Random Thoughts: post NFL Draft

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

The latest installment of Random Thoughts centers solely around the recent NFL Draft – draft grades, Shedeur Sanders, Arch Manning, Kyle McCord and Will Howard, and Travis Hunter.

Draft grades

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the NFL Draft. It’s fun to read the post-draft grades that national media outlets give each team. Of course, the true grade can’t be made for at least two or three seasons, but it’s still fun to read what others have to say. Everyone’s a GM this time of the year.

Shedeur Sanders

The drop of Shedeur Sanders certainly made for good television.

It was expected the Colorado quarterback would go in the first round, perhaps as high as No. 2 to Cleveland. He didn’t get picked in the first round, or second third or fourth rounds. He did wind up in Cleveland, after the Browns traded up to get him in the fifth round.

As it turns out, he was probably overhyped. That’s not to say he’s not good or won’t be good at the pro level. I think a lot of teams shied away because of his father, Deion Sanders, who can be quite vocal and has a thing for cameras. That’s not to say he’s a bad guy or anything like that, but a lot of coaches don’t want to deal with a sideshow, especially coaches and general managers who are already on thin ice.

If you look at Cleveland’s quarterback situation – Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett aren’t long term solutions. Dillon Gabriel looks to be a career backup, which makes his third round selection even more baffling, which means Sanders will likely be starting at some point this season.

Quinn Ewers

As far as Sanders dropped, the fall of Quinn Ewers was even worse.

Here’s a guy that was hyped as the top recruit coming out of high school just four years ago. We all know his story – he came to Ohio State for one year for the NIL money, then transferred to Texas. He could have played one more year at Texas or entered the transfer portal and played somewhere else and picked up big money. Instead, he entered the NFL Draft and slid to the seventh round before he was finally picked up by the Dolphins. It seemed hardly anyone talked about it which was odd, because he was so highly hyped. He could be in a good situation in Miami, but time will tell.

Arch Manning

A lot of draft experts and fans have already tabbed Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft. He very well may be but there are two things to keep in mind. First, he’ll have college eligibility left after the upcoming season and could go back to school. Second, it seems a little odd to me that he’s so highly regarded, yet he couldn’t take the starting job from Ewers, who had a good but not great college career.

If he goes gangbusters this fall, he’ll likely be the No. 1 pick, but what if he’s good, but not great?

Kyle McCord and Will Howard

Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, who left Columbus for Syracuse, was drafted by Philadelphia in the sixth round, a few spots ahead of his replacement, Will Howard. It could be a win-win for both.

McCord is going into a great situation. He’s going home (he’s from Philadelphia) and he’ll have a chance to learn and development from a great coaching staff and incumbent quarterback Jalen Hurts. Everyone loves a backup quarterback.

Howard, who led Ohio State to the national championship, is going into a situation where he may be a starter at some point in the season, depending on what Aaron Rodgers does or doesn’t do. I’m a little surprised Howard lasted as long as he did. He seemed like a lock to go in the fourth round. Obviously, he had a great playoff run for Ohio State but I wonder if NFL teams couldn’t get past the regular season. Yes, he had a very productive season for Ohio State but think back to the one or two bad decisions he seemed to make in nearly every regular season game. If he can eliminate those types of mistakes, he could be an absolute steal by the Steelers.

Travis Hunter

Not that it matters much but I wasn’t nearly as high on Travis Hunter as others. Why not? What is he? Is he a wide receiver or a cornerback? Face it, he won’t be able to play both ways full time in the NFL unless he’s planning on a career of two or three years. Sure, he may play full time one way and a few snaps the other other way, but there’s a reason the NFL hasn’t had a two-way player in many decades.

If he’s a wide receiver, was he really the top one in the draft? If he’s a cornerback, was he the best one in the draft? You can make an argument for yes or no to either question, but it seems a lot of people bought into the two-way hype.

As far as the trade that landed him in Jacksonville, great! The Jaguars got the guy they wanted and the Browns moved down three spots, added a second round pick this year and Jacksonville’s first round pick next year. That’s a big haul, especially if the Browns made/make the right selections with those picks.

As always, if you have thoughts or comments on any of the above subjects, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com.