2018 NFL Draft is Finally Here!!

     The 2018 NFL Draft is finally here!! Almost 3 months after the end of the Super Bowl, fans and teams are chomping at the bit.  This years NFL Draft has Cleveland, NY Giants, NY Jets (who traded draft positions with Indianapolis), Cleveland and Denver with the first 5 picks. There are always a lot of Mock Draft Boards out there but most at best are only guessing after the first few picks. Teams will jockey and move up or down depending on who they want and what their most glaring needs are at their pick selection.  It looks like QB's are the hottest commodity once again and 4 maybe 5 QB's will be taken in the first 10 picks in this seasons NFL Draft.
      The Cleveland Browns have 2 out of the first 4 picks in Round 1 and 12 overall picks in this years draft and for the umpteenth year in a row have numerous top round picks including a top pick or the top pick and for the sake of Browns fans everywhere, lets hope they continue to draft good players and can find a franchise QB to lead them for years to come in this years draft. Cleveland has become the laughing stock of the NFL as they were 0-16 last season and were 1-15 the year before and have not selected the right players in the Top 2 rounds in previous years. The Browns added some key players in the off season and are only a couple years away from having a playoff contending team as long as they find a QB to lead them.
        All Teams will have their war rooms and the players they want and ranked and all teams have their own ways of projecting who is best at each position. The NFL Combine gave teams a chance to talk to players they were interested in as well as bringing potential players in to talk to them individually. So the time is here for the fans to get excited and either be happy with their teams selection or be a MMQB and yell and stomp their feet and let their teams know they do not like who was selected, this is what makes the Draft so exciting for teams and their fans. So much time and resources are spent trying to find the top players in all rounds of the draft. Time will tell which teams drafted the best and which ones were the worst.
     I find it very amusing with all these so called Draft experts who grade NFL teams on their draft choices, only to see allot of the time as the season plays on that they were so wrong. The so called Draft Experts are just that, Draft guessers and usually not too good at that either..They project who the teams will draft especially in the first round and then grade them afterwards usually not having a clue how good these players may or may not be.
      The Detroit Lions are My hometown team and this year under 3rd year GM Bob Quinn and new Head Coach Matt Patricia, they currently hold 6 draft picks in the 7 rounds of the NFL Draft.  The Lions have many glaring needs that need to be addressed. Detroit had a decent off season in the NFL Free Agency and the most notable signings were:

• LB Devon Kennard - 3-year, $18.75 million
• LB Christian Jones - 2-years, $7.75 million
• DB DeShawn Shead - 1-year, $3.5 million
• G/T Kenny Wiggins - 2-years, $5 million
• RB LeGarrette Blount - 1-year, $2 million
• TE Luke Willson - 1-year, $2.5 million
• DT Sylvester Williams - 1-year, $3.5 million
• LB Jonathan Freeny - (1-year, $880,000)
• TE Levine Toilolo - (1-year deal, no terms)
• G/C Wesley Johnson - (no terms yet)
• QB Matt Cassel - (no terms yet)

  Detroit also released (one time thought of the next coming of Charlie Sanders) TE Eric Ebron, who had a tumultuous time and a love/hate relationship with the Lions fans.  It will be interesting to see if the Lions move up or down given the chance or if they stay at #20 and select there. I do not see the Lions moving up in this years draft unless a player they covet falls down the draft into the 15th slot or so. At #20, I see them possibly selecting LSU RB Guice or Washington's DT Vita VE. Detroit would try to move up to the #15 spot if Alabama's DT Da'Ron Payne is still available.  If the player is already taken, look for the Lions to move down and pick up another draft pick or 2.  With the picks they have this draft, Detroit should be able to address most of their needs and also add depth  It will also mark the third year with a new Draft strategy and a new team in place. The Lions need immediate help on the DL, OL, S, LB. With this being GM Bob Quinn's third draft with the Lions after taking over, it seems he is following a strategy of building his team through youth and adding depth as well.  Usually it takes a few seasons to see how well the lower round draft picks pan out and if they were successful in building a team. For the Lions to take a jump to being an elite team in the NFL year in and year out they will need to have successful drafts, which is something they have struggled with for many many years. Will the Lions with their first pick take the best player available no matter what position he plays or will the Lions take the best player available that fits a need?  I see the Lions first pick in this years draft being a DT or LB pick which they desperately need. The Lions have a tough schedule this year and need an excellent draft and to stay healthy if they want to go 10-6 this season. The first two picks in the draft will be Sam Darnold to the Cleveland Browns and Saquon Barkley to the NY Giants .
         I will also give you the top 4 Draft winners, 4 teams that were average and the 4 biggest losers after the Draft based on my own criteria and opinions as I do every year. Remember this years NFL Draft will be seen on the Fox Network and the NFL Network.

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