As we tie a bow on the 2018 NFL Draft, here are the best, worst, and most interesting picks in the class.

Best picks

Buffalo Bills, Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech (#16 overall)

At only 19 years of age, Edmunds is still raw, so it might take him some time to develop in Sean McDermott’s system. The Bills head coach has a complex system that asks a lot of his linebackers, so there will be some growing pains, but the upside with this pick is monumental. 

Edmunds has the size and athleticism to fit in perfectly in Buffalo’s defense. Being able to get him this low was incredible draft value. The Oakland Raiders had a shot at him at 15 and a major need for a linebacker of Edmunds’ talent, but they passed for Kolton Miller, that could prove to be a big mistake.

Denver Broncos, Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State (#5 overall)

Edmunds was the sixth-best prospect on our board, just behind Bradley Chubb, who deserves a mention here. 

Chubb fits in perfectly in Denver, giving them their best run defender out on the edge. It’s also a perfect situation for Chubb, who won’t be asked to be the star of the pass rushing unit, but can be moved around the formation and feast on weaker tackles. Given that no team in the AFC West has incredible offensive tackles, Chubb should see his fair share of opportunities to rack up sacks early on in his career. 

One deficiency in Chubb’s game was his conditioning, as he tired out on tape at NC State, with the Broncos depth—which got even better with the addition of undrafted free agent Jeff Holland—that concern is lessened. 

It seemed very unlikely Denver could get the star pass rusher to drop to five, which is saying something about how highly-regarded he was. Addressing a premium position with a consensus top-five talent in the class is just good business. The rest of the draft is all gravy after that. 

Arizona Cardinals, Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA (#10 overall)

The big debate in Denver about Chubb’s pick will come down to passing on Rosen and how he pans out in Arizona.

Given their desperate need for a quarterback and that they didn’t have to pay an outlandish price to move up and get him, I’d say the Cardinals nailed this pick.

Rosen is as pro-ready as any prospect in this draft—along with Chubb—and that’ll really help the Cards. He should fit in nicely in Mike McCoy’s scheme. Having a veteran like Larry Fitzgerald and one of the best receiving backs in David Johnson should help him a lot, too.

The only concern with this selection is that Arizona might not have enough pass rushers to keep him clean, which is risky. For now, they have their future franchise quarterback and can figure out the other pieces around him as they go.

Green Bay Packers, Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville (#18 overall)

This was a splendid pick, as Alexander put up arguably better tape then fourth-overall pick Denzel Ward, playing bigger than his size and putting up similar elite athletic numbers at the combine.

The Packers had a big need at cornerback and were able to get a stud in Alexander despite moving down and adding a future 2019 first rounder. Their window of contention won’t be open for long, but they took care of business in a big way with this selection.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ronald Jones II, RB, USC (#38 overall)

Tampa was desperate for a running back, and with the run at the position at the end of round one, it was legitimate to wonder if they’d get one at the top of round two.

To have Jones II drop to them was pretty lucky. He’ll add a speed and home-run threat that they haven’t had in the past and make their offense dynamic in many ways. It feels like this was one of the final pieces in making their offense great. We’ll see if Jameis Winston can find a way to take the next step in his development now. 

Tennessee Titans, Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College (#41 overall)

The Titans passed on Landry in round one but were able to get him by trading up in round two. Inside linebacker and adding pass rushers where their primary areas of need and they got that with their first two picks.

Landry’s a bit one dimensional but has special talent rushing the passer. At 41, he was a great value and could prove to be a foundational piece to their defense.

Atlanta Falcons, Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado (#58 overall)

We mocked Oliver to the Seattle Seahawks. Instead, he goes to former Hawks DC Dan Quinn in Atlanta, which will be a perfect schematic fit.

Oliver playing outside in a cover-3 is ideal. He has every skill you need and could be a stud early on in his career. Just a great value pick and a phenomenal fit. 

Worst picks

Cleveland Browns, Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State (#4 overall)

Schematically, this selection made a lot of sense, as the Browns needed more help at corner than they did with their edge rushers. It’s also a better fit for their scheme, as they want to play aggressively up front and need the lockdown corners on the back end to do so. Though, going after need, when you’re a rebuilding squad, can be a recipe for disaster.

With the depth at cornerback in this draft, it just felt like a slight reach, especially given that Chubb was still around. Alexander, or Donte Jackson at the top of the second—among others—could’ve fit just as well and been much better value picks had the Browns moved around in the draft a bit.

It felt like a missed opportunity to add a foundational piece to their defense. In a division with the Pittsburgh Steelers and their talented receivers, plus A.J. Green in Cincinnati, Ward will be tested, and I expect him to go through some growing pains. 

San Francisco 49ers, Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame (#9 overall)

Not only was this not the best value pick, but it’s also not a great fit in Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme. McGlinchey is a real monster as a run blocker, but in today’s NFL, that doesn’t count as much as being a reliable pass protector.

