NFC South Draft Review

NFC South Draft Review

The Saints had four picks and three of them can actually help a team that seems like it is on the verge of a Super Bowl berth. They have had some bad beats the last few seasons but they are on the cusp and perhaps these guys push them over the hump. Carolina is entering a rebuild under Matt Rhule and they drafted some nice long-term pieces to make them better over the next five years or so. Tampa Bay had one thing in mind, make the team better right now for Tom Brady, they did that quite well. He will love Tristan Wirfs and Tyler Johnson especially. The Falcons made a questionable move up top with AJ Terrell, but he could turn out to be one of the better CBs in this draft. The rest of the draft was solid but they need a little more than solid if they want to get back into the thick of things in this division with New Orleans and Tampa Bay going for it right now.

Atlanta Falcons

(16) AJ Terrell    CB    Clemson
(47) Marlon Davidson    DL    Auburn
(78) Matt Hennessy    C/G    Temple
(119) Mykal Walker    LB    Fresno St.
(134) Jaylinn Hawkins    S    California
(228) Sterling Hofrichter    P    Syracuse

Immediate Impact: CB AJ Terrell
The Falcons cut Desmond Trufant in the off season and they waited until the draft to address that hole in their defense. They apparently couldn’t move up so they waited and took AJ Terrell at 16. This was a bit of a reach by most standards but as I said before the draft, after Okudah and Henderson there was wide variety of opinions about who the third CB was. Clearly, the Falcons like Terrell the best. He will have an impact because he will need to start and will likely be the #1 CB pretty quickly.

Best Value: C/G Matt Hennessy
Hennessy was one of the more underrated interior offensive linemen in the draft. It probably has to do with the fact he isn’t a physically imposing prospect. Hennessy is a technician who is best suited to play center, guard usually requires more physicality. The Falcons have Alex Mack at center and while he’s been a rock during his career, he is also turning 35 this year. Mack can still play and his presence will allow Hennessy to work on his strength and for now he can compete with James Carpenter at guard, but eventually he should be Mack’s replacement in a year or two.

Sleeper: S Jaylinn Hawkins
Hawkins played in the shadow of Ashtyn Davis at Cal but he’s got some skills himself. He has size, instincts and range that make him a sleeper prospect. It helps that he Falcons defense needs as much help as it can get. They had injuries all over the secondary last year and it really took a toll on the safety position. Hawkins can fill in a need if injuries occur again and if not, he’s great depth and a special team’s guy.

Overall Analysis
For most analysts AJ Terrell felt like a reach and he may have been but given the uncertainty at CB after the top two he has as good of a chance as any of them to become a legit #1 CB. He played high-level competition his entire career at Clemson so the transition to the NFL shouldn’t scare him. Is he a lockdown CB? Probably not. But other than Okudah I’m not putting money on any of the other CBs to be one, including CJ Henderson. The Marlon Davidson pick was a great one for the Falcons. On a team with plenty of issues up front on defense Davidson’s versatility is a good investment. He can play DT in their base 4-3 but he has experience as a DE so he can swing outside in some packages. Given the team’s plans to use Takk McKinley and Dante Fowler Jr. at DE, Marlon Davidson could see plenty of time outside on obvious running downs. Hennessy is an excellent pick down the road and that could be as early as the 2021 season as Alex Mack is aging. Love that pick. Mykal Walker is a LB with good straight-line speed but a little stiff side to side. He has the speed the Falcons like on defense I’m just not sure he uses it effectively. I really like the Hawkins pick, especially for a team that had so many secondary injuries last season. I normally don’t rag on a team for taking a punter in round seven but they have Ryan Allen already so Sterling Hofrichter is going to have to really puny well to make the team.

Carolina Panthers

(7) Derrick Brown    DT    Auburn
(38) Yetur Gross-Matos    DE    Penn St.
(64) Jeremy Chinn     S    Southern Illinois
(113) Troy Pride Jr.    CB    Notre Dame
(152) Kenny Robinson Jr.    S    West Virginia
(184) Bravvion Roy    DT    Baylor
(221) Stantley Thomas-Oliver III    CB    FIU

Immediate Impact: DT Derrick Brown, S Jeremy Chinn
Carolina’s defense hasn’t kept pace lately and they have really fallen behind on the defensive line. The team has gone from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and now likely back to 4-3. They needed help next to Kawann Short inside and they eventually need his replacement since he’s on the wrong side of 30. Brown is a power player with explosion and he makes the entire d-line better. The team cut Eric Reid in the off season which weakened the secondary even more. They drafted Chinn to replace him and he should do just that. Chinn is a superior athlete who’s only issue is he comes from a smaller school so there will be a period of adjustment.

