Most Improved Teams
Cleveland Browns
Oklahoma's QB Baker Mayfield was the first pick of the draft, plus the selection of fourth pick, Ohio State CB Denzel Ward was a amazing move up for the Browns. These two top talents should help them improve on only one victory the last two seasons.
New York Giants
Taking Sequan Barkley with the second pick was a perfect choice. He will take pressure off both WR Odell Beckham and QB Eli Manning. The Giants will be a different team on offense with Barkley in the backfield.
Chicago Bears
Taking Georgia’s Roquan Smith with the 8th selection, they may have gotten the draft's best linebacker. Smith could be the next stud in a proud tradition of Bear LB’s. Iowa C James Daniels could be the draft's best center, solidifying the Bear's offensive front with the 39th pick. Memphis WR Anthony Miller was selected with the 51st pick and has the potential to be an impact player.
Least Improved Teams
Seattle Seahawks
Many draft pundits are calling their first pick from San Diego State, RB Rashaard Penny, a major reach. With a boatload of RB’s already on the roster, this pick was a surprise and didn’t fill a need. Also, they practically ignored areas of need at CB and OL until taking OT Jamarco Jones from Ohio State in round 5 - after taking a punter 19 picks earlier.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints gave up up their first- round pick next year to move up from 27th to 14th, which seems too heavy a price for DE Marcus Davenport from the University of Texas in San Antonio. Davenport is an emerging prospect, but this seems like an all or nothing gamble. The Green Bay Packers were the recipient of the trade, which was too good to pass up.
Los Angeles Rams
They traded their first-round pick for WR Branden Cooks, who has one year remaining on his contract. Last season, they traded their second-round pick for WR Sammy Watkins, who has already departed for the Kansas City Chiefs. Of the players they drafted, only fifth- rounders Micah Kiser, an inside linebacker, and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, an edge player, have the potential to contribute in 2018.
Photo credits: The United States Army Band, CC BY 2.0
Author: @paradise-found
Editor: @boatsports90
Are you interested in writing for the BRO Sports™ team? Do you like talking about sports all day, every day?
Join us on Discord!
© 2018 BRO Sports™ Network
It'll be interesting to see how Baker Mayfield does. Hopefully he won't end up like another Johnny Football. But I hope Tyrod does well first and makes it a competition, gotta cheer for my Hokie.
Mayfield has had success at every level. I think he will be fine, unlike Johnny Football!!
It's always interesting to see how the picks do, and how it all ends up say 3 years from now.
Yea he was a stud. Got a pretty big head on him but I think the Browns almost needed that for morale. Haha.
Definitely, so many of those early picks don't amount to anything when so much time and money goes into them
As a Browns fan, I was very happy with this draft, I think Baker is going to be a stud, but I do hope Tyrod holds down the job for at least half this year.
If Mayfield is the real deal, the Browns should be in great shape for the future.
I sure hope so, he definitely looks the part!
I completely disagree with putting the Rams on this list. Yeah, they didn't get too much value in the draft, because they barely had any picks to begin with. They gave them all up to get tons of Free Agency pieces, and they're completely in win-now form. It's a scary good team, and I think it's almost criminal to put them on this list. Their free agency pick ups are basically their "draft". If anything they're one of the most improved teams.
I don't buy the Giants being an "improved" team just because they picked up an explosive running back. Eli is only getting older, their defense is falling apart at the seams, and there isn't much difference between a great running back and a good running back anyways. For a good example of this, examine when Fournette was out with an injury in Jacksonville. Not much of a difference in the run production. Barkley is good but you just don't get a running back in the first round any more. They wear out fast and demand too much money. Yeah, it's a fine win now move but will it pan out in the future versus trading down, grabbing a QB of the future or getting Chubb? I don't think so.
Chargers are a great pick for most improved team, especially with that steal they got in the first round, Derwin James. Jesus Christ, how did he fall that low? The Chargers have one of the most low-key best defenses in the NFL right now, and if they keep on the trajectory they were on last year? They could be Kings of the AFC West.
You make some very good points. I cannot disagree with your analysis.
Just like always, how teams did in the draft will be much clearer 3 years from now.
Sorry for this late response.