The biggest mistakes of the 2018 NFL Draft

There’s plenty to love about the NFL Draft. I think it’s pretty easy to hit a home run for your fan base. Just draft a player of need, or many players of need, and fans should be satisfied.

But even though every general manager and player personnel director will come out and say they got the player they wanted, I can’t imagine that’s always the case.

Some teams made draft picks I felt were not solid and there were even a few random “losers” in the draft.

For the life of me, I don’t get why Oakland offensive line coach Tom Cable has the reputation among NFL coaches, namely Pete Carroll and Jon Gruden, as someone who can develop offensive line talent.

The starting offensive line for the Seahawks team that won Super Bowl 48 had three of five starting linemen that were drafted or acquired before Tom Cable. After that line was dismantled in free agency, the Seahawks drafted and tried to develop a ton of “upside” offensive lineman.

Ask Russell Wilson how that’s worked.

The Raiders drafted Kolton Miller at pick No. 15 after a trade down. Kolton Miller has a terrible technique flaw, a bad false step in his stance. I discussed it in a pre-draft article. I have no faith that Cable can work this flaw out of Miller.

I study the top prospects of each season for offensive line, but I generally know the names of the next level of lineman. When the Raiders drafted Brandon Parker to open up the third round, I had to look him up. Here’s a line from his scouting report: “Parker is a bit of a project who will need to continue to work on his technique and core strength before he is ready to handle NFL pass rushers.”

Now, I’ll give this pick a tad of a break because Parker won’t be asked to play right away. The Raiders are set inside. However, Miller will be asked to play a role now. I don’t think he will be successful.

The Saints drafted Marcus Davenport at No. 14 after trading up from No. 27. New Orleans gave up a 2019 first-rounder for the production Davenport could offer in 2018.

We know the Saints need pass rusher, and Davenport has the raw talent to succeed in the NFL. I called a UTSA vs. Rice game about midway through the season and after the game I called a few people in the business to give them a heads up on Davenport. I know what the Saints were thinking, but Davenport isn’t worth two first-round picks.

I get it. The Saints are all in for 2018 and they needed a pass rusher. It still doesn’t make that a great value pick.

I hope Wilson has been running extra wind sprints every day to get ready for the upcoming season. He’ll need it since Seattle didn’t address the offensive line until late in the draft.

I know Seahawks fans, y’all have drafted a ton of lineman lately, but guess what, they haven’t panned out. New (and old) offensive line coach Mike Solari is tasked with improving these players. I can see how Seattle would give him the chance to make that happen. But when there’s plenty of quality offensive lineman still available at No. 27, and you draft a running back, that’s not a good value pick.

I understand the allure of Josh Allen, but his accuracy issues are a real issue. His lack of quality play against good opponents is an issue. When Josh Rosen was still on the board, he should have been the pick over Allen.

Plus, as I’ve mentioned before, their offensive staff doesn’t give me much confidence to develop Allen.

There were 106 underclassman, a record, who declared for the NFL Draft. Of those, 37 weren’t drafted. Last season 30 percent of underclassmen went undrafted vs. almost 35 percent this year.

I know there are reasons outside of football for declaring to be a professional, but I just hate that these guys left school early and didn’t get drafted. Sometimes being able to choose your spot to play rather than getting drafted late can be a plus, but there needs to be a better vetting system for these players before they declare.

Pittsburgh didn’t draft a linebacker in the first round, or anywhere else in the draft. At pick No. 28 they didn’t want to reach for one. I get it. That’s their philosophy.

Outside of a team needing a quarterback, I’m not sure a team needs a player more than the Steelers need a middle linebacker. There was a noticeable difference when Ryan Shazier was out of the lineup. Right now, the Steelers don’t have a player of his caliber, or even close it, on the roster.