Apologies for taking up another thread/spot on the board, but I'd rather separate this from the actual draft thread so people can both see my thoughts without having to wade through so many posts on the draft thread and to provide thoughts of their own if they wish. here are mine for each team. And I'm going to avoid giving out "grades." Yeah, I could do that, but those aren't very fruitful without these guys having even been in a day of training camp for their teams much less played a snap in a game. I'll give my thoughts based on the order each team drafted in tonight and also post on teams that didn't. I'll break it down into 3 segments so it's not just one long read.
Jacksonville Jaguars - They made the pick they couldn't screw up in Trevor Lawrence. Taking a running back at 25 was interesting considering the other holes throughout their roster, but I do like that Travis Etienne and Lawrence have obvious chemistry with one another. If Etienne is another Alvin Kamara (ESPN compared him to Kamara), it's a great pick.
New York Jets - Some liked Justin Fields second after Lawrence, others preferred Trey Lance, a few may have preferred Mac Jones while the Jets and others liked Zach Wilson. I didn't see a ton of Wilson at BYU, so I don't feel good enough to comment. However, I will say I hope they're right. The last two QBs the Jets drafted high didn't pan out too well (Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold). At least Wilson didn't go to USC like the last two failures the Jets drafted highly at QB. Alijah Vera-Tucker, I wonder if they want to play him at right tackle or inside at guard. If it's at guard, I probably would have stayed back at 23 and taken somebody there. That said, I can't be too hard on the Jets for wanting to help Wilson out. And if he's the guy they liked most, who am I to question them?
San Francisco 49ers - Once the obvious two picks were off the board, I think taking Trey Lance was the right call. I think he could be a big star for the Niners. But they should keep Jimmy Garoppolo around and not rush Lance onto the field. If Lance plays well enough in training camp and preseason to where you feel comfortable riding with him on Week 1, trade Garoppolo then if a team needs a QB. Otherwise, just keep him and let him start unless he struggles or gets hurt (the latter does happen frequently with Jimmy, unfortunately).
Atlanta Falcons - A tight end feels like a luxury for a team with so many holes defensively, but obviously teams weren't that high on Justin Fields, and if you're going to build around Matt Ryan, I get it. Kyle Pitts could be a generational talent, and passing on talent like him to fill a need would have been a dumb idea for the Falcons. Hope they draft some defense tomorrow!
Cincinnati Bengals - Team Chase won over Team Sewell. I'd have personally gone with Sewell given that Joe Burrow's season ended early last year due to injury, but I do get the idea of reuniting Burrow with Ja'Marr Chase. Those two had a great connection with one another two years ago. A Chase/Higgins/Boyd receiving core could be dynamite. Just get Burrow some protection tomorrow, guys!
Miami Dolphins - With Pitts and Chase off the board, their options were Sewell or one of the Bama receivers. I can see the argument for any of the three, and if they think Waddle is the next Tyreek Hill like some believe, they made the right choice even though I personally like Smith better since he's more polished and has a higher floor. Built in chemistry with Tua is a plus on the Waddle pick. Jaelan Phillips is a high risk/high reward player. He medically retired while at UCLA from multiple concussions. That would scare me a bit, but he'd have likely gone higher if not for that, so I get where the Dolphins were going with this pick.
Detroit Lions - Can't go wrong with a BPA concept nor can you go wrong with building in the trenches. Penei Sewell was the best tackle in the draft, and he certainly could have gone as high as 5 to Cincinnati for me. I like that Detroit chose him over DeVonta Smith. They've tried the WR thing in the top 10 so many times before and it's failed miserably for them. They could have considered Fields, but if they didn't like him enough, I understand passing on him. You can say that about Atlanta before them and the next two teams that picked after the Lions, who also both passed on Fields.
Carolina Panthers - You could make a case for any of the three players that went in succession from 8 to 10 in this spot. Or you could make one for Rashawn Slater as well. If they didn't think Slater could play tackle (and maybe they didn't), I like going for a corner. Given the offenses Carolina has to go against in their own division, they need to add corner help. They got it in Jaycee Horn
Denver Broncos - A case for Fields could have been made here, but like I said, if they didn't like him enough, don't take him just to try upgrading at QB. Cornerback was an interesting pick. Prior to free agency, cornerback would have made perfect sense. After they signed Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller in free agency, I wasn't sure they'd draft a corner at the 9th spot. But in a division with Mahomes and that Chiefs offense and Justin Herbert, I can get behind the idea of having another quality corner on the roster. Patrick Surtain offers IMO a higher floor than Jaycee Horn, although Bama corners have been a bit hit or miss in the NFL
Philadelphia Eagles - They knew if they wanted DeVonta Smith that they'd have to get ahead of the Giants. Having two third round picks, I have no issue with trading one of those away to get their guy, even if it meant trading the pick to Dallas. The Cowboys obviously didn't need Smith after drafting CeeDee Lamb a year ago, so I understand the move back from their P.O.V.
