BEST PICKS
5th Overall Pick DE Bradley Chubb (NC State) – Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos won a Super Bowl a couple of years ago because of their ability to put pressure on the opposing QB. They are going back to their roots. They stay put at No.5 and select the best pass rusher in the draft. Chubb has the size and the athleticism. He is an all-around DE. He makes a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage, but he is also a very good run defender. Imagine him and Von Miller terrorizing opposing QB’s next season.
8th Overall Pick LB Roquan Smith (Georgia) – Chicago Bears
He was my top player on the board. I was hoping that he was going to be selected by a 4-3 team. But Smith is going to slide in as a day one starter at ILB in the Bears 3-4 scheme. He is a great athlete with sideline-to-sideline speed. He is a very good tackler with excellent instincts. He is also a good coverage LB. He is going to be the leader of that defense for years to come.
10th Overall Pick QB Josh Rosen (UCLA) – Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals signed Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon in the offseason, but they needed to find a young signal caller of the future. They made the trade with the Raiders and gave up their 15th pick, a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder in this year’s draft. They didn’t give up a lot in order to move up in the draft. Rosen has the ability to start right away. He has good size, a quick release and excellent footwork. He is a very accurate QB who throws the ball with terrific anticipation. He is a smart QB. He should be a better pro than Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen.
17th Overall Pick S Derwin James (Florida State) – San Diego Chargers
I had him going to the Bucs with the 7th overall pick in my Mock Draft. This is a great value pick for the Chargers. James has ideal size, speed and athleticism. He excels as a run defender. He is a physical player and a good tackler. He is another Florida State DB with great upside.
29th Overall Pick DT Taven Bryan (Florida) – Jacksonville Jaguars
I had him rated much higher in my rankings. This is a terrific value pick at the end of the first round. Bryan has good size and an explosive first step. He is extremely athletic, shows tremendous strength and has a non-stop motor. He wasn’t very productive at Florida due to his lack of instincts. His potential is through the roof.
WORST PICKS
7th Overall Pick QB Josh Allen (Wyoming) – Buffalo Bills
The Bills gave up two second round picks in this year’s draft in order to move up from the 12th spot to No.7. The good news is that they were able to hang on to their other first round pick. The Bills liked Allen. But this is a risky pick. He has great physical tools, but there are a lot of areas that he needs to improve on. He struggles with his accuracy and stares down receivers. He has to improve his footwork. He was terrible against top competition. This is your classic boom or bust pick.
14th Overall Pick DE Marcus Davenport (UTSA) – New Orleans Saints
The Saints made a bold trade with the Packers. They gave up their 27th pick, fifth round pick in 2018 and a first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Giving up a first round pick next year is too costly especially for a player like Marcus Davenport. He is an athletic DE with great speed. He is an above average run defender. However, he is raw as a pass rusher. He needs to improve his leverage, hand usage and develop better instincts. He is an overrated prospect.
15th Overall Pick OT Kolton Miller (UCLA) – Oakland Raiders
The Raiders were targeting OT Mike McGlinchey, but he was selected by the 49ers right before Oakland’s pick. The Raiders traded down to No.15 and drafted Kolton Miller. This was a major reach. He is an athletic tackle with ideal size. But he plays too tall and needs to improve his technique in pass protection. He struggles against speed rushers.
27th Overall Pick RB Rashaad Penny (San Diego State) – Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks received a third round and a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft when they traded down nine spots with the Packers. I feel that Seattle could have traded down again and selected Rashaad Penny in the second round. I had a third round grade on the Aztecs RB (my 72nd player on the board). You still have Derrius Guice, Ronald Jones II and Sony Michel on the board. Penny is a downhill RB with good size and impressive speed. He shows good vision. However, he has an upright running style, average balance, goes down too easily and struggles in pass pro. I don’t see a first round RB here.
