Yeah it's early, but we're starting to see what the needs of different teams and we're also getting a look at prospects. First rounder for now, with explanations. Comments welcome and encouraged as always. Order is current draft order.
1.Oakland Raiders-Amari Cooper WR, Alabama The Raiders could go a number ways and you could make a valid case. While this is a bit off the wall, and taking a WR number 1 isn't normal, The Raiders just need to get Derrick Carr some weapons. Cooper is having a monster year and is almost assuredly a top 5 pick unless he bombs everything in the draft process.
2.Jacksonville Jaguars- Leonard Williams, DE/DT, USC While the Jags have a decent D-Line already, Williams may be too good to pass up.
3.New York Jets-Marcus Marriota QB, Oregon If Cooper is there the Jets will rush to take him even with the Jets trading for Percy Harvin. I guess this depends on how Geno does the rest of the year. I guess this also will be decided based on what changes are made in New York.
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Jamis Winston QB, Florida State I am not a fan of Mike Glennon and Lovie Smith's first year in Tampa has been a bit of a disaster. While Winston has some serious character concerns you can't deny his talents, and the Bucs do have a solid front.
5.Tennessee Titans-Randy Gregory DE/OLB, Nebraska The Titans have really struggled getting to the QB this year. While QB will be considered due to Locker's health concerns and him being a free agent, Ken Wisenhunt has proven in his time as a head coach he likes to think outside the box with QBs (plus the team really likes Zach Mettenberger)
6.Minnesota Vikings-Todd Gurley RB, Georgia Whether Adrian Peterson is back or not I do not know (though with how Peterson has acted since being suspended the answer may be now), but the Vikings could use more talent on offense either way. Matt Asiatta is a short yardage back and nothing else while Jerrick McKinnion needs to prove he can carry the load.
7.Washington Redskins-Cedric Ogbuehi, OT Texas A&M The Redskins need help in the secondary and on the OL. Ogbuehi arguably is a top 3 pick in the draft, and can be plugged in at 4 positions on the OL. Seems like an easy pick.
8.Atlanta Falcons- Shawn Oakman DE, Baylor Atlanta's defense is bad... REALLY bad. Time to get a young pass rusher.
9.St. Louis Rams-Connor Cook QB, Michigan State Sam Bradford is constantly injured, and while Austin Davis has done a decent job filling in, he's not a starting QB. Cook has great intangibles, but needs to get a bit more consistent with decision making. Still outside of WR, hard to pinpoint a huge need.
10.New Orleans Saints-Vic Beasley OLB/DE Clemson After taking a big step forward last year on defense, the Saints took 2 giant steps back. Just adding talent.
11.New York Giants-Andrus Peat OT, Stanford The Giants offense has slowly improved, but the OL is still a bit of an issue especially LT. Peat is not a finished product yet, but has a lot of potential.
12.Chicago Bears-Landon Collins S, Alabama The Bears need to add talent defensively. Another CB to pair with Kyle Fuller is a possibility, but the safety position is a huge weakness. Collins is another guy whose arguably a top 10 pick.
13.Pittsburgh Steelers-Marcus Peters CB, Washington The Steelers just have to start getting younger. The team has invested fairly heavily in corners in recent years between rounds 2 and 4 but only 2 developed (Keenan Allen and Cortez Allen). Keenan went to New Orleans in free agency last year.
14.Cleveland Browns-Brandon Scherff OT/OG, Iowa The left side of the OL is really good when healthy, the right side not so much.
15.Miami Dolphins-Sammie Coates WR, Auburn You know what? I really want to give us Shaq Thompson at LB, but the more I watch the team the more I realize that WR will probably need upgraded. Mike Wallace has had a great second year, and Jarvis Landry is emerging, but it's becoming more and more obvious that Brian Hartline will not be as effective in this offense and Brandon Gibson has been a scratch the last 2 weeks (this week a healthy one). With Rishard Matthews not really getting chances, adding another weapon would not be a bad idea. Coates adds size and speed to the offense, something we are missing. As a Michigan fan I really considered Devin Funchess, but I think Coates fits the offense a bit more. Again though, I REALLY like Shaq Thompson for this defense.
16.Houston Texans-Ifo Ekpre-Olomu CB, Oregon While QB is a possibility, if the draft plays out like this I think the Texans will stand pat. Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph have really struggled this year so adding a CB is a good idea.
17.Seattle Seahawks-Devin Funchess WR, Michigan The Seattle passing game is filled with receivers that are okay but not great. Funchess has great athleticism and height. Depending on how he finishes the year and how he runs, he could go a lot higher than this. Funch also has to work on making the easy catches as he tends to make spectacular ones but messes up the easy ones.
18.Kansas City Chiefs-Kelvin White WR, West Virginia Dwyane Bowe is no longer a number 1 WR, and the passing offense has basically just become RBs and Travis Kelce. Chiefs have to get some young blood in.
