Some Thoughts on Yesterday's 1st Round of the 2019 NFL Draft

Yesterday was the NFL Draft.

And while I am not such a huge sports fan that I feel a need to watch this live on television (frankly, I find it incredibly boring), nevertheless, I do like to look up later on and see which teams picked up what talent, and what positions were focused on. 

The top overall pick was Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, who was selected first by the lowly Arizona Cardinals.

Obviously, I have a particular interest in seeing how my team, the New York Giants, and my second favorite team, the Jets, did.

New York Jets

With the third overall pick in the draft, the New York Jets selected Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. He was a member of the dynasty Alabama team that has been at or close to the top for many years now.

New York Giants

As for the Giants, they actually had three picks in the first round. With the sixth overall pick, they took Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. I was a bit surprised that they took him that high in the draft, since he was not as highly rated as some other quarterbacks still available at that time. The G-Men also took Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from Clemson with the 17th pick, and Georgia cornerback DeAndre Baker with the 30th pick. 

Frankly, I am glad that they beefed up their defense a bit in this first round, yet was a bit disappointed that they did not put more emphasis on improving the offensive line, which has been a problem area for the team now for many years. Too many years, truth be told.

Let's see what happens in the next few rounds.

It is important to remember how some draft picks go by some teams, which I am hoping is something that the Giants will not have to endure with their selection of Jones so high in the draft. Let's hope that he pans out, although he apparently is a west coast offense specialist, and the G-Men do not have the west coast offense. 

If it comes back to bite them, it would not be the first time that teams have regretted their picks. Many teams infamously passed on quarterback Dan Marino in the 1983 draft, and on running back Emmitt Smith in the 1990 draft. 

More recently, the 49ers passed on acquiring quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has become a legend in Green Bay, leading them to a Super Bowl XLV triumph, in which he was named the game's MVP. Rodgers, a native of the San Francisco area, quipped afterwards that the 49ers might soon regret not having taken him when asked by a reporter how it felt to be passed by them. Here is the exchange:

Reporter: How disappointed are you that you will not be a 49er?

Rodgers: Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn’t draft me.

Bold words!

It should be noted that the 49ers did knock out Rodgers and the Packers in two consecutive playoffs, in 2012 and 2013. That said, Rodgers has been playing at such an elite level for such a long time, that they most likely do regret it, as their quarterback pick that year, Alex Smith, did not pan out quite as well for them. 

Here is the link to the article from which I got the exchange quoted above between a reporter and Aaron Rodgers after the 49ers failed to select him as their quarterback during the 2005 draft, when they easily could have obtained him:

Watch Aaron Rodgers' epic message to 49ers after draft snub by Steven Ruiz | April 24, 2019:

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/aaron-rodgers-draft-snub-49ers-prediction