NFL Round 1 is in the books and it’s time to review and see who did great and who took some big risks that better pay off or there will be coaches and GM’s on the hot seat. I’ll start here with my general thoughts on the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
-Sharriff Floyd was considered by many the top defensive lineman in the draft but he fell all the way to 23 and lands in Minnesota. Jared Allen has to love the pick and Floyd will hopefully draw some attention away from him.
-The Steelers got a steal with Jarvis Jones at 17. He’s the perfect fit for their scheme and the loss of James Harrison is rendered insignificant now.
-I was blown away with E.J. Manuel at 16. As I stated yesterday, I had him as the fifth best QB prospect in this year’s draft and didn’t expect him to go in round 1 at all. The Bills had everyone fooled as they made a move down in the draft and then snatched Manuel up. He’s got the arm you want in a NFL QB but his play was inconsistent at Florida State. This was the biggest gamble in round 1.
-Tyler Eifert going at 21 could be the biggest steal of the draft. I think he’s the best receiving target in this draft. Andy Dalton should have a big year and you know A.J. Green will like having someone else out there to distract the defense.
-If Tavon Austin becomes the player many people feel he will, St. Louis could have a great draft. I think they did a great job of grabbing Alec Ogletree out of Georgia at pick 30. He should be an impact player for them from day 1.
-The 49ers moving up to get Eric Reid really was a great move. He should help replace Dashon Goldson right away. Secondary players out of LSU recently have been impact players right away and he should be no different.
-I’m not surprised Manti Te’o and Geno Smith are still awaiting selection. Te’o didn’t have great workouts and was dominated in the BCS Championship against Alabama. You add the fake girlfriend scandal into the mix and teams had a lot of question marks. Plus his position simply isn’t one that is selected often in the first round. Alec Ogletree was the only ILB taken and he went at 30. Te’o will get drafted today though. For Geno Smith, it has to have been a long night for him. Some had him as high as pick 6 for Cleveland. I don’t think he’ll last long today though. I could see Jacksonville considering him atop round 2. If he slides by the Jags, I don’t see him . I think this was a weak QB class but also if you look at how many QB’s have been taken in the early rounds the past few years, there aren’t a lot of teams needing to take a QB very high. I think Smith is a question mark in the NFL with the scheme he comes from which some NFL teams might have been considering as well.
Look out for a second round mock draft later today!
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