The first round of the 2015 NFL Draft is in the books and that means we get to pass early judgment on every selection. Although there weren't any blockbuster trades as expected, there were still plenty of intriguing selections to look at. The big question after Round one is who the winners were.
The Oakland Raiders seem to have impressed certain draft analysts.
"The Raiders got the No. 2 overall player on my Big Board with the No. 4 pick; that's already a decent value, but this is also just the perfect fit based on what they need," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. wrote. "The Raiders need a true No. 1 at wide receiver if they want Derek Carr to take the next step, and they got a player who has performed even when he knew all defensive eyes were on him. Cooper caught 84 more passes than any other player on Alabama last year. That's exactly what you want if you're the Raiders - a guy who isn't afraid of carrying that burden."
Cooper instantly becomes the most talented skill position player on the Raiders and provides Carr with a go-to target. His presence should help Carr's continued development as a franchise quarterback.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the New England Patriots were reloading their Super Bowl team and doing a pretty good job of it.
"The Patriots have a void up the middle in that defense after the departure of Vince Wilfork," Kiper wrote. "I'm not sure you can do better than getting my No. 2 defensive tackle in the draft, and my No. 12 overall player, in Malcom Brown at No. 32. Yeah, he's got room to grow, but I said on the air I thought this was the best value selection in Round 1. When you hit a need with that kind of value, you have to be feeling pretty good."
The Pats were pretty solid against the run last season but Brown should make them even better. While Bill Belichick still needs to address the secondary, no one can argue with this first pick.
Rounds two and three of the NFL Draft will air tonight.
