The Steelers set a record for the fastest pick ever handed in. 5 seconds it took off the ten minute clock. When they said that they were going to improve their running game I didn’t think they meant they were going to run to the podium.
Round 1 1) Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson A+ Pretty obvious that this was the pick and for damn good reason. Lawrence is the highest rated passer on everyone's board because he checks off all the boxes that evaluators are looking to fill at passer. Trevor profiles as a long term solution for the Jaguars at quarterback and he comes into the league as the highest touted arm since Andrew Luck. 2) New York Jets – Zach Wilson, QB, BYU B+ I thought about downgrading this a little bit more, but the Jets helped themselves in the grade book by creating a hole at the most important position on the field before turning around and filling it on draft day. It's almost like they gave themselves a chance to be graded on a curve. Wilson is the boom/bust prospect at quarterback in this draft and he went to the perfect situation to have that tested every minute of every day. I truly hope he proves me wrong and becomes the answer at passer that Jets fans are longing for. 3) San Francisco 49ers (from HOU through MIA) – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State A+ This is an excellent pick by the 49ers and one of my preferred player/team combinations in this draft. Trey Lance ended up ranking out higher than Joe Burrow did last season and sits in a lofty spot in my all time rankings, trailing only Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes. That is elite company to be in and with a chance to spend some bench time behind Jimmy G while getting up to speed in the pro game this is an ideal situation for Lance to find himself in. 4) Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida A+ I know some people may view this as a luxury pick for the Falcons, but you simply don't pass up on the kind of talent that Kyle Pitts represents. He makes an immediate impact on offense and changes the way that defenses have to game plan for Sundays. He's easily the highest rated tight end in my all time rankings. 5) Cincinnati Bengals – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU A+ Feels like this is the perfect spot for Chase to land in. His chemistry with Burrow at LSU was obvious and now they get to reunite at the next level. Chase has all the tools to be an immediate difference maker in the AFC North and a problem child for the Browns, Ravens and Steelers to deal with for years to come. 6) Miami Dolphins (from PHI) – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama A+ The Dolphins had to address the lack of weapons for Tua early in this draft and they did it the right way by going after a YAC machine with speed to burn. Waddle can line up all over the field for the Dolphins offense and will lift the lid off of opposing defenses. The right choice was made by going with Jaylen over DeVonta. 7) Detroit Lions – Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon A+ The Lions are the beneficiary of so many offensive weapons and passers going in front of them as they end up with the opportunity to draft what should be a foundation block for their offense. Penei Sewell is a physically gifted monster that will help Detroit get the most out of a statuesque Jared Goff. 8) Carolina Panthers – Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina A+ If you had the Panthers going defense with this first pick then your last name might rhyme with 'cool'. Head coach Matt Rhule has drafted nothing but defense in his entire tenure, and this is the beginning of his second draft. But when a talent like Jaycee Horn is available at a position of need you simply write the name down on the damn card and tell Goodell to read the fucking thing! 9) Denver Broncos – Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama A- This pick gets dinged not because of the player taken. I think Surtain is going to be a stud in the NFL for a very long time. The slight bump down comes from the idea that they could have taken a stab at either of Justin Fields or Mac Jones and now they are facing a 2021 with a quarterback competition that is going to feature Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. 10) Philadelphia Eagles (from DAL) – DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama A This pick gets the flat 'A' because they did what they had to do to get their target, but they had to give up some draft capital to do it and I'm not sold on this being a good fit for the Eagles. Physical concerns pushed to the side, I am going to need to see the combination of Smith and Hurts working together on the field before I'm buying in on this being the correct pick for Philly. With that being said, DeVonta is uber-talented so hitting the high water mark of #10 is probably about right for this draft. 