Dallas Cowboys
Perhaps the steal of the first round took place at 17 when Jerry Jones and company were on the clock. The heavily-anticipated wide receiver run at 11 did not materialize, as the New York Jets addressed offensive tackle and the San Francisco 49ers addressed their defensive line. That let CeeDee Lamb, one of the “top three” receivers, fall to the Cowboys at 17.
They started night two of the draft by addressing a hole left by the departure of Byron Jones to the Miami Dolphins. Dallas drafted Trevon Diggs, a coverage cornerback from Alabama. Diggs was viewed by many as a first-round pick prior to the Combine, but started sliding down boards as people in the media started digging into his film. He is very adept at press coverage, so if the Cowboys are looking for that kind of player, they got exactly what they wanted. In the third round they added Neville Gallimore, a penetrating defensive tackle from Oklahoma. Gallimore has solid hands and good size for the position, but needs to get better at his pad level.
Grade: C+
Denver Broncos
Another team that was able to address wide receiver without trading up and/or paying a heavy toll was the Denver Broncos. Prior to the draft many, myself included, believed Denver would need to get ahead of teams like the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers to select one of the top wide receivers, but when both teams went in different directions, they were able to grab Jerry Jeudy without moving from 15. But they were not done at wide receiver, as they added K.J. Hamler early in the second round, giving them a trio of Jeudy, Hamler and Courtland Sutton. When you add Noah Fant into the mix, that is a talented quartet of receiving options for Drew Lock.
Unfortunately all this attention to the wide receiver position caused them to miss out on some of the cornerback options earlier in the draft. But with the acquisition of A.J. Bouye via trade, that helps to make up for the loss of Chris Harris Jr. in free agency. In the third round they selected Michael Ojemudia from Iowa. He tested well at the Combine, with a 4.45 40-yard dash, and has good zone coverage ability. But he is a bit of a projection, given how much Iowa relied on zone coverage. His ability to press or play sticky man is a question mark.
Then the Broncos selected Lloyd Cushenberry III out of LSU. The center was the heart of the Tigers’ offensive line this past season, and enjoyed a bit of a pre-draft rise thanks to a solid Senior Bowl week. He is stout in the run game, particularly working to the second level, and can handle pass protection well against most moves. He could stand to improve his anchor against power moves, however. McTelvin Agim, their pick at 95, is a great selection, He has the potential to be a true penetrating 3-technique defender, and he brings to the table a very high motor and competitive toughness.
Grade: B+
Detroit Lions
Despite the recent drumbeat for Derrick Brown to be the pick for the Detroit Lions at the third spot, Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn went in a different direction. Perhaps when a trade down failed to materialize, they selected Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah, largely viewed as the top coverage player on the board.
Quinn and company addressed the offense at the start of the third round, adding Georgia running back D’Andre Swift. Swift is a dual threat RB, with the ability to impact the game between the tackles but also the skills to flex outside and run a complete route tree. Then at the top of the third round they added Julian Okwara, an EDGE defender from Notre Dame. The Lions had just 28 sacks a season ago, so helping their pass rush is a major need. Okwara is a bit of a projection, but has the length, athleticism and speed to at least contribution as he puts together the rest of his bag of pass rushing moves.
Then in the third round the Lions added Jonah Jackson, a solid offensive guard and in fact Touchdown Wire’s second-ranked interior offensive lineman. Jackson can be a bear in the run game but is an experienced pass blocker who can handle the pass rushing responsibilities as well. His selection bumped up what was a lower grade after the second round.
Grade: B-
Green Bay Packers
It is hard to walk away from Thursday night and not view the selection of Aaron Rodgers’ potential replacement as the main storyline. With players like Laviska Shenault Jr., Denzel Mims and Tee Higgins available the Packers traded up to draft…Jordan Love, the quarterback from Utah State. While Love may pay off in the long run, this pick down nothing to help the 2020 Packers absent and injury to their starting QB.
Then with their second-round selection, the Packers added a player who might just be a complementary piece in the 2020 season. Boston College running back A.J. Dillon is a thundering downhill hammer, who tested a bit better at the Combine than many expected. With Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams entering contract years, he can be a part of the committee in 2020 blasting away between the tackles, and perhaps the focal part of the backfield in 2021. In the third round they added Josiah Deguara, a tight end from Cincinnati who might project best as an H-Back or even a fullback in the NFL. Given that LaFleur likes to use 21 offensive personnel – the Packers actually used that package 25% of the time last year – this could fit a schematic need.
