3GML NFL Draft - Day one recap and questions

Thoughts on the first round of the 2019 3GML Draft.

1. The Bills hit this out of the park. They added the 6th best player in the draft in Greedy Williams at a MAJOR position of need at the cornerback spot, he immediately starts for them. He’ll be better as a Madden player than in real life as well, as his traits translate super well. Devin Bush is the exact same type of player. He has tremendous speed and another position of need. Risner with 33 made sense for them because he had value as the 13th rated player in the class and someone who can play any position on the line is smart. He also traded ahead of the champs who would have clearly been interested there.

2. New England was rock solid and did what they had to do. They could use a versatile edge player and they were very high on Burns. While some question his size in holding up against the run, his speed and bend around the edge was coveted. He will pair up very nicely for the next 4-5 seasons with Bradley Chubb and his toughness. Adding a nice player with proper value in Murphy made sense as well, although likely this means New England will be going more zone heavy in the future. Both players filled positions of need. 

3. Miami does what Miami does and added value in rounds 2-4 where they seem to feel the most comfortable. Adding additional picks in what is widely seen as a poor draft and grabbing an extra 3rd in 2020 was a wise decision. McCoy wasn’t rated as highly on my board as others but the team needed a pivot and adding the versatile McCoy made sense. It also kept him off the Bills who now will have to play someone out of position at center next season. You’re always trying to hurt in division.

4. The Jets were “going Abram” at 28 per sources if they stayed there but the trade back left them without a pick on Thursday. Abram would have been available but you have to give credit to the Jets brass of sticking with the teams’ philosophy. Now they will be insanely busy from picks 53,57,65, and 68 tomorrow all coming in a hurry, they have to get at least 3 of them right.

5. Big questions still arise moving into tonight and beyond. Can Risner make the move to center for Buffalo next season? New England got good pieces and they are essentially second on the board, after missing out on Risner do they grab Cody Ford or Jawaan Taylor? Does someone trade ahead of them to land one of them? Miami is content to trade back but with 4 picks tomorrow and 3 4th rounders they have to make a splash. New York is under a new identity now, but they have some serious roster holes that need plugging if they have any chance to shock the world in 2019. Do they reach for need or stay as patient as they did on day 1?

Free Agency Roundup & Mock Draft 2.0

FREE AGENCY ROUNDUP

Our 3GML GMs spent the past week wheeling and dealing with free agents in an attempt to improve their rosters. Some squads had more holes to fill than others - Let's check out how each team has fared thus far during the early stages of Free Agency.

BUFFALO BILLS
Free Agents Signed: 0
Although the Bills have been quiet, the team's talented roster has allowed the team to save money while getting ready for the draft. Look for the team to find a backup QB late and to potentially test the thin MLB market in the coming weeks. Buffalo also locked up their Kicker of the future by acquiring Jason Sanders from the Miami Dolphins for a 2020 5th round pick.

MIAMI DOLPHINS
Free Agents Signed: 3
FS Adrian Amos - 4-years, $37,000,000 ($8,000,000 in Additional Guarantees)
     Madden Rating: 88
     PFF FA Grade: Elite
HB Mark Ingram - 3-years, $15,000,000 ($0 in Additional Guarantees)
     Madden Rating: 86
     PFF FA Grade: Below Average
OLB Shaquil Barrett - 1-year, $5,000,000 ($3,000,000 in Additional Guarantees)
     Madden Rating: 80
     PFF FA Grade: Elite
Miami was already very active in the offseason trade market acquiring 34 OLB Whitney Mercilus from the Houston Texans and pass rusher Olivier Vernon from the New York Giants. The team also brought back QB Jacoby Brissett to lead their squad into the future. The additions of FS Adrian Amos and OLB Shaquil Barrett were strong financial deals for young, foundational players. The Dolphins scored big with each of these signings.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Free Agents Signed: 0
The defending Super Bowl champions are in the same boat as the talented Buffalo Bills squad in that they are a team with minimal needs. New England did well to resign their own following the team's Lombardi trophy. T Ja'wuan Jones resigned with the team along with CB Ronald Darby to help the team's core group remain intact. The team also made a prudent financial decision to let DE Za'Darius Smith walk to Green Bay - There was no way signing Smith to a 5-figure deal made sense for the Pats. Look for the team to still try to acquire cornerback and runningback depth later in Free Agency.

