2018 NFL Draft Round 1 Preview
One of the most overrated nights in television is here folks, get amped. Round 1 of the NFL Draft is tonight. The night where the Cleveland Browns inevitably ruin a poor kids life. Just a quick little refresher for everyone. Tonight’s draft order is:
1. Cleveland Browns
2. New York Giants
3. New York Jets (from Indianapolis)
4. Cleveland (from Houston)
5. Denver Broncos
6. Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Chicago Bears
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. Oakland Raiders
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Buffalo Bills (from Cincinnati)
13. Washington Redskins
14. Green Bay Packers
15. Arizona Cardinals
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Los Angeles Chargers
18. Seattle Seahawks
19. Dallas Cowboys
20. Detroit Lions
21. Cincinnati Bengals (from Buffalo)
22. Buffalo (from Kansas City)
23. New England Patriots (from Los Angeles)
24. Carolina Panthers
25. Tennessee Titans
26. Atlanta Falcons
27. New Orleans Saints
28. Pittsburgh Steelers
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
30. Minnesota Vikings
31. New England Patriots
32. Philadelphia Eagles
#1 Overall Pick
(Photo Courtesy: Sporting News)
The top pick will most likely be Baker Mayfield from Oklahoma. And of course, the Browns will thrust him into a situation he can’t handle and his career will be over before it started. However; Mayfield does have some upside. A mobile quarterback with a good arm, he can make good throws. Unfortunately, he also makes some really dumb decisions. Mayfield is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. He took his Sooners to the national semifinal this year losing a thrilling game to Georgia in the Rose Bowl.
But let’s be honest here, it doesn’t matter who the Browns take, that kids career is already over.
Patriots Draft Picks
The Patriots have needs at QB, TE, CB, LB, and OL. With the soap opera of an off season with Gronk and Brady, it’s clear that they’ll be done rather soon. Now some draft experts have the Patriots pulling off quite the trade to get up to the Browns 2nd pick (number 4) and potentially drafting Sam Darnold from USC. It’s really hard to see the Patriots trading up that far in the draft so it’s unlikely that this happens. However; one QB that the Patriots have shown considerable interest in is Louisville’s Lamar Jackson. When the Patriots met with him a few times, they were very impressed. Jackson is also a mobile quarterback and plays a very similar style to Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans. If the Patriots do decide to go with Jackson, that offense would have to change drastically.
Lesser Known Players
Another area in which many experts have the Patriots looking at many players is offensive Line. Left tackle, Kolton Miller out of UCLA seems to be a popular pick. Miller is a big kid that moves well would definitely be a great option at the blind side. Staying local, Harold Landry from Boston College has been mentioned as a pass rusher for the Pats. Landry, an all-American, is speedy, shifty player but is some what of a one tricky pony. If Landry can work on his size and technical skill, he’ll be a valuable asset to the team. In the secondary, it looks like the Patriots have interest in Josh Jackson from Iowa, and Jaire Alexander from Louisville. But, one player that many love is Boise St. LB Leighton Vander Esch.
What To Do Tonight
The Patriots have two picks tonight and they need to address offensive line and linebacker with the two picks. They’re probably not going to get the QB tonight because they’ll most likely be drafted high tonight. And they’ll be fine if they don’t address the QB tonight but they absolutely, 100% need to address defense and that offensive line. Let’s hope that Bill doesn’t have the “Out the door” mentality like Brady and Gronk seem to be getting.
Brian Berard (@RockyBerard)
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