NFL Draft Complete - Recaps out!

The last couple of days have been a rocky ride, but Kliff Kingsbury finally has his guy. Kyler Murray officially becomes the first ever player to be selected in RD1 of the NFL and MLB Drafts. Murray combined 4,361 yards and 42 TDs through the air with 1,001 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. Murray's unique dual-threat skill set makes him a perfect fit in Kingsbury's Air Raid offense. Taking QBs in RD1 of back-to-back drafts is an unprecedented move, but adding Murray officially puts the Cardinals all-in on Kingsbury's offensive approach.

Grade: A

No surprises here. With Kyler Murray going number one and no trade offer strong enough to pull them out of the second-overall pick, the Niners address their biggest need with the best of what could be a historic class of pass rushers.

Nick Bosa is a ready-made havoc wreaker that finishes San Francisco's powerful pass rush triumvirate which already includes Dee Ford and DeForest Buckner. If the 49ers can keep all three healthy, they are guaranteed to give opposing offenses fits in 2019 and beyond.

Nick's selection also solidifies the Bosa's as the only family besides the Manning's to have a father and two sons drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Grade: A

Jet fans get rewarded for sitting through a shocking 2018 season with the addition of Alabama standout, Quinnen Williams with the 3rd pick of the Draft. Williams made a big impression with his new teammates during his Pre-Draft visit and with the talent he possesses (19.5 TFL and 8 Sacks in 2018), could be a real force on the Line, in a Greg Williams Defense. While a good pick, it doesn't really fill a need. Jets GM Mike Maccagnan is well known for his BPA approach, so it's not a huge surprise, but I can't help feel that Leonard Williams may become surplus to requirements because of this pick. It's somewhat of a lateral move rather than taking a guy like Josh Allen, where the upgrade to the OLB position would have been bigger.

-Rich Tinley, Jets analyst.

Grade: A-

Well, that was unexpected. Ferrell was often projected here in the process as a talented prosect and outstanding fit for this defense. However, questions about his ceiling pushed him down the board --with some projecting that he would be available at #24 or even #27. The Clemson product was highly productive and a part of a phenomenal, winning program. There is a lot to like about how he fits this team and how he could bolster the locker room. That said, the label "reach" will be attached to this pick until/unless he performs at a higher-than-expected level on the field.

My thought was that Oakland would take Ed Oliver with the way the Draft unfolded, but Jon Gruden opted to draft for need, and, feeling Josh Allen is more of a 3-4 type off the edge, went with Ferrell. This should free up the Raiders to draft best available with their other Day One selections, but drafting to fill holes instead of adding talent is not usually a recipe for winning the Draft. I believe Ferrell will be a solid player in the NFL and is the best pass rusher on this team already. But, was he worth the 4th pick?

Grade: C

Tampa had to be hoping that a trade would happen in the top-four picks to ensure that either Quinnen Williams or Josh Allen fell to this pick, but instead they got a gift from their old buddy Jon Gruden, when they inexplicably reached for Clelin Ferrell. However, it appears the Bucs sold themselves on White from LSU. I like the pick, but thought for sure that Allen was their guy. Still, they are getting a player that can make plays from sideline to sideline ~Austin Smith, Senior DraftTek Analyst

Grade: B+

Leading into the Draft, the Giants were blessed with multiple options. Despite them all, as tantalizing as some may have been, the biggest question that always hovered over East Rutherford was if Giants were going to take a quarterback. GM Dave Gettleman preached he would not panic, would not force the pick and kept his cards close to the vest.

. The drafttek.com Big Board told us there was premium defensive players the depleted Giants could value and need.

. The way this draft fell, Gettleman and the Giants opted for Daniel Jones, a QB they obviously had ranked a top their QB list. I think this was a huge reach here with Josh Allen from Kentucky staring them right in the face.

Grade D

Woah!!! I did not see this coming! Josh Allen is one of the blue-chip defensive talents in this draft, and I thought he'd be gone by #4. Certainly #6 to the Giants. Well, sometimes you get lucky and a top prospect falls. For all the hype I'm spewing, I better back it up. Allen is very athletic, and is newer to football. He is still learning, which means his floor may be a bit lower than someone like Nick Bosa, but because of his athleticism and work ethic, he has just as high of a ceiling. Despite being newer, he was very productive, and put together plenty of splash plays. Celebrate this one!

Grade: A

They actually did it. They went with the TE from Iowa, T.J. Hockenson. After weeks of speculation and analysts citing Hockenson being a popular pick for the Lions, they actually did it. It is hard to fathom the thought process behind this selection, but Bob Quinn has been quoted towards critics of this speculation by saying, "In all due respect to the fans out there, I can't listen to that or else I'd drive myself crazy". Well, Bob, 3 TEs in the first round in the last 10 years is driving Lions' fans crazy. I'm still in utter shock over this selection, but the rational part of my brain tells me Hockenson could end up being a solid pro, but the question is ultimately, was it worth it? With all of the defensive talent on the board, namely Ed Oliver, Greedy Williams, Montez Sweat, Brian Burns, Devin Bush, and Rashan Gary (just to name a few), it's hard to come to terms that they actually did it. Is it a position of immediate need? Not necessarily.

