Through day two, quick reaction analysis from Ross...
WINNERS:
Buffalo Bills
I don’t know that the Bills got any outright stars from this draft, but all three players are useful and give their defense an immediate boost for a Superbowl run. Hairston starts on the outside day one. Sanders is an upside pass rusher at defensive tackle. And Jackson is a good run stuffer with hope he can turn into something approximating Greg Rousseau.
Houston Texans
Houston needed receivers and boy did they get them, reuniting Higgins and Noel, two of the more athletic receivers in this draft. They also added the very athletic Ersery who has a very high ceiling if he can fix some raw technique. They had two big needs, and they addressed them with good players. It really is that simple sometimes.
Detroit Lions
The media is going to tell you the Lions reached on two of their picks, Williams and TeSlaa, but I love this group. They went and got their guys and all of them are very solid role players. Nobody is going to remember where guys were picked if they work out.
LOSERS:
Green Bay Packers
I don’t understand this Packers draft at all. Normally they are so disciplined and follow a strict set of principles to find good players, but this looks like they went to the New York Jets school of drafting and just started chunking random players at “positions of need” into the basket. They already had a loaded WR corps and they just drafted two of the more overrated receivers in this class. Golden is fine but no better than guys that went several rounds later and as athletic as Savion is he can’t catch. Are the Packers suddenly going to run a creative package for him? I doubt it. Belton is a gigantic, heavy-footed blocker that’s completely the opposite of what the Packers normally pick. The team lost a ton of ground on Minnesota and Detroit.
Cincinnati Bengals
Typical Bengals. They have been one of the worst drafting teams for a long time, and that trend held true again. Other than lucking into Joe Burrow they have been consistently bad for a long time because their talent identification people are terrible. Stewart needs a ton of work and Fairchild was a big reach with better linemen still on the board. Knight is fine but mostly a run stuffer.
Tennessee Titans
The media will automatically crown them winners because they had the #1 pick and took a popular QB, but in the big picture I have my doubts about how good Ward really is, and he’s not getting any help from the group that’s in power now. He still has nobody to throw to and they are busy taking an edge rusher that’s been playing the edge for about half a season after converting from off-ball linebacker and a developmental safety. Way to help the massive investment you just made at QB. I would say they would have been better off trading the #1 pick to the Giants for a basket of three first round picks, but this front office would absolutely have blown all those picks anyways.