On top of that, the Niners ended up trading away starting right tackle Trent Brown—PFF’s eight best tackle in pass protection—to the Patriots for a seventh-round pick. McGlinchey isn’t at that level in pass protection and given the importance of keeping Jimmy Garoppolo clean, that could be a real issue. 

The Niners just didn’t get enough value out of this pick, and it affected the rest of their draft, as they were without a second-round pick due to the Garoppolo trade. 

Baltimore Ravens, Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina (#25 overall)

The Ravens have attempted to draft tight ends the last few years with little success. Going back to the well with Hurst, it’s hard to trust their evaluations at the position.

Hurst is also a bit overrated as a blocker, which for the Ravens run-first offense will be an issue. He’s only an average athlete for the NFL’s high standards at the position, and his ability as a receiver might be a bit overstated as well. Baltimore got a much better value at tight end in Mark Andrews later on, which begs the question of why they drafted Hurst so high.

A receiver at this point could’ve brought better value, as would have a running back since Alex Collins isn’t a world beater. 

This was just a reach, in an otherwise good draft. 

Cleveland Browns, Austin Corbett, OT/G, Nevada (#33 overall)

It appears as though the Browns will be trying Corbett at tackle, instead of guard, where he’s a more natural projection. Doing so might work out, but it begs the question of why they didn’t go for the more athletic Connor Williams, who has similar length limitations but has the same versatility.

It just felt like Cleveland, in general, wasn’t able to take advantage of their multitude of high picks, getting only decent but not great value in return. 

Indianapolis Colts, Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State (#36 overall)

Leonard is overrated as an athlete, which is a concern since that’s his primary calling card. He’s undersized, so he’ll have to be an ace in coverage, but he was regularly beaten by backs in drills at the Senior Bowl, a big red-flag for a small-school talent.

His showing at the combine proved he’s not the athlete people make him out to be—he tested in the same range as the Broncos two picks at inside linebacker, Josey Jewell, and Keishawn Bierria.

This was a bad pick this early in round two, and it felt like the Colts missed out on setting themselves up for years to come, making a few questionable selections. 

Most interesting picks

7) Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming (#7 overall)

Allen is far from a sure thing, but his arm strength in Buffalo will play well. He also fits nicely in the Bills program where they’re still a run-first based attack.

Think of Allen as a Joe Flacco type, who can make those three to four crucial big plays in a game, and this pick is pretty intriguing. Unlike Flacco, he’s a great athlete and comes to the league already having been groomed in a pro-style offense. He’d benefit from bootlegs, and a few RPO type plays added to their playbook.

This is a really intriguing pick, and Buffalo got him at a reasonable price, without having to trade away their second first-round choice to select him.

The New England Patriots two first-round picks

The Patriots took Isaiah Wynn, Georgia’s left tackle, and though many thought he’d need to convert to guard, it sounds like the Pats will try him at tackle, which is very interesting. Wynn has shown time and time again he can be a high-level tackle against NFL-level competition in college. The Pats willingness to keep him there is very telling. 

More interesting is that Wynn is a superb run blocker, an absolute mauler, and that says a lot about what New England will try to transition to this year. That was confirmed with their second first-round pick, taking back Sony Michel, who is an agile back with a complete skill set.

The Patriots haven’t had a three-down runner like Michel in ages, and his addition will make their offense much more multiple. 

Their transition offensively will be fun to monitor in 2018. 

Baltimore Ravens, Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (#32 overall)

The 2016 Heisman couldn’t be more different from Flacco. At pick 32, Jackson was a good value selection, but how he’ll fit in their offense is really intriguing.

This opens up a much different world for the Ravens, who are schematically pigeonholed with Flacco behind center. Jackson is also a great passer in between the hashes, which might explain why they put such an emphasis on tight ends in their draft class. 

Oakland Raiders, P.J. Hall, DT, Sam Houston State (#57 overall)

Hall was a stud in the FCS, putting up unreal stats. He then had a really electrifying pro day which had some comparing him to Aaron Donald.

Watching more tape of his, he doesn’t look nearly as dominant against FCS level competition, struggling to get loose on double teams and not destroying backfields on a play-by-play basis, even when blocked one on one.

The Raiders have tried to patch up their defensive tackle spot for several years now; we’ll see if Hall is the man for the job. However, considering Oakland already has some beefed up D-lineman on the interior and Khalil Mack, Hall should see his fair share of one-on-one opportunities. In the right scheme, his upside as a pass rusher is intriguing, but he’s far from ready to dominate right now. 

Hall blocked an absurd amount of kicks in college and could already be a factor on special teams, too. Even his biggest defenders might agree this pick was a bit high, but it’s a very interesting selection in Oakland.