For the past few years, this most recent NFL Draft was assumed to be a bit of a dud in some ways. Sure, while there were still some top-tier prospects like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, this was always looked at as an underwhelming draft class.
Despite that, we all witnessed one of the craziest draft slides in the sport’s history over the weekend. And who knows, maybe the Browns made the right decision.
Shedeur’s Slide
I should probably backtrack a bit. We need to preface why Shedeur Sanders had such an egregious slide in the draft and why people’s minds were blown. It’s pretty simple too.
The media told them to do so.
To no fault of the public in any way, people were pounded for month after month that Sanders was a bonafide franchise quarterback and a lock to go in the top 5. When you hear things so much from so many different sources, you just tend to believe what’s being given to you.
If you really tried to cut through all the hoopla and analyze Sanders’ situation entirely, we really all shouldn’t be shocked in the slightest. The hype at Jackson St. was certainly warranted despite lower level competition given that all he and his father did was win down there. Things changed greatly once they got to Colorado though.
His flaws on the field were exposed on a more national scene and, to be honest, Sanders didn’t really help his case all that much with the off the field issues. Whether it be simple college maturity concerns or the fact that his family was initially trying to dictate where he went in the Draft, it should come as no shock that teams held off so long.
That was, until they couldn’t wait anymore.
Despite the Browns now invited another media circus into their facility, there is certainly some potential upside with the pick. Even with all his flaws, it was clear to see that Sanders has the talent level to at least make it on to an NFL roster.
A starter? Only time will tell. But if the team can manage the media frenzy and keep Sanders with a level head, there really isn’t too much of a downside here.
Dillon Gabriel must feel lonely however. Tough to go to a place that seemingly doesn’t want you anymore even though they chose him first.
Picks Recap
The NFL draft is a bit of a crapshoot and unfortunately, we missed on a couple of our shots this time. Let’s recap the couple of picks from last week’s edition
No. 3 Pick – Travis Hunter: MISS
The oddsmakers usually know more than the public, we should have followed them here. Carter was such an absurd favorite for the pick and, welp, he was there for the Giants.
As I mentioned last week, the Hunter pick was more relying on the idea that Cleveland was going to take Penn State’s edge rusher at two. Rather than outside help on the defensive line, the Browns decided to trade back a few picks and nab Mason Graham in the middle. Honestly not a bad move at all.
This allowed Jacksonville to jump in. And as the world found out, their GM may be the biggest Hunter fan on the planet. It didn’t work out here for our pick.
No. 7 Pick – Tyler Warren: MISS
Apparently we weren’t the only ones convinced this was going to happen.
It came out after the draft that Warren was one of the few draft participants who allegedly received prank calls from NFL teams saying they were about to get drafted. That happened here with the Jets apparently.
Tight End had been a known massive need for New York this offseason so just by connecting the dots, it looked as if Warren was a great candidate for this spot.
The pick was more of a guess in the sense that it was the first draft for the new regime in New York. This draft gave a glimpse into what the franchise will focus on going into the future. Picking a right tackle with that No. 7 spot, the Jets weren’t looking for the flashy pick.