After all the Eagles and Browns trading up speculation the first round is more or less a mirror image of most mock drafts. Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers being taken a little early was the only exception.
It was disappointing that the Browns didn’t screw up and mortgage their future for Marcus Mariota, or as Goodell called him, Marcus Mariato. What a schmuck. ~Ryan Jones
It might have shocked many that Brandon Scherff went #5 to the Redskins…it shocked me. But maybe this is the smartest decision Washington has made in some time. Scherff is one of the few players in this draft that I would consider a “sure thing” and if you feel he can help your team immediately, why not take him when you have the chance? At the end of the day, you have to do something to protect the fragile RGIII.
Probably more shocking was the Jets landing Leonard Williams. Their defense is going to be a force this season with an improved secondary and adding who I considered the best prospect in the draft to their front seven. If you want to win in the AFC East, you have to get after Tom Brady. ~Will Spencer
Looking forward to week 1 to see the Winston/Mariota match-up. Didn’t see a whole lot of surprises, but I’m questioning the Kevin White to Chicago Bears pick. What good is having a great WR with Jay Cutler as your QB? Well at least the draft is in Chicago, maybe White can find a place to live while he’s in town and start working that chemistry with Mr. Personality.
Nice pick-up by the Falcons with Vic Beasley. New Defensive Coordinator Richard Smith will have his hands full, but Beasley’s ready to step into a starting role.
Gurley’s a risky move coming off that torn ACL, but heck of a down field runner. Could be the missing piece from the Rams equation. So much talent on that team, just missing a few components. The Gurley pick, if he’s healthy, should return dividends quickly. ~Cheryl Bowens
Through the first 10 draft picks, it’s been…pretty boring. There haven’t been any trades, and every one seems to be making quality picks. The big two receivers are off of the board. As expected, Shane Ray and Randy Gregory are still on the board. I wouldn’t be surprised if they stick around until the 20s. My hope right now is that DeVante Parker can fall into the mid-late teens and Ozzie can find enough value to move up. If that doesn’t happen, I hope that Marcus Peters or Kevin Johnson will fall. ~Tyler Lombardi
I felt that the first ten picks were based solely on positions of need. That’s not how you want to build a team. I was hoping The ‘WOW’ pick so far is Gurley. Melvin Gordon will probably be gone long before the Ravens pick. Secretly, I was hoping that Cooper or White fell to the middle of the round and the Ravens traded up to get one of them. ~Nadeem Kureishy
The board is still very much intact for the Ravens after an mixture of positions being selected in picks 1-10. As it stands for now, if the Ravens have a cornerback high on their board they are in a good position to land at least one of the top three with their 26th overall pick. ~Brian Bower
1. These fans in Chicago mean business booing the commish through all his stage appearances.
2. Washington makes a quality pick that really changes the board-a run on OL can really help the Ravens, and the Giants don’t disappoint with Flowers.
3. Kevin White when need meets value. Awesome pick.
4. Gurley did a reddit AMA this afternoon, where he repeatedly answered that the Ravens were the team he cheered for growing up. Damn.
5. Oakland couldn’t get their pick in fast enough. ~Mark Weingram
In terms of *who* most thought would be selected in the top 10, there weren’t many surprises. Ereck Flowers to the New York Giants seems to be the biggest reach thus far, and it should be assumed he’ll struggle as a rookie, but there is some promise in his game to think in years two and three he could develop into a solid NFL offensive tackle. Brandon Scherff was a reach relative to where he was selected, but not based on skill. Scherff can be a top-tier guard in the NFL, but will he provide enough value to be worthy of where he was selected?
Todd Gurley is the wild card of the top 10. He’s a rare talent but the Rams must be patient and not rush back a player with an injury history behind just an ACL tear. Kudos to the Oakland Raiders for making solid 1st round selections in consecutive years. First Khalil Mack, now Amari Cooper. Derek Carr has no excuse for not taking a big leap in year two with Cooper added to the mix.
For Baltimore, the fact that no cornerbacks were selected in the top 10 and just one edge rusher is a positive sign. ~Kyle Casey
I am a little surprised there was no trade partner for Leonard Williams, but I suppose the Jets feel they may not be able to afford Wilkerson. He would have enormous trade value. The Skins again get a lot of heads shaking with the selection of Scherff. He’s a fine tackle, but would have more value to a team that would use him on the left side. That’s the pick I really didn’t like. ~Ken McKusick
Early fireworks were smothered by the Titans rejecting potential blockbuster trades and themselves selecting Marcus Mariota. The Jets stumbled into the best player in the draft at #6, and the first running back taken in the first round in two years goes inside the top 10. Let’s see which receivers go next and whether teams will secure some of the top edge rushers with off-field issues. ~Kyle Rate
The biggest surprises thus far are the lack of trading activity and the fact that the best player in the draft fell to the Jets at No. 6 (Leonard Williams). And let’s not forget Roger Goodell, after months of hearing the name of Oregon’s Heisman Trophy winning QB pronounces his name Mary-Oh-Toe. What a slappy! ~Tony Lombardi
We’ll post more as they roll in!
