By: Courtlandt Griffin
The NFL Draft is over and many former college standouts will now embark on a new journey in their athletic careers. Even though this is an exciting moment for them, it is a time of reflection as well. Questions like "who is in the best situation?", "which team got the best value?", and "what veteran is on the outs?" swirl as the draft passes by. This article will answer those questions in two categories, Winners and Losers, and determine whom came out the best. Winner: Drew Lock & The Broncos Offense
Drew Lock must have shown John Elway something last year in Denver! In 5 starts last year, the 2nd rounder from Mizzou threw for 1020 yards and 7 TD. He also posted a 4-1 record as a starter, with 2 game winning drives and a 4th quarter comeback win.
All of this was with two legit targets, Courtland Sutton & Noah Fant!
Drew Lock will now have a reloaded offensive roster after the Broncos took Jerry Jeudy out of Bama. They also took playmaking slot receiver KJ Hamler out of Penn State. Those two provide speed in the slot and outside that Denver didn't have last season. Couple that with athletic tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, the depth chart is pretty sickening! As it stands right now:
QB (Drew Lock) HB1 (Melvin Gordon) HB2 (Phillipn Lindsey) TE1 (Noah Fant) TE2 (Albert Okwuegbunam) WR1 (Courtland Sutton) WR2 (Jerry Jeudy) Slot (KJ Hamler) This lineup will make Lock's first full season as the starer a lot smoother. And, in a stacked AFC West should help the Broncos compete with Kansas City and Las Vegas. Loser: Aaron Rodgers
When we think of the best QBs of the modern generation many names come up! Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, etc. All those are great, but not many hold a candle to Aaron Rodgers. The Super Bowl champion QB has been the face of Green Bay for over a decade, and has yet to disappoint his fans. Whether it be come from behind wins or virtuoso performances, Rodgers consistently finds himself in the Elite year in and
year out.
Too bad that means nothing to the current coaching regime...
In a shocking move the Packers moved up to take fast rising QB Jordan Love from Utah State. Love is young, with a live arm and athleticism that has sen him draw comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. He is a steal, and would normally constitute a win for the Packers. But, you cant help but to draw parallels between this and 2005. You know young QB (Rodgers) comes in behind Superstar SuperBowl winning starter (Favre) and gets run out of town. This could be Rodgers reality! LeFleur may not be as keen of Rodgers, as their relationship got off to a rocky start last season. This would motivate LeFleur to go get his own QB whom he can mold.
Regardless, Rodgers will most likely be gone in a couple seasons, and depending on how far he's looking over his shoulder can see his play effected.
Winner: Joe Burrow
How do you become the 1st overall pick in the NFL?
Oh, just have maybe the most legendary year a college QB could have, and that is exactly what Joe Burrow did!
The Bengals selected the LSU standout 1st overall after a tumultuous season. Andy Dalton didn't wow the judges, AJ Green had another injury riddled season, and the defense stunk it up all season long. Now, Zac Taylor and the new regime will look for greener pastures with Joe Burrow.
Normally a rookie QB doesn't see his help being drafted until 1-2 years in...But, the Bengals did right by their young signal caller. In the very next round they drafted Tee Higgins. Burrow will now have Higgins and Green, presuming he's healthy, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon to help him in his first season. With that much firepower Burrow should be comfortable coming from LSU's pro style offense. I know the #WhoDey Nation will be looking for a big year, and a resemblance of their winning ways in 2020!
Winner: The Tennessee Titans
The AFC Championship runner ups ,Tennessee Titans, are everything you want in a Super Bowl contender. Their youth, speed, and hunger powered them through a tough AFC playoff run that no one saw coming! All-Pro running back Derrick Henry put the team on his back, and Ryan Tannehill galvanized the young Titans on route to being a game away from the championship game. This team didn’t have many holes to fill, and Jon Robinson did his fair share of dealing in the offseason. Then came the draft... First round a surprise pick, RT Isaiah Wilson, who only allowed a sack on 2.5% of his snaps gets a call. Then the possible steal of the draft Kristian Fulton is drafted in the second round! This not only gives the Titans two pro ready pieces, but also helps them immediately with little drawback.