19.Carolina Panthers- Trae Waynes CB, Michigan State DE is an option with Greg Hardy's future being in the air, CB has been an issue since Chris Gamble retired and with how bad the pass defense has been this year I don't think they can overlook it anymore.
20.Cleveland Browns-Jalen Strong WR, Arizona State Cleveland will be getting Josh Gordon back, but the receiving options after him are not good. Strong is probably more likely to be a second round pick, but he's a big strong WR that will help a young QB
21.San Francisco 49ers- Ronald Darby CB, Florida State The 9ers secondary has taken a step back this year. Last year's first round pick Jimmy Ward is more of a safety/nickle player so time to find a young boundary guy.
22.Cincinnati Bengals- Shaq Thompson LB, Washington Vontaze Burfict has been dealing with injuries this year and the Bengals defense is not the same without him on the field. Shaq is a former safety turned LB that would add more speed to the defense.
23.New England Patriots- Shalique Calhoun DE, Michigan State BPA, and kind of fits a need. Chandler Jones is becoming a dominant DE, but the rest is nothing to write home about.
24.Detroit Lions-Melvin Gordon RB, Wisconsin The Lions run game has struggled this year, and I do feel that adding a consistent runner (which they've never really had) would take some pressure off of the passing attack.
25.Green Bay Packers-Danny Shelton NT, Washington With BJ Raji out the D-Line for the Packers hasn't been great, and he prefers to play more as a DE. Shelton gives them that option.
26.San Diego Chargers- La'el Collins OT, LSU King Dunlap has been better at LT since going to the Chargers, but I don't trust him long term.
27.Indianapolis Colts-Shane Ray OLB/DE, Mizzou Even when Robert Mathis comes back he's on the wrong side of 30 and Bjoern Werner has been a disappointment. Need a consistent pass rusher.
28.Baltimore Ravens TY Yeldon RB, Alabama Justin Forsett has been a pleasant surprise but Bernard Pierce has really let the Ravens down as a powerback.
29.Arizona Cardinals-Michael Bennett DL, Ohio State Darnelle Dockett is out for the year and is 33. Time to start looking for the future.
30.Philadelphia Eagles-PJ Williams CB, Florida State The Eagles pass defense has been a bit better this year (with no help from our very own Nolan Carroll), but they could still use a bit of help at CB.
31.Dallas Cowboys-Eddie Goldman DT, Florida State Goldman has been the best linemen for Florida State this year. While the Dallas D has been better this year, they still need to upgrade DT.
32.Denver Broncos Benardrick McKinney LB, Mississippi State Denver just adds young talent to their defense
1.Oakland Raiders-Amari Cooper WR, Alabama The Raiders could go a number ways and you could make a valid case. While this is a bit off the wall, and taking a WR number 1 isn't normal, The Raiders just need to get Derrick Carr some weapons. Cooper is having a monster year and is almost assuredly a top 5 pick unless he bombs everything in the draft process.
2.Jacksonville Jaguars- Leonard Williams, DE/DT, USC While the Jags have a decent D-Line already, Williams may be too good to pass up.
3.New York Jets-Marcus Marriota QB, Oregon If Cooper is there the Jets will rush to take him even with the Jets trading for Percy Harvin. I guess this depends on how Geno does the rest of the year. I guess this also will be decided based on what changes are made in New York.
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Jamis Winston QB, Florida State I am not a fan of Mike Glennon and Lovie Smith's first year in Tampa has been a bit of a disaster. While Winston has some serious character concerns you can't deny his talents, and the Bucs do have a solid front.
5.Tennessee Titans-Randy Gregory DE/OLB, Nebraska The Titans have really struggled getting to the QB this year. While QB will be considered due to Locker's health concerns and him being a free agent, Ken Wisenhunt has proven in his time as a head coach he likes to think outside the box with QBs (plus the team really likes Zach Mettenberger)
6.Minnesota Vikings-Todd Gurley RB, Georgia Whether Adrian Peterson is back or not I do not know (though with how Peterson has acted since being suspended the answer may be now), but the Vikings could use more talent on offense either way. Matt Asiatta is a short yardage back and nothing else while Jerrick McKinnion needs to prove he can carry the load.
7.Washington Redskins-Cedric Ogbuehi, OT Texas A&M The Redskins need help in the secondary and on the OL. Ogbuehi arguably is a top 3 pick in the draft, and can be plugged in at 4 positions on the OL. Seems like an easy pick.
8.Atlanta Falcons- Shawn Oakman DE, Baylor Atlanta's defense is bad... REALLY bad. Time to get a young pass rusher.
9.St. Louis Rams-Connor Cook QB, Michigan State Sam Bradford is constantly injured, and while Austin Davis has done a decent job filling in, he's not a starting QB. Cook has great intangibles, but needs to get a bit more consistent with decision making. Still outside of WR, hard to pinpoint a huge need.
10.New Orleans Saints-Vic Beasley OLB/DE Clemson After taking a big step forward last year on defense, the Saints took 2 giant steps back. Just adding talent.
