The historic run on offensive players, especially quarterbacks, in the first round of the NFL draft pushed plenty of talented defenders down the board. It also pushed some first-round worthy defensive players into Round 2 on Friday. Those include Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, Texas A&M inside linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. The former Crimson Tide player was picked by the New Orleans Saints.
The unprecedented run on quarterbacks, wide receivers and pass protectors in the NFL draft 's opening round pushed plenty of standout defenders down the board and allowed some of the top teams to select players who normally wouldn't fall to them.
McKinstry, besides having among the coolest names in the draft, is seen as a plug-and-play performer. McKinstry is like Cooper DeJean of Iowa in two ways in that he's an elite punt returner and he's coming off an injury. McKinstry couldn't participate in drills at the NFL scouting combine because of a broken bone in his right foot. But he ran at his pro day on March 20 and then underwent surgery to repair the fracture. He's expected to be ready to go by training camp.
The first defensive player off the board Thursday night was UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu, who is coming off a senior season in which he had 13 sacks and 21 1/2 tackles for loss. The Indianapolis Colts chose him with the 15th pick after a record half-dozen quarterbacks, four offensive linemen, three wide receivers and a tight end were taken.
In all, the first round featured the six quarterbacks selected along with seven wide receivers, nine offensive linemen and a tight end. On defense, there were five edge rushers, three cornerbacks and one lineman drafted.
That's 23 players on offense, nine on defense.
"The one thing we did feel, and I think everyone around the league felt, was it's a receiver-heavy draft (and) there were some talented quarterbacks," Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said. "You just do the math, then you thought, all right, who's going to be the first defensive player drafted?
"But I don't think there was a big surprise around the league the first 10, 12 (were on offense). ... So, I think when you have that receiver class with the quarterback class that it is a little bit historic. It doesn't happen that often. And then you have the tackles. So, I think that league-wide we felt there was going to be more offensive players taken in the first half of the draft."
