THREE days and 254 picks later the 2019 NFL Draft is in the books. Things went pretty much as expected this year, with the Cardinals drafting Kyler Murray first overall, Jon Gruden and Dave Gettleman causing confusion and the Patriots still looking like the ones to beat. While it will take years to tell how these draft picks panned out, there were some clear winners and losers to come out of Nashville.
IF you like what you read be sure to check out more SportsbyFry articles by hitting this link. Make sure you keep up to date with the latest NFL and College Football articles follow my fan pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to never miss a minute of the action!
Click here to subscribe on iTunes
(Feel free to leave a rating and review to help me move up the charts 👍)
WINNERS
John Dorsey
NOT only did John Dorsey probably win the trade period, he boosted the Browns’ chances of returning to the postseason with a solid draft hand. Landing Odell Beckham Jr gave their offense a shiny new toy, but Cleveland strengthened their defense by snagging the likes of Sione Takitaki, Mack Wilson and Greedy Williams over the weekend. They’ll add some much-needed depth to the Browns D, who are shaping up as the team to watch in 2019.
Christian Wilkins
NO one was more excited to hear their name called in Round 1 than Christian Wilkins. The Clemson defensive wrecking ball celebrated being selected 13th overall by giving Roger Goodell a mighty chest bump, nearly knocking the commissioner off his feet. You can’t blame him for being excited with Wilkins well aware that there is no state income tax in Miami and the Dolphins will be hoping the two-time National champ can bring his winning ways to South Florida.
Washington Redskins
THE Redskins were linked to Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins throughout the whole pre-draft process and were fortunate enough to land their guy without having to move up. By patiently biding their time, Haskins was still on the board when it came time for their pick at №15 and after eagerly snapping up their future QB, the good news didn’t stop there. Swinging a deal with the Colts saw them land DE Montez Sweat who offers enormous upside. There are concerns over his heart condition, but make no mistake, Sweat could be an absolute steal at 26 with the explosive edge-rusher set to help Washington instantly next season.
Image from redskins.com
Miami Dolphins
SOMEONE was going to benefit greatly from the Cardinals misfortune and it turned out Miami were the lucky ones. With Arizona putting all their eggs in the Kyler Murray basket, they had no need for budding play-caller Josh Rosen, who the Dolphins snagged for the small price of the 62nd overall pick. If Rosen lives up to the hype that saw Arizona draft him 10th overall in 2018, then Miami will have potentially landed a franchise quarterback at a bargain price.
Jarrett Stidham
INVESTING a late fourth-round selection in a quarterback was a wise move for the New England Patriots. Let me remind you Tom Brady is 42 years old, and the quarterbacking Jesus won’t be able to annually deliver a Super Bowl for much longer. Landing an Auburn product who possess ‘shades of Brady’ is great for the Pats, but Jarrett Stidham is the real winner in this scenario. Getting to sit behind one of the game’s all-time greats and learn the ropes is a decent way to commence your NFL career.
LOSERS
Giants Fans
UGH. We all knew Dave Gettleman was going to mess up the Draft for the New York Giants. We didn’t know it was going to be this bad. He showed, once again, that he doesn’t understand the value in draft picks, using a sixth overall selection to draft quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones wasn’t the best prospect available at that spot, hell, he wasn’t even the best quarterback, but that didn’t stop Gettleman from infuriating Giants fans around the globe. Making matters worse is New York ended up making three first-round selections (17 and 30) and if Jones had have been taken there it could have maybe been justified. The 6th overall pick is not where you want to draft the 59th ranked player though, just for the record, even if he is tight with the Manning’s.
Steve Keim
I’M not blaming the Arizona Cardinals for taking Kyler Murray first overall and rendering their top-10 selection from a year ago as useless. The new staff is clearly moving in a different direction that doesn’t involve Josh Rosen, I get it. However, Cards GM Steve Keim, who probably knew this was their plan long ago, didn’t start shopping Rosen until MINUTES BEFORE THE DRAFT STARTED! As expected, Rosen’s value diminished with every pick and they settled for selling Rosen for just 62nd pick. Yikes.
Image from azcentral.com
Greedy Williams
PROJECTED to land in the first round of a lot of mock drafts, Greedy Williams took a tumble before finally being snapped up on Day 2. He had to wait until the 46th pick to hear his name called despite many people — myself included — believing he was the best corner in the draft. It turned into a dream scenario for the Browns to land Williams at 46, but the former LSU product’s fall, for whatever reason, cost him a fair chunk of change.
Houston Texans
IT was good news for Texans fans to hear that their first round pick was being spent on the offensive line. In desperate need of an upgrade, Houston nabbed Tytus Howard 23rd overall, who is a great athlete, but will need to develop his technique to succeed in the league. They doubled down by drafting Max Scharping in the next round with the subsequent pick, who, you guessed it, is an offensive lineman who will need time to work on his footwork at the next level. Making matters worse, the Philadelphia Eagles moved up to the 22nd pick to draft Washington State star lineman Andre Dillard who would have been perfect for the Texans. Pray for Deshaun Watson.
Peace ✌