It’s the time when poor college athletes become instant millionaires in the first round of the NFL draft.
It changes lives and family futures for all time. So long as their career pans out.
And here were the 4 biggest surprises of the 2019 first round of the NFL draft.
The Oakland Raiders Select Clelin Ferrell with the #4 Pick
But new general manager Mike Mayock and second year coach Jon Gruden shocked everyone when they took Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell with the #4 overall pick instead of pass rushers Josh Allen or Ed Oliver.
Ferrell was projected to go late in the first round instead of so high early on. Clearly, Mayock and Gruden were high on him from the start.
And with losing Mack, it was no surprise the Raiders targeted an elite pass rusher to replace the future Hall of Famer and two-time defensive player of the year.
But him? At that spot? Only time will tell.
New York Giants did the Unthinkable at the Quarterback Position
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman pulled one of the most epic trolls of all time in the days leading up to the draft.
He claimed they weren’t in the business of acquiring a quarterback in this NFL draft to replace Eli Manning because he was confident the two-time Super Bowl MVP still had a long way to go before his retirement.
Most analysts balked at his claim and they were right but they didn’t actually believe he wouldn’t try to go after Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock.
No, instead he selected Duke’s Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick.
It was a shocker because of the skepticism surrounding Jones.
However, Jones didn’t have a whole lot of elite talent around him at Duke and he has the ideal size and athleticism.
But, still, they could’ve selected Lock or Haskins.
Dwayne Haskins Falls to the Washington Redskins
ESPN’s Lou Riddick was emphatic about Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and actually considered him to be a more elite quarterback than Kyler Murray.
Many analysts figured the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars or the Miami Dolphins might move up to snag him early in the first round, but 14 picks went by and Haskins landed in the Washington Redskins’ lap.
The Redskins needed to protect their future at that position too because the aging Alex Smith who they traded for before last season may not be back this upcoming year because of a season-ending injury.
A few days ago, one report suggested owner Dan Snyder had “taken control” of the first round, suggesting the team might jam all-in to move up and draft Haskins.
Instead, the team stood pat.
That was pretty wild.
It Wasn’t a Lie that Marshawn Lynch Retired
Marshawn Lynch is one of the great running backs of all time and he may not be on Mount Rushmore for that position but it’s pretty close.
The Skittles-loving Oakland native came back out of retirement to play for his hometown team.
Regardless of what you’ve read or observed about the aging running back, make no mistake, he was productive in the last two seasons.
The only reason he was taken out of games, was because they didn’t want to sacrifice his health for games the Raiders had no chance of winning.
But Lynch was still the bruising “beastmode” running back we all knew from his days at the Seattle Seahawks.
With that said, a report the day before the draft claimed Lynch was retiring again.
And that became crystal clear he would not be returning to the Raiders’ final year in Oakland when they drafted Alabama running back Josh Jacobs with the 24th overall pick.
Turns out that it wasn’t all smoke and mirrors.
It looks like we’ve finally seen the last of Lynch but the timing just didn’t add up. Why would he announce that right before the draft instead of after? Wouldn’t it make more sense to announce it after the draft so that you don’t clue teams into the fact you’re in the market for one?
Most thought it would be the most exciting draft in NFL history but it was largely uneventful and predictable, which was incredibly disappointing.
