NFL Draft- 10 Takeaways from Days 2 and 3

Another NFL Draft has come and gone.  It was a weird one, but full of some very memorable moments.  Some players slipped, some teams reached, but in the end 253 young men got to hear their name called as they headed off to start their NFL careers.  Here are a few of my thoughts on Days 2 and 3 of the Draft, covering Rounds 2-7.

1.  Connor Cook fell because he lacked intangibles?  That sounds fairly silly to me.  Mel Kiper said in one of the draft podcasts that if Cook had Kirk Cousins' intangibles, he'd be a 1st round pick.  As it is, he slipped to Oakland Round 4, pick 100, and is now the backup of an entrenched young starter in Derek Carr.  It may be the worst possible situation for a player that could have been the heir apparent to Tony Romo in Dallas, or legitimate competition to RG3 in Cleveland.  So, what are these intangibles that Cook lacks?  Leadership, I suppose.  Many teams were hung up on the fact that he wasn't a captain of his team as a senior starting QB.  They see that, and deduce that he cannot be a strong leader in the huddle or the locker room.  I have no idea if that is a legitimate issue.  All I know is that he won a lot in college, and Michigan State QBs are better than average-good backup QBs in this league.  At worst, Cook could be Drew Stanton.  At best, he is Kirk Cousins (maybe even better).  Now, barring an injury to Carr, we may never find out.

2.  Last year, the Cleveland Browns had a massive need at receiver, and they drafted one- Vince Mayle.  Vince was recovering from a broken thumb, was cut early in the regular season, and ended 2015 on the Cowboys practice squad.  Cleveland then lost Travis Benjamin, their best wideout, to the Chargers this offseason.  So, coming into the Draft, WR was still a big need for the Browns.  Well, at least this new front office crew is trying.  They drafted 5 (yes 5!) wide receivers!  If they can hit on 3 of them, this is genius.  They hit on 2, it is a solid draft class.  Hell, if they hit on 1, he will be one of the best Browns wideouts in recent history.  While I think the Corey Coleman pick was a reach with the other guys that were there, the Browns showing some effort in establishing an actual professional WR corps may be a good sign of things to come.

3.  Some teams wish they had as good of a NFL Draft has the Ravens had in the 4th Round.  Tavon Young, Temple; Chris Moore, WR, Cincinnati; Alex Lewis, OT, Nebraska; Willie Henry, DT, Michigan; and Kenneth Dixon, RB, Louisiana Tech.  5 picks that all fit needs.  The Ravens need a ton of help in their secondary, and Young (and 7th Rounder Maurice Canady from UVA) can compete right away for playing time opposite Jimmy Smith.  The same can be said about Chris Moore (and Keenan Reynolds, who I will get to), since Steve Smith and Breshaud Perriman are both recovering from injury.  Alex Lewis can develop into a starting right tackle, or can bump inside to guard.  He adds great depth behind #1 pick Ronnie Stanley.  Willie Henry is a versatile D-lineman who fits the mold of a Ravens defender- tough, explosive, and even played for the other Coach Harbaugh at Michigan.  Finally, Kenneth Dixon, #2 all-time in touchdowns in the NCAA, may be the most talented RB on the Ravens roster the second he suits up.  It was a round played perfectly by Ozzie Newsome, and should provide immediate benefits.

4.  A bit of homer-ism, but I am very happy for Stanford QB (and Gonzaga College High School grad) Kevin Hogan, who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in Round 5.  Let's look at the way they talk about Hogan- extremely smart, winner, great athlete, less than ideal arm strength.  That sounds an awful lot like Alex Smith to me.  Now he can develop and learn behind Smith, and under the tutelage of Andy Reid.  It really was the perfect situation for a great young man who continues to make his fellow Gonzaga alums proud.

5.  Round 2 began with some serious good feelings.  Jaylon Smith and Myles Jack, both Top 5 talents whose stock was hurt due to knee injuries, were drafted early in the day.  The joy on their faces is why I love the draft so much.  Both of these young men will get a chance to live their dream of playing in the NFL.  Smith will probably have to redshirt for a year in Dallas, but if he is able to recover to 80% of the promise he showed before his injury, then the Cowboys got a steal.  The same can be said for Myles Jack in Jacksonville.  He is healthy now, but there is a question about whether or not his knee will hold up over time.  Even a 5-year career, with Jack's talent, makes his value exceptional where they drafted him.  Speaking of the Jaguars...

6.  The Jacksonville Jaguars won the draft, and they only took 7 guys.  The Titans, with their commitment to protecting Mariota, and the Ravens, with the moves mentioned above, are right there with them, but the Jags ability to get both Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack to help improve a suspect defense is fantastic.  6 of the players that they took were on defense.  Add that young talent to their free agent additions, and add that defense to their explosive young offense, the Jaguars could make the biggest jump in terms of wins next season, and will compete for a playoff spot.

