One round down, six to go in the 2017 NFL draft.
Three quarterbacks were chosen in the first round, and their teams traded up to get them each time.
Three wide receivers were drafted in the first round, all in the top 10, and six trades took place in the first round.
Some fans are counting down the days until the season opener after the moves their teams made, and some fans are left wondering what their teams were thinking.
49ers new general manager John Lynch steals the show
John Lynch didn’t seem like a rookie general manager Thursday night.
The Bears and 49ers switched places, with the 49ers trading the No. 2 pick to the Bears for the No. 3 pick, the Bears’ third- and fourth-round picks this year and a third-rounder next year.
The 49ers ended up getting their guy anyway, drafting Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas, and they acquired three extra picks over the next two years along with him.
Later in the night, Lynch somehow pulled off a trade with a divisional rival, using the fourth-rounder acquired from the Bears along with the 49ers’ second-rounder (No. 34) to get the No. 31 pick from the Seahawks and draft Alabama inside linebacker Reuben Foster.
The Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker, Foster was in a freefall because he had three strikes against him with some teams. He had shoulder surgery in February and it’s up for debate when he can start practicing. He was kicked out of the combine after having an argument with a medical worker, and he tested positive for a dilute drug sample. The 49ers are taking a risk with Foster, but they have nine more picks in this draft. If this pick turns out to be a mistake, the volume of their draft haul could, well, dilute that mistake.
Bears trade the house to move up one spot and draft Mitchell Trubisky
The Bears gave up a little too much to move up one spot for North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. A fifth-rounder from the 49ers would have balanced it out according to the draft pick trade value chart. If the Bears really wanted Trubisky, they can’t be blamed for making sure the 49ers didn’t get him. It’s hard to figure out, however, how this piece fits into their offseason puzzle.
By using the No. 2 pick on Trubisky, the Bears are sending the message that they’re not serious about Mike Glennon as their starting quarterback. If that’s the case, then why did they sign him to a three-year, $45 million contract? They knew all along they’d have the No. 3 pick and would be in a decent position to get a quarterback.
The Bears didn’t give up all those picks so Trubisky could stand on the sideline and wear an earpiece all season. Now the Bears are a 3-13 team with four picks remaining in the draft paying $15 million a year to a guy who probably will be a backup by Halloween.
Jets get a steal in Jamal Adams
LSU safety Jamal Adams wasn’t supposed to fall out of the top five, but once he did, the Jets didn’t let him fall any further.
The Jets could have drafted a quarterback or gone for O.J. Howard, and those players would have filled needs. But this year’s quarterback class is so dicey and No. 6 is a little early to pick a tight end. Instead, the Jets played it cool and got the best possible value at that spot. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network calls Adams “the safest pick in the draft.”
Great line from @PFF_Steve "This is a 'slow down Rob Gronkowski' pick by the #Jets"
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) April 28, 2017
Adams is the ninth straight defensive player the Jets have drafted in the first round, including two in 2013, the longest streak in the NFL. They also took Leonard Williams with the No. 6 pick two years ago. That was general manager Mike Maccagnan’s first pick and he’s already made a Pro Bowl.
Whether Adams makes a Pro Bowl or not, there’s a good chance the Bears will wish they drafted him.
Bengals roll the dice on John Ross
The Bengals are gambling big-time on a guy with some medical red flags, choosing wide receiver John Ross with the No. 9 pick.
Ross missed the 2015 season with an ACL tear and also had his meniscus repaired. He had microfracture surgery last year and labrum surgery last month.
According to NFL.com, several teams took Ross off their board because of these medical concerns.
Not the Bengals.
Sure, the Bengals need depth at wide receiver, but with Jonathan Allen still on the board they can get the wide receiver later.
Colts believed Malik Hooker was worth the 15th overall pick
Like the Jets, the Colts were there to catch a falling safety, and Malik Hooker knows how to catch balls thrown by opposing quarterbacks.
Hooker had seven interceptions for Ohio State last season, one less than the Colts had as a team, but somehow tumbled to No. 15. The Colts ranked 27th against the pass last season and badly need a talent infusion on defense.
Safety is a position that can fall through the cracks in the draft. Jamal Adams was just the third to go in the top 10 in the last 10 drafts. Maybe there was concern about Hooker’s questionable tackling and the fact that he’s started just one year. Perhaps Hooker wasn’t the safest pick for teams in the top 10, but at 15 he’s worth the risk for the Colts.
Chiefs draft Patrick Mahomes to succeed Alex Smith
The Chiefs were one of two teams that made huge jumps in the first round to draft a quarterback. Kansas City is setting itself up to succeed in the future and may be a worthy candidate for a future bet. If you like to bet on any Canadian sport you can bettingtop10 reviews on the top10 operators in Canada.
The Texans went from 25 to 12 to draft Deshaun Watson. They have a championship-caliber defense and need a quarterback better than Tom Savage if they’re going to reach the AFC championship game for the first time in their history.
The Chiefs went from No. 27 to No. 10 in a trade with the Bills to draft Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech.
