1. Houston Texans
– Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina – He has been the consensus #1 pick
since he did this. The Texans desperately need a
quarterback, but they can get a totally solid NFL starter in the second round
of this draft.
2. St. Louis
Rams Atlanta Falcons – Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo – The Falcons are no
stranger to trading up in the draft. This will likely be pretty expensive, but
the team needs a linebacker. Mack is a future star in the league.
3. Jacksonville
Jaguars – Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida – This would not be a really
sexy pick at #3 for a team with a lot of holes, but UCF is only about 150 miles
from Jacksonville, so I am sure there are a bunch of Bortles fans in the area.
He could be the guy to take them to the top of that division, which is
definitely winnable this year.
4. Cleveland
Browns – Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – The Browns are constantly
looking for something to make them relevant, so their fans will be clamoring for
Manziel when they realize he is available here. This will be their third QB
taken in the first round since 2007.
5. Oakland Raiders
– Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson – He is one of the scariest deep threats to come
into the draft in several years. The Raiders love taking the combine freaks,
but this guy also happens to be the best fit for their team. They can get their
QB of the future later in the draft.
6. Atlanta
Falcons St. Louis Rams – Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn – It would be scary
for the Rams to pick up a few more picks for trading down and still getting the
surefire left tackle they have been searching for the past decade.
7. Tampa Bay
Buccaneers – Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan – Lewan is one of the top linemen
in the draft, and the Buccs, while filling some holes in free agency, still are
thin on the O-Line.
8. Minnesota
Vikings Miami Dolphins – Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M – The Vikings
have had a bunch of first rounders in the past few years, so a trade down here
will be welcomed, mainly because they won’t want another Ponder-ish reach for a
QB here. The Dolphins were close last year to making a playoff run, and while
they addressed their O-line needs with Brandon Albert, they will jump at the
chance to groom his heir at RT.
9. Buffalo Bills –
Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M – Evans is that huge wide-out that is impossible
to guard. They are going to need him if they want to score against that beefed
up Patriots secondary.
10. Detroit Lions –
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama – The Lions are always in need of secondary help.
Clinton-Dix is maybe the most talented one in this draft. Having a playmaker at
that position can be a game changer for the annually tortured Lions D.
11. Tennessee
Titans – Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State – With Alterraun Verner heading
off to the Buccs, the Titans need to fill that gap. Gilbert is clearly the best
corner in the draft, and picking him here makes so much sense that they
probably won’t do it.
12. New York
Giants – Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh – The Giants have several holes, but
none more obvious that the defensive line. With the running games in that
division, they need to beef up the interior. Donald was the best defensive
player in the country as a senior.
13. St. Louis
Rams Green Bay Packers – Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina – The Rams
trade down again. With Jermichael Finley departing, the Packers are suddenly
without their tight end of the future. Their receiving core has taken hits in
the past couple years. Ebron will be a great addition to that offense.
14. Chicago Bears –
CJ Mosley, ILB, Alabama – Mosley was one of the consensus top defensive players
in the nation each of the past two years. The Bears need help on defense, and
their long-term answer at their most storied position ought to be chief among
them.
15. Pittsburgh
Steelers – Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State – The Steelers have some
secondary holes, and if they want a shutdown corner, Dennard is as good as it
gets in this draft. He won’t be the playmaker that Gilbert will be, but he will
be able to be on an island against most offenses.
16. Dallas Cowboys
– Ra’Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota – Doesn’t he already sound like a Cowboy
D-Lineman? The guy is an absolute beast, and like the Giants, they need some run
stuffers in that division.
17. Baltimore
Ravens – Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia – With the departure of Blind Right
Side Michael Oher, the Ravens need to shore up the right side of the line, as
well as the center position. Take the right tackle early, take the center
later.
18. New York Jets –
Odell Beckham, WR, LSU – The Jets just signed Eric Decker, but if they want
Geno Smith to really mature, they need to surround him with at least as much
talent as he had at West Virginia. Beckham is dynamic, and would be a great
player for them.
19. Miami
Dolphins Minnesota Vikings – Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State – A lot of
people are projecting Carr to go in the top 10, but once you get past Bortles
and Manziel, the signal callers will start to drop. This is a much better spot
for their QB of the future to get selected.
20. Arizona
Cardinals – Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville – Put Pryor in a secondary with the
likes of Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson, and the Cardinals might suddenly have
the second best secondary in the division (and entire NFL).
21. Green Bay
Packers St. Louis Rams – Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State – The envied
tall athletic receiver finds his spot on a team that has loaded up on that
position in the past few drafts. With Benjamin, Bailey, Givens, Quick, and
Austin at the slot, we are suddenly looking at a dynamic passing offense,
barring Sam Bradford injuries, of course.
22. Philadelphia
Eagles – Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA – Chip Kelly seems to love taking players
he couldn’t get the best of in college, and this one would be no different. He
is one of the most talented playmakers in the draft, and he is quite versatile.
He is a perfect fit for that scheme.
23. Kansas City
Chiefs – Xavier Su’a-Gilo, G, UCLA – He has been called the best guard prospect
in several years, and the Chiefs are going to need to make up for losing some
of their interior line to free agency. Seems like a rock solid fit.
24. Cincinnati
Bengals – Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame – Their offensive line is far from
great, and the versatile Martin would be a perfect fit and mini-steal at this
stage in the draft.
