13 picks from the 2018 NFL Draft that everyone should love - SB Nation

Guess what everyone? Your favorite team drafted all the players they loved and all of them "love the game" and are "physical" football players that fit the brand of the franchise. LOL … Of course that's not always the case and I'm here to sort it all out.

Draft grades are useful to acknowledge drafts by teams that were impressive and they found value in their picks. However, I'm not giving draft grades. I'll just recap a few of my thoughts on who did well and who didn't.

Let's start with the winners of the draft …

The Jets are a better fit for Darnold than the Browns would have been.

Sam Darnold was supposed to be drafted by the Browns at No. 1. He wasn't. That was Baker Mayfield. Instead, Darnold went to the New York Jets, which as weird as this sounds because of past dysfunction, a more stable organization than the Browns.

Darnold will play in Jeremy Bates' West Coast offense. Darnold will excel at it. And he has Josh McCown to mentor him. Win-win-win for Darnold.

Rosen will thrive in Arizona.

The Cardinals traded up to No. 10 to draft Josh Rosen, who slid for whatever stupid reasons. Rosen is the best passer in the draft, but with questionable injury history. I'm not buying his attitude being a concern in the NFL.

Rosen gets OC Mike McCoy, David Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals also drafted talented wide receiver Christian Kirk in the second round to add even more weapons. Rosen gets to stay on the West Coast in a warm weather climate.

Jackson is a polar opposite of Joe Flacco.

The Baltimore Ravens traded back into the first round to draft Jackson with the last pick of the night. When Jackson eventually plays, which I think is sooner than later, it will be for good as the Ravens has the staff to design an offense for him.

Marty Mornhinweg was in Philly with Andy Reid when Michael Vick was there. Greg Roman, the assistant head coach and tight ends coach, was the offensive coordinator and run game designer for the 49ers' offense with Colin Kaepernick.

Chris Ballard used his second draft as Colts general manager to beef up his lines.

We saw the Eagles win the Super Bowl with the best combination of lines in the NFL, so Ballard went that direction in the draft.

He drafted a future All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson from Notre Dame. He used the second of four second-round picks for Braden Smith, a mauling guard from Auburn. In addition to those two offensive lineman, they added edge rushers to bolster their pass rush and a linebacker.

When the Colts were winning with Manning, they rushed the passer and were able to protect him. They are trying to repeat that formula with a healthy (hopefully) Andrew Luck.

General manager Ryan Pace and new head coach Matt Nagy continued their stellar offseason this weekend. Roquan Smith, their first-round pick, is the perfect 2018 linebacker. He can fly and plays with excellent anticipation. He's a tad undersized and can get swallowed by offensive lineman so he's forced to play a step ahead. He's perfect for that defense.

The Bears also added Iowa center James Daniels. I've written and talked about the power offensive line college programs and how their players tend to do well in the NFL. Well, Daniels is an Iowa product. He's a perfect fit for Nagy's zone blocking scheme. And if the Bears didn't add enough weapons for Mitchell Trubisky in the offseason, they drafted another wide receiver in the third round, Anthony Miller, who could be a big contributor.

Shaquem Griffin.

What an inspiring story. I can't get enough of the draft day videos of the team calling the player, and y'all need to see this video. Griffin can be heard saying "I can't breathe" as Seattle is letting him know he's being drafted.

I saw some people question why Griffin slid in the draft, but he will be fine playing as an off-the-ball defender. He's got high energy and can tackle well.

Value picks that stood out to me:

Denver drafting Bradley Chubb at No. 5. The best defensive player on the board is now paired with Von Miller.
The Chargers got a top-10 pick in Derwin James at No. 17. Most mock drafts had the Florida State safety in the top 10. San Diego drafted James, who plays a position they need, without moving up to get him.
Atlanta drafted Calvin Ridley. Good luck NFC South defenses!
Giants grabbing Will Hernandez early in the second round. I was surprised to see Hernandez still hanging around in the second round. The Giants were lucky to get him there. He's going to bring much-needed attitude back to that line.
Detroit Lions tackle Tyrell Crosby was a second-round talent and they got him in the fifth. He fell to the fifth round for what sounds like medical concerns. He's a baller and will be a good swing tackle for the Lions.
If Maurice Hurst didn't have a heart condition discovered at the combine, he'd have been a first-round pick. Huge value for the Raiders to get him in the fifth round if Hurst continues to be healthy.
The Eagles trading to the pick right before their division rival Cowboys to grab the best tight end left on the board was awesome.

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