Looking at the NFL Draft's 1st Round

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So how did the NFL Draft’s first round pan out for the picks? Just looking at the skill positions:

(8) WR Drake London (Falcons): Although London isn’t my favorite receiver in the talented draft class, mainly because of his injury history, he did end up with a sweet landing spot. He will pair up nicely with Kyle Pitts as a deadly receiving tandem, along with Cordarelle Patterson (unless Atlanta drafts a good RB later).

(10) WR Garrett Wilson (Jets): WOW! The Jets are building something special. Teaming Wilson with Elijah Moore and Michael Carter and Zack Wilson makes that team formidable. Don’t forget they added two other defensive players in the first round.

(11) WR Chris Olave (Saints): If Michael Thomas can still be an alpha receiver, this pick is a beautiful thing. They are setting up Jameis Winston for success. The comps on Olave were to Calvin Ridley, and pairing him with Thomas could be great IF Thomas can stay healthy. Even if Thomas isn’t healthy, Olave can still be productive.

(12) WR Jameson Williams (Lions): Pairing Williams with Amon Ra St. Brown is intriguing. Can Jared Goff stretch the field? If we know anything about Detroit, it is where NFL careers go to die, unless you have Hall of Fame talent. Williams doesn’t strike me as that kind of a talent. Unless I can get Williams for a later pick in dynasty rookie drafts, I will probably avoid him.

(16) WR Jahan Dotson (Commanders): Three problems here: First is Dotson got stuck in Washington. Second, Dotson is paired with under-performing Terry McLaurin (although this could be beneficial to both receivers). Third is QB Carson Wentz. Dotson is another player I will be looking to get a bargain for in rookie drafts.

(18) WR Treylon Burks (Titans): With Burks taking over as Tennessee’s alpha receiver for traded AJ Brown (more on that later), the best WR in the draft ends up in a good place. Not the ideal spot in run-heavy Tennessee, although I would happily take Burks in a rookie draft. You know he will get 100% of the leftover AJ Brown targets (105 in 13 games played last year). Whether Burks can be as efficient with limited targets is the only question, but he has the talent to do it.

(20) QB Kenny Pickett (Steelers): The only QB drafted in the first round, this is a safe pick. Pickett’s main flaw is his fumbling, but his passing ability is unquestioned. Add in the fact he might even beat out Mitch Trubisky for the starting job, and Pickett is in a very good place, especially with
Pittsburgh’s solid receiving corps. He just might be the 1.01 in dynasty superflex rookie drafts.

Now let’s look at the trades:

  1. WR AJ Brown to the Eagles: This is a coup for the Eagles. Brown is still young and already established, and will be a major boon to QB Jalen Hurts. If the Eagles don’t have a good passing game this year, it is all on Hurts. Even if Brown can just get the targets he used to get with Tennessee, his floor is the same as it was with Tennessee, but his upside is much greater on a team with a solid receiving corps.

  2. WR Marquise Brown to the Cardinals: Another WR traded from a run-first team, I would say Brown’s fantasy draft stock just skyrocketed. In Arizona, he can take the lid off defenses so other receivers like DeAndre Hopkins can feast underneath.

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