Jacksonville Jaguars - They made the pick they couldn't screw up in Trevor Lawrence. Taking a running back at 25 was interesting considering the other holes throughout their roster, but I do like that Travis Etienne and Lawrence have obvious chemistry with one another. If Etienne is another Alvin Kamara (ESPN compared him to Kamara), it's a great pick.
New York Jets - Some liked Justin Fields second after Lawrence, others preferred Trey Lance, a few may have preferred Mac Jones while the Jets and others liked Zach Wilson. I didn't see a ton of Wilson at BYU, so I don't feel good enough to comment. However, I will say I hope they're right. The last two QBs the Jets drafted high didn't pan out too well (Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold). At least Wilson didn't go to USC like the last two failures the Jets drafted highly at QB. Alijah Vera-Tucker, I wonder if they want to play him at right tackle or inside at guard. If it's at guard, I probably would have stayed back at 23 and taken somebody there. That said, I can't be too hard on the Jets for wanting to help Wilson out. And if he's the guy they liked most, who am I to question them?
San Francisco 49ers - Once the obvious two picks were off the board, I think taking Trey Lance was the right call. I think he could be a big star for the Niners. But they should keep Jimmy Garoppolo around and not rush Lance onto the field. If Lance plays well enough in training camp and preseason to where you feel comfortable riding with him on Week 1, trade Garoppolo then if a team needs a QB. Otherwise, just keep him and let him start unless he struggles or gets hurt (the latter does happen frequently with Jimmy, unfortunately).
Atlanta Falcons - A tight end feels like a luxury for a team with so many holes defensively, but obviously teams weren't that high on Justin Fields, and if you're going to build around Matt Ryan, I get it. Kyle Pitts could be a generational talent, and passing on talent like him to fill a need would have been a dumb idea for the Falcons. Hope they draft some defense tomorrow!
Cincinnati Bengals - Team Chase won over Team Sewell. I'd have personally gone with Sewell given that Joe Burrow's season ended early last year due to injury, but I do get the idea of reuniting Burrow with Ja'Marr Chase. Those two had a great connection with one another two years ago. A Chase/Higgins/Boyd receiving core could be dynamite. Just get Burrow some protection tomorrow, guys!
Miami Dolphins - With Pitts and Chase off the board, their options were Sewell or one of the Bama receivers. I can see the argument for any of the three, and if they think Waddle is the next Tyreek Hill like some believe, they made the right choice even though I personally like Smith better since he's more polished and has a higher floor. Built in chemistry with Tua is a plus on the Waddle pick. Jaelan Phillips is a high risk/high reward player. He medically retired while at UCLA from multiple concussions. That would scare me a bit, but he'd have likely gone higher if not for that, so I get where the Dolphins were going with this pick.
Detroit Lions - Can't go wrong with a BPA concept nor can you go wrong with building in the trenches. Penei Sewell was the best tackle in the draft, and he certainly could have gone as high as 5 to Cincinnati for me. I like that Detroit chose him over DeVonta Smith. They've tried the WR thing in the top 10 so many times before and it's failed miserably for them. They could have considered Fields, but if they didn't like him enough, I understand passing on him. You can say that about Atlanta before them and the next two teams that picked after the Lions, who also both passed on Fields.
Carolina Panthers - You could make a case for any of the three players that went in succession from 8 to 10 in this spot. Or you could make one for Rashawn Slater as well. If they didn't think Slater could play tackle (and maybe they didn't), I like going for a corner. Given the offenses Carolina has to go against in their own division, they need to add corner help. They got it in Jaycee Horn
Denver Broncos - A case for Fields could have been made here, but like I said, if they didn't like him enough, don't take him just to try upgrading at QB. Cornerback was an interesting pick. Prior to free agency, cornerback would have made perfect sense. After they signed Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller in free agency, I wasn't sure they'd draft a corner at the 9th spot. But in a division with Mahomes and that Chiefs offense and Justin Herbert, I can get behind the idea of having another quality corner on the roster. Patrick Surtain offers IMO a higher floor than Jaycee Horn, although Bama corners have been a bit hit or miss in the NFL
Philadelphia Eagles - They knew if they wanted DeVonta Smith that they'd have to get ahead of the Giants. Having two third round picks, I have no issue with trading one of those away to get their guy, even if it meant trading the pick to Dallas. The Cowboys obviously didn't need Smith after drafting CeeDee Lamb a year ago, so I understand the move back from their P.O.V.
