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Winners and losers of Round 1 of the NFL Draft
Each year, there are picks and trades that shock the world at the NFL Draft. It's arguably the hardest event in sports to predict, and Thursday night's first round proved why. From Joey Bosa going third overall to Laremy Tunsil's social media gaffe and subsequent free-fall down to No. 13, there were surprises all over.
There were also winners, as well as losers. The Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles were immediate winners by landing their respective franchise quarterbacks, but they weren't the only ones.
Ezekiel Elliott: This one's easy. The best running back in the draft getting the chance to run behind the best offensive line in the NFL? Yeah, that's a win for Elliott. Dallas was Elliott's best landing spot and it wasn't even close. He'll rush for 1,000-plus yards for at least the next five years with the Cowboys, and he gives Dallas its next set of "triplets" with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Elliott.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars, sitting at No. 5, had little hope Jalen Ramsey would fall to them given the interest he had from the Chargers and Cowboys. But just as Leonard Williams did for the Jets a year ago, the best defensive player in the draft fell to the Jaguars. Gus Bradley now has a flexible weapon to unleash in the secondary as Ramsey has the potential to become a Tyrann Mathieu-, Charles Woodson-like player for the next decade.
Cleveland Browns: Don't look now, but the Browns are quietly making great decisions in the 2016 draft. They turned the second overall pick into the No. 15 pick (Corey Coleman), two third-round picks and a fourth rounder in 2016, a first- and second-round pick in 2017 and a second rounder in 2018. Not a bad haul, which sets up Cleveland to make a strong run following the 2017 draft.
Paxton Lynch: The Broncos traded up to land Lynch at No. 26, which puts the young quarterback in a great situation. He's not ready to start right away, which allows him to sit behind Mark Sanchez for some time and even learn from John Elway. He has the physical traits and arm talent to be great, he just needs some time to develop -- which he'll get in Denver and may not have gotten in, say, Cleveland.
Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings: The Vikings managed to give Bridgewater yet another weapon on offense in wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. The former Ole Miss receiver was once viewed as a top-10 prospect but a slow 40-yard dash time dropped his stock. Fortunately, he fits the Vikings perfectly as a big possession receiver to play alongside the smaller, faster Stefon Diggs.
Laremy Tunsil: No prospect had a worse night than Tunsil. A video of him smoking out of a gas mask was tweeted from his hacked Twitter account and caused his stock to plummet all the way to 13. The Dolphins benefit from getting a potential No. 1 pick in the middle of the first round, but Tunsil will face several questions going forward, including those surrounding him allegedly accepting money from Ole Miss coaches -- which he admitted to.
New York Giants: The Giants added another Eli and an Apple to the Big Apple with the 10th overall pick in Eli Apple, but he likely wasn't their first choice. That's because they watched the Titans and Bears trade up to Nos. 8 and 9, respectively, to take Jack Conklin and Leonard Floyd -- two players the Giants had targeted and would have loved to get at 10. Instead, they got a big cornerback to pair with Janoris Jenkins on the outside.
Myles Jack: Unlike Tunsil, Jack's fall out of the first round was (mostly) no fault of his own. A severe knee injury was expected to push him out of the top 10, but few expected him to be on the board at the start of Round 2. It comes down to whether he'll be able to play for five-plus years in the NFL; that might not be the case if he's forced to undergo microfracture surgery. He's a prospect to watch on Day 2, and one that could turn into a steal after being widely regarded as a top-five talent in the draft.
Cincinnati Bengals: First it was the Giants, then it was the Bengals. Both teams saw several players at positions of need taken just ahead of them. Cincinnati had been targeting a wideout after losing Marvin Jones in free agency, but three came off the board from 21 to 23. It's the first time ever that wide receivers have been taken back-to-back-to-back in the first round, which makes it sting even more for the Bengals.
Colin Kaepernick and Sam Bradford: Due to the Broncos' trade up for Lynch, Kaepernick and Bradford are likely staying put. Neither player is likely to be traded at this point given that just about every team has its starting quarterback for 2016. They'll have to deal with their situations and outplay their competition in camp to earn starting gigs.
