New England Patriots receive high grades in 2018 NFL Draft first round
How did the New England Patriots fare in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft? We had out grades for every pick made in the first round.
The New England Patriots had a busy first night of the 2018 NFL Draft, as they owed two first round picks. The Patriots deciede to stay put at No. 23 and No. 31, but there was a ton of wheeling and dealing done otherwise.
How did the Patriots and the rest of the NFL teams do in the first round? We handed out grades for every pick made in the first round, starting with a shocking first pick by the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland Browns No. 1: Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
The Cleveland Browns got their guy with the first overall pick, as the momentum heading into Thursday pointed to Baker Mayfield, and that is who ended up being the selection. The Browns have had a desperate need for a quarterback for many years and they hope that Mayfield will be the answer.
Cleveland has recently passed on quarterbacks with their top picks, but they decided to finally pull the trigger. At Oklahoma, Mayfield was able to have a great career, as he won the Heisman trophy award last season.
In this years draft class, there were four major quarterbacks being considered to be the top choices, but Mayfield arguably had the best on-field production in college. While Mayfield is a bit short at quarterback, his play in college was certainly impressive. However, Mayfield has had some off the field issues, which the Browns will have to hope are in his past.
Since the Browns traded for Tyrod Taylor in the offseason, Mayfield won’t have to start right away in Cleveland. However, he will provide the franchise with some much-needed hope for the future. With a lot of talented quarterbacks in this draft, the pressure will be on Mayfield to succeed, luckily he likes that pressure.