NFL Draft Day 1 Winners and Losers

After 1 round, some pretty clear round 1 winners and losers have emerged. While these evaluations could change by the end of the draft, here how they stand right now.

Winner: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings were able to move down just 1 spot, getting 3 additional picks, and they still got the player they really wanted.

Loser: Cleveland Browns

The Bowns gave up 3 picks just to move up 1 spot in the draft to pick a player the Vikings were never going to take. I get that they wanted to make sure someone else wouldn’t jump up to #3 to take Richardson but if that had happened they would still have been able to get Kalil to anchor their offensive line.

The Browns then picked an old and very average QB with their 2nd pick in round 1. He’s an upgrade over McCoy, but at 29 he’s not the QB of the future that a round 1 QB should be.

Winner: New England Patriots

The Patriots were a Super Bowl team in 2011, and then filled 2 of their biggest weaknesses on their defense. They still need a receiver, but there are plenty available still in today’s rounds.

Loser: Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning needs some weapons, and some offensive line help, but Denver decided to pass on some good players and moved completely out of round 1.

Winner: Bruce Irvin 

Lots of people had him going late in round 1 or early in round 2. Instead he gets picked in the middle of round 1 and is now in the middle the NFL spotlight. If he can step in and make an impact right away and keep that spotlight on him, then he can keep his name in the conversation for defensive rookie of the year.

Loser: Colt McCoy

McCoy finally got a legitimate weapon in Trent Richardson earlier in round 1, only for the team to select Brandon Wheeden later in the round. The Colt McCoy era in Cleveland is over, and he may never be given another chance to start in the NFL.