NEW YORK JETS
Free Agents Signed: 4
DE Trey Flowers - 5-years, $90,000,000 ($500,000 in Additional Guarantees)
     Madden Rating: 88
     PFF FA Grade: Very Good
C Matt Paradis - 3-years, $29,030,000 ($4,590,000 in Additional Guarantees)
     Madden Rating: 88
     PFF FA Grade: Above Average
TE Demetrius Harris - 2-years, $6,000,000 ($4,000,000 in Additional Guarantees)
     Madden Rating: 79
     PFF FA Grade: Average
CB Jason Verrett - 1-year, $3,600,000 ($400,000 in Additional Guarantees)
     Madden Rating: 84
     PFF FA Grade: Above Average
The Jets have improved their roster more than any other 3GML team this offseason. By adding Flowers and Paradis, the Jets have bolstered their lines immensely on both sides of the ball. The team also traded for G Kelechi Osemele in a fleecing from the Oakland Raiders. An offensive line that once looked like a glaring weakness now is in the top third of the league in terms of overall talent. Under-the-radar signings of Jason Verrett and Demetrius Harris could pay dividends for years to come. Verrett, the former first round pick out of TCU, has the gritty playing style that Gregg Williams likes.

MOCK DRAFT 2.0
#6 - New England Patriots - TE Noah Fant (Iowa) - The Pats have few holes. Pairing Fant with Eric Ebron will give Andrew Luck a pair of inside weapons to go along with Julio Jones on the outside.

#10 - Buffalo Bills - WR DK Metcalf (Ole Miss) - Everybody believes linebacker is the pick here. We see Metcalf as a perfect additional weapon for Aaron Rodgers. Juju Smith-Schuster will continue to develop and Brandin Cooks is another huge weapon for the Bills, but Metcalf would bring a level of physicality to the WR room that the Bills have never seen before.

#24 - New England Patriots - CB Deandre Baker (Georgia) - New England has been unsuccessful finding a CB in free agency and can lock up the feisty Georgia product to pair alongside Marshon Lattimore.

#27 - Buffalo Bills - C Garrett Bradbury (NCSU) - The team has one glaring hole heading into the 2019 season: Center. Picking Bradbury here could be the smartest move of the 1st round in giving the team an anchor up front for the next 10 seasons.

#28 - New York Jets - SS Johnathan Abram (Mississippi State) - The Jets need a deep enforcer. Enter Abram. The former Bulldog would put a bow on a terrific offseason while giving Gregg Williams a full cupboard of playmakers at his disposal.

#33 - Miami Dolphins - OL Dalton Risner (Kansas State) - The Dolphins can either go OL or CB here as they have filled most of the team needs this offseason. With only three offensive linemen on their roster, Risner would start right away for a team that aims to run the ball early and often.

3GML Mock Draft 1.0 (Pre-Combine)

As we get ready for the combine in a few weeks, let's take a look at this writers best guess for where the 4 teams of the AFC East will go in this year's draft.

#6 - New England Patriots - WR D.K. Metcalf (Mississippi) - Have you seen the size of this man?  Metcalf is a rare blend of size and speed wrapped up to form a coverage nightmare.  The biggest hole on this roster is offensive line, but in a deep O-line draft, the Patriots grab a playmaker to play opposite Julio Jones and eventually supplant him as WR1.

#10 - Buffalo Bills - LB Devin White (LSU) - With the recent trade of Dont'a Hightower and desire to keep Jamal Adams from getting beat up in the box, Buffalo goes with the best linebacker in the draft.  White flies over the field and will be looked at to play day one in upstate New York.  Buffalo was one game from the Super Bowl and will hope completing their LB core can take them that extra step this year.

#24 - New England Patriots - OL Dalton Risner (Kansas St.) - Tackle or Guard? To be determined.  Can the guy play high level football on the offensive line?  Absolutely.  New England needs to tighten up their line to keep pace with their rivals in Buffalo and Risner will do just that.  He can give them a boost from the get go.

#27 - Buffalo Bills - TE T.J. Hockenson (Iowa) - Is it possible Hockenson is gone by this point? Totally.  Especially considering how fast he's been climbing draft boards the past couple of weeks.  However, in this mock, he's there and Buffalo doesn't hesitate to grab the most complete tight end in the draft.  He can block, he can catch, and he will give the Bills some options when it comes time to pay Hunter Henry next year.

#28 - New York Jets - OT Yodny Cajuste (West Virginia) - With the Jets in full rebuild mode after their recent fire-sale, you could throw a dart blindfolded and still hit a position of need. They have holes everywhere and will likely go best available or even trade back for more picks, but this writer knows how much their GM likes to build from the line outward and we see that on display with their drafting of a true left tackle.

#33 - Miami Dolphins - S Nasir Adderley (Delaware) - Do we really expect the Dolphins to not draft a safety here?  Adderley does well in coverage and can hit which is a pre-requisite for Miami.  The secondary in South Beach already has its share of young stars with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Desmond King.  By adding Adderley they have the chance to make the NFL version of a "Big Three."  If the Dolphins strike out in free agency, they could go edge here, but Miami and safeties go together like peanut-butter and jelly.

