The NFL Draft is done with, and excluding a few surprises, it went very much how everyone expected. Of course, the pick that got the most publicity is Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who is expected to now revolutionize the Las Vegas Raiders.
Let us take a look at the teams that fared the best this past week in the NFL Draft.
Top 5 NFL Draft Classes Per Team
#5 Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys started strong in the first round by selecting Caleb Downs, who addressed their biggest need in defense. By picking three edges and a cornerback, in the form of Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham, Devin Moore, and LT Overton, they have laid the foundation to rebuild their struggling defense.
Anthony Smith gives them more depth in the wide receiver front, which was another area that needed shoring up rather than fixing.
#4 Las Vegas Raiders
The selection of Fernando Mendoza first overall makes this draft worth it for the Raiders on its own. The former Indiana quarterback has the makings of a great professional quarterback, and he will complement an offensive unit that already has Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty.
The Raiders also got a plethora of picks on both sides of the ball, with their penultimate pick, Oregon’s wide receiver Malik Benson, also merits mentioning as he will give Mendoza a good weapon to work with.
#3 New York Jets
The Jets fulfilled all their needs in the NFL Draft this year, especially propping up their defense with the addition of David Bailey at No. 2 overall. D’Angelo Ponds and Darrell Jackson Jr. will also help rebuild that unit.
They also got a quarterback who has a realistic shot of being a starter, all the way at Round 4 in the form of Cade Klubnik. They also got Klubnik weapons in the form of wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq. And all around, a good draft for the Jets, which was unexpected.
#2 Philadelphia Eagles
The fact that Makai Lemon slid all the way to No. 20 for the Philadelphia Eagles was a coup for them. They arguably got the best wide receiver in the entire draft, which affords them an incredible weapon for Jalen Hurts.
They then improved their offensive line through tight end Eli Stowers and offensive tackle Markel Bell. Safety Cole Wisniewski and edge Keyshawn James-Newby finalized their list of needs. Makai Lemon, on his own, makes this an incredibly worthy draft for them.
#1 Cleveland Browns
Who would’ve thought? First, the Jets and now the Browns. Seems the failing franchises of the NFL are improving. The defense was never an issue for Cleveland last season, but the offensive unit needed serious revamping. While already having a first-round caliber quarterback in Shedeur Sanders, following his epic slide last year, they needed to reconstruct their offensive line and get the former Colorado signal-caller some weapons.
They went and got Spencer Fano, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston with their first three picks. The rest of their picks were also incredibly sensible, including high mobility quarterback Taylen Green, who has a similar play style to Sanders and could be a good backup. Dillon Gabriel should start updating his CV.
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