11) Chicago Bears (from NYG) – Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State A Somehow, Chicago pulled a rabbit out of there hat and moved up in this draft to get a passer. Although it's a solid move for the Bears, I'm kind of conflicted on this pick because it feels like one of the worst situations that Justin Fields could find himself in to start his career. Justin has NFL ready ability but he would be best served by spending a full season getting set to start in the league by soaking up practice reps and holding a clipboard. That's not going to happen in Chicago as he is likely forced to start as early as week 9 when the Bears are too obviously deficient with Dalton at the helm. 12) Dallas Cowboys (from PHI through SF, MIA) – Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State A+ The Cowboys manage to swap with a division rival and still get a stud for their defense. Micah Parsons is a physical phenom that instantly upgrades any defensive roster he lands on. While the focus for Dallas may have been to land a player like Surtain or Horn, I don't think anyone in Texas that wears a blue star is going to be upset about this pick. 13) Los Angeles Chargers – Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern A+ The Chargers somehow managed to just sit, wait and have the most polished pass protector in this class fall into their laps. This is an absolutely ridiculous get Los Angeles and it immediately helps to improve the return on investment for franchise passer Justin Herbert. 14) New York Jets (from MIN) – Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC A- This pick takes the slightest of hits as I'm not sold on the idea of giving up the additional draft resources to move up, but it gets buoyed some by the idea that there is zero chance that Vera-Tucker was going to slide in this draft. If it's a premium target then you have to pay the price to get him, but the Jets have so many holes on their roster that having those additional picks may have been more necessary than what they viewed. However, protecting the new passer is a smart move so going after your preferred bodyguard is a solid decision. 15) New England Patriots – Mac Jones, QB, Alabama A The Patriots needed a passer for the future. Turns out, they didn't have to give up anything in a trade up to make that happen. This pick actually gets a slight bump up as Mac is my fifth rated passer in this class and New England just chilled at 15 to take a shot on him. It's a good spot for the player and a simple decision to make for the team. 16) Arizona Cardinals – Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa A+ Zaven Collins has been extremely underrated in a lot of what I have read leading up to the draft and this is one of my preferred player/team combos in the first round. The Cardinals need to be more dynamic on defense and Zaven has the ability to be a monster in several ways. If Arizona gets creative on defense with the players they have then a guy like Collins is going to appear like a demon to opposing offenses.
17) Las Vegas Raiders – Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama A- I'll probably be higher on this pick than most, but Leatherwood is going to help the Raiders continue to churn out yardage on the ground in the short term and has the potential to develop into a high level bookend starter in the long term. This is about as Mayockian of a pick as Mayock could make. 18) Miami Dolphins – Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami B+ This could be the kind of pick that pays dividends for the Dolphins for years to come but I would have preferred several options over Jaelan and this feels to rich for Phillips at 18. It's an obvious need for Miami, and I'm sure Flores is going to maximize his potential, but availability may be an issue and there is still work to be done before the Dolphins will be able to confidently start Phillips in the defense. 19) Washington Football Team – Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky A This is a rock solid pick that Ron Rivera is probably giddy over. The Football Team needed their monster at linebacker and Davis fits the bill. If Washington can somehow manage to come away with a combination of OL, WR and QB after landing Jamin in the first then they will be making a big step towards remaining competitive in the East. 20) New York Giants (from CHI) – Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida A This pick gets a small bump up after the Giants add some draft capital in the trade down. It looks like the Cowboys may have fucked them in the trade with the Eagles as Smith might have been their target, but Kadarius Toney is one helluva consolation prize. 21) Indianapolis Colts – Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan A This is a much more comfortable spot to see Paye land in then having him go to the Giants as early as 11. Kwity is much more raw upside than finished product at the moment, but the ceiling here is ridiculously high and the situation that will be provided to him in Indy is one that will help his growth arc immensely. 22) Tennessee Titans – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech A The Titans end up with a slightly falling Farley that, perhaps, may have been in the mix with the top 2 CBs if not for the injury history. Caleb comes with an NFL ready skill set that will have him starting in Tennessee sooner rather than later. 23) Minnesota Vikings (from NYJ through SEA) – Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech A+ Minnesota moves back, adds draft capital and still comes away with an immediate upgrade for the offensive line. Throughout my mocks, Minny was one of a couple teams that I consistently saw the chance appear for them to move down. It just made to much sense for Zimmer and company. Darrisaw could have easily gone higher than this pick and it feels like a solid win for the Vikings. 