This year I tried to take it easy on the purported losers, and really just call them more questionable drafts. Whether it be drafting players I did not like, not having a lot of draft picks, or just about anything that contributes to a lowered percentage of success.

Check out the 2021 NFL Draft Winners here

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans organization is a god damn train wreck. They signed Tyrod Taylor, traded a 6th round pick for Ryan Finley (who would have been cut by the Bengals anyways), recently signed Jeff Driskel and still have Deshaun Watson on the roster. Now I know that Deshaun Watson is probably done in Houston (maybe the NFL for at least a year), but how the hell do you draft Davis Mills with your first pick in the draft? This team has been absolutely destroyed the past few years and the Laremy Tunsil trade has caused gigantic ramifications that have made this one of the worst rosters in the NFL.

So knowing how absolutely hosed you are, how do you draft a QB this early? You should be planning on drafting #1 or #2 next year and getting ready to take a QB there. Then you used valuable draft capital to trade up for Nico Collins? I mean, I like Nico, but they should have been trading down and throwing darts as much as possible. This roster is a disaster so sure, take Brevin Jordan in the 5th because why not. Nevermind his brutal testing that did not match his tape or the fact you’ve got six warm bodies to start on defense. I have no idea what the Texans were doing or thinking but this team is clearly in disarray and is not going to be any good any time soon.

Los Angeles Rams

I’ll be dead honest, these kinds of drafts are what made me worried about the Lions hiring Brad Holmes. I said I would give him a fair shake, and I’m certainly not going to declare him a success after one draft, but I have no idea what the Rams are doing.

They routinely trade away first round picks (which I do not mind) and then spend their limited capital on redundant players/positions (which I do mind). They signed DeSean Jackson this offseason, so why are you drafting his potential clone in Tutu Atwell this year? Why bother signing D-Jax? I get you do not know who is going to be available before the draft happens, but it just seems like a weird process to me.

Ernest Jones was a good value pick and could start, and I do not mind some of the darts they threw on guys like Jacob Harris and Jake Funk…but at what point were they going to address the offensive line? Not only that, but the defense is also not going to be as good this year after losing Troy Hill, John Johnson, Michael Brockers, and Samson Ebukam. You cannot reach for needs but you also cannot just fail to address them. I like their draft far more if they take Nick Bolton or Creed Humphrey instead of Tutu.

Seattle Seahawks

There’s really not a whole lot to say here. They have basically no draft picks and they took a 24-year-old WR in the 2nd round when they already have D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Yes, Eskridge is 9 months older than D.K.. The Seahawks have an extremely checkered history with drafting and if Russell Wilson ever retires, this team is going to be screwed. Without him they are going to be in dire straits if they continue to draft like this.

Pittsburgh Steelers

I like the Najee Harris pick…everyone saw it coming and I may be in the minority, but I think it will help them. I do not understand drafting Pat Freiermuth in the 2nd with Creed Humphrey on the board. Kendrick Green has never really played center and could be good there, but he was primarily a guard in college. I like Green as a player, but why not help the offensive line in the seond round as well? Why take Freiermuth to replace Vance McDonald? Sure Freiermuth would have been gone by the time you were on the clock again, but it just seemed like a major luxury pick to get another weapon for Big Ben. Their offensive line has been brutal AND they lost starters from last year, so you waited until round 3 to address it?

They’ve been hovering right around cap hell and lost some critical players in free agency and I’m just not so sure how this team is any better next year. They will have regression to the mean with their close wins and their roster is arguably worse. The next QB after Roethlisberger is going to have some nice weapons, but he’s probably going to be running for his life. This class just does not make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I have a feeling the Steelers will miss the playoffs this year.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are another team that always seem to have a weird draft. Schefter tweeted out the night before the draft that Turner could surprise going in the first and sure enough, the Saints took him. I don’t mind any of their first three picks, but it just feels like outside of Adebo, they were all reaches. Drafting Ian Book in the 4th was a complete waste of a pick. I do not see how Book is an NFL starting quarterback and throwing him into the mix with Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston just seems pointless. I wish Sean Payton would come to his senses and name Jameis the starter, but he seems to be in love with Taysom for some reason. So if you have those two, why waste the fourth round pick on Ian Book instead of addressing a position of need when you’re strapped for cash? This was not the worst draft, but it most certainly was not an average one.

Honorable Mention: Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans

Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are actually terrible at drafting and it is too bad because they were excellent on TV. They reach for players every single year and it does not make any sense to me. Trevon Moehrig was a great value pick, but then they went ahead and drafted two more safeties after him…did not want to address any other positions did we? I know it was a major problem for them last year but how many bites at the apple do you need?

The Titans almost made the list for me after taking Caleb Fairley in the first round. I think he has great talent but the medical history is so brutal that it’s a no for me. The Titans have no issues taking major risks and cutting bait (see Isaiah Wilson last year), but it just seems like they have closed their window. Their roster is not any better and having Josh Reynolds and Dez Fitzpatrick as your WR2/WR3 has to be wildly unsettling. They are not in a good spot.

Image via: Texans Wire