Draft position and value is all subject to personal opinion, there are some picks I liked better than others value-wise but for the most part I believe everyone helped themselves on this day in some form or another. Here is my take on each pick 1.32 excluding my own picks.
WR Jonathan Baldwin
Baldwin was the correct choice here and was the #1 player on the board with CB Cortez Allen 1B, if Allen would have been the choice it still would have made sense but Breck made the right call.
CB Cortez Allen
Speaking of making the right pick you would have to say the exact same thing about Allen to the 49ers, the dude is a legit freak at the position. I only had Thomas going to the 49ers because that's clearly all they needed right away but it appears they now have picked up Brandan Jacobs from the Phins which makes this an even better move.
WR A.J. Green
I don't like this selection by Rock Hewko not that he needs my approval but this was a great chance to add a solid, big time CB to the mix instead added WR Green who's a fine player don't get me wrong but Emmanuel Sanders was a 1.9 pick, Michael Crabtree 1.4, He'll most likely start opposite of Crabtree and will be a heck of a player but I just didnt see this as a need since you were getting production from both and now you still have the all midget corner group.
CB Richard Sherman
Love this pick by the Panthers as I'm sure they would have taken either Green or Sherman here so they have to be thrilled with this pick as it not only filled a need but also a BPA scenario also. Solid 1st pick of your young career here in the SFL Phil! He's not only a monster at 6'3" but I imagine his skew was pretty darn good and will instantly boost your secondary.
OLB Von Miller
I'm a huge fan of Daren's drafts but for reasons I've already explained I just don't like the OLB position this high, the production almost never exceeds where they were selected. I'm not sure what the correct pick would be since I don't have all access to private workouts but pairing Ansah with Dowling may have been a better fit, I know they have lewis but Dowling seemed less raw imo.
CB Ras-I Dowling
Solid pickup here for the Jags as i have to believe they were sweating bullets before the Phins made their selection and I had Dowling/Sherman neck and neck. After losing Asomugha to the Dallas Cowgirls in free agency they had a huge vacancy across from Rolle in the secondary and filled it with a huge CB plus 97 SPD, even if that skews down 94 SPD they can add 2 and progress 1 so can close out at 97 SPD which is unreal for his size.
OT Tyron Smith
Great pick here by the Cards, an unbelievably athletic OT who can easily anchor an OL, not sure where they plan to play him but it doesn't matter, he'll be a stud for them for a decade for sure. My only knock on him was the weight, I've yet to have success with a light OL but maybe it's just in my head but I'll be keeping an eye on him.
OC Danny Aiken
I'm going to assume by Bills reaction to the center being selected that he was just as shocked as we were when his name came up at 1.8. I mean I didn't even think he was the top C on the board , he does have STR and athletic but he is 255 lbs and blocking in the 70's, this has to feel like an absolute disaster for the Skins at this point and even though he's a division rival and I point and laugh at you I also feel for you..... Ok I'm over it!
WR Kris Durham
This is 1 of my favorite prospects in the draft, I never got to do a workout on him because he never came close to making it to me but I'd have to think he did quite well. He has 95 SPD/98 ACC/ 87 JMP at freaking 6'6" , are you freaking kidding me? What a nightmare this guy will be for the rest of the AFC North and pairing him with Victor cruz who already had a fantastic rookie season. The hands are pathetic but I've played with veterans with 99 CTH and still drop 9 passes so I don't think it will be a huge factor to be honest.
CB Chimdi Chekwa
I really like this pick by Buffalo, I had him right up there with Dowling and Sherman. He's going to be a really solid corner in the SFL for many years plus he has solid attributes specifically his athleticism 96 SPD/93 AGI/94 ACC at 6'0" , he has the typical AWR flaw but you can say that about any prospect in this draft class really.
ILB Chris White
I remember someone saying in the chats due to the lack of need at ILB that it would most likely lead to many steals of the draft and I totally agree. The Cards could have made White the pick at 1.7 and it would have been a steal but getting him at 1.11 is criminal. He has ideal size to go along with unreal athletic ability , his 86 STR will allow him to shed tackles easily to get to the runner or QB and 63 AWR already isn't too shabby either, his TAK and 45 CTH will be an issue which means he'll be a liability in the pass game and will struggle getting runners down initially but he's going to be a stud in the not to distant future.
