Outkick
Who’s winning? And who isn’t?
That’s always the bottom line in all sports and particularly America’s favorite sport because, dang it, Americans are all about winning. It’s important.
It’s so important that even in events such as the NFL draft we want to know who’s winning and who isn’t, despite the fact nobody’s keeping score.
So where are we in the NFL’s grand off-field chase for on-field success? Who is winning the draft so far? And who needs to rally on the final day Saturdday because, well, they’re losing?
Let’s consider:
Winning:
The Washington Commanders: They added five players on Friday and it’s not outrageous to believe maybe three of them will be playing as much as starters by season’s end.
DT Jer’Zhan Newton is a force for the interior line. Multiple teams graded him as a first-round talent despite their injury concerns. Slot cornerback Mike Sainristill had six interceptions and forced two fumbles for Michigan last year, so he’s a turnover machine, and because he plays slot, he’ll be on the field maybe 65 percent of the time.
If TCU offensive lineman Brandon Coleman can start immediately, Washington’s work on Friday will definitely be considered stellar. He has to overcome inconsistencies to do that, however.
New general manager Adam Peters has simply added a physical nature to the Commanders that other teams will respect.
Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Harbaugh is remaking this team in his image, which means they’ll be tough, play smart and show discipline.
The addition of Ladd McConkey in the second round does that, get this, at the receiver position. McConkey is one of the draft’s most efficient and effective route runners.
The addition of Michigan linebacker Junior Colson gives the Chargers a physical, downhill tackling machine who will know Harbaugh’s expectations and be at the heart of the defense immediately.
The Chargers lost a lot of games late under previous coach Brandon Staley. Perhaps a lack of will had something to do with that. The Chargers are adding players that bring a refuse-to-lose mentality to the game.
Eagles: The Eagles gave up the second-most passing yards per game in the league last season and allowed the second-most TD passes (35). They also had the fourth-worst passer rating allowed as a defense at 97.6. All of this points an accusatory finger at the secondary and pass rush.
So general manager Howie Roseman got himself the draft’s most impressive cornerback in Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, but smartly followed that with the addition of Cooper DeJean in the second round.
DeJean was graded as a first-round talent by a handful of teams. Suddenly, the Eagles are in great shape if Darius Slay and James Bradberry continue their struggles of 2023.
Losing:
49ers: This is about team’s inability to move on from either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel the first two days of this draft.
The 49ers, you see, are in win-now mode. There’s only so much time they have before they have to pay quarterback Brock Purdy. And in the meantime, they need to maximize their salary cap and roster.
That’s the reason they explored trading Aiyuk or Samuel on Thursday and Friday, so a team in win-now mode could get a return on any trade this draft.
But the 49ers couldn’t get a first-rounder for Aiyuk or a second-rounder for Samuel this draft. So they retain both for now.
And what if they decide to move on from either player before training camp? That’s fine, but it gets them no draft capital back this year to help them win in the 2024 season.
It doesn’t end there. If the Niners contend they always intended to keep Aiyuk and Samuel, then why draft receiver Ricky Pearsall? Why not use that premium spot to address a position of need such as right tackle?
Falcons: I don’t want to pick on them after the Michael Penix Jr. episode that was handled very, very poorly. But this stuff is their doing.
After using their first-round draft pick on a quarterback who may not play for a couple of years, the Falcons used their second- and third-round picks to shore up their defensive line.
Except the Falcons don’t seem to have a vision for what a Falcon should be. They selected Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round, and he’s a supremely talented but raw young man who shows flashes but also suffers inconsistency.
This selection practically screams the Falcons should have picked a defensive lineman at No. 8 instead of Penix.
Third-round pick Bralen Tice couldn’t be more unlike Orhorhoro. He’s an edge rusher who comes with experience (in college) and some polish. But he lacks the untapped talent that can be developed. He is where he’s likely going to be – and that’s a solid-to-good college edge rusher.
So the philosophy behind Atlanta’s two picks Friday couldn’t seem any more unlike one another.
Raiders: The addition of Brock Bowers is great value at No. 13 overall if you’re picking in a vacuum. The issue here is the Raiders used a second-round pick (35th overall) on tight end Michael Mayer last year.
And, I get it, they’re different type of players. But unless the Raiders are going to use Bowers as a slot, the selection is redundant. And it pays a steep price for what is not a cornerstone position. That was Thursday.
Friday, the Raiders went shopping for offensive line help from OG-C Jackson Powers-Johnson and OG-OT Delmar Glaze. Let’s assume both these picks turn out great.
Who are they pass protecting for? Who are they run-blocking for?
The Raiders have a backfield problem in that they seem to think maybe Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are going to be good at QB, while Zamir White can be as good as the departed Josh Jacobs.
Neither of those are true.
The Raiders have to make a Hail Mary type pick at QB this draft and they need running back help, too.
But all is not lost. They have a lot of draft capital sunk into the tight end position.
