By Lucas Camacho
The time has come. After an already crazy offseason that saw numerous players changing teams: we’re ready for Draft Day. Many teams were wheeling and dealing in response to the Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl back-to-back for the first time since the New England Patriots (led by a certain quarterback that people may not want me to name…Tom Brady…look, you love him or hate him).
Before we get too deep into this, let me just say one thing to all the teams: don’t just pick the “experts’ picks”. There’s no guarantee that what the “experts” say is the best thing. The Sparks followed all the “experts” in drafting their players last week in the WNBA Draft. Granted there is nothing wrong with Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson (I think they’re both standouts who can really lift the Sparks), but there was too much talent that was left to be picked up by other teams. Kamilla Cardoso from South Carolina and Angel Reese from LSU would have been perfect picks because they have one thing in common: they both beat number one pick Caitlin Clark (who may be the best athlete to shoot a basketball since Kobe Bryant). Yes, they are both from rival schools, but that didn’t stop Chicago from drafting BOTH of them.
That last example was a wait and see, but here is another example that is not: LAST year’s draft. Everyone said that Bryce Yong was the clear-cut number one pick and Carolina went for it. My family will tell you I was NOT convinced of that. My pick was the man I couldn’t stop talking about in all my weekly recaps last season: Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud. Granted it was only one year, and Carolina had a terrible team (but not too terrible as Young at least had the reliable Adam Thielen on his team), but it didn’t look good. Now Carolina is out of the first round because of the trade to get Young last year, and they must watch what Chicago does with that pick. So before I get into my expectations for the night, let me really drive this point home: JUST BECAUSE THE EXPERTS SAY WHAT TO DO, DOESN’T MEAN IT’S WHATS REALLY BEST FOR YOUR TEAM! That being said, let’s go over my expectations.
CHICAGO WILL DRAFT CALEB WILLIAMS
I don’t typically agree with the idea of a “slam dunk” number one pick that gets hyped up, but in this case…yeah it is a slam dunk. It’s been inevitable since USC Quarterback Caleb Williams declared for the Draft that he would be the number one pick. The only question would be if Chicago drafted him or would they trade the number one pick away (again). Last year was a good call (imagine if they ended up with Young), but this year…no, they shouldn’t. That debate ended when the Bears traded away their Quarterback Justin Fields. Evidently, Fields didn’t do enough to convince Chicago to give him one more chance. Now they’ve cleared the way for Caleb Williams, and they’ve brought in plenty of veteran help him in the form of Wide Receiver Keenan Allen, Running Back D’Andre Swift, and Tight End Gerald Everett (and that’s just a few!). The real question will be what the Bears do with their second pick in the first round: will they trade it, or will they get another wide receiver?
FORGET QUARTERBACKS, LOOK AT THE WIDE RECEIVERS!
There is a lot of need for a quarterback for a lot of teams (and I’d argue no one needs one more than the Minnesota Vikings and number one Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson). But step back and look at all the Wide Receivers we have going into this Draft. My reaction to so many talented pass-catchers entering the NFL this year is this: holy mole holes! NFL defenses are going to be REALLY busy this year trying to get a handle on these kids. LSU’s Malik Nabers is a human dynamo, Rome Odunze from Washington has amazing athletic abilities, and how about young Xavier Worthy from Texas burning the 40 Yard Dash record at the combine (with enough speed to make Racehorse legend Secretariat rise up out of his grave). All of that and combine that with the fact that I didn’t even mention the best wide receiver available, Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State. This man could easily be the number one pick if Caleb Williams was removed from the equation. I can talk a lot about all these amazing prospects…but that would take up a whole article, so we’ll move on.
MY CANDIDATE FOR MOST OVERHYPED PROSPECT THIS YEAR
As I mentioned before, I thought Bryce Young was a little too over-hyped. This year, my pick for that spot is Drake Maye, the quarterback from North Carolina. The “experts” seem to love this kid for some reason. I’m not saying they’re completely wrong. He does have the arm talent and toughness to turn things around for a team down on their luck. But here is what I see: WAY too many interceptions. I’ve been hearing people say that it isn’t all his fault as there were many seniors that left the team prior to last year. However, in my view, that is as much on him as it is his teammates because they are PART OF A TEAM. Lack of chemistry is certainly a reason for too many mistakes (look at what the Raiders did to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Christmas Day last year). However, it’s not an excuse he’ll be able to keep using as his NFL career progresses. I just don’t see this kid as the answer to someone who has a serious need for a quarterback RIGHT NOW. I do see him as one that a team like the Rams could use: a team with an aging quarterback who can take the kid under his wing and really turn him into a diamond in the rough. Connections like that is what turn the great ones into the “OH MY GOD!” ones (that was a little shout out to the late great Matthew Perry).
THE CHARGERS ARE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
The Chargers will be the team to watch tonight like their women’s basketball counterparts, the LA Sparks, were last week. That’s because many “experts” think the Chargers should trade down. However, my thinking is that the Chargers can’t afford to trade down too far in this Draft, and I’ll tell you why: they NEED a wide receiver. Most of the great ones will be taken in the Top Ten picks, and they would look great next to the dazzling Quarterback Justin Herbert. If you think that a decent wide receiver will fall to the second round; you’re fooling yourself. If they’re going to trade down, the Vikings are the only team that makes sense to deal with. They do have two picks in the first round, and the Chargers can use one of them to grab at least one of these talented stud wide receivers. Also, and I cannot emphasize this enough: the Vikings are desperate for a quarterback. I’m not saying they’re crazy enough to trade Justin Jefferson for the Chargers’ pick (because why on earth would anyone give the Chargers the chance to put two of the best players at their position in the NFL together on the SAME TEAM?!) but getting two first round picks and possibly more does sound appealing. Whatever the Chargers do with their pick, I will say there is one other thing they shouldn’t do with it: draft an offensive tackle. Yes, they have holes at the offensive line, it is a fact that is not up for debate, and especially since the line is the reason Justin Herbert’s season was cut short. However, there is too much talent at wide receiver to not take one of them in the first round! There will be plenty of talent at the line that will fall in the later rounds, and those guys are more than capable of protecting Justin Herbert. So please DON’T DRAFT A TACKLE AT NUMBER 5! The only exception to this is if the tackle becomes the next Michael Oher.
THERE MIGHT BE CHAOS
Okay, this is an oversimplification, but a valid expectation after the offseason we had. We have too many teams needing a quarterback for there not to be some big moves dropping tonight or in the next few days (I’m not saying to expect the kind of drama from the movie Draft Day, but close to it). There are also teams with more holes in them than Swiss cheese. I’d argue the Patriots should trade back to avoid the Drake Maye trap. The point is: be prepared. You can make mock Drafts all the live long day, and they will go as well as an NCAA basketball tournament bracket (for the record, mine was VERY good this year). You can make your plans like Harry Potter and his friends did in the seventh book of the Harry Potter series, and then all hell breaks loose anyway as a team fills the Heath Ledger-Joker role in derailing everything. Don’t be too surprised if that’s what happens tonight during the first round.
The NFL Draft coverage starts tonight at 5PM PDT on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network.
