I wanted to take some time to review and appreciate this past draft.
First, let's review the trade. We started with the #3 pick. We turned that pick into the #6, the #37, and the #49 (which was then flipped for #52 and #169) and a 2nd rounder this upcoming draft. So we moved down just 3 spots and picked up (as of now) 4 more players. That's pretty astounding. Alright, the picks:
#3 - Nobody, but we turned into a jackpot of talent, details below.
#6 - Quenton Nelson. He was one of ~8 "blue chip" prospects in the draft and arguably the best offensive lineman prospect in a decade, and he just so happened to fill a huge need for us. It wasn't a sexy pick, but it was the right pick, and there is no doubt that he's had a gigantic impact on this offensive line which literally went from worst-to-first. He's a tremendous locker room guy, and he's hella fun to watch destroying defenders.
#36 - Darius Leonard. We were widely panned for "massively reaching" for this small-school kid. Some said worst pick in the draft. Whoops. He just finished 1st in the ESPN rookie rankings at the end of the season: http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/p...ame-at-the-top. His impact on the defensive side of the ball for us has been immeasurable. A lot of Colts fans wanted Ballard to use the #6 pick on a linebacker... Chubb, Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds, etc. In fact, 5 linebackers were taken ahead of Darius Leonard if you include Chubb converting to LB. Who woulda thunk that when we decided not to go with LB at #6, we would not only get the draft's best offensive lineman, but also still get the best linebacker by passing up on Chubb (by trading the #3), Edmunds, Smith, etc?? This was a masterstroke pick by Ballard.
#37 - Braden Smith. We basically got this guy for free, thanks Jets. And he's our starting right tackle for the #1 offensive line in the league. Good pick? Check.
#49 - Alright, hang on to your hats here, because we turned this free pick into two more free picks, thanks Philly --- #52 and #169.
#52 - Kemoko Turay. Again, we got this guy for free, thanks Jets/Philly. I had to admit, I had doubts this guy was going to translate.. he needed development and had a ton of raw ability... but he turned into a good contributor already. 4 sacks and a FF and a lot of QB pressures puts this as a valuable draft pick thus far. Successful pick: yes.
#64 - We traded up (#67 and #178) to draft Tyquan Lewis, who then got injured for a large part of the season. However, he did return for the 2nd half of the season and gave us 8 really good games and even chipped in 2 sacks, and is now our starting DE, ahead of Turay. This guy was a pretty well-regarded pick coming out of college. Successful pick: Yes
#104 - Nyheim Hines. This was one of our original picks, no trades, and we used it well. Hines was a versatile offensive piece. He gave us 739 rushing/receiving yards to go with 63 receptions and 4 touchdowns. Successful pick: yes.
#140 NObody. We traded this pick for #159 and #185, which turned into two receivers, Reece Fountain and Deon Cain.
#159 - Reece Fountain - The one guy who has yet to pay dividends. Successful pick: Not yet (maybe down the road)
#169 - Jordan Wilkins. Remember, we got this guy for free, courtesy of Jets/Philly. Essentially our #3 back behind Mack and Hines all year, but still contributed in a nice way. I actually feel Wilkins is a better runner than Hines, he's just not near the receiver that Hines is. I feel this guy is good insurance for if/when Mack goes down, he's more of a first option RB than Hines, who is more of a off-speed back. His 5.6 YPC shows that he knows what to do with the ball when he does get it. Successful pick: yes.
#185 - Deon Cain. This guy was lighting training camp on fire before he tore his ACL. Was likely going to be a key receiver on a team that needed key receivers. Successful pick: Incomplete. I expect this will eventually turn to a yes.
#221 Matthew Adams. Made the team and is our #2 WLB. Not amazing, but solid backup and contributes every game. Can't argue with production with a pick this late. Successful pick: Yes.
#235 Zaire Franklin. We received this pick from the Jets for Henry Anderson. Basically ditto of Matthew Adams. The fact we actually turned guys this late into productive players is astounding. Successful pick: yes.
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So to summarize the trade, we turned Sam Darnold into Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Kemoko Turay, and Jordan Wilkins (and one to-be-determined player in round 2 this next draft).
This draft was a home run by almost all counts. When you consider the success rate of typical draftees, the fact that every single guy is still on the roster and most are contributing in week 17 is astounding.
About the only missteps were Reece Fountain, who has actually been promoted up to the team and is 3rd string behind T.Y., and letting Henry Anderson go for Zaire Franklin. Franklin has been serviceable, but I do wonder if keeping Anderson would've been better. I still can't fault the pick at #235, though, Zaire has proven serviceable at LB.
Admittedly, I was a fan of Barkley, and I still am, but I was also in favor of going with Nelson or Chubb, and was totally good with the Nelson pick. The talent we got for the #3 is unquestionably more impactful for the overall team.
