2018 NFL Draft: 1st Round Recap

1)     Cleveland Browns – Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma Grade: B+

There is nothing wrong with this pick. I had three QBs tied at QB2. Mayfield brings a swagger to a bad organization and will be an electric spark in Cleveland. Sorry for the clichés, it’s a good pick and shouldn’t be overthought.

2)     New York Giants – Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State Grade: B-

I really like Barkley as a player and his receiving ability makes him more useful in the modern NFL than a more traditional back but this pick is built upon the premise that there are net positive years of Eli Manning still remaining.

3)     New York Jets f/Indianapolis – Sam Darnold, QB, USC Grade: B+

I had him tied with Mayfield and Jackson as QB2 and the only way this works out better for the Jets is if they take Rosen.

4)     Cleveland Browns f/Houston – Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State Grade: A

A surprise at four but not in a bad way or a traditionally Brownsian way. Ward is the #1 corner in this draft and shores up a position of great consternation for the Browns.

5)     Denver Broncos – Bradley Chubb, Edge, NC State Grade: A

I mean they get a player they probably never dreamed would be there at five. Good pick John.

6)     Indianapolis Colts f/NYJ – Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame Grade: A+

I mean this honestly could not have worked out any better for Indy if they had planned it and picked for everyone in front of them.

Trade:

BUF gets pick 7 Grade: D

TB gets picks 12, 53 & 56 Grade: A+

Tampa bay makes out like gangbusters and put themselves in a great position to fill holes in a team with many. Buffalo gets what they want and that certainly has value.

7)     Buffalo Bills f/Tampa Bay – Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming Grade: D

I wish Josh Allen all the luck in the NFL and hope that he proves me and everyone who doubted him wrong. In current context I don’t get it.

8)     Chicago Bears – Roquan Smith, OBLB, Georgia Grade: A+

I already hate having to watch the Packers play Roquan twice a season. Nice job Chicago.

9)     San Francisco 49ers – Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame Grade: B

I get the pick but I don’t think I would have jumped this high for McGlinchey even though he is my top tackle in the 2018 draft.

Trade:

OAK gets pick 15, 79 & 152 Grade: C

ARI gets pick 10 Grade: B

Oakland gets less than half the value surplus of the two trades around them.

10)  Arizona Cardinals f/Oakland – Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA Grade: A

My top QB goes to pair up with Larry Fitzgerald for about a year.

11)  Miami Dolphins – Minkah Fitzpatrick, FS, Alabama Grade: A

Minkah falls a couple picks farther than expected and lands on a team with a leadership void and a secondary that needs a lot of help.

12)  Tampa Bay Buccaneers f/Buffalo f/Kansas City – Vita Vea, Int, Washington Grade: C+

I liked Vita but this seems like a reach in a loaded Tampa front. That said interior pressure is all the rage and him and McCoy next to each other is going to be a nightmare.

13)  Washington Redskins – Da’Ron Payne, Int, Alabama Grade: C

Payne is still a troubling eval for me because of what I saw him to to Alabama in the National Championship Game. I don’t hate the pick and I can’t make myself love it so a solid C it is.

Trade:

NO gets 14 Grade: D

GB gets 27, 147 & ’19 1st Grade: A+

The packers ended up with a value surplus of a mid-20s pick which means that the 2019 1^st they got is almost entire icing on the cake.

14)  New Orlenas Saints f/Green Bay – Marcus Davenport, Edge, UTSA Grade: B+

I’ve never been as high on Davenport as everyone else but he’s athletically gifted and has the raw tools to be a very good edge defender for New Orleans.

15)  Oakland Raiders f/Arizona – Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA Grade: B

Miller was the best athletic tester of the offensive linemen but mid-first is a little too steep of a price for me.

Trade:

BUF gets 16 & 154 Grade: C

BAL gets 22 & 65 Grade: C+

A pretty even trade with nothing too salacious in either direction.

16)  Buffalo Bills f/Baltimore – Tremaine Edmunds, OBLB, Virginia Tech Grade: A+

Unlike Buffalo’s first pick this is the spot and type of talent to move up in the draft for. Edmunds makes them better, is only 19, and has room to grow in his game.

17)  Los Angeles Chargers – Derwin James, SS, Florida State Grade: A+

This might be my favorite pick of the first round. James is an instant difference maker for the Chargers and will have impact sideline to sideline in the secondary as well as moving in to play slot corner from time to time.

Trade:

GB gets 18 Grade: C-

SEA gets 27, 76 & 186 Grade: B-

Packers are still well ahead in value of trades but this one gives back about a third of the surplus gained in the previous trade.

