The best day of the year! NFL Draft Day. Here’s my annual write-up of the winners and losers from Day 1 of this year’s draft:
WINNERS
Houston Texans. Wow. I never thought I’d ever call them winners, but here we are. After years of enduring the terrible incompetence of Bill O’Brien – that will still be felt for years to come – the Texans drafted arguably the top offensive player (CJ Stroud) and the best defensive player in the draft (Will Anderson, Jr). Sure, they gave up some assets to get to pick third, but why not? This team needs franchise players, and they got two on opposites sides of the ball. Well done – finally – Houston!
Philadelphia Eagles. Damn. GM Howie Roseman has done it again! He’s delivered in this year’s draft with not one, but two defensive juggernauts (Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith) from the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs. You heard it here first: The Eagles will be back in the Super Bowl and this time will finish the job.
Arizona Cardinals. That’s right, I’m putting my team on the list and I feel great about it. The Cards were channeling their best Sonny Weaver Jr last night by trading back and then trading up and I loved what they did. The Cards planned to trade their #3 pick all along, and when Houston took Stroud, that shook things up for quarterback-needy teams. Trading back with Houston to the number 12 spot netted them a 2024 first- and third-round pick and an additional second round pick in this draft (pick #34). Following that trade, minutes later, the Cardinals jumped up to #6 (giving up their #12 and #34 they got from Houston) and landed OT Paris Johnson Jr, who will make an immediate impact on the offensive line, a perpetual need for the Cardinals. Fresh blood in the front office was a good sign for the Bird Gang. Both Kyler Murray and I are happy today!
Baltimore Ravens. First and foremost, signing Lamar Jackson was paramount to being a potential super-bowl team. And then getting a speedster – albeit a 5 foot 9 speedster – in Zay Flowers for Jackson is outstanding.
Wide Receivers
Wow. Yet again there was a huge run at wide receivers. I like it – and I get it – but I maintain my firm belief that winners of the draft build in the trenches, with offensive and defensive line players. Sure, there are exceptions, but I think the O-line and D-line picks are the safest and the ones that, while not necessarily sexy, strengthen the team for years maybe even a decade to come.
Buffalo Bills
Some didn’t love the Dalton Kincaid pick saying the Bills should have gone defense but having watched Kincaid the last couple of years at Utah, I love it! I’m a huge Kincaid fan and love the Bills, so yeah, winners all the way around!
LOSERS
Cleveland Browns
I like Deshaun Watson a lot. I do. But man, they continue to gift picks to the Texans as a result of acquiring him a year ago. And I understand he’s a significant upgrade over Baker Mayfield, Johnny Manziel, and the other suspect cast at QB they had. While Watson is a talented player, sacrificing the picks to acquire the needed assets to surround him has been – and likely will still be – costly.
Dolphins, Browns, 49ers, and Broncos
No first-round picks for these four teams either because of punishment (Dolphins) or trades (Browns, 49ers, and Broncos) is tough. Some years it makes sense but in the case of these trading teams they have yet to realize a good ROI on their moves. Notice, I didn’t say LA Rams. They continue to give their picks to the Lions due to the Matthew Stafford trade, but I think they would still make that move 100 times out of 100. I would too.
Dallas Cowboys
I’m not sure why I put them on this list – don’t think they necessarily were losers last night – but just looking at Jerry Jones and his entourage makes me think Losers with a capital “L”. That is all.
OTHER NOTES
I sure enjoyed attending the NFL Draft last year in Las Vegas. Booing Commissioner Roger Goodell in person (an NFL Draft tradition) is an experience every fan should enjoy at least once in their life. I was planning to go to Kansas City for the draft this year, but a last-minute trip to San Francisco thwarted that. I’m already making plans to attend next year’s draft in Detroit… who’s with me?
Who did I miss? Who were your winners and losers?