By Efi Polansky | May 17 2021 |
Winner: Justin Herbert
Last season, the Chargers’ offensive line was ranked 32nd by Pro Football Focus. Before the season started, they added two veteran linemen, Trai Turner and Bryan Bulaga to the offensive line. This did not pan out as both of them were just plain awful.
Herbert as their long-term franchise quarterback, they knew it had to be one of their top priorities to protect him. So this off-season, they signed Corey Linsey (an all-pro center), and two more guards: Matt Feiler, and Oday Aboushi. But arguably, their best move this off-season was drafting Rashawn Slater, an offensive tackle from Northwestern.
Slater was considered by many to be the second best lineman going into this draft. He was projected in countless mock drafts to be taken within the first ten picks. The whole football world was shocked as he kept getting passed on… until pick number 13. The Chargers made the pick and got some of the best value at their selection for any team in the draft.
With how good Herbert was last year, it would be very unlikely for him to regress at all from his record-breaking rookie season, with more time in the pocket.
Loser: James Robinson
Robinson, like Justin Herbert, was an offensive rookie of the year candidate last year. And rightfully so. The running back had 1,070 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Robinson was the only sign of hope in a team that seemingly had none. This draft, Robinson led Jacksonville Jaguars, had two first round picks; the first pick and the twenty-fifth pick. It was obvious to most people that the Jags would take Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback from Clemson, with their first pick, as he is considered to be a generational player. The twenty-fifth for Jacksonville was the one that had people guessing. Some thought they would give their new star QB a receiving weapon, or maybe a lineman to protect him.
What about a defensive player to help build on the other side of the ball? But, to everyone's surprise, they picked Travis Etienne, a running back from Clemson. Etienne and Lawrence played together throughout college, and they wanted Lawrence to feel comfortable in a new system.
Regardless of that, this seemed to be an awful pick for the Jaguars. Robinson had just come off an amazing rookie season and now they want him to share rushing production? With fewer touches and attention, Robinson could develop at a much slower rate and potentially not become the star that he looked like he was bound to become last season.
Winner: Daniel Jones
Through Jones’ 26 career starts of the past 2 seasons, he’s thrown 22 interceptions and has fumbled the ball 29 times. Absolutely porous to say the least. Usually, a team would get rid of a quarterback who plays like that, but Jones had a bad team around him, injuries, and he has shown some beacons of hope.
This year, the Giants won't tolerate poor QB play from him. New York has improved their offensive line and their receiver situation, as they signed Kenny Golladay, a top 15 receiver in the league, and drafted Kadarius Toney, a really shifty player taken by the Giants with the 20th pick. They also have their elite running back, Saquon Barkley, who was hurt in week 2 last season after a devastating injury.
Daniel Jones has all the offensive help he needs to be a successful quarterback this year. So although he has a great supporting cast this year to help him thrive, it’s boom or bust for him as if he is bad, he will most likely not be brought back to play for the Giants.
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