Given all the talk leading up to the draft about who was going to draft Marcus Mariota, all the trade possibilities, where might he fall, how could different teams leap up to get him… that’s the only time I’m going to mention his name in this NFL Draft 2015 analysis article. That’s it. I probably won’t even reference him. The rest of the draft has been far more interesting than just what the Tennessee Titans decided to do at the Quarterback position, and I’ve got you covered on the rest of the stuff that you SHOULD be interested in hearing about.
St Louis Wants All-In-One Productivity
Rams runningbacks amassed 1,334 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns last season. Combined. When that’s the productivity an NFL team is getting out of FOUR runningbacks, an upgrade is clearly needed. That’s why the Rams didn’t wait until Round 2 to take Todd Gurley. They couldn’t afford to, especially with Melvin Gordon also going in the top half of the first round – a stark contrast to last year’s draft which didn’t feature any RBs going in the first round.
San Diego Charged In for Gordon
After seeing Gurley drop off the board earlier than expected, San Diego traded up to bring in Melvin Gordon. Losing Ryan Mathews to the Eagles and not having anyone (Mathews included) rush for even 600 yards last year, the Chargers arguably needed to revamp their RB position more urgently than the Rams, getting only 7 touchdowns from the five guys who platooned in the position in 2014… and one of those scores was a receiving touchdown!
Washington Redskins Telegraphed Their Pick
If you were surprised by the Washington Redskins taking Brandon Scherff with their top overall pick, or even Guard Arie Kouandjio, then you clearly weren’t paying attention in the off-season. A big weakness for the team is their Right Tackle position, and this off-season the Redskins hired Bill Callahan as their offensive line coach. Who’s he? Oh, he’s just the reason why the Dallas Cowboys got into the second round of the playoffs after winning the NFC East last year. Washington’s rival placed heavy importance on drafting O-Linemen over the past couple years, and it paid off in a big way in both the pass game and the stout rushing attack. The Redskins bringing in Callahan signaled that they were going to prioritize the front line of attack, and that’s what they’ve done. Scherff was the highest rated Offensive Tackle in the draft, and their bookended line of Scherff and Williams looks extremely formidable. General Manager Scot McCloughan has seen first hand what happens when a team gets a great offensive line, having worked in Seattle for the majority of the past 15 years.
Denver Not Dissuaded From Taking Ray
When looking at his off-the-field issues, many predicted that Shane Ray was going to drop into the second round despite looking like potentially an elite pass-rusher. Given their woes at getting to the opposing team’s Quarterback, the Denver Broncos didn’t let Shane Ray get to the second round. In a state where marijuana is legal, Ray won’t have to worry about getting arrested, he’ll just have to keep from getting Mile HIGH due to it being against NFL rules. Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware should be able to keep him in line. Nebraska’s Randy Gregory, who failed a drug test at the NFL Combine, nearly fell to the third round despite being a potential first-round prospect.
Buckeyes To Remain Dominant?
Not a single player from the Ohio State Buckeyes were drafted in the first round, which is apparently the first time that has happened to a team which won the NCAA Championship. Is that a sign of things to come for the squad?
Crimson Tide Rolling Out?
When SS Landon Collins slipped out of the first round and got picked up 33rd overall, it signaled the first since 2009 that Alabama didn’t have more than one player drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Standout WR Amari Cooper was taken fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders. Joining Collins as a second round pick was RB T.J. Yeldon.
Eagles Fans Confounded With QB Situation
They traded away Nick Foles and picked up often-injured Sam Bradford, adding him to a list of QBs on the squad including Matt Barkley, Mark Sanchez, G.J. Kinne and some guy named Tebow. Given the connection to Oregon, the conventional wisdom was that Chip Kelly was going to trade up in the draft to secure a Heisman-winning Ducks QB, but any negotiations which might have occurred failed. With the first five draft picks the Eagles used in the NFL Draft, not a single QB was taken. Despite not a single QB being deemed worthy of being taken between picks 3 and 75, and only 4 passers being taken in the top 100 picks, Eagles fans are already talking about how the next two seasons are going to be terrible.
