The
Washington Redskins needed a big draft and got one. They landed their franchise quarterback in
Dwayne Haskins
without having to trade up in Round 1, while adding the fastest edge rusher,
Montez Sweat, in this defense-heavy class. Not to mention, Washington got wide receiver
Terry McLaurin, a guy who ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL
Scouting Combine and knows Haskins' game (they were teammates at Ohio State). Plus, running back
Bryce Love, a fourth-round selection, could be the steal of the draft.
Let's break this answer into two categories. In terms of immediate help, I'll go with the
San Francisco 49ers. No. 2 overall pick
Nick Bosa will help their pass rush, which will, in turn help their secondary coming off a season in which the Niners logged two interceptions. Receivers
Deebo Samuel and
Jalen Hurd will provide help right away, with Samuel adding value as a really good returner.
Now, if we're looking at which team will benefit, say, three years down the road, my pick is the
New York Giants. Two of their three first-round picks this year -- DT
Dexter Lawrence and CB
Deandre Baker -- will start immediately, but by Year 3, the first pick --
Daniel Jones -- will have taken over for current quarterback
Eli Manning. And I think Jones is going to be the real deal.
The
Raiders killed it. What's funny is that for years, Mike Mayock was regarded as one of the top talent evaluators in the NFL. His yearly conference call was the most anticipated part of draft season, save for the actual draft himself. And while it seemed like the
Raiders reached for
Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 selection, you should realize that if Mayock were still part of the media, he would have had Ferrell as one of his top defenders -- and his draft stock would have risen in response. But credit to Mayock for keeping that close to the pinstriped vest and being able to get his guy. He also rebuilt the
Raiders' defense with a number of solid picks and even found a successor to
Marshawn Lynch when he drafted
Josh Jacobs. So have your fun with the
Raiders now, because we are going to look back on this draft much differently by this time next year. Or
you will; I already know this was a really good draft.
Not like they need it, but Bill Belichick and the
Patriots had themselves a great draft weekend. To put it simply, they got great value out of a majority of their draft picks. Receiver
N'Keal Harry should improve a receiving corps that just lost the best tight end in the league to retirement. Second-round selection
Joejuan Williams should help an aging secondary. Third-rounder
Chase Winovich addresses their pass rush need. And fourth-round pick and running back
Damien Harris was
my second-ranked back in this class. What a steal!
I really like what the
Buffalo Bills did in the 2019
NFL Draft. With defensive tackle Kyle Williams retiring this offseason, Buffalo landed one of the highest-graded DTs in this class in
Ed Oliver. Guard
Cody Ford should help keep second-year quarterback
Josh Allen from routinely running for his life, and fourth-round tight end
Dawson Knox addresses a need the
Bills have tried to fill for years. But the pick I'm most excited about is running back
Devin Singletary. He's in the perfect position to learn and succeed behind two veterans (
LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore) and should earn some playing time.
Every team won in the draft because they all got better. I could go many ways with this choice, but I am going to choose the
Green Bay Packers.
One of the
Packers' glaring weaknesses last season was a lack of pass rush. It was obviously a priority in free agency when they signed
Preston Smith and
Za'Darius Smith. They continued that emphasis when they drafted
Rashan Gary at No. 12 overall. Gary, who played last year with an injured shoulder, should be their best outside rusher and could also play DT in their nickel defense. Safety was also a major problem last season. The signing of former Chicago Bear
Adrian Amos was one of the most valuable signings in free agency. Then in the draft, the
Packers took
Darnell Savage, who is an excellent athlete and played both safety positions in college, as well as LB and CB in the nickel defense.
Elgton Jenkins, another second-rounder, has played center, guard and tackle, and he has the potential to start at guard soon with the
Packers.
Jace Sternberger gives them a very good pass-catching tight end, which
Aaron Rodgers should be happy about.
