not make matters any better.  I don't know about you, but I do not see anyone who projects to be more than a backup.

 

 

Honorable mentions: 

Denver Broncos -- Bolles is okay.  I like Carlos Henderson a bit.  Butt should be solid if he overcomes his injury concerns.  The rest is not good.  Very underwhelming draft.

[IndyScribe]

I think the Buccaneers had a good draft. Howard was great value at their pick. Their offense is going to be insane next year. 

 

 

I disagree about Mixon. I wouldn't have taken him at all in this draft. I'd much rather have Wilson over Mixon. 

[gacker65]

Don't quite agree with your eval of KC and Mahomes.  Don't forget that Andy Reid coached Farve, McNabb, and Vick.  He knows how to deal with the gunslinger QB

[Luck 4 president]

8 minutes ago, gacker65 said:

Don't quite agree with your eval of KC and Mahomes.  Don't forget that Andy Reid coached Farve, McNabb, and Vick.  He knows how to deal with the gunslinger QB

Pretty much what I was going to say. They already have one of the most balanced teams in the NFL so why not take a chance on Mahomes and let him sit behind Alex Smith for a year or two while adding more offensive weapons in that time

[NFLfan]

2 hours ago, bananabucket said:

I'm aware I wasted my time for probably 2-3 replies lol.  I had nothing else to do today and was bored.

 

This is based on my personal player rankings, how I felt each team addressed their needs, and how I see each class helping down the line.  This is not a ranking of flashiness, number of big names, or media reception.  I do not expect many to agree.

 

Let's face it, we're all going to be laughably wrong anyway.

 

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2017/04/2017-nfl-draft-results-by-team.              

Honorable mentions: 

.1Minnesota Vikings

 

Thanks for sharing your thought on the draft. Any comments on the Vikings (my team)? You listed them under "honorable mention". I am interested to here what you liked and disliked about the Vikings draft. Thanks.

[AZColt11]

I liked what the Niners did.  Not only with the trade in round 1 and only giving up 1 spot, but with what they got.  A nice haul for 1st year GM John Lynch just like our own 1st year GM got.

[bananabucket]

48 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Thanks for sharing your thought on the draft. Any comments on the Vikings (my team)? You listed them under "honorable mention". I am interested to here what you liked and disliked about the Vikings draft. Thanks.

 

I was definitely a fan of what they did overall.  Similar to the Dolphins, I think they have one of the best blends of needs and value.

 

Positives:

-RB is one of their biggest needs, that goes without saying.  Cook at 41 is tremendous value.

-I like Elflein.  Had him as a 2nd-3rd rounder so the value is there.  Isidora is great value (word of the day if you havent noticed) and he's a perfect scheme fit as well. Good depth guy who might be a spot starter eventually.

-People get so caught up with how bad the offense was that they overlook their needs on defense.  I think Jaleel Johnson was a great pick in the 4th.  Correct me if I'm wrong but I assume they consider him a 3-tech in their scheme.  High potential.

-Hodges, Coley, and Lee are some pretty good late picks with upside.

 

Negatives:

-While I do like Elflein, Feeney was right here for the taking.  I guess they dont like his fit?  Overall I would have liked to see Minnesota focus even more on the OL (much like I said about Seattle).  I know they had some injuries but man last season was just plain brutal.

-I'm not much of a Gedeon fan and don't see any starting potential.  Really just personal preference.

-I kinda view Adams as a wasted pick as well.

 

So obviously I'm mostly a fan.  Just didnt love it enough for them to crack the top 5.

 

 

[bananabucket]

2 hours ago, IndyScribe said:

I think the Buccaneers had a good draft. Howard was great value at their pick. Their offense is going to be insane next year. 

 

 

I disagree about Mixon. I wouldn't have taken him at all in this draft. I'd much rather have Wilson over Mixon. 

 

The Bucs were average to above average in my eyes.  Love giving Winston such a weapon in Howard, but I am not much of a Justin Evans or Kendell Beckwith fan.  Godwin is alright but I prefered other WRs at that spot.  McNichols in the 5th is fine but I think they already have a few RBs who are just as good or better than he will be.

[Defjamz26]

I loved what the Chargers did. Mike Williams In the 1st to join Allen(if he stays healthy), Melvin Gordon, and the Gates/Henry TE duo gives Rivers a nice arsenal. Then you go and get Lamp and Feeney for the O-Line. Then you get Rayshawn Jenkins and King as moveable pieces for the secondary. A+

[NFLfan]

29 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

I loved what the Chargers did. Mike Williams In the 1st to join Allen(if he stays healthy), Melvin Gordon, and the Gates/Henry TE duo gives Rivers a nice arsenal. Then you go and get Lamp and Feeney for the O-Line. Then you get Rayshawn Jenkins and King as moveable pieces for the secondary. A+

I agree. 

[Track Guy]

The Saints had a really nice draft.

 

Added the top CB in the class. One of the best O-linemen in the class. A hyper athletic safety. And a dynamic running back. 

 

Heck of a haul IMO. 