24) Pittsburgh Steelers – Najee Harris, RB, Alabama A The Steelers decide the ground game will no longer be a question mark for 2021. If Najee Harris can develop some patience in approaching the line then he will quickly become one of the best backs in the NFL. Harris will be a 3 down workhorse in an offense that will be transitioning to Mason Rudolph in 2022. 25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR) – Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson B Really like the player, and I think I like the team fit, but this feels like Urban wanting to land athletes over filling holes. Etienne will most certainly upgrade the running back room athletically, but with all of the other options available to choose from on a roster that needs help in various spots, this feels like it's way too early for a luxury pick. 26) Cleveland Browns – Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern A Picks like this are the reason why I was adamant about the Browns hiring Andrew Berry before they did. This is most likely viewed in house as BPA at a position of need for Cleveland, and this pick just makes the kind of sense that has you saying "yep, that works". Newsome has all of the necessary traits to be that player that ends up surpassing the expectations of one or more of the names at his position selected ahead of him. 27) Baltimore Ravens – Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota A Now, let me start by giving the positive on this. The Ravens had a need at receiver and Bateman is an extremely talented player at the position. Baltimore gets the high grade because they filled a need with a high level player, and he may be good enough to overcome less than desirable circumstances. That last part after the comma is where the negative comes in. I do not like seeing high level prospects at receiver go to the Ravens because they have an almost abusive track record of not being able to develop talent at the position. In order for Bateman to reach his ceiling he is going to have to buck that trend. 28) New Orleans Saints – Payton Turner, DE, Houston A+ I really like this pick for the Saints. An ascending prospect with all of the necessary traits to be a long term dagger on the edge of a defensive line, Turner immediately fills a need for New Orleans after Trey Hendrickson's departure. 29) Green Bay Packers – Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia B+ It's a position of need for the Packers and they simply relaxed at the bottom of the first and took what may be the best available prospect left at this point in the draft. They take the slightest of hits on the grade book because I feel there were a few safer bets at the position than Stokes, but he does have the kind of make-up speed that defensive coordinators covet and the kind of production that pads a resume. 30) Buffalo Bills – Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami A This is a position that the Bills were going to look to address at some point in the draft, and it's probably one of the better places for Gregory to land and get the best chance to start his career on the right foot. There's raw tools here that can be developed but McDermott has his work cut out to coach him into being worth the 30th overall pick. The grade is buoyed a bit here by the ceiling that Greg possesses. 31) Baltimore Ravens (from KC) – Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State A This is a rock solid fit for both team and player. Oweh's physical tools are extremely high level and the Ravens have a solid resume of developing edge rushers. Jayson has the physical gifts that could make him the best pass rusher to come out of this draft class. 32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Joe Tryon, LB, Washington B+ It would have been really difficult for the Buccaneers to somehow screw up the grade on this pick as all they really needed to do was pick a quality player. Joe Tryon is definitely that but he needs possibly a bit more work than Rousseau does in developing his overall game. Tampa probably could have went in a different direction and got more out of this pick but, at worst, Tryon will be a solid rotational piece for the pass rush with the upside to be a full time starter.
Thats great stuff on Stokes guys, cheers for the input. And while he's probably a lovely human being im sure i speak for everyone here when i say i hope he doesnt make a success of himself. Well, for the next 4-5years anyway I thought the Vikings really killed it last night. The haven't had a lot to show from the last few seasons(and you could spend plenty of time discussing the why behind that) but Will and i have spoken about this before, i think Spielman is a good GM. The way he worked the draft to get very useful extra picks and still get a seriously good prospect who filled a big need, was just A+ GM work imo. You made a similar reference to this right after the Panthers pick. I get the strong sense of a possible inside joke here, nevertheless, i have to ask. Given our discussions about the Darnold trade and how high on that you were, why would you not want the Panthers to have gone OT last night? They have a big need at LT, their OL was not good last season. We already know from the Jets that IF Darnold is gonna turn it around at Carolina he's gonna need plenty of support. Support he probably doesnt have right now. Maybe you were just joking around and if so all good. But i thought you would've been a little more down on last nights pick than you seemed to be.
