The NFL draft is officially over, and there was no shortage of big headlines, from standout Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders falling to the 5th round to presumably bad teams having an excellent draft that could kickstart a new era.
As a huge NFL fan, I was excited to watch the NFL draft, from the first overall pick down to Mr. Irrelevant. And although I expected it to be a good one, I didn’t expect it to surprise me the way it did.
If you’re an NFL or college football fan, you have probably heard of Shedeur Sanders. If you haven’t, he’s the son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, or to some, Coach Prime.
He played his first two years of college football for Jackson State, then transferred to Colorado after his dad was hired as the head coach. During his tenure at Colorado, he put up impressive stats, so much so that many believed that Sanders was a sure-fire first-round pick alongside Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
On Day 1 of the NFL Draft, I wasn’t surprised when Cam Ward went first overall to the Tennessee Titans. However, what happened next shocked me. The Browns, a quarterback-needy team, traded out of their position.
That marked the beginning of an insane slide that became the main storyline for the remainder of the draft. With people on social media, wishing Sanders the best of luck with comments such as, “You will get drafted!” and “Keep your head up.”
Some others took it upon themselves to post memes about the situation and began to speculate about what happened behind closed doors. And although nothing is yet confirmed about what could have caused his fall, one thing is for certain: Sanders is going to be a player to watch.
Eventually, the Browns, who had passed on him in the first round, traded up to select Sanders with the 144th pick in the 5th round. He joins a team with four other quarterbacks, so it will be interesting to see how things unfold for him.
While the Sanders story grabbed much of the spotlight, there were plenty of other compelling narratives, particularly in the AFC West. Last year, both the Chargers and Broncos made the playoffs, and obviously, the Chiefs represented the AFC in the Super Bowl. Not only did those teams improve, but even the Raiders—the division’s only non-playoff team—appeared to get significantly better.
Armed with strong draft capital, the Raiders selected Boise State superstar running back Ashton Jeanty with their first pick. That move alone could transform their offense, which ranked last in yards per carry last season.
They also drafted wide receiver Jack Bech to pair with Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, and added a lengthy, Carroll-style cornerback in Darien Porter. The Raiders were able to fix some needs through the draft, and with the addition of Geno Smith through a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, the Raiders look like a playoff contender on paper.
Elsewhere in the division, the Chargers picked up playmaker Omarion Hampton, regarded as the second-best running back in the draft and picked up wide receiver Tre Harris in the second round. The Broncos bolstered their already formidable defense with cornerback Jadae Baron. With this addition, the Broncos’ defensive unit is shaping up to be the best in the league.
It won’t be easy to dethrone the Chiefs since they’ve won the division for nine straight years—but we saw flashes of a more competitive AFC West last season. And with all these improvements, I strongly believe this is the year the Chiefs’ reign in the AFC West comes to an end.
The AFC West and Shedeur Sanders weren’t the only big stories. After a solid draft, the Niners look ready to contend again.
Admittedly, they lost several key players in free agency, but their draft helped sure up some roster holes, and the extension of their franchise quarterback makes this draft class look even stronger.
Especially notable was their first-round pick, where they selected defensive lineman Mykel Williams. Williams has the prototypical size of an NFL edge rusher. Last season, he recorded 5 sacks while battling injuries. He is known for his versatility, which is great for a Niners team that endured a lot last season. However, that wasn’t their only notable pick.
They also drafted defensive tackle Alfred Collins, adding two key players to help bolster their defensive line. As the saying goes, football is won in the trenches. Collins is a monster defensive tackle from the University of Texas. During his college career, he has proven to have a high football IQ and elite run-stopping ability, as he earned an 85.0 PFF run defense grade last season. Williams also stood out as a top run defender in the class, with an 83.6 run defense grade.
With the addition of these two players, the Niners now look like the team to beat in the trenches, an area in which they ranked in the bottom half of the league last season in rushing yards allowed. Improving in this aspect could help alleviate the struggles that the Niners faced last year and get them back to Super Bowl contention.
Another NFC contender that had an excellent draft was the Philadelphia Eagles. So much so that they look like a Super Bowl team once again. Late in the first round, there are still many great players available. However, they aren’t typically the rookies that we assume to be Defensive or Offensive Rookie of the Year. But the Eagles added a potential superstar in linebacker Jihaad Campell to a Super Bowl-winning defense that lost Josh Sweat and Oren Burks in free agency.
I also see starter potential in a lot of the other players that they drafted, and considering Howie Roseman’s skill of replacing superstars that departed in free agency with future stars through the draft, their success seems imminent, especially with the addition of safety Andrew Mukuba out of Texas.
With great management and a very strong roster, the Eagles look like the best team in the NFL. The real question is, are we witnessing the beginning of a Dynasty for the Eagles and the end of a Dynasty for the Chiefs? I believe so. I mean, the Chiefs are in a truly competitive division, and besides the Washington Commanders, I think there is no real threat to the NFC East division title, making the Eagles’ path to the Super Bowl much more navigable.
Overall, this was an excellent draft; there were a lot of big moves, and the entire NFL seems to have gotten better. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cleveland Browns make Sanders the starter, the Chiefs don’t win their Division, and the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves hoisting the Lombardi Trophy again.
