The future is now as the NFL Draft of 2018 has begun. The first round of the NFL Draft brought a lot of unpredictability . Some fans went home happy and some of them burned their Broadway Baker shirt. Either way, the draft was very exciting and future NFL stars have found their new home for years to come. Almost every NFL team had something to do on the night of the first round and if not, they will be participating in the second and further rounds. Some teams were ripped apart about their picks and some were given round of applause from other fans as a sign to show that they picked a stud. The draft was filled with superstars and some of them have even fell to the second round surprisingly. Each pick was carefully thought out by the team’s GM’s, coach’s, and other executives. Now there will be a review of each pick in the order of when they were drafted.

To start off, the NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns shocked some people when they selected to the two time walk-on quarterback from Oklahoma, Baker Mayfield. It wasn’t until the day of the draft that there was a lot of buzz about the Heisman Trophy winner going to Cleveland. Many expected the Browns to get Sam Darnold with the first overall pick, but they decided they wanted to take a gamble with Baker Mayfield. A gamble because of Baker’s size, off the field issues, and just unpredictability of injuries.

With the second overall pick in the draft, the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley. Barkley was a beast in college at Penn State, and this was a well needed selection for the Giants because the last time they had a good running back was when Brandon Jacobs was on the team. Some people say the Giants needed other positions more like quarterback or defensive end to fill the gap that Jason- Pierre Paul left. However, Saquon might be the next Ezekiel Elliott, who is a star running back,  and that is well needed in a rebuilding franchise.

The New York Jets selected quarterback Sam Darnold with the third overall pick in the draft. Sam Darnold, the twenty year old from USC, was surprisingly not taken first overall by the Browns and was taken by a team who hasn’t had an okay quarterback since Chad Pennington. This pick was well needed for the Jets and Sam Darnold to most people was the best QB in the draft. Darnold had a disappointing season his last college year, but that was because he had lost three of his offensive linemen last year and star wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. This year he hopes to bring the Jets to their first playoff run since 2010.

The next pick was a shock when the Cleveland Browns selected the Ohio State cornerback, Denzel Ward, with the 4th pick in the draft. Denzel Ward was a stud in college, locking down elite college stars. However, for some people, he was not the right choice for Cleveland. Some scouts believed that Bradley Chubb was the best player in the draft, and the Browns passed up on him which is a shock especially a gap they have in their defensive line due to the departure of Danny Shelton in a trade with the Patriots. The Browns did need a cornerback because they lost Jason McCourty, however Bradley Chubb was the better option.

The Denver Broncos capitalized on the Browns mistake by taking the defensive end from North Carolina State, Bradley Chubb with the 5th overall pick. Bradley Chubb was a monster in college killing quarterbacks for sacks and stopping the edge run on many speedy running backs. Even though the Broncos already have stud outside end in Von Miller, Bradley Chubb makes that defensive line scary and QB’s should watch out for them two to squash him. The Indianapolis Colts received the 6th overall pick from a trade with the Jets that also gave them 3 second round picks in the next two years.

With that sixth pick, the Colts selected Offensive Lineman Quenton Nelson from Notre Dame. Not a pick the Colts fans wanted, but one they needed. The Colts are a huge question mark for next season because nobody knows how their star quarterback Andrew Luck is going to perform after a year long injury. Drafting Nelson will protect Luck from beefy defensive linemen and will help the run game they didn’t have much of last year. Nelson has a lot of potential of becoming the next Zack Martin which would be great for Indianapolis.

The Buffalo Bills traded up from the 12th overall pick to the 7th in order to draft Josh Allen, the quarterback from Wyoming. Josh Allen put on a show at the combine with throwing 70 yard passes with perfect accuracy. Josh Allen has the build and the ability to become a top quarterback in the next coming years. Multiple times Allen was mentioned as the #1 pick in the draft however, he fell off and the Bills did a great job trading up to get the Wyoming QB.

The Chicago Bears or “Da Bears” got one of the biggest sleepers in the 2018 draft at pick 8 when they drafted  Roquan Smith. Roquan Smith was a linebacker that played for Georgia and in the College Football Playoffs he really showed scouts that he was force to be wreckin with. He put on great performances against the top collegiate football teams including Alabama, who they played in the College Football Championship. In total, Roquan Smith had 237 tackles at Georgia and that stat shows for itself on why Smith was the first linebacker picked in the draft. Also, the Bears an excellent job getting a player for a position they were lacking in.

With the 9th pick, the San Francisco 49ers picked Mike McGlinchey the offensive tackle from Notre Dame. McGlinchey was a similar pick to the Colts meaning it was not a pick the 49er fans wanted, but one they needed. McGlinchey lined up with Quenton Nelson on the Notre Dame offensive line and they both dominated. McGlinchey was needed to protect the new highest paid quarterback and 49ers franchise player, Jimmy Garoppolo. The 6’7, 291 pound tackle should not have a tough time bringing his talent from college to the pros.

At the 10th pick, the Arizona Cardinals felt that someone that should not have been on the board, was still on, so they decided to trade with the Oakland Raiders and do something about it. They traded with the Raiders to draft the QB from UCLA, Josh Rosen. Josh Rosen was a quarterback who was not getting that much love when talking about orders of what quarterbacks are getting taken first. Most of the time, he would be at the bottom of the list, however despite the injuries he had suffered in college, Josh Rosen might be the best quarterback in the draft. In only 30 games in is college football career, Josh Rosen threw for close to 10,000 yards, which is crazy. If Rosen can stay healthy, the Cardinals might have found themselves a franchise quarterback for years to come.  

This draft is regarded as one of the best drafts in recent years when it comes to talent. However, they haven’t played a game in the NFL yet, so no one knows if they truly are what they appeared in college. In the past, there have been plenty of busts that have came out of the early picks of the first round. For example, if one were to ask a non-football fan who JaMarcus Russell is, they would probably not know who that guy is. But when they are asked who Tom Brady, they know exactly who that is. JaMarcus Russell was a first overall pick in the 2007 and Tom Brady was picked in the 6th round in his draft in 2000. One never knows if someone is going to be horrible in the NFL or a future Hall of Famer. Yet, this draft seems very promising towards the future Hall of Famers.