11.New York Giants-Andrus Peat OT, Stanford The Giants offense has slowly improved, but the OL is still a bit of an issue especially LT. Peat is not a finished product yet, but has a lot of potential.
12.Chicago Bears-Landon Collins S, Alabama The Bears need to add talent defensively. Another CB to pair with Kyle Fuller is a possibility, but the safety position is a huge weakness. Collins is another guy whose arguably a top 10 pick.
13.Pittsburgh Steelers-Marcus Peters CB, Washington The Steelers just have to start getting younger. The team has invested fairly heavily in corners in recent years between rounds 2 and 4 but only 2 developed (Keenan Allen and Cortez Allen). Keenan went to New Orleans in free agency last year.
14.Cleveland Browns-Brandon Scherff OT/OG, Iowa The left side of the OL is really good when healthy, the right side not so much.
15.Miami Dolphins-Sammie Coates WR, Auburn You know what? I really want to give us Shaq Thompson at LB, but the more I watch the team the more I realize that WR will probably need upgraded. Mike Wallace has had a great second year, and Jarvis Landry is emerging, but it's becoming more and more obvious that Brian Hartline will not be as effective in this offense and Brandon Gibson has been a scratch the last 2 weeks (this week a healthy one). With Rishard Matthews not really getting chances, adding another weapon would not be a bad idea. Coates adds size and speed to the offense, something we are missing. As a Michigan fan I really considered Devin Funchess, but I think Coates fits the offense a bit more. Again though, I REALLY like Shaq Thompson for this defense.
16.Houston Texans-Ifo Ekpre-Olomu CB, Oregon While QB is a possibility, if the draft plays out like this I think the Texans will stand pat. Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph have really struggled this year so adding a CB is a good idea.
17.Seattle Seahawks-Devin Funchess WR, Michigan The Seattle passing game is filled with receivers that are okay but not great. Funchess has great athleticism and height. Depending on how he finishes the year and how he runs, he could go a lot higher than this. Funch also has to work on making the easy catches as he tends to make spectacular ones but messes up the easy ones.
18.Kansas City Chiefs-Kelvin White WR, West Virginia Dwyane Bowe is no longer a number 1 WR, and the passing offense has basically just become RBs and Travis Kelce. Chiefs have to get some young blood in.
19.Carolina Panthers- Trae Waynes CB, Michigan State DE is an option with Greg Hardy's future being in the air, CB has been an issue since Chris Gamble retired and with how bad the pass defense has been this year I don't think they can overlook it anymore.
20.Cleveland Browns-Jalen Strong WR, Arizona State Cleveland will be getting Josh Gordon back, but the receiving options after him are not good. Strong is probably more likely to be a second round pick, but he's a big strong WR that will help a young QB
21.San Francisco 49ers- Ronald Darby CB, Florida State The 9ers secondary has taken a step back this year. Last year's first round pick Jimmy Ward is more of a safety/nickle player so time to find a young boundary guy.
22.Cincinnati Bengals- Shaq Thompson LB, Washington Vontaze Burfict has been dealing with injuries this year and the Bengals defense is not the same without him on the field. Shaq is a former safety turned LB that would add more speed to the defense.
23.New England Patriots- Shalique Calhoun DE, Michigan State BPA, and kind of fits a need. Chandler Jones is becoming a dominant DE, but the rest is nothing to write home about.
24.Detroit Lions-Melvin Gordon RB, Wisconsin The Lions run game has struggled this year, and I do feel that adding a consistent runner (which they've never really had) would take some pressure off of the passing attack.
25.Green Bay Packers-Danny Shelton NT, Washington With BJ Raji out the D-Line for the Packers hasn't been great, and he prefers to play more as a DE. Shelton gives them that option.
26.San Diego Chargers- La'el Collins OT, LSU King Dunlap has been better at LT since going to the Chargers, but I don't trust him long term.
27.Indianapolis Colts-Shane Ray OLB/DE, Mizzou Even when Robert Mathis comes back he's on the wrong side of 30 and Bjoern Werner has been a disappointment. Need a consistent pass rusher.
28.Baltimore Ravens TY Yeldon RB, Alabama Justin Forsett has been a pleasant surprise but Bernard Pierce has really let the Ravens down as a powerback.
29.Arizona Cardinals-Michael Bennett DL, Ohio State Darnelle Dockett is out for the year and is 33. Time to start looking for the future.
30.Philadelphia Eagles-PJ Williams CB, Florida State The Eagles pass defense has been a bit better this year (with no help from our very own Nolan Carroll), but they could still use a bit of help at CB.
31.Dallas Cowboys-Eddie Goldman DT, Florida State Goldman has been the best linemen for Florida State this year. While the Dallas D has been better this year, they still need to upgrade DT.
32.Denver Broncos Benardrick McKinney LB, Mississippi State Denver just adds young talent to their defense