25. San Diego
Chargers – Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State – After an underwhelming season,
Roby falls way further than he expected to a year ago. The Chargers need corner
help, especially being the same division as the Broncos.
26. Cleveland
Browns – Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State – The Browns are going to need
some weapons for Manziel, and they might as well start with the stat machine
and most dependable receiver in the draft. Cooks would be their top guy from
day one.
27. New Orleans
Saints Oakland Raiders – Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville – The Saints
trade out of the pick since all of the first-round quality offensive linemen are
gone. The Raiders take the nine-spot leap to get their new quarterback in
training behind veteran Matt Schaub.
28. Carolina
Panthers – Marqise Lee, WR, USC – With Steve Smith leaving town, they are
going to need a new security blanket for Newton. Lee will be a stud from the
moment he steps on the practice field…if he is motivated.
29. New England
Patriots – Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame – An upgrade up front on defense
will be a solid move for the Patriots. Their secondary seems to be in good
hands now through free agency, they love drafting pass rushers, and now they
can get one more run stuffer to secure that side of the ball.
30. San Francisco
49ers – Dee Ford, DE, Auburn – Defensive line depth never hurt anyone,
especially with your prized possession DE getting arrested for acting like a
terrorist at the airport. Ford would be a beast in that scheme.
31. Denver Broncos
– Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU – He was one of the most dynamic linebackers in
the nation two years ago, so he certainly has the talent to get taken in the
first round. They spent a bunch of money on all defensive positions other than
LB, so this seems like a great choice for the Super Bowl runner-up.
32. Seattle
Seahawks – Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Boise State – He is a furious pass rusher,
and with Chris Clemons departing with the rest of Seattle’s free agents to
Jacksonville, this seems like the biggest position of need for the team. It
would be a mild reach, but they are not opposed to shaking it up in the first
round.
Seattle
Seahawks: Draft Suggestions/Wish List
Round 1, Pick 32 – Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State –
The Hawks need a big bodied wide receiver who can make plays downfield and
catch the ball in traffic. Robinson was the only weapon on Penn State, and he
still dominated most games. Resigning Sidney Rice does not bode well for
drafting a WR in round 1, but I can dream.
Round 2, Pick 64 – David Yankey, G, Stanford –
Ever since we lost Steve Hutchinson, we have been searching for the long term
answer at left guard. Yankey had a brilliant career in Palo Alto, and would be
a slight reach, but we won’t have a chance to get him when we pick again in 68
picks. Best case scenario: we trade down into the beginning of the third to
pick up a late round pick vacated by the Terrell Pryor deal, and select Yankey
there.
Round 4, Pick 132 – Matt Patchan, OT, Boston
College – With Breno Giacomini heading off to the Jets, there is a void at
right tackle. We have a couple guys who can step up into that spot, but
competition there will be great. Getting the left tackle who opened up holes
for 2000 yard rusher Andre Williams seems like a dynamite choice in the 4th
round.
Round 5, Pick 146 – Colt Lyerla, TE, Oregon – He may
be a pain off the field, but he is incredibly versatile and would be an asset
on our offense. He is an amazing athlete at the tight end position, and taking
him could finally mean the end of Anthony McCoy in Seattle.
Round 5, Pick 172 – Trai Turner, G, LSU – He is a
developmental guard, perfect for Tom Cable. He played in a pro-style offense in
college, and coming out as a redshirt sophomore means that he has the
confidence in himself to step up. He will not be asked to play this year, but
having that O-line depth is always good.
Round 6, Pick 208 – Ciante Evans, CB, Nebraska –
Losing Walter Thurmond leaves an opportunity to groom the next great slot
corner. Having seen every game that Evans played in college, I can honestly say
that he is one of the great shutdown nickel backs I have seen at the college
level. He would be a steal at pick 208.
POTENTIAL UNDRAFTED FREE
AGENTS TO PURSUE
QB: Casey Pachall, TCU – He had his off the field
issues, but he is a gamer. If he had remained clean throughout his college
days, then he would be a draftable player. Bring him into camp and let him
prove that he belongs in the league.
RB: Adam Muema, RB, San Diego State – Remember this? It was the strangest story of the combine, and
even though he has since said he is done playing football, I am sure we can
invite the nutcase to camp. It would be a very Carroll-ish thing to do.
WR: Alex Neutz, Buffalo – He had a very productive
career for Buffalo, and he has great NFL size. He was really reliable in big games,
and he was the only real receiving threat on the squad.
TE: Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin – He would be a nice
fit for the Hawks. He is a lot like Zach Miller and Luke Willson, so adding a
practice squad guy to wait in the wings would be beneficial.
DE: Jake Metz, Shippensburg – He has the right
size, he was his small conference’s defensive player of the year, and recorded
11 sacks as a senior. We have hit on a few small school guys, so he would be worth
the invite.
OLB: Kyler Elsworth, Michigan State – He had that amazing play at the end of the Rose Bowl, diving over
the line on fourth down to win the game for the Spartans, he was on people’s
radars. He wasn’t a combine invite, so he is going to have a chip on his
shoulder, as he did throughout college. He is going to be motivated and has a
good chance to make a roster somewhere.
S: Mycal Swaim, Eastern Michigan – 6’4’’ 212
pounds. He would fit right in on this team. Recently, we have basically been
redshirting rookies, so placing him on the practice squad and learning play the
position from Kam Chancellor would be ideal.
Thoughts? Comments? What do you want your team to go
after in the draft?