The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft has come and gone. Many were called, but only a few were chosen—31 to be exact. And while some people hit it big, others kind of got the short in of the stick.
With the first pick of the draft, the Los Angeles Rams chose Jared Goff, a quarterback from the University of California, Berkeley. Goff was chosen over Carson Wentz of North Dakota State; Wentz was chosen second by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have what they need for the most part, and got to experiment by picking Wentz. Now the question is whether Coach Doug Pederson can maximize Wentz’s vast potential. Robert Nkemdiche landed a spot with the Arizona Cardinals despite his red flag. After an inconsistent season and a run in with the law, Nkemdiche’s stock fell drastically. He was chosen 29th overall; not last, but not top five like he was once predicted.
Laremy Tunsil fell down in the ranking once a controversial video was posted to social media with him appearing to smoke marijuana. The Miami Dolphins snatched him up in a sort of bargain deal. His off-field controversy may be a cause for regret, but the Dolphins just couldn’t pass up on the 6-foot-5 assassin.
The Denver Broncos went into the draft without a quarterback, and came out with their quarterback of the future, Paxton Lynch. Lynch needs some work, but he may be the long-term solution Denver is looking for. Plus, he was the best quarterback left on the board so they couldn’t pass him up. Fortunately, he was the top performer in both vertical leap and broad jump, making for a bright future. With a little fine tuning, Lynch has the potential to be a star quarterback.
The New York giants grabbed Eli Apple, a cornerback in the number ten spot. But they didn’t need a cornerback; they’re actually pretty desperate for offensive line help, and at the 10 spot they could’ve still chosen Tunsil to fix that problem.
With the number 19 pick, the Buffalo Bills selected Shaq Lawson, a defense end out of Clemson. Lawson fell a few rungs in the draft because of a shoulder injury that will require surgery, but he is still a real powerhouse: top-level pass rusher; runs a 4.7 second 40 while weighing 270 pounds, and a top performer in the 20-yard shuttle. You can’t deny his talent. Once he recovers from surgery teams will regret passing him up.
At 22, The Washington Redskins chose Josh Doctson from TCU. Last season, Doctson had 78 catches for the 1,326 yards and 14 touchdowns, and at 6-foot-2. he is around the size most teams look for in wide receivers.
The Vikings took Laquon Treadwell, a wide receiver out of Ole Miss. He needs some work, but if he can be reliable in his route running he has the potential to be a huge asset to the team.
The final pick of the night went to the Seattle Seahawks, who selected Germain Ifedi, an offensive tackle from Texas A&M. People are unsure of whether Ifedi is a tackle or a guard, but he has the size and strength to develop into an asset at one of the two positions.
This season will prove to be an interesting one. Will the teams be able to get their players ready in time? Will the teams that didn’t get who they needed suffer because of it? Looks like this one is ending on a cliffhanger. But with a few rounds to go, hopefully the future will start to become a little more clear for these soon-to-be stars.
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NFL Draft
Draft Day: Round One by Njeri Mathis
