Round one of the NFL draft is in the books. Per usual, there were a lot of trades, surprises, and all out reaches. Here’s a list of those who excelled and those who probably didn’t sleep last night.

Winners

San Francisco 49ers: Wait a minute, isn’t this John Lynch’s first rodeo? You couldn’t tell by the way he handled the first round. First and foremost, he fleeced the Bears to move back one spot. He drafted Solomon Thomas and gave the niners one of the youngest, most menacing defensive lines in the league.

There’s more.

With the newly acquired ammo he traded back into the first round and got what many considered the best linebacker in Reuben Foster. The niners won’t score much but damnit they’ll bust a few heads next year.

Bravo, John. Your opening performance has been something special.

DeShaun Watson: Yes, Watson was the last of the three top quarterbacks taken but he couldn’t have ended up in a better situation. The Texans swapped picks with the Browns this year and gave up a first in next year’s draft but it’s absolutely worth it if Watson is productive his rookie year. The Texans are built to win now. Watson has won on every level and, to me, was the best quarterback in this draft. Was this a panic move by the Texans? Maybe, but it doesn’t matter in this instance.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis had to wake up this morning with that grin on his face. He now has Desean, Mike, and O.J. Howard in the cupboard. The Bucs are doing right by their young QB and giving him weapons to help him grow and develop.

The SEC: The SEC had twelve players drafted in the first round. That’s a record that’s been set by the ACC (2006) and, you guessed it, the SEC (2013). The conference continues to dominate drafts, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That’s gotta be one hell of a recruiting tool for coaches in the conference.

Parent: “Why should my son play for an SEC school?”

SEC:”Well…….

Myles Garrett

Leonard Fournette

Jamal Adams

Derek Barnett

Marlon Humphrey

Jonathan Allen

O.J. Howard

Jarrad Davis

Charles Harris

Evan Engram

Tre’Davious White

Reuben Foster.

And that’s just the first round of one year.”

Parent: “Where does my son sign?”

Defensive Lineman: The NFL is a passing league and the value of defensive lineman has skyrocketed; especially since the Giants won two Super Bowls thanks to disruptive d-linemen. Nine defensive linemen were drafted in the first round and there’s plenty more where that came from. One thing is for sure, teams are in an arms race to sack the quarterback.

Cleveland Browns: No need to wipe your eyes, you’re reading this correctly. Not only did they draft Garrett but after the lost the Trubisky sweepstakes (dodging a major bullet, by the way) they didn’t panic and ended up accumulating more assets. The Cleveland thing to do would be reaching but they traded back and now have two first round picks for a 2018 draft that’s loaded at quarterback. Football behind center might be ugly this year because……Brock Osweiler but Hue Jackson and company have the bigger picture in mind. Besides, Cleveland has LeBron James. You’re good.

Losers 

If we’re using Ricky Bobby’s phrase then these teams aren’t just losers, but last place losers. Sound logic, I must say.

Chicago Bears: The Bears traded the farm to move up one spot and drafted a quarterback, who I think, will be a bust. They just paid Mike Glennon $18.5 million only to draft a quarterback second overall who has only started thirteen games. I get it, in today’s market you have to overpay QBs but this just seems foolish. There were other, more affordable, stopgap signal callers on the market. I get having Mitch sit for a year or two to learn the game but we all know that’s just not realistic. As soon as Glennon exposes himself, which won’t take long, Trubisky will be thrown to the wolves. This one’s for you, Chicago.

Arizona Cardinals: Arizona ended up drafting Haason Reddick out of Temple but everyone knew they had their mind set on finding Carson Palmer‘s replacement. That forced Kansas City and Houston to trade up and grab quarterbacks before Arizona got the chance. This team will still be good but the future isn’t as bright as it could have been. The lesson here? Never reveal your hand.

Alex Smith: It’s San Francisco all over again for Alex. The Chiefs gave up their first round pick, a third round pick, and their 2018 first round pick to draft Patrick Mahomes II. Mahomes strengths are Smith’s biggest weaknesses. Alex is a game manager and Patrick has a cannon on his shoulder and isn’t afraid to use it. Mahomes is going to blow people away in camp and may take the job outright before week one.

Dalvin Cook: Once upon a time Cook was a lock for the first round. That’s the ugly side of draft season. For every riser like Haason Reddick someone falls from grace and ends up lower than expected. Cook won’t last long on day two, though. Some team will be eager to draft a running back with his skillset.

NFC East Quarterbacks: The NFC East is home to the best left tackles in the game. They’re going to have to earn those titles weekly thanks to round one. The Eagles, Washington, and Cowboys took pass rushing specialist with their first round picks. Wentz, Cousins (if he’s still in DC), Prescott, and Manning better have eyes in the back of their head, the defensive lines in the NFC East will be gunning for them.

Got your own winners and losers? Comment below.

Tweet Me: @mattgarrett41

As always, thanks for reading.

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