The NFL Draft: Looking at the most interesting picks in the top ten of the NFL draft
Every year, the NFL draft proves to be a dichotomy—some teams leave with fitting, impeccable picks, while others make questionable selections and decisions. Despite the unconventional year, the draft stayed true to this trend. Here are some of the most debatable picks from this year’s top ten:
1. Pick 3, The San Francisco 49ers
With the third pick in the NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers shocked many by picking NDSU QB Trey Lance. I do not completely oppose this pick, but I strongly believe San Francisco should have selected Ohio State QB Justin Fields. The 49ers’ system is based around under-center and athletic players on the field, and they were looking to draft a QB who fit their playstyle. While Lance is athletic and certainly enough, Fields would undoubtedly fill the position more effectively. San Francisco must have their reasons for taking Lance over Fields, and I am interested to see how he can help shape the future of the organization.
2. Pick 5, The Cincinnati Bengals
Message for the Bengals: PROTECT JOE BURROW. The former first overall pick’s season ended promptly with a torn ACL, MCL, partially torn PCL, and injured Meniscus. However, these injuries did not stop him from playing up to expectations; in the ten games he played last season, Burrows threw for 2688 yards, 13 TDs, and 5 INTS. While Burrow’s start to his NFL career was spectacular, one stat stood out: he was sacked 32 times in his ten games he played, which was the tenth most in the NFL. If you average the number of hits and sacks Burrow took in the games he played, and multiply the average hits by six (for the six games he missed), Burrow would be second in the league in hits taken and first in sacks. Clearly, Cincinnati’s Offensive Line was doing a poor job of protecting Burrow. Now, it just so happens that there was an absolute monster of an Offensive Tackle in this year’s draft in Penei Sewell. The 6’5” lineman has incredible athleticism—he ran a 5.09 40 yard dash at 331 pounds—a trait characteristic of the league’s best linemen.
Logically, he would be the perfect fit for a young Bengal’s team that struggles to protect its quarterbacks. However, Cincinnati’s O-line wasn’t the only thing that was poor: a lack of rational thinking led them to select LSU WR Ja’Mar Chase with the fifth pick. No matter the talent a team has downfield, a QB cannot find them if they get hit every play. In my opinion, this is the worst pick in the top ten. The Bengals are gambling with Burrow’s health by hoping he won’t get hurt again. While Chase is incredibly talented and was a pivotal piece to Burrow’s historic senior season at LSU, their QB-WR connection can’t thrive if Burrow lacks safety in the pocket. Overall, picking Chase was a lapse of judgment on Cincinnati’s part, and unless the O-line drastically improves, the organization wasted a vital pick.
3. Pick 8, The Carolina Panthers
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The Panthers have a very complicated situation. Not only do they have QB problems, but they are also plagued with overall team problems. With the Panthers needing answers in multiple spots and the Washington Football Team’s hole at QB, a trade involving picks would have benefited both teams—securing young players for the future would have helped the Panthers’ rebuilding efforts, and Washington would have received a crucial QB. Nevertheless, the Panthers took Jaycee Horn with the eighth pick. With this pick, not only did they not select a QB to help their offense, but they also failed to draft the best CB in the draft. Horn is a solid cornerback, but Patrick Surtain is better. Horn is a capable wide coverage corner, but he lacks tackling skills and has trouble in press coverage. With no real offensive threats other than RB Christian McCaffrey, and with a cloudy and uncertain future, the Panthers’ chances of doing well next season look slim, and their 2021 draft pick certainly did not help them in the matter.
4. Pick 9, The Denver Broncos
The Broncos, like the Panthers, have significant offensive and QB struggles. Currently, Denver’s main QB is Drew Lock, who is coming off what some would say is the worst season out of all QBs from last year. They also have QB Teddy Bridgewater, who was traded from the Panthers for a sixth-round pick. Lock’s position is definitely in jeopardy, and Denver’s O-line needs to protect him for him to achieve any degree of success in the coming years. Rashawn Slater would definitely fill this role. He plays almost every position on the O-line and is able to easily move big bodies away from the line of scrimmage. However, instead of looking for offense help, the Broncos ended up taking Patrick Surtain, a CB out of Alabama. The Broncos wrongfully trust their O-line to protect their QBs despite the little talent they possess. Surtain is definitely the best corner in the draft, and he will be great for the Bronco’s defense, but they didn’t need nearly as much help on the defensive side of the ball as their offense. With solid CB Kyle Fuller and what Pro-Football Focus calls the best safety in Justin Simmons, the Broncos will definitely have a solid secondary next season. Even though some say “defense wins championships,” offense is still an integral part of success, and the Broncos have seemed to neglect their offensive needs.
5. Pick 10, The Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys were set on standout corner Pat Surtain, and rightfully so. Surtain is fantastic in coverage, aggressive off-ball, and a solid tackler. The only skill he really lacks is becoming a nickel corner, but overall, there are no major holes in his game. However, the Broncos took Surtain with the ninth pick, and, in response, the Cowboys traded their pick with the division rival Eagles. In a way, it makes sense. Since Surtain was taken, I definitely expected them to trade out of the 10 spot, but I was a little bit shocked when they traded with the Eagles. As an Eagles fan, I am as happy as can be. The Eagles have a very complicated front office situation, and GM Howie Roseman gained a little bit of trust back from Eagles fans by picking Heisman WR Devonta Smith. After passing on the best rookie WR Justin Jefferson in the last draft, Roseman was in the hot seat after only winning 4 games last season. The Eagle’s offense looked terrible in most games, and a lot of this was due to the lack of skill at the WR position. Guys simply couldn’t get open, which left QBs Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts struggling to find proper targets. They needed to grab Smith to add some depth to the WR position this year. Hopefully, my Eagles can turn it around and Smith can grab a few touchdowns against the Cowboys for a little karma.
I am excited to see how each of these players perform this coming year during the NFL season. Although there are some selections that I think were better than others, each of these players were selected in the top ten for a reason and have the potential to be stand-out players. Overall, per usual, the draft brought its surprises, and needless to say, it will be interesting to see how each team can play this year
