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Draft:
Holding the first overall pick when I first loaded the draft I was both excited and nervous seeing a QB at the top of the board. My intention had been to unless a top QB was there trade down with the pick knowing I will likely hold the first pick again next year, try to add an extra 2nd this year and a first and 2nd next year and hope to find a suitable QB later or punt the position and hope for a good one next year when my team has weapons around him. I looked deeper at the top QB, 6'4", 218 lbs, a 44 on the solecismic, 20 bench reps, bars that look good but not perfect, probably somewhere from the high 50s to high 70s as an initial guess so I decided to burn an interview on him. The bars then looked quite a bit better, likely low to mid 70s, but also interestingly listed as very underrated. It took me a few minutes of going back and forth before coming to my decision.
1.1: QB Alejandro Havens (23/75) At 6'4", 218 lbs Havens has the size to be a franchise QB. Add in an excelent combine where he put up 20 reps in the bench, ran a 4.49, scored an 87 on his position drill, and recorded a 44 on the Solecismic test and the Colorado State product was a lock for the top pick. He is now going to be the face of this franchise
2.15: OLB Roosevelt Cornett (34/82) Standing 6' and weighing in at 248 lbs the Temple product is a hard hitting OLB who ran a 4.43 in the 40 and a 6.97 in the agilit drills. He looks to combine elite talent as a run stopper, pass rusher, and coverage LB and though he fits best in a 3-4 he will be a 3 down staple for our defense. Also, we were able to trade down and pick up a couple late picks here for added value which is nice because this looks like a deep draft.
3.1: RG Antoine Starks (16/67) The 6'2", 301 lb kid from San Jose State will offer a solid anchor in the middle of the line for years to come. This should be seen as a safe and solid pick adding a 3rd quality starter who should remain in place as the team grows
4.8: DT Don Webster (34/67) Seeing a lot of talent on the board and knowing I could drop a few spots and still get one of the guys I wanted, and knowing there are so many holes on this team that need filled, I added another 6th by dropping from 4.1 to 4.8. The pick here was a stocky 5'11", 305 lb DT who specializes as an interior pass rusher but should also be an all around good player and looks to be a real steal in this draft.
4.25: ILB Byron Heard (27/64) With my 4.15 pick from my trade down in the 2nd I took a chance and dropped back to 4.25 to add a 7th. Not huge return but at least it was something and my guy was still there. Heard will likely never be a star on my team but the 6' 232 lb undersized backer from The Ohio State. He may not be the every down stud that Cornett is from earlier in the draft but I feel like he should be a top end 2 down player and a good playmaker in the middle of the defense.
5.17 WR Hunter McCumber (18/41) After moving down again adding another 7th I took my first offensive skill position guy. The 6' 192 lb Nevada wideout has enough size to play on the outside and is a well rounded WR who also has good special teams skills. He was not my first choice at wideout as a couple guys were 2nd or 3rd on my board a couple times or went right before the pick got back to me. He wont be a long term focal point but he will give Havens someone to throw to
5.18: CB Amir Latham (32/53) A 5'9 179 lb undersized corner I have been watching for a couple rounds now Latham looks like an elite man and zone coverage guy along with the instincts to play the run. He may not be well rounded but he does give me someone who can cover and be a long term answer somewhere in my secondary.
6.1: TE Alonzo Russell (18/43) At the top of the 6th round I took another pass catcher, a 6'4" 261 lb TE who should be a solid possession receiver.
6.9: CB Chuck McEndoo (28/48) A small school corner from UL Lafayette Chuck is good in man coverage, decent elsewhere, and excellent at diagnosing plays, making hits, and picking passes.
7.1: RG Otis Williamson (28/63) A Missouri Southern interior lineman Williamson will have a large jump moving to the pros. He does look like he has some upside though and will at least be a really good run blocker.
7.15: HB David Sweeney (26/40) A Navy Cadet at 6' 225 lbs Sweeney is a powerful inside runner ith good enough vision to be a constant smashmouth threat. He doesn’t have the burst to get to the outside but his long speed is good enough to turn a run into a big gain if he builds up a head of steam.
7.16: C Chance Restifo (16/48) A solid run blocking center from Wingate Chance needs to add to his 288 lbs on but could become a solid run blocker. If nothing else we have established our offensive identity as a run first team for the time being in this draft with 3 solid interior linemen and a power back. That should help protect our rookie QB
7.25: CB Julio Uerkwitz (28/55) Julio has good size at 5'11" and 192 lbs and runs a 4.47 40 yard dash. The west Virginia product is solid in coverage, especially man and is really tough against the run and now with 3 late picks I have a solid group of corners to build the back end of my defense around and to support the very strong pair of LBs taken earlier
Grade: Coming into the draft with no players on the roster and 7 picks to build a team I had to make the most of every pick, which often meant getting more than just one player out of it. One of the toughest decisions was at the top of the draft where I had to decide between what looks like an elite QB prospect and adding more ammo in what looks like a very good draft. QB is the most important spot to fill, though, and the chance at a guy like that doesnt come around every year so even though I am likely looking at the 1.1 again next year I took the guy now. Beyond that I was able to get a defensive stud and 4 other guys who grade out as very good players along with a handful of others who can contribute. All in all it looks like an elite draft class. The game gave me a B but I give this class an A+ in terms of talent brought in though maybe only a B+ in terms of filling the holes needed to put a worthwhile product on the field
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