Loose Talk: The Editors' Take
Inherently, football is a violent sport. When you think of football, you probably think of large men colliding into each other and taking each other’s heads off, on-field violence. This past season, however: off-the-field violence became a hot topic issue. With the ongoing Aaron Hernandez trial, the Ray Rice and Greg Hardy scandals and the Adrian Peterson dilemma, it was hard not to notice the issues effecting the league’s image.
Violence wasn't the only problem facing the league. On a smaller scale, marijuana was a topic of concern. Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended for ten games this season and will sit out the whole 2015-16 season due to another failed drug test. Steelers and Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount was also suspended for pot.
The 2015 NFL Draft starts tonight and looks to bring with it a relief from some of the offseason’s events. Normally, the draft is a time for hope and new promise. Failing franchises have the opportunity to nab their new cornerstone player, whether it be a quarterback, a lineman or another position. This year, the hope is still there: Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota both have the look of franchise altering quarterbacks. I’ll get to them later.
Despite the optimistic side of the draft, there is a large, gloomy cloud hovering above the event. In the past week, two highly rated prospects have been the centers of bad attention. Projected top ten pick Shane Ray, a defensive end out of Missouri, was cited for a misdemeanor possession of marijuana while driving in his home state. The charge carries a $1,000 fine and a possible jail sentence. While Ray has been apologetic about the incident and saying that there were “no excuses,” NFL front offices will not care about his apology. What they see is another possible Josh Gordon, and no team will want to take that big of a risk high in the first round. Already there have been reports of Ray sliding down teams’ draft boards, and rightly so.
On a darker note, LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins will not be attending the draft as he will be in Louisiana for questioning from police concerning the murder of his ex-girlfriend. He is apparently not a suspect in the case, but the fact that he is even involved in the case is troublesome. According to some sources, Collins has even fallen all the way off of some teams’ boards. Nobody wants to repeat the Aaron Hernandez conflict, so teams will be very cautious about where they select Collins.
Alas, the draft isn’t about the terrible stories. It’s about the previously mentioned hope. Marietta and Winston are just two of the elite talents in this draft class. Defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dante Fowler Jr. along with Alabama wideout Amari Cooper round out the top five in most mock drafts. These prospects have the potential to change the franchise that selects them. Currently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are selecting first followed by the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins.
Two teams who are not in the top five are the New York Jets, who sit at sixth and the Philadelphia Eagles, holding the twentieth selection. Both of these teams could use a franchise quarterback. The Jets’ quarterback carousel has almost become as bad as the Cleveland Browns’ infamous quarterback history. In Philly, Chip Kelly is still trying to find his franchise quarterback and Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow or Matt Barkley probably aren’t the answer. Another team looking to add a quarterback could be the San Diego Chargers. Phillip Rivers’ contract will expire at the end of the season, and it’s looking like an extension is unlikely. A solution for all of these franchises could be Marcus Mariota, who Kelly coincidentally coached in college at Oregon. To guarantee a chance of landing the Duck, they’ll have to make a trade with the Titans to get the second overall selection.
Another big storyline to follow will be where running backs are selected. Georgia’s Todd Gurley and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon both have first round potential, but with the running back position becoming less and less important in today’s NFL, it wouldn't be surprising if none were selected in the first round. That being said, a report does claim that Gurley is the number one prospect on one team’s draft board, so it’s not completely out of the picture for one or both of these prospects to be selected on the first night of the draft.
But here comes the draft which means three things: new beginnings, a failed Cleveland QB choice and me staying up all night only to see Belichick trade down.