Round 1 of the NFL Draft is in the books for the NFC North. Let’s take a look at what just happened on day 1 of the draft in Philadelphia. It was a crazy night in Philadelphia.
Pick 2: Chicago Bears (Mitch Trubisky UNC)
HOLY SCHNIKES!!! The Bears traded up from pick 3 to pick 2 giving up their 3rd round (Pick 67) and 4th round pick (Pick 111) and their 3rd round pick in 2018. The Bears selected QB Mitch Trubisky from Noth Carolina to be their franchise QB. They gave Mike Glennon 15 million per season in the offseason but double dipped at QB. Chicago passed on Solomon Thomas and Jonathan Allen and the top 3 WRs in the draft. Many don’t like it but if Trubisky is a franchise QB it will be well worth it.
“Mitch Trubisky is the top signal caller in the draft. He only has one year of starting for North Carolina but has a big arm, is very athletic and is a solid decision maker. He should be selected in the first round and most likely top 10. Trubisky threw for 30 TDs and 6 interceptions with 68.5% completion for the Tarheels.”
Trubisky only has one year of college experience but has the arm and the tools to be a starting QB in this league. We’ll see if this works out for the Bears.
Pick 21: Detroit Lions (Jarrad Davis LB Florida)
HE WENT TO JARRAD. Bob Quinn stayed calm in a crazy draft and took the Lions biggest need with a pick that fit the value. The Lions selected athletic LB Jarrad Davis with pick 21. Davis has very good speed with a 4.62 and did really well in the vertical and broad jump. Davis excels at shedding blocks and man to man coverage. He is solid in zone coverage and knows how to fill run gaps. He is a bit overaggressive with his passion for the gam; but was a leader for the Florida Gators in his four years there. Teryl Austin recruited him while at Florida and now Davis will be a starting three down linebacker for Detroit.
This is a great pick. Detroit passed on Charles Harris, Taco Charlton, Takkarist McKinley, David Njoku and Reuben Foster. Davis fills a huge need for Detroit and helps them in run defense and most importantly coverage.
http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2017/4/23/15395726/jarrad-davis-the-next-ray-lewis-or-a-modern-icarus-a-full-breakdown
Pick 29: Green Bay Packers (TRADED)
The Packers traded out of the first round from pick 29 to pick 33. Green Bay passed on Reuben Foster and added a 4th round pick from Cleveland. Green Bay now selects to start day 2 and day 3 and could field some calls for more trades if they want. Five cornerbacks went off the board before Green Bay’s pick as did Charles Harris and Takkarist McKinley. The Packers made the right move trading down even though they lose the fifth year option for their first selection.
Best Players Available
Wide receivers
1. JuJu Smith-Schuster (USC)
2. Carlos Henderson (LA Tech)
3. Curtis Samuel (Ohio State)
4. Isaiah Ford (Virginia Tech)
5. Chris Godwin (Penn State)
Running back
Dalvin Cook is the best RB remaining but has some injury and off field concerns.
1. Kareem Hunt (Toledo)
2. Joe Mixon (Oklahoma)
3. Alvin Kamara (Tennessee)
4. Wayne Gallman (Clemson)
5. T.J. Logan (North Carolina)
6. Jamaal Williams (BYU)
7. Samaje Perine (Oklahoma)
Tight ends
1. Adam Shaheen (Ashland)
2. George Kittle (Iowa)
3. Jeremy Sprinkle (Arkansas)
4. Michael Roberts (Toledo)
Cornerback
1. Sidney Jones (Washington)
2. Quincy Wilson (Florida)
3. Fabian Moreau (UCLA)
4. Ahkello Witherspoon (Colorado)
5. Teez Tabor (Florida)
6. Howard Wilson (Houston)
7. Kevin King (Washington)
8. Jeremy Cutrer (MTSU)
9. Cordrea Tankersley (Clemson)
10. Chidobe Awuzie (Colorado)
Safety
1. Obi Melifonwu (Connecticut)
2. Marcus Williams (Utah)
3. Josh Jones (NC State)
4. Tedric Thompson (Colorado)
5. John Johnson (Boston College)
6. Desmond King (Iowa)
7. Budda Baker (Washington)
Edge rusher
1. Derek Rivers (Youngstown State)
2. Carl Lawson (Auburn)
3. Jordan Willis (Kansas State)
4. Joe Mathis (Washington)
5. Tim Williams (Alabama)
6. Tarrell Basham (Ohio)
7. Daeshon Hall (Texas A&M)
Defensive Tackle
1. Malik McDowell (Michigan State)
2. Caleb Brantley (Florida)
3. Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama)
4. Chris Wormley (Michigan)
5. Jaleel Johnson (Iowa)
6. Montravius Adams (Auburn)
7. Carlos Watkins (Clemson)
8. Larry Ogunjobi (Charlotte)
Dashone Kizer and Davis Webb remain as the two top QBs left on the board.
Zach Cunningham, Tyus Bowser., Raekwon McMillan, Tim Williams, Duke Riley, Ryan Anderson and Alex Anzalone are the top LBs left on the board.
Cam Robinson, Taylor Moton, Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney are the top offensive lineman left in a weak class. Minnesota may look this way on day 2.
Break Down
This was a defensive draft class with 19 picks out 32. Offensive picks went early out of the 13 players picked on offense. There were only two offensive lineman taken in a weak class which were at pick 20 and 32. Jonathan Allen and Reuben Foster fell due to injury concerns. The Raiders took a gamble on Gareon Conley despite some off field concerns. There were several trades including the Chiefs and Texans giving up first round picks next year to move way up for QBs Patrick Mahomes and DeShaun Watson. There were three QBs, two RBs, three WRs (all top 10), three tight ends, two OL taken on offense. On defense, there were five CBs, three safeties, three normal LBs and eight defensive line/rush LBs taken in Round 1.
Here is the full list of picks in Round 1.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2017/tracker?icampaign=draft-sub_nav_bar-drafteventpage-tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-round
Get ready for a fun day 2 on Friday night.