Todd McShay's Round 1 NFL draft awards

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Todd McShay's Round 1 NFL draft awards
Todd McShay
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It was a wild Thursday night, with Baker Mayfield going No. 1 to the Cleveland Browns. And we were just getting started.With Round 1 of the 2018 NFL draft in the books, let's run through some of the best picks of the night, the biggest surprises, my favorite team/player fits and the team that stole the show on the first day.Here are my Round 1 awards.

[h=2]Favorite landing spots[/h]
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[h=2]Indianapolis Colts[/h]
Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame (pick No. 6)
Quarterback Andrew Luck missed all of last season with a shoulder injury and hasn't had a strong offensive line in his Indianapolis career. More help is needed, but Nelson was my third-ranked overall player, so getting him at No. 6 is a good value. He's a rock-solid prospect and a plug-and-play starter.
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[h=2]New York Jets[/h]
Sam Darnold, QB, USC (pick No. 3)The Jets had to like at least three of the quarterbacks in this class to trade up from No. 6 to No. 3. I was told Darnold was their top choice if he was there, and they had to be ecstatic the Browns (and Giants) passed on him. Darnold is the youngest quarterback in the first round, and he's been my favorite QB throughout the process. He's a magician in the pocket and has the even-keeled demeanor to succeed in New York, a good mentor in Josh McCown, and a great offensive coordinator in Jeremy Bates. The Jets are 31st in passer rating since 2009. This is a home run pick for the Jets.

[h=2]Biggest steals[/h]
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[h=2]Denver Broncos[/h]
Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State (pick No. 5)This was a dream scenario for the Broncos, with two quarterbacks going in the top four and the Browns surprising many with the Denzel Ward selection. At that point, Chubb was too good to pass up; if he wasn't there, maybe Denver trades down to 12 with Buffalo. My second-highest-ranked player overall, Chubb is the most complete defensive player in the draft. He'll be a terror for opposing offenses, rushing the passer with Von Miller and Shane Ray.
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[h=2]Los Angeles Chargers[/h]
Derwin James, S, Florida State (pick no. 17)I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it's not often that a player ranked seventh on my board is available at 17. James is a terrific fit on the back end of an already excellent Los Angeles pass defense, and he is one of the most versatile players we've ever evaluated. Love this pick.
[h=2]Best overall first round[/h]
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[h=2]Baltimore Ravens[/h]
Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina, and Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (picks No. 25 and 32)This was classic Ozzie Newsome. Few, if any, GMs have managed the NFL draft better than Newsome the past two decades, and he was in prime form again throughout the night. Baltimore traded back twice (from 16 to 22 to 25), picked up an extra third- and fourth-rounder and still got a great player in Hurst. Then Newsome used one of those picks and a couple of others to move back up and land a potential franchise quarterback in Jackson, who can sit and learn behind Joe Flacco. Remember that Ravens assistant head coach Greg Roman was the 49ers' run game coordinator when they had success with Colin Kaepernick.Honorable mention:
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Buffalo BillsThe Bills just snapped the longest playoff drought in the NFL, and I love how they kept their foot on the pedal throughout Round 1. I loved their aggressiveness in the first round, moving up from 12 to 7 to grab quarterback Josh Allen and then again from 22 to 16 to get linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, whom I had ranked 12th. Those picks hit two of their top three needs (offensive guard being the other).
[h=2]Biggest surprise[/h]
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[h=2]Cleveland Browns[/h]
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma (pick No. 1)History tells us that drafting quarterbacks in the first round is less than a 40 percent proposition. I love a lot about Mayfield, including his accuracy, football intelligence, instincts and unique energy. I was just surprised by the pick based off my evaluation of Darnold.
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[h=2]New Orleans Saints[/h]
Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA (pick no. 14)
Look, Davenport is clearly the second-best pass-rusher in this class behind Chubb, and edge rusher was my second-biggest need for the Saints, but he's still raw and needs to learn some secondary pass-rushing moves. Trading all the way up from 27 to 14 and giving up next year's first-round pick is a heavy price. But the Saints have earned a ton of credit after last year's epic draft haul. ... I was just surprised to see such a jump for a bit of a developmental prospect. If developed properly, though, New Orleans will have the next Ezekiel Ansah.
[h=2]Biggest reach[/h]
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[h=2]Pittsburgh Steelers[/h]
Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech (pick No. 28)Edmunds is a terrific athlete and will help Pittsburgh's back end, but he's my 84th-ranked player. He ran a 4.47-second 40 and had a 41-inch vertical, but I'm concerned he's a better tester right now than football player. This was a little early for him to go.
 
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Todd mcshay doesn't know shit
 

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History tells us that drafting quarterbacks in the first round is less than a 40 percent proposition. I love a lot about Mayfield, including his accuracy, football intelligence, instincts and unique energy. I was just surprised by the pick based off my evaluation of Darnold.


One has to wonder if that takes into account how many are taken by horrible teams.
 

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