TE Larry Donnell
I love Donnell's size and athletic ability and as a player he was one of my top tight ends which I'm assuming he skewed a little higher than Jordan Cameron but I don't love this position for the Dolphins either who already have a more than capable TE in Brandon Myers who has much better hands at 77 CTH and unless Donnell has like an insane 90 SPD or something ridiculous like that then I'm wondering why not go and shore up the DE position or the insane value at ILB.
OLB Aldon Smith
I'm going to say the same thing for every OLB in the first round, will the production match where the player was selected and again this is no knock on the player or the GM who took him, the dude has won countless SB titles to my 0 but it's still the same question, will he ever produce to where he was drafted, Aldon Smith btw as I remember Bryan posted his PW and it looked real good so I understand his love of Smith but as a guy who took Teddy Lehman at 1.6 and to use the Bucs own athletic freak Jon Beason as examples, does the position warrant this high of a selection.
OT Anthony Castonzo
Ok this is more like the Dolphins we know and love on draft day and what a freaking pickup, I had Castonzo and Smith neck and neck so to get the same type of player at 7 picks later then it's great value in my eyes. Again like Smith the only knock I have is weight which is probably not even an issue at OT at least but that athletic ability, STR and above average blocking is unbelievable and will anchor that DL for a decade.
RB Daniel Thomas
What's not to love about this pick? First of all he comes home to Miami and I had him rated by far the #1 RB on my draft board, i was never a fan of his at 1.2 but here at 1.15 sir yes sir. His 6'2" 227 lbs frame will be able to withstand a beating, his STR is exactly where you want it to be, he's athletic for a beast his size, decent CTH, he's tough and will be an every down back. Then negatives are the usual with rookie runners, the AWR isn't there yet and the BTK/CAR needs work but for the most part i expect him to run over peeps in the AFC East.
OLB Mason Foster
I won't continue to be a broken record but my thoughts are 10 fold about the OLB especially a player like this who's super undersized who only weighs 200 lbs., I love Fosters ability, STR and TAK but the TGH and STA are also a real concern, will he be able to stay on the field? I'll be watching these linebackers closely to test my theories.
TE Jordan Cameron
I'm going to assume since I didn't work out a TE that both he and Donnell were similar and that's why the Dolphins went with Donnell since he's an inch taller and 20 lbs heavier but Jordan Cameron was the top TE on my board, who will most likely be the starter immediately and has brady throwing to him which is a great start. I like this fit alot especially after looking at the TE's they currently have on the roster and should be a favorite target of Brady's right away.
SS Austin Yancy
The Jets had to clear out cap space and still do so I expect more moves to be made and as I write this it appears more moves have been made. When your a team that just seems to collect talent year after year you come to expect this of the Jets and the selection of Yancy is no different who appears at first glance like he'll be the starter in NJ. Excellent size at 6'3" 230 lbs but athletic ability to boot, I saw some GM's on discord concerned about AWR but you can basically say that about every rookie in this class since it will always be an issue.
WR Tandon Doss
Doss didn't get as much press as a few players, but is basically Braylon Edwards reincarnated (link:
https://sfl-football.com/scout_h2h.php?skin=lp&year=2011&left_id=2756&right_id=5392 ) and is going to be a stud his entire career.
With a good skew (+1 to +3 SPD) he can be a superstar. (Thanks Nic St. Marie)
DE J.J. Watt
As I started looking into these DE's I became more and more disappointed after each workout, I never got to workout Watt but I'm assuming things went in the right direction, seeing that LE Justin Tuck is now on the market or possibly trade now then I'm going to guess that Watt will be the starter in Chicago. The Bears GM Brent has done a masterful job filling in the pieces , I don't see a single chain in the link that needs fixing right away, must be nice!
CB Patrick Peterson
Solid pick for the Texans here as they get at least imo one of the safest picks in this years draft class CB Patrick Peterson. I can praise Wade now that I'm not a division rival. Peterson not only has the size but can max out his Athletic ability at 94 SPD/99 AGI/97 ACC at 6'1" and already has 60 AWR, 71 CTH 67 TAK with 89 JMP, great value this late in the draft.