7.  I already mentioned Day 2's good moments.  Day 3 provided a half hour of awesomeness in the form of picks 180 and 182.  The first pick came in the form of Moritz Boehringer from Germany, a young man who became a fan of the NFL after watching Adrian Peterson videos on Youtube.  Really, you have to see how it played out right here.  A great moment.  The kid is the 1st player ever to be drafted directly from Europe, and says he wants to be the NFL's Dirk Nowitzki.  Not to be outdone, two picks later the Ravens drafted Keenan Reynolds out of Navy.  Reynolds, the NCAA all-time leader in touchdowns, is the classiest, highest-character guy in the entire draft.  He is a legend at the Naval Academy.  I hope he is able to work out a deal with the Navy to serve his commitment concurrently, much as Patriots longsnapper and former Midshipman Joe Cardona has done.  He clearly has a nose for the end zone, could be an excellent slot receiver and return man, and his QB background opens up the offense for some special trick plays.  There could be no greater locker room presence than Keenan Reynolds, and it is thrilling to see he will get his chance to play so close to Annapolis.  Everyone in Germany is rooting for Boehringer.  Everyone in America should be rooting for Keenan Reynolds.

8.  The Buffalo Bills made possibly the ultimate boom or bust QB pick when they took Cardale Jones in the 4th Round.  We know that Jones has all the physical attributes, and showed flashes of brilliance in his first 3 games as a starter, winning the Big 10 Championship game, the National Semifinal, and the National Championship two seasons ago.  However, last season he was inconsistent, inaccurate, and lost his starting job to JT Barrett.  If he is able to sit and learn how to play in the NFL, and is able to work on his accuracy and mechanics, then this could be a major coup in Buffalo.  They have Tyrod Taylor in place as their starter for the next 2 seasons, but have already said that they will not sign him to an extension.  Furthermore, they said they will likely not pick up the 5th year option on backup EJ Manuel, a former 1st round pick from Florida State.  This means that Jones has 2 full seasons before he is the only QB on the roster.  He needs to take that time to learn, grow, and turn his game into that of a successful NFL starting signal-caller.

9.  Punters and Kickers!  Punters and Kickers!  I don't always get picks right in my mock draft.  In fact, I usually get them very wrong.  But that I called Tampa Bay getting Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo made me very happy.  What is even better is that the Buccaneers actually traded up into the 2nd round to get him, ahead of my Round 3 projection.  Aguayo is the most accurate kicker in NCAA Division I history, and the Bucs are in desperate need of kicking consistency.  He never missed a field goal from inside 40 yards.  That sounds perfect now that the extra point is a 35-yard kick.  A thing of beauty taking a kicker that high.  And then, 4 punters were drafted, most notably my man Riley Dixon from Syracuse.  If you happen to follow me or @NunesMagician on twitter, then you know the deep, undying love Cuse fans have from Dixon.  To see him get drafted by Denver, and have a legit shot at being their starter since their incumbent punter is set to make over $3 million next season, and count $4 million against the salary cap.  Dixon is a talented and cheap alternative.  Plus, he is super-athletic.  He once hurdled an LSU defender on a fake punt!  And I know Denver has some QB issues.  Why wouldn't you want a guy that throws clutch TD passes to win games in OT?  That's Riley Dixon!

10.  The Redskins had a great, though not flashy, draft.  Again, a bit close to home since I am a Skins fan.  The Doctson pick surprised me, but I like it the more I look at it.  Su'a Cravens was one of my favorite players in the draft, and if they Skins use him at strong safety, he could be a nightmare for players coming across the middle.  He's also an excellent run defender.  The same can be said about Matt Ioannidis, DT, Temple and Steven Daniels, ILB, Boston College.  Both players were chosen to help improve the #28 rush defense from a year ago.  Kendall Fuller, of the NFL CB Fuller family, should be a great pick if he comes back from a knee injury 100%.  Adding Josh Norman and Fuller alongside Bashaud Breeland and Quinton Dunbar gives the Skins depth, youth, and talent at one of their biggest need positions.  They can now afford to cut injured and disappointing CB Chris Culliver after June 1 and save $8 million on the cap.  Nate Sudfeld is a big arm QB that needs a ton of refinement and coaching.  He will be able to sit behind Captain Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy as he develops.  Keith Marshall has blazing speed, and could be an excellent complimentary back and kick returner if he can stay healthy.  Hell, Scot McCloughan was able to get 3 new draft picks for next year as well, getting a 2017 4th, 5th, and 6th for moving back in the Draft.  Really, my only complaint about this draft is that the Redskins did not address their situation at center.  Hopefully they are able to find some depth there.  But on the whole, I love the class.  Let's see how they develop.


I hope you all enjoyed the Draft as much as I did.  It is one of my favorite sports weekends of the year.  Now, let's take a break from football for two months, enjoy the NBA/NHL playoffs, the MLB season heating up, and the beginning of summer before mini-camps open in July.