The five most telling strategies of the NFL

It can be difficult to decide which teams have "won" or "lost" the NFL draft, but regardless of how each player chooses to get by, it is always possible to collect information on the respective plans teams based on their selections. With the 2019 project in the books, we have selected five teams whose decisions this weekend reveal interesting strategies in the long term.

Arizona Cardinals

The team that chooses no. 1 in the overall project often becomes a fascinating case study, but the plot around the Cardinals this year exceeds their niche. Kyler Murray aside, the logic behind many of Arizona's choices offers hints about the type of team manager that Steve Keim is trying to develop with freshman head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

In 2018, Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen suffered 40.4% of his losses, making him the fifth-highest QB who absorbed at least 20% of their team's losses last season. Despite these difficulties, the Cardinals did not hire an offensive lineman until the sixth round, indicating that staff are ready to rely on post-season acquisitions such as goalkeeper JR Sweezy and the right tackle. Marcus Gilbert to solve his problems. The plan has merit; Injuries originally were the Cardinals' worst problem last season, and if presumably starting, DJ Humphries and adding the high-priced free agent security agent, Justin Pugh can stay healthy, Murray could benefit adequate protection during his rookie season.

Instead of adding potential starters along the OL, the Cardinals have decided to stock game leaders throughout their lineup. Arizona had probably the least talented group among the NFL teams that managed to get passes last season. (That's where I'd like to mention that blaming Josh Rosen for the team's fights in 2018 is laughable.) To compensate for this lack of capacity, Arizona has developed the UMass Andy Isabella speedster (with the choice they have obtained from Miami in exchange for Rosen), the 6 foot 5 inch polarizing receiver Hakeem Butler in the fourth round and the productive receiver of Fresno State KeeSean Johnson in the sixth round. At the very beginning of Kingsbury's mandate, Arizona gives priority to players who catch passes rather than those who are responsible for protecting his new franchise quarterback. It may work, but the direction indicates the kind of approach that Kingsbury prefers: a foul that relies on quick throws and the talent of his talented players, while marginalizing the importance of the offensive line.

It is also worth mentioning the value of Arizona on the defense. The Cardinals took cornerback Byron Murphy, who has long been considered a first-round talent, 33rd overall, and brought him to a place occupied by Patrick Peterson. Security Alabama Deionte Thompson was a star at the university and fell to Arizona in the fifth round. At first glance, these two selections – and the Cardinals' project as a whole – seem to be home-made circuits, though the value of these selections will take years to prove. Nevertheless, the immediate approach to remember from his approach is that Arizona seems ready to rely on Murray, Kingsbury and new weapons to reorganize his offensive.

Ravens of Baltimore

During the first year of the Lamar Jackson era in Baltimore, the Ravens attempted to create a go-anywhere attack. Former General Manager Ozzie Newsome held Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews in the opening rounds of the 2018 meeting as part of the organization's plan to create an offense around the running and gambling game. Action. And it seemed that Baltimore's success with this approach – a record of 10-6, an AFC North title and the team's first playoff appearance since the 2014 season – could shed some light on his choices in 2019. That was not enough. not been the case.

Initially, the first rounds of the Ravens project focused on adding explosive offensive playmakers to all levels of the field. Baltimore has made its first choice on the dynamic and under-sized Hollywood Brown receiver. By the end of the fourth round, Eric DeCosta, first-year general manager, had also added Miles Boykin, athletic marvel, to wide receiver and combined remarkable back Justice Hill.

Baltimore's additional skills indicate that the team's simplistic approach to Jackson's first season will not continue this year. Brown is a talented receiver who should provide Jackson with quick and easy receptions. Hill certainly plays in the high-efficiency approach used by the Ravens by way of airs in 2018. But the amount of athleticism that DeCosta has added to his attack has Baltimore's ability to attack defenses at every level of the terrain, in every way imaginable. Now, it's just a question of whether Jackson can actually start this system.

Miami dolphins

Dolphins have never been supposed to steal the headlines in this rough draft. For years, Miami has been one of the least uninteresting teams in the NFL. In an effort to stay relevant, he has regularly placed appalling contracts ignoring both the value and the tenants of the Smart Roster building. But this approach has kept dolphins mired in mediocrity for years, leaving no clear trace to their mediocre destiny.

