Holy Embroidery! The Best and Worst of New Era’s 2018 NFL Draft Hats

Hannah Abrams

We won’t pretend we know enough about the NFL to make predictions about future NFL players and what it means for the league going forward (that’s ESPN’s beat). But what we do know is hats. In preparation for the 2018 NFL Draft at the end of April, New Era has unveiled every NFL team’s draft hat. Much like football itself, there are winners and losers, and we have compiled our list of the five best and five worst 2018 NFL Draft hats.

The Best 2018 NFL Draft Hats

1. The Minnesota Vikings

While we’re unsure whether or not this is a “Game of Thrones” reference, we are on board with the Vikings hat design. The mascot seamlessly integrates into the slogan, unlike some of the others.

2. Tennessee Titans

As writers, we love puns, so we’re going to put the Titans on our best list. We also love the dark blue font with the light blue accents.

3. Green Bay Packers

https://twitter.com/PackPerfect_GB/status/983857044896780290

We dig the catchphrase, the logo and the color scheme. And fans seem to love the Titletown, U.S.A. reference, so this hat checked all the boxes.

4. Los Angeles Rams

We like the clean integration of the mascot with the slogan, and the bold “City of Angels” text on the inside brim is a nice touch.

5. Seattle Seahawks

This is not so much about design, which we find perhaps a little too busy, but instead about fan service. The Seahawks threw fans a bone with the use of the 12 flag symbol, and we think this decision will pay off for them. Although, we will say, they probably could have designed the flag a little bit better (don’t hurt us, Seahawks fans).

The Worst 2018 NFL Draft Hats

1. Buffalo Bills

We desperately wanted to like this design, but it’s just too confusing. Learn from the Bills, and don’t overcomplicate your designs. We like the inside slogan choice, though.

2. Miami Dolphins

Not everything needs a hashtag, Dolphins. It’s a shame because the shadow font choice and color scheme are actually really great.

3. Chicago Bears

We think the Bears made their design a little too busy. That’s a lot of text for the front of the hat, and the mascot looks awkward in the middle of the text like that.

4. New York Jets

We get it, you’re the Jets. Not pictured: the inside brim text says “Jet Up.” We think the Jets could have gotten a little more creative with their draft hat design.

5. Denver Broncos

https://twitter.com/Valdez_Broncos/status/983714474199744513

We have a problem with the mascot and the text. It just looks too busy, and the overlap isn’t great.

There’s definitely some takeaways with this class of draft hats. First, keep your design simple. There’s no need to add a ton of text with an awkwardly overlapping logo. Second, get a little creative. The fans love inside references, and fun slogan ideas.Third, the shadow fonts really pop, and we think they’re winners.

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