1. (26) Alabama WR Calvin Ridley
2. (58) Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver
3. (90) South Florida DT Deadrin Senat
4. (126) Southern Miss RB Ito Smith
6. (194) LSU WR Russell Gage
6. (200) Yale LB Foyesade Oluokun
Good Move : The Falcons trusted their board and in Calvin Ridley they selected arguably the highest ranked receiver in the draft class, from a pro-style offense, running the full route tree who was consistently productive in college despite Alabama's run-heavy offense. Receiver was an understated need for the Falcons but behind Julio Jones and Mohammed Sanu there isn't much proven depth. Ridley will contribute immediately, likely as WR3. An instant upgrade to the 2017 offense.
Bargain Pick : It might be a stretch to suggest a 2nd rounder could be a bargain pick but Isaiah Oliver carried a 1st round grade by many experts and was not expected to be available at #58. He's the prototypical Dan Quinn corner - physicality and length - and whilst a little raw has all the tools to become a dominant bump and run corner. In a division with lengthy receivers such as Mike Evans, Devin Funchess and Michael Thomas it's a solid pick for Atlanta which will probably see Robert Alford kick into the slot in nickel packages.
Risk / Reward Gamble : The Falcons had a relatively small list of needs and their strategy appeared to be sticking to their draft board by ranked players at these positions regardless of the most obvious priority being the interior defensive line, where only Grady Jarrett returns from their final 2017 roster. I've no problem with this philosophy and if Ridley and Oliver pan out as expected it's a good class. However, the risk / reward gamble here is that Deadrin Senat must contribute significantly in year one on that thin defensive line.
Tell Me Why Again : Similar to my point above, just why didn't Atlanta double-down on the DT position? I expected Atlanta to select Maurice Hurst at #90 but they chose to take an underrated run plugger in Senat which I'm ok with. However, when they passed on Hurst again at #126 I was surprised. I understand the concerns but he was a 1st round talent and whilst I'm not party to the medical reports I thought the risk at #126 was worth the price. Even if the pick wasn't Hurst I'd still have expected a further d-lineman to be added somewhere as part of this class.
1. (24) Maryland WR D.J. Moore
2. (55) LSU CB Donte Jackson
3. (85) Tennessee DB Rashaan Gaulden
4. (101) Indiana TE Ian Thomas
4. (136) Ole Miss DE Marquis Haynes
5. (161) Maryland LB Jermaine Carter
7. (234) North Carolina LB Andre Smith
7. (242) Miami DT Kendrick Norton
Good Move - Cam Newton needs more weapons and D.J. Moore shot up the draft boards. He'll provide enough speed to be a deep threat and the depth of the Panthers receiving corps is enough for Moore to see plenty of opportunities. He'll be on a learning curve from what he was asked to do for Maryland but should contribute from day one.
Bargain Pick - I was really impressed with Ian Thomas performance at the combine but his on-field productivity in college just doesn't match his talent. If Thomas can kick-on and achieve anywhere near his potential the Panthers could eventually have a starting TE from the 101st pick.
Risk / Reward Gamble - The Panthers needed to upgrade their secondary, replacing traded Daryl Worley with Donte Jackson and Rashaan Gaulden. Jackson is probably the quickest player in the draft class but his size could relegate him to slot corner and his instincts aren't great. Gaulden is almost the exact opposite, who tested badly at the combine but shows solid gameday tape. Both players have upsides but enough questions to make them risky selections.
Tell Me Why Again - The Panthers are shifting to Norv Turner's deeper drop vertical passing game and allowed their best o-lineman Andrew Norwell to depart in free agency. I don't know why the Panthers didn't address this area during the draft.
1. (14) Texas-San Antonio DE Marcus Davenport
3. (91) Central Florida WR Tre’Quan Smith
4. (127) Florida State OT Rick Leonard
5. (164) Wisconsin S Natrell Jamerson
6. (189) Boston College CB Kamrin Moore
6. (201) Louisiana Tech RB Boston Scott
7. (245) LSU C/G Will Clapp
Good Move - The 2017 draft class was full of them, this class I just plain didn't like. We've got to respect the evaluators at the Saints following the previous years class so I'll try offer the benefit of the doubt. If Davenport pans out then I'll give them the nod.
Bargain Pick - I actually think Will Clapp at #245 was a better prospect than Rick Leonard at #127. Clapp is solid if unspectacular, bringing 3-years starting experience with LSU at both the Center and Guard positions. This versatility and a good training camp should earn him a roster spot.
Risk / Reward Gamble - The Saints know that the Drew Brees timeline is ticking away and gave up a lot to get Marcus Davenport to improve their pass rush. If he becomes an immediate contributor I guess the gamble has paid-off, if not they've used 2 x 1st round picks on a single, raw prospect.
Tell Me Why Again - The Saints struck gold in the 2017 draft but I struggled to understand most of this one. They gave up a lot of draft capital (this years #27 pick, their 2019 1st rounder and this years #147 pick) to Green Bay to move up from #27 to #14 to take a raw small school pass rusher. I get the risk/reward here but if I think the cost was excessive. They selected two DB's I wasn't sold on and an o-lineman in the 4th who was expected to go undrafted. Their two offensive skill position picks are good players but I'm not sure how much opportunity they will receive in year one at positions with plenty of depth when the strategy with Davenport seemed to be searching for immediate impact
1. (12) Washington DT Vita Vea
2. (38) USC RB Ronald Jones
2. (53) North Carolina CB M.J. Stewart
2. (63) Auburn CB Carlton Davis
3. (94) Humboldt State T/G Alex Cappa
4. (117) Pittsburgh S Jordan Whitehead
5. (144) Pennsylvania WR Justin Watson
6. (202) Wisconsin LB Jack Cichy
Good Move - By trading down 5 places from #7 to #12 the Buccs acquired two additional 2nd round picks (#53 and #63) and a 4th rounder (#117) from this class - a good haul for a relatively small drop down the order. Stewart, Davis and Whitehead could all contribute and I assume Vea was their top 1st round target all along.
Bargain Pick - I had a borderline round 1-2 grade on Carlton Davis so for the big bodied corner to be on the board at #63 for an NFC South team that faces lengthy receivers such as Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and Devin Funchess was a stroke of fortune for the Buccs.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Alex Cappa comes from a low-level of competition at Humboldt State and it will be interesting to see how he can adjust to the NFL. He's a nasty attitude finisher and the Buccs have recent experience of turning a division III lineman (Ali Marpet) into a starter.
Tell Me Why Again - Vea is a big body but the value of the pick at #12 will largely depend on his ability to be more than just a 2-down plugger. In my opinion the positional need and the better value was for the Buccs to take Derwin James who was a top 10 talent that amazingly slipped to San Diego at #17
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