The NFL draft's three big losers

Yesterday, we had a look at three of the biggest beneficiaries of the NFL Draft, both on and off the field.

But like everything in life, there are always two sides to the story.

And this side of the story contains those who may look back at this year’s draft with contempt as opposed to delight.

Here are the three biggest losers of the NFL Draft

Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears third overall pick
It’s difficult to feel bad for someone who is 22 years old, a multi-millionaire and admittedly what we in the industry call “a good looking rooster”.

But I feel awful for former North Carolina and new Chicago quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Yes, the Bears shock move to mortgage their future and trade up to select the 6’2, 225lb signal-caller made Trubisky a very wealthy young man.

But out of all the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class, it also made him the most likely to lose his job within the next three to four years.

Despite not even being the consensus top quarterback in his class, or even top three depending on who you talk to, Trubisky has been thrust into the least ideal situation for a young quarterback.

1. Head coach John Fox and General Manager Ryan Pace haven’t built a roster that instills enough faith to suggest they’ll be around past next season, and the worst thing for a developmental quarterback is a change of coach/coordinator and offensive lexicon.

2. He’ll be working with arguably the worst receiving corps in the league. A group led by first-round bust Kevin White (in fairness, he has one more season to prove otherwise), Cameron Meredith and Eddie Royal. The brightest thing the Bears have going for them at the skill position is second round pick Adam Shaheen, but even he is no certainty as a tight end out of Division II school Ashland.

3. Mike Glennon won’t be good enough to withstand the external pressure to put Trubisky into the game. The former Bucs backup will likely play well in spurts, but I doubt he’ll reach any dizzying heights that will quell any notion of the second overall making his debut before the end of the 2017 season.

And in addition to the on-field factors that make this an almost insurmountable task for a young quarterback, let’s not forget the expectation that will be put on Trubisky’s shoulders from one of the more success starved fan-bases of the past 30 years.

Bears fans are brutal. Not quite Philadelphia Eagles brutal, but brutal nonetheless.

For some perspective, both Glennon and Trubisky have already been on the receiving end of jeers from their hometown fans as they attended Cubs and Bulls games. That doesn’t bode well.

Opponents of domestic violence
Advocates of a no tolerance policy in regards to domestic violence were dealt a crushing blow as the NFL draft came to a close.

The infamous Ray Rice elevator footage was supposed to be a flashpoint of a self-reflection, as the NFL finally put credence into doing what was right for society, as opposed to what was right for winning games of football.

Three years on and the NFL draft has left a somewhat bitter taste in the mouth, and has also left us asking whether we’ve really learnt anything.

The 2017 draft was the litmus test for football front offices to see how far the needle had swung (if at all) when it comes to truly deterring deplorable acts of violence against women. This was the NFL’s opportunity to say ‘if you lay your hands on a woman, find another career path’.

They didn’t.

Four players with histories of domestic violence and/or sexual assault were selected in this year’s draft. These cases vary in nature as it pertains to the charges and convictions, but the fact remains that investigations and evidence weren’t enough to dissuade many NFL teams.

Joe Mixon served a year’s suspension at Oklahoma for punching a woman during an altercation at a restaurant, and despite surveillance footage shining a new light on the severity of the attack he was still selected in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland’s sixth round pick Caleb Brantley was charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly punching a woman in Gainesville, Florida in early April. And while Browns Exec VP Sashi Brown suggested they may cut Brantley once they gather more information, the fact that they wanted to reserve his services while the investigation continues says once again talent overcame character, at least for now.

Former Oklahoma wide receiver and 2016 Heisman Trophy finalist Dede Westbrook was taken by the Jags in the fourth round, despite allegations of assaulting the mother of his two children in 2012 and 2013.

But perhaps the most shocking move to come out of the draft was the Oakland Raiders decision to select Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley with the 24th overall pick.

Merely days prior to the draft, Conley was accused of raping a young woman inside his Cleveland hotel room. And despite the seriousness of the accusation and the ongoing investigation, the Raiders own research (which included a polygraph test) personal relationships and references on Conley left them adequately satiated and willing to part with a first round pick for a man under investigation for rape.

I’m all for due process, and at this stage there are a number of details that suggest there’s considerably more to this story than meets the eye.

But to suggest that only two days of research is enough to unequivocally convince an organisation that a player isn’t capable of such actions is difficult to comprehend.

So what’s the solution?

Do we blacklist anyone with a history? Convicted or otherwise.

Do we deem them undraftable and punish indiscretions by forgoing signing bonuses?

The answer is different to everyone, but it appears the NFL is far from finding their own publicly appeasing one any time soon.

NFC east quarterbacks
The intentions are clear. NFC East defensive coordinators are preparing to pin the ears back and get after Eli, Dak, Carson and Kirk.

As tensions build between North Korea and the Unites States, the NFC East has been competing in an arms race of its own this off-season.

The Giants signed chain-moving receiver Brandon Marshall and drafted tight-end Evan Engram in the first round, the Eagles snared Alshon Jeffery from the Bears, and the Redskins paid big bucks to arguably the most athletically gifted football player in the NFL, Terrell Pryor.

Increased expenditure on weapons means increased importance on defence, and the most effective means of limiting their impact is to make sure the other team is constantly keeping their backup quarterback in readiness.

The Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys selected pass rushers with their first round picks, and while each team picked lower than number 14, the resulting haul of Derek Barnett (Eagles), Jonathan Allen (Redskins) and Taco Charlton (Cowboys) were all seen as top-ten talents at one stage during the draft process.

Barnett is seen by many as Myles Garrett-lite, more of a technician in his pass rushing capabilities but less athletic upside. Allen is as a top-three talent with the ability to rush the quarterback from the edge and collapse the pocket on the inside. Taco not only has the best name in the draft but potentially one of the highest ceilings as he only started one season at Michigan, but possesses all the physical traits desired in a dominant edge setter.

Washington and Philly also added talent at the second and third levels.

The Redskins selected Allen’s Alabama teammate, linebacker Ryan Anderson in the second round, and could use his leverage and power to take advantage of one-on-ones available as a result of Allen’s presence, while the Eagles took a flyer on Sidney Jones, a potential top-three cornerback who was an all but lock to go top 20 overall before injuring his Achilles at his pro day.

Honourable mention
Jay Cutler (the quarterback, not the bodybuilder)
It all seemed perfectly set up for Jay. He’d lounge around, occasionally toddle down to Mexico and instagram a photo of his very rich backside, before returning to a desperate Houston Texans organisation just before training camp, shortly after they realised a life with Tom Savage as a starter isn’t a life worth living.

But alas, the Texans drafted Deshaun Watson and now I genuinely have no idea if Cutler will wind up on a roster unless someone gets injured… which means he’ll be Minnesota’s starting quarterback by week one.