Let’s chat about some on-brand draft picks last night…we saw a few of them…certain teams just tend to draft a certain way…sometimes predictable, sometimes highly effective…other times, on brand can be a bad thing…Chic-Fil-a closing on Sunday, very much on brand. Wendy’s serving breakfast…not on brand…Kanye West stealing the mic from Taylor Swift several years ago…on brand…Apple comes out with a new device and now I need to buy a new charger, pretty much on brand. You get the point. Sometimes people, teams, companies do things that make you say: “Oh, yeah. That’s so them.”
Here’s my list of the most “on-brand” draft picks:
-Raiders (BAD): Henry Ruggs @ 12 was the first WR off the board. It was like the ghost of Al Davis made this pick. Ruggs is fast, but speed doesn’t make him more dynamic than Jeudy and Lamb. Plus, their 2nd top 20 pick Damon Arnette (20), who most draft analysts say was a reach at best. 2 picks, both have the general consensus of a reach. Very Raiders.
-Cowboys (GOOD): CeeDee Lamb was the final premiere talent to be drafted last night, I don’t think anyone, including the Cowboys thought he’d drop to 17. That’s why they scooped him up and it was very on-brand. Jerry Jones loves elite talent and they got themselves another one, even if it didn’t fill a need.
-Jaguars (GOOD): Believe it or not, the Jags stayed on brand, and I think it was a good thing. They’ve actually done a great job over the years bringing in elite defensive talent. CJ Henderson and Chaisson are exactly that. Henderson is a polished corner, Chaisson has freaky burst and athleticism off the edge. Not saying they’re going to be Ramsey and Ngakoue, but its as close as they were going to get in this draft.
-Chargers (GOOD): The Chargers love them some big/physical defensive players. Derwin James, Casey Hayward, Linval Joseph, Joey Bosa…now they have another in Kenneth Murray.
-Patriots (INDIFFERENT): The Pats way has worked for them for a long, long time. That fact makes it difficult to criticize, but they need talent, and I’m not sure this was the year to move back. But, either way, very on brand. The Pats have traded back more than any team in the league over the last decade.
-Ravens (GOOD): If I told you, I have a defensive player, he’s undersized, but has a ton of heart, fire, and flies around the field…where would you guess he plays? Baltimore would be a rock solid guess. Patrick Queen is all of those things.
-Seahawks (INDIFFERENT): A defensive player I’ve never heard of? (Jordyn Brooks), I’m sure he’ll be a pro bowler since the Seahawks took him.
-Packers (BAD): What did Rodgers expect?! This is exactly what they did when they acquired Rodgers @ 24 in the 2005 draft, they didn’t need a QB, just like they didn’t need one this year. Maybe the most on brand pick in the first round.