Draft Review - One Pick Per Team
This review will look at each team in the league and select one of their picks to review. It will not necessarily be their top pick or their worst pick, but rather a pick this reporter finds...intriguing. So let's get started!
AFC East
Buffalo Bills -
CB Demarcus Milliner -
1.6 - With a secondary that had been depleted, a corner was an obvious need for the team. What they likely were not expecting is for three corners to be picked ahead of them within the first five picks. That being said, Milliner is a solid pick at this position for the options available. His AGI is a little rough but starts at 90 and will likely improve with rookie and sophmore progression.
Miami Dolphins -
DE Bjoern Werner -
2.1 - Werner is an excellent pickup for the Dolphins with the first pick of the 2nd round. The beneficiaries of a big run on corners in the early part of the 1st round, not a lot of defensive ends were taken in the 1st round. Still, the Dolphins have to have been confident in the pick and Werner is that. An ideal combination of attributes, Werner will be a stud in the league.
New York Jets -
MLB Manti T'eo -
2.9 - An absolute beast of a inside linebacker that was taken 41st overall in the draft, T'eo will be terrorizing the AFC East in no time. A strong class in this position does not detract from the fact that the Jets managed to acquire him in the 2nd round. Excellent foot speed and a strong tackling ability will make T'eo an interesting propsect to watch.
New England Patriots -
MLB A.J. Klein -
2.14 - While picked later than the Jets' T'eo, Klein is still excellent talent for the middle linebacker role and a solid pickup for the Patriots with their first pick of the draft. While he gives up a bit of speed to T'eo, Klein has strength to compensate while keeping the same tackle and an excellent football mind for a rookie.
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals -
WR Coradelle Patterson -
1.9 - A definite beneficiary of the defensive player run that occurred in the top 6 picks of the draft, the Bengals were left with an excellent range of options to pick from. And Patterson is one hell of a pick. In fact, this reporter believes Patterson was the better receiver to take in the draft and the Bengals walked away with a steal at the 1.9 pick.
Cleveland Browns -
DE Cornelius Washington -
3.12 - The Browns had exited the first two rounds of the draft so we start deep for their picks but Washington is an excellent pick for a team to pick up in the 3rd round. While a bit low on acceleration, his size and strength combined with his speed and agility is going to make him a menacing edge rusher regardless of which side he ends up on.
Baltimore Ravens -
DT Johnathan Hankins -
1.24 - A DT who would be just at home as a defensive end is a dangerous prospect for anyone to face and the Ravens picked an absolute beast at this position. Not much more we can say except there are some internal linemen out there at the moment not looking particularly happy.
Pittsburgh Steelers -
WR Kenny Stills -
7.4 - The Steelers started their draft even later than the Browns, with their first pick in the 4th round. So we started at the other end of their draft and worked backwards. For a 7th round pick, the 6'1" Kenny Stills will grow into a completely viable #2 and slot receiver option for the team. Initial scouting shows sub-90 speed and agility, but with rookie and sophmore progression that will naturally reach the 90's and a purchases stat boost or 2 could turn him into a quality starter.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts -
HB Montee Ball -
1.26 - On draft day, Ball was shaping up to be controversial pick as the Colts' GM loudly proclaimed it was his preference over Mr Fat Back Eddie Lacy. A lot of pundits disagreed and in the end, the Seahawks resolved the drama by removing Lacy from the conversation three picks before the Colts. Ball has good feet and solid all around skills but ideally a higher break tackle would have been preferable.
Jacksonville Jaguars -
OT Ryan Jensen -
3.29 - We could talk about Kevin Minter all day but we want to draw people's attention to the athletic Jensen. Jensen represents the kind of value teams can leverage from the mid-rounds of the draft. While he requires a little help in the blocking game, his 75+ agility and acceleration combined with his 319lbs frame and eventual 90+ strength make him the kind of athletic talent a lot of teams want at tackle.
Houston Texans -
WR Taverres King -
6.7 - Talking about the 1st overall pick is so yesterday. Let us talk about a 6'0" receiver the Texans picked in the 6th round who starts with 91 speed, 91 agility and 94 acceleration and currently qualifies for rookie and sophmore progression. King is an unlikely successful skew from deep in the draft and while he lacks the extra inches that would make him part of the super-elite, he has every potential to turn into a star.
Tennessee Titans -
DE Dion Jordan -
1.2 - Ok, we may have skipped Rhodes but we cannot skip Jordan. The Texans are only mildly upset by not picking Jordan but that's more FOMO than anything. Jordan is a freak by any draft standards. What rookie comes in at a 90 overall? He needs to work on his tackle to truely be magnificent in defense but with a game awareness that already beats a lot of current starters, focusing on that attribute will be simple with the likely sacks and TFLs this guy will rack up.
AFC West
Denver Broncos -
OT Terron Armstead -
2.13 - The Broncos filled their long term OT futures in the 2nd round of this draft and Armstead is the type of tackle you want starting on the strong side and a pretty fantastic pick in the middle of the 2nd round. A pre-season away from being prime time capable at blocking and athleticism mixed with size and strength Armstead will be a long term option in Denver.
San Diego Chargers -
TE Tyler Eifert -
1.8 - Tight end is a role that can regularly be overlooked by teams or regularly be middle of the road in quality. The Chargers bucked the trend and picked a pretty athletic beast at the role. The only minor shortcoming for Eifert is his strength but some progression in that space will round out that capability nicely.
