Just because you’re an NFL general manager doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing. How would the NFL Draft look if smart general managers ruled the world?
Scouts, talent evaluators and many armchair quarterbacks have longed for the unique opportunity to be an NFL general manager. There are only 32 of these gigs and one would think every general manager in a position of power would be competent. Well, we don’t live in an ideal world. Sadly, there are a handful of general managers that don’t know what they’re doing.
Overall, the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft saw many organizations effectively position themselves in the draft board to get their guys. Then there are a few teams that made some head-scratching moves we’ll be talking about for years. Some teams deserve praise for their work on Thursday night and some have earned ridicule. Let’s begin.
The first round was all about the quarterbacks. So let’s look at who was the smartest about getting their guy and who was not. It seemed risky at the time, but the New York Jets’ decision to move up from No. 6 to No. 3 in a deal with the Indianapolis Colts proved to be a fantastic trade for Gang Green. USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold fell to them. He has the potential to be the best quarterback in franchise history. Good job by you, Jets!
The Arizona Cardinals were sitting at No. 15 with no long-term solution at starting quarterback. Sam Bradford gets hurt all the time and Mike Glennon’s best skill set is being tall. Combined, they would have led the Cardinals to maybe five wins this year.
Arizona carefully maneuvered up to No. 10 in a trade with the Oakland Raiders. The Cardinals got Josh Rosen out of UCLA. He can compete for the job day. Arizona just got a whole lot more interesting as a franchise. Great move by Cardinals general manager Steve Keim to trade up to get the best pro-ready quarterback in Rosen.
Lastly, let’s not overlook the fine job the Baltimore Ravens did in round one. Yes, the Hayden Hurst pick at No. 25 was strange. He’s already in his mid-20s, but general manager Ozzie Newsome is a Hall of Fame tight end, so he gets a pass in that talent evaluation. What was really smart by Newsome was to trade back into the first round to take 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson out of Louisville at No. 32.
Jackson has first-round talent, but is a tad raw as a prospect. This move was great for three reasons. One, this allows the Ravens to have the fifth-year option on Jackson should he be the heir apparent to Joe Flacco in Baltimore. Two, this is a statement move by the Ravens, meaning they were willing to trade up to No. 32 with the Philadelphia Eagles to get him. Jackson will have to appreciate that. Lastly, Baltimore lacks dynamism on the offensive side of the ball. Jackson will absolutely sell tickets at M&T Bank Stadium whenever he steps on the gridiron.
Now, we have to be a bit critical of the two other teams that took a first-round quarterback. The Cleveland Browns taking 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield No. 1 overall was a tad unorthodox. He played in an Air Raid offense collegiately and is the smallest of the five quarterbacks taken in the first round.
Is he a ruthless competitor? Yes, but no other team was going to take him No. 1 overall. Maybe the Jets would have taken him at No. 3? Then again, that might have been a smokescreen to hope Darnold fell to them. While it was the right call for the Browns to take a quarterback first overall, it remains to be seen if they made the right pick in going with Mayfield.
As for the Buffalo Bills, yes, they traded up twice to get their next franchise quarterback. The first move was to get to No. 12 in a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. The second was on draft night to get to No. 7 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While getting a high-upside player in Josh Allen could be huge for the Bills, he also has the biggest bust potential of any of the first-rounders.
He shouldn’t start day one. Allen has the best right arm in the draft, but we have no idea where the ball is going half the time. Playing in windy Western New York could attempt to mask his accuracy issues. He could be a star playing in front of Bills Mafia, but trading up twice to get the third quarterback taken might ruin Buffalo’s future if Allen busts catastrophically.
Now that we got the quarterbacks out of the way, let’s address a few teams that were cunning in their draft day approach, as well a few teams that got played like a fiddle. A tip of the cap to Green Bay Packers for effectively moving up and down the draft board on Thursday night.
Initially the Packers had the No. 14 overall pick. They moved back to No. 27 with the New Orleans Saints (more on that in a minute) before trading up to No. 18 with the Seattle Seahawks. Green Bay gained a few picks and got arguably the ball-hawking cornerback in the draft in Jaire Alexander out of Louisville. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was a maestro on Thursday night in draft board maneuvering.
A wag of the finger to the Raiders. While it was fair of the Silver and Black to trade back for a team willing to move up to get a quarterback, the Kolton Miller pick at No. 15 was a bit of a reach. Miller probably fills a need at right tackle for the Raiders. However, deciding to not get a defensive playmaker like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Vita Vea or Marcus Davenport at No. 10 could come back to bite them. Their defense is still Khalil Mack and 10 road cones.
While the Jets should be happy, are we sure the New York Giants did the right thing taking Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall? Their offensive line is terrible, Eli Manning is old and that locker room is toxic. Barkley is the best running back in the draft, but is more of a home run hitter than a bell-cow. In essence, don’t expect him to be this year’s Todd Gurley or Ezekiel Elliott as a rookie.
As for Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, how do you not take Darnold here? He’s playing for the other team in your city and can bring Gang Green Super Bowls. Barkley must be the second-coming of Barry Sanders. Otherwise, this might end up being the biggest draft gaffe of the last decade. The more Darnold wins for the Jets, the worse it looks for Gettleman and Big Blue.
Lastly, we need to give credit to the Atlanta Falcons for having patience. Who saw wide receiver Calvin Ridley falling to them at No. 26? Atlanta could have gone with a defensive tackle or guard here, but you don’t pass up a top-15 talent that falls into your lap.
Atlanta now has a receiving corps of Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Ridley. Matt Ryan has to love that. Keep in mind that head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator have been on Nick Saban’s staffs before. Quinn with the Miami Dolphins. Sarkisian most recently with the 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide. Atlanta didn’t blink and now has the best receiving corps in the NFC once again.
Fate would only have it that the Falcons’ arch rival would make the most questionable move of the draft. The Saints traded up 13 spots to No. 14 from No. 27 to draft Davenport out of UTSA.
You don’t give up the farm to get a pass rusher from a Group of 5 school. No. 14 was about as early as Davenport could have gone. He might have still been there for the Saints in the 20s. Could Davenport be a star playing opposite of Cameron Jordan in New Orleans? Absolutely, but trading up 13 spots to not get a sure thing was the strangest part of Thursday night in Dallas. Davenport needs to be Defensive Rookie of the Year and a perennial Pro Bowler to justify this absurd move up by the Saints.
Next: Check out the NFL Draft results here
Overall, we expected the Packers to be smart this draft and the Raiders to be dumb. We were pleasantly surprised by the Jets, but are beginning to question if the Giants are still a well-run franchise. Atlanta exercised patience and New Orleans did not. While the Hurst pick was odd, it was great to see Newsome make one last great first-round pick in landing Action Jackson out of Louisville. NFL general managers are always an entertaining bunch.