Let’s talk QBs, backups that is
Of the 11 picked in draft, three, possibly four could be starters
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Let’s talk quarterbacks. As in potential backup quarterbacks in the NFL, and maybe starters down the road.
Through 200 picks in the draft, 11 quarterbacks had been chosen. The three who went in the opening round — No. 1 overall Kyler Murray to Arizona, No. 16 Daniel Jones to the Giants, and No. 15 Dwayne Haskins to Washington — figure to be starters someday, perhaps soon.
Murray goes to a team that traded away its firstround QB from last year, Josh Rosen, to clear the path for the Heisman Trophy winner. New coach Kliff Kingsbury was an offensive mastermind at Texas Tech with an offense that fits Murray’s dynamic skills.
Jones will sit, though no one knows for how long, behind Eli Manning in New York. He was chosen to succeed the two-time Super Bowl winner, of course.
Haskins could grab the job in D.C. because incumbent Alex Smith is not expected to recover sufficiently from major leg injuries to be available in 2019. Last season’s backup, Colt McCoy, also broke his leg. So the Redskins traded for Denver’s Case Keenum, but that looks like a stopgap.
As for the rest of those 11 passers, they all went to clubs with established veteran starters except for Trace McSorley. The resourceful Penn State QB landed Saturday in Baltimore, which moved from Joe Flacco to 2018 firstrounder Lamar Jackson in the middle of last season.
McSorley is a similar player in style to Jackson, so the marriage there could result in a second-string job for him.
Playing time for the others is, well, a long shot.
Missouri’s Drew Lock went to Denver, which recently acquired Flacco. West Virginia’s Will Grier was taken by Carolina, where Cam Newton reigns. North Carolina State’s Ryan Finley will be behind Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham is with New England, where he might have to wait a decade for Tom Brady to retire. North Dakota State’s Easton Stick, the successor to Carson Wentz at that school, wound up with the
Chargers. Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson went to Philadelphia, where Wentz is ensconced.
Jacksonville selected Washington State’s Gardner Minshew, and the Jags now have the guy who so memorably replaced an injured Wentz in Philadelphia and won a Super Bowl, Nick Foles. The Jaguars actually have five QBs now: Foles, Cody Kessler, Tanner Lee, Alex McGough and Minshew.
The third and final day of this NFL draft as memorable for the scene, the music and the passion of the folks in Nashville began Saturday with Arizona selecting Iowa State wide receiver Hakeem Butler.
Butler is 6-foot-6 and could be a presence in the red zone for Murray, the top overall choice on Thursday night. The Cardinals also selected Massachusetts WR Andy Isabella in the second round.
The fourth round rarely has much intrigue, but it still drew thousands of folks to downtown Nashville.
As for the picks themselves, two well-regarded college running backs went back to back: Washington grabbed Stanford’s Bryce Love, considered a firstround talent last year but plagued by injuries and mediocrity in 2018; and Baltimore took Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill, who is dynamic in the open field but had some injury issues.
Another top back, Kentucky workhorse Benny Snell Jr., should help fill out the rotation in Pittsburgh.
Georgia receiver Riley Ridley, whose older brother Calvin was a first-rounder last year from Alabama, was taken by Chicago at No. 126.
JETS PICKS
Mike Maccagnan and the Jets began the final day of the NFL draft by wheeling and dealing.
New York traded down twice in the fourth round Saturday before taking West Virginia tight end Trevon Wesco with the 121st pick.
The Jets entered the day with the third pick of the round at No. 105, but dealt that to New Orleans for Nos. 116 and 168. They then traded the picks they got from the Saints to Tennessee for pick Nos. 121 and 157.
With the fifth-round selection, New York took Minnesota linebacker Blake Cashman. The Jets picked Rutgers cornerback Blessuan Austin in the sixth round at No. 196 overall to complete their three-day haul.
The Jets drafted Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with the third overall pick Thursday night, and took Florida edge rusher Jachai Polite and USC offensive tackle Chuma Edoga in the third round Friday night.
The 6-foot-3, 267-pound Wesco was used primarily as a blocking tight end in college and also profiled as a fullback and/or H-back in the NFL. He caught 26 passes for 366 yards and one touchdown last season for the Mountaineers.
The Jets also currently have Chris Herndon, the team’s third-rounder last year, Eric Tomlinson, also primarily a blocking tight end, and Daniel Brown, Jordan Leggett and Neal Sterling at the position.
“In college, I played tight end, I played fullback,” Wesco said during a conference call. “I would say my versatility is my strength.”
Wesco began his college career at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he played two seasons — and had a redshirt year as a sophomore — before going to West Virginia. Statistically, Wesco didn’t put up big numbers his first two seasons with the Mountaineers but had a breakout campaign as a senior and was named to the All-Big 12 first team.
Cashman adds depth to the Jets’ linebacker corps, which already includes C.J. Mosley, Avery Williamson, Darron Lee, Jordan Jenkins, Brandon Copeland, Neville Hewitt and Frankie Luvu. The 6-1, 237-pound Cashman projects as a core special-teams contributor who could potentially serve as a rotational player at linebacker.
He was a walk-on at Minnesota and eventually became a starter and team captain for the Gophers. Cashman had 15 tackles for losses last season, and drew the attention of the Jets.
GIANTS PICKS
The New York Giants continued rebuilding their much-maligned defense on the third day of the NFL draft, found a deep threat wide receiver to stretch the field after the trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns and found a great feel-good story.
General manager Dave Gettleman had six picks on the final day of the draft, and kicked it off by taking Notre Dame cornerback Julian Love in the fourth round.
Wisconsin inside linebacker Ryan Connelly was the first of two fifth-round picks, followed by Auburn wide receiver and sprinter Darius Slayton. New York grabbed another speedster in the sixth round, taking Washburn cornerback and return man Corey Ballentine.
The Giants (5-11) wrapped up the draft, picking Kentucky tackle George Asafo-adjei and Syracuse defensive tackle Chris Slayton in the seventh round.
Asafo-adjei was the feelgood story. He was born in New York City and raised by a single mother who worked three jobs. He didn’t get a chance to meet his sister until he was 14 years old because she was living in Ghana and the family could not get her to the United States.