The first round of the 2018 NFL Draft is in the books and my what a first round it was. It featured everything you'd expect the NFL's top off-season event to have: drama, surprise, trading-up, trading down, and maybe most of all, quarterbacks. The signal-callers were always the focal point heading into this year's draft and they continued to be from the very first pick to the last in the first round. It started with a surprise and ended with one too.
There was a lot of chatter early on Thursday morning and into the afternoon that the Browns had settled on Baker Mayfield as their choice at # 1. I for one figured it was just the Browns wanting to keep everyone else on their toes a bit and keep everyone guessing heading into the draft, since they held the # 4 pick as well. Most had settled on either USC QB Sam Darnold or Wyoming QB Josh Allen as the top pick to Cleveland, however the Mayfield chatter came on strong in the week or so leading up to the draft. I actually had Mayfield about even with Rosen behind both Allen and Darnold. All of the late-Wednesday evening - early-Thursday morning rumors about Mayfield going # 1 came to fruition when Cleveland selected him # 1 overall to kickoff the 2018 draft. It was a bit of surprise given how the Oklahoma product was rated as the # 4 QB heading into the draft by most. It should be noted that though, that there wasn't much of difference on most draft boards and in scouts' minds between the top 4 QBs. Mayfield can make all of the throws and is certainly a fiery competitor, so I congratulate the Browns on going and getting "their" guy. They may have been able to get him at # 4 however, given that most expected the Giants to not take a QB at # 2 and they did not - opting instead for the wise choice of RB Saquon Barkley out of Penn State - the top overall rated player in this draft.
The Jets came next @ # 3, and everyone expected them to take a QB, especially since they had already traded up to get that spot. New York came away with Darnold at the third spot, and the kid that the highest number of pre-draft boards had # 1 overall than anyone else. The Jets signed Josh McCown to a 1-year fill-in deal, so they can bring Darnold along a bit and don't have to rush him in. He is still only 20 years old and only played his freshman and sophomore years at USC, so he is very young and will need to be afforded some time to mature into the NFL QB that many think he can be.
After the Browns went corner at # 4, and the Broncos were delighted to have Bradley Chubb fall to them at # 5, the Colts got Andrew Luck some protection with the # 6 pick (and simultaneously showed their faith in his recovery from the shoulder injury that's plagued him for a year and half and cost him all of his 2017 season, by not taking a QB), and the Buffalo Bills saw their opportunity and moved up to the # 7 spot. Tampa Bay, who is quite content with Jameis Winston at quarterback, traded down to the # 12 spot and the Bills, in-turn, got their guy in Josh Allen. Many thought the Browns would take Allen at # 1, so it was a slight surprise for him to still be available at # 7 and Buffalo has to be excited with their selection.
The Cardinals were sitting at # 10 and patiently waiting for their opportunity. They had to have felt a bit relieved when the Giants went RB with Barkley at # 2, because that changed the whole complexion of the draft. Many had New York taking QB Josh Rosen out of UCLA in that spot, and for him to still be available with the Bears on the clock at # 8, the Cardinals had to have felt like it was a very early Christmas. After Carson Palmer retired, Arizona was left in dire need of a QB. They went out and got injury-prone Sam Bradford, but everyone knew he would just be part of the equation at QB and not the entire answer. The Bears obviously weren't going to take a QB at # 8 after trading up in last year's draft to take Mitchell Trubisky at # 2, and there weren't any rumors circulating about a desire to trade down out of the spot, so the last threat to the Cardinals from having Rosen slide back to them at # 10 was the 49ers at # 9.
San Francisco signed Jimmy G to a massive off-season contract extension to get him locked up, so they too, were not in the QB market. They could, however, entertain other options to trade down if there were any teams behind the Cardinals that really wanted Rosen. In the end, the 49ers bolstered their O-line and got Garoppolo some added protection in the form of Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey with that # 9 pick.
The Cardinals were delighted to get their guy - Rosen out of UCLA without having to trade up at all to go get him. Rosen became the fourth quarterback taken - setting a record in the process, for most QBs drafted in the top 10 in one draft in NFL history. Just a few weeks ago, the Cardinals didn't have a QB on their roster, but they came out of the first round of the draft feeling much better about the position.
The last surprise was saved for the very end of the first round. There were many "experts" that were predicting the New England Patriots being active participants in moving up to acquire Tom Brady's replacement. They owned two picks in the first round, and after they decided to not move up, but stay firm, many thought the Patriots might take Lamar Jackson at # 23. They didn't and instead decided to help re-stack Brady's O-Line by taking tackle Isaiah Wynn out of Georgia. When New England once again came time to pick at # 31 and Jackson was still on the board, there was mounting speculation as to whether they would seize the opportunity to select Brady's one-day successor, but they instead went RB with Sony Michel out of Georgia.
That left the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles at # 32 with the last pick of the first round. Then came, the final surprise of the round - the Baltimore Ravens had traded back into the first round and had their choice in already. They took QB Lamar Jackson of Louisville to the surprise of most, and found a possible successor/ potential starter to push Joe Flacco, who has been mediocre at best since winning the Super Bowl following the 2012 season. Just like that the first chapter was closed on the 2018 draft and it featured 5 quarterbacks selected in total - bookended by surprise picks at # 1 and # 32. What a way to kickoff draft weekend!