ILB Kelvin Sheppard
Oh Gawd, it's so gross that Romeo got a player of this caliber here late in the draft, if you needed an ILB you were in luck because this draft boasted 3 of them that were top notch and I think he's the day 1 starter after looking at Tatupu who was just average at the position last season. Everything about him makes me think he'll be a stud from day 1.
CB Chris Culliver
Many GM's on discord ranted about how this pick was a reach and at first I thought also that GM Garth Pearce may have gotten a bit scared that a CB was needed but after the PW results I think they got a great player and what many aren't realizing here is that he won't need to start day 1 on a stacked Raiders roster, he'll sit and spot start and play as a NCB year 1-2 and continue to gain AWR because the rest of his attributes were awesome and even better is his 6'1" frame.
RB Michael LeShoure
I'm not a fan of this for the Saints, he's a smaller back very similar to the guy he already spent a 1st round pick on in RB DeAngelo Williams and you also probably have a year left of solid play from Deuce McCallister so I don't like the fit here. I didn't have a single RB after Thomas in round 1 not that they're bad players I just don't see the value in this crop. He excels as a SPD back and has some power but unless he's the #1 back I think they should have gone in a different direction.
CB Jimmy Smith
Another player that I was really surprised fell this far was Jimmy Smith since everyone likes them big now a days I thought he'd be long gone by this time and the Pats have to be ecstatic to land 2 potential starters this late in the draft. Smith has the size 6'2", enough athletic ability to max out at 95 SPD/93 AGI/94 ACC, his 63 CTH, 89 JMP and 68 TAK are also very good to start out, this is a real steal here.
ILB Akeem Dent
What an absolute steal here again as I had all 3 of these ILB's rated very close together and although Dent is a little bit lighter than I'd like he's an all around stud at the position with 85 SPD, 84 STR, 83 AGI, 87 ACC, 66 CTH, 80 TAK and will start immediately which to me was a perfect fit here for the Ravens and Dent.
LT Ben Ijalana
Ben Ijalana is a fantastic physical prospect with a bit of a learning curve ahead of him. He was drafted right around where he should be, and used in the right running scheme can become a true menace to the league. With that strength, is destined to become a true superstar OT or OG with the right development. (Thanks again Nic St. Marie)
DE Cameron Jordan
Before working out Cameron I would have said easily a mid to late 1st but after the workout I just didn't feel the value was there but maybe I have it wrong because I thought ACC was always the more important attribute than SPD but not only did the SPD /ACC go down but so did his STR. I think he'll be just fine for Anthony but I think Quinn is the safer bet of the 2 imo.
OT Jah Reid
I'm wondering if Reid may have been the better of the 2 between Ijalana as I ran out of private workouts and didn't buy another until after I made the selection. he has tremendous size at 6'7" 326 lbs and looks like he can start soon at RT as Thomas is on his last legs which qualifies as good value anytime you get an immediate potential starter but like many his AWR on the right side may be a concern if he starts right away.
LE Kendrick Ellis
After doing a private workout on Ellis I was kind of turned off but as I continue to look at it he is most likely going to be a very good DL, I'd say a little less of a player that Knighton is but still a force. He can max out at 79 SPD, 76 STR, 79 AGI and 90 ACC which at 340 lbs is friggin incredible. TAK will definitely need to improve as well as AWR but the rest is pretty impressive to get him at 30th is even more impressive.
DE Robert Quinn
Much like Patrick Peterson was the safest CB in my eyes the same could be said about Robert Quinn being the safest of the DE's, he did skew down in a few categories but in the end you have an 81 SPD, 87 STR, 83 AGI, 81 ACC DE at 6'5" 276 lbs. coming at your QB, I can hear Brian Brohm's bones breaking as we speak!!!! Another great addition for the Texans.
OG John Moffitt
I use LG Andy levitre of the Browns as a type of G I'd take in the first round and although Moffitt has similar traits his age 24 isn't ideal. I don't hate the pick or the player but I would have liked to see them possibly land a WR to pair with Mancini or something along those lines but protecting your QB should always be rule #1 but so should giving him weapons.
