LogFAQs > #954271491

First Round

Rams OT Dion Dawkins (21st overall) - I am told that he was the 7th ranked prospect in the draft. I had him going 9th in my draft, and there were at least half a dozen teams between there and his actual selection that he would have been my #1 choice. Now he gets to land on a team with a great offense and an OL that has aging starters at OT and depth issues around that will guarantee him plenty of playing time. There's been some recent history of OL falling pretty far in the first round who perform very well right out of the gate. Most of those situations involved the player being a Day 1 starter, so even if that isn't the case here, I'd say history and the situation that he landed in are on his side.

Vikings OLB Jerome Baker (22nd overall) - The Vikings used to have an inconsistent D, but over the past half dozen seasons or so, they've been up there as having one of the better Ds in the league. It's mostly been due to an excellent DL and secondary, but the LBs have started to come into their own. The Vikings have a 33 year old in Zach Brown who used to be a perennial LB of the Year candidate and was twice named Defensive Player of the Year, but he has slowed down some and has made it through all 16 games only once in his career. With Brown being an 83, it seems like a safe bet that Baker's rating will be high enough to trigger a preseason battle. If he wins the job, it could be a big boost to his development as the Vikings have several prominent members of their defense possibly in the final year of their career.

Seahawks HB Aaron Jones (28th overall) - I liked the movement of the Seahawks in Day 1, but if I am going to highlight one of them, it will be the tradeup for Jones. Jones was the second-ranked HB in the draft and maybe 11th or 12th overall, but he kept slipping and was the fourth HB selected because teams in front of him liked the rookie reports on Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette more. The Seahawks gave up their 2nd, 5th, and slot receiver to move back up into the late first to get Jones who right now would be my favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has to hope for the Seahawks to not sign a free agent HB and to beat out Jordan Howard for the starting gig, but with the Seahawks focusing solely on offense in this draft to assist what is usually an already high-powered unit should help him and the team immensely.

Honorable Mention:
Jaguars OT Kolton Miller (5th overall)

Regret Pick - Raiders selecting QB DeShaun Gaines over OT Dion Dawkins

If I am going to give up three future Day 1 picks on draft day to select a particular player, no scenario comes to mind where they player would be a QB. QBs are one of the most volatile performers in the game, and given they don't have the same level of impact as an elite defender, offensive lineman, or running back, this is really a high risk, medium reward kind of situation. Unless Gaines turns out to be the next Sam Keller or Chris Leak, the Raiders aren't going to get anywhere near the return on investment that they made, and when you have one of the league's least talented OL in the league, your mega investment isn't even in a situation to succeed. Dawkins just makes a lot more sense here. Dalton was a borderline Top 10 QB when he played under higher quality offensive lines, so I don't think that he even needs replacing. Just fix what fell into disrepair.
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