Atlanta Falcons
6. Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M
37. Ra’Shede Hageman DT Minnesota
68. Dez Southward S Wisconsin
103. Devonta Freeman RB Florida St.
139. Prince Shembo OLB Notre Dame
147. Ricardo Allen CB Purdue
168. Marquis Spruill OLB Syracuse
253. Yawin Smallwood ILB Connecticut
255. Tyler Starr OLB South Dakota
Immediate Impact: OT Jake Matthews
The best combination of need, fit and value anywhere in the draft happened when the Falcons took Jake Matthews at #6 overall. The Falcons desperately needed help on their offensive line and Matthews is one of my favorite players in this draft. He is a day one starter and while everyone seems to be penciling him in at RT in place of the underwhelming Lamar Holmes I don’t think it will be long before he replaces Sam Baker at LT. Matthews is the surest thing in this draft and I actually think his ceiling is higher than most give him credit for.
Best Value: RB Devonta Freeman
Running backs have been so devalued in the draft that the best value comes from getting a good running back later in the draft. Freeman shared time at Florida St. but he can handle the load and with Steven Jackson’s advancing age the Falcons are going to need a help sooner rather than later.
Sleeper: CB Ricardo Allen
He’s not the biggest CB, he’s not the strongest CB, he’s not the fastest CB but he never was any of those things and he started for four years at Purdue. Allen was one of the toughest competitors in college football and I wouldn’t bet against him making it in the NFL. After starters Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford the depth chart at CB isn’t exactly stacked so Allen can make this team. He can play in the slot and while his small stature and physical style may not lend itself to him having a long career he will become a coaching staff favorite very quickly.
Overall Analysis:
I can’t express how lucky Matt Ryan is to get Jake Matthews to help protect him, every good QB needs a great LT in front of him and Ryan will finally have his. Ra’Shede Hageman will likely line up as a five-technique DE in the Falcons new 3-4 defense. Newly signed free agent Tyson Jackson better step up his play or Hageman will take his job, Hageman wasn’t known for his motor in college but Jackson didn’t exactly light it up in Kansas City. S Dez Southward was a reach early in round 3 but the Falcons need safety help and the position wasn’t deep in this draft. I would have taken Terrence Brooks who went a few picks later but apparently Atlanta saw something they liked in Southward, I’m still a little fuzzy on what that was. Freeman was great value in the fourth round. LBs Prince Shembo, Marquis Spruill and Yawin Smallwood are good additions given the change in defensive scheme and the need at the position but Shembo is a character risk and his off-the-field baggage is a concern. Smallwood could make the team simply because with four LB spots the Falcons need bodies. I don’t know anything about OLB Tyler Starr but it seems unlikely four rookies will make the squad at LB.
Carolina Panthers
28. Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida St.
60. Kony Ealy DE Missouri
92. Trai Turner OG LSU
128. Tre Boston S North Carolina
148. Bene Benwikere CB San Jose St.
204. Tyler Gaffney RB Stanford
Immediate Impact: WR Kelvin Benjamin, OG Trai Turner
My bust radar goes into high gear when I see Kelvin Benjamin and I’m pretty convinced he won’t be in the league that long but given the depth chart at WR in Carolina he will have every opportunity to prove me wrong this season. He is WR1 from day one until he proves otherwise. Turner will take about five minutes to take over a starting OG spot on this team and while he always played OG in college and he’s built like a OG he might be the best OT on this team and he’s already the second best offensive lineman behind C Ryan Kalil.
Best Value: DE Kony Ealy
I thought Ealy was a total luxury pick for a team that has Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy at DE and needs so much help in other places and then Greg Hardy got himself arrested this last week. Ealy was a steal at #60 because he had first round potential so it was understandable that the Panthers passed on bigger needs to grab him but if Hardy gets suspended, I mean when Hardy gets suspended, Ealy can step right in. Carolina’s defensive line was their biggest strength and the reason the defense was so good last year and while Ealy isn’t at Hardy’s level he’s pretty solid and he will hold his own.
Sleeper: OG Trai Turner
Turner isn’t the typical sleeper in the way that people don’t know who he is but I’m calling him a sleeper because I think even the people who know who he is are underestimating him. I think Turner is a potential Pro Bowl guard in the not too distant future. He has the physical ability and the tenacity to become dominant and he will learn a lot playing next to C Ryan Kalil.
Overall Analysis:
It’s tough to address needs when you only have six picks but I’m not impressed with many of the choices the Panthers made. Ealy and Turner are good picks and good value but I question the rest. Benjamin is a gamble and maybe it pays off but I would have gone for Marqise Lee or Allen Robinson instead. S Tre Boston and CB Bene Benwikere were the fourth and fifth round picks and Boston is unlikely to make a dent at safety given the signings of free agents Thomas DeCoud and Roman Harper and holdovers Robert Lester and Charles Godfrey. There were offensive linemen still on the board at that point (Dakota Dozier, Cameron Fleming and David Yankey) who could have made this team’s offensive line better. The CB position is not one of strength but Benwikere would have to really surprise to make a difference. RB Tyler Gaffney is a tough hard-nosed guy you want to root for but a team that has DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Kenjon Barner at RB and Mike Tolbert at FB should have taken a shot on a WR like Tevin Reese or Jeff Janis or a TE like Ted Bolser instead. It’s one thing to say you are sticking to your board but ignoring some talented players at positions you so desperately need like OT and WR just seems strange.
