New
England Patriots: Expected to dominate the AFC East once again,
the Patriots have one of the easier regular-season schedules in the 2018 season. Considering
that they face the Dolphins, Jets and Bills for six games each year, almost
guarantees them a playoff spot as division champs. Those three opponents rank,
collectively the lowest in all of football. As for the draft, they did pick up
some help. They picked up T Isaiah Wynn with the 23rd pick in the
draft and will help fill in the offensive line to protect Tom Brady. They also
got RB Sony Michel from Georgia with the 31st pick. Michel is much
more explosive than Dion Lewis, only time will tell if they filled the hole
left by Nate Solder’s departure. Many are already comparing him to the Saints’
RB Alvin Kamara.
New
Orleans Saint: I
like this team to win their division. Fully aware how tough this division is
with the Panthers, Bucs and Falcons to contend with but I feel this is the most
complete team at this stage. The Saints got some bad news when leading rusher
Mark Ingram was suspended the first four games of 2018. Of course this is
a major blow to their chances. But the Saints have reigning NFL Offensive
Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara. I think they need to find a running mate as I
don’t think Kamara can carry the load by himself.
New
York Giants: I love the choice of drafting RB Saquon
Barkley with the 2nd pick in the NFL draft. I really am a proponent
of giving your QB a strong running game and offensive line. Speaking of which,
the giants did add with Will Hernandez. I did not know much about QB Kyle
Lauletta out of Richmond, but former coach Brian Billick, said he feels Lauletta
might be the best QB in the draft. That is high praise. Lauletta was the MVP of
the Senior Bowl and that game had a ton of talent. His only knock is the lack
of a very strong arm.
New
York Jets: New York finished 5-11 but got QB Sam Darnold
with the third pick in the draft, the draft's top passing prospect. The Jets
have been a low end project for many years. They have a decent head coach that
could be a good one with more experience and more aggressiveness.
Oakland
Raiders: New Head Coach Jon Gruden
traded a third rounder for WR Martavis Bryant. I like that Gruden clearly
prioritized offensive tackles, moving down in Round 1 for Kolton Miller of UCLA
before taking North Carolina A&T's Brandon Parker in the third.
Philadelphia
Eagles: Champs often draft for
depth, and GM Howie Roseman traded down to get more. Stealing TE
"Dallas" Goedert in Jerry Jones' backyard was a nice touch. But
getting Florida State pass rusher Josh Sweat in Round 4 might wind up being
Roseman's best pick.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Their 2018 strength of
schedule is certainly manageable. This is a division that does not offer much
opposition. Steelers get to face the Ravens, Browns and Bengals in
six games as usual. That is not murderer’s row for them. Of course we always
have to keep in mind, a Tomlin coached team usually plays down to their
competition. The Steelers drafted 28th in the first round and picked
Saftey Terrell Edmunds of Virginia Tech.
Edmunds has reputation for being a very physical player, which will fit
in nicely with the Steelers. The Steelers really needed an inside linebacker,
but most of the top one were already gone by their pick.
Next week
we’ll finish up with part four of the NFL Draft analysis.
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