We didn’t even have to wait for the season to start for me to say HOLY MOLE HOLES! This draft was filled with unexpected twists and turns. We had shocking moments and moves that left us scratching our heads. Let’s break this down for you.
RAIDERS’ PICK NO SURPRISE
As I mentioned in my last article, there was no surprise as to what the Las Vegas Raiders did with their pick. This year’s No. 1 pick was the National Champion and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Indiana; Fernando Mendoza. Now that the Raiders have their quarterback of the future…now what? Well, the Raiders are now focused on protecting Mendoza to allow him and rising stars Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers to do what they do best. The Raiders are poised to have the fiercest offense in the NFL, but they’ll have to add to it to stoke that fire.
SURPRISE AT PICK NO. 3 AND CHAOS AFTER
I mentioned that the dominos would fall after the No. 2 pick during my draft preview. I will admit that I was wrong. The dominos fell after the No. 3 pick instead! The Arizona Cardinals surprised a lot of people by grabbing running back Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame. The Cardinals have several running backs already, so many people were scratching their heads on this move. After that, we had eight total trades in the first round alone, including three trades that involved the Buffalo Bills alone. Things sure did get hectic on just the first day.
STEELERS AND RAVENS RIVALRY ALIVE AND WELL
For many fans of the NFL, rivalries are a big part. It’s hard to find fiercer rivals than the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the city of Pittsburgh hosting the draft, naturally the Ravens got booed by the large Steeler fan crowd whenever they got to pick. The representatives of the Ravens, however, thrived in the hostile environment. Mark Ingram, former Ravens running back, and his son went on stage with several high school female flag football players. Together, they had a message for Steelers fans: “Steelers still suck!”
Another fan that was part of the NFL’s International Fan of the Year went on stage for the Ravens and was loving the boos. Jamie Pembroke of the United Kingdom then said: “Pittsburgh, I’ll keep this short, like your postseason…” To my friends and family who are Steelers fans: you might need some aloe vera…because you just got burned…
TOP 5 FIRST ROUND HEAD-SCRATCHING PICKS
There were several first round picks that left many scratching their heads. Allow me to give you my top five picks that I think were rather ill-timed or ill-suited (but this doesn’t mean I think they’re bad players).
5) Jeremiyah Love (RB) – Arizona Cardinals (No.3)
I already mentioned Love earlier in the article but never analyzed why this is a bizarre pick. Look, I am not saying Love is a bad pick. He might be the most talented running back in this year’s draft. But the Cardinals’ offensive line is shot and full of holes. I don’t see a scenario where Love makes any kind of impact with this shoddy front line.
4) Malachi Lawrence (EDGE) – Dallas Cowboys (No. 23)
The Cowboys were one of the notable trades that happened in the first round. I found it interesting that this was who the Cowboys went with after swapping with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles ended up taking Makai Lemon from USC, while the Cowboys ended up with a player that has trouble turning the corner consistently against tackles. This seems like a low floor for a first round pick.
3) Caleb Banks (DT) – Minnesota Vikings (No. 18)
Now, the Vikings definitely need help at the line on both sides of the ball. However, Banks is a bit of a head scratcher. He was widely projected to be mid-to-late second-round pick. Banks boasted the longest recorded wingspan at the combine since 1999 and adds a lot of power to the defensive line at 6-foot-6, 327 pounds. A left foot fracture prior to the combine, though, raises some doubts and makes this a risky pick at the moment.
2) Kadyn Proctor (OT) – Miami Dolphins (No. 12)
Maybe I’m being too harsh on the Dolphins. Yes, getting an offensive tackle is definitely something that the Dolphins needed. However, they had other pressing needs and let a number of more favorable players go somewhere else. It might have been better if they drafted Caleb Downs instead. We’ll see if the Dolphins know something everyone else doesn’t.
1) Ty Simpson (QB) – Los Angeles Rams (No. 13)
So not only did the Rams miss a chance to make this a better pick by beating the Falcons (whose pick this belonged to), they also blow this chance to make their team better right now. Let’s be clear, the Rams are in win-now mode after getting close the last two seasons to returning to the Super Bowl. So why pick Ty Simpson? Yes, they no longer have to worry about finding an heir apparent for Matthew Stafford, but they could have waited. Simpson was most likely going to sink to the second round, and the Rams had more pressing needs to address. This is too high of a pick to spend on someone that is automatically going to spend his first season on the bench.
MANY STARS COME OUT FOR THE DRAFT
Typically, a lot of teams bring out some of their most recognizable stars for the draft. Since the Steelers were the hosts, a lot of their fans got treated to some of their biggest stars, including Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw. (The two former quarterbacks led the Steelers to all six of the franchise’s Super Bowl titles.) However, one of the biggest stars that showed up didn’t appear until the final day of the draft. The star was Pennsylvania native and Steelers super fan Michael Keaton. Keaton was born in Kennedy Township, but was raised around Pittsburgh, and he is one of the Steelers’ biggest fans (my apologies to my Uncle Steve). I will say this: having the man that gave us Batman and Beetlejuice made this draft more exciting (but why wait for the last day to bring him out?).
INTERESTING FACTS FROM THIS YEAR’S DRAFT
There is certainly a lot to unpack from any NFL Draft. But I have some quick facts that you guys might find interesting.
- Despite the fact that many teams needed help on the offensive and defensive lines, the most drafted position in this year’s draft were Wide Receivers. There were 36 receivers taken this year in the draft.
- The SEC led all NCAA conferences with most players drafted with 87. Second place was the Big 10 with 68 players, including 10 in the first round.
- Ohio State saw the most players drafted this year with 11, including 4 in the first round. Defending champion Indiana saw only 8 players drafted, including star Fernando Mendoza at No. 1.
- The NFL Internation Fan of the Year contest saw fans from nine different countries. Each team had their own nominee, and each one got to announce their team’s pick (including one UK fan who was previously mentioned and lucky to get out in one piece).
- This year’s Mr. Irrelevant, the last & 257th pick, is Khalil “Red” Murdock, linebacker from Buffalo University. Drafted by the Denver Broncos. Murdock did set an NCAA record for most career forced fumbles with 17, which was held by another Khalil: all pro Khalil Mack. Fun fact: the last four Mr. Irrelevants are still with the teams that drafted them, including San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy.
ANALYSIS FOR THE LOCAL TEAMS
Alright, time for what you Hollywood and Los Angeles area fans have been waiting for: how did the local teams do? Fair warning right now: I might get a little harsh.
Let us start with the Rams. You already read my critique about drafting Ty Simpson too early, and things did not get better. None of the other picks adequately addressed what the Rams really needed to get better NOW. This is a team that was 4 points away from derailing the Seahawks’ Super Bowl parade. The Rams better figure another way to get better this offseason before training camp…because they sure didn’t do it in the draft this year.
As for the Chargers, at least they did a little better in the draft than their SoFi Stadium co-tenants. I wasn’t a fan of the Chargers taking defensive end Akheem Mesidor with their first pick. I believed that upgrading the protection around Justin Herbert was a bigger priority than the defense. However, when it was their turn in the first round, a lot of suitable players were already taken. Still, I am happy with the pick of center Jake Slaughter. This is one quick and mobile bad man who is going to be difficult to get past…all 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds of him. I am also happy with the pick of receiver Brenen Thompson. I kept saying the Chargers needed a wide receiver, and they got the fastest one from the combine. The Chargers still have problems to address at the line, but at least this looks a lot better.
