NFL Draft: Grading the Top Ten Picks

I was at this year’s draft as a member of the media, and I interviewed some of the top ten draft picks. I expected to be interviewing mostly defensive players, but every year The NFL Draft has its surprises, and I wound up interviewing far more Quarterbacks, and Wide Receivers than I thought was possible for this years draft class. It sure made for an exciting Draft. Here are my conversations, and impressions of every player taken with picks 1 through 10, and how I believe they will Translate to the NFL.

No. 1 Overall: The Cleveland Browns select: DE Myles Garrett. The Cleveland Browns front office would have been skinned alive if they would have traded The number One Pick, which had been a rumor. They wisely gave Browns fans what they wanted, and what their team needed by drafting the freakishly athletic Pass Rusher with the No. 1 pick. I did not speak to Myles, but was told that he’s a nice guy, by some reporters, and a trash talker by others who have spoken to him. From the few interviews I’ve seen he seems like a bit of both. He did recently say he plans on sacking Big Ben the first time he plays against him. If he plays like he talks then even his own words will become a moot point. I think he’ll translate well to the NFL, and will even post double-digit sacks as a rookie. I think he was the best athlete drafted in the first round, but the third best DE in the Draft. I believe he’s one of three pass rushers selected in round one that will post double digit sacks as rookies. The other two? DE Solomon Thomas with San Fransico, and DE Derek Barnett with Philadelphia. The next conversation will be who is the better pass rusher? Thomas or Barnett? That’s my take on Myles Garrett. Even if he is the third best DE in the Draft, I still expect him to post big numbers. Who was the last Edge Rusher to do that in Cleveland?  Draft Grade: A

No. 2 Overall: Chicago Bears Select: QB Mitch Trubisky. When I heard that the Bears, and 49ers had traded picks I knew instantly that the 9ers got good value. It wasn’t until after the draft that I learned of the king’s ransom the Bears spent to move up just one spot. They got played plain and simple and made the dumbest trade value wise that I have ever seen. I’m not a Bears fan, but I felt bad for them. They gave up soo much like The Redskins once did many years ago to acquire QB Robert Griffin III when he was in his prime. Time will tell, but I don’t believe that Mitch Trubisky will ever be the answer in Chicago. He was my 5th rated QB going into the Draft, and looks like a statue on tape. I did talk with Mitch Trubisky. He is a nice kid, and a pretty competitive player. He told me that he plans to start as a rookie. Good luck Mitch. I mean that. I hope he proves me wrong like Carson Wentz has done, but I don’t see it happening, and I don’t Think Bears QB Mike Glennon has anything to worry about. My Draft Grade: D

No.3 Overall: The San Fransico 49ers select: DE Solomon Thomas. I truly believe that this is the player that the 49ers really wanted the whole time. We all believed they were interested in QB Mitch Trubisky Pre-Draft, (They even fooled another Professional Football team let alone press.) However it is now obvious they wanted Thomas. Not only did they get their guy but they got a box full of draft picks from The Bears in the process including a 2018 first round pick, and they likely got the better player. Let’s talk about Solomon Thomas. He is athletic, has a great first step, knows how to get after the Quarterback consistently, and unlike Garrett, he does not give up if he misses the Quarterback. He gets right back up, and he finishes the play. Bold Prediction: Solomon Thomas has 11.5 sacks as rookie. The 49ers may not scare anyone on offense this year, but they now have a solid defense. I talked with Thomas briefly. He said he was excited, and not much else. When you play Football like he does you don’t need to talk much. My Draft Grade: A+

No. 4 Overall: The Jacksonville Jaguars Select: RB Leonard Fournette. Blake Bortles is a decent QB. He’s not quite as bad as some people think. That said he now has three number one WRs and RB Leonard Fournette who was by far the best back in this years draft class. If he doesn’t post top 15 Quarterback numbers this season expect Tom Coughlin to look for a new QB during next year’s Draft. I didn’t get to talk to RB Leonard Fournette, but I watched his tape. He has a great combination of size, speed, and vision. He is a home run hitter just as a traditional RB alone, but he’s an excellent pass-catcher out of the backfield as well. I think he will be a thousand yard rusher as a rookie, and I think he is even better than Ezekiel Elliot without the off field Drama that surrounds Zeke, which is very very important. My Draft Grade: A

No. 5 Overall: The Titans select: WR Corey Davis. Now this pick surprised everyone, nearly as much as the Mitch Trubisky pick. Luckily for Davis it was more of a pleasant surprise. Even Corey Davis expected to be selected somewhere between picks 12 and 18. That obviously did not happen. The difference between these two picks is obvious. WR Corey Davis is a much better player than QB Mitch Trubisky, and he should provide the Titans with a much needed go-to guy in their passing offense for a very long time. The only thing that concerns me is his shoulder, but if he goes into camp healthy he’ll have every chance to prove he was worthy of the no.5 pick, and is the best WR in this draft. I think he’s the second best WR in this draft after WR John Ross, but perhaps he will prove me wrong. It was still a slight reach, but likely a necessary reach for The Titans. My Draft Grade: A-

