CHICAGO – With the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, many teams that came into the first round with various needs addressed key areas, while other’s either reached or made questionable picks in the first round.
With further ado, here are the INSCMagazine’s 2015 NFL Draft first round winners and losers.
Winners:
Cleveland Browns: Not to give away my own personal bias or sound like a homer, but I applaud Cleveland for resisting the urge to trade the farm to Tennessee at No.2 for Marcus Mariota.
In standing pat, the Browns addressed needs on the defensive line with nose tackle Danny Shelton at No.12 and on the offensive line in center/guard Cameron Erving at No.19, who can play any position on the line, and will eventually replace Pro Bowler Alex Mack once he bolts for free agency.
New England Patriots: Once again, the four-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots show their genius in waiting for the perfect replacement in an area of need to slide to them. After seeing long-time nose tackle Vince Wilfork go to the Houston Texans, the Patriots let the chips fall where they did and landed Malcom Brown, who will fill the giant-sized hole vacated by Wilfork.
Indianapolis Colts: Call this a case of the rich getting richer, but one of the chic pre-season Super Bowl favorites in the Colts, landing a real dynamo in former Hurricanes wideout Phillip Dorsett.
What makes the addition of Dorsett even scarier is that in addition to their off-season additions of Andre Johnson and Frank Gore, paring him across from T.Y. Hilton with Andrew Luck at the helm will be sure to give opposing defensive coordinators some real headaches.
San Diego Chargers: Just when you thought that the Philip Rivers-led Chargers offense couldn’t get any scarier, San Diego pulls of a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to move up from No.17 to No.15 and grab a Heisman Trophy finalist who rushed for over 2,000 yards in Melvin Gordon III? Wow!
Miami Dolphins: After trading Mike Wallace to Minnesota and seeing Brian Hartline sign with the Cleveland Browns in free agency, Miami gave their emerging quarterback in Ryan Tannehill another new toy in DeVante Parker at No.14, Parker, who some had going a bit higher sliding to the Dolphins here is a steal, and makes the new-look Miami offense that features recently-signed Greg Jennings more dangerous.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Always one of the best-drafting teams, year after year, the six-time Super Bowl champions from the Steel City add a pass-rushing monster in former Kentucky edge rusher Bud Dupree, who will have the honor of learning from the likes of James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons.
Baltimore Ravens: Breshad Perriman, one of my favorite prospects going into the draft, due to his combination of size (6’3) and speed was an absolute steal for Baltimore at No.26
While the Ravens addressed an area of need—as Torrey Smith left via free agency–in having the former UCF standout fall to them, one area that will need to see improvement is his issue of drops.
Losers:
Philadelphia Eagles: For all the hype, smoke and mirrors and rumored that the Eagles garners in trading away LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles, letting Jeremy Maclin go in free agency while trading for Sam Bradford and signing DeMarco Murray, the OklaOregon EagleDucks failed in their Holy Grail of a quest in landing their patron saint in Marcus Mariota.
Rumored to be offering players in a potential blockbuster deal to trade up from 20 to No.2, Chip Napoleon—er, Kelly—did manage to add another former Pac-12 alum in USC wideout Nelson Agolohor.
Kansas City Chiefs: This is going to be a tough sell for those out in western Missouri, as they grab a talented—yet troubled cornerback in Marcus Peters, who had off-the-field issues at Washington before getting kicked off the team.
St. Louis Rams*: This has an asterisk for a reason. While this is not a terrible pick, as Todd Gurley will finally give the Rams—and new quarterback Nick Foles—a safety valve in a stud halfback, reaching for a running back removed from ACL surgery is still a risky proposition.
Cincinnati Bengals: A questionable pick for the Bengals in offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi, considering that higher-rated players such as Bud Dupree (Pittsburgh) and Shane Ray (Denver) were still on the board. Additionally, Landon Collins would have helped at safety. To make matters worse is that he is still in the midst of recovering from a torn left ACL.