The first ever virtual NFL draft is now over. 255 young men had their dreams realized last weekend as they were drafted into the NFL. The draft was split into three days as round one took place on April 23, rounds two and three on April 24, and rounds four through seven on April 25. Before the draft, the NFL had a test run and many problems arose, but the real draft went on without any hiccups. Fans did get to see some things we would have never seen before, like Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s dog making a few picks for New England. Goofs and gaffs aside, it is time to break down what teams improved the most and what teams did not.
Winners
Baltimore Ravens
No. 28: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
No. 55: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
No. 71: Justin Madubuike, IDL, Texas A&M
No. 92: Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas
No. 98: Malik Harrison, LB, Ohio State
No. 106: Tyre Phillips, IOL, Mississippi State
No. 143: Ben Bredeson, IOL, Michigan
No. 170: Broderick Washington Jr., IDL, Texas Tech
No. 201: James Proche, WR, SMU
No. 219: Geno Stone, S, Iowa
The rich get richer. After finishing with the best record in the NFL last season, the Ravens got even better in the draft. They waited in the first round and LSU LB Patrick Queen fell right into their laps. In the second round, they were able to get one of the top running backs in this draft class in Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins. Even in the third round, the Ravens got great value in Texas A&M IDL Justin Madubuike, Texas WR Devin Duvernay, and Ohio State LB Malik Harrison. After this draft, the Ravens are looking scarier than last season, so watch out for them when next season rolls around.
Dallas Cowboys
No. 17: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
No. 51: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
No. 82: Neville Gallimore, IDL, Oklahoma
No. 123: Reggie Robinson, CB, Tulsa
No. 146: Tyler Biadasz, IOL, Wisconsin
No. 179: Bradlee Anae, EDGE, Utah
No. 231: Ben DiNucci, QB, James Madison
The Cowboys surprised a lot of fans when they drafted Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb. The reason being that their top needs were not at receiver. However, Lamb is still a good pick for Dallas as the arguably top receiver in the draft fell all the way to pick seventeen. The Cowboys then filled one of their needs at corner in the second round with Alabama’s Trevon Diggs. Every pick for Dallas was a good pick except maybe James Madison QB Ben DiNucci. Their offense is now loaded with CeeDee Lamb and Travis Fredrick’s replacement, Wisconsin C Tyler Biadasz, and with key players on defense the Cowboys could be the favorite to win their division.
Denver Broncos
No. 15: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
No. 46: K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State
No. 77: Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa
No. 83: Lloyd Cushenberry III, IOL, LSU
No. 95: McTelvin Agim, IDL, Arkansas
No. 118: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
No. 178: Justin Strnad, LB, Wake Forest
No. 181: Netane Muti, IOL, Fresno State
No. 252: Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Florida
No. 254: Derrek Tuszka, EDGE, North Dakota State
The Broncos really nailed this draft with all the offensive weapons they got for QB Drew Lock. Jerry Jeudy slid all the way to the Broncos at pick fifteen, they also picked up the speedy K.J. Hamler in the second round. They also reinforced this offensive line with IOL Lloyd Cushenberry in the third and IOL Netane Muti in the sixth. They filled up some holes on the defense too with Iowa CB Michael Ojemudia and Wake Forest LB Justin Strnad. The main focus of this draft for Denver was offense and they nailed it by surrounding young Drew Lock with a ton of weapons which will be crucial if they want him to be their franchise quarterback.
Sleeper
Carolina Panthers
No. 7: Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn
No. 38: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State
No. 64: Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois
No. 113: Troy Pride Jr., CB, Notre Dame
No. 152: Kenny Robinson, S, West Virginia
No. 184: Bravvion Roy, DT, Baylor
No. 221: Stantley Thomas-Oliver, CB, FIU
Carolina is my sleeper draft class because they did very well, but are not getting a whole lot of attention. The Panthers spent free agency rebuilding the offense, and so they then spent the whole draft on rebuilding the defense. They got IDL Derrick Brown who is one of the best defensive players in this draft. They then got a first round talent in the second round in Penn State rusher Yetur Gross-Matos. Also, safety Jeremy Chinn slid to them later in the second round. One of my favorite picks in this draft class was in the fifth round when Carolina selected West Virginia and St. Louis Battlehawks Safety Kenny Robinson. Robinson left West Virginia and went to the XFL with college eligibility so after the XFL went bankrupt he was eligible to be drafted instead of just signing to a NFL team. This team is in rebuilding mode but with these pieces on their defense, they have potential to make playoffs next season.
