There’s something magical about Round 1 of the NFL Draft, isn’t there?
Every kid on the draft board worked incredibly hard to get there, and we get to see the exact moment their lifelong dream turned to reality.
And then we get to judge them.
It’ll take years to really know how these picks pan out, but for now let’s overreact with a list of the early winners and losers from Round 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft.
WINNERS
Kliff Kingsbury/Kyler Murray
After about seven years of recruiting, Kingsbury finally got his guy in Murray. The dual-sport athlete, who was a first-round pick by the Oakland Athletics in last year’s MLB draft, is now all about football after going No. 1 Thursday night.
If you put aside for a moment the questions about Arizona’s draft strategy in choosing a quarterback with the top pick just a year after, yes, choosing a quarterback with their top pick, this selection makes total sense.
The Cardinals brought in Kingsbury this off-season in an effort to overhaul their offence and Murray is the biggest piece in accomplishing that. The 21-year-old is short in stature but big in talent and won’t need to worry about the typical hurdle many rookie NFL QBs do when it comes to trying to fit into an unfamiliar offence.
Murray is being plugged into an offensive system that he’s not only familiar with but excelled in during his Heisman-winning campaign in Oklahoma – the same one that propelled Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to the No. 1 spot a year ago, and one that is catered to his specific skill set. The roster around him still needs a lot of help, but it’s clear Arizona is now devoted to building this team around Murray.
See you in December @TheKylerMurray
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) April 26, 2019
Washington Redskins
Mere hours before the picks began Thursday night, Washington looked destined to fall into the “losers” category as reports of owner Dan Snyder taking over the team’s draft room had many onlookers fixing for a messy night of first-round meddling for the Redskins.
But instead of jockeying for position in the top 10 to reach for a quarterback, the Redskins sat back and waited as their top target, Dwayne Haskins, came to them. It’s a great fit for Haskins, who gets to play for his hometown team, and the Redskins may have just picked up the best quarterback in the draft when they needed it most.
Then, later on, Washington did end up doing a little draft-night dealing when they moved into the Colts’ spot at No. 26 overall in exchange for two second-rounders. There, they picked up a dangerous pass rusher in Montez Sweat, whose insanely fast 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine had scouts drooling before seeing his stock fall when doctors discovered a heart condition which turned out to be a misdiagnosis. He’s a steal at 26.
Speaking of steals…
Buffalo Bills
The Bills may have gotten the biggest steal of the night when they lucked into landing defensive tackle Ed Oliver with the ninth overall pick. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bills had been discussing ways to manoeuvre into better position to pick Oliver but, like the Redskins, wound up having their favourite guy land in their lap.
Oliver has one of the best resumes in his class – he’s a three-time All-American and was named college football’s top interior defensive lineman in 2017 – and fills a big need in Buffalo after the departure of Kyle Williams.
Oakland Raiders
To be clear: Bypassing a handful of powerful pass rushers to select Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 was a stretch. The pick was greeted by a soundtrack of “… who?”
The team that promised a surprise delivered just that.
Fans quickly learned, however, that it was the “who” and not necessarily the “what” that first-time GM Mike Mayock and head coach John Gruden were focusing on with all three of their first-round picks Thursday night. All three of the rebuilding Raiders’ picks are known as high-character guys with strong leadership skills – exactly the type needed when you’re building a new foundation for your team.
Hear from the man himself.
Clelin Ferrell's message to #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/G6fks6qxCv
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) April 26, 2019
The club targeted skill position players in free agency and trades – hello, Antonio Brown – and added another in running back Josh Jacobs (24th overall), who has overcome countless hurdles to get to the NFL and will no doubt be up to the task of being the featured back the Raiders need.
Rounding out their Round 1 draft haul with the class’s top safety at No. 27 was a solid pick, too, filling a roster need and bringing in another leader for a struggling defence that needs it.
So while they may have veered from the “best player on the board” strategy, it looks like the Raiders got the guys they want and need.
LOSERS
Steve Keim/Josh Rosen
The Cardinals left Thursday night as winners and losers – while they got their guy in Murray, they seriously fumbled the situation with their other guy, Josh Rosen, who just lost his job in embarrassing fashion in front of millions of onlookers. This, after not being given any chance of success in his rookie year on a team devoid of much offensive talent around him.
