Big Moves Made on the First Day of the NFL Draft: Some Smart, Some not so Smart
Tis the season for the NFL Draft and day 1 has already caused quite a lot of excitement. The Baltimore Ravens came out looking pretty nice, due to some receiving of extra picks in the draft. The Ravens dissed Joe Flacco a bit, as the seasoned quarterback watched as the team drafted in to gain the very skilled Lamar Jackson, after his trade from the Eagles being the 32nd pick overall, and one of the five quarterbacks drafted that round. Jackson will serve as backup for Flacco, as they groom him to overtake his position.
The Los Angeles Chargers had quite a win during the first round, with a score of a seventeenth pick; Derwin James. Being able to secure James ensures that the team will have quite a loaded defense as the fall season approaches. The Browns and the Denver Broncos inadvertently helped one another out, as the Browns utilized their fourth pick by selecting Denzel Ward as their new cornerback. This move came as quite a surprise as the assumed pick for them was going to be Bradley Chubb, the skilled pass rusher. As the Browns picked Ward, this gave the advantage to the Broncos as they now had the opportunity to take Bradley Chubb, and he will be a great compliment to Shane Ray, as well as Von Miller.
It was pretty great to watch the rare occurrence of a pair of brothers enter the first round of the NFL Draft, and their proud parents watched as first Tremaine Edmunds was drafted as the 16th pick to the Buffalo Bills, and secondly, Terrell was drafted to the Steelers as 28th overall.
The New York Giants scored big by having the second pick in the first day, and found themselves in luck with Saquon Barkley. As many predicted that the Penn State running back Saquon Barkley would be snatched by the Browns, instead they picked quarterback Baker Mayfield, allotting Saquon to go to the Giants, which was much needed.
Probably the overall worst move made during the first day of drafting would be the Seattle Seahawks decision to pick San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny. This was a huge trade down for the team, even though Penny is a good running back, the move was premature with their being three more days of draft left. The Seahawks should have focused more on their need for a boost in their offensive line, or even a skilled wide receiver. As the next few days of drafting approach they will have to make a wise move in the third round.