The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is in the books. I found it to be a pretty interesting night. The bomb dropped a few hours before the first round kicked off that Aaron Rodgers was trying to get out of Green Bay, and it made the whole thing feel like something crazy could happen. But, nothing ever materialized out of it, and the first round pretty much went chalk. There weren’t too many surprises, and I don’t think there were too many prospects that went in the first round that didn’t have a first round grade on ’em. There also weren’t really any picks that didn’t make sense – a couple of decisions were made that I didn’t necessarily agree with. But, by and large, last night’s first round went about as expected. So, let’s get to my winners and losers.
Losers
Buffalo Bills – Honestly, I would’ve mentioned whoever drafted Gregory Rousseau. I just don’t see it. Watching his highlights after he was drafted was like watching someone try to get to the quarterback by wading through quicksand. Mel Kiper, Jr. said it best – you draft a guy like him based on potential. He might be good, but that’s all based on potential. I don’t think the tape actually shows us that. With some good offensive talent on the board, and they’re pick of the defensive tackle litter, I’m surprised they went with Rousseau. Hell, even among the edge rushers, give me Azeez Ojulari all day over Rousseau. Buffalo, wut is you doing?
Denver Broncos – You trade for Teddy Bridgewater. You have Drew Lock. Apparently, that’s good enough at quarterback for a regime that desperately needs to get it right at quarterback. But, I don’t think it’s a wise decision with a talent like Justin Fields on the board. Hell, even Mac Jones. I don’t know that I take the Bridgewater/Lock combo over either of those guys right now. Patrick Surtain II might end up being the best corner out of this draft. But, I think Broncos fans will look back at this moment as a missed opportunity to get the quarterback position right.
Las Vegas Raiders – I want to mention the Raiders here because a lot of people raised their eyebrows when they took Alex Leatherwood. I’ve had the Raiders taking an offensive tackle this entire time. If you want to continue pounding your bell cow, Josh Jacobs, you’ve got to make sure that offensive line plays at the level it did a couple of seasons ago on a consistent basis. I like Leatherwood a lot – I had him as the 2nd best right tackle in this draft behind Teven Jenkins. This move made a lot of sense to me, even though everyone else seems to be hating on it.
Winners
Los Angeles Chargers – My absolute favorite single pick of the first round. The Chargers just kind of blindly lucked in Rashawn Slater, who I think is the best offensive tackle in this draft. He’s a little more well-rounded and a little more tenacious than Penei Sewell (no disrespect – I mean, we’re splitting hairs between these two prospects…). For the Chargers, they have a promising young core – they HAVE to protect their future, Justin Herbert, better. They got him his franchise tackle. This team could be contending sooner than we think.
Chicago Bears – Good. for. Chicago. Fields may be the most dynamic play-maker at the position in this draft. The Bears needed to get the quarterback position right after whiffing wildly on Mitchell Trubisky. They needed a spark, and they got it. It’s put up or shut up time for a franchise that may just be a quarterback away from really contending in the NFC.
Arizona Cardinals – I’ve said on a couple of shows that I think Zaven Collins has the potential to be the best defensive player to come out of this draft class. The Cardinals needed some juice on defense to catch up to that offense.
Miami Dolphins – It’s easy to be a winner when you have multiple picks in the first round two years in a row. This Dolphins roster is not all that far away, but the way they added speed and explosiveness in WR Jaylen Waddle and EDGE Jaelan Phillips shows that they believe they have a good foundation in place and this draft is about stockpiling talent and adding teeth to that roster.
New York Giants – My biggest winner of the night, BY FAR. I thought the Giants were about to be down and out when the Eagles traded ahead of ’em to grab DeVonta Smith. But, credit where credit’s due – that was a smart move to trade back once Smith was off the board. The Bears moved up to get their quarterback, and the Giants ended up picking Kadarius Toney at #20 – a gadgety, electric, man-beater at wide receiver. Just the type of dynamic that offense needs, and another weapon for Danny Dimes. Not only do you get a comparable prize at receiver, you get an extra 5th round pick from the Bears this year, and you get their 1st and 4th round pick next year. Highway robbery. Props to Dave Gettleman.
Dave Gettleman after trading downpic.twitter.com/DbNb8uVt5D
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) April 30, 2021
Our Favorite Picks
Thanks to everyone that tuned in to our first round watch-along last night. We went for four hours and 36 minutes – that made it awfully hard to get out of bed this morning, but we had a ton of fun. At the end of the night, I asked my co-hosts Steven McCash and Outspoken Owen what their favorite picks of the night were.
Mine: In addition to Collins, Slater, and Waddle, I look at fit. Jaycee Horn to the Carolina Panthers is disgusting – there’s a wealth of young defensive talent on that roster, and he may be the best corner in this draft. I also love Rashod Bateman to the Baltimore Ravens – they had an element of speed in Marquise Brown, but they lacked a more polished and savvy route-runner. They get that in Bateman who should round out that receiving corps well. He fits like a glove.
Steven McCash: Justin Fields, Najee Harris, and Greg Newsome.
Outspoken Owen: Mac Jones.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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