Well, believe it or not, we’re at that time of year again. The NFL draft kicked off yesterday with the first round and some interesting moves and choices were made. It’s hard to believe we’re drafting again already, I feel like I did my last draft blog less than a year ago, but that’s just what happens when you get older I guess. Time just flies man. Every NFL season feels shorter and shorter even though they’re longer and longer, and that’s from someone who a fan of the Cowboys and the Browns so that’s saying something. Roger Goodell getting booed when he comes up to the podium, especially the first time at the beginning of the night, is like an annual tradition at this point and it’s always kind of funny to see. The thing is though, I hate to be that guy, but why do we as NFL fans act like we hate Goodell so much? Is it simply the fact that he’s a filthy rich guy who runs the league? I get it, but on the other hand the NFL is the best run American sports organization out there really. It’s the most accessible to mass audiences, even if it’s about to be split across 7 platforms next season, and it’s the most followed and watched of the leagues so he must be doing something right. Enough of my dumb and pointless ramblings over Roger Goodell and viewership numbers, let’s talk a little bit about the draft.
We will start the way I always start in these posts and talk about the Cowboys. They traded up a spot to #11 to ensure they’d get their hands on Caleb Downs, a safety out of Ohio State. I’m not mad at that selection at all, from what I was seeing he was one of the very top-rated safeties coming out of this year’s draft and the Boys need some desperate help still when it comes to pass protection. They did some work already to beef up some of the defensive line positions and that will hopefully alleviate the frustrating problems like not being able to stop the run and not getting after the QB that we were seeing last year, but they still need some help with pass protection. Diggs is gone and Bland cannot be a 1 man show out there. Overshown is a beast as well and can help guard and blitz, so he’ll be a welcome addition when he’s fully healthy next year also. With the next pick they traded down a couple spots to #23 because the Eagles and Steelers were in a bidding war for Makai Lemon, a WR out of USC, and we landed on Malachi Lawrence, a defensive end out of UCF. Again, I’m happy with that pickup as a fan. Already with the additions of Rashan Gary, Quinnen Williams, and Kenny Clark beefing up the line they add in a young, quick monster that has the ability to get after QBs and RBs. Another thing we needed. I wanted the Cowboys to go defense heavy heading into the draft this year because their offense was never the problem last year and thankfully for once the front office saw it the same way. Hopefully this is a good sign heading into the 2026 season but only time will tell.
Next, I’ll run down what the Browns have going on so far for them. The Browns are a sad team to like on many accounts, but they’ve had a lot of exciting draft picks and draft days because of the many, many woes they’ve suffered throughout the last number of seasons. Unfortunately, none of those exciting high first round draft picks ended up panning out for them (besides arguably Baker Mayfield), but draft day tends to be an exciting day for the Browns a lot because of the unfortunate position they find themselves in time and time again. Their first pick with the #9 overall they selected Spencer Fano, a tackle out of Utah. Some people are saying that was maybe a questionable choice because he was like the #3 rated lineman coming into the draft this year, but I think it’s smart. He’s enormous and his numbers in college speak for themselves. Allowing a 1.1% pressure rate last year and adding a strong, young, left tackle, which he is, is a smart move by the Browns. He’s joining Tytus Howard, Zion Johnson, and Elgton Jenkins as new additions to the O-line in hopes to allow more time and protection for a young Shedeur to progress his play in the league. With the 24th pick they selected KC Concepcion, a WR out of Texas A&M. I actually like that pick a lot, Shedeur is going to need a speedy and dynamic young receiver out there. The Browns don’t really have a clear cut WR1, Jeudy is supposed to be that, but he’s never fully clicked the way it’s felt like he should’ve with the Browns. No matter who is QB. He’s had some great plays don’t get me wrong, but never on a consistent level. If this kid can come in and learn the system and develop a good relationship and flow with Shedeur, he could be that guy for the Browns, but time will tell. They double dipped at the WR position today and took Denzel Washington, a big bodied receiver out of Washington in the 2nd round. Don’t know if I would’ve gone 2 receivers back-to-back so high in the draft, but they’re really trying to beef up this offense and make it dynamic, as shown by building up their offensive line and cashing in on receiver weapons.