Losers
Green Bay Packers
No. 26: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
No. 62: A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
No. 94: Josiah Deguara, TE, Cincinnati
No. 175: Kamal Martin, LB, Minnesota
No. 192: Jon Runyan, G, Michigan
No. 208: Jake Hanson, C, Oregon
No. 209: Simon Stepaniak, G, Indiana
No. 236: Vernon Scott, DB, TCU
No. 242: Jonathan Garvin, EDGE, Miami
It seemed clear to everyone that the Packers needed more receivers this offseason. They did not address the position in free agency so everyone pointed to the draft to fill the hole. Then they traded up to draft Aaron Rodgers’ successor. By all means, that is not a bad pick because Jordan Love will be able to sit behind Rodgers for a few years and develop. The reason this was one of the worst draft classes is the fact that they did not draft a single receiver in the draft. They had so many opportunities, but did not pull the trigger and now they have no one to pair up with WR Davante Adams.
Philadelphia Eagles
No. 21: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
No. 53 : Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
No. 103: Davion Taylor, LB, Colorado
No. 127: K’Von Wallace, S, Clemson
No. 145: Jack Driscoll, OT, Auburn
No. 168: John Hightower, WR, Boise State
No. 196: Shaun Bradley, LB, Temple
No. 200: Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Mississippi
No. 210: Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn
No. 233: Casey Toohill, LB, Stanford
The Eagles also had a huge need at receiver and, unlike Green Bay, did draft some. They picked Jalen Reagor to fill up that need but it might have been a little bit of a reach. With guys like Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, and Tee Higgins also available it just seems like the Eagles could have gotten a better receiver at pick twenty one. Then the Eagles surprised everyone when they drafted QB Jalen Hurts in the second round. This is interesting because QB Carson Wentz is still young and has great potential. It just seems odd to get a backup QB in the second round. Other than these two picks, Philadelphia did fine. If they picked better in the first two rounds they could have been a candidate for the winners but we will have to see how they use Jalen Reagor and Jalen Hurts next season.
Seattle Seahawks
No. 27: Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech
No. 48: Darrell Taylor, EDGE, Tennessee
No. 69: Damien Lewis, IOL, LSU
No. 133: Colby Parkinson, TE, Stanford
No. 144: DeeJay Dallas, RB, Miami
No. 148: Alton Robinson, EDGE, Syracuse
No. 214: Freddie Swain, WR, Florida
No. 251: Stephen Sullivan, TE, LSU
Seattle wanted to fill a need at LB but instead of drafting a guy like Patrick Queen, they drafted a guy projected to go in the second round. The Seahawks better hope that Jordyn Brooks is the next Bobby Wagner or they are going to regret passing up on Queen. The rest of the draft went pretty well as they filled up their main needs. Maybe Brooks can be a reliable guy for Seattle but if not, then this draft was a dud.
Boom or Bust
New England Patriots
No. 37: Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne
No. 60: Joshua Uche, EDGE, Michigan
No. 87: Anfernee Jennings, EDGE, Alabama
No. 91: Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA
No. 101: Dalton Keene, TE, Virginia Tech
No. 159: Justin Rohrwasser, K, Marshall
No. 182: Michael Onwenu, IOL, Michigan
No. 195: Justin Herron, OT, Wake Forest
No. 204: Cassh Maluia, LB, Wyoming
No. 230: Dustin Woodard, IOL, Memphis
The Patriots are my Boom or Bust draft class this year because they did not address one very important position. They seemed to forget they lost Tom Brady and did not draft a single quarterback while they had many opportunities. They traded out of the first round instead of drafting a guy like Jordan Love and drafted a kicker in the fifth round instead of drafting Jake Fromm. The reason they are a boom or bust and not a loser is the fact that they are the Patriots. They have an incredible coaching staff and no matter what, they still have playoff potential.
