Jackson Free Press

Many people like to be a critic, and many people like to make a snap judgment on any number of topics. Many may see a preview for a new movie and instantly know if it will be great or not just from the short clip.

You could apply that same principle to the NFL Draft. We see what a team does and instantly love it or hate it. In reality it could take anywhere from two to five years to see if a team made the right move.

But that isn’t going to stop me from making a snap judgment on the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. These are my three winners and three losers from April 27’s first round.

Let's get critical.

Loser: Teams that traded up for a quarterback

One thing nearly all the analysts agreed on is that this draft featured a weak quarterback class. That didn’t stop the Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans from jumping up in the draft to take one.

Chicago signed Mike Glennon in free agency and traded with the San Francisco 49ers to move up a spot so they could grab Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears gave up two third-round picks (one in 2018) and a fourth-round pick in this draft to move up.

Quick note: First- and second-round picks should end up being starters in year one; third-round ones should contribute significantly early their first year; fourth-round ones should help out at some point in their rookie season, and fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round ones need to develop while playing special teams.

That means the Bears gave up two players who should help a team that has holes all in the roster. Chicago gave up a lot of picks for a guy who made just 13 starts in his college career.

Kansas City traded its third-round pick this year and the first-round pick in the 2018 draft to move up from the 21st pick to the Buffalo Bills’ 10th pick. The Chiefs gave up a starter and a player that should help right away in Patrick Mahomes, who will sit behind Alex Smith.

Fans will wonder why Kansas City moved up if Mahomes isn’t a star. For a playoff team like the Chiefs, the team could have used the picks to make a run at the Super Bowl.

Houston ended up giving up a 2018 first-round pick, moving from 25th to the Cleveland Browns’ 12th spot. This is least of the bad moves from teams who moved up since the Texans were able to draft Deshaun Watson.

The Texans’ defense could make the transition easier, but they did give up a starter in next year’s draft. If Watson doesn’t pay off quickly, it will be another in a recent line of quarterbacks who didn’t work in Houston.

Winner: the Cleveland Browns

Say what you want about the Browns not getting a quarterback, but in …

Tonight, April 27, will be life-changing for 32 former college-football players. When the 2017 NFL Draft kicks off at 7 p.m., every team with a first-round pick will hope that theirs will become a future Hall of Famer and not end up on a list of the biggest draft busts.

Here are a few things to know before the draft begins: This is a deep defensive draft, as teams are going to be able to stock up on defensive linemen, linebackers and secondary players. Quarterbacks and offensive linemen are lacking, and offensive skill positions are deep as well.

Here is my first round mock draft.

1. Cleveland Browns—Myles Garrett, defensive end, Texas A&M University

Normally the first pick of the draft is a quarterback, but this quarterback class is weak, and if Garrett will play with a high motor, he could be special. He isn’t perfect, but he’s the best player in this draft.

1. San Francisco 49ers—Solomon Thomas, defensive end, Stanford University

The 49ers have plenty of holes, and this draft won’t fix everything. San Francisco gets a player who played down the road and will excite fans right away.

1. Chicago Bears—Forest Lamp, offensive guard, Western Kentucky University

Chicago has plenty of holes to fill and just signed a new quarterback. Giving its new quarterback some protection might be the best start to this drive.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars—O.J. Howard, tight end, University of Alabama

The offense in Jacksonville has struggled, and the Jaguars quarterback needs more weapons. Howard could become his new quarterback’s best friend with his receiving and blocking abilities.

1. Tennessee Titans—Haason Reddick, linebacker, Temple University

The Titans’ main needs are on defense. A starting linebacker who jumps off the film is a nice beginning.

1. New York Jets—Reuben Foster, linebacker, University of Alabama

Only the Jets would use a top-10 pick on a player who might have issues down the road. Most of the time, the Jets are gonna Jets.

1. Los Angeles Chargers—Mike Williams, wide receiver, Clemson University

Williams is one of the best wide receivers in this draft. He is an instant playmaker and will get fans to show up after the Chargers moved from San Diego to Los Angeles.

1. Carolina Panthers—Leonard Fournette, running back, Louisiana State University

It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Panthers go with a wide receiver here if Williams or Corey Davis is on the board. Fournette’s bruising running style will fit in great in Carolina.

9.Cincinnati Bengals—Jonathan Allen, defensive end, University of Alabama

The Bengals need defensive ends, and Allen isn’t a bad choice at with the ninth pick. Cincinnati could go wide receiver or linebacker with this pick as well.

1. Buffalo Bills—Marshon Lattimore, cornerback, Ohio State University.

The Bills begin a run on cornerbacks with this pick. Buffalo gets what could be the top cornerback of this draft.

There has been plenty of news before the NFL Draft’s kickoff tomorrow night, Thursday, April 27, that could send players down the draft board. Some is understandable, and some could be considered ridiculous.

Let’s start with the ridiculous and work our way to more serious elements. One thing to remember: the run-up to the draft is one long job interview.

Last week in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, writer Bob McGinn reported the scores of several players who took the Wonderlic intelligence test at the NFL Combine. ESPN’s Darren Rovell pointed out two players who scored an 11 out of 50 on the test and Rovell was roasted on social media. Since then, Rovell took the official test and wrote about taking it and how it changed him.

The leaking of Wonderlic scores has gone on since the NFL began using the test in the 1970s. If you don’t know, the test is 50 questions taken in 12 minutes with just a pencil and scrap paper. The employers use the test to assess the intelligence of prospective employees.

If you follow the NFL Combine, everyone does the same testing. All the players bench-press 225 pounds, run the 40-yard dash, and so forth. Not all the tests really apply to every position, but to get an apples-to-apples comparison, every player does the same tests.

The Wonderlic doesn’t mean a ton for most positions. If any position makes sense, it is the quarterback position, where you have to process a good deal of information and do it quickly.

What other players score on the test really isn’t entirely game-changing but is important. Players have known for years that the NFL gives the test at the combine. Agents have been preparing players for the test for years, as well.

If everything is a test at the combine, the way a player approaches the Wonderlic is a test. Remember, this is a giant job interview. If a player scores low on the test, teams might do more research on the player to find out why.

NFL teams will want to know why a player bombed a test that he knew he had to take. Did the player care enough to even prepare for the test? Is the player bad at taking tests? If the player didn’t care to prepare for the test, teams will wonder if that player will prepare for a NFL career. The test is part of an evolution process and not really about how smart the players are.

No one should be made fun for what he scored on the test. It is simply a way for teams to see whether players are going to put in the work that is needed to be in the NFL.

It also never fails that a player or two will fail the drug test at the NFL Combine. This year, it was University of Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster and University …