[shasta519]

Curious as to how the Ravens did not make your top 5? I think Humphrey is overrated...and they still had a tremendous draft. If Humphrey is truly a top 20 talent...then their draft is scary good.

 

The top four guys were on in most people's top 60...and the OL talent was good value where they picked. I think Bowser could be the best player picked in the 2nd round.

[IkeAramba]

bananabucket, I'm curious why you think the Seahawks should have been looking to draft Russell Wilson's replacement.  He's only a year older than Andrew Luck and at age 28 has potentially another 10 years left in the NFL if he can stay healthy & productive.

[shasta519]

7 hours ago, IkeAramba said:

bananabucket, I'm curious why you think the Seahawks should have been looking to draft Russell Wilson's replacement.  He's only a year older than Andrew Luck and at age 28 has potentially another 10 years left in the NFL if he can stay healthy & productive.

 

It was tongue-in-cheek. He was saying if they don't protect Wilson, his career will soon be over and he will need to be replaced.

[jameszeigler834]

On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 3:51 PM, bananabucket said:

I'm aware I wasted my time for probably 2-3 replies lol.  I had nothing else to do today and was bored.

 

This is based on my personal player rankings, how I felt each team addressed their needs, and how I see each class helping down the line.  This is not a ranking of flashiness, number of big names, or media reception.  I do not expect many to agree.

 

Let's face it, we're all going to be laughably wrong anyway.

 

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2017/04/2017-nfl-draft-results-by-team

 

1    Miami Dolphins

1-22: Charles Harris, DE (Missouri)
2-54: Raekwon McMillan, LB (Ohio State)
3-97: Cordrea Tankersley, CB (Clemson)
5-164: Isaac Asiata, OL (Utah)
5-178: Davon Godchaux, DT (LSU)
6-194: Vincent Taylor, DT (Oklahoma State)
7-237: Isaiah Ford, WR (Virginia Tech)

 

What I like:

From top to bottom, this is my favorite blend of need and value of any team's draft.  Harris adds a much need boost to the pass rush now and a replacement for Cameron Wake later.  Timmons was signed as a stopgap for their desperately lacking LB group, but they needed a long term solution as well as someone who can contribute right away.  McMillan provides both of those. While they are not starved for CBs, their secondary does need some help.  Tankersly is excellent value at the end of the 3rd.  Asiata will compete for a starting position right away.  Godchaux and Taylor are both great value picks to potentially help out next to Suh.  Ford has a shot to make the final 53.

 

What I don't like

While I liked the Asiata pick, he alone is not enough to fix their woeful interior.  Would have liked to see a safety taken somewhere.

 

 

2    San Francisco 49ers

1-3: Solomon Thomas, DL (Stanford)
1-31: Reuben Foster, LB (Alabama)
3-66: Ahkello Witherspoon, CB (Colorado)
3-104: C.J. Beathard, QB (Iowa)
4-121: Joe Williams, RB (Utah)
5-146: George Kittle, TE (Iowa)
5-177: Trent Taylor, WR (Louisiana Tech)
6-198: D.J. Jones, DT (Ole Miss)
6-202: Pita Taumoepenu, DE (Utah)
7-229: Adrian Colbert, CB (Miami)

 

What I like:

Much like our Colts, the 49ers have so many holes that one draft will not be nearly enough to turn things around overnight.  However I think this draft gets them off to a great start.  This defense severely needs impact players, and Thomas and Foster are day 1 starters with potential to become elite sooner rather than later.  Witherspoon is another one of those perfect team-player pairings, and they got tremendous value by landing him in the 3rd.  Williams is a classic boom-or-bust type of player at a skill position, so the 4th or 5th round is exactly where he should be taken.  We all know Kittle has good potential as well.

 

What I don't like:

CJ Beathard in the 3rd round.. enough said.  Either address the QB position early or take a late round flier with potential.  Don't waste a reasonably high pick on a scrub.  I don't hate their later round picks, but they leave me fairly unimpressed. 

 

3    Cincinnati Bengals

1-9: John Ross, WR (Washington)
2-48: Joe Mixon, RB (Oklahoma)
3-73: Jordan Willis, DE (Kansas State)
4-116: Carl Lawson, DE (Auburn)
4-128: Josh Malone, WR (Tennessee)
4-138: Ryan Glasgow, DT (Michigan)
5-153: Jake Elliott, K (Memphis)
5-176: J.J. Dielman, OL (Utah)
6-193: Jordan Evans, LB (Oklahoma)
6-207: Brandon Wilson, S (Houston)
7-251: Mason Schreck, TE (Buffalo)

 

What I like:

I'll start by saying that I would not have taken John Ross at #9.  With that said, I completely understand Cinci's logic.  Andy Dalton is no superstar, but he has shown that he can perform with enough talent around him.  Ross is the perfect compliment to AJ Green and just adds another dimension to their offense.  Mixon at pick 48 is a ludicrous steal.  However, at this point in the draft I thought they had unwisely neglected the DE position, their biggest need. Sure enough, they snag two arguably 1st-2nd round talents with their next two picks.  I have no strong feelings about the rest of their draft, but their top 4 picks have such high potential that I have to rank them accordingly. 

