Where are they now? A look at Bob Quinn’s 2016 draft class

First in a series tracking the recent Detroit Lions draft picks

The year is 2016. Martin Mayhew had just been fired several months prior, and Bob Quinn has been brought in to be the new general manager of the Detroit Lions.

Quinn had a tough task ahead of him. Mayhew had some disappointing drafts over his tenure in Detroit and Quinn had to prove that he could turn things around and use his scouting expertise to make the most of his nine draft picks.

Now, sights are set on the 2021 season and Quinn is out of a job. In this series, ‘Where are they now?’, we’ll explore each and every draft pick that Bob Quinn has made and determine just how successful he was on draft day.

Of course, we’ll start at the beginning with the 2016 NFL draft.

 

Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson says he would trade up for Carson Wentz ‘all over again’

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told Cleveland media that he would trade up for Carson Wentz all over again

[jwplayer FLD7ACnb]

The Philadelphia Eagles are reeling after a 27-17 loss to the New York Giants and some around the team are questioning the coach and his quarterback. The Eagles traded up to select Carson Wentz at No. 2 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft just behind Jared Goff who went No. 1 overall to the Rams.

Now almost five years later and with the Eagles set to travel to Cleveland to face the Browns, Pederson was asked by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com about any regrets about acquiring Wentz.

“Oh heck yeah, I’d do it all over again,” he said on a conference call Wednesday. “He’s the guy we wanted back then, he’s still the guy we want today. And I love everything about Carson Wentz and he’s a great leader for our team and our city and I’d do it all over again.”

Since his 2017 season in which the Eagles won the Super Bowl and Wentz almost won MVP, he is 17-18-1, with 60 touchdowns, 26 interceptions, and a 90.7 passer rating as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback.

The Eagles traded the No. 8 overall pick, a third-rounder and fourth-rounder that year, and first- and second-rounders in 2017 to Cleveland for the No. 2 pick and a 2017 fourth-rounder.

[listicle id=643462]

[lawrence-related id=643529,643521,643519,643523]

Falcons release former Vikings 1st-round pick Laquon Treadwell

Treadwell now finds himself as a free agent with the 2020 season set to start in four days.

The disappointment continues for Laquon Treadwell.

The 2016 first-round pick was released by the Atlanta Falcons over the weekend.

This comes after four highly disappointing seasons in Minnesota in which he caught 65 passes for 701 yards and two touchdowns.

Treadwell now finds himself as a free agent with the 2020 season set to start in four days.

The first round of the 2016 draft class for wide receivers is a brutal one.

Corey Coleman, Josh Doctson and Treadwell are all busts while Will Fuller hasn’t been able to stay healthy.

There’s still time for Treadwell, still just 25, to turn things around, but history tells us that maybe he’s just not very good.

Per Spotrac, Treadwell has made $9.28 million.

Prescott No. 1 in 2016 redraft, Cowboys’ Elliott drops out of Top 10

Find out where Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott land in this 2016 redraft.

The 2016 NFL draft will always be memorable for Dallas Cowboy fans. It was the first time the Cowboys picked in the top five since 2003, and Dallas was able to acquire two franchise cornerstones in running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott, as well as a Pro Bowl caliber linebacker in Jaylon Smith.

In one of the best drafts in recent history, the Cowboys certainly fared well. So much so, that their talent has been distributed elsewhere in a new redraft. If it was all done over again with hindsight, the new landing spots for the Dallas stars would be elsewhere. Bleacher Report ‘s Brad Gagnon authored the exercise that moved Prescott up to first overall.

It’s mind blowing that Prescott fell all the way to No. 135 in the original draft, but in the redraft the mistake was not repeated. Arguments can be made for division rival Carson Wentz to be taken first overall, but ultimately Prescott has been just as good as Wentz and much more durable.

Prescott hasn’t missed a game in his four-year career, and is coming off his best season through the air yet, with over 4,900 passing yards.

Elliott was originally selected fourth however the redraft wasn’t as kind as it was to Prescott. The former Buckeye All-American slid to the Falcons at selection no. 17.

