With the first day of the 2016 NFL Draft concluded, there are some winners and losers. Players fall, colleges rejoice as their players are picked, teams wheel and deal, and the fans love it. There is no sport like the NFL. It is a sport that captures so much of America’s attention, even during the long offseason. The fans are the real winners here, so without further ado, let’s see who are the winners and losers from the first day of the draft.
Day One Winners and Losers of the 2016 NFL Draft
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
The biggest mystery in the draft was who the Chargers planned on taking with the third pick of the NFL draft. With analysts 99.9% sure Jared Goff and Carson Wentz would go 1-2 to start the draft, everyone knew the Chargers would get the chance to select any of the non quarterback prospects that were available. They went with defensive end Joey Bosa and the Jaguars breathed a sigh of relief. With it looking like running back Ezekiel Elliott would become a Cowboy (he did), the Jaguars must have been ecstatic that defensive back Jalen Ramsey was going to fall to them. Ramsey could be the best player in this draft after a few years of evaluation, so for him to fall to the Jaguars is amazing and looks a lot like when Khalil Mack fell to the Oakland Raiders in the 2014 NFL Draft. Tremendous luck for the Jaguars, and they still might be able to add top linebacker Myles Jack if he’s available in the second round.
Loser: Myles Jack
For weeks, UCLA linebacker Myles Jack was projected to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fifth pick of the NFL draft. However, with many news reports coming out about the issues with his knee, Jack fell out of the first round and will be looking to hear his name called today. He and Jaylon Smith from Notre Dame are in a very similar situation in the fact that they have immense talent, but their careers might be derailed by injuries. Myles Jack without a doubt is one of the best players in this draft if healthy, but as of now, that’s a big if. It will be interesting how much farther Jack will fall.
Winner: Ohio State Football
Ohio State football had a great day in the first round. They had five total players taken in the first round, with two in the first five picks and three being taken in the top 10. This reflects on their program in a very positive manner, and does a lot for recruiting. Head coach Urban Meyer was even given the chance to deliver a pitch to Chargers president Dean Spanos on defensive end Joey Bosa, which is who the Chargers ended up taking. All of these players deserved to go early, but Meyer has to get some of the credit for talking up his players a good deal.
Loser: Ole Miss Football
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, definitely had an underwhelming first day. Ole Miss had two players in the draft that many considered to have top five talent, but none of their players got taken in the top ten. Defensive end Robert Nkemdiche was already expected to fall in the draft, but left tackle Laremy Tunsil was not, until a video was somehow posted on his Twitter account which showed Tunsil smoking out of a bong gas mask. Tunsil claimed to be hacked, which very likely was the case. Later, his Instagram was hacked as well and controversial texts were posted on there. According to The Clarion-Ledger, the messages were “between Tunsil and John Miller, assistant athletic director for football operations, in which Tunsil asks for money to pay rent and also for his mother’s $305 electric and water bill.” Tunsil admitted all these posts were real, but that the bong gas mask situation was two years ago. The damage was done, and because of what happened, Tunsil lost between $8-12 million by falling out of the top 10 and going to the Dolphins with the 13th pick. It’s an excellent pick for the Dolphins, and Tunsil will very likely play with a chip on his shoulder, which is great news for Miami.
Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss also fell in the draft, and was the fourth wideout taken, when many considered him to be the best wide receiver prospect. It was definitely disappointing for him as well. All three of these players lost money by being drafted later than where they were projected to go, but all three have plenty of talent and should be fueled by what happened to do their best. Ole Miss is the real loser here, as they now have to deal with the situation presented by Tunsil’s texts.
Winner: Cleveland Browns
When is the last time the Browns were considered a winner in the draft? It’s definitely been a long time. Two weeks ago, the Browns had the second pick in the draft, and at the end of the day yesterday, they had turned that pick into the number 15 pick of the first round along with three more top 100 picks this year, a first and second round pick next year, and a third round pick in 2018. All in all, the Browns now have 13 more picks in the draft after using their first rounder on wide receiver Corey Coleman, and can look forward to having two high draft picks in next year’s draft. The Browns management has changed, the head coach has changed and they all value draft picks. They are making the right moves to set themselves up for success, now all they need to do is draft the right players. Good luck to the Browns, they seem to finally be doing the right thing.
Loser: Alabama Football
After winning the national championship, many of their prospects that declared for the draft were projected to be first round picks. But when the smoke cleared and the dust settled, the only Alabama football player chosen in the first round was center Ryan Kelly. The players still left on the board: linebacker Reggie Ragland, running back and 2015 Heisman winner Derrick Henry, and defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed, and Jonathan Allen. Most of these players will likely be taken in the second round today, but the fact remains that this draft is so deep on defensive linemen, that some first round talent were left for the taking in the second. This doesn’t look great for Alabama football, and although they are still a powerhouse, it is probably upsetting to see their top prospects get looked over.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – OCTOBER 4: Defensive Back Jalen Ramsey #8 of the Florida State Seminoles during the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 4, 2014 in Tallahassee, Florida. The #1 ranked Florida State Seminoles defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 43 to 3. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
