Garrett tops; QBs pop
With defensive studs everywhere in this draft, NFL teams turned offensive. With an emphasis on quarterbacks.
Hardly stunning in a passhappy league, except that no quarterbacks in this crop have been highly touted. Yet three went in the first dozen last night in Philadelphia, with two whopping trades putting the Bears and Chiefs in position to grab QBs.
Chicago paid a whopping price to move up one spot to second overall for North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky. Kansas City gave up its firstrounder next year to go from 27th to 10th for Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes.
Altogether, eight of the first dozen picks were to aid offenses, including Clemson QB Deshaun Watson to Houston — which also traded up for a passer.
All of which overshadowed the predictable at the top of the draft: Roger Goodell got booed, then Myles Garrett was picked first by the Cleveland Browns.
“C’mon, Philly, C’mon,” Goodell said amid the boos, not even wincing at the reception. Moments later, he was back onstage announcing the Texas A&M defensive end’s name. Garrett, a junior and All-American considered the best pass rusher in this crop, is the first Aggie selected No. 1 overall.
Then the Bears sent a third-round pick, a fourth and a 2018 third to San Francisco to switch that one slot and take Trubisky, who started only 13 games for North Carolina.
“It was crazy,” Trubisky said. “There was no call. I didn’t think I was going to be picked until the commissioner said my name.”
San Francisco was up next, and new general manager
John Lynch already was looking good for bringing in such a haul to drop back to No. 3. The 49ers took DE Solomon
Thomas from just down the road at Stanford.
Next was pretty much an offensive onslaught. LSU running back Leonard
Fournette, who some scouts compared to Adrian Peterson, went to Jacksonville. Another LSU player, safety Jamal Adams, whose father, George, played for the Patriots, was taken by the New York Jets, one pick after Tennessee, needing an upgrade at wide receiver, selected Corey Davis of Western Michigan. Davis is the FBS career leader in receiving yards with 5,285.
Two more skill position offensive players went seventh and eighth. Receiver Mike Williams, who came off a serious neck injury in 2015 to help Clemson to the national championship last season, was taken by the Chargers. Then Christian McCaffrey, son of former NFL wideout Ed McCaffrey, wound up with Carolina.
Giants pick up OBJ
The New York Giants picked up the fifth-year option on receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’ s contract. In each of his first three seasons, Beckham has led the Giants in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. The 2014 first-round draft pick is the first Giants player to make the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons since Hall of Famer linebacker Lawrence Taylor (1981-83).