Back again with more covid content.
Today I’m doing a recap of this year’s NFL draft, which was by far the weirdest draft in history. I’m convinced that Roger Goodell was drunk the entire time. The dude certainly made for some quality entertainment. Aside from the wardrobe changes, he also messed up quite a few of his lines, likely because he was three or four cases of wine deep before the thing had even started.
Roger also made a few jokes about being boo’d, which I’m always a fan of commissioners making fun of themselves. (I’m just waiting on Adam Silver to laugh about his own ears at this point.)
Ohio State was the main topic of discussion for the first round of this draft. All of ESPN’s graphics talked about how OSU had the first three players in the draft, which I really don’t get why we pretend that Burrow had any sort of impact at Ohio State. Dude was obviously limited at OSU due to terrible judgement from the coaching staff.
Anyway, I think that those first three draft picks will be great. Despite Burrow’s small hands, he was the best college football player we’ve ever seen and I hope he can overcome the Derek Carr comparisons. More importantly, he’ll have to overcome the challenge of having a Bengals o-line that is worse than most high school teams.
Along with Burrow, Chase Young will also be a killer in the league. The dude was the only player to receive a 99 rating from analysts at the draft. Obviously these draft “experts” have made terrible predictions in the past (Jamarcus Russell #1). But I think it’s a good sign for Chase Young when the last player to receive a 99 draft rating was Von Miller. He’s in pretty good company there.
Jeff Okudah was the third pick, and he was indisputably the best cornerback in this year’s draft. Not only is Jeff a great player, but he also has a pretty great story. I usually hate when Tom Rinaldi covers something, but this piece was actually decent:
Then as far as the QB picks in this draft, the Chargers really hit the jackpot. Don’t get me wrong, Joe Burrow and Tua are fine players, but they just aren’t Justin Herbert. The draft is all about measurables, and unfortunately for Joe Burrow his small hand size means that he will have an unsuccessful life. Apparently that’s all that matters. Luckily for the Chargers, they’re getting a 6’6” QB who can probably palm a basketball.
In all seriousness, Burrow was the best player in this draft. But unfortunately for Joe, his career ended as soon as the Bengals picked him.
Keep in mind, this is a Bengals team that turned Andy Dalton into an absolute train wreck. (You’re telling me a guy named Red Rocket has zero super bowls)? It sucks because Joe was the greatest college football player in history and his final season with LSU couldn’t have been more perfect. Sadly enough, he’s being thrown into an absolute shit storm. Cinci won two games last year, so there’s no way a QB will be able to solve all their problems. At least not right away.
If I were to bet who will be the most successful QB from this draft, I’d have to go with Herbert. Unlike Cincinnati and Miami, the Chargers actually have some weapons that will help Justin in the offense. Keenan Allan, Hunter Henry, Austin Ekeler… they’ve certainly got some talent at the skills position. And I realize I went to Oregon, but I swear this isn’t a biased position.
Speaking of quarterbacks, the last thing I’ll discuss is the new rivalry between Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers. I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know who Love was before the draft. But sheesh, I have never felt worse for someone in my entire life.
The Packers were in a position where they needed a wide receiver, or any other offensive weapon. But they didn’t get one. They got some competition for Aaron Rodgers. And there’s no way in hell Rodgers is welcoming that kid with open arms. I see two possible outcomes for Green Bay: either Aaron Rodgers requests a trade, or he shuns Jordan Love until he’s ready to retire. Either way, there’s no way in hell those two will have a good relationship. Aaron will probably treat him like this iPad.
Besides this whole Green Bay mess, I think that most teams did a decent job in the first round. Teams lacking skill guys got skill guys, teams that needed blocking got blocking, etc. Now I’m just hoping this corona thing is gone by the time the season rolls around. The last thing Goodell cares about is player safety, so I’m sure he’ll get games up and running.
As always, I’ll be back again next week with more covid 19 content. Stay safe.