Yeah, the ‘Rhule’ thing is my love for quirks in the draft that make me smile. There’s something about the idea of a guy pounding on his desk going “Fuck it! I want more defense!”, like he’s Chris Walken ordering up more cowbell that brings out the smirk. CB was a position of need for the Panthers so going after Horn can be easily argued as the right move. Considering the options at OL that will be available early tonight, you can make the case that the better value would be to take the skill player and snag the cinder block with the next pick. I think the decision at #8 probably came down to Horn, Surtain or Slater.
To piggy-back on this, it's a stronger than most year for O-line talent. Any team picking in the top 10 of the second round can absolutely take the best overall player in the first round. Then come back in the second and take their top rated remaining OL and feel pretty good about it. Also fully agree with Tim. I love in a copycat league when a GM/coach combo can step outside the box and pursue something different with conviction. Panthers in pursuit of defense first. Rams so clearly going Superbowl or bust. As long as they convince me they're all-in, I can appreciate the process even if I wouldn't do it the same.
I really would be shocked if they didnt go OL with this next pick. Its a situation not dissimilar to the Bears now they've traded up for Fields. Two O-Lines that were not good last season. Gotta make them better to protect the new investment.
Gets me thinking again that 2.1 could be a valuable trade commodity. Yes there's some quality OL talent left. But there might be 2 or 3 teams who have that target guy and want to make sure they beat the others to him specifically, rather than waiting on their #2 option. Panthers, Bengals, Falcons, Broncos, Eagles, Bears, Colts, etc. That said, the Jags may well have a guy in mind with all the picks they have already don't really have to move out. So maybe 2.2 then.
Just got in... couldnt wait to see the convo's on last nights first round action... I was not disappointed. Great stuff everybody, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and opinions. Did any one else notice some of these prospects were wearing the team colors of the team that drafted them, lol... Im thinking conspiracy dammitt!
In 1982 the Pats took a DT with the last pick of the first round. The last time it happened in the "NFL" was pre-merger in the final draft that didn't include AFL teams. It was also the 2nd time in B2B years.
For the record - I banged this out in under 20 minutes. Round 2 33) Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevon Moehrig 34) New York Jets - Tyson Campbell 35) Atlanta Falcons - Azeez Ojulari 36) Miami Dolphins - Teven Jenkins 37) Philadelphia Eagles - Landon Dickerson 38) Cincinnati Bengals - Liam Eichenberg 39) Carolina Panthers - Christian Barmore (hey, I'm just sticking to his rhules) 40) Denver Broncos - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah 41) Detroit Lions - Elijah Moore 42) New York Giants - Carlos Basham 43) San Francisco 49ers - Jevon Holland 44) Dallas Cowboys - Aaron Robinson 45) Jacksonville Jaguars - Dyami Brown 46) New England Patriots - Asante Samuel Jr 47) Los Angeles Chargers - Richie Grant 48) Las Vegas Raiders - Shaun Wade (full on Mayock Vibe) 49) Arizona Cardinals - Wyatt Davis 50) Miami Dolphins - Javonte Williams 51) Washington Football Team - Kyle Trask 52) Chicago Bears - Dillon Radunz 53) Tennessee Titans - Terrace Marshall 54) Indianapolis Colts - Walker Little 55) Pittsburgh Steelers - Creed Humphrey 56) Seattle Seahawks - Jabril Cox 57) Los Angeles Rams - Pat Freiermuth 58) Kansas City Chiefs - Jevon Holland 59) Cleveland Browns - Rondale Moore 60) New Orleans Saints - Kelvin Joseph 61) Buffalo Bills - Quinn Meinerz 62) Green Bay Packers - Tylan Wallace 63) Kansas City Chiefs - Jackson Carman 64) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Alim McNeill
Here I am again under the guise of trying to figure shit out. It's not as easy as all of you think. Can we have a brief discussion about the pros and cons of Justin Fields? And by we, I mean you. In the past I've tried to discuss things here with zero prior knowledge of what I'm addressing so I thought I'd try something new today. Is this the right place for this kind of question? I'm never sure if I'm in the right place.
You're good. Pros: He's better than any quarterback currently on the Bears roster. Cons: He's never taken an NFL snap. That would be about the short of it. lol
