NFC South Draft Review

NFC South Draft Review

The Saints ran away with this division last year and while they have lost a few key players, as long as they have Drew Brees slinging it, they are the favorites. Atlanta did some work in the draft to really improve their offensive line and that should seriously help the offense. They are hoping for better health on the defense to turn that side around. Carolina was just as disappointing as Atlanta last year and they are hoping for a healthy season out of Cam Newton and a better year out of their defense. Tampa Bay brought in Bruce Arians in the hope he can salvage Jameis Winston’s career and turn the Bucs fortunes around. There is plenty of work to do in Tampa Bay.

Atlanta Falcons

(14) Chris Lindstrom OG
(31) Kaleb McGary OT
(111) Kendall Sheffield CB
(135) John Cominsky DE
(152) Qadree Ollison RB
(172) Jordan Miller CB
(203) Marcus Green WR

Immediate Impact: OG Chris Lindstrom, OT Kaleb McGary
The Falcons offensive line was terrible last season and so they went out and drafted an entirely new right side of the line in the first round of the draft. Lindstrom wasn’t the most talked about prospect but he’s rock solid at OG. Then they traded back into the first round to grab Kaleb McGary at 31, just ahead of the Patriots. McGary is big and physical and he should be plenty good at RT where he excelled for Washington. These weren’t the flashiest picks of the first round but they may pay bigger dividends than anybody in terms of helping a team improve over last season.

Best Value: None
The Falcons got solid picks but they didn’t get anybody at a great value. All their picks came at around their expected slots.

Sleeper: RB Qadree Ollison
The Falcons like to run the ball and Davonte Freeman is a very good starter for them. They also have Ito Smith who proved to be solid last year in limited duty. They did lose Tevin Coleman in free agency and it pays to have some depth in the NFL. Ollison is a bigger back so he will complement Freeman and Smith who are both smaller backs. Ollison’s running style also fits Atlanta’s zone based running scheme quite well.

Overall Analysis
Lindstrom and McGary fix the major need this team had last year. They should protect the Falcons major investment, Matt Ryan, far better than he was protected last season, and improve the run game. On the defensive front they need a return to health and they took a shot on a talented small school prospect in John Cominsky. He may not help a lot this season but perhaps he gives them something situationally. Where the team really took losses in the off season was in the secondary where they lost two CBs; Robert Alford and Brian Poole. They already have Isaiah Oliver to step in as a starter on the outside but they are hoping Kendall Sheffield can become their nickel back. Sheffield is a better athlete than he is a corner but he is small and fast so perhaps playing in the slot will suit him. I like the Ollison pick, it’s always good to have a variety of RBs with different skill sets. CB John Miller is a bit stiff but he’s a very good athlete with the size you look for at CB. With the depth issues the team has in the secondary he has a very good chance to stick and perhaps even contribute in the dime defense. WR Marcus Green has virtually no shot at getting playing time on offense, the team is pretty stacked at WR. Maybe he finds a place on special teams but I would say he’s a practice squad guy at best.

Carolina Panthers

(16) Brian Burns DE
(37) Greg Little OT
(100) Will Grier QB
(115) Christian Miller OLB
(154) Jordan Scarlett RB
(212) Dennis Daley OL
(237) Terry Godwin WR

Immediate Impact: DE Brian Burns
The Panthers have very little at DE with Mario Addison the only established guy at the position. They signed Bruce Irvin but he’s never been a full-time DE. Burns is a speed rusher who can bend the edge and get to the QB, they need that desperately. He added some weight before the combine and still showed great athleticism, if he can keep his weight up, he can be a good all-around DE.

Best Value: OT Greg Little
I’m a little torn on Little. He has great talent and he looks the part of a future Pro Bowl LT; he just doesn’t always play that way. He could be a long-time starter for an NFL team or he could wash out in two years. He’s arguably the biggest boom-or-bust pick in this draft not named Kyler Murray. If he plays to his elite talent the Panthers stole a great LT at #37 overall.

Sleeper: OLB Christian Miller
Miller is an edge rusher who is built like an OLB. It seems the Panthers are going for a type as they signed Bruce Irvin and drafted Brian Burns in the first round. They must have a plan to use undersized DEs to create pressure and if that’s the case they might find a way to use Miller. He wasn’t a high usage player at Alabama but he was effective when he played.

Overall Analysis
The Burns pick was necessary and they got a really good DE prospect who should start right away. That’s what you want in a first-round pick, good value and fills a major need. Little is a lottery ticket, he’s all or nothing. The team likes Taylor Moton at LT and with the return of a healthy Daryl Williams they can have Little compete for a job without needing him to win one. If he plays to his potential, he could kick Moton to LG and really improve the Panthers offensive line overall. QB Will Grier seems like a bit of a luxury pick but with Cam Newton’s health issues he may be needed. He’s probably an upgrade over their other backups but they probably could have drafted someone who could help them a lot sooner with the pick they used on Grier. Miller was my pick as a sleeper but I could have included Jordan Scarlett there too. Scarlett played on a less than stellar UCLA team but he has talent and the Panthers are not exactly stacked behind Christian McCaffrey. I’m not sure OL Dennis Daley or WR Terry Godwin will make the roster but they were decent picks to take a chance on.

