LAS VEGAS –
In an NFL draft focused on blocks from the start, it was the assistants (wide receivers) who stole the spotlight Thursday night.
Not just prospects, either.
Yes, the top five picks came on the defensive side of the ball, including edge rushers Travon Walker from national champion Georgia to Jacksonville and Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson to Detroit at Nos. 1 and 2. It was the first time in 31 years that he hadn’t The player on offense entered the top five picks.
So naturally, the next five options were offensive. And those kept coming: up to number 12.
And the theme throughout the top 20 picks was getting players who could catch the ball, including Philadelphia getting standout AJ Brown from the Titans, and Arizona getting veteran Marquise Brown from the Ravens.
“The more playmakers we can have, the better,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said.
In all, six of the 18 starting picks were wide receivers, starting with Southern California’s Drake London at No. 8 all the way to Atlanta. He will team with tight end Kyle Pitts, the Falcons’ first-round pick in 2021, in a rebuilding attack.
“I mean it’s just two big guys on the perimeter,” London said. “…Obviously, I have to earn my stripes to go out on the field with him.”
There were no quarterbacks until the 20th, when Pitt’s Kenny Pickett discovered he could simply move elsewhere in the practice facility by joining the Steelers and perhaps becoming Ben Roethlisberger’s successor.
But this is a draft rich in linemen and defensive backs, as well as wide receivers.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Walker, who has some staples in his game but an extremely high ceiling for his skills, joins former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the Jaguars’ second-straight overall pick. .
“I’m definitely up for it, being the No. 1 pick,” Walker said. “I have to say there’s a lot of expectation behind that, but it’s just the game of football for me.”
Walker was a one-year starter whose production (13 tackles for loss and 9 1/2 sacks) isn’t obvious because he was part of a deep rotation at Georgia. His level of talent certainly impressed the Jaguars, the worst team in the NFL the past two years.
“He’s a fan of athletics,” Georgia defensive coordinator Will Muschamp told The Associated Press. “I swear to God he could line up at middle linebacker and be fine. He would take it as No. 1 and not even bat an eye.”
The Jaguars didn’t blink.
Commissioner Roger Goodell began the process by estimating that there were more than 100,000 fans in attendance at the theater built specifically for the draft. Walker was not in Vegas.
Hutchinson, a sacking master whose consistency and relentlessness helped the Wolverines to their first ever college football playoff, is staying home as a pro. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound player whose father Chris was a star player at Michigan in the 1990s was a Heisman Trophy runner-up last season.
“I always wanted to be in Detroit. I am grateful to be a Lion,” he said.
Cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner were next, against the Texans and Jets, respectively.
LSU’s Stingley is the grandson of former Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley, who was paralyzed in a 1978 preseason game. Cincinnati’s Gardner was a major reason the Bearcats entered the football playoff college last season. He wore a cheeky jeweled necklace that proclaimed his nickname, and even a chain accessorized with a jeweled gravy bottle.
“I know I’m going to be a great teammate and I’m going to be a sponge, someone who can take information from everyone and not feel like I’m too good for anyone,” Gardner said. “Just being a hard worker.”
The defensive run concluded with Oregon rim running back Kayvon Thibodeaux to the New York Giants.
“I am in this nirvana. I am at peace,” she said, noting that Hall of Famer Michael Strahan has been a mentor. “It’s hold on or shut up.”
When teams got to the other side of the ball, they couldn’t stop. It started with North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu to Carolina and Alabama tackle Evan Neal to the Giants. Both teams are needed, to say the least, up front.
“It feels good legacy-wise,” Ekwonu said. “You know, I cemented myself in the history of this draft class. I know this class is going to be special.”
She loved the idea of staying in Carolina.
“My mom cried the moment I picked up the phone,” Ekwonu said. “Honestly, it was kind of surreal. Growing up a Panthers fan and being able to play on a team you grew up a fan of is almost like a movie. It’s crazy.”
Seattle opted for tackle Charles Cross from Mississippi State at No. 9. Then came three more receivers: Garrett Wilson from Ohio State to the Jets and varsity teammate Chris Olave to New Orleans, who traded Washington for No. 11. ; and Alabama’s Jameson Williams, coming off a serious knee injury, to Detroit, which was promoted in a deal with division rival Minnesota.
Another Georgia standout, defensive tackle Jordan Davis, was snapped up by Philadelphia at age 13 after another trade, bringing things back to the defensive end. Later, Bulldogs linebacker Quay Walker went to Green Bay, as did teammate Devante Wyatt. It’s the first time four players from the same defense have left so soon. And it became five when Minnesota wrapped up the fast-paced first round by getting Georgia safety Lewis Cine.
The Jets got three players when they returned to the first round to get the 26th spot from Tennessee once they saw Florida State running back Jermaine Johnson slide. Johnson had previously been to Georgia.
Penn State’s Jahan Dotson joined the receiving parade, going to Washington at No. 16, then the Titans added Arkansas WR Treylon Burks with the pick acquired by AJ Brown.
“I think it’s a really valuable position,” Wilson said. “And I think the league is starting to show that in drafts and in the offseason. Being a receiver, I love to watch it. You see people like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams, I mean, those people, they switch offenses. You know, Ja’Marr Chase, they change offenses, and I’m happy that receivers are starting to get that love.”
While the quarterbacks entered the top three spots of 2021, some thought none would make it to the first round this year. But Pickett fell to the Steelers, which certainly seems like a comfortable option for both player and team.
Pickett returned for a fifth season and that decision certainly paid off. He led Pitt to his first ACC title.
Right after Pickett was, uh, drafted, two players who were projected by many to be second-round players were drafted: Quay Walker and tackle Tyler Smith to Tulsa. So the Packers didn’t get an offensive helper for league MVP Aaron Rodgers on Thursday, but the Cowboys did address a fading offensive line.
AFC champion Cincinnati landed Michigan safety Dax Hill before Minnesota kept the Georgia connection by taking Cine.
It’s no wonder the Bulldogs won the national championship.
Reference-www.ctvnews.ca