Winner & Losers of the 2016 NFL Draft 1st Round

The Opening Round of the 2016 NFL Draft is concluded, and each team now has the newest member of their team.

Just like every year, some teams picked diamonds and some picked busts. Of course, no one will have any idea who’s going to change their team for the better and who is going never to touch an NFL field, but it’s safe to say that some teams won the first round and some teams lost.

Winners:

Miami Dolphins: Laremy Tunsil  (OT/ Ole Miss/ #13)

It’s safe to say that the Miami Dolphins got the biggest steal of the draft by drafting Tunsil #13 in the first round. Due to a leaked video minutes before the draft along with other off the field issues, the once projected first overall pick fell out of the top ten and into the Dolphins lap.

This is going to benefit the Dolphins tremendously. With a new coach and a revived defense this offseason, the Dolphins offensive line was one of the remaining aspects of this team that needed to develop. Bringing back Mark Pouncey, Ja’Wuan James, and now adding Tunsil is going to make the Miami Dolphins’ line one of the best in the league. It’s easy to suspect that Ryan Tannehill should have a significant uprise in 2016.

Minnesota Vikings: Laquon Treadwell (WR/ Ole Miss/ #23)

Before a terrible leg injury during the 2015 season, Treadwell was easily the first wide receiver in almost every mock draft. His speed and explosiveness remind many people of Odell Beckham Jr. and his ability to catch almost anything is similar to Julio Jones. Treadwell was the total package during his final season at Ole Miss before this injury.

Luckily, he didn’t fall to far out of teams’ boards and was still capable of being a first round pick. If it weren’t for the worry of his leg and his poor running numbers at the NFL Combine, Treadwell would have most likely gone much higher. It all worked out though because the Vikings got a huge steal. Selecting him at #23 was one of the best moves of the draft. Having this young playmaker on the field is going to benefit the Vikings rising star at quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater. Having the 29th offense in the NFL last season shouldn’t occur again now that Bridgewater has an option on the field. Plus, this should take pressure off of Adrian Peterson.

This is one of the best picks of the draft.

Buffalo Bills: Shaq Lawson (DE/ Clemson/ #19)

I don’t believe anyone expected Shaq Lawson to fall this far in the draft, but he did and the Bills got a major key to their defense.

Lawson is one of the best defensive players in the entire draft. Leading the National Champion runner-up Clemson Tigers’ defense last season wasn’t a fluke. He has all the talent that players like James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware have and the Bills added him to an already outstanding defense.

Replacing Mario Williams was simple with a player like this, and Lawson should make an immediate impact for the Bills.

Losers:

Pittsburgh Steelers: Artie Burns (CB/ University of Miami/ #25)

The Steelers needed one position in the First Round and everyone knew it. If the Steelers didn’t select a cornerback, they might as well just hung up the white flag for 2016. It wasn’t necessarily their fault that Burns became their guy, but it happened and it wasn’t impressive.

With players like Eli Apple once being the man guessed to be in a Steelers’ uniform next season, having to settle for Burns is a loss. Burns obviously has upside and can become a great NFL cornerback. Right now, though, he is a low-end player for the First Round.

He’s most likely going to be on the field a lot in 2016, so he’ll have every opportunity to prove everyone wrong. As of right now, though, it’s easy to see that the Steelers were the biggest losers of the First Round.

Chicago Bears: Leonard Floyd (OLB/ Georgia/ #9)

The Chicago Bears decided to trade up to draft Floyd. Honestly, it was a terrible decision. Floyd is a true talent and one of the best linebackers in the Draft this season. However, UCLA linebacker, Myles Jack wasn’t selected in the First Round.

It’s hard to argue that trading up to select a player that in many experts opinions isn’t as good as a player remaining in the Draft is acceptable. Floyd will definitely improve the struggling Bears’ defense, but Myles Jack could’ve impacted it much more. Drafting Jack would’ve meant that you’d be able to keep one of your two Fourth Round picks. The only problem with this selection is that there was better talent available without trading up.

Denver Broncos: Paxton Lynch (QB/ Memphis/ #26)

The Broncos needed one thing in this draft and that was a quarterback. The problem is that there were still three quarterbacks remaining that were all around the same talent level and two still remain in Round Two.

Selecting Paxton Lynch isn’t a problem if he’s the only quarterback remaining that has any upside, but he wasn’t and he wasn’t even the best remaining when the Broncos selected him. Many people believe that Conor Cook out of Michigan State was a better player than Lynch, but his leadership skills were a problem.

Lynch isn’t going to be an immediate starter, so trading up to pick him didn’t seem justifiable. Mark Sanchez still needs to be the Broncos quarterback this season and it could be a few years before Lynch is ready to start in the NFL. It’s hard to argue that Lynch is worth trading up for when you don’t know when he’ll be ready to start.