Category: 2018 NFL Draft

Saquon Barkley named Giants’ biggest draft mistake of past five years

Bleacher Report has named Saquon Barkley the New York Giants’ worst NFL draft mistake of the past five years.

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New York Giant fans love Saquon Barkley. He’s exciting, charismatic and the perfect face of the franchise. But the truth of the matter is, Barkley shouldn’t be a Giant at all. That is, if management had any clue of what they were doing at the time.

The Giants made Barkley, a superstar, game-changing back at Penn State, the second overall election in the 2018 NFL Draft. He went on to amass over 2,000 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, was named to the Pro Bowl and beat out No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield of Cleveland for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

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Since then however, Barkley has struggled to stay healthy. In 2019, a high ankle sprain caused him to miss several games and rendered him ineffective for more than half the season. Last year, he suffered a torn ACL in the second week of the season and underwent season-ending surgery.

Although Barkley is the cornerstone of the franchise and sells goodwill and jerseys, his presence has failed to move the needle for the Giants. They are still a losing team three years later. Chris Roling of Bleacher Report named the drafting of Barkley the Giants’ biggest mistake of the last five years.

Barkley is fun to watch and great at what he does; it just doesn’t move the needle all that much and the great injury risk to the position became a factor quickly. The team needed a different sort of impact for the rebuild with such a prized asset, whether it was a different prospect or trading it for multiple picks. Now, instead of contending, the Giants will stare a costly long-term extension for Barkley right in the face soon.

Very true. The Giants screwed up by falling in love with Barkley. General manager Dave Gettleman called him a “gold jacket” player and went against the grain by taking him so high in the draft. In this day and age running backs — no matter how talented — should never be taken with the second overall pick.

The Giants now know this but back then they did not. The second overall pick is normally reserved for either a quarterback, offensive tackle, pass rusher or trade bait. Instead, the Giants saddled themselves with a running back with a modern injury history (wasn’t an issue in college) and are still searching for player(s) at those other positions. They also will have to play Barkley premium moolah to keep him in the fold going forward.

Looking back on the 2018 NFL Draft, the Giants did not make the best use of the No. 2 overall pick. They could have made the colossal mistake of taking USC quarterback Sam Darnold, who went to the Jets at No. 3, or traded backs few spots and landed Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, a budding superstar who las led the Buffalo Bills back to prominence. They then could have taken Georgia running back Nick Chubb in the second round like Cleveland did.

Other players they could have selected by trading back are Quentin Nelson, Denzel Ward, Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Frank Ragnow, Trumaine Edmunds, Jaire Alexander, Derwin James and Darius Leonard — all Pro Bowlers.

Taking a quarterback such as Allen would have given them more flexibility in 2019. They would not have taken Daniel Jones at No. 6. They could have leveraged that pick into more capital and beefed up their roster and had Allen as their centerpiece.

But instead, they are tethered to Barkley, a player that needs to have a monster year in 2021 for the team to even consider extending him beyond his rookie contract. That won’t be easy, especially coming off a serious injury and the Giants having so many mouths to feed on offense now.

The Giants learned their lesson the hard way. This year, they were wheelers and dealers at the draft, trading back and still getting viable players while collecting future draft picks. Had they done that the past few years their rise back into the playoff picture would be over by now.

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The Browns Wire Podcast: Browns FB Johnny Stanton joins

Cleveland Browns fullback, Johnny Stanton joins to talk about his NFL journey and his expectations for the season.

It’s time for the latest episode of the Browns Wire Podcast.

Josh Keatley (@JoshKeatley16) & Donovan James (@DonJamesSports) talk to current Cleveland Browns fullback, Johnny Stanton (@johnnystantoniv)! Johnny has been active with AthleteAlly and is raising money for both AthleteAlly and the Black Women’s Player Collective. Follow the following link to donate and enter for a chance to win signed Browns gear!

https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/3299712

Give the Browns Wire Podcast a like on Facebook and follow along with us on Twitter. It’s also available on all of your favorite podcast apps, including iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, and Spotify. Thanks for listening!

You can also watch Stanton and the guys on the YouTube channel.

Jaguars pass on DT Taven Bryan’s fifth-year option

Taven Bryan will have top prove himself in 2021 if he wants to remain on the Jags roster as the declined his fifth-year option on Monday.

