-It’s surprising to see the Cardinals back in the QB market after taking Josh Rosen a year ago, but this seems to be the direction they are going. Murray has incredible upside and concerns about his size are overblown. It might take a couple years for the Cardinals to get the most out of Murray, but he’s worth the investment.
-The 49ers added Dee Ford already this offseason and they could double up with another top EDGE player. Bosa has as much upside and potential as his older brother and he could immediately turn the 49ers pass rush into a major strength.
-The Jets could go a couple of different ways with this selection and I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up trading back to stockpile some extra selections. If they stay here though, Allen makes the most sense with this selection. New York struggled to get pressure off the EDGE last season, so adding a premier pass rusher has to be a top priority.
-Williams is arguably the top prospect in this class and the Raiders might be able to land him with the 4th pick. Williams has the ability to be a difference maker in the interior and will go a long way in helping the Raiders pass rush which managed a paltry 13 sacks last season.
-The Buccaneers lost Kwon Alexander in free agency leaving a major need for an off ball linebacker. White has ability to replace Alexander day one and give Tampa a top player in the middle of their defense. The Buccaneers could consider OL, EDGE and CB options as well, but could wait till later rounds to address those positions.
-The Giants have major needs at EDGE, OT, and WR, but none of those come close to their short and long term need at QB. Haskins has the upside to become a franchise top 10 QB in the next few years and if the Giants are intent to stick with Eli Manning for another year he could benefit from some developmental time. That all being said there are plenty of reports that the Giants are willing to wait on a QB, so don’t be surprised if they go in a different direction.
-The Jaguars filled their biggest need in free agency with the signing of Nick Foles, leaving them in a pretty good spot entering the draft. They are generally strong on defense and have a solid WR group. Their two biggest needs are OT and TE and I’d look for Jacksonville to spend their first rounder here. Williams would give Jacksonville a bookend of Alabama tackles with 2017 2nd RD pick Cam Robinson manning the other spot.
– The Lions added Tre Flowers in free agency, but they still could use some help getting pressure on the QB. Burns is not as refined as Bosa or Allen, but his upside is about on par with them. There are a few other areas the Lions could look at, but adding a top EDGE player would be tough to pass up.
-Buffalo lost Kyle Williams to retirement this offseason and needs as much help as they can get along their defensive line. Oliver is a top 5 player in this class, but could slide a little bit as teams address bigger needs. If he’s still here at 9 this should be an easy pick for the Bills.
-The Broncos could go in a variety of ways with this pick, but if they are serious about building around Joe Flacco and competing this season, adding Fant could be the way to go. Fant would give the Broncos a two-way threat at TE and another major weapon this season. With Emmanuel Sanders coming back from injury and Demaryius Thomas traded, Denver doesn’t have much behind Courtland Sutton. Fant gives them another premium option in the passing game.
-With a new coaching staff in place it could be time for the Bengals to move on from Andy Dalton. Dalton has remained an okay QB, but his lack of upside is becoming noticeable. Add in the fact that his contract is coming due and QB salaries are skyrocketing and it is probably time to find a younger cheaper option. Lock has a big arm, and solid athleticism. He still needs to work on cleaning up his mechanics, but he can be a good starting QB in the league.
-With two first round picks the Packers could explore a variety of scenarios. They added two big free agent contracts at the EDGE position, so that opens up this pick for some other needs. Defensive line isn’t their biggest need area, but it’s a spot they could use some long term help. Mike Daniels has dealt with injuries the past couple of years and Kenny Clark could use some help in the interior. Wilkins gives the Packers another premium defender and a player who could take over for Daniels going forward.
-I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Dolphins try to trade back with this selection as they are clearly in a full rebuild mode with an eye on next season. If they keep the pick, I’d imagine they look address their defensive line which saw them lose both Cameron Wake and Robert Quinn from the EDGE. Gary would be a good addition at this spot in the draft and would give them a building block for their defensive front 7 rebuild.
-The Falcons suffered a major defensive breakdown a season ago and need to focus on adding talent to that side of the ball in this draft. They could consider an addition along the defensive line, but if the draft plays out similarly to this taking Williams would make the most sense. They were torn apart through the air last season, and adding Williams to Desmond Trufant would give them a pair of top corners.
