Every year in late April or early May, the NFL gathers to select the newest members of its teams. The draft has become a bigger and bigger spectacle over the course of the last few year, but in the end the draft is what makes or breaks teams. I have attempted to identify some groups that seem to be on the up and up after this draft, and groups that will appear to continue suffering in the current NFL landscape. For teams it’s about improving their squads in the short and long run; for other groups I define winners and losers as to how well I think their ability to cash in on the NFL billions is indicated by behavior seen this year.
Winners:
Florida State: The Seminoles are appearing to the newest incarnation of the Florida to NFL pipeline, setting the NFL record for most players drafted over a three-year span. More importantly, the last three starting quarterbacks from Florida St. have been first-round selections (Jamies Winston, EJ Manuel, Christian Ponder) with Winston being the top pick in this years draft despite numerous off the field concerns. Jimbo Fisher has built a team where he can assure players that he can get them to the league –– not a bad recruiting tool.
Philadelphia Eagles/ Cleveland Browns: I am never a huge fan of teams mortgaging their entire future to land a single player, no matter how good. The kind of rumors that were swirling around this pick involved multiple number ones as well as elite veteran players. If either of these teams were able to pull off this kind of trade, they would have gotten a very good quarterback prospect in Mariota but wouldn’t have had the ability to surround him with talent. Everyone thought RG3 was worth what the Redskins gave up, and look where they are now. By the Eagles and Browns not being able to give so much to the Titans for Mariota, they were both able to address other issues on both sides of the football and didn’t give up future players that will help them build contenders for years to come.
New Orleans Saints: The Saints had a great draft in my estimation. The team drafted Stanford OT Andrus Peat with its first selection to shore up a shaky offensive line; used the pick from the Jimmy Graham trade to take tackling machine Stephone Anthony at the end of the first round; and got an elite corner prospect out of the second. The Saints also seemingly picked a potential heir to Drew Brees in Colorado St.’s Garret Grayson, a player who, while not having great measurables, has the “it” factor that QB’s need. With at least a year or two to learn the NFL ways, it will be interesting to see how Grayson ends up in a few seasons.
Losers:
Seattle Seahawks: My deep hatred of the Seahawks only plays a bit into this selection in my losers column, but mostly because they are simply an example of a greater theme, and I think they only got one potential difference maker. The Hawk’s selected Frank Clark, a very talented defensive lineman from Michigan. The only issue is that Clark was kicked off the team in February for suspicion of domestic violence. In a media setting where this stuff isn’t getting swept under the rug anymore, guilt is presumed in the public eye. It was an interesting choice to make the face of their draft.
Quarterbacks: After Winston and Mariota, both of which have flags on them, this class was widely panned. The guys that did get taken ended up in great spots (Bryce Petty to the Jets was one of my favorite picks), but on the whole it appears that unless you are an elite prospect, there isn’t much room for you in the NFL draft. Teams want stars (who go top 10) or backups who don’t garner much money initially.
Guys with Drug Histories: Shane Ray and Randy Gregory both got popped for non-violent crimes (marijuana possession/failed drug tests) in the weeks leading up to the draft. Unfortunately for them they fell precipitously because of their relationship with weed. Gregory was being projected to go top five before his incident, with Ray going around 15. Both players lost millions of dollars from getting caught with drugs. There seems to be an impetus to get guys that can at least test clean in the NFL, lest they be suspended under the substance abuse policy.