The time has arrived for teams to pick up the fifth-year options of their 2018 first-round draft picks, and many have elected to do so. However, the Jags aren’t among those teams and will be doing the opposite for defensive tackle Taven Bryan, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

While Bryan did flash a little in 2017, he’s been largely unimpressive since entering the league, so the Jags’ decision comes as no surprise. Overall he’s manage to accumulate 71 tackles and 3.5 sacks over 17 starts, and 48 appearances. In his first three seasons, he was able to register grades of 69.4, 75.5, and a 59.0, respectively, on Pro Football Focus.

Bryan has the first fifth-year option the Jags’ new regime has had to make a decision on from the Tom Coughlin and Dave Caldwell era. Earlier in the week, Jags coach Urban Meyer told the media that they wanted the young defensive tackle on the team. And while he still has a chance to impress the new staff, it may be hard to do with all of the players who could be in front of him on the depth chart at this point.

Bryan’s base salary figure for 2021 is set at $1,864,767 per Spotrac. However, if he’s cut this offseason, they would save over $1.1 million, but would eat a dead cap hit of over $2 million.

 

Looking back 3 years at the reaction to the Browns drafting Baker Mayfield No. 1 overall

The move was not terribly popular with fans or some in the Browns media

Three years ago today, on April 26, 2018, the Cleveland Browns selected Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.

It was not a universally expected selection. Few mock drafts projected the Browns would take Mayfield, even many published the morning of the draft. And the initial reactions were a mixed bag.

Social media comments were generally favorable, though the dissenting opinions from both Browns fans and some prominent Cleveland media were unusually harsh.

The most telling reactions come from the live fans inside the Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made the pick announcement. Turn up the speakers and look closely at the faces of the Browns backers in this video via YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNG7AXuGBZ4

Search through the comments on the YouTube live feed for a real (and decidedly NSFW) adventure…

Happy draft anniversary, Baker!

Values for the fifth-year option on Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward contracts now set

Values for the fifth-year option on Browns 2018 first-round picks Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward contracts now set

The NFL has released the official figures for the fifth-year option values on rookie contracts for the draft class of 2018. For the Browns, that includes quarterback Baker Mayfield and cornerback Denzel Ward.

All first-round picks come with standard four-year contracts but also a club option for a fifth season. The value of that fifth year depends on performance and position, and that value changes from year to year.

Baker Mayfield’s fifth-year contract option year tender is $18.858 million and Denzel Ward would get $13.294 million based on the criteria set by the NFL.

Mayfield qualifies for the standard playing time metric, while Ward earns a higher tier based on his Pro Bowl nod in 2018.

Of course, the Browns have the ability to negotiate long-term contract extensions with both Mayfield and Ward that render the options moot. Picking up the option does not mean the Browns cannot extend either player.

The deadline for Cleveland to exercise the fifth-year option is May 3rd.

Saquon Barkley an honorable mention for PFF’s All-Era NFL Prospect Team

New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley earned an ‘honorable mention’ for Pro Football Focus’ All-Era NFL Prospect Team.

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Pro Football Focus recently released their All-Era NFL Prospect Team, which determined the “best of the best from seven years of grading college football prospects.”

Unsurprisingly, not a single member of the New York Giants actually made the team. However, one did draw an “honorable mention.” That came by way of running back Saquon Barkley (Penn State), who checked in behind Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook.

Dalvin Cook, FSU

Honorable mention: Saquon Barkley, Penn State

Don’t get it twisted, Cook wasn’t a second-round pick because of talent. He was an unrivaled big-play threat behind one of the worst offensive lines in college football. In his final season at FSU, he led the country with 91 broken tackles and had 4.2 of his 6.1 yards per attempt come after contact. The year prior, Cook had 34 runs gain 15-plus yards, accounting for 1,066 of his 1,696 yards that season. That all has borne out in the league, too.

While no other Giants draftees made the team, a few potential 2021 NFL Draft targets did.

LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase led the way at wide receiver with Alabama’s DeVonta Smith earning an honorable mention. Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle also earned an honorable mention at slot receiver.

Meanwhile, Florida’s Kyle Pitts earned the top spot at tight end. He has become the consensus pick for New York in most mock drafts, and he’s rapidly becoming a favorite here at Giants Wire.