-Metcalf’s combine was incredibly impressive, but his lack of overall production could keep teams in the top 10 a bit more wary of using a pick on him. If he slides a little, the Redskins would jump at the chance to add him as their new X receiver. Washington arguably has the weakest receiver group in the league right now so from a needs perspective this makes perfect sense.
-The Panthers fixed their offensive line in free agency, so I’d expect them to focus their top pick on the defensive side. They could look at a couple positions, but the best value that matches a need would be Sweat.
-With their extra first round pick the Giants can land one of the top offensive tackles in this class in Taylor. The Giants should have a decent interior offensive line, but they need another tackle. Taylor’s addition would not only be a boon to Haskins going forward, but he could go a long way to making Saquon Barkley’s life easier as well.
-Ford is listed as a tackle here and he could start at that position in the NFL, but don’t be surprised if the Vikings would move him inside to guard. Minnesota’s interior offensive line was a mess last season and allowed too much interior pressure to Kirk Cousins. Fixing that has to be the Vikings number 1 priority in this draft.
-The Titans should look to keep building up their defensive line with this draft and can add a wrecking ball in Tillery. Tennessee has the makings of a strong front seven, but could use one more big piece to put them over the edge.
-Pittsburgh has to replace Ryan Shazier in this draft and will likely hope to land either Devin White or Devin Bush in the first round. There is a bit of a drop off in interior linebackers after those two, so the Steelers might need to trade up.
-Seattle is in a tough spot here as they have multiple needs on both sides of the ball, but have very little draft capital. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade back and possibly out of the round to land extra mid-round picks. If they have to stay here, taking Lawrence would be a nice addition to their front seven.
-With Michael Crabtree released and John Brown leaving in free agency, the Ravens are extremely thin at wide receiver. They have to add weapons for Lamar Jackson, and Brown is a solid pick-up in this area. He can play both outside or in the slot, and is a pretty refined receiver who should be able to contribute as a rookie.
-The Texans have to make protecting DeShaun Watson a priority, and landing a quality tackle like Dillard would be a great way to start. Houston could even look to trade up in the round to land even a more premier tackle as they can’t afford to keep letting Watson take the beating he has these past two seasons.
-The Raiders keep adding to their defensive line and pass rush with this selection fixing their biggest remaining need. Ferrell is a bit behind the top EDGE’s in this class, but still a talented prospect in his own right.
-The Eagles addressed most of their primary needs in the offseason, which could allow them to plan for the future. Left tackle Jason Peters will be 38 at the end of the season and very well could retire. That would leave the Eagles in a bad spot going forward with protecting Carson Wentz.
-The Colts didn’t do much in free agency to address their receiver position, which leads me to believe it will be a major priority in the draft. Campbell is an incredible athlete who can turn 5-10 yard passes into 50 yard gains. He’s still raw as a prospect, but this would be the perfect situation for him to go to. T.Y. Hilton would be the easy number one weapon with Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle and Devin Funchess in the mix as well.
-With their final first round pick, I could see the Raiders adding to their offensive line in the hopes of keeping Derek Carr upright to hit all his new receivers. Risner is probably the most versatile lineman in this class capable of starting at tackle, guard or center. I think for the Raiders he’d get first crack at LG, but he offers upside to move to another position if that is where Oakland needs him.
-The Chargers are a team without a real glaring weakness, but they could use some help at corner. This year’s corner group isn’t filled with elite talents, but Baker should be a capable starter and help match-up versus Kansas City.
-The Chiefs could consider adding another weapon for Patrick Mahomes, but the back of their secondary needs to be addressed. Murphy should be an immediate starter for Kansas City, and help them in which should be a number of shootouts next season.
-The Packers still have Jimmy Graham, but he’s a stopgap option at this point in his career. Hockenson could give the Packers an elite TE option for the twilight of Aaron Rodgers career. He’s another two-way TE, who could quickly become the Packers number 2 target behind Davante Adams.
-The Rams could go a couple different ways, but the smart pick here would be Bradbury the top center in this class. With John Sullivan no longer on the team, center is now a big need area for L.A. Bradbury should be a day one starter and bolster both their run and pass blocking.
-With Rob Gronkowski retired the Patriots have lost their top weapon and the identity of their offense over the past few years. Even though Gronkowski hasn’t always been healthy, he made an impact beyond his stats. New England has to somehow fill the void and drafting a guy like Smith goes a long way to helping. He won’t be able to handle that role alone (particularly as a rookie), but he has the ability to be a number 1 TE.
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