NICK MERSCH
SPORTS EDITOR
Ladies and gentlemen, our first milestone of the long slumber without the NFL has arrived: the NFL draft. The draft is so refreshing because it serves as a bit of a sneak peek into next year’s season. It always manages to sneak up on me simply because you have the NBA and NHL playoffs going on at the same time, but I still enjoy it nonetheless. I wanted to take a look at some interesting moves that went down during the draft and give my thoughts on how I think they will work out for their respective teams.
The Kyler Murray/Josh Rosen Situation
The Arizona Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray with the first overall pick of the draft, and Cardinals fans were all thinking the same thing: “What happens to Josh Rosen now?” Just before day two of the draft, there was buzz of a trade between Arizona and the Dolphins. Eventually the deal was finalized, and Rosen was headed to Miami for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick in 2020. Analyzing this, it’s apparent that the Cardinals had seen what they wanted to see out of Rosen and were set on putting their money on the dynamic Heisman winner out of Oklahoma. I think both teams really got what they wanted from this deal. Obviously, the Cardinals are living out the benefits of being one of the worst teams in the NFL two years in a row, but the Dolphins also got a good deal out of this. Miami is clearly in full rebuild mode and most likely was trying to get a young quarterback out of this draft, either from the board or from a trade, and that’s exactly what they did. Since the Dolphins took Rosen from the Cardinals, it seems that they liked him more than any other quarterback that was on the board. Both teams walk away with new young talent and are seemingly happy about their deals. The only speculation I have about this deal is that Arizona might’ve been able to get more for Rosen if they’d have traded him before the draft, but since they didn’t, Miami was able to sell a great player short with the two picks they gave them so I’d probably say Miami “won” this deal if anyone did.
What did the Giants just do?
The question posed above just about sums up what everyone who watched the draft was thinking when they saw the New York Giants’ pick of Daniel Jones in the first round. Giants fans are tired of Eli. He’s not good, simply put. But why would you draft a guy who will probably need to sit behind someone and learn for a few years? I think the best option at pick No. 6 was definitely Dwayne Haskins. He seems to fit more with the dynamic attack that the Giants seemed to be going for. Also, with Odell Beckham Jr. headed to the Browns, whoever sits in that pocket now has a lot less to throw at. I think Haskins would’ve been the better pick, and I think he’ll be the better NFL quarterback in the long run. However, the ace in the hole with Jones is that his head coach at Duke was the quarterbacking mentor to the Mannings, so it’s very possible he sees something in Jones that I don’t and has been in communication with the Giants. If the Giants just want another Manning, maybe they’ve got one in Jones, but it most likely won’t be for a few years.
Did Oakland waste their pick?
Some people are saying yes, other people are saying no. Regardless, I had no idea who he was until Goodell said his name during the fourth pick of the draft. All the experts are saying that he’s really solid right now, but that’s all they’re saying. He’s good, not great. This is the No. 4 pick of the NFL draft. There are plenty of guys that can take your team to the next level on the board somewhere, and if you take someone who is most likely a late-first-round or early-second-round guy, your fans are going to be upset with you. Physically, he does have the tools and he’s performed in big games against good competition, but what set him apart for the scouts apparently was his character. They were very impressed with him on that front, and Gruden has said that he wants high quality human beings to be foundational pieces on his team, so maybe this is exactly what they need. On the flip side of that, if this guy doesn’t perform, the front office is going to be kicking themselves the whole year watching this really talented defensive draft class perform throughout the season.
Even though there was plenty more exciting news from this year’s draft, that’s all the space I’ve been granted for this copy’s column. I hope my readers are all doing well in waiting for next year’s NFL season. Until next time, stay strong sports fans.