No.6 Overall:  S Jamal Adams. Jamal has the NFL Bloodlines to succeed in The NFL, and has been a productive player at LSU: Five interceptions and two recovered fumbles over last two seasons. Special-teams terror as freshman and sophomore, notching 21 tackles. No penalties in 2016. Father, George, was a first-round pick of the Giants in 1984. I didn’t talk to Jamal, but was told that he was the safest pick in the draft by a fellow member of the press. I wasn’t excited about this pick for the Jets because I think WR should have been a bigger priority for them after the departure of WR Brandon Marshall in free Agency. Playing it safe just doesn’t win football games. My Draft Grade: C

No. 8 Overall: The Panthers select: RB Christian McCaffery. We can talk about his numbers. last year year he ran for 1,639 yards. I’d rather just talk about the show he put on at the Combine. He had the best Combine showing of any player at his position I’d ever seen in my life. Before the Combine he was considered to be a second-round pick by many, and after the combine, I knew that he was going to be a first round pick. Some scouts think that the combine does not matter, and they couldn’t be more wrong in most cases. RB Christian McCaffery was thought to be an early second round pick, that went on to be taken No. 8 overall after a great performance at the combine, While RB Dalvin Cook was thought to be a top 10 to 15 pick before the combine, then dropped everything, and was drafted in the second round because of his poor combine performance. McCaffery’s pro comparison is LeSean McCoy. If he’s 80 percent as good for The Panthers then they got a steal at no. 8 overall. My Draft Grade: A

No. 9 Overall: The Bengals select: WR John Ross. As I mentioned in a previous mock draft I said that WR John Ross likely wouldn’t fall to The Eagles, and he didn’t. This was when The Eagles had showed interest in Ross. As a fan of The Eagles I was hoping he would. I now realize that even if he had The Eagles were likely only looking at DE at their spot, but maybe it would have been tempting. WR John Ross famously ran the fastest 40 yard dash time in NFL history at The Combine when he ran a 4.22 40. That alone likely put Ross in the top 15, but it is his complete game, and lack of off-field drama that put him in the top 10. Last year WR John Ross had 81 catches for 1,150 yards and 17 TDs. He averaged over 17 yards per catch in his college football Career. I talked to WR John Ross for a minute or so, and he said he loved watching Desean Jackson play for The Eagles, and hopes to be like him. Since John Ross actually has an underneath game, as well as being a deep threat I think he’ll be even better than Desean Jackson who is purely a deep threat. I asked Ross if there were any other WRs in this Draft that my Eagles could target later that can fly like he does, and oddly enough he said WR Shelton Gibson who The Eagles actually drafted later in round 5. Perhaps Ross will also have a career as an analyst in the future. My Draft Grade: A

No. 10 Overall: The Chiefs select: QB Patrick Mahomes. While this is not a terrible pick, It still took everyone by surprise, including Chiefs fans who were confused. I think that Patrick Mahomes, unlike Mitch Trubisky, is a very talented QB, and worthy of being a first-round pick. I also know that the Chiefs are already a contenders, and already have QB Alex Smith. Instead of helping QB Alex Smith out by drafting him a weapon like TE O.J. Howard who was somehow still on the board, and would have made an excellent one-two punch at TE for The Chiefs. Imagine what TE Travis Kelce, and TE O.J. Howard could have done to opposing defenses. Instead The Chiefs drafted QB Alex Smith’s eventual successor. I think that Deshaun Watson was the best QB in this draft, and he was still on the board which just makes this pick even more confusing. That being said there’s no denying Mahomes has talent, and should eventually be a very good starting QB in this league. It just might take 2 to 3 years before he sees the field. I did not get a chance to speak With Mahomes, but other reporters simply told me that he’s a nice kid, and was shocked that Andy Reid traded all the way to Number 10 to get him. The pick makes no sense for a team that is trying to win now despite the young QBs talent. My Draft Grade: C

I’m sure some of you are reading this, and are wondering, where is The Chargers Pick at No. 7? I saved the worst for last on purpose.  Pick No. 7: The Chargers select: WR Mike Williams. I loved Williams in College, and I like QB Phillip Rivers. I just have a hunch that Williams will have a hard time translating into the NFL. I had a high grade on him after his terrific performance in Clemson’s National Title win. Things changed drastically when I looked at his Tape.( I am a Clemson Tiger fan, so believe me this isn’t easy for me.) Based on Mike Williams Overall Tape in College Football I believe that he will be a bust. I watched more tape on WR Mike Williams than Most. He drops too many passes, struggles to get free on go routes, lacks elite speed, and even has fumbling issues, which is a very bad trait for a WR. I talked with Williams very briefly, and I like the guy. Good kid. I hope he proves me wrong, but I just can’t get over his average at best tape. I think he’s the next Dorial Green-Beckham. That spells bad news for The Chargers. My Draft Grade: D-

ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.