Darrynton Evans, who was as high a late second round pick on some boards, is picked in the late third filling the backup running back role behind Derrick Henry.
The next most notable pick is probably the most important, Cole McDonald! McDonald has the potential to be the best pick out this draft class, ah la Tom Brady! His stats out class that of first rounder Jordan Love, and his physical tools are similar to Ryan Tannehill.
If you ask me the Titans have put themselves in prime position to contend for the next decade with this draft class!
Loser:Marlon Mack
The Colts for a long time have had some of the most notable names grace their backfield. Edgerin James, Marshall Faulk, Eric Dickerson, and the list goes on! Marlon Mack is the most recent of these backs, and he has does a lot to prove his worth. Being able to tote the rock and be productive in a passing offense isn’t easy, and staying healthy for Mack is just as difficult. Everything from concussions to labrum tears have kept the young back from seeing his true potential in the NFL.
The Colts didn’t make it any easier for Mack either.
Not only did he have to split carries with Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins, now he will have to battle for his starting spot with Jonathan Taylor! Taylor is every bit of what Marlon Mack is, but faster and with better hands. His ability to diagnose the hole and burst through it, along with his break away speed s exactly what the Colts have been missing in their backfield. With Mack’s injury history and Taylor’s skills, he could see his spot occupied by the talented rookie. And, if he isn’t happy being bumped down to a second back then Jim Irsay could trade him for picks! Regardless there is not situation that bodes well for Marlon Mack here.
Winner:Joe Woods and The Cleveland Browns Defense
When your offense can’t get into a groove no matter the talent, what do you do? Re-invent yourself as a defensive team, and that’s just what this Browns front office is doing. Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, and Myles Garrett headline the big names on this defense and the gravy train of talent doesn’t stop there! Their front seven is loaded with a mixture of vets and young talent, and Karl Joseph has the makings of an All-Pro!
Now comes the icing on the cake! The Browns drafted big on defense this year. The biggest name being Grant Delpit! A standout at LSU, Delpit had the makings of a Top 10 pick, but tackling questions saw him drop down boards. A Safety that has been likened to All-Pro Jamal Adams will now join one of the most talented defensive backfields in football! Add inside pass rusher Jordan Elliott to an already formidable front seven, you have a potent defense that can play with speed and aggression. DC Joe Woods says, “I think you want to make sure that you’re putting the guys that you have in the right position to make plays,” and I believe that with this defense it’ll be really easy. Loser:Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz is one of the premier young stars in the NFL. A former MVP candidate and Super Bowl champion, Wentz is primed to take a big step as a QB. The issue is to take that step he has to stay healthy, and he hasn’t been able to do that! As referenced earlier, it is hard to play your best if you’re looking over your shoulder all the time and that’s just what Wentz will be doing this year!
Insert Jalen Hurts into an already volatile situation.
Doug Pederson selected Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts in the second round of this year’s draft. In my opinion you don’t do that unless you don’t trust who you have under center! With Wentz’s injury issues, the Eagles offensive problems, and their playoff losses after winning a chip makes this more glaring than it should be. Hurts has all the ability to be a starter in the NFL, and Pederson sees it. Even though he has gone on record saying he wants to do an “experiment” using Hurts as a Taysom Hill type flex player, I don’t buy it. I think Pederson sees that his team has won a Super Bowl and made a deep playoff run with a backup in Nick Foles. He may feel that Hurts can fill that role, or be the replacement for a fragile Wentz.
These are my winners and losers of this year’s draft! Who do you think is a winner or has put themselves in a prime position after the draft? Who has set themselves back? You tell me.
We won’t really know who really won until the season starts, but these situations should make for a interesting 2020-21 NFL season.
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