2019 3GML NFL 1st Round Draft Order

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Oakland Raiders
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. San Fransisco 49ers
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Detroit Lions
9. New England Patriots
10. Buffalo Bills
11. Cincinnati Bengals
12. Green Bay Packers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Atlanta Falcons
15. Washington Redskins
16. Carolina Panthers
17. Cleveland Browns
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Tennessee Titans
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
21. Seattle Seahawks
22. Philadelphia Eagles
23. Houston Texans
24. New England Patriots 
25. Miami Dolphins
26. Indianapolis Colts
27. Buffalo Bills
28. Philadelphia Eagles
29. Kansas City Chiefs
30. Green Bay Packers
31. Los Angeles Rams
32. Indianapolis Colts
33. Miami Dolphins

2018 Season: Super Bowl LIII

ATLANTA (GA) -- A dream postseason run ended in triumph for the New England Patriots with an end-to-end 53-13 domination of the Atlanta Falcons.
Rookie Kyle Lauletta cemented his name into the hearts of Patriots faithful with an incredible 478 passing yards to go along with 5 TD.
Lauletta, the game's MVP, was overly emotional after the game. The Richmond product was seen shoving a police officer prior to joining his team on stage to receive his trophy.
"I got a little mad after the game," Lauletta said. "The emotions got the best of me; I thought he (police officer) was someone else. I'm truly sorry."
After falling behind 5-7 early, the Pats never looked back.
Their methodical, dominating style of play, silenced the local Falcons faithful throughout.
"Embarrassing," Matt Ryan said. "I'm disappointed to finish this way."
The Patriots now join their AFC East counterparts with a Lombardi Trophy.
Each of the past four Super Bowl Champions have come from within the division.

2018 Season: AFC Championship Game

BUFFALO (NY) -- Kyle Lauletta again, in improbable fashion, did just enough to propel the upstart New England Patriots past a team who, on paper, looked sure to advance. With their 26-23 victory over the Buffalo Bills, Lauletta now has his team one win away from immortality.
Emphasis on the word HIS.
"This is a crazy world we live in," Lauletta said. "I'm just proud of our guys - We got one more to go."
The Pats head coach already confirmed that Lauletta would start, even if incumbent Dak Prescott were healthy.
Aaron Rodgers, looking for his second ring in the past three seasons, played a sloppy game with a pair of INTs and a fumble lost.
"It's on me today," Rodgers said. "We are all devastated."
Lauletta was not perfect by any stretch, but did just enough to keep his team in the game. In the closing seconds of the first half, Lauletta found a streaking Dez Bryant for a 44 yard TD pass to tie the game at halftime.
That was the last touchdown by either team.
The Patriots will now play the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LII.
Interestingly enough: This will be a home game for the Falcons.
These Patriots do not mind.
"We've just won at two of the toughest venues in the NFL," Marshon Lattimore said. "What's one more road game to close it out?"

2018 Season: Divisional Round

MEADOWLANDS (NJ) -- Some 331 miles away from MetLife Stadium rests the campus of the University of Richmond where rookie QB Kyle Lauletta played his college football. The Spiders of Richmond are not what you would call a known entity to college football fans. However, with his 224 yard, 2 TD performance in relief of injured Dak Prescott during Saturday's Divisional Round showdown, Lauletta is now firmly known around the NFL.
With their 27-20 victory, the Patriots defeated arguably one of the toughest NFL teams in recent memory, the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Jets.
Lauletta out-dueled fellow rookie phenom Lamar Jackson throughout. Jackson threw five interceptions in a night to forget to give his team no chance to win.
"I let everyone down," Jackson said. "I can't believe this."
Lauletta did what Dak Prescott could not do throughout the season: Beat a playoff caliber team.
"Dak is the man here and if he's good to go next week, he'll be the man," Lauletta said. "With that said, if they call my number, I'm all in."
New York's back pages lit up Sunday morning with titles of "Kyle Effing Lauletta" and "Kyle MF'ing Lauletta" for the extra bold.
For a game filled with All Pros and future Hall of Famers, this spider had his day.
"Craziest thing I've seen in football," Todd Bowles said. "I'm devastated for our guys."
The Jets will now look to the offseason - One in which major changes are expected with many key players looking to move on and the team hoping to rebuild.
The Patriots, once an afterthought in the AFC East, are now one win away from the Super Bowl.
"One day at a time," Julio Jones said. "We got two games to play."

-30-

Buffalo Bills @ Pittsburgh Steelers Recap
The Buffalo Bills dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers 39-14 on Sunday evening to earn their second trip to the AFC title game in the past three seasons.
Aaron Rodgers and Brandin Cooks again shredded any coverage shown to them.
The Bills are now the unlikely hosts to the title game after New England's improbable victory over the Jets on Saturday.