Pick position matters in any draft. This isn’t a secret. However, there’s more that goes into this than simply what order a team picks in. Having the #1 pick is obviously ideal but in football, it can be a bit more complex than that. Unlike basketball, baseball or hockey it’s a game dominated by several different types of positions, each with a valuable service to a larger scheme on the field. Having a high pick placement is good, but people underestimate how important it can be to get the top ranked player at a certain position. A lesson Ryan Pace seems to have learned well.
Stop for a second and think about it. Go back over the previous three drafts and determine who the top performers are to this point. Leonard Floyd would be first and Mitch Trubisky behind him followed up in the distant rear by Kevin White. It turns out part of the reasoning for this may have to do with the formula mentioned above.
- 2015: Kevin White is the second WR off the board
- 2016: Leonard Floyd is the first outside linebacker off the board
- 2017: Mitch Trubisky is the first quarterback off the board
- 2018: Roquan Smith is the first inside linebacker off the board
People often don’t understand how vital it can be to get first dibs at a certain position in a draft. Sure there are instances where a team misses out on the actual best option, but most of the time that’s not the case. Here’s an example. Below will be a little of the first quarterbacks selected in every draft dating back to 2008. Then beneath that will be a list of the second receivers drafted.
1st Picked
- 2017: Mitch Trubisky
- 2016: Jared Goff
- 2015: Jameis Winston
- 2014: Blake Bortles
- 2013: E.J. Manuel
- 2012: Andrew Luck
- 2011: Cam Newton
- 2010: Sam Bradford
- 2009: Matthew Stafford
- 2008: Matt Ryan
2nd Picked
- 2017: Patrick Mahomes
- 2016: Carson Wentz
- 2015: Marcus Mariota
- 2014: Johnny Manziel
- 2013: Geno Smith
- 2012: Robert Griffin III
- 2011: Jake Locker
- 2010: Tim Tebow
- 2009: Mark Sanchez
- 2008: Joe Flacco
There is an occasional exception on every list but by and large, the results are evident. The odds favor a team who picks at a position first then they do second. Thus far the two most successful picks of the Pace era, Floyd and Trubisky were both first off the board at their positions. Roquan Smith becomes the third-straight in that regard. The potential surrounding this trio is immense.
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Meanwhile Kevin White may not even be on the roster next year. Is that fair? No, but it’s important to remember there were reasons he wasn’t the first off the board. He was raw in a lot of areas and untested against top-shelf defenses. The injuries were unfortunate, but they go into part of the reason he was second off the board.
Most agree things would be different had the Bears somehow gotten Amari Cooper instead. Either way, it’s a fascinating look at how Pace has changed up his style since the White pick. He’s no longer content to sit back and let the board fall. He attacks where it’s strongest, and isn’t afraid to seize the moment. The results are mild thus far, but they could skyrocket soon enough.
