Back in April, the NFL draft was held in Detroit, Michigan, from Thursday, April 25th through Saturday, April 27th. The draft is always highly anticipated by both the teams and their fans, as they hope to add talented players to their rosters who will lead them to success. The draft this year was one of the most hyped drafts in recent history due to the talent of some of the top picks.
With the first overall pick the Chicago Bears selected Quarterback Caleb Williams from USC. He was considered the best quarterback in the draft with some comparing him to Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs. He has an accurate throwing arm with terrific agility and the Bears believe they found the right guy to lead their franchise for years to come.
The second pick in the draft was quarterback Jayden Daniels from LSU who was selected by the Washington Commanders. Daniels is very accurate with his passes and can run the ball even better. The Commanders have struggled as a team, and an organization, for many years, and fans are hopeful that Daniels will finally be able to turn things around in Washington.
Selecting third in the draft, the New England Patriots picked Quarterback Drake Maye from North Carolina. For a while, the Patriots were a dynasty having won six Super Bowl titles and 11 AFC championships all led by Tom Brady. With this pick, Maye hopes he can get the franchise back on its feet and help them relive their glory days.
As far as the local teams are concerned, the Giants picked 6th and the Jets picked 11th. With their selection at 6 the Giants went with Malik Nabers, wide receiver from LSU. Last season the Giants had a very weak wide receiver room and fans weren’t happy. But with Darren Waller considering retirement and running back Saquan Barkely going to the Eagles, the team desperately needed a star who can catch the ball and score some touchdowns. With Nabers, the Giants are confident they have found their man. With the 11th overall pick, the Jets selected Olu Fashanu, an offensive lineman out of Penn state. With his 6’6 and 317 lb frame, Olu is very versatile in the running and passing game, so he can keep his quarterback protected at all times. In the 2022 and 2023 collegiate seasons, Olu let up just 1 sack in 29 games, and the Jets are hopeful he can take care of quarterback Aaron Rodgers who is returning this year after missing last season due to injury.
The draft is a very exciting time for teams all across the league as they bring in new players to lead their teams in the future. Whether those new players can really help their organizations win more games and even a Super Bowl, only time will tell.