It’s finally here football fans. It’s time for the NFL Draft.
No longer must we succumb to watching the AAF and pretending that it’s an real sport with real athletes. Tonight, we get to watch a baseball player live out his dreams of becoming a professional football player, witness Alabama players collect their second contracts and admire Mel Kiper’s immaculate head of hair.
With almost no guarantees heading into the 2019 NFL Draft, this makes for the optimal type of draft for NFL fans watching at home. Us fans want nothing more than to have our jaws dropped by a blockbuster trade or out-of-nowhere selection. What scenarios in tonight’s draft could lead us fans to react like Bill Simmons when the Cavaliers took Anthony Bennett first overall in the 2013 NBA draft?
Intriguing Roster Fits
Buffalo pairs Josh Allen and DK Metcalf
Last year (much to my dismay), the Bills traded up to #7 overall to nab their franchise quarterback in Josh Allen. Allen has proven to be an elite NFL quarterback in two aspects: running (um, cool I guess?) and throwing footballs very very far. The Bills need to find Allen some talented receiving weapons. Enter DK Metcalf, the man who nearly broke the Scouting Combine.
At nearly 6’4″ and 228 pounds, Metcalf still ran the 40 yard dash in 4.33 seconds, completed 27 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, posted a 40.5″ vertical leap, a 11’2″ broad jump and allegedly 1.6% body fat. He’s a physical freak in every sense of the word. The opportunity to watch Allen and Metcalf on the field together would be like pairing Zion Williamson’s athleticism with Trae Young’s passing ability. (Dear Sports Gods, please let that happen.)
Packers Go Hollywood
Green Bay suffered through the season from hell last season as Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy’s disdain for each other seeped onto the field. The Packers have lost basically all their elite receiving weapons over the years, aside from Davante Adams. Rodgers refused to allow his rookie wide receivers (Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown) any opportunity to develop last season. The fact of the matter is that Rodgers needs talented play-makers in order to take advantage of his own ability to make something out of nothing.
Who better than Marquise “Hollywood” Brown out of Oklahoma? NFL.com’s Peter Schrager believes the Packers could take Brown as high as #12, but Brown could even still be on the board when the Packers are on the clock again at #30. Brown would give Rodgers the improvising, down-field weapon that Patrick Mahomes has in Tyreek Hill and Ben Roethlisberger had in Antonio Brown (cousin of Marquise).
Philly’s D-Line gets Bigger
The Philadelphia Eagles won a Super Bowl in 2017 largely on the backs of their stacked defensive line (as well as the you-know-what of Nick Foles). Philadelphia’s defensive line remains potent with Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Chris Long returning, along with free agent acquisitions Malik Jackson and Vinny Curry. It’s possible that the Eagles could look to add to their greatest positional strength with their #25 overall selection. Clemson’s Dexter Lawrence, listed at 6’4″ and 340 pounds and once considered a candidate to go first overall in this class, could be an option. The Eagles creating the league’s most imposing defensive line in recent memory is in play tonight.
Maniacal Owners and Brash GMs
Gettleman’s Peculiar Plans
Let’s be honest: whatever the Giants do in this draft will undoubtedly be can’t-miss television. The Giants already rang the alarm bells by trading All-Pro WR Odell Beckham Jr. for the #17 overall pick. With that pick and their own at #6, New York is poised to make noise on the draft’s opening night.
Last year, GM Dave Gettleman took a running back at #2 overall in a loaded quarterback class, opting to ride with a washed, 37-year old Eli Manning. Gettleman may look to find his QB of the future this year, whether its Duke’s Daniel Jones, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins or Missouri’s Drew Lock. Maybe Gettleman takes an elite pass rusher at #6 and waits for a quarterback until #17. Who the hell knows what the Giants’ plans are, but you better be watching.
Dan Snyder Takes Over Washington War Room
Buckle up, everyone: Dan Snyder has reportedly taken over the first round of the draft for the Redskins. Is there anything more entertaining off-the-field in sports than a lunatic owner making personnel decisions with the franchise’s next five years hanging in the balance? Sign me up for anything Snyder decides to take charge of.
Cardinals Pass on Kyler
The near-certainty of Arizona taking Kyler Murray first overall has died down a bit, but he’s still largely expected to be Arizona’s choice. Where’s the fun in that? Luckily, an NFL owner was foolish enough to give Jon Gruden full control of the franchise. Gruden owns three picks in the first round and seems to have something big in the works.
The Ringer’s Robert Mays believes Oakland is a serious candidate to trade up for Kyler. The argument for Arizona trading down is this: this is not a Kyler vs Rosen debate. It’s Kyler vs. Rosen, the #4 overall pick (Quinnen Williams?), the #24 overall pick and a future second or third round pick.
Wait a second. This isn’t the time for rational thought – draft night is the time for irrational, reckless behavior. Could Arizona seriously pass on Kyler Murray, the greatest quarterback prospect of all-time? (There, that’s more like it.)
If Kyler drops even one spot, the entire draft gets spun into a tailspin. The latest draft day rumor is that Cardinals’ GM Steve Keim has told Quinnen Williams he is still a candidate for the top overall selection. If Gruden fails to offer the mega-package for the number one overall selection, Arizona may straight up pass on Kyler, creating utter chaos for the rest of the evening.
Hi, how’s it going? Just shared this post with a colleague, we had a good laugh.
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