New Orleans Saints

(48) Erik McCoy OC
(105) Chauncey Gardner-Johnson S
(177) Saquan Hampton S
(231) Alize Mack TE
(244) Kaden Ellis LB

Immediate Impact: OC Erik McCoy
The Saints lost Max Unger to retirement and they need a new starter at center. Drew Brees likes a clean pocket and protecting him is priority #1. McCoy is a solid if unspectacular pick and while center isn’t a sexy position to draft it is a vital one for this offense. McCoy will have to earn the starting job but I expect he will without much problem.

Best Value: S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson was talked about a potential first-round pick at one point but certainly seemed like a lock for round 2. He went 105th overall which put him in round 4. He brings a nice skill set as both a center fielder and potentially a nickel back. The Saints have a solid starting safety duo in Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams but Gardner-Johnson adds a nice piece to the secondary at the very reasonable price of a fourth-round pick.

Sleeper: TE Alize Mack
Mack certainly looks the part of a very good TE he just struggles a bit at getting open and presenting an enticing target for his QB. That can be worked on as he gets better with his technique getting off the line of scrimmage and running better routes. It will also help that he now has one of the most accurate passers ever throwing to him, Drew Brees has never needed a whole lot of space to get the ball to his targets.

Overall Analysis
This is a very small draft class of only five guys but the Saints may have made the most of it. McCoy fills a huge need and he could be the starting center for the next decade in New Orleans. Gardner-Johnson adds a nice chess piece on defense that Dennis Allen can make use of. The team signed TE Jared Cook in the off season but they don’t have many weapons at TE and Drew Brees will find Alize Mack often if he can work his way onto the field. Saquan Hampton and Kaden Ellis are going to find it hard to make the roster but if the Saints found three contributors out of five picks that’s a pretty solid hit rate for a draft class.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(5) Devin White LB
(39) Sean Bunting CB
(94) Jamel Dean CB
(99) Mike Edwards S
(107) Anthony Nelson DE
(145) Matt Gay K
(208) Scott Miller WR
(215) Terry Beckner Jr. DL

Immediate Impact: LB Devin White
White is a three-down LB who immediately steps into Kwon Alexander’s old ILB position. He’s a fast, twitchy LB who can run and can cover. New defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will understand how best to deploy White to take advantage of his elite skill set.

Best Value: DE Anthony Nelson
Nelson is a long, linear DE who can bend the edge and he’ll play the run quite well. He was talked about as a potential 2nd round pick and they got him early in round 4. He could end up with a starting job sooner rather than later given Jason Pierre-Paul’s recent neck injury, the fact that Carl Nassib is okay but not great and Noah Spence is still trying to prove he can be a productive player. New coaches tend to prefer the guys they picked so Nelson has that going for him too.

Sleeper: WR Scott Miller
This is a bit of a deep sleeper but that’s because I put Nelson as my best value choice. The Bucs have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the outside at WR but they lost the very productive Adam Humphries in free agency, he was their slot receiver. They really don’t have a slot receiver on the roster and that is where Miller is likely to play. Bruce Arians needs to get the best out of QB Jameis Winston so giving him a reliable player in the slot would help a lot.

Overall Analysis
Devin White is a good player but I was surprised to see the Bucs pass on Josh Allen after he fell out of the top four when Oakland passed on him. The team needs pass rushing help and Allen would have provided that and White’s ILB position is usually of lesser value than pass rusher. Then the team went CB, CB, S, which should tell you what they think of their current secondary group, it’s not good. Sean Bunting is more potential than polish at this point but he has plenty of skill for Bowles to mold into a competent CB. They took CB Jamel Dean and S Mike Edwards in round three and while I like the fact they are looking to remake their secondary there were guys left on the board I like better than those two; S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, CB Julian Love, S Amani Hooker, maybe even CB Iman Marshall. DE Anthony Nelson and WR Scott Miller are two picks I like that were sandwiched around a kicker. Matt Gay out of Utah was taken in round five, while they certainly need competition for Cairo Santos taking a kicker in round five is not a great idea, although at least they didn’t trade up in round two to get one (Roberto Aguayo anybody?). Normally, I would say a seventh round DT who had a poor combine probably isn’t making the roster but Beckner has a little versatility and with Jason Pierre-Paul most likely out for the year, Gerald McCoy likely on the move out of town, and the overall lack of good players at d-line, I would give Beckner a decent shot at making the team.