Buffalo Bills
19. Shaq Lawson DE Clemson
41. Reggie Ragland LB Alabama
80. Adolphus Washington DT Ohio St.
139. Cardale Jones QB Ohio St.
156. Jonathan Williams RB Arkansas
192. Kolby Listenbee WR TCU
218. Kevon Seymour CB USC
Immediate Impact: DE Shaq Lawson, LB Reggie Ragland
Mario Williams was a shell of his former self last season which is why the Bills let him walk and now they get Shaq Lawson to step in for him. Lawson is a nice bookend to Jerry Hughes because at 6’3 270 lbs. Lawson has great size and strength but can still get after the QB. Ragland is a beast against the run and whether he lines up in the middle or on the weakside he’s going to affect the defense.
Best Value: LB Reggie Ragland
I had Ragland going in the top 15 at one point and he certainly would have been worth a 1st round pick had he gone that high. The Bills getting him in the second round was a steal. He was one of if not the best player to slip into round 2 that was expected to go in round one and wasn’t coming off a significant knee injury.
Sleepers: DT Adolphus Washington, WR Kolby Listenbee
Washington will make a very nice rotational DT with Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams at worst and considering Williams is aging and coming back from an injury Washington could become much more very quickly. He is undersized but that won’t matter because he plays with plenty of power and lining up next to Dareus will negate that concern completely. Listenbee is raw as a prospect but he is lightning fast and you can’t teach speed. Perhaps Listenbee will become what the Bills have hoped Marquise Goodwin would be for them.
Overall Analysis
There are far more prospects to like in this draft than I am comfortable with as a Patriots fan. Lawson, Ragland and Washington are really strong additions to the defense and will make an impact. Listenbee could be a nice speed complement to Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods and Jonathan Williams will have to fight to get carries behind LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams but he’s a heck of a third RB. I suppose my only saving grace is the hope that someday they will have to turn to Cardale Jones at QB because I don’t think he has the mental capacity to deal with Belichick’s defense. To me Jones is a poor man’s EJ Manuel and if you’re wondering that is not a complement. CB Kevon Seymour will have a tough time making this squad.
Miami Dolphins
13. Laremy Tunsil OT Mississippi
38. Xavien Howard CB Baylor
73. Kenyan Drake RB Alabama
86. Leonte Carroo WR Rutgers
186. Jakeem Grant WR Texas Tech
204. Jordan Lucas SS Penn St.
223. Brandon Doughty QB Western Kentucky
231. Thomas Duarte TE UCLA
Immediate Impact: OT Laremy Tunsil, CB Xavien Howard
I’m not sure what he immediate plan is with Tunsil, does he play RT and they move Ja’Wuan James inside to guard? Does Tunsil slide inside to guard? The truth is Tunsil will replace Branden Albert at LT eventually and it may be sooner rather than later. Albert is 31 and has never been the picture of health so Tunsil will play somewhere now but eventually he’s their LT. Howard fills a huge need at CB and he’s good enough to start right away which is good because they need someone opposite Byron Maxwell, oh and they need someone to replace Maxwell but that will have to wait until some other time.
Best Value: OT Laremy Tunsil
Yes, he was the 13th pick in the draft but he was arguably one of the top 2 prospects in the entire thing. The bong/gas mask smoking video took its toll and the Dolphins were the recipients of a gift. Tunsil has never failed a drug test and whether that means he is drug free or just smart enough not to get caught it makes him less of a risk than previous players that have obvious drug problems. He’s a superior talent and an absolute steal at #13.
Sleeper: WR Leonte Carroo
Carroo has a colorful past and hasn’t always been the picture of consistency off-the-field but he’s a major playmaker on it. Jarvis Landry is given and DeVante Parker played well once he was healthy last season but if I were Kenny Stills I would be worried. Carroo has many of the downfield talents Stills has and he’s cheaper with more upside at this point.
Overall Analysis
Tunsil, Howard and Carroo are great selections but the choice of RB Kenyan Drake in the third round is puzzling to me. Drake was the backup to Derrick Henry at Alabama yet he was the third RB off the board. Ezekiel Elliott and Henry were the first two and there were more talented backs available at the time they took Drake. RB is certainly a need given Jay Ajayi is the only one they really have but I can name 5 backs I like better (Devontae Booker, Kenneth Dixon, Jordan Howard, Alex Collins and Paul Perkins, did you think I was kidding?). Carroo has a chance to beat out Stills as an outside WR but the choice of the tiny Jakeem Grant is puzzling. He’s fast as lightning but he’s 5’6 165 lbs. which limits him to slot receiver/kick returner and slot receiver is where Jarvis Landry does his damage. SS Jordan Lucas might make the team because the Dolphins secondary is weak. QB Brandon Doughty is potential long term backup to Ryan Tannehill is Tannehill proves to be the long term starter. Finally, TE Thomas Duarte is a pass catching TE on a team that didn’t throw much to the TE last year. Jordan Cameron was a major free agent signing a year ago but wasn’t used much. Duarte could supplant backup Dion Sims if he can prove to be a playmaker.