Kansas City Chiefs -
WR Justin Hunter -
1.7 - Hunter is an interesting prospect. Picked by most mocks to go top 3 in the draft, an unprecendented defensive player run of six defensive players to start the draft meant the Chiefs unexpectedly found themselves in the prime seat for the first offensive player. Hunter
appears lacking in some attributes but when you account that he 20 and qualified for rookie and sophmore progression, he will be a 6'4" receiver everybody will want.
Oakland Raiders -
FB Tommy Bohanon -
1.20 - A pick that had the draft hall in an uproar, seeing a fullback going in the first round had all discussions going. Brad Barber made a bold call including the indication that Bohanon will move to tight end (eventually). While shorter than your standard tight end, the rest of his attributes are pretty impressive for a blocker. While catching needs some help his presence will be an interesting experiment to watch.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys -
WR Adam Thielen -
1.32 - The last pick of the first round, Thielen is a superstar from an attribute perspective and an excellent pickup by the Cowboys at the end of the first round. While some might be wary of his low awareness for a 23-year old, he has a respectable starting catch rating and should compile the stats early on to help close the awareness discrepency.
Philadelphia Eagles -
OT Eric Fisher -
1.10 - Potentially the best OT in the draft, the Eagles were likely in disbelief to find him still on the board by the 10th overall pick. Fisher has an
unbelievable agility and acceleration for an offensive tackle along with a starter-quality blocking capability from day one.
New York Giant -
DE Ezekiel Anzah -
1.16 - The Giants had a relatively quiet draft. While other defensive ends picked around Ezekiel may look better from an attributes perspective, Ezekiel's strength come from his size. At 271lbs, Ezekiel will be a menace from that space.
Washington Redskin -
WR Robert Woods -
1.11 - A lot of people potentially discounted Woods due to his shorter frame at
just 6'0". But Woods is an absolute burner of a wide receiver who is just 20-years old and starts with an impressive catch rating and an excellent rookie awareness. Woods is a superstar receiver with a decade of blistering promise before old age will ever cast an eye in his direction.
NFC North
Chicago Bears -
DE Alex Okafor -
2.20 - The Bears seem to have missed the spot a little in this draft as their talent appears to be over shadowed by other talent picked around it. Okafor is a good defensive end if not a spectacular one. The likes of Robert Quinn however have shown what this type of defensive end can do.
Detroit Lions -
DT Star Lotulelei -
5.3 - The Lions had 2 picks all draft and this was their first one. What can we say? Lotulelei isn't a bad player and could hold down the defensive tackle position quite well. But he is unlikely to get a start with the other players ahead of him. Solid depth.
Green Bay Packers -
OLB Khaseem Greene -
3.2 - Ok, this is a bit of a homer selection (and Kevin Minter could also have been) as I had Greene on my roster in NAFL and loved him. But what's not to love about an outside linebacker picked in the 3rd round who is 83 speed, 83 strength, 85 agility and 83 acceleration. He is a beast for this pick.
Minnesota Vikings -
QB Tyler Wilson -
2.29 - Here's an interesting pick. The Vikings currently have the most productive quarterback in SFL history with Dante Culpepper. But Culpepper is
extremely likely to retire come next offseason. But then the new mentor rule comes along and the Vikings suddenly find an opportunity to increase a rookie's awareness while still mostly using their veteran. This is a smart move by the Vikings and I expect to see Wilson becoming the SFL equivalent of Aaron Rodgers, apprenticing behind an existing master.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -
MLB Jonathan Bostic -
1.5 - We're not sure how to take Bryan Mellon actively taking part in the first round. Even less so when he's doing it with his own pick. The NFC South though are even less impressed that he resisted trade temptation and landed a middle linebacker that can keep up with a large chunk of receivers in the league and then break their little 30 strength frames across his back like kindling.
Atlanta Falcons -
FS T.J. McDonald -
1.28 - A 6'3" safety with 77 tackle whose speed, agility and acceleration attributes could all top out at 90 or greater? Sign me up! And he has the strength of a linebacker? I don't know how to run against that! Best of luck NFC South.
Carolina Panthers -
OT Menelik Watson -
1.30 - Some good offensive line talent came out this years draft and Watson is a perfect example of this. Big, strong, athletic and ready to block from day 1. He is a prototypical player most people want and should be a excellent presence for the Panthers.
New Orleans Saints -
CB Desmond Trufant -
1.4 - Trufant is an attribute beast. Speed, agility, acceleration and tackle are all superstar caliber suitable for his high position in the draft. He was being considered for the #1 overall pick at one stage. He is a corner no receiver in the league can beat in just a foot race.
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers -
MLB Paul Worrilow -
2.15 - Continuing the trend of a strong middle linebacker class, Worrilow as the 49ers' first pick of the draft and they landed a future contended for leading tackles in a season. His height might see him fall prey to some tight ends but his other attributes make him a tackle machine.
Arizona Cardinals -
MLB Jamie Collins -
4.8 - The Cardinals had a pretty good draft but landing a player of Collins' talent in the 4th round is excellent. Unfortunately, I expect Collins to be trade bait in the near future, given he is 3rd amongst young superstar talent on the Cardinals roster.
St. Louis Rams -
SS Shawn Williams -
1.12 - Williams was by far the most talented strong safety in the draft and if he hadn't gone at this position the Texans were eyeing him off for the 1.15 pick. Fantastic physical attributes combined with a strong tackle and good catch will make him a secondary menace.
Seattle Seahawks -
HB Eddie Lacy -
1.23 - The fat back himself was unintentionally causing drama on draft day as the Colts' GM continued to push the view that Lacy was not the best back on offer. The Seahawks put to rest any thought of testing the Colts' resolve by picking him 3 picks earlier. Given Rock's success with running backs in the past, I expect people are not going to like Lacy in the future.
