NFL Draft 2017: Who fell short?
The 2017 NFL Draft has come and gone. The seven rounds are in the books, and while giving out grades is ridiculous for at least the next few years, we all have to do it. Frankly, if you cover the NFL, it’s somewhere in the sportswriter bylaws that once per year, you need to call long-range classes a success or failure … immediately.
And so, without any further hesitation in an attempt to save face, here are the three classes that make no sense.
Chicago Bears
I feel fairly confident that this perplexing class will stand the test of time. Chicago spent $45 million on Mike Glennon this offseason, while allowing Brian Hoyer to go to the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year deal worth $12 million. This supposedly fixed the quarterback situation for the Bears and general manager Ryan Pace, who has a seat hotter than lava.
Then, Chicago shocked everyone by trading up one spot from third to second-overall. To do it, the Bears gave third and fourth-round picks to the 49ers this year, along with a third-rounder in 2018. It was an absurd price to pay, and was compounded when commissioner Roger Goodell announced the selection was Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky has played all of 13 games, after sitting for years behind bad quarterbacks at North Carolina. He might have the ceiling of Andy Dalton, and history tells us that his skill set and experience mean he’s likely Mark Sanchez.
Grade: F
Tennessee Titans
I’ve been all about the Titans this offseason. After going 9-7 in Mike Mularkey’s first year on the job, it seemed Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson was in position to strike with over $60 million in cap space and a pair of first-round picks. Instead, the free agency period netted little more than Logan Ryan, while the draft was underwhelming at first glance.
Wide receiver Corey Davis is a fine prospect from Western Michigan, but Tennessee overdrafted him. The Titans would have been better served staying true to the board and nabbing corner Marhson Lattimore. At N0. 18, they could have gotten their pass-catcher in tight end O.J. Howard, or perhaps even a different receiver.
Grade: C
Cincinnati Bengals
Per their usual, the Bengals can’t help themselves. Joe Mixon punched a girl so hard he broke four bones in her face, but Cincinnati still gobbled him up in the second round. This is the same team who brought in Adam “Pacman” Jones, who is no stranger to a pair of handcuffs.
Additionally, the Bengals took receiver John Ross in the first round at ninth-overall, despite his injury history. While receiver was a need, it paled in comparison to linebacker, corner and offensive line. Cincinnati never truly addressed any of those issues. The first round should have seen Cincinnati take Reuben Foster, Marshon Lattimore or even Malik Hooker.
Grade: C-