As far as Barkley, it’s a nice reminder of how sought-after he was coming out of college. He had and still has superstar potential, but will need to buck his recent injury trend in order to reach his ceiling.

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Report: Ravens expected to explore Lamar Jackson contract extension in offseason

With one year remaining on his rookie deal, the Ravens are expected to get into negotiations over Lamar Jackson’s contract extension

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has clearly checked all the boxes the team could possibly expect from him, especially after picking up his first playoff win with a 20-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans last week. Whenever the offseason begins for the Ravens, they’re expected to start negotiations on Jackson’s contract extension, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Jackson has been phenomenal since being selected with the 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL draft. He’s shattered records, created whole new milestones, and become the league’s MVP thanks to his electric ability on the field. Though Jackson has yet to win a Super Bowl — Baltimore is still in the playoffs at the time of writing this — he’s rightfully earned a huge contract extension as the team continues to build around him and push for a championship.

It’s tough to say where the bar is set. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a record-setting deal in the offseason but was also fresh off winning Super Bowl LIV. While Jackson has been outstanding, he falls short of Mahomes’ passing stats and acknowledged he needed to win a Super Bowl before commanding that type of money. But quarterback contracts don’t often follow a ton of logic, with deals typically one-upping the previous high simply because of how important the position is instead of using a player’s talent and success to dictate numbers.

Under Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, the team has often been able to get contract extensions done early to the benefit of both Baltimore and the player. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey signed contract extensions this season, keeping two star players around for the foreseeable future at reasonable cap hits. Getting a head start on contract talks makes a ton of sense considering Jackson represents himself. Without a typical agent overseeing the process, getting a deal done could prove difficult if Jackson and the team can’t get on the same page.

Getting a deal done this offseason could very well be in both the team and Jackson’s best interest as well. Other quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Tom Brady, and Dak Prescott are up for contract extensions over the next two years, which should push the market value through the roof. At the same time, all it takes is one injury or bad performance to tank a player’s value.

We’ll see if DeCosta can once again pull off some contract magic. But with each playoff game Jackson wins, his value continues to skyrocket.

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Report: Ravens cut WR Jaleel Scott

The Baltimore Ravens have cut wide receiver Jaleel Scott, marking the 2018 NFL Draft a bust at the position for the team.

The Baltimore Ravens have all but finalized their wide receiver corps for the 2020 NFL season. According to Aaron Kasinitz of Penn Live, the Ravens have cut wide receiver Jaleel Scott.

Scott was one of two wide receivers Baltimore selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, joining fifth-round pick Jordan Lasley. The Ravens parted ways with Lasley early last year at training camp after he failed to develop. Baltimore hoped the 6-foot-5 Scott would take a leap forward this year and they could find a way to keep him on the team. However, a hot-and-cold training camp that saw Scott improve his play on special teams but often fall short of making big receptions. With just one reception for six yards over two seasons in the NFL, anything less than a perfect training camp was likely going to end his tenure in Baltimore.

The 2018 NFL Draft was the first where the Ravens spent two picks at the position. The 2019 NFL Draft saw Baltimore select Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin, who are both in line for massive starting roles this year. The Ravens added Devin Duvernay and James Proche in the 2020 NFL Draft and saw both play well throughout training camp.

With five wide receiver spots already sorted and Chris Moore expected to return soon from a broken finger, there simply wasn’t any room for Scott to make the Ravens’ 53-man roster.

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Michael Jackson adds to the growing list of Bob Quinn trades between the Lions and Patriots

Quinn hasn’t gone more than 10 months without making a trade with his former employer since coming to Detroit in January of 2016

My phone alerted me to an email a little after 4 p.m. on Sunday. I only saw a snippet of the subject in the preview.

“Lions trade CB Michael Jackson”

I didn’t see the rest of the subject or the body, but I knew instantly where Jackson was heading. Recent history dictates that if the Lions are going to make a trade, it’s with the New England Patriots. It’s what they do.

Prior to the Jackson trade, which brings back an undisclosed 2022 draft pick for a player the Lions were cutting, the last trade Detroit made was also with New England. That trade back in March brought safety Duron Harmon and the draft pick that became DL Jashon Cornell to Detroit, in exchange for a draft pick that wound up being traded back to Detroit by the Raiders in a package that became OG Logan Stenberg and RB Jason Huntley.