 

What I don't like:

Like I said above: Love how Ross fits, don't love taking him at 9.  Especially with guys like Barnett, Allen, and Foster on the board.  One other slight hesitation to slating them this high is that as draftniks, we tend to overrate a class or two each year based on popular perception.  Typically guys who "fell" did so for a reason.

 

4    Indianapolis Colts

• 1-15: Malik Hooker, S (Ohio State)
  2-46: Quincy Wilson, CB (Florida)
  3-80: Tarell Basham, DE (Ohio)
  4-137: Zach Banner, OL (USC)
  4-143: Marlon Mack, RB (USF)
  4-144: Grover Stewart, DL (Albany State)
  5-158: Nate Hairston, CB (Temple)
  5-161: Anthony Walker, LB (Northwestern)

 

What I Like:

Malik Hooker is a top 5 talent and one of the best ball-hawking safeties to come out in a long time.  If the Ed Reed comparisons make you uncomfortable, see if Earl Thomas makes you feel any better.  Our defense is notoriously bad at getting picks, and Hooker is a huge first step in turning that around.  Wilson has first round talent and was one of the best shutdown corners in all of college football last year who fell largely due to a lackluster combine.  Basham a pretty balanced prospect who will go some way in replacing the tenacity and relentless effort that walked out the door with Robert Mathis. Mack is great value and the perfect compliment to Gore/Turbin IMO.  Walker is also great value.

 

What I don't like:

Mixon felt like a perfect storm scenario.  We needed a RB to split carries with Gore this year, and we will desperately need a feature back starting next year.  Mixon is arguably a top 10 talent who fell right into our laps in the middle of the second round.  He's not a risk to fall out of the league due to injuries.  He's not a risk to fall out of the league due to failing drug tests.  He is not a risk at all!  If you want to cast him straight to hell for allowing himself to be prodded into a making a dumb mistake, that's your prerogative.  It ain't mine.

 

Outside of that I just have a few minor gripes.  I suppose I can stomach the Banner pick because we were still able to land Mack and Walker later on.  Stewart and Hairston however feel more like high-upside 7th rounders to me.  I think those picks would have been better spent elsewhere.

 

 

5    Pittsburgh Steelers

1-30: T.J. Watt, LB (Wisconsin)
2-62: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (USC)
3-94: Cameron Sutton, CB (Tennessee)
3-105: James Conner, RB (Pittsburgh)
4-135: Joshua Dobbs, QB (Tennessee)
5-173: Brian Allen, CB (Utah)
6-213: Colin Holba, LS (Louisville)
7-248: Keion Adams, OLB (Western Michigan)

 

What I like:

Watt is one of my favorite players in the draft and fits the Steelers perfectly at their position of greatest need.  Juju gives Ben another weapon to work with as his career winds down.  Their secondary needs some major help, and Sutton/Allen have decent potential.  Dobbs has his flaws but his upside warrants being selected here.  Plus we all know Ben is no stranger to missing a game here and there.

 

What I don't like:

I worry they focused a bit too much on offense.  Their secondary remains shaky and could really hold them back.  Conner feels like a bit of a reach.

 

 

 

Honorable mentions: 

Jacksonville Jaguars -- Fournette gives them a potential beast RB.  Robinson could really help solidify their OL.  Westbrook is an *.  Unfortunately he's an * with a really high ceiling.  If the Jags ever get their hands on a good QB (a big "if"), we could have a serious problem on our hands.

 

San Diego Chargers -- Was Mike Williams a reach at 7?  Eh, probably.  But combined with getting the two best interior OLmen in the draft in rounds 2 and 3, Rivers could have himself a seriously improved supporting cast.

 

Cleveland Browns -- Garrett and Njoku go without saying.  Peppers is boom or bust.  I like spending a 6th on Brantley who has 2nd round talent.  If you need to cut him, no harm done.  Most of the rest of their picks are high potential guys.

 

Minnesota Vikings

5th round or later picks spent on players is low risk potentially high reward those couple of players I believe will be good in a year or two.

[Finball]

Andy Reid wanted Mahomes badly. Mahomes is in pretty good spot. He can sit for a year or two and develop under Reid and then come in after Smith leaves to another team/is traded/retires. Smith is good enough to not lose games but he won't win them either. If the plan is Super Bowl, gotta have a QB who can win games, unless one has all time great defense; the Chiefs don't. I personally wouldn't worry much that he played in a gimmick offense. His mechanics though, need a lot of work. The traits are off the charts good, which is why I think it's a worthwhile gamble fot KC.

 

I think Kpassagnon and Hunt were ok picks. Don't know anything about the last 3. KC draft will obviously be defined by how Mahomes turns out.

 

I didn't like Bengals draft that much. They drafted some good players but have done nothing all offseason to upgrade their porous offensive line. Actually they lost the best two players from it.

 

Don't get using a pick on a damn long snapper.

 

Ravens took a lot of players I like. Texans and Jags too but not the biggest fan of their 1st rounders. Rams had a solid draft for a team without a 1st imo.