1. New York Giants– Many thought they would trade down so another team could slip into that second spot in the draft and select the quarterback that they’ve been targeting, but Dave Gettleman didn’t disappoint the fans and he ended up making Saquon Barkley the Giants first pick in the 2018 draft and the second overall pick. When the Giants were winning playoff games and Super Bowls, they had a defense to lean on of course and they also had a balanced attack offensively because they were able to run the football. The Giants haven’t had a consistent threat at the position since the days of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. In 2016, we saw Ezekiel Elliott have an immediate impact when drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and just last season, Leonard Fournette gave the Jaguars a consistent back since the MJD days. Can Barkley join those two? The Giants also drafted Will Hernandez in the second round to help improve that offensive line and he didn’t stop there. The Giants drafted Lorenzo Carter, the linebacker from Georgia, B.J. Hill from North Carolina State in the third round and in the fourth round, they got their potential quarterback for the future in Kyle Lauletta from Richmond. This was a really good draft for the New York Football Giants.
2. Denver Broncos– The Broncos biggest issue has been at the quarterback position. I had seen many mock drafts where they were selecting Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen or Baker Mayfield. John Elway had to eliminate any thoughts of drafting a quarterback of the future when the draft’s best defensive end and edge rusher literally fell into the laps of the Broncos at five in Bradley Chubb. Things haven’t seemed to pan out with Shane Ray and the Broncos haven’t had that additional pass rusher alongside Von Miller since DeMarcus Ware. The thought of Chubb and Miller together is a scary one and I feel sorry for each offensive line having to prepare for those two every week during the season. Just a few seasons ago, the Broncos had the best defense in the league and now, that seems to be the objective to reclaim that title. Later in the draft, they selected receiver Courtland Sutton from SMU who surprisingly slipped to the second round and to replace C.J. Anderson, they drafted Royce Freeman from Oregon. I was impressed with what the Broncos did.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers– They decided to trade down to the 12th pick with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday and at first, I questioned it because they could’ve selected Derwin James or Minkah Fitzpatrick, especially with both guys still on the board. The secondary did need some help, yes, but the defensive line has been the talk of the off-season all year long has been to improve that defensive line. This team struggled significantly to rush the passer and you know things are bad when 43-year-old Simeon Rice is tweeting asking the team to sign him to help. With the 12th pick, the Buccaneers selected Vita Vea, the defensive tackle from Washington and by far, the best at his position in this draft. Tampa Bay has struggled to stop the run and hopefully, he can come in and help improve that. Next was taking care of the secondary on Jason Licht’s list and he drafted both M.J. Stewart and Carlton Davis in the second round. What really made them more of a winner was the selection of Ronald Jones, the running back from USC and a day one starter.
4. Indianapolis Colts– Quenton Nelson doesn’t have to leave the state of Indiana. After playing his college ball at Notre Dame, he was picked sixth overall by the Indianapolis Colts and the major priority was to really improve that offensive line and keep Andrew Luck protected. Quenton is a guy that can be your franchise offensive linemen for the next 12 years. Chris Ballard got tired of seeing Luck run for his life. Here’s to hoping that Luck will return 100 percent healthy and with an improved offensive line.
5. New England Patriots– They decided to trade Brandin Cooks (which I’m still questioning) and it gave them the 23rd pick from the trade and the 31st which they had originally. Many thought they’d get Tom Brady’s heir apparent in the opening round of the draft and they didn’t, but they did add some help around him. They selected Isaiah Wynn with the first pick at 23 and he’ll start right away. At 31, they selected another Georgia Bulldog in Sony Michel and he’s exactly what the Patriots want in a running back, a guy that can catch the football in check-down situations and get up the field. He’ll be replacing Dion Lewis. Later in the draft, they selected Duke Dawson from Florida to help the secondary and in the last round, they drafted Danny Etling from LSU, a potential heir apparent for Tom Brady.
