Atlanta Falcons select Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota An absolute athletic monster capable of growing into their next defensive star
Browns select Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan see above, but sub in serial abuser Deshaun Watson instead of Matt Ryan
I like him a lot too — Ballard just seems to exclusively like 6’4” WRs, and the board didn’t have any of those without reaching
my unsubstantiated theory is that, after picking Parris Campbell over DK Metcalf, Ballard decided he was not going to pass up another mammoth WR and now exclusively picks 6’4” WRs (because that’s when this started)
Ravens select Leo Chenal, ILB, Wisconsin this guy screams Baltimore Raven. After losing Josh Bynes, Pernell McPhee, AND Justin Houston to free agency, this Ravens front 7 is looking really light - I like Patrick Queen and Odafe Oweh but that's two finesse linebackers left manning a 3-4 defense that's usually very physical. Even really good finesse players will get BEAT UP by opposing offensive lines if the team doesn't have some meat and potatoes inside to take on blocks (cough Myles Jack). Queen similarly had a down season and imo this is the best way to fix that. Although MIKE ILB and pass-rushing OLB are two entirely separate needs the Ravens have at this point, Chenal is their best guy for addressing a little bit of both. The Big Ten linebacker of the year had a very productive season with 115 tackles & 18.5 for loss. Notably, he was 4th among linebackers in two crucial categories - sacks (8.5) and "stops" (58). He's a great fit for the aggressive style of defense they like to run, with the ability to pass rush from anywhere on the field. In addition, fucking guy is huge. At nearly 260 pounds, yet still being decent in coverage and very explosive with a 4.53 forty / 40" vertical... this guy has a rare old-school athletic profile that reminds me of one specific player: Dont'a Hightower. I've always loved Hightower and that's exactly the kind of big, scary take-on linebacker they need to push opposing guards and centers back into the runningback. As a three down player who also isn't a liability against the pass, His downhill approach and active hand fighting should keep offensive lines' hands full, and clear lanes for Queen to show off his read-and-react prowess.
Washington selects Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Jamin Davis definitely cannot do it all by himself and adding in the intelligent and versatile Harris should hopefully be the final piece of what might FINALLY be an elite defense. Or so I'm going to keep telling myself.
Duh bears select bernhard raimann, ot, centmichigan There is some thought that borom was solid but they would like to move him to iol because he’d be much better there.