SPORTS

NFL Draft blog: Seattle caps 1st round with OT

Geoff Robinson
The Detroit News
Taylor Decker laughts with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Lions.

(No.31) Seattle: Germain Ifedi, OT, Texas A&M

Ifedi capped the first round as the Seahawks added some beef to their interior after the departure of Russell Okung this offseason in free agency.

This was the last pick of the first round. Remember, the Patriots were stripped of their first round picks after the whole deflategate saga.

There's a lot of big names on the board tomorrow, most notably Myles Jack, the linebacker out of UCLA who is a top 10 talent but has injury concerns. Who will take a chance on him? For the Lions sake, there's plenty of defensive tackles out there to choose from. One has to think that's the route they'll go in the 2nd round.

(No.30) Carolina: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech

The Panthers are beefing up an already stellar defensive line.

Despite all the hype surrounding Cam Newton, Carolina's defense is what carried them to the Super Bowl and a 15-1 season last year. Can't argue with results. Ron Rivera just added another big bodied athlete to terrorize opposing quarterbacks.

(No.29) Arizona: Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss

One of the most talented players in the draft, Nkemdiche fell down and probably off of some draft boards because of his off-field issues.

If Nkemdiche can straighten out his personal life, he has a chance to be the steal of the draft. This guy is an absolute beast in the mold of Ndamukong Suh.

(No.28) San Francisco: Joshua Garnett, G, Stanford 

San Francisco sent its 2nd, 4th and 6th round picks to Kansas City to take Garnett.

Well, this certainly is puzzling. Trading up for a guy that you could probably get in the second round, or at least find someone of comparable talent, is certainly a weird decision to make. The 49ers traded a lot of assets. Chip Kelly is crazy.

(No.27) Green Bay: Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA

B.J. Raji is taking a "year off" from football, so the Packers found his replacement in taking Clark, one of the many talented defensive linemen in this year's draft.

(No.26) Denver: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

The Broncos quarterback situation has been a big questions since Peyton Manning announced his retirement following the Super Bowl.

Well, Denver has its man after negotiating a trade with Seattle to jump up a few spots and selected Lynch, who is a big, strong-armed quarterback. The Broncos felt a little more comfortable with someone in the same mold as Brock Osweiler than they did in MSU's Connor Cook.

For their troubles, the Seahawks get the 31st overall pick from Denver as well as the Broncos' third round selection.

(No.25) Pittsburgh: Artie Burns, CB, Miami

Burns might be a project, but he fits the mold of your typical Steeler. He's a tough, physical corner.

(No.24) Cinncinatti: William Jackson III, CB, Houston

The nation's leader in pass breakups, the Bengals added a young corner with superior balls skills and tremendous upside.

(No.23) Minnesota: LaQuan Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss

The run on wide receivers is on. Treadwell, considered by may to be the best receiver in the draft, is a steal for the Vikings at No.23.

Treadwell is a big, physical receiver that gives Teddy Bridgewater a big target to throw to in the red zone.

(No.22) Washington: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU

Great ball skills. Competitive. Good hands. Quick off the line.

All of these things and more have been said about Doctson, who the Redskins have to be thrilled with getting this late in the first round. Trading the 21st overall pick to Houston and still getting the better player, plus a sixth round pick, is a heck of a haul for the Redskins.

(No.21) Houston: Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame

The Texans traded up with the Washington Redskins to get Brock Osweiler a solid target in Fuller.

I'm not sure I understand trading assets to draft a guy like Fuller, who has a lot of upside, ahead of guys like TCU's Josh Doctson and Ole Miss' LaQuan Treadwell.

I really think Houston overvalued Fuller, who is prone to dropping passes, at this spot.

(No.20) New York Jets: Darron Lee, LB, OSU

Lee is the fifth Buckeye taken in the first 20 picks of the draft.

There was a lot of rumblings about the Jets being in the market for a QB like Memphis's Paxton Lynch or MSU's Connor Cook, but Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles is a defensive guy and took someone that fits his system.

