NFL Draft 2018: Cardinals, Falcons were the biggest winners. The Saints, Seahawks were round 1 losers.

Thursday night I sat in a booth at a radio station watching the draft, jotting down notes about what I liked and disliked from the first round. Here are my thoughts from round one.

The Cleveland Browns went with Baker Mayfield at No. 1, going against conventional wisdom with this pick. Knowing the Browns’ history with quarterbacks and where their organization is at, I’d have gone with a safer pick like Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen.

While Mayfield has excellent advanced stats, which can’t be overlooked, he’s still a Big 12 Air Raid quarterback who needs to adapt to the NFL game. This pick isn’t totally surprising considering general manager John Dorsey drafted Pat Mahomes, another Big 12 Air Raid quarterback last season in Kansas City.

The Giants went with Saquon Barkley, the running back from Penn State. I’ve made my thoughts clear on the value of running backs, and the Giants aren’t a running back away from winning. I get the appeal of Barkley, but the Giants should have taken a quarterback of the future (I think Eli Manning has a few years left) or traded out.

Doubt the Jets figured they’d end up with the top quarterback in the draft when they traded with the Colts at three. He’ll get a year to work under Josh McCown. Huge win for their program.

The Broncos get the top defensive player at five with their selection of Bradley Chubb and the Colts get a future All-Pro offensive lineman at six with Quenton Nelson. I love these picks.

Of course the Buffalo Bills take the quarterback who needs the most work, Josh Allen. They have a defensive minded head coach, an OC who hasn’t developed any quarterbacks and have very slim weapons on the outside. Yikes.

It’s crazy to be that the best passer in the draft, Josh Rosen, fell to the Cardinals who traded up to get him at 10. He was the fourth quarterback drafted, and he will be the best of them all. I’m sure I’ll get crushed for this if it’s wrong, but I believe it.

The only concern about Rosen is his injury history but otherwise, that nonsense about him being too smart is just that, nonsense.

I’m not quite sure how Lamar Jackson fits into the Ravens’ offense, but he will probably play sooner than later. He’s the opposite of Joe Flacco. And if Flacco struggles, there will be pressure to play him right now.

The 49ers drafted the only left tackle who’s able to play immediately, Norte Dame’s Mike McGlinchey. There were rumors the Niners have been trying to trade their right tackle Trent Brown, so McGlinchey can slide to right tackle for a few seasons until Joe Staley retires.

I LOVE the Patriots drafting Isaish Wynn. Love it. I wrote about Wynn and what he can do despite his size. He will be able to plug and play at left tackle and protect Tom Brady.

The Raiders drafted Kolton Miller, the UCLA left tackle who needs to be developed. I don’t trust Tom Cable to develop Miller at all. Most people I spoke with don’t have a top 40 or 50 grade on Miller. He has all the size and athleticism, but he has poor technique in pass pro.

The Chicago Bears with Roquan Smith is a match made in heaven. Perfect fit for their defense. Smart, instinctual, and a play maker.

After the Super Bowl I listed the Atlanta Falcons as my early NFC championship favorite. They get richer at the wide receiver position with Calvin Ridley. Paired with Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu, that’s a supremely talented group of receiver. I still like the Falcons to contend for another Super Bowl run.

Oh no, Saints. Y’all traded up for Marcus Davenport, and not just traded up for him, but gave up a first-rounder next season. I watched Davenport in person around week six when I called a UTSA vs. Rice game. He was a monster that game. But he is still raw and I wouldn’t give up another first-rounder for Davenport. If the Saints get some production from Davenport to go along with Cam Jordan and that secondary, that will be formidable.

My first night winners: Denver, Arizona, and the New York Jets

My first night losers, which seems harsh: New Orleans and Seattle Seahawks. They both reached for players they could have had later.

Looking forward to Friday and the Browns drafting twice in the first three picks of the second round. They can find themselves a left tackle here. The Giants have pick 34, the second pick of the second round, so they should also take a lineman. They could use a guard and tackle. Pick one here and another in the third round. Derrius Guice and Ronald Jones should go early at running back as well as Josh Jackson at cornerback.