RADIO
Every year, the NFL holds a draft, and every year during that draft, 32 NFL teams make decisions that will positively impact the team going forward.
But every year, some teams also make decisions that are...confusing. Confounding. Puzzling. Whatever adjective you want to use, teams make decisions that leave us, the outsiders watching the draft, thinking "wait, what, why???"
For the fourth year in a row, I'm taking a look at those confusing draft picks and trying to make sense of why teams did what they did.
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- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
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Confusing Day 1 Picks
There were actually a lot of good picks in the first round this year! More than usual! But there were still some confusing ones.
Jaycee Horn (CB, Carolina Panthers) and Patrick Surtain II (CB, Denver Broncos)
Nothing against these players, as they're the two best defensive back prospects in this draft and both Carolina and Denver had a need at corner. But Carolina is going into next season with Sam Darnold as their quarterback. Denver is going into next season with Drew Lock. Meanwhile, Justin Fields was sitting right there on the board, and both of these teams just said "no, it's fine, we're good with what we've got."
Alex Leatherwood (OT, Las Vegas Raiders)
The Raiders could definitely have used offensive line help, but not many people had Leatherwood high on their draft boards. PFF, for example, had him as the eighth-best offensive tackle and their 40th-ranked player overall. He went as the third tackle at 17 overall.
Kadarius Toney (WR, New York Giants)
Toney's a fine prospect, someone who can make plays when he gets the ball. But he's very much a raw prospect, and for him to be the fourth receiver taken while Rashod Bateman was still on the board makes for a perplexing pick. Not bad, but just not ideal.
Najee Harris (RB, Pittsburgh Steelers) and Travis Etienne (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars)
These were the two best running backs in this draft and they're going to be successful in their new homes. In fact, the Harris pick is actually fine! But I'm just not a fan of going running back in the first round when it's a position where teams don't need elite talent. Harris fills a need in Pittsburgh, but the Jaguars were the NFL's worst team last year -- using a first round pick on a running back just feels like a luxury pick for a team with a lot of holes they need to fill.
Payton Turner (DE, New Orleans Saints)
As a Houston alum, I like Payton Turner. But the value on this pick was...not great:
The Saints reached for pass rushing. Maybe it ends up working out, but it was a puzzling moment.
Eric Stokes (CB, Green Bay Packers)
The Packers needed to grab some help for Aaron Rodgers in the first round, right? Rumors are swirling that the MVP quarterback wants out, but he's still under contract with Green Bay, so maybe they'd make a move to improve the offense to give him some help?
No, they went corner. The last time they picked an offensive player other than a quarterback in the first round was 2011, when they took a tackle. The last skill position player was drafted before the team selected Aaron Rodgers.
Confusing Day 2 Picks
Elijah Moore (WR, New York Jets)
The Ole Miss product is good. He's fast. He's a strong route runner. He doesn't drop the ball. He can make big things happen in the slot.
But...isn't slot receiver the one place New York is good already with Jamison Crowder? I was a little surprised they didn't look for more of an outside guy, as they've got a less-clear situation there.
Javonte Williams (RB, Denver Broncos)
It's not so much that I dislike this pick, as the second round is where I'm fine with teams taking top running backs. It's just that Denver traded up for a running back despite having Melvin Gordon on the roster still. I don't really know why you give up an asset to get a running back, no matter how much you like that running back.
Hunter Long (TE, Miami Dolphins)
Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is from the Patriots coaching tree, so wanting to have two tight ends makes sense. But in a draft that wasn't super well-regarded at tight end after Kyle Pitts, I'm just a little surprised they took Long here. He was productive last year, catching 57 passes, but tight end feels like a position that the Dolphins didn't have a ton of need, as they have Mike Gesicki. Plus, with so much talent at wide receiver, it's hard to see Long getting many looks.
Tre' McKitty (TE, Los Angeles Chargers)
Hmm. McKitty had just six catches in his one season at Georgia. His best year at Florida State saw him catch 26 passes. Brevin Jordan was still on the board and has been higher on every big board I've seen this year. Just a weird pick.
Nashon Wright (CB, Dallas Cowboys)
I mean:
Also:
Not great!
Confusing Day 3 Picks
The final day of the draft is more of a crapshoot, so there's not necessarily as many "bad" picks. Still, there were a few that gave me some pause.
Kene Nwangwu (RB, Minnesota Vikings)
Nwangwu was the sixth running back off the board after spending his college career as a backup for Iowa State. I didn't have Nwangwu as a top 10 running back in this class, so this was definitely a big surprise.
Gerrid Doaks (RB, Miami Dolphins)
Doaks had zero hype and ended up being the Dolphins only running back selection. Notably, Jermar Jefferson was still on the board, as was Kylin Hill and Jaret Patterson, who went undrafted. Another puzzling decision, especially for a team that we thought needed help at running back.
John Bates (TE, Washington Football Team ), Kylen Granson (TE, Indianapolis Colts) and Luke Farrell (TE, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Brevin Jordan had an argument for being a top-three tight end in this class. He went 147th overall, with the three tight ends above all going before him. Huh?
Dez Fitzpatrick (WR, Tennessee Titans)
The Titans have a clear need for a wide receiver, so they spent a fourth round pick on Fitzpatrick. He can be a solid player, but there were better picks on the board, like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tylan Wallace. Those two were probably what...15 spots ahead of Fitzpatrick on most people's wide receiver rankings?
More NFL Draft Analysis
