The first round of the 2018 NFL Draft is in the books, and, as usual, there were plenty of surprises and head-scratchers when all was said and done. Here were five moves that made us cringe.
And just like that, Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft has concluded.
You know what that means — it’s time to start evaluating the selections, with the obvious disclaimer that these players have yet to play a down of football in the NFL.
Look, no one enjoys criticizing the picks that NFL teams make on draft night. Months of preparation go into these decisions, and even if we may not agree with them, we have to believe that for these general managers and team executives, the player selected is the player they truly believe will help them contend.
That being said, it’s our job as media to have a rational and thoughtful opinion about the moves the teams made tonight, and unfortunately, some of them were real head-scratchers. Here are the five moves that made us cringe in Round 1.
5. The Cleveland Browns select Baker Mayfield at No. 1 overall
The Cleveland Browns had the world at their fingertips with the No. 1 overall pick, and they really had to nail this one. John Dorsey knew his guy, and it ended up being Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield all along. No one can knock Mayfield’s winning mentality — or winning ways. Going from a walk-on at Texas Tech to winning the Heisman Trophy demonstrates true grit and determination, and Mayfield brings that energy to Cleveland. Still, at the end of the day, the Browns had an incredibly safe choice — with plenty of upside — on the table here with Sam Darnold. There are plenty of off-the-field considerations with Mayfield, from the banal — grabbing his crotch on television — to the more serious, like a DUI. For Dorsey’s sake and for his job stability, he has to hope that this pick turns out the way he’s expecting it to.