1. Browns- Baker Mayfield- QB- Oklahoma
2. Giants- Saquon Barkley- RB- Penn State
3. Jets- Sam Darnold- QB- USC
4. Browns- Denzel Ward- CB- Ohio State
5. Broncos- Bradley Chubb- DE- NC State
6. Colts- Quenton Nelson- Guard- Notre Dame
7. Bills (via trade from Buccaneers)- Josh Allen- QB- Wyoming
8. Bears- Roquan Smith- LB- Georgia
9. 49ers- Mike McGlinchey- OT- Notre Dame
10. Cardinals (via trade from Raiders)- Josh Rosen- QB- UCLA
11. Dolphins- Minkah Fitzpatrick- DB- Alabama
12. Buccaneers- Vita Vea- DT- Washington
13. Redskins- Da'Ron Payne- DT- Alabama
14. Saints (via trade with Packers)- Marcus Davenport- DE- UTSA
15. Raiders- Kolton Miller- OT- UCLA
16. Bills (via trade from Ravens)- Tremaine Edmunds- LB- Virginia Tech
17. Chargers- Derwin James- DB- Florida State
18. Packers (via trade from Seahawks)- Jaire Alexander- DB- Louisville
19. Cowboys- Leighton Vander Esch - LB- Boise State
20. Lions- Frank Ragnow - Center- Arkansas
21. Bengals- Billy Price- Center- Ohio State
22. Titans (via trade from Ravens)- Rashaan Evans- LB- Alabama
23. Patriots- Isaiah Wynn- Offensive Tackle- Georgia
24. Panthers- D.J. Moore- WR- Maryland
25. Ravens- Hayden Hurst - TE- South Carolina
26. Falcons- Calvin Ridley- WR- Alabama
27. Seahawks- Rashaad Penny- RB- San Diego State
28. Steelers- Terrell Edmunds- Safety- Virginia Tech
29. Jaguars- Taven Bryan- DT- Florida
30. Vikings- Mike Hughes- DB- UCF
31. Patriots- Sony Michel- RB- Georgia
32. Ravens (via trade from Eagles)- Lamar Jackson- QB- Louisville
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Monday, April 16, 2018
What is the NFL teaching women and minorities about their place in the sport?
As the 2018 offseason workouts begin one face is sadly familiar in its absence from any team's roster.
Free agent QB Colin Kaepernick has yet to find a home with any team in the league since 2016. While Kaepernick has gone on to off-field recognition for his social justice work including winning GQ Man of the Year and donating more than $1 million from his charity, the league has found themselves at odds with his stance against social injustice.
Now this offseason his former teammate, Eric Reid finds himself blackballed from the league as well. Bengals recently had a meeting with Reid where team owner Mike Brown did little more than inform Reid that his team will not allow its players to protest during the National Anthem. The team neither signed him nor even worked him out.
Meanwhile the Seahawks recently postponed a planned meeting with Colin Kaepernick after asking the young star to clarify his stance on the anthem protest moving forward. The team informed him they would meet with him at a later date once he knew his plans. This is the same team that last season brought Kaepernick in for a workout and informed him that they wouldn't sign him because he deserved to be a starter in the league.
The message the league is sending is loud and clear that standing up against social injustice and discrimination will not be tolerated a clear signal to both players and their African American fans.
At the same time, what message is the league sending to their female fans?
49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has been charged with multiple domestic violence and weapons charges after an incident involving his then girlfriend in February. The team and the league have yet to merit out any punishment to Foster for the incident.
The league's lax discipline on domestic violence is not a new phenomenon. While the Bengals admonished Reid for his social justice stance, the team didn't fail to draft running back Joe Mixon last season despite video evidence of him punching a woman in the face while in college.
Former Giants kicker Josh Brown only faced additional suspension after the league received backlash for only suspending him one game after Brown openly admitted to assaulting his wife.
Former NFL linebacker turned MMA fighter Greg Hardy was given a second chance in the league despite a brutal assault against a former girlfriend. While his second chance fizzled out in Dallas, the fact he was given another opportunity speaks volumes.
Most troubling of all, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was accused of multiple incidents of domestic violence against his wife but never faced any disciplinary action from the team or the league despite multiple protective orders and reports. His wife eventually filed for divorce in 2015.
While owners and the league have been debating how to handle the National Anthem and players that want to continue to demonstrate, the league has not been as quick to address the uneven discipline dolled out for those who commit violence against women. This is a massive issue for a league who has spent years and large sums of money to bring in more female viewers with initiatives and even clothing lines geared specifically to female fans. However, their lack of a consistent message against domestic violence and the perpetrators who commit it stand in stark contrast to the message they are trying to convey. This message is even further corrupted when African Americans see the league as vehemently opposed to players protesting social inequality but unwilling to take a hard line stance against domestic violence.
If a player can be blackballed for standing up to social issues, what is stopping the NFL from doing the same to those who commit violence against women? For now the league is sending a clear message that domestic violence is acceptable but being socially conscious and taking a stance is not.
Free agent QB Colin Kaepernick has yet to find a home with any team in the league since 2016. While Kaepernick has gone on to off-field recognition for his social justice work including winning GQ Man of the Year and donating more than $1 million from his charity, the league has found themselves at odds with his stance against social injustice.
Now this offseason his former teammate, Eric Reid finds himself blackballed from the league as well. Bengals recently had a meeting with Reid where team owner Mike Brown did little more than inform Reid that his team will not allow its players to protest during the National Anthem. The team neither signed him nor even worked him out.
Meanwhile the Seahawks recently postponed a planned meeting with Colin Kaepernick after asking the young star to clarify his stance on the anthem protest moving forward. The team informed him they would meet with him at a later date once he knew his plans. This is the same team that last season brought Kaepernick in for a workout and informed him that they wouldn't sign him because he deserved to be a starter in the league.
The message the league is sending is loud and clear that standing up against social injustice and discrimination will not be tolerated a clear signal to both players and their African American fans.
At the same time, what message is the league sending to their female fans?
49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has been charged with multiple domestic violence and weapons charges after an incident involving his then girlfriend in February. The team and the league have yet to merit out any punishment to Foster for the incident.
The league's lax discipline on domestic violence is not a new phenomenon. While the Bengals admonished Reid for his social justice stance, the team didn't fail to draft running back Joe Mixon last season despite video evidence of him punching a woman in the face while in college.
Former Giants kicker Josh Brown only faced additional suspension after the league received backlash for only suspending him one game after Brown openly admitted to assaulting his wife.
Former NFL linebacker turned MMA fighter Greg Hardy was given a second chance in the league despite a brutal assault against a former girlfriend. While his second chance fizzled out in Dallas, the fact he was given another opportunity speaks volumes.
Most troubling of all, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was accused of multiple incidents of domestic violence against his wife but never faced any disciplinary action from the team or the league despite multiple protective orders and reports. His wife eventually filed for divorce in 2015.
While owners and the league have been debating how to handle the National Anthem and players that want to continue to demonstrate, the league has not been as quick to address the uneven discipline dolled out for those who commit violence against women. This is a massive issue for a league who has spent years and large sums of money to bring in more female viewers with initiatives and even clothing lines geared specifically to female fans. However, their lack of a consistent message against domestic violence and the perpetrators who commit it stand in stark contrast to the message they are trying to convey. This message is even further corrupted when African Americans see the league as vehemently opposed to players protesting social inequality but unwilling to take a hard line stance against domestic violence.
If a player can be blackballed for standing up to social issues, what is stopping the NFL from doing the same to those who commit violence against women? For now the league is sending a clear message that domestic violence is acceptable but being socially conscious and taking a stance is not.
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