Like the Texans, the Chiefs are seeking an elusive AFC title-game berth. They haven’t advanced that far since 1993. But unlike the Texans, quarterback isn’t that one missing piece.
Alex Smith is 41-20 as a starter in four years with the Chiefs and he’s thrown single-digit interceptions every year since 2011. He’ll be 33 next season and has two years left on his contract. In an age in which Tom Brady will play at 40, Peyton Manning played until he was 39 and Drew Brees is still going at 38, are the Chiefs just going to send Smith to the retirement home at 35?
"Alex Smith is the starting quarterback. Nothing is going to change there. This kid’s going to come in and learn.” – Reid on Mahomes
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) April 28, 2017
That’s great. The Chiefs are making it clear that Smith is the starter. But did they move up 17 spots and give up their third-round pick this year and a first-rounder next year for someone who will be a backup for the next five years?
At some point, the Chiefs will have to choose between Smith and Mahomes. Depending on Mahomes progresses, they might want to take a look at how it worked out for the 49ers when they chose a younger, flashier quarterback over Smith.
Bucs get a stud tight end in O.J. Howard, giving Jameis Winston another target to throw to
Alabama tight end O.J. Howard was in the top-10 conversation, and the Buccaneers got a bargain taking him at No. 19.
With all the uncertainty surrounding Doug Martin, there might have been a temptation to draft Florida State running back Dalvin Cook. But Cook is a fumble machine, dropping the ball six times last season. He also comes with character red flags and medical red flags.
There might be some concern about Howard’s desire, but he won’t give the Bucs nearly as many headaches as Cook would have. Howard rose to the occasion on the big stage, catching five passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s 45-40 national-championship game win over Clemson in 2015. That’s the kind of player who can help the Bucs get over the hump and make the playoffs.
Titans reach with both first-round selections
Marcus Mariota needs more playmakers around him, and the Titans passed on O.J. Howard twice.
Tennessee had the No. 5 and the No. 18 picks in the first round, and reached both times.
They selected Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis with the fifth pick. His 5,285 receiving yards are an NCAA major college record and helped him become the only MAC receiver besides Randy Moss to be drafted in the first round.
Even the Vikings waited until No. 21 to draft Moss.
Davis had ankle surgery in January and couldn’t run at the combine or his pro day. The Titans could have had Mike Williams, a receiver who’s faced a higher level of competition than Davis. Jamal Adams and Marshon Lattimore also were available at No. 5.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/857757261653041152
At No. 18, the Titans drafted USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. There’s a lot to like about Jackson. He returned four punts and four kickoffs for touchdowns in three years at USC and also caught six touchdown passes as a receiver. He had a breakout year as a cornerback with five interceptions and 11 passes defended in 2016, but that 5’10, 186-pound frame might limit him to nickel packages in the NFL. If his biggest contribution comes on special teams, this is too early to draft him.
The Titans don’t have a second-round pick, so if they didn’t take Jackson at 18 he probably would have been gone by the time they picked again in the third round. If Jackson really was the apple of their eye, they could have traded back a few spots in the first round and picked up a second-round pick. That way they could have drafted Jackson later in the first round in a spot a little closer to his value.
That No. 5 pick was acquired in the trade with the Rams for the top pick last year. They could have spent that pick, as well as their own pick, a little more wisely.
Browns had an amazing overall draft haul with their three picks
Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku.
Most teams drafting in the first round would have to choose among those players, but the Browns have all three.
It’s like looking at the menu in a restaurant and saying, “I’ll take it.”
The most predictable development of the draft officially took place when the Browns drafted Garrett with the first pick. Then they traded out of the No. 12 pick, letting the Texans have Deshaun Watson and taking their pick at No. 25. They took Peppers with that pick. Peppers played cornerback, safety and linebacker at Michigan and if the Browns know what they want to do with him he has the potential to make game-changing plays.
To get Njoku, the Browns traded the first pick of the second round to the Packers to move up to No. 29. The Miami tight end caught 43 passes last season, eight for touchdowns, and averaged 16.2 yards per reception. He’ll be a nice target for the Browns’ franchise quarterback when they get one. They don’t seem to be in any hurry to draft a quarterback. Perhaps they realize that rebuilding from 1-15 won’t happen overnight and can wait until a better quarterback crop comes out next year.
In the meantime, the Browns still have seven picks in this draft and five picks in the first two rounds of next year’s draft.
Falcons trade up to draft injury-prone pass rusher
The Falcons drafted a pass rusher who can help free up Vic Beasley, who had no sacks in the postseason last year. The problem is, that pass rusher might not be available in Week 1.
Atlanta traded from No. 31 to No. 26, giving the Seahawks their third- and seventh-round picks, to take Takkarist McKinley. The UCLA linebacker had shoulder surgery after the combine and according to NFL.com he might have to start the season on the non-football injury list, which would force him to miss the first six games of the season.
After reaching the Super Bowl last year, the Falcons don’t have a lot of time for waiting. The sooner they get back to the Super Bowl, the sooner they can try to erase the memory of their Super Bowl LI collapse. But they gave two draft picks to a team that could stand in their way, so McKinley better be worth it.
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