NFL Draft Winners & Losers

I'll say it, this draft was pretty much as bad as expected. Definitely pales in comparison to the stacked draft we'll see next year. So I'd say a majority of teams really didn't move the needle with their selections, but some definitely did worse (and better) than others...

An obvious draft winner that I think most can agree on is the Jets, and I was very pleased to see it as a Jets win total bettor. Do I think Reese over Bailey probably was the better choice? Yeah, but even if I turn out to be right about that one the rest of their draft was plenty good enough to make up for it. With three first-round picks it’s tough for your draft to be a complete disaster especially for a team that needed infusions of talent everywhere like the Jets did. Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper give that offense some fun weapons and versatility around Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall that they haven’t really had. D’Angelo Ponds is an absolute dog, Anez Cooper is talented enough to rack up some starts, and VJ Payne is a guy I really like and has the potential to be the best value of their whole draft. He’s a freak athlete that can develop as a very dangerous nickel in that Aaron Glenn defense. This draft combined with the huge talent overhaul from free agency on that defense should have Jets fans excited.

A sneaky draft winner that not many people seem to be talking about is another AFC East team, the Buffalo Bills. And they made my list for what they did on Day 3. They were able to snag 2 guys in the 4th round who I think have some of the most upside of any Day 3 players at their position. If you aren’t familiar with Skyler Bell, I’d suggest you get familiar. He’s a dog that they’ll be able to use in a plethora of different ways and should have a shot to make an immediate impact. I’ve watched Kaleb Elarms-Orr for a few years now at Cal and TCU and he amazes me every time. He has great football instincts and is fundamentally sound in every aspect of his game. By the end of this season I think he plays a big role in the hopeful improvement of this defense, especially against the run. Admittedly the Bills could’ve done a bit more on the interior D-Line this draft to address that. Zane Durant is a fine flyer, but doesn’t knock my socks off. But TJ Parker on the edge is the headliner that I’m excited to watch in that defense. Adding in a few guys in the secondary in Davison Igbinosun and Jalon Kilgore that I like a lot really moved the needle for me there too. This defense has a solid infusion of some fun talent that I think can develop nicely quickly. Shoutout Brandon Beane.

I hate to give Gootz any glaze but I thought the Ravens quietly did a great job. You lose Tyler Lindenbaum this offseason and they committed to re-fortifying their interior O-Line. That project was completed with the selection of Olaivavega Ioane,  who is going to be a weapon for them in the run game with Derrick Henry. Then they go and get Zion Young as a replacement for the failed Maxx Crosby debacle. Obviously he isn’t Crosby, but I think he pairs incredibly well with Hendrickson and will be very disruptive for them on the edge. Their next 3 picks are all adds to the pass-catching room that I love. Ja’Kobi Lane has a chance to be the steal of this draft, Elijah Sarratt is a dog and an elite redzone target, and Matthew Hibner can fill a bit of the Isaiah Likely role as the downfield receiving threat in that TE room. You couldn’t do much better giving Lamar a refresh for some of his weapons in my opinion. Some of the later round picks were meh, but they got down to business quickly in this draft. Gotta tip cap there.

People need to talk more about how awful the Niners have drafted the past handful of years. They get a lot of credit for finding a diamond in the rough in Brock Purdy, but haven’t really struck on much else otherwise. A lot of people are hating on the De’Zhaun Stribling pick to begin the 2nd round, which I agree was a reach. But I like Stribling and don’t even hate that pick as much as everyone else. But the rest of the draft just seemed to have no direction. 24 year-old Kaelon Black lines up perfectly with their nearly useless RB draft picks from the last couple years. Romello Height is another guy where if you believe in him, sure I won’t fault you. But he was a six-year college guy who played for four different schools and didn’t break out until his senior year on a stacked defense. Not to mention he is also already 25. The Niners get this rep for developing talent, and even though they’ve had a down couple of seasons in that department they still deserve it for now. But not only does it seem like they’re overprioritizing what they think is a fit in their system as opposed to talent, but their biggest draft picks are guys with much smaller developmental windows. It’s like they're intentionally drafting away from their strengths, I don’t get it.

The Cardinals took the Raiders approach this year, and took their franchise RB so he can rot for a year with nothing around him. It’s hard to say that strategy is a flop because it really depends on what additions they make next offseason. I don’t really care for it, especially because by taking Jeremiyah Love that high he immediately becomes the highest paid RB in the league. Not exactly a great recipe for financial flexibility to build around Love. But regardless of the Love pick, their rest of the draft showed supreme confidence in their defense. A unit that was bottom 10 (mostly even bottom 5) in nearly every defensive metric was left relatively untouched. Both the Reggie Virgil and Carson Beck picks felt a little forced. One of the worst kept secrets in the league is that the Cards are planning on next offseason being their target to secure a long-term QB, so why take Beck in the 3rd with a defense (and offensive line) needing talent? You also just signed Kendrick Bourne to round out your pass-catching room with him and MHJ/Wilson/McBride. Not going to act like Bourne is Justin Jefferson, but it feels like you have to pick a side there. You got your rental for Brissett’s bridge year, why double down in that area when there were quite a few names available in that 5th round in areas of need? I’m not sure. If they felt like going who they thought was best available all draft I can respect it, but it feels like they left so much meat on the bone.

Not going to try and get contrarian with this one, what are the Rams doing? You would think current Super Bowl favorites who fell just short of getting there last year would draft like they’re in win-now mode. Especially because your window with Stafford is closing and you have such a talented team around him. Their first two picks were as baffling as any team in the draft. I understand the concept of trying to lock down Stafford’s successor and make the transition seamless. But I think the Pat Mahomes and Jordan Love situations have made a lot of teams too confident in doing this with quarterbacks that simply aren’t that guy. Ask the Vikings and Falcons how they feel about those JJ McCarthy and Michael Penix draft picks. I don’t think Ty Simpson is worth the pick at all, but even if he is this feels like a massive waste of draft capital. Then with their 2nd round pick they take a TE??? When their TEs were healthy at the end of the year it was like rocket science trying to pick which one of those guys it would be in any given game. The Rams added Max Klare to a TE room of Terrance Ferguson, Tyler Higbee, Davis Allen, and Colby Parkinson. It seemed clear that Ferguson was the vision for the future after they selected him in the 2nd round last year, but maybe not? It’s hard to call this an embarrassment of riches because they’re all largely mid tight ends, but just why? Especially in a draft where they only have 5 picks it almost feels like they got nothing done to improve this year’s team.