Grade: C+
Houston Texans
Another team lacking a first-round selection was the Houston Texans, who shipped that pick prior to last season in exchange for Laremy Tunsil. Bill O’Brien made some…interesting moves this offseason so the football world was waiting with breathless anticipation to see what he was going to do next.
You know, like this:
Making Tunsil the highest-paid offensive lineman on Friday afternoon was a start. But O’Brien perhaps redeemed himself by picking Ross Blacklock at 40, the defensive lineman from TCU. Blacklock has the quick first step to penetrate, but also is willing to find himself double-teamed and keep his linebackers clean. With the loss of D.J. Reader he is a great fit to fill a need. Then they added to the defensive front with Jonathan Greenard, an EDGE player from Florida. He is not the most athletic player, but is good in a phone booth and will rack up some effort sacks and tackles.
Grade: B
Indianapolis Colts
Even though they did not have a first-round selection on night one, the Indianapolis Colts and their mere presence might have changed the course of football history. According to Ian Rapoport, the Green Bay Packers moved up in the first round to draft Jordan Love because they wanted to make sure they, and not Indianapolis, drafted the Utah State passer.
But at the top of the second round, the Colts went in a different direction than quarterback. They addressed the wide receiver room, adding Michael Pittman Jr. to their roster. Pittman gained a ton of buzz into and out of the Combine, and is a solid receiver in the mold of Allen Robinson and Alshon Jeffery. He should be a great addition on the outside that allowed T.Y. Hilton room to operate on the interior. Then they executed a trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up from 44 to 41, and they drafted running back Jonathan Taylor out of Wisconsin. Taylor joins a crowded running back room with Nyheim Hines, Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins, but his dual-threat ability makes him an attractive option.
In the third round, Indianapolis turned to the defensive side of the ball, adding Julian Blackmon, a safety from Utah. Blackmon is more of a traditional single-high safety, as he played 485 snaps in that role a year ago. But he also started out as a cornerback, so he has the chops to drop down into the slot or even play on the boundary given his experience. This is a very nice pick for the Colts.
Grade: A
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars quietly had a good night during the first round. Of course, when you have lots of holes to address and two picks in the top twenty, you can get things right. But C.J. Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson are solid additions to a roster that needed an injection of talent on the defensive side of the football.
At the start of the second round they added some talent to their offensive huddle, selecting wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. out of Colorado. Shenault is more offensive weapon than WR, as he aligned all over the field for the Buffaloes. Provided the offensive staff uses him the right way, he can be a true matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. Then in the third round they added Davon Hamilton, more of an interior defensive tackle. Pairing him with Kinlaw on the inside is going to make things difficult for opposing offensive lines. Hamilton is a stout run defender, and what makes this a great pick is that it allows Jacksonville to slide Kinlaw around a bit while using Hamilton as more of a shaded nose tackle.
Grade: A-
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs relied heavily on the right arm of Patrick Mahomes and the passing game en route to a Super Bowl title. Their willingness to throw early and often made them darlings of the analytics world, who believe the running game is a less efficient means of winning football games and have the data to support such a position.
So naturally the Chiefs drafted a running back at the end of the first round.
When they were next on the clock, the Chiefs could have gone in a couple of different directions. Cornerback was still a need, but with Kristian Fulton coming off the board a few picks prior they perhaps shifted gears, and looked at the linebacker spot. Willie Gay Jr. was the selection, an athletic linebacker who tested very well at the Combine. He has some red flags in his past, with some suspensions during his time at Mississippi State, but turn on his bowl game from this past season and you’ll see a true sideline-to-sideline defender.
Near the end of the third round they added Lucas Niang, an offensive tackle from TCU. He might be a bit of a project. In their draft guide Pro Football Focus called his pass sets “un-aesthetically pleasing” for example, but he gets the job done. He did not give up a sack over the past three seasons, and with some NFL coaching and technical refinement, he could be a diamond in the rough.
Grade: B+