Top three most confusing NFL Draft picks from Round 1
The first day of the NFL Draft went about as expected, but some decisions left us scratching our heads and/or asking, “who’s that now?”
The NFL Draft is well underway with day one done and day two soon on its way.
Here’s how it all went down on day one.
The top five picks were defensive players, only one quarterback was selected, and the trades got difficult to keep up with - all about as suspected.
The New York Jets actually seemed to have done the best in the draft with their three picks, Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Jermaine Johnson II. Good for them! But who were the losers of the draft? Or at least those who made…questionable picks? Let’s take a look.
Jacksonville Jaguars - Travon Walker, EDGE - 1st overall
I just do not get the hype with this guy. Don’t get me wrong - I can see his talent and potential. But when it’s Travon Walker vs Aidan Hutchinson and you have the first pick of the draft, there’s really no question which one to choose. Hutchinson had 14 sacks last season and in the combine, he beat Walker in the 3-cone drill time, short shuttle time, and vertical jump. Walker had 9.5 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, and one forced fumble…in his entire 3-year college career. To me, there’s no comparison.
Green Bay Packers - Quay Walker, LB - 22nd overall
Being number 22 in the draft, I can understand why the Packers didn’t go with a receiver at that point and instead opted for a defensive lineman. But, uh…why this one? They had their pick of linebackers at this stage, and though Walker is a talented athlete, he only started one season for Georgia. He has potential, but he wasn’t the best available lineman. In fact, even his fellow Georgia teammate Nakobe Dean would have been the better of the two. He’s shown hints of talent, but not the production, unlike the other choices available to them.
New England Patriots - Cole Strange, G - 29th overall
The Patriots traded back in a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to move from 22 to 29 in the draft. At 29th overall, they made a …strange choice. Cole Strange was a player most expected to go in the third round, which is actually pretty typical of Bill Bellichick. But I can’t get behind it. They passed up on cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. Trent McDuffie, and Kaiir Elam went at no. 21 and no. 23, respectively, after the Pats traded away the No.21 pick to the Chiefs. The only reason the Pats even need a guard is because they traded Shaq Mason away to the Buccaneers for a fifth-round pick, just to draft another guard. It seems a bit counterproductive.