The NFL Draft is finally here, and with the first round concluding last night, there are some things to discuss. So, let’s get into some of the biggest winners, losers, and stories from day one.
FIRST PICK – BRYCE YOUNG TO CAROLINA
As soon as Carolina traded up to get the first pick on March 10th, the whole world knew that Bryce Young was headed to Charlotte. You hear so much about the three things a quarterback needs in his arsenal to be great: accuracy, quick decision making, and poise. Bryce Young has all three of those in spades, and with the wide receiver core of Adam Thielen and DJ Chark, expect Bryce to be an automatic rookie of the year candidate.
TEXANS GET CJ STROUD AT 2, TRADE UP FOR WILL ANDERSON AT 3
As the Texans were on the clock with the second pick, many (including myself) thought that they would go with Will Anderson. Instead, they chose to pick CJ Stroud, the clear second best option for quarterbacks in this year’s draft. What came as a shock to everybody was when Houston immediately traded up to pick 3 to land Will Anderson. This was an absolute power move by the Texan’s front office, and while some of the media is criticizing them for sacrificing the 12thpick and their first round pick next year, I thought that this move was phenomenal. In the span of 10 minutes, a bottom tier, starless franchise was able to revolutionize their roster with elite playmakers and game-wreckers on each side of the ball. Hats off to Houston.
ANTHONY RICHARDSON GOES TO THE COLTS AT 4
While it was clear that Bryce Young and CJ Stroud would be the first two quarterbacks drafted, who would end up going third was anybody’s guess. The Colts, who were in dire need of a new field general, decided to go with Anthony Richardson. Don’t take this lightly, but I think that Richardson is the single most physically gifted quarterback to ever enter the NFL. More than Lamar Jackson, more than Mike Vick, more than Josh Allen, etc.
Indy landed a sure-fire highlight factory in Anthony Richardson, and if they can take his game to the next level the Colts will be a serious force in the AFC West.
BIGGEST LOSER – WILL LEVIS
The reason why the world was unsure who the third quarterback to be taken would be is because of Will Levis. Levis actually had the second highest odds to be drafted with the number one overall pick, and after a rumor circulated on Reddit that he would be taken by Carolina, his odds jumped even higher. Nobody could have guessed what happened next, as Levis wasn’t even picked in the first round and still waits for his number to be called tonight.
Good news for him though, he cannot be called a bust now, and because of this situation he has been given a crazy amount of fuel to prove the haters wrong. I can’t wait to see where he ends up, whether he learns behind a veteran or goes on to start, expect big things from Will Levis in the future.
BIGGEST WINNER – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Eagles might have to change their name to the Bulldogs with the amount of Georgia players they have been drafting. After trading up one spot from pick 10 to nine, the Eagles took who many considered to be one of, if not the top player in the draft, Jalen Carter. Philly then went on to take Carter’s teammate and edge rusher Nolan Smith, making it four Georgia Bulldogs from the infamous 2021 championship defense playing for Philly next year. This is a strategy that I am surprised we haven’t seen before: try and draft as many players possible from one of the greatest defenses in the history of college football.
TWO RUNNING BACKS BEFORE ANY WIDE RECEIVERS
Something that didn’t quite make sense was teams goin all in on running backs early. It started off with the Atlanta Falcons picking Bijan Robinson with the EIGTH overall pick. That is extremely high, and while I know how much of a dawg Robinson is, Atlanta could have taken an elite pass rusher, cornerback, or lineman with this pick and trade up for Robinson later on. I do, however, think that this pick influenced the Lions decision to take Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12thoverall pick.
While Detroit’s war room was amped to land Gibbs, I think they reached a whole lot for this pick. They already have a star running back in D’Andre Swift, and similar to the Falcons they could have gotten another key player to fill another slot on their roster.
RECEIVER SPREE STARTS AT PICK 20
As a Patriots fan, I was ecstatic to see Jaxon Smith-Njigba available at pick 17. Of course, Bill Belichick decided to go a different direction, which I’ll discuss next. JSN ended up falling all the way to Seattle’s pick number 20, where he became the first wide-out off the board in this year’s draft. This opened the floodgates, as receivers became the choices for the next three picks. The Chargers landed Quintin Johnston, the Ravens got a steal in Zay Flowers, and the Vikings added a dangerous second option in Jordan Addison. Personally, I think that the best pick out of these was Flowers to Baltimore which supports Lamar Jackson who signed a five year, $260 million extension yesterday morning. While Odell is going to be a great option for Lamar, he is only on a one year deal, so they needed to add long-term talent, and they got that in Zay Flowers.
PATRIOTS LAND CHRISTIAN GONZALES AT 17 AFTER TRADE
Now, I gotta give my thoughts on the hometown team. The Pats decided to pass up on wide receivers and go with cornerback Christian Gonzales. As a Colorado Buffalo, I have seen Gonzales play many times, whether it was for or against us, and I can tell you that this guy is special. We needed some serious help in our secondary, and I am sure that we have found an answer here. Also, the hope that we’ll land a talent for Mac Jones to sling to hasn’t faded:
Let me know in the comments what you thought of your team’s picks, along with who you want your team to take in round two!