Worst:
Oakland — Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
There’s a good chance that Jon Gruden’s latest go-around in the NFL might turn out to be an unmitigated disaster, given the way his personnel acquisitions have started off in Oakland. After trading back from the 10th overall pick, Oakland badly reached on offensive tackle Kolton Miller from UCLA, taking him with the 15th pick overall.
Miller was a highly-touted prospect when he arrived at UCLA, but never quite lived up to the billing. Too many people are tantalized by the athletic ability he presents in his 6’9, 310lb frame, but he’s a very raw player who gets beat way too often, and could be big liability against speedy pass rushers.
Pittsburgh — Terrell Edmunds, Safety, Virginia Tech
There wasn’t a mock draft on planet Earth where someone projected Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds to be selected in the first round of the draft. Sure, taking a defensive back from Virginia Tech tends to be a good idea, but it feels like the Steelers were trying too hard to find the next Kam Chancellor with this pick.
Edmunds is a big, athletic player who’ll excel as an in-the-box safety, but his game is still very inconsistent, and needs a lot of polishing before he’s ready to contribute to a team that’s built to contend for the Super Bowl immediately.
Seattle — Rashaad Penny, Running Back, San Diego State
There are so many reasons to choose from, as far as why this was a bad pick. For one, any of the five running backs selected after the Seahawks took Penny with the 27th overall pick probably would’ve been a better selection.
But even if the Seahawks thought Penny really was better than any of those guys, to say that they had the “luxury” of selecting a running back with their top draft pick is far fetched, considering this roster suddenly has a lot of holes that need to be filled. The Seahawks would’ve been better off using this pick to address any of their other needs, including along the offensive and defensive lines, and at safety.