(No.19) Buffalo: Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson

My favorite player in the draft. I really thought he'd be a good fit for the Lions, but the Bills get the good fortune of taking him late in the first round.

Lawson is an impact player, and even though he had a shoulder problem late in the year for Clemson, that's the type of injury teams should be able to overlook. He did have a knee injury as well, but he came back from it to record two sacks in the national championship against Alabama. Teams were reportedly more concerned with the shoulder, but I don't think upper body injuries matter as much when you're talking about a defensive lineman.

(No.18) Indianapolis: Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama

Kelly is, no doubt, the best center available in the draft. Thing is, centers aren't typically taken in the first round. That tells you all you need to know about what the Colts think of Kelly and how much need there was for the position in Indianapolis.

(No.17) Atlanta: Keanu Neal, S, Florida

Another big-hitting safety off the board. The Falcons could definitely use some physicality on the defensive side of the ball.

(No.16) Detroit: Taylor Decker, OT, OSU

The Lions passed on a bunch of solid defensive options to shore up the offensive line, making Decker the fourth Buckeye taken in the first half of the first round.

Decker is a good choice for the Lions, who really needed help on the interior on both sides of the ball. The only real option for the Lions in the first round on offense was the line.

Decker is a mammoth human being at 6-for-8, 315 pounds. His run blocking skills may be second-to-none in this draft. The Lions need aggression in that area. I question whether he'll be the starter on the left side or be used on the right. Riley Reiff will, at the very least, probably start on the left side to start this coming season.

(No.15) Cleveland: Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor

A bit of a shocker here. Coleman, in my opinion, is the third best receiver in the draft behind Ole Miss' LaQuan Treadwell and TCU's Josh Doctson.

I really though Cleveland would go defense here. The Lions are now on the clock and have a lot of options.

(No.14) Oakland: Karl Joseph, S, WVU

Hard-hitting safety from West Virginia fits the Raiders needs perfectly. This dude is a boss out there on the field and ball hawk.

(No.13) Miami: Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss

The slide is over for a guy that was rumored to be the top overall pick in the draft before the wheeling and dealing began.

A photo surfaced from Tunsil's twitter account just minutes before the draft showing someone, appearing to be Tunsil, smoking out of a "bong."

The Dolphins decided that Tunsil was worth the risk, despite other off field issues as well. If Tunsil maximizes his talent, he's a steal here for Miami and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

(No.12) New Orleans: Sheldon Rankins, DE, Louisville

The Saints had to go defense. That side of the ball for the Saints is routinely the laughing stock of the league. Sure, they can score, but they've rarely been able to stop anybody over the last few years.

Rankins is one of the best pass rushers in an extremely deep draft for the defensive linemen. That's another possible Lions pick off the board.

(No.11) Tampa Bay: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida

Hargreaves is a football player, pure and simple. He can play in any type of system and is a solid tackler in the open field. This is a good pick for the Buccaneers.

(No.10) New York Giants: Eli Apple, CB, OSU

The Giants made Eli Apple the third Buckeye taken in the top 10 of this year's draft.

New York doesn't have a very good defense, but they did sign Janoris Jenkins to a deal in the offseason. This pick smells of a best available selection for the Giants, who many said were high on Leonard Floyd, who was taken by the Bears at No.9.

(No.9) Chicago: Leonard Floyd, LB, Georgia

The Bears traded the 11th overall pick and a 4th round selection to Tampa Bay for the right to select Floyd.

Floyd may be the best linebacker in the draft as teams have questions about the health of UCLA's Myles Jack, long thought to be the best linebacker in the draft.

Floyd's name had been batted around by those projecting the Lions pick at No.16. If Jack or Laremy Tunsil are still around when Detroit picks, do the Lions start the Bob Quinn era off with a risky selection?

(No.8) Tennessee: Jack Conklin, OT, MSU

Tennessee and Cleveland made big trades before the night began, and now they've made a trade with each other.