First, let's review the trade. We started with the #3 pick. We turned that pick into the #6, the #37, and the #49 (which was then flipped for #52 and #169) and a 2nd rounder this upcoming draft. So we moved down just 3 spots and picked up (as of now) 4 more players. That's pretty astounding. Alright, the picks:
#3 - Nobody, but we turned into a jackpot of talent, details below.
#6 - Quenton Nelson. He was one of ~8 "blue chip" prospects in the draft and arguably the best offensive lineman prospect in a decade, and he just so happened to fill a huge need for us. It wasn't a sexy pick, but it was the right pick, and there is no doubt that he's had a gigantic impact on this offensive line which literally went from worst-to-first. He's a tremendous locker room guy, and he's hella fun to watch destroying defenders.
#36 - Darius Leonard. We were widely panned for "massively reaching" for this small-school kid. Some said worst pick in the draft. Whoops. He just finished 1st in the ESPN rookie rankings at the end of the season: http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/p...ame-at-the-top. His impact on the defensive side of the ball for us has been immeasurable. A lot of Colts fans wanted Ballard to use the #6 pick on a linebacker... Chubb, Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds, etc. In fact, 5 linebackers were taken ahead of Darius Leonard if you include Chubb converting to LB. Who woulda thunk that when we decided not to go with LB at #6, we would not only get the draft's best offensive lineman, but also still get the best linebacker by passing up on Chubb (by trading the #3), Edmunds, Smith, etc?? This was a masterstroke pick by Ballard.
#37 - Braden Smith. We basically got this guy for free, thanks Jets. And he's our starting right tackle for the #1 offensive line in the league. Good pick? Check.
#49 - Alright, hang on to your hats here, because we turned this free pick into two more free picks, thanks Philly --- #52 and #169.
#52 - Kemoko Turay. Again, we got this guy for free, thanks Jets/Philly. I had to admit, I had doubts this guy was going to translate.. he needed development and had a ton of raw ability... but he turned into a good contributor already. 4 sacks and a FF and a lot of QB pressures puts this as a valuable draft pick thus far. Successful pick: yes.
#64 - We traded up (#67 and #178) to draft Tyquan Lewis, who then got injured for a large part of the season. However, he did return for the 2nd half of the season and gave us 8 really good games and even chipped in 2 sacks, and is now our starting DE, ahead of Turay. This guy was a pretty well-regarded pick coming out of college. Successful pick: Yes
#104 - Nyheim Hines. This was one of our original picks, no trades, and we used it well. Hines was a versatile offensive piece. He gave us 739 rushing/receiving yards to go with 63 receptions and 4 touchdowns. Successful pick: yes.
#140 NObody. We traded this pick for #159 and #185, which turned into two receivers, Reece Fountain and Deon Cain.
#159 - Reece Fountain - The one guy who has yet to pay dividends. Successful pick: Not yet (maybe down the road)
#169 - Jordan Wilkins. Remember, we got this guy for free, courtesy of Jets/Philly. Essentially our #3 back behind Mack and Hines all year, but still contributed in a nice way. I actually feel Wilkins is a better runner than Hines, he's just not near the receiver that Hines is. I feel this guy is good insurance for if/when Mack goes down, he's more of a first option RB than Hines, who is more of a off-speed back. His 5.6 YPC shows that he knows what to do with the ball when he does get it. Successful pick: yes.
#185 - Deon Cain. This guy was lighting training camp on fire before he tore his ACL. Was likely going to be a key receiver on a team that needed key receivers. Successful pick: Incomplete. I expect this will eventually turn to a yes.
#221 Matthew Adams. Made the team and is our #2 WLB. Not amazing, but solid backup and contributes every game. Can't argue with production with a pick this late. Successful pick: Yes.
#235 Zaire Franklin. We received this pick from the Jets for Henry Anderson. Basically ditto of Matthew Adams. The fact we actually turned guys this late into productive players is astounding. Successful pick: yes.
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So to summarize the trade, we turned Sam Darnold into Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Kemoko Turay, and Jordan Wilkins (and one to-be-determined player in round 2 this next draft).
This draft was a home run by almost all counts. When you consider the success rate of typical draftees, the fact that every single guy is still on the roster and most are contributing in week 17 is astounding.
About the only missteps were Reece Fountain, who has actually been promoted up to the team and is 3rd string behind T.Y., and letting Henry Anderson go for Zaire Franklin. Franklin has been serviceable, but I do wonder if keeping Anderson would've been better. I still can't fault the pick at #235, though, Zaire has proven serviceable at LB.
Admittedly, I was a fan of Barkley, and I still am, but I was also in favor of going with Nelson or Chubb, and was totally good with the Nelson pick. The talent we got for the #3 is unquestionably more impactful for the overall team.
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