Buffalo Bills trade up yet another time, trading places with the Baltimore Ravens. They’re going for a wholesale revamp, I take it. They select Tremaine Edmunds, offensive linebacker out of Virginia Tech.
And we’re officially halfway through the first round of the NFL Draft. Feel free to get up to stretch.
Davenport looks like he could be a very good player but… trading up for him? Sacrificing next year’s first rounder. I dunno man.
In any case, the Oakland Raiders are now on the clock with the pick they traded to the Arizona Cardinals. They go for UCLA offensive tackle Kolton Miller.
What the heck just happened?
Oh wow, the New Orleans Saints, who were due to pick at 27, are giving up their first round pick next year in order to swap picks with the Green Bay Packers. Talk about all-in!
And they pick Texas-San Antonio Defensive End Marcus Davenport. Huh?
With the 13th pick, the franchise from Washington with a regrettable name take Da’Ron Payne, defensive tackle from Alabama.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are up for real this time. With the pick they got from the Bills, Tampa Bay takes defensive tackle from Washington. He’s got a proper superhero secret identity name.
One wonders if the Dolphins were hoping that Rosen would be available. The go instead for a defensive player, taking Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Arizona Cardinals move up in the draft, swapping picks with the Oakland Raiders to move up from 15. Presumably they’re here to get a quarterback. Which presumably means Josh Rosen.
And yep.
San Francisco 49ers look to shore up their defense with Notre Dame’s offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey. Not a bad day so far for Notre Dame football.
The Chicago Bears take Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith. Pretty safe choice.
Meanwhile, Josh Rosen is still waiting, but he might already be a big winner now because he doesn’t have to be the quarterback for the Jets or the Bills.
I feel like this is going to be a disaster for the Bills but, let’s be real, I always assume that every decision the Bills make will be a disaster.
No wait! We have a trade, the Buffalo Bills trade places with the Tampa Bay Bucaneers! These are the always the most dramatic moments on draft day. Buffalo hand two second round picks to Tampa Bay to move up five spots here. They desperately needed a quarterback and they desperately get one with Josh Alen.
And here’s the Colts, picking where the Jets were originally supposed to be. They choose Quenton Nelson in order to upgrade their offensive line.
The Denver Broncos take NC State DE Bradley Chubb. It feels a bit like a steal here after that Browns pick.
Mixed reviews on Cleveland’s night so far.
Medium Happy
(@jdubs88)How to earn the No. 1 pick in the draft each year
April 27, 2018
Hey, it’s the Browns again! Needing all the help they can get, they traded for the Houston Texans’ picks. I imagine they won’t pick a QB here. Just a thought.
And it’s Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward, the first defensive player chosen in the draft. A bit of a curveball here (not to mix up my sports here)
Not Particularly Reassuring For Jets Fans Department:
ESPN Stats & Info
(@ESPNStatsInfo)Sam Darnold is the No. 3 overall pick by the Jets.
The last USC quarterback selected in the first round was Mark Sanchez with the fifth pick in 2009 … by the Jets.
April 27, 2018
Next up, the New York Jets who actually traded up in order to make this selection (the Indianapolis Colts originally had this pick). It was something of an odd move for the Jets, who specialize in odd moves.
They go for a quarterback, understandably, taking USC’s Sam Darnold. Probably a solid pick, not sure it was worth trading up for.
Next on the clock is the New York Giants. They select running back Saquon Barkley. Teams normally don’t draft RBs high in the first round, so his getting picked second gives you some sense about how much potential Barkley has.
And, of course, the Browns are taking the full ten minutes here before making their choice, which they honestly probably have already made.
And yep, after all that waiting, it turns out it’s Baker Mayfield just like everybody was saying. Welcome to the Browns, Baker, I wish you way more than luck.
Roger Goodell comes out, surrounded by Troy Aikmen, Jason Whitten and Roger Staubach, hoping that this will shield him from the boos from the locals*. He is very, very, very, very wrong.
* This is taking place at Cowboy Stadium by the way. I probably should have mentioned that earlier.
And we’re almost there. The Cleveland Browns will be up first. Rumor has it that they’re in on Baker Mayfield. Let’s see if they’re right.
Lamar Jackson looks like he’s trying to get drafted by the Boston Celtics.
Melissa Jacobs
(@thefootballgirl)Lamar Jackson won the suit draft
April 26, 2018
And here’s a listing of the walk-up songs some of the players will be using tonight. Penn State RB Saquon Barkley probably wins the contest of who’s blasting the best number with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “No Problem.”
Riley Auman
(@AumanacDraft)walk up songs for prospects tonight
April 26, 2018
Oh hey, you might be asking “hey did this guy say something about a parrot?” Yes, yes I did, but sadly it’s not happening tonight like I assumed.
Daniel Roberts
(@readDanwrite)The #NFLDraft keeps getting bigger, but also weirder. The @Buccaneers plan to have a parrot announce a third-round pick. @CharlesRobinson: “So someone’s life-changing moment is going to be facilitated through a bird?” @YahooFinance
April 26, 2018
See because they’re the Buccaneers, get it? Pirate humor.
Josh Allen
The biggest story so far revolve around a number of racist tweets made by quarterback prospect Josh Allen back when he was 14-15. The most interesting rumor to emerge from this news is that it comes from a team that is attempting to hurt his draft stock with the hopes that he would fall to them. Which is either really stupid or halfway brilliant.
Welcome to the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, where teams vie for the services of the most talented players from the world of college football. It’s arguably the biggest event in US sports where no actual sports take place.
This year the story seems to be the glut of quarterback prospects slotted to be taken in the first round, possibly as many five (USC’s Sam Darnold, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson). Considering the central role quarterbacks play in the league, several team’s futures could be tied up to what happens in the next few hours (see Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf). The Cleveland Browns will have the first pick, which leads to the obvious question: How will the Browns manage to screw this up?
Or hey maybe the Browns do find their quarterback of the future and turn the franchise around. That’s the joy in the Draft: it’s basically gambling.
If you want to join into the conversation, feel free to send us your thoughts, questions and way too early judgmental calls. You can email Hunter.Felt.Freelance@theguardian.com or tweet @HunterFelt, and we’ll include them here. We’re thirty minutes away from the 2018 Draft, but I’ll be back a bit sooner than that. Stay tuned for surprise picks, booing Jets fans, at least one prospect left behind in the green room far longer than anyone expected and even possibly a parrot.
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s something on Shaquem Griffin, one of the most intriguing players in this year’s draft:
Every player in this week’s NFL draft has a unique story, a path that brought them, often through challenging circumstances, to professional football. But there hasn’t been a player quite like Shaquem Griffin before. A twin, Griffin was born with an undeveloped left hand caused by amniotic band syndrome, a condition that can result in damaged tissue or, in extreme cases, even fetal death.
Griffin later had his hand amputated after the pain led him to try to cut off his own fingers at the age of four. Pushed by his father, Griffin didn’t let his situation hold him back, ending a standout high-school career by making second team All-State in football. While he could have pursued a track scholarship, both Griffin twins, Shaquem and Shaquill, elected to attend the University of Central Florida.