1. Don’t do drugs
ACTUALLY, THAT’S NOT the problem here. The problem for Laremy Tunsil — once tipped to be the number one overall pick — is that he allowed himself to be filmed smoking weed through a bong while wearing a gas mask.
After all, weed is legal recreationally in four states and medically in 24 but it wasn’t the act itself that damaged the Ole Miss offensive tackle’s stock but rather the fact it went out on Twitter just minutes before the draft leaving him and his advisers no time to react.
I don’t doubt it was released maliciously to hurt him but, like a couple of Aston Villa players recently, if you do intend doing something that might come back and hit you in the arse, maybe leave the phone turned off.
2. The NFL is no place to seek moral guidance
This is the same organisation that not only defended a man who punched his future wife in the face and dragged her unconscious from a hotel elevator but went as far as Tweeting the following:
Then you have the Dallas Cowboys giving Greg Hardy $11 million despite him being cut by the Carolina Panthers for assaulting and threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend.
But smoke some weed, again, legal in many states, and suddenly teams are worried about ‘character concerns’.
3. 2016 is the year of the slide
On top of Tunsil, Myles Jack — considered by some as the best pure talent in the draft — was not selected in the first round with every team apparently concerned over his long-term knee issue.
Shaq Lawson, projected to go just outside the top 10, landed in the lap of Rex Ryan and Buffalo Bills at 19 while Tunsil’s Ole Miss team-mate Laquon Treadwell — the consensus best receiver in the class — was only the fourth off the board when picked by the Vikings.
You could even argue that Jalen Ramsey, viewed by many as the top athlete in 2016, slipping to five and the Jacksonville Jaguars was a bargain.
4. The Cleveland Browns’ new ‘Moneyball’ approach is already paying off
It is a truth universally acknowledged than an NFL team in possession of future draft picks do not value them as highly as they should.
That’s why the Rams gave up so much for Jared Goff (including a first and third round pick next year) and the Eagles so much for Carson Wentz (including a first round pick in 2017 and second round pick in 2018).
And, after trading out of the second pick, the Browns traded down again from the eighth spot meaning they’ll have two picks in the first and second rounds next year and two in the second round in 2018.
That, and trusting a coaching ticket for more than 18 months, is how you rebuild a franchise.
5. Mock drafts are pointless
Like In The Know soccer transfer accounts, lots of people peg themselves has having insider knowledge of what NFL teams are going to do in the draft and they present their own mock drafts with a nod of the head and the wink of an eye.
That’s why many, many experts were saying the Chargers were going to draft Ronnie Stanley last night at number three. However, it was Joey Bosa’s name called and 99.99% of all mock drafts produced in 2016 were in tatters.
That’s a lesson well worth remembering in 2017.
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