Top Picks and Dark Horses of the NFL Draft

With the NFL season over and the Denver Broncos as champions, everyone is already looking forward to next season. One of the big things to look forward to is the NFL Draft, which will be held in Chicago at the end of April. There are many different talented players entering the NFL next year, including many possible difference-makers. This being said, sports writers Blake Holmes and Isaiah Addair will be making their predictions of the best players in the draft, along with our biggest dark horse. A "dark horse" player is a player that is projected to be picked in the later rounds of a draft, but has the potential to do big things.

Blake: My prediction for the biggest playmaker in this year's draft is the explosive QB out of North Dakota State, Carson Wentz. He came out of nowhere, shooting up as high as the number two pick on the mock drafts, and I can see why. He has an incredible football mind, and he makes incredible plays while running the offense. He should be an instant starter when he enters the league for whatever team picks him.

My dark-horse candidate is a little bit biased, considering that I bleed the Tennessee orange and white, but my candidate is the Volunteer linebacker, Curt Maggitt. Maggitt played until he graduated from the University of Tennessee, as he entered the draft this past season. Sadly, for his senior year, Curt hurt his knee early in the season, and did not play for the rest of the year. This does not mean that he isn't a quality player, as he has the potential to be a major run-stopper.

Isaiah: My prediction for the biggest playmaker in this year's class is between Paxton Lynch of Memphis or Corey Coleman, a wide receiver from Baylor University. At the end of the respective careers of Lynch and Jared Goff, another quarterback in this coming class, I believe that Goff will have accomplished more, but Lynch is the tallest quarterback of this draft class, and he has shown a lot of potential in both the passing and running games, leading Memphis to, at one time, a top 10 rank in NCAA Football. My reasoning for Coleman is that he is the definition of a playmaker. He runs a wide variety of routes while showing great hands and explosiveness. If opposing defenses take away the big plays, he should still contribute in any offense.

My dark-horse candidate, like Blake's, is a bit biased. Karl Joseph, a safety from West Virginia University, tore his ACL after only four games, but still ended the season with five interceptions. According to ESPN, he also had over 20 total tackles in those games. He was highly regarded as the most physical player in football before injuring his knee, and he should return to form during his rookie season. Expect a "Honey Badger" like impact.

-Blake Holmes and Isaiah Addair