By Dylan Edelman
The Cleveland Browns had the much coveted first pick and their choice was Heisman Trophy winner, QB Baker Mayfield. Since rejoining the league in 1999, the Browns have started 28 different quarterbacks with lackluster results. Mayfield has a strong arm and a decent football IQ, but Cleveland may have gambled on this pick. Though Mayfield’s size may be lacking, his performance in the Rose Bowl highlighted several key attributes. Clearly he can execute a game plan, beat good coverage, and the pass rush doesn’t seem to scare him. The second pick went to the New York Giants, who passed on a QB prospect for the talented RB, Saquon Barkley. In his three years at Penn State, Barkley rushed for an impressive 3,843 yards and 43 touchdowns, according to espn.com. He has the potential to be an immediate superstar at the professional level, helping the Giants turn around their abominable ground game. Next up was the New York Jets who traded up for third pick with Indiana. Desperate for a top-notch QB, the Jets hit it big when they landed Sam Darnold from USC. Most draft projections thought Darnold would have been snatched up by now. Some analysts touted Darnold as the best overall QB pick with a strong arm and decent accuracy. His combine performance was respectable but the Jets will have to work on his ball handling skills with regards to his history of interceptions and fumbles. A trade in the 2017 draft with the Texans gave Cleveland another early go around with the fourth pick in 2018. With the QB question already addressed, the Browns opted for the speed and agility of Denzel Ward, CB from Ohio State. He has a strong instinct on man coverage, can easily break up passes and read plays. His size may be the only drawback because he will be covering receivers much bigger than him. Denver observed and waited patiently with their fifth position pick. Since Denzel Ward was out of the picture, the Broncos were able to swoop in an grab Bradley Chubb, a DE from NC State. According to cbssports.com, Chubb ranked as the best defensive player of the draft by establishing himself as one of the elite edge rushers in the country with career highs in sacks (10), tackles for loss (26) and total tackles (39) as a senior. Teaming him up with veteran Von Miller, the duo will be an edge-rushing threat. Only time will tell if the picks were brilliant or a bust. Unlikely heroes may emerge while expected awesomeness will fizzle.
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Dylan EdelmanWilson Senior Archives
February 2020
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