Elsewhere around the league, Fernando Mendoza, QB out of Indiana, expectedly went 1st overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. He seems like a pretty good guy, I hope he finds some success in the league. Being on the Raiders is a bit of a tough gig in 2026, but he’s got some weapons over there on both sides of the ball and new coaching as well so maybe they can build something around him. David Bailey, Edge out of Texas Tech, went 2nd overall to the Jets. Not much to say there. Not a bad pickup but it almost feels like the Jets are purposely tanking this year before the year even begins. I don’t know man. Jeremiyah Love, RB out of Notre Dame, went 3rd overall to the Cardinals in what wasn’t much of a surprise. He was the top RB prospect coming into the draft this year and was expected to be scooped up early. I think he’ll at least add something dynamic to that offense next year. Carnell Tate, WR out of Ohio State, went 4th to the Titans and that was a bit of a surprise really. He was the 3rd ranked WR prospect coming into the draft and the 1st one off the board. I’m thinking maybe the scouts saw something they liked in him or interviews went well. Either way, Cam Ward desperately needs some solid receiving targets over there and it was smart of them to take a WR with their first pick, I think. Arvelle Reese, LB from Ohio State, went 5th to the Giants. The Giants kind of worry me next year a little bit as a Cowboys fan, not going to lie. That defense already has some stacked players, Harbaugh head coaching now, Dart, Skatteboo, and Nabers all in the lineup healthy together next year. I don’t know, I’m not saying anything too early, but it feels like they’re trying to really make some moves. Unlike the other NY team. The Chiefs traded up and got Mansoor Delane, CB out of LSU, at the 6th pick. People were dumping on that pick but honestly, I don’t think it’s a bad choice. If anything, they probably wanted to add to that defense, especially after losing their star CB Trent McDuffie to the Rams this offseason. Mansoor was the top CB prospect in the draft this year and they’re going to hope to fill him into the McDuffie sort of position for a fraction of the overall cost. Not sure if it’ll work that way because McDuffie is a special talent, but still I understood the logic in that choice by KC.
That’s at least most of the top picks in this year’s draft. The Rams took Ty Simpson, QB out of Alabama, with the #13 pick in what was a bit of a shocker. Not that the Rams won’t need a QB in the next few years and this gives him hopefully a season or 2 to develop under Stafford, but that’s the thing. You still have Stafford and yes, he may be aging but he’s playing arguably better than he ever has up to this point and is coming off his 2025 MVP season. I don’t know, like I said I get wanting a QB to sit under the learning tree, but it does feel like a bit of a weird grab with your first overall pick in the draft this season. Another QB wasn’t selected until 4th year senior, or whatever the hell he is at this point, Carson Beck was selected by the Cardinals with the 1st pick in the 3rd round. This wasn’t a very big draft for QBs and really one of the less sought-after drafts when it came to position players overall, but you never really know when it comes to the draft anyways. Many of times unknown players plucked in later rounds of the draft turn out to be superstars and picks that fans of a team are upset about end up being exactly what the team needed, so only time will tell as things shake out over the next couple years. Plenty of teams still did get pieces they needed heading into next year, hopefully the Cowboys and the Browns included. A number of teams didn’t even have a pick in the first round of the draft this year. The 49ers, Broncos, Packers, Bills, Bengals, Jags, Colts, and Falcons all walked away empty handed after the 1st round of the draft this year. That would make me a bit nervous as a fan of a number of those teams because they’re not necessarily a batch of the very top contenders but again, time will tell. You truly never know what will happen heading into any given NFL season and that’s what makes this sport truly one of the most exciting.
That’ll just about do it for this one though folks! Make sure to like the page on social media or bookmark the website and come back often to see my new weekly posts over WWE, NFL, horror films (both new & classic), and sometimes even more! Thank you very much for the read and until next time, be good to one another!
