Fully assessing the 2018 NFL draft will require years. Who has time for that?
Some selections already appear more promising than others. With that in mind, I asked league insiders to identify one "steal" within each round, and to provide their reasoning. Each league insider was responsible for a single round, with one insider doubling up.
The insiders included general managers, former GMs and prominent evaluators who have interviewed for GM jobs, plus evaluators with experience in other areas. They served up two potential steals in the first round, plus one in each of the other rounds.
First round
17. Derwin James, S, Los Angeles Chargers
The thinking holds that James was the lowest-drafted first-round selection who could realistically become the best player in the NFL at his position.
"If you polled a bunch of people, I think the majority would say Derwin James was the biggest first-round steal," one of the insiders assigned to the first round said. "You could make the case that he was one of the five best players in the draft, with only Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb and Quenton Nelson clearly ahead of him. The fit with Gus Bradley is perfect. There is a little bust potential, but a lot of boom potential."
32. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
The bust potential is obvious for most quarterbacks, especially those whose skill sets demand flexible coaching. Jackson compares to Michael Vick, except that the Ravens got him with the 32nd overall pick, whereas Vick was the first player selected in 2001.
"Vick was such an explosive athlete, and that is what Lamar can be," one of the insiders said. "If you could pick any coach to be in the building with him, it would be [assistant head coach/tight ends coach] Greg Roman. The combination of Roman and [Marty] Mornhinweg could be pretty powerful in this situation."
Second round
49. Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles acquired this pick from the Indianapolis Colts, who got it from the New York Jets, who got it from the Seahawks in the Sheldon Richardson trade. They leap-frogged the NFC East-rival Dallas Cowboys in the process.
"Goedert is not a U [movement tight end], he is not a Y [in-line tight end], but he is a little bit of both," the insider responsible for the second round said. "I gave him a late-first-round grade. He reminded me of a poor man's Jason Witten. He is just solid -- played strong, has great hands and blocks well enough. He will get better as a blocker with technique, and he has the right mentality in that area. He might not be a Pro Bowler, but I looked at him and thought he would play 10 years in the league."
Third round
68. Justin Reid, safety, Houston Texans
The Texans had a huge need at safety but no picks in the first two rounds. This selection worked out well for them.
"Reid is one of the better athletes in the draft," the insider responsible for the third round said. "He could probably play nickel and free safety. He is going to take a little time because he didn't play a lot in deep-center field. He played a lot of nickel. There were teams that had him at the top of the second round. Another guy in the third round who stands out a little bit is B.J. Hill. He is an athletic nose tackle who is hard to block. He is better than Reid right now, but Reid might have more upside."
Fourth round
106. Josey Jewell, ILB, Denver Broncos
The fourth round presented the first major dilemma. Do you go with the first- or second-round talent carrying massive off-field concerns, or do you go with a much surer bet possessing far less upside athletically?
"Purely from a talent standpoint, you would go with Antonio Callaway [selected one spot ahead of Jewell, by Cleveland], but there are too many off-the-field concerns. Jewell will probably start for Denver at inside linebacker, and he will make every tackle. He might not be a third-down guy, but he should start; he is going to play. He is ultra-instinctive, and he is clean. Go with Callaway if you want the most upside, but Jewell is your guy if you want safe."
Fifth round
168. Jamarco Jones, OT, Seattle Seahawks
Most would agree Maurice Hurst, the defensive tackle taken 140th overall by Oakland, was the most talented player selected in the round. But with some teams removing him from their boards over heart-related medical concerns, there was hesitation to call him a steal. He was a gamble that could become a steal.
"Jones might be more of a sleeper than a steal," the insider responsible for the fifth round said. "He has good balance, he has 35 1/2-inch arms, he weighs 314 pounds and he can play guard or tackle. He did not have a good start to the season, and then he ran close to 5.4 in the 40, but if you put him in a short area, those long arms make up for a lot. It'll come down to his makeup. Is he tough? If he has the right makeup, with Mike Solari coaching him, he's got a chance."
Sixth round
185. Deon Cain, WR, Indianapolis Colts
The insider responsible for the sixth round also considered outside linebacker Jacob Martin, selected by Seattle at No. 186, and quarterback Luke Falk, selected by Tennessee at No. 199. Cain was the choice as the 21st of 33 wide receivers selected in 2018.
"He is a little bit like the kid from Clemson who got traded to the Raiders [Martavis Bryant] -- big and fast. Indy lost the kid from Ole Miss who went to Jacksonville [Donte Moncrief], so there could be an opportunity for him to play."
Seventh round
240. Richie James, WR, San Francisco 49ers
NFL teams selected 910 players in seventh rounds over the 20 drafts from 1998 to 2007. Fifteen have been named to a Pro Bowl, and seven of those were special-teamers. James, the 30th of 33 wide receivers selected in this class, had a broken collarbone in 2017 and also said he might join NFL protesters during the national anthem.
"I'm not saying he is going to be Antonio Brown," the insider responsible for the seventh round said, "but he has the most potential in this draft to be that late-round gem, special-teams guy, slot receiver, do-anything guy. Kyle Shanahan will be creative with him, and I think he will greatly benefit being in their system. He didn't have a lot of film this year, but go back and watch his junior year; he was really good. He was not at any all-star game or anything like that."