That changed the rest of the season, when the Dolphins decided to get out of the free match, sent the expensive defensive end Robert Quinn to Dallas, and sent Ryan Tannehill – and his 26.6-million shot dollars – in Tennessee in exchange for a fourth round pick. For the first time in years, Miami seemed to have a plan based on patience and willingness to wait until the year 2020 to find its quarter of the future.

The exchange of the 62nd selection with the Cardinals for Josh Rosen may seem to contradict this approach, but it is actually perfectly aligned with the Dolphins' strategy. The triumvirate of owner Stephen Ross, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Brian Flores are trying to create a list from scratch using value-based practices. The most important aspect of a winning list is a quality QB and the Dolphins come to trade a low second round pick against a guy who was drafted 10th overall a year ago and will cost less to franchise over the next three seasons than almost every backup. in the NFL. Dolphins do not have need get a QB of the future at this point in their trajectory, but in trading for Rosen, they are trying to lower cost to get the most important asset of all sports – a quality franchise quarterback – for the same price that most teams would spend for a second hope or splitter.

For the second consecutive season, Rosen will be forced to brave life as an NFL star for a team that is unable to help her succeed. The difference is that in Miami, he will not face the same expectations as being among the top 10 franchise choices. If the Dolphins lose 12 games or more this year – which seems likely given the time needed to rebuild – and the decision makers conclude that Rosen is not the person who presides over the franchise, Grier will have another chance to write your franchise. QB next spring, while using a talented backup that costs almost nothing to the Dolphins. If Rosen is worthy of this job, Miami will have found a starter who counts for a few cents maximum and whose contract gives the franchise an absurd flexibility for the next two seasons. Whatever the case may be, the game is worth it for a team with a blank slate, and the Dolphins deserve to be commended for realizing it.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams' selections collection does not necessarily indicate a new plan, but the team has used its forecasting capital – more than in recent years, thanks to the deals for Jared Goff in 2016, as well Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, Dante Fowler Jr. and Aqib Talib – to consolidate some key sites.

The General Manager The Snead exchanged the no. 31 choices in total in Atlanta for dummies. 45 and 79 choices in total, then traded a few more times. Snead finally made his first choice instead. 61, selecting Washington security Taylor Rapp. Hanging a potential first-round scorer at Rapp at the end of the second round was considered a robbery by many analysts, and Snead continued this momentum by catching Michigan cornerback David Long with the 79th pick, much later than most experts thought. .

The Rams tackled two areas of need with players slipping down the board, but both of these moves were eclipsed by Snead's choice of no. 70 in total. The issue of Todd Gurley's long-term health and its impact on his playoff use last season was one of the biggest stories of the NFL this spring. By choosing halfback Darrell Henderson in Memphis, the Rams did nothing to stop the rumblings. Henderson has accumulated 1,909 rushing yards in 214 races in 2018, and his racing style makes it a perfect choice for the Rams outdoor area program. No matter what the Rams are expecting from Gurley, Henderson's slot machine project indicates he will play an important role in Sean McVay's offensive this fall.

Denver Broncos

John Elway's recent record of evaluating quarterbacks has been catastrophic. After convincing Peyton Manning to sign with the Broncos in 2012, Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum and Joe Flacco were Elway's favorite choices. A feature common to this group is that they are tall (well, with the exception of Keenum); The other is that none of them are very good at playing the quarterback.

For reasons that are not yet clear, Elway traded a fourth-round pick in Baltimore in February against Flacco, which will reach a $ 18.5-million cap in 2019. Denver is tied to Flacco this season. plan at the position. Enter Drew Lock. The former Mizzou quarterback was considered a potential choice in the top 10, but the lack of demand made him fall to zero. 42 in total. Denver already had no. 41 choices, that he had used to prepare offensive lineman Dalton Risner of Kansas State, who plays the guardian role in Broncos' offense. To land Lock at no. 42, Denver exchanged the no. 52 pick, which she acquired during an exchange with the Steelers on Thursday night. In all, the Broncos had an extremely talented smuggler but imperfect for a little more than the choice they had acquired to exchange 10 places in the first round.

If Lock loses control, after Denver inevitably discovered that Flacco was not worth the investment, Elway's transactions this weekend resulted in a package of measures to save a franchise. Otherwise, the Broncos used an asset found to take a risk on the most important position of the NFL. Anyway, it's a cautious choice from a franchise that has struggled to find a lot of value in deals in recent years.