That spot feels entirely too low for a player of Elliott’s caliber, when considering some of the skill position players taken ahead of Elliott in the redraft. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd was four spots ahead at no. 13.

The do-it-all running back has lead the league in rushing in two of his three full seasons, and is as solid out of the backfield and in pass protection as nearly every back in the game. Gagnon is likely speaking to the value of the running back position in today’s game, but Elliott’s elite skill set and talent aren’t up for debate.

So if Prescott is off the board, and Elliott wouldn’t go until later, who did the Cowboys end up with in the fourth slot of the redraft?

They were able to pick up the original first pick, quarterback Jared Goff. Goff had his ups and downs but has led a team to a Super Bowl appearance.

Later in the draft, Smith ended up being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 28. The marriage makes sense, considering Andy Reid’s team has snatched up former Cowboys linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson in back-to-back free agent classes.

[vertical-gallery id=650773][vertical-gallery id=651057][lawrence-newsletter]

Giants select Yannick Ngakoue in 2016 NFL re-draft

The New York Giants select edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue in Bleacher Report’s 2016 NFL re-draft.

[jwplayer wz1YmyQu-ThvAeFxT]

The 2016 NFL Draft saw New York Giants get aced out of several players they favored as teams leapfrogged them in the first round causing a dilemma by the time the Giants were on the clock at No. 10.

The Tennessee Titans traded up into the 8th position to grab Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin. Then, the Chicago Bears jumped in front of the Giants to select Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd.

The Giants were seemingly caught off guard. It was suspected they could take a chance on falling Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil, but instead made a huge blunder by taking Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple, who was a late first-round, early second-round prospect at best.

Its always easy to play Monday Morning Quarterback with these things, but everyone knew at the time the Giants blew this. They should have traded back (if they had the opportunity) but appeared to panic and make the Apple pick.

Apple turned out to be ‘not NFL ready’ and fell victim to his immaturity. The Giants ended up trading him in the middle of his third season.

So, who should the Giants have selected with that 10th overall pick in 2016?

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report says the Giants should have taken Maryland EDGE Yannick Ngakoue, who was eventually taken in Round 3 by Jacksonville. They also could have gone for Chris Jones, defensive tackle of Mississippi State, who went to Kansas City in Round 2.

“Jones was a significant difference-maker on a Super Bowl team last year and is one of the NFL’s best all-around interior defensive linemen, but the New York Giants need a strong edge-defender way more than they need a defensive tackle,” writes Gagnon.

“So they’ll pass on him in favor of Ngakoue, who has recorded at least eight sacks in his first four seasons and has the fourth-highest forced-fumble total in football since he came into the league. Not a single current Giant hit the five-sack mark last year, so he’d immediately be the top dog in that pass rush…This is also a no-brainer, considering that Apple didn’t pan out in New York.”

That would have solved many of the Giants’ pass rush issues the past few years, but who knew? That’s what makes the NFL Draft so alluring.

[lawrence-related id=653008,652743,652625]

CBS Sports picks Titans’ best NFL Draft class since 2000

CBS Sports picked one of Jon Robinson’s draft classes as the Titans’ best since 2000.

Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson has had some impressive drafts since taking over in 2016, but is one of his draft classes the best the franchise has seen since 2000?

CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo picked the best draft class of every NFL team since 2000, and Robinson’s 2016 draft class is the Titans’ best in his eyes.

Here’s a look at Robinson’s haul from that year.

  • Round 1, Pick 8: RT Jack Conklin
  • Round 2, Pick 33: DE Kevin Dodd
  • Round 2, Pick 43: DT Austin Johnson
  • Round 2, Pick 45: RB Derrick Henry
  • Round 3, Pick 64: S Kevin Byard
  • Round 5, Pick 140: WR Tajae Sharpe
  • Round 5, Pick 157: CB LeShaun Sims
  • Round 6, Pick 193: OG Sebastian Tretola
  • Round 7, Pick 222: OLB Aaron Wallace
  • Round 7, Pick 253: CB Kalan Reed

Here’s what DeArdo had to say about the 2016 class:

“While second-round pick Derrick Henry is the crown jewel, the Titans had four other players from this draft become starters during the first four years of their careers. Right tackle Jack Conklin, an All-Pro in 2016, signed a multi-year deal with the Browns earlier this offseason. Nose tackle Austin Johnson signed with the Giants this offseason after making 13 starts during his final three years with the Titans. Safety Kevin Byard earned All-Pro honors in 2017 after leading the NFL with eight interceptions.

