Winner: Teams that need something besides an OT/QB
Building off of a previous point for a moment. If you look at the fact that this draft includes four top-fight offensive tackles, with more trying to burst into that tier, and couple that with the annual “Rise of the Quarterbacks,” some teams that have needs outside of those two positions are going to see some elite talent fall into their laps later in the first round.
Consider the current NFL draft order and the quarterback position. Among the teams picking in the first 15 slots there are at least seven organizations to keep in mind: Cincinnati, Miami, Los Angeles, Carolina, Las Vegas, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay that are in the mix for a quarterback. Every year a few wildcards join the fray, and teams like Detroit and Washington could surprise us all and dive into the QB pool. Heck, even Joe Judge and Dave Gettleman opened the door to selecting a quarterback back on Tuesday when they would not even mention Daniel Jones by name. (I for one would not read much into that, but stranger things have happened).
Moving now to the offensive line, there are a number of teams picking in the top 15 that could address tackle: New York (both the Giants and the Jets), Cleveland, Carolina (if they forgo quarterback), Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Arizona.
Suppose, for a moment, that all four offensive tackles and four or even five quarterbacks come off the board in the top 15. Those teams picking in the bottom of the first round are going to see premium players fall to them. Not a bad place to be.
Loser: Logan Stenberg
Similar to Jake Fromm, the Kentucky interior offensive linemen was probably not in position to succeed given what he does well, and areas of his game that might be lacking.
Stenberg is an offensive guard that plays with a mean streak. With some nastiness to his game, as Chad Reuter from NFL.com described him. He was impressive on film and displayed great power and strength down in Mobile during Senior Bowl week. I was amazed at some of the one-on-one battles he had with Rob Windsor, the defensive lineman from Penn State. Windsor, who told the media on Thursday that he prides himself on being a “read-and-react pass rusher” tried a variety of pass rushing moves on Stenberg during their matchups. Stenberg always seemed to have an answer.
Then, the Combine happened. His testing was basically below-average across the board, with an underwhelming 10-yard split of 1.86 during his 40-yard dash of 5.3 seconds.
The fact of the matter is, you are not drafting Stenberg based on what he does during his athletic testing. You are drafting him based on what he does when he is in pads and the lights are turned on. Friday night was not his best showing, but teams would be smart to go back to the film and see where he excels.