OTAs and minicamp are over, and we are now in the dark period in the NFL calendar before training camp. The 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone, and now it’s time to get in to the picks. I dig in to the selections and analyze if the team made the right picks, addressed their needs, ignored their needs, reached for a player, etc. I get in to all that and much more in this series. Let’s begin with the AFC East.
Buffalo Bills
Selections: Round 1: DT Ed Oliver; Round 2: T/G Cody Ford; Round 3: RB Devin Singletary, TE Dawson Knox; Round 5: LB Vosean Joseph; Round 6: CB Jaquan Johnson; Round 7: DE Darryl Johnson, TE Tommy Sweeney
Analysis: This was one of my favorite drafts of 2019. The Bills thought they’d need to trade up to get Oliver, but they stayed pat at No. 9 and got their guy. Oliver is a game wrecker, and will lead pair with Harrison Phillips and Star Lotulelei and will help cope with the loss of Kyle Williams this offseason.
I’m a huge fan of the Cody Ford pick. After watching what happened inside the Bills draft room, it’s incredible to see how the pick happened. That being said, the Bills desperately need help on the offensive line, and Ford provides that flexibility to play tackle or guard. They have a completely revamped O-line and could feature four new starters, including Ford.
The Singletary pick may be one of the most underrated. In a crowded backfield with veterans LeSean McCoy, Frank Gore, and T.J. Yeldon, someone’s got to go, and expect Singletary to take over either as a starter or a heavily-used role player. The Bills double-dipped on tight end with Knox in the third and Sweeney in the seventh. They signed former Bengal Tyler Kroft to a three-year deal this offseason, but he broke his foot in OTAs. Expect Knox to get some early looks. Keep an eye on Vosean Joseph, as he could be one of the biggest sleepers in the draft. He’s a hard-hitting speedster, which is a lethal combination for a linebacker.
Conclusion: The Bills did a nice job with taking the best available players while filling needs on the roster. Oliver was a top player in the draft, and Buffalo got a stud. Ford was projected to go in the early rounds, but the stars aligned and the Bills got a versatile lineman to protect their young signal caller. Singletary and Knox have a chance to be contributors early, as their respective positions have relatively open competition.
Great job by the GM Brandon Beane and the Bills front office. They had an aggressive free agency with a large number of new acquisitions and a very good draft. The Bills under third-year head coach Sean McDermott are building something special, but is this the year they start their reign of terror? That time will come, and Bills Mafia should be excited.
Miami Dolphins
Selections: Round 1: DT Christian Wilkins; Round 3: G Michael Deiter; Round 5: LB Andrew Van Ginkel; Round 6: OT Isaiah Prince; Round 7: RB Chandler Cox, RB Myles Gaskin
Traded for QB Josh Rosen from the Arizona Cardinals for a second and 2020 fifth.
Analysis: I like the Wilkins pick. He’s everything you’re looking for in a traditional defensive tackle, and has a great personality to back it up. After parting with Ndamukong Suh, the Dolphins had little star power up front, especially now without Cam Wake. Wilkins will terrorize quarterbacks in the AFC East up the middle for years to come. I thought the Dolphins would take a tackle with this pick, as their offensive line is a major weak spot, but they didn’t ignore it. The Deiter pick could be one of the most underrated in the draft, as he was named the Big 10 offensive lineman of the year. He’ll compete for a starting guard spot with Jesse Davis and Chris Reed.
The second day of the draft was one of the most exciting and suspenseful in recent memory. After the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray first overall, the writing was on the wall for Josh Rosen. The Dolphins emerged as the leading, and frankly only candidate to land Rosen. This is a great situation for both the Dolphins and Rosen. The Dolphins only give up a second round pick, and in return, get a young promising potential franchise quarterback, and really doesn’t cost them much since most of his salary is being paid for by Arizona.
Conclusion: The Dolphins got a little better with their draft picks, and set the future of the franchise up well with the draft-day trade. The picks themselves are underwhelming outside of Wilkins, but the situation they put themselves in with Rosen is brilliant. When they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick after trading away Ryan Tannehill, I thought they were going to tank and get a top 5 pick to take their next franchise quarterback in what is looking like a strong quarterback draft in 2020. Now with Rosen, who I think should be the Week 1 starter, the Dolphins can see what they have in Rosen, and if he performs well, they could keep him long term, and if not, they’ll keep looking in the draft.
Don’t expect the Dolphins to be competitive this year. They’re in rebuild mode with little star talent, both on offense and defense. I’m not saying don’t monitor them in 2019, because their franchise situation is fascinating, but contention-wise, don’t expect much from the 2019 Miami Dolphins.
