Winners and Losers of the NFL Draft

The NFL draft is one the final opportunities for teams to improve their rosters before they head into the season. While many teams came away from this year's draft as big winners, others didn’t address glaring needs.

Winners

Jacksonville Jaguars — Dallas taking Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth pick allowed Jacksonville to nab FSU defensive back Jalen Ramsey, arguably the best player in the draft. He can make an instant impact on defense. Then they made their best selection: Myles Jack, an outside linebacker from UCLA. Jack was a projected top-five pick, but a knee injury caused him to slide down teams’ boards. Jacksonville got him at 36. Along with last year’s first-round pick Dante Fowler, Jr., who missed last season due to an injury, the Jags will have three top-five talents making their debut on defense this season.

Ohio State — Yes, this isn’t an NFL team, but their players dominated draft boards. The Buckeyes had 12 players from their 2015 team taken in the draft, which is quite an accomplishment. This proves that Urban Meyer can develop great talent, which will help his recruiting pitch.

Tennessee Titans — Originally owners of the No. 1 pick, the Titans traded down to 15, then back up to 8. This maneuvering netted them a plethora of picks to improve a roster that went 3–13 last year. First, they addressed the offensive line, which was their biggest need. They took Jack Conklin from Michigan State, a player who will protect franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Titans also took Heisman-winning Alabama running back Derrick Henry, to pair with the recently-acquired DeMarco Murray.

Cleveland Browns — The Cleveland Browns had a bunch of needs that they needed to take care of during the draft. They were able to do exactly that, as they took five receivers as weapons for Robert Griffin III. This included star wideout Corey Coleman from Baylor. Cleveland also took quarterback Cody Kessler, and edge-rusher Emmanuel Ogbah from OSU.

Losers

Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles paid too much to move up from the No. 8 pick to No. 2 to take quarterback Carson Wentz. As a result of the trade, they didn’t pick again until the third round. They weren’t able to effectively address needs at receiver or on defense. Philadelphia did get a potential franchise quarterback, but he needs a supporting cast.

Laremy Tunsil — The talented offensive lineman was maybe the best player available — even better than Ramsey — but off-the-field concerns cost him millions. Two other o-lineman got picked before the Dolphins nabbed him at 13.

Sam Bradford — After signing a contract with the Eagles, Sam Bradford seemed to be locked in as the Eagles' starter. But after Philly picked Wentz, his long-term future in Philadelphia came into question. He could soon be watching from the sidelines.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Bucs had a solid draft. They addressed major needs, but their third pick was a major head-scratcher. They traded up to select a kicker. Roberto Aguayo may be a special player, but Tampa shouldn’t have parted with any picks to get him. Also, many talented non-kickers were still on the board at 59.

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