New England Patriots
60. Cyrus Jones CB Alabama
78. Joe Thuney OG North Carolina St.
91. Jacoby Brissett QB North Carolina St.
96. Vincent Valentine DT Nebraska
112. Malcolm Mitchell WR Georgia
208. Kamu Grugier-Hill SS Eastern Illinois
214. Elandon Roberts ILB Houston
221. Ted Karras OG Illinois
225. Devin Lucien WR Arizona St.
Immediate Impact: None
It’s very likely the CB Cyrus Jones, DT Vincent Valentine and WR Malcolm Mitchell can all find a role to play on this team but none of them are likely to be high impact players.
Best Value: DT Vincent Valentine
Valentine is a big bodied DT that should bring some nice depth inside behind Terrance Knighton and Malcolm Brown. He should clog up the middle quite well and give Knighton plenty of rest. He is also big enough to allow Brown to do the things he does best.
Sleeper: WR Malcolm Mitchell
Mitchell was a four-year starter at Georgia who could never seem to stay healthy long enough to really dominate. The Patriots have Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola and free agents Nate Washington and Chris Hogan but Mitchell can make the team and potentially push Amendola out the door.
Overall Analysis
I stopped trying to understand Bill Belichick’s drafts a while ago because they rarely make sense. CB Cyrus Jones was a solid pick and he will likely be the third CB behind Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. It is a bit curious why they would spend 3rd and 6th round picks on OGs Joe Thuney and Ted Karras when they already have interior linemen Bryan Stork, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, Tre Jackson, Josh Kline and recently acquired Jonathan Cooper, you can only carry so many interior linemen. QB Jacoby Brissett was a strange choice considering they have Jimmy Garoppolo behind Brady and Brissett is nowhere near being ready to contribute in any meaningful way. Grugier-Hill and Roberts are Belichick flyers that probably won’t make the roster. WR Devin Lucien is a shot in the dark but he has some upside and anything is possible at WR for the Patriots. If Mitchell doesn’t make it through training camp healthy Lucien might make a move.
New York Jets
20. Darron Lee LB Ohio St.
51. Christian Hackenberg QB Penn St.
83. Jordan Jenkins OLB Georgia
118. Juston Burris CB North Carolina St.
158. Brandon Shell OT South Carolina
235. Lachlan Edwards P Sam Houston St.
241. Charone Peake WR Clemson
Immediate Impact: LB Darron Lee, OLB Jordan Jenkins
The Jets’ LB corps is aging and needs an infusion of youth and talent. Lee is a speedy athlete with all kinds of skills and handing him to a coach like Todd Bowles is like handing a chess master an extra queen to play with. Jenkins was an underappreciated player at Georgia because he was overshadowed by Leonard Floyd much of the time. Jenkins can do a lot of the dirty work and play just about anywhere. Bowles will use both of these guys inside and outside in coverage and for blitzing.
Best Value: OLB Jordan Jenkins
I think I like Jenkins more than most and even if he doesn’t have a much wow factor he’s a player.
Sleeper: OT Brandon Shell
The nephew of Art Shell started for four years at South Carolina and while he isn’t flashy you don’t start for four years in the SEC without having some skills. The Jets offensive line is in transition as long time LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson retired and Ryan Clady was acquired from the Broncos. RT Breno Giacomini is nothing special and Clady is an injury risk so Shell could factor in at some point.
Overall Analysis
The overhaul of the LB corps should be the story of this draft but it won’t be. QB Christian Hackenberg will suck up all of the oxygen from this draft class. Hackenberg was a rising star as a true freshman starter at Penn St. three years ago but now he’s simply in a three-way battle for snaps with presumed starter Geno Smith and no-longer-QB-of-the-future Bryce Petty. Hackenberg has the talent to be a starting QB if someone can just clean up the bad habits he picked up over the last two seasons. CB Juston Burris will find it hard to crack this roster. The Jets drafted a punter, that’s all I got on that and there are worse things you can do than take a seventh round flyer on a big, fast WR like Charone Peake. Beyond starters Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and hopefully third WR Devin Smith the roster has room to move at the position.
The Hott Read 