New England Patriots
Selections: Round 1: WR N’Keal Harry; Round 2: CB Joejuan Williams; Round 3: DE Chase Winovich, RB Damien Harris, OT Yodny Cajuste; Round 4: G Hjalte Froholdt, QB Jarrett Stidham; Round 5: DT Byron Cowart, P Jake Bailey; Round 7: CB Ken Webster
Analysis: The Patriots offense took a major hit this offseason with the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, and the team desperately needed a splash move this offseason. The Patriots have never been known to take an offensive skill player in the first round, but they went against that narrative last year with Sony Michel. Looking for a big target for Tom Brady, the Patriots drafted N’Keal Harry with their first pick. This was a bit of a surprise at first, but I love the pick. He has a similar skillset as Josh Gordon, and the Patriots offense was successful with Gordon last year before the suspension, so the team knew that a player like him would fit well into their scheme. His development and rapport with Brady is something to monitor as the year progresses.
Cornerback wasn’t a major position of need as it could be the deepest position on the team, but a prospect like Williams was too enticing to the Patriots to pass up. He’s a big athletic corner who will be in the mix atop the depth chart led by Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson, along with Jonathan Jones, Jason McCourty, Duke Dawson, and Keion Crossen.
The Chase Winovich pick may be my favorite. The Patriots desperately need help at pass rush after losing Trey Flowers, and Winovich looks like the perfect Patriot. He plays with his hair on fire with a high motor, and seems like he’ll be a fan favorite. The Damien Harris pick is fascinating. I like the player, and it’s clear the Patriots will be a run-heavy offense and will continue the running back by committee approach. Michel has a history of knee issues, so they probably won’t overuse him, and be able to use Harris and James White. This could spell the end of Rex Burkhead or Brandon Bolden in New England.
With the selections of Cajuste and Froholdt, it could just be depth options at tackle and guard, or could be insurance in case Isaiah Wynn is not fully healed, or it could be a transition from Joe Thuney, who enters a contract year. The Patriots continue to shock people in the draft, with the selection of right-footed punter Jake Bailey. Belichick is notorious for his love of left-footed punters, like incumbent punter Ryan Allen, who was only re-signed for one year this offseason. This may be the most interesting camp battle this offseason.
Now to Jarrett Stidham. I really like this pick in the fourth round. Stidham wasn’t in a great system in college, and the scouting report on Stidham was that he threw the prettiest ball in the draft. In the right system, Stidham could be a future starting quarterback, maybe even in the post-Brady era, whenever that happens. He joins a crowded QB room behind Brady with veteran Brian Hoyer and second-year man Danny Etling, who spent his rookie year on the practice squad. An interesting battle to monitor is the primary backup spot to Brady this offseason.
Conclusion: The Patriots had a good draft this year. They got a variety of players, great value at the time of the selections, and filled positions of need. The only thing they should’ve addressed is tight end. They had plenty of opportunities to take one in the second and third rounds, with guys like Irv Smith and Jace Sternberger still on the board. Other than that, the Patriots greatly improved their team for the present, set themselves up for the future.
New York Jets
Selections: Round 1: DT Quinnen Williams; Round 3: OLB Jachai Polite, OT Chuma Edoga; Round 4: TE Trevon Wesco; Round 5: LB Blake Cashman; Round 6: CB Blessuan Austin
Analysis: With the third overall pick, the Jets took arguably the best player in the draft, Quinnen Williams out of Alabama. The Jets in recent years have had dominant defensive lines, especially on the interior, with former first rounders Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams. Q. Williams is the newest member of that club, and will join L. Williams on a stout defensive front. Also joining that front off the edge is pass rusher Jachai Polite. Drafted in the third round. Polite had a very productive final season at Florida with 19.5 sacks, but a poor combine and pre-draft interviews drastically lowered his stock. The Jets haven’t had a good edge rusher for a number of years, and hopefully Polite can put his combine behind him and replicate his college numbers to the NFL.
Conclusion: Outside of their top two picks, the Jets didn’t really do anything too exciting. The defense is young and talented, and it got significantly better with Williams and Polite. The offense is definitely a weak spot, especially on the offensive line. They did draft Chuma Edoga in the third round, but he’ll be their swing tackle at best. They got Le’Veon Bell in the backfield, who had a great o-line in Pittsburgh, and with his patient style of running, he needs a great line blocking for him. So while I like the defensive picks, more attention should have been given to the offense.
I don’t think the Jets will be competitive in 2018, but the development of Sam Darnold and his career progression is definitely something to look forward to. I’ll even throw in a fantasy hot take: stay away from Le’Veon Bell in the first two rounds. The o-line is not good and with a new team, a new offense, and a new young quarterback, Bell will not be the same player he was in Pittsburgh.
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