The 2018 NFL draft kicked off with plenty of surprises on Thursday night, and the hits kept coming afterwards.
Here is a look at the winners and losers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft:
Losers
4. Seattle Seahawks
What on earth is going on with Seattle? Their offensive line has been a trainwreck for years, and instead of trying to fix that problem, they take a running back. Who exactly is blocking for that running back? Who is protecting franchise quarterback Russell Wilson? Rashaad Penny will step in immediately and be the starter, but he won’t produce much behind the mess that is Seattle’s offensive line.
3. New Orleans Saints
I have no problem with the Saints taking a pass rusher. However, they paid a serious price for a raw Marcus Davenport. New Orleans moved up from 27 to 14 in the first round and gave up two first round picks for Davenport.
The other first round pick is for the 2019 NFL Draft. That’s the real problem. The Saints have an aging quarterback, and at a time when they should be looking for the heir apparent to Drew Brees, they trade away draft capital.
Davenport has the talent to develop into a Pro Bowler, but he just as easily could be a bust. The Saints simply gave up too much for him.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers had an obvious need at safety with one of the top safeties in the draft still available. They could have taken Derwin James, who dropped all the way to the Los Angeles Chargers at 17. Instead, they picked the talented run-stuffer Vita Vea. He will help the Bucs in a division featuring multiple dynamic running backs, but there was a greater need there. Tampa will regret not taking James.
1. Buffalo Bills/Josh Allen
The Bills moved up to take Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen with the seventh pick of the draft when they had the draft capital to move up further. Allen is believed to have the highest upside of any quarterback in the draft, except perhaps Lamar Jackson. The problem is that his flaws are so definitive that there is no chance he can step in and be successful right away.
Allen’s accuracy issues remain the biggest concern. Some quarterbacks are able to get past it, and others end up like former first round pick JaMarcus Russell. I’m not saying that Allen is the same as Russell, who lacked the work ethic to succeed. But, the deck is stacked against Allen in Buffalo.
He doesn’t have an established quarterback to learn from, and the weapons at his disposal are just average. Buffalo would have been better off taking a more developed prospect.
Winners
3. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos had their pick of Josh Allen or Josh Rosen with the fifth overall pick. Instead, they took possibly the best defensive player in the draft. Bradley Chubb will immediately pay dividends alongside Von Miller and Shaq Barrett on that defense. While the Broncos offense won’t scare anyone, they will win based on that defense alone. The rest of the AFC West better beef up their offensive lines.
2. Lamar Jackson
The “Big Four” quarterbacks taken earlier in the first round all went to teams that have serious roster holes. It will take some time before any of those quarterbacks get a sniff of the playoffs. However, while Lamar Jackson fell all the way to the Ravens at pick 32, he joins a team with pieces in place to make the playoffs.
Quarterback Joe Flacco still leads the offense with former first round pick Robert Griffin III backing him up. Jackson can sit behind those two veterans and learn the craft at his own pace with no pressure to take the field right away.
The Ravens remain one of the most stable franchises in the NFL, which will give Jackson a huge advantage for the future.
1. Cleveland Browns
Browns general manager John Dorsey received plenty of criticism for taking Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield over Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen. Even more criticism came when he picked Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward with the fourth pick instead of N.C. State defensive end Bradley Chubb.
However, Dorsey has proven to be a solid talent evaluator. While Mayfield entered the draft with plenty of negatives, he also has the intangibles the Browns need. Mayfield possesses the drive to win that many players lack. He doesn’t give up. When he fails, Mayfield always learns and fixes the problem.
Oklahoma’s back-to-back series with Ohio State is a great example of Mayfield’s growth. The Buckeyes shut him down in their first meeting. One year later, Mayfield patiently picked apart Ohio State's defense. His leadership was the difference. He brought a swagger to that second Ohio State game that rubbed off on his teammates, and the result was a victory that put the Sooners on the path toward the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, Ward entered the draft as a mid-first round prospect, but the Browns saw what they needed in him to the point that they didn’t trade out of the pick. Cleveland deserves respect for having the conviction to stick with their guy. Ward emerged as one of the top college cornerbacks in the country in 2017, and he will make the Browns' secondary much better immediately.
Honorable mention: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons
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