By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
May 4, 2016
Winners
Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jaguars could have one of the steals of the 2016 NFL Draft with their second-round selection of Myles Jack. Jack has incredible talent and is a phenomenal pass-coverage linebacker who reminds me of Derrick Brooks; however, Jack is a big risk because of his knee injury. Some teams are convinced that he will need micro-fracture surgery, which could have a serious impact on his NFL career. Thus, Jack is a risk but considering his talent he is worth the risk in Round 2.
In the third round, Jacksonville got a really nice situational pass-rusher in Yannick Ngakoue. He needs to develop his run defense, but he is a pass-rushing beast off the edge with 13 sacks last year. Over the past two seasons, Ngakoue also dominated some first-round linemen like Brandon Scherff, Jack Conklin and Taylor Decker. Considering the Jaguars have a lot of bigger run stuffers like Malik Jackson, Roy Miller, Tyson Alualau and Sen’Derrick Marks, Ngakoue is in a perfect situation to enter the game in passing situations. I really like the speed and athleticism that the Jaguars acquired on Day 2.
Dallas CowboysIf Jaylon Smith can get healthy and return to his previous form, the Cowboys could easily have come away with the steal of the 2016 NFL Draft in the second round. Smith was certainly a top-10 pick before his knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl.
Smith is an instinctive run defender with sideline-to-sideline speed. In the pass game, he covers a ton of ground with man-coverage skills and also is a superb blitzer. Smith gets high mark off the field as well. With thw Cowboys having veteran Sean Lee, they don’t need Smith immediately. Smith can recover at his own pace, and that is a great situation for him.
In the third round, Dallas added a talented and underrated defensive tackle in Maliek Collins. He is a natural three-technique who has excellent speed at the point of attack. Other teams told me that Collins looked great when they were watching Randy Gregory’s tape a year ago. Collins didn’t play as well last season with other teams sending more attention his direction. Now, he is reunited with Gregory and has a great defensive line coach to develop under in Rod Marinelli. Collins could prove to be a very astute pick.
Houston TexansThe Texans haven’t gotten a lot of attention for it, but they had an excellent draft and came away with two players who will provide a nice impact for them from the second day of the 2016 NFL Draft. Center Nick Martin is a clear upgrade over Ben Jones and could be a 10-year starter. Teams felt that while there some decent mid-round centers, there was a big dropoff after Ryan Kelly and Martin. Those two are viewed as being candidates to start from Day 1 and quickly play at a high level. Martin will protect and get more out of Houston’s investments in Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller.
In the third round, Houston took Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller, one of the most explosive play-makers in the 2016 NFL Draft. Miller flashed some natural ability as a senior at wide receiver and dominated the Senior Bowl. Considering how little experience he has, Miller has a ton of upside to develop at his new position. He is just a natural football player with a rare athletic skill set. It wouldn’t be surprising if Miller is a second-day steal.
Buffalo BillsThe Bills were giving consideration to second-round pick Reggie Ragland in Round 1, so to land him after the first day is a major steal. Ragland is Day 1 starter and an instant upgrade to the middle of Buffalo’s defense. While many think that Ragland is just a two-down defender, he consistently has shown that his speed and athleticism are underrated and more than meets the eye. Ragland did a nice job in pass coverage last season against dangerous tight ends, and I think he will become a three-down starter in the NFL.
In the third round, Buffalo got a sleeper pick who could surprise in Adolphus Washington. While he isn’t a great run defender, Washington is an excellent interior pass-rusher. He is very fast and skilled at shedding blocks with some variety in pass-rushing moves. Washington is a good understudy to Kyle Williams, and in a year, Washington and Marcel Dareus could form an excellent interior tandem for the Bills. Washington would have gone in the second round of a typical draft but slipped to Round 3 because this year was so deep on the defensive line. It wouldn’t surprise me if Washington is one of the top mid-round steals.
Losers
Tampa Bay BuccaneersThe Bucs were an easy pick for their this considering their selection of kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round. Not only did they take a kicker way too soon, but they traded up and gave away an extra pick for him. In speaking with other teams that needed a kicker, they had Aguayo as a fourth-round option, so the trade up was completely unnecessary. A few playoff teams told me they were chuckling at the pick. They felt that with all the needs on the Bucs roster, Aguayo is a luxury pick when the organization needs upgrades and every-down starters at a variety of spots. Tampa Bay made a great pick with Noah Spence at the top of Round 2, but then followed it up with one of the worst picks in the 2016 NFL Draft.
New England PatriotsLast year, the Patriots had one of the biggest reaches of the first two rounds when they took Stanford safety Jordan Richards at the end of Round 2, and they followed it up with more reaches in 2016. Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones was New England’s first selection at the end of the second round, and some other teams had him graded as a late-rounder. He is an undersized corner who really struggles with big receivers and was beaten for a lot of plays downfield in his collegiate career – see what Mike Evans did to him.
Guard Joe Thuney in the middle of the third round was a decent pick who gives the Patriots some depth. But, nose tackle Vincent Valentine was a firm Day 3 prospect across the league. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was fitting as a mid-rounder, but there were better signal-caller prospects available. Overall, the Patriots did little to upgrade their roster with their third-day selections.
Back to Winners and Losers – Day 1
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