In June of last year, the Lions dealt TE Michael Roberts to the Patriots. That deal fell through when Roberts couldn’t pass a physical.

While Bob Quinn has made trades with other teams as well in his tenure as the team’s GM since 2016, he definitely has a thing for working deals with his former employer in New England.

May 2016 – The Lions sent a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick to New England for LB Jon Bostic. Bostic never played for the Lions so the pick remained with Detroit.

October 2016 – Detroit dealt LB Kyle Van Noy to New England along with a 2017 seventh-round pick in return for a 2017 sixth-round pick. The Lions used that pick on QB Brad Kaaya. New England traded the seventh-round pick in a swap of three picks that produced players who were all out of the league by the end of 2018.

April 2017 – A draft-day trade resulted in the Lions sending their third-round pick to the Patriots for a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder. Detroit’s acquired third-round pick became WR Kenny Golladay. The fourth-rounder was used to select LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. The Patriots traded up to draft OT Antonio Garcia, who never made an NFL roster, not even as a third-round rookie.

Interestingly enough, the Patriots had acquired the pick Detroit used on Golladay from the Browns in a trade for … now-Lions LB Jamie Collins.

September 2017 – The Lions traded CB Johnson Bademosi to New England for a 2019 sixth-round pick. That pick got packaged by the Lions as part of a deal (with Minnesota) to move up in the 2019 draft and select S Will Harris in the third round. Talk about delayed gratification…

April 2018 – During the draft, the Lions dealt a second-round and fourth-round pick to New England to move up and select RB Kerryon Johnson earlier in the second round. New England traded away both the acquired picks, one to Chicago (WR Anthony Miller) and the other to Tampa Bay (S Jordan Whitehead). The Patriots have also since traded the player they draft with the pick they acquired from Tampa Bay, CB Duke Dawson.

April 2018 – Another draft-day deal saw the Lions send a 2019 third-round pick to New England for the Patriots’ fourth-round pick in 2018. The Lions drafted DE Da’Shawn Hand. As is their custom, the Patriots traded away the acquired pick for three other picks, of which they traded two and selected RB Damien Harris with the third.

That’s eight total trades between Quinn and the Patriots since March of 2016. Interestingly enough the Lions have come out net winners on all but one of them.

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Taven Bryan listed amongst players who could shed ‘bust’ label in 2020

Taven Bryan flashed in 2019 and had a low-key type season. 2020 could be even better season for him as the Jags will sprinkle in 3-4 looks.

Due to the team’s lack of success over the last couple of years, a lot of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ recent draft additions have been highly scrutinized. None of Dave Caldwell’s picks on the roster currently may be as scrutinized as 2018 first-round pick Taven Bryan, who hasn’t met expectations in the early stages of his career.

Since being drafted, Bryan has only registered nine starts, 53 tackles, and three sacks, which are figures that won’t appeal to fans when considering the team passed on Lamar Jackson, who came off the board three picks later. That said, with Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone being on the hot seat, 2020 is going to be a big year for Bryan and one that will determine whether or not the team picks up his fifth-year option in 2021.

Some believe he’ll rise to the occasion this upcoming season due to being an extremely raw prospect in the draft. Others feel he won’t improve all that much, which would mark another first-round selection that could’ve been used elsewhere. Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine believes the former may be what fans witness as he listed Bryant amongst his list of players who will shed their label of being a bust after having a better season than the stats showed.

First, there was a step up in improvement for Bryan in 2019. He started eight games, posted the eighth-highest run grade among interior defenders in November, per Pro Football Focus, and finished the season with a respectable 75.6 overall grade. That’s all while taking a much bigger role than he had in his rookie season. He went from playing 29 percent of the defensive snaps in 2018 to 46 percent in 2019.

I agree with Ballentine as Bryan was a player we caught on to during the first quarter of the season and a few games beyond. He especially made his presence known in the backfield during Weeks 4 through 6, which involved two playoff opponents in the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints.

Bryan also finished the season on a high note flashing against All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and the Indianapolis Colts. When adding in the fact that the Jags will be moving to more 3-4 looks, Bryan could be right at home in 2020 being that the Florida Gators utilized it during his time in Gainesville.