Best and Worst of the NFL Draft Day 1
Best Pick of the day: Amari Cooper to the Oakland Raiders.
With Derek Carr showing lots of potential last year, Oakland decided to give him a weapon to throw to in this year’s draft. Amari Cooper is easily going to be the number one wide receiver for this team and I think he has all the makings to be an absolute star. With great speed, big hands, and a knack to make big plays, Amari Cooper will thrive with Derek Carr and expect these two to establish a connection quick and easily.
Worst pick of the day: Arik Armstead to the San Francisco 49ers.
I didn’t understand this pick because at 17, there was a lot of talent left on the board at this time and they went with a guy who was projected for the late first round/ early second. If anything, I really expected for the 49ers to go after a linebacker after losing two of them in the offseason, including their best one in Patrick Willis. Now, the 49ers will have to look in the later rounds to try and find somebody there.
Sleeper pick of the day: DeVante Parker to the Miami Dolphins.
Miami was in desperate need of a wide receiver after losing Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Charles Clay all to free agency. Parker was a great choice at number 14 and with Kevin White and Amari Cooper already off the board, the Dolphins needed to make a big splash at wideout. I think Parker will fit in perfectly with Miami’s system and expect quarterback Ryan Tannehill to look at him a lot in this upcoming season.
Shocking pick of the day: Todd Gurley to the St. Louis Rams.
Now, I’m not saying that this is a bad pick, but it was a pick that I didn’t see fitting. With Tre Mason having a great second half for the Rams and looking like he was their guy going into next season, the Rams go out and pick a running back to replace him. Along with that, Coach Jeff Fisher played around with three running backs last year with Tre Mason, Bennie Cunningham, and Zac Stacy, so throwing Todd Gurley in their now didn’t make much sense to me. But, I really like what Gurley brings to the table and I think he will be a beast in the NFL, so seeing him in this offense will be interesting.
Overall, it was an interesting first day of the NFL draft. I think all the teams made picks that filled big holes in their teams and some were smart, some were questionable, and some had fans shaking their hands. In the end, we still have two more days to go in this draft so expect exciting things to happen!
Main Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