New Orleans Saints
20. Brandin Cooks WR Oregon St.
58. Stan Jean-Baptiste CB Nebraska
126. Khairi Fortt OLB California
167. Vinnie Sunseri S Alabama
169. Ronald Powell OLB Florida
202. Tavon Rooks OT Kansas St.
Immediate Impact: WR Brandin Cooks
The Saints traded Darren Sproles and released Lance Moore before the draft and Sean Payton must have been giddy when the Saints were able to trade up in the first round to get the ready-made replacement for these guys in the slot. They still have Brees favorite Marques Colston and the emerging Kenny Stills outside but Payton has always loved his slot guys like Sproles, Moore and Reggie Bush before them and now he has Brandin Cooks. Cooks becomes my early choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year because no one is a better fit for their new offense than Cooks.
Best Value: I kind of want to go with Cooks again.
The Saints didn’t really get anyone well below their value and Cooks was always a middle of round one kind of guy but he’s going to be a star in this offense. They did have to trade up so it cost them more than just the 20th overall pick so it’s hard to say it was great value.
Sleeper: LB Ronald Powell
A supreme athlete that was on his way to a dominating career at Florida until it was derailed by twice tearing the same ACL, once in the spring of 2012 and again in the fall of that same year. Powell played last season but he wasn’t at full strength and the question is can he get back to it. The Saints need another outside pass rusher opposite OLB Junior Galette and Powell could be that guy if he is healthy. He would be the steal of the draft if he could return to his pre-injury form.
Overall Analysis:
Cooks is a star in the making. CB Stan Jean-Baptiste is more potential than production but he has the size that teams are looking for and taking him towards the end of the second round was understandable. Some analysts (Mike Mayock) had him as a possible late first rounder and that would have been a reach and while I liked the potential of guys like Keith McGill or Phillip Gaines better Jean-Baptiste was in that group and he went about where he should have. The Saints need depth in the LB corps for Rob Ryan to play with and both Powell and 4th round pick Khairi Fortt bring the versatility to play either OLB or ILB in the Saints 3-4 defense. S Vinnie Sunseri is coming off an injury but he was well worth the 167th pick and he’ll make a heady back-up safety for Kenny Vaccaro and Jairus Byrd. The Saints only made six picks and while you could argue they needed to address their offensive line drafting offensive linemen high has never been their way. Sixth round OT Tavon Rooks is exactly the type of developmental athlete they go for at the position and they have done well with it in the past.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7. Mike Evans WR Texas A&M
38. Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE Washington
69. Charles Sims RB West Virginia
143. Kadeem Edwards OG Tennessee St.
149. Kevin Pamphile OT Purdue
185. Robert Herron WR Wyoming
Immediate Impact: WR Mike Evans, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Evans doesn’t have the polish that Sammy Watkins has to his game but at 6’5 225 lbs. Evans doesn’t need polish to get the job done. Lovie Smith was obviously paying attention to his old team in Chicago last season and decided to go with his own set of twin tower receivers by drafting Evans to team with Vincent Jackson. With Evans the sky is the limit on his ability and the only thing that can stop him is his immaturity. Having veterans QB Josh McCown and WR Vincent Jackson around should help his development. Seferian-Jenkins adds another big pass catcher and he should team with free agent Brandon Myers to seriously upgrade the TE position for the Buccaneers.
Best Value: RB Charles Sims
Sims is the best pass-catching back in the draft and he has a pretty good all-around game. Yes I am going with a RB as the Best Value again because Sims was a steal with the 69th pick in the draft and after the injury to Doug Martin last season the Bucs know what it’s like to not have their top weapon. Sims will be a fantastic backup because he has a similar skillset and if Martin goes down again the offense won’t miss a beat.
Sleeper: WR Robert Herron
For all of the talk about the big WR’s on this team every team needs a good slot receiver. Jackson and Evans are 6’5 guys, Chris Owusu and Louis Murphy are both 6’2 but Herron is only 5’9 and that’s perfect because he gives them a different dimension. He has impressive straight-line speed but also has good lateral quickness. He needs work as a route runner but he’s shown the toughness to go over the middle. With defenses trying to shut down the big outside receivers Herron could do a lot of damage over the middle coming out of the slot.
Overall Analysis:
The Buccaneers had the most productive offseason in free agency and they followed that up with a very good draft. Evans, Seferian-Jenkins and Herron should all be big additions in the passing game and Sims will too. Sims gives them a legitimate backup to Doug Martin and covers them incase his injury issues become a problem again. OG Kadeem Edwards and OT Kevin Pamphile give them two nice developmental prospects on the offensive line. Pamphile has only been playing OT for a few years and was a late comer not only to the position but to football. There is room to move up quickly on the Bucs offensive line especially on the right side. Pamphile could surprise and move up quickly with some good coaching.
The Hott Read 