Didn’t steal my pick - nice! Although, Pat would have been solid for us since some would argue we were missing Hurst this past season. Now, for the pick... The Ravens select: Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama. Back to back OL picks for the Ravens, and both from Alabama. Chemistry shouldn’t be an issue up front with Bozeman, Leatherwood, and Dickerson all coming from the Tide. With these two picks, our line went from a weakness this past season to a strength, potentially being one of the best in the league. Skura and Mekari both had challenges snapping the ball this season and got pushed around. Dickerson is a run blocking powerhouse who can set the point of attack. He has a significant injury history, but now that he’s blown out both ACLs, it all has to be behind him, right? coming out of the first two rounds addressing three of our four biggest needs (WR, G, C) gives us the rest of the draft to hypothetically load up on pass rushers and hope that one or two hit.
Friermuth was the top player on my board, but the Bears (a team who stockpiles tight ends) can't do that.
Seattle Seahawks select Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern Outside corner who plays a physical game, has great length, aggressive, and excels in cover 3. This is a Seahawks corner.
Saints select Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa. Nixon is straight up a beast that is not getting nearly enough recognition. He’s got a nasty stutter step and footwork for a big power rusher, which he often uses to offset and then plow through interior guards. Nixon is a visibly great athlete who plays with a lot of intensity. He shows an ability to get in the backfield quickly when he wants to, but an arguably more impressive facet of his game is his patience. Against mobile quarterbacks and misdirection teams, you see him focus on keeping the guard in front of the quarterback, and against inside zone running plays he uses his adept feet to quickly adjust even when he’s schemed into the wrong gap. He is very perceptive about knowing when to let a play develop and when to hit the throttle. This is a guy who has great timing to knock down passes, finds opportunities for late coverage sacks by waiting like a crocodile for the QB to make his move, and even pick sixed a screen, showing very good burst on that play as well as a called-back fumble return. in a draft class with weak talent at the 3 technique DT position, on a team so strapped for cap space that Sheldon EDIT: Rankins is likely gone, I consider this pick a steal after watching the tape. And why the fuck is this guy not even ranked on CBS. If the Saints manage to restructure Cam Jordan this pick keeps their defensive line mostly intact.
I was heavily considering Nixon for the Titans but I ultimately decided he wouldn’t be a great fit there. He looks awesome but I don’t know if it’d be smart to put him in an odd front.
he’s definitely more of a 4-3 fit. I love him for the Saints. I would also honestly be thrilled if the Jags took him to replace Taven Bryan.
Sheldon Richardson has never been a Saint so I think New Orleans is pretty prepared for him to not be a Saint next year
Los Angeles Rams select Richie Grant, S, UCF The Rams punched the time clock on their current era. They're going all in on winning with Matthew Stafford, even if it means bottoming out in a couple years. This puts them in a curious position where you aren't just drafting for need, your drafting for readiness. As of now, only 2/5 of the Rams secondary is returning. Maybe they can get Hill back for cheap but after the year Darious Williams had, he's likely chasing a bigger bag. Richie Grant is an absolute magnet. He's always around the ball and what he lacks in straightaway speed he makes up for with incredible acceleration and tenacity. I'm a huge fan of his and while I don't know who will develop into a better safety out of him and a couple of remaining ones I have my eye on, I'm willing to bet Richie Grant has the best rookie season, which is what the Rams need the most - an instant impact player.
I said after I picked the first round someone can takeover for me, don't really want to do research on a class I haven't been following tbh