The Titans moved into the Browns' spot at No.8, taking Michigan State's Jack Conklin, who was thought by many to be a possibility for the Lions at No.16.

Conklin's selection continues Laremy Tunsil's slide in the draft.

For moving back to No.15, Cleveland received a third round pick this year from the Titans, as well as a second sound pick in 2017.

(No.7) San Francisco: DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon

The 49ers beefed up their defensive line with this beastly (6-foot-7, 291) defensive lineman.

(No.6) Baltimore: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame

In a bit of a surprise, Baltimore took Ronnie Stanley as the first offensive tackle off the board, selecting him over Ole Miss' Laremy Tunsil, who has routinely graded out as the top lineman in the draft.

Stanley has all the tools to be a good NFL left tackle, standing at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds.

Questions have surrounded Tunsil's character, something NFL teams take very seriously nowadays. Just before the draft started, Tunsil tweeted out a picture of someone smoking what appears to be marijuana. The account has been deleted. This is a storyline to watch for the rest of the night.

(No.5) Jacksonville: Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida St.

This is a steal for a Jaguars team that needs defensive pieces.

A lot of people think Ramsey is the best player in the draft, including Ramsey, who said as much in pre-draft interviews. Jacksonville has to be extremely pleased Ramsey fell to them at No.5 after people were sure he'd be heading to Dallas entering tonight.

(No.4) Dallas: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, OSU

The most powerful running back in the country is heading to the big D as the Cowboys made Ezekiel Elliot the second consecutive Buckeye off the board.

Elliot is a beast and a load for tacklers to take down. The Cowboys running game struggled last year after losing DeMarco Murray to free agency, and behind what is probably the NFL's best offensive line, Elliot is going to be handful for opposing defenses.

The pick is a bit of surprise given the Cowboys' needs on defense, but Elliot is going to put up numbers.

(No.3) San Diego: Joey Bosa, DE, OSU

The Buckeyes' standout defensive end is heading to southern California, and this move really was a no-brainer for the Chargers, who have almost nothing to boast about on the defensive side of the ball.

Bosa can line up just about anywhere on the defensive line, but his specialty is pass rushing. He was a great college player and projects to, at the very least, be a solid contributor in the NFL.

(No.2) Philadelphia: Carson Wentz, QB, NDSU

Carson Wentz is going from little-known North Dakota State to the NFL after being taken with the second overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded with the Cleveland Browns to move up eight spots in the draft and take Wentz.

Sam Bradford just signed a two-year deal to stay with the Eagles, so it's an interesting move for Philadelphia to move up to take a quarterback, mostly because Wentz will almost assuredly be relegated to the backup role this coming season.

Wentz won two FCS national championships with the Bison and is more of a pro-style quarterback than top pick Jared Goff.

(No.1) L.A. Rams: Jared Goff, QB, Cal

No surprise here. The Rams have landed in Los Angeles and made a major trade with the Tennessee Titans, surrendering their first round pick, two second-round picks and a third-round selection in this year's draft, along with their first and third round picks in 2017, to make Goff the cornerstone of southern California's newest franchise.

Goff has a strong arm (think Matthew Stafford), but accuracy and interceptions have been a problem.

In 2015, Goff threw 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 65 percent of his attempts.

I'm not sure Goff was worth all the Rams traded to get him. Draft picks are quite a valuable asset, but the Rams were set on making a splash before their first season in L.A.

NFL DRAFT

When: Thursday-Saturday.

Where: Auditorium Theatre, Chicago.

Lions picks: No. 16 (first round), No. 46 (second), No. 95 (third, compensatory), No. 111 (fourth), Nos. 151 and 169 (fifth), Nos. 191, 202 and 210 (sixth, compensatory), No. 236 (seventh).

TV: ESPN and NFL Network — Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, noon.

Internet streaming: Watch ESPN and NFL Online.

Satellite radio: SiriusXM NFL Radio (Channel 88).