Rosen was, essentially, set up to fail and then punished when he did.
Rosen could have finished the evening as a winner, had he been traded to a QB-needy team willing to give him a fresh start and the tools to succeed. Instead, the situation grew increasingly toxic on an evening that should be anything but for a team celebrating its first overall pick.
As soon as general manager Steve Keim knew his club was going to choose Murray – or heck, even as soon as they thought they might take him – he should’ve been on the phone exploring his options to trade Rosen to get the best possible return long before Thursday. According to reports, that wasn’t the case at all. As the evening rolled on and those QB-needy teams (Giants, Redskins) found QBs in the draft rather than via trade, all hope for the second-year quarterback being moved by the end of Round 1 quickly faded.
UPDATE: The Cardinals completed a trade with Miami late in Round 2 Friday evening, sending Rosen to the Dolphins for a second-rounder.
Pro Football Talk was the first to report a deal was in the works.
In Rosen, Miami gets a bargain on the payroll with tons of potential and a first-rounder who comes equipped with one heck of a chip on his shoulder. And everyone gets to move on.
New York Giants
With two first-round picks heading into Thursday’s Round 1, GM Dave Gettleman had the opportunity to bring in a pair of franchise players to fill two of the many gaps in the Giants’ rebuilding roster. Instead, Gettleman provided the biggest surprise of the night when he reached – like, really reached – for Duke quarterback Daniel Jones after preaching the merits of sticking to the “best player on the board” strategy. It was shocking, to say the least.
Jones was not the best player on the board. He was not even the best quarterback on the board. In fact, there’s a good chance Jones would have still been available by the time Gettleman’s next pick, No. 17, came around.
This pick is a total head-scratcher when you consider all the players Gettleman passed over to take him – and we’re not just talking about all the franchise-changing defenders on the board Thursday night. The Giants were in a perfect position to draft Manning’s successor last year in a class universally considered much stronger than 2019’s crop.
The good news: By all accounts, Jones seems to be a strong-character kid who’s ready to learn and will be able to handle the massive New York market. He’s got an opportunity to prove every doubter wrong – and hopefully he does. And Gettleman is ready to sit him for as long as he needs, under the tutelage of Eli Manning, to make that happen.
The Giants’ next pick, Dexter Lawrence, was met with mixed reviews and will have lofty expectations as he was selected with the top pick Gettleman got in exchange for superstar Odell Beckham Jr.
The club’s best player taken might be their final selection of Round 1, as they traded back into the first round to claim cornerback DeAndre Baker. A solid choice, but a bit of a high price paid as the Giants hand over their second-round pick and two fourths to get there.
Skill position players
If you were ready for some thrilling offensive highlights, Round 1 of this year’s draft wasn’t the place to be. The class was filled with premier talent on the line, especially on defence. It wasn’t a good year for those plying their trade on the other side of the ball in the skill positions like wide receiver and running back, which made for a draft devoid of the usual razzle-dazzle.
One year after running back Saquon Barkley was taken second overall, Josh Jacobs had to wait until pick No. 24 to become the first and only RB off the board.
Only two receivers went in Round 1, starting with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (who, to be fair, has more than enough razzle and dazzle to go around) at No. 25 to Baltimore followed by N’Keal Harry to the Patriots, who should probably be in the “winners” column as he gets to start his NFL career catching passes from Tom Brady.
That left Ole Miss standouts A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf on the outside.
It’s worth noting that it was a very good Round 1 for tight ends, though: Iowa’s T. J. Hockenson cracked the top 10 when he went to Detroit, and teammate Noah Fant went to Denver with the 20th pick.
Patriots’ offensive line (um, sort of)
Yeah, it’s one heck of a stretch to have New England associated with the term “loser.” The Patriots haven’t been losers since the 1990s, and that will remain the case until a division opponent can knock them off their perch.
However! When you look at the picks made by the Jets, Bills and Dolphins in Round 1, it’s clear that’s exactly what they’re all attempting to do … quite literally.
All three drafted elite defensive tackles – Quinnen Williams to the Jets, Ed Oliver to Buffalo, and Christian Wilkins to Miami – with their sights set on knocking down the wall in New England.
As history tells us, the Patriots have an answer for everything thrown their way … but their room for error might be shrinking in a hurry.