What I got right and wrong about the draft
NFL Draft Thoughts
What I got wrong: Mac Jones
Well, the 49ers did not select Mac Jones. I wonder how close they really came to doing it. I think the decision to trade up for Trey Lance is highly questionable, but he’s walking into an incredible situation and there is a lot of confidence that this is the right choice after so much homework. I guess that’s no different than any other high draft pick though.
The Chicago Bears presumably did a lot of homework on Mitchell Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson.
The New York Jets presumably did a lot of homework on Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson.
The Arizona Cardinals presumably did a lot of homework on Rosen and Jackson.
There’s no way to know for sure, but Jones also gets to walk into a sweet situation for a rookie quarterback. And he might have the greatest chance for immediate success out of all five. I understand the criticisms though and perhaps Mac Jones tops out as Matt Cassel. Maybe not. But I was wrong about how obvious the fit was for the 49ers, clearly.
What I got right: The Bears outbidding themselves for Justin Fields
There was no fight over Fields at four. Or seven. Or eight. Or nine. I said there would only be three QBs in the top-ten and that turned out to be true. Barely. I thought Chicago would be the team to deal up for Fields. I don’t see what team they were trying to beat out for him. Washington didn’t seem interested. The Patriots are a perfect match for Mac. The Bears sacrificed their 2022 and more for QB4 in the draft. The last time something like that happened was JP Losman.
What I got wrong: Christian Barmore, Elijah Moore, Trevon Moehrig as first round picks
I wasn’t necessarily high on any of these players and Barmore seemed to be slipping, but I consistently would mock them in the first round because of reports. They all fell out of the first round, plus a couple other of my late first round picks. I did have the Raiders taking Walker Little, but I count that as a win because my assumption was that LV would choose a tackle who isn’t often mocked in the first round.
They took Alex Leatherwood, and I think that qualifies.
What I got right: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah doesn’t go in the first
JOK is the highest-rated player on most people’s boards and he didn’t get selected on Thursday. I had him in the second round of my mock on Wednesday. Not that my mock got a lot correct.
I did have the Bucs taking Joe Tryon…but I had them taking him at 64, not 32.
As a matter of fact, what picks did I even get right after Ja’Marr Chase at five? I meant to pick Jaylen Waddle for the Dolphins, but accidentally selected DeVonta Smith.
I didn’t get any picks right after pick five. I have to put in a lot more work before the 2022 NFL Draft.