“Receiver Tajae Sharpe signed with the Vikings earlier this offseason after making 29 starts in three active seasons in Nashville, while LeShaun Sims has also been a solid contributor for a fifth-round selection. We’d be remiss not to take a second to further acknowledge Henry, who rushed for 2,170 yards (including the postseason) while leading the Titans to the AFC Championship Game this past season.”

While Robinson no doubt whiffed on Dodd and the last three picks, guys like Conklin, Johnson, Henry, Byard, Sharpe and Sims all made contributions to the team over the years — some more than others.

Byard and Henry have emerged into stars, and Conklin was a top-flight right tackle for two of his four seasons with the Titans.

Of the 2016 class, only Henry and Byard remain on the team, as Conklin, Johnson, Sharpe and Sims all moved on this offseason.

As good as that year’s draft was, the 2017 class definitely has a place in this discussion. That year, the Titans drafted four current starters in Corey Davis, Adoree’ Jackson, Jonnu Smith and Jayon Brown.

And, in a few years we might be talking about the 2019 class as one of the franchise’s best since 2000, but that group still has a bit more proving to do.

[lawrence-related id=37070,36992,37003]

Panthers NFL Redraft: Do-over for the disappointing class of 2016

Here are the results of our 2016 do-over draft.

The 2016 NFL draft was. . . well it happened. The top of the draft featured some promising prospects, but overall the first round just did not produce many great players.

The Carolina Panthers certainly can attest to that given the disappointing results they got from their first-round pick, defensive tackle Vernon Butler (taken at No. 30 overall). In fact, not only is Butler not with the team anymore, neither is the rest of the draft class. James Bradberry was the last player remaining, but he will be playing for Dave Gettleman’s New York Giants this year.

So, what could have happened if the Panthers were given a mulligan for their draft following their Super Bowl appearance? Here are the results of our 2016 do-over draft.

No. 30 – Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor

Xavien Howard
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

The Panthers had just rescinded the franchise tag for cornerback Josh Norman and were left with Bene Benwikere as their top option at the position. By picking Howard instead of Butler, they would have gotten a defender who has become one of the top corners in the league and is now among the three highest-paid players at the position.

Original pick: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech

Ranking Ryan Pace’s 5 worst draft picks as Bears GM

Let’s take a look at Bears GM Ryan Pace’s five worst draft picks, which includes three failed first-round selections.

With the 2020 NFL Draft upon us, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace will be bringing in a new crop of talent that he hopes will have a positive impact on this roster moving forward.

When you examine Pace’s draft history, it’s filled with some studs and some duds. Unfortunately, here, we’re going to be looking at the busts that Pace has drafted in his five years as Bears GM.

Let’s take a look at Pace’s five worst draft picks, which includes three failed first-round selections.

5. OL Hroniss Grasu (Round 3, 2015)

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

When the Bears drafted Hroniss Grasu, they were hoping that he’d become an anchor of their offense line for the future. That wasn’t the case for Grasu, who struggled

Due to injury on Chicago’s offensive line, Grasu started eight games in his rookie season, where he struggled against some of the competition. He was primed to compete for the starting center position before suffering a season-ending knee injury in training camp. While Grasu had lost his starting role to rookie center Cody Whitehair and left guard Josh Sitton, he got another chance once again due to injuries on the offensive line. In 2017, Grasu appeared in six games — including four starts — before being let go ahead of the 2018 season.

As is the case for two other players on this list, injuries were a factor in Grasu’s downfall. That, and the fact that his uninspiring play didn’t exactly warrant a second contract.