Grade: C+

Ed Oliver leads all draftable iDL in two stats, Sacks per Game Played (Career) and Tackles For Loss Per Game Played (Career), and it's not even close. His 1.66 tackles for loss in his 32 games crushes Quinnen Williams's 1.08 and Daniel Wise's 1.07 rates among Day 1 and Day 2 defensive linemen.

Why are these stats so important? Kyle Williams' pressure up the middle was helpful, but Buffalo still was 6th-worst in sacks in 2018 with 36, despite being effective on the back end in passes defended and yards per pass attempt. Oliver's quick get-off, lateral agility, and strength have been compared to Warren Sapp's, and his work ethic and hustle will take that DL room up a notch.

Grade: A+

The Steelers sent everybody but the groundkeeper to Ann Arbor to check out Devin Bush's Pro Day. Here in the first they are similarly all in. Having used Free Agency to address the obvious holes in the roster, the team burns their second-round pick to move ahead of the Bengals to snag a special player.

The Steelers have needed a new run-and-hit "Mack" inside linebacker since the injury to Ryan Shazier. Bush is an unreal physical talent whose Combine performance earned him a 142.9 pSPARQ score, best among ILBs. Like many recent RD1 picks by the Steelers, Bush is an underclassman from a big-time program with multiple years of starting experience. Beyond Bush, there is a significant drop-off to the next tier of player. The Steelers were not willing to risk losing out on top talent again.

Grade: A

The Cincinnati front office has determined that Andy Dalton is their man moving forward, and I am not sure if the fanbase agrees. I'll tell you who better agree, and that's A.J. Green who is a free agent after this season. Take nothing against Jonah Williams, who lives football and will be a great addition to that offensive line. It took them 16 years to get rid of Marvin Lewis. For the fans' sake, I hope it doesn't take that long with Dalton. ~Austin Smith, Senior DraftTek Analyst

Grade: B+

Rashan Gary is an athletic freak that DC Mike Pettine should be able to deploy all over the front seven. Gary posted a 4.58 forty, 38" vertical, 120" broad, and 26 bench reps after measuring in at 6'4" and 277 lbs. Gary was the top recruit in his HS class, but the production at Michigan was a little underwhelming. Gary registered only 9.5 sacks in three seasons in Ann Arbor and disappeared for long stretches of games. Gary has all of the tools if the proper coaching can bring the on-field production. Gary is a classic boom-or-bust prospect, which is a scary possibility for a team that isn't used to drafting in the top half of RD1 very often.

Grade: C+

It's tough for me to fathom Miami passing on both Haskins and Lock, but I guess I am much higher on them than the NFL general managers. I love the Wilkins pick, but with a chance to get a quarterback, I'm left a bit underwhelmed. This is obviously one of the least-talented rosters in the NFL, so I give them credit for sticking to their board. It may turn out be a franchise-altering decision. In Wilkins, they are getting an infectious personality that will instantly be a presence in that locker room. He has one of the top motors in this draft, and you just don't bet against guys like this.

~ Austin Smith, Senior DraftTek Analyst

Grade: B+

Well, that was a surprise. With premier OT and edge rushers still on the board, Atlanta opted to address the same position they addressed in Free Agency: Guard. Lindstrom is a very athletic guard who figures to provide both protection for Matt Ryan and second-level blocks in the run game. Guard was on no one's "needs" list for Atlanta, but Arthur Blank did say that the priority in the draft was to protect Matt Ryan. There is at least some chance that Lindstrom might move back to Right Tackle. If he doesn't, he's still a very safe pick to come in and play at a high level for years. They rushed to the podium with this pick, so this might be the player Dimitroff said he'd decided on days ago.

Grade: B

Diana Russini reported all day Wednesday and Thursday that the Redskins would trade up into the top 5 to select Dwayne Haskins. As Redskin faithful collectively cringed at the thought, most rational fans realized that there was likely no reason for the team to trade up for the Ohio State signal-caller, and that Russini was being manipulated. Those insightful fans were spot-on. Haskins dropped because of worries about his lack of starting experience, but he has all the tools and moxie to be a very good NFL quarterback.

I would have given the Haskins selection a solid F- if the Redskins traded up into the top 5 to select him, but it's hard to argue with the pick here. The team was patient and allowed their future franchise to fall to them. With a $41M quarterback that will likely never play again and two 30+ year-old journeymen as the only other to QBs on the roster, a quarterback was a necessity at 15. It isn't my favorite pick, but the value can't be argued with.

Grade: B+

- Kennedy Paynter, Draft Analyst (@Kennedy_Paynter on Twitter)

It's hard to imagine the last time a speed rusher for the Carolina Panthers had this much potential! Brian Burns is an exceptional athlete with top-tier length and perhaps the best bend of all of the Defensive End prospects in this draft.

He will still need to put on some weight so he can set a strong physical edge with his hand in the dirt, but overall, Brian Burns has incredible upside and will fit seamlessly with Ron Rivera's plans to incorporate more 3-4 defensive fronts in 2019! - Cody Lachney, Panthers Analyst

Grade: A