18)  Green Bay Packers f/Seattle- Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisvile Grade: B-

The Packers traded back up to get this pick and most likely selected the right position. I would have preferred Jackson or Hughes but all in all I like the thinking here and the Packers upgrade a position of need.

19)  Dallas Cowboys – Leighton Vander Esch, OBLB, Boise State Grade: A

I called this one the moment the Cowboys game on the clock. Vander Esch brings a level of athleticism to the Dallas linebacking corps that they haven’t had since the first time Sean Lee was healthy and even then they didn’t have this level of raw talent.

20)  Detroit Lions – Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas Grade: A+

Love this pick for the Lions as Ragnow is my favorite interior offensive lineman not named Nelson. This selection had to just kill the Bengals too as they came so close to their best case scenario.

21)  Cincinnati Bengals f/Buffalo – Billy Price, C, Ohio State Grade: B

I would have gone Daniels but this is a solid pick that improves the Bengals.

Trade:

TEN gets 22 & 215 Grade: C

BAL gets 25 & 125 Grade: C+

Tennessee didn’t give up a whole lot to move up this is a fair trade for everybody.

22)  Tennessee Titans f/Baltimore f/Buffalo f/Cincinnati - Rashaan Evans, OBLB, Alabama Grade: B+

This pick fills an obvious need for the Titans and although he wasn’t my best available at the position it’s such an obvious upgrade that I like it quite a bit.

23)  New England Patriots f/Los Angeles Rams – Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia Grade: A-

Had Hernandez higher but the more I think about this pick the more I’m intrigued to see if he starts out at tackle for the Pats.

24)  Carolina Panthers – DJ Moore, WR, Maryland Grade: B

I’m lower on Moore than most but this has the potential to make me look really bad and gives Cam something other than big unathletic faux tight ends to throw to.

25)  Baltimore Ravens f/Tennessee – Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina Grade: D+

Hurst is one of those players that I might be too low on for a number of reasons but adding a 25-year old tight end to a roster that’s in limbo between good, not good, and possibly rebuilding it just doesn’t make sense to me.

26)  Atlanta Falcons – Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama Grade: B+

I tepidly like that. Interior linemen or Landry would have been preferred but I’ve never been a big fan of Sanu and this gives them a pair of former Tide stars who contrast off eachothers skill set well.

27)  Seattle Seahawks f/Green Bay f/New Orleans – Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State Grade: D+

I had five running backs over Penny still on the board and three of those (Guice, Chubb, Freeman) are power backs and you might be able to convince me Kerryon is that as well. I was never as high on Penny and with all of the other holes on this roster this seems like a luxury you can ill afford.

28)  Pittsburgh Steelers – Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech Grade: C-

Like Penny before him there were still four strong safeties before him. It’s not as bad of reach as Penny in my mind but it isn’t a pick I like.

29)  Jacksonville Jaguars – Taven Bryan, Int, Florida Grade: B

As often happens at the bottom of the draft there were players at the position I liked better. Bryan gives the Jags another good interior linemen but it’ll also lead to a whole lot of what could have been if Lamar Jackson becomes a starting caliber QB.

30)  Minnesota Vikings – Mike Hughes, CB, UCF Grade: A-

I liked Hughes more than Alexander and the only real problem I had with this pick was it was a little below value on my board and there were a couple players I would have like better for the Vikings at 30. It’s a good pick and they helped themselves.

31)  New England Patriots – Sony Michel, RB, Georgia Grade: B

Michel gives the Pats a replacement for Dione Lewis and allows them to continue torturing fantasy football people. As for the pick it fits the mold and I trust that coaching staff to properly utilize every position but WR.

Trade:

BAL gets 32 & 132 Grade: A+

PHI gets 52 125 Grade: D

Philly traded down 20 picks and lost value overall. The only explanation is that they don’t have the cap space available but even still it’s almost unheard of to lose value moving down.
Note: I missed the 2019 2nd that also went to the Eagles on draft night. This obviously drastically changes the nature of this trade. New Grades are C- for BAL and A- for PHI

32)  Baltimore Ravens f/Philadelphia – Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville Grade: A

Lamar goes 31 & 29 picks after players I had him ranked evenly with and Baltimore gets the 5^th year team option on their QB of the future.

I don’t remember a draft in which I’ve handed out so many first round A grades. What a first round it was though. I was getting impatient early on as the only surprise we had was the top corner back going earlier than expected and then it all broke down. Oakland trades out, Green Bay trades out Green Bay trades back up Minkah and Derwin fall, and where will Lamar go are all questions that start happening. We ended the night with a second Heisman winner bookending the first round and Ozzie Newsome going out of his last first round like an absolute boss. Hail to the hall of famer and on to round 2.