Best Value: DE Yetur Gross-Matos
Gross-Matos could have easily been picked in the middle of round one and no one would have questioned it. He isn’t a fully developed player but he has plenty of potential. He also fills a huge need for the Panthers with Brian Burns the only true pass-rushing threat. Gross-Matos should complement Burns quite well as he has all the talents to be a good two-way DE, playing the run and pass well.

Sleeper: CB Troy Pride Jr.
The team has a pretty big hole to fill after James Bradberry left for big money in free agency. I liked the three players they took before they took Pride but they didn’t draft a CB early. There are still some veterans on the market but if they don’t sign anyone significant Pride has a shot to start opposite Donte Jackson. He’s good athlete who lacks some ball skills but he can cover. At the very least he’s a third CB and he’ll play a lot for being a fourth-round pick.

Overall Analysis
The Panthers spent plenty of time in free agency addressing their offense signing Teddy Bridgewater and Robby Anderson and trading for Russell Okung. They needed to address their defense and they did, using all seven picks on defense. Brown is an immediate starter and probably the best defensive linemen on the team. Gross-Matos fills a major need and they got him at a bargain. S Jeremy Chinn has been called the poor man’s Isaiah Simmons but he might be as good in the NFL. He steps right in at SS and brings great athleticism and size to the secondary. I really like the Troy Pride Jr. pick especially in the fourth round. He has starter potential and if he had better ball skills, he would have gone much higher. S Kenny Robinson is also a very athletic pick for the secondary, I’m sensing a theme with new coach Matt Rhule around. DT Bravvion Roy is 6’1 333 lbs. so he is basically a fire hydrant who can plant in the middle. The team isn’t very deep at DT so Roy might just stick around. Stantley Thomas-Oliver is a WR turned CB, he has the ball skills Pride lacks but he isn’t exactly refined in coverage. He will have an uphill climb.

New Orleans Saints

(24) Cesar Ruiz    C/G    Michigan
(74) Zack Baun    LB    Wisconsin
(105) Adam Trautman    TE    Dayton
(240) Tommy Stevens    QB    Mississippi St.

Immediate Impact: C/G Cesar Ruiz
The Saints are becoming the envy of all teams when it comes to offensive linemen. Ruiz adds to an already impressive interior line with Andrus Peat and Erik McCoy. Peat is only 26 while McCoy is entering his second year and now Ruiz comes in at RG as a rookie. Ruiz is probably better suited for center but McCoy already took over that spot last season and played pretty well. The team cut Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford to save $7 million and open a spot for Ruiz. That’s a lot of confidence in an incoming rookie.

Best Value: LB Zach Baun
Baun had first-round potential and somehow the Saints got him in the third round. He is a guy with a non-stop motor and is an effective pass rusher. He can come in a learn from Demario Davis who has become a very effective LB and blitzer for the Saints. The team is looking to generate pass rush to help Cam Jordan and Baun can be a major help there. Also, he’s not just a pass rusher, he can play as a traditional LB because he’s smart and he never quits.

Sleeper: TE Adam Trautman
The team has Jared Cook who is an effective pass catcher and Josh Hill who does a little of everything but Trautman has some great skills. He is very fast for his size and he’s a heck of a pass catcher. He may not make a huge splash this year but he could be the eventual replacement for Cook as Cook is an aging player.

Overall Analysis
When your draft only has four picks it’s hard to pretend it’s a game changer for your franchise but the Saints roster was pretty set and these guys just fill a few gaps. Ruiz is another building block in front of Drew Brees and moving forward for whatever the team decides to do moving forward at QB. Baun and Trautman are guys who have excellent potential moving forward and can help situationally right now. As far as QB Tommy Stevens goes, that was a wasted pick. And the team traded back into the seventh-round to get him supposedly because Sean Payton wanted to keep other teams from getting him. That’s a waste as far as I’m concerned considering with Brees, Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill already on the roster there is no chance they keep Stevens and that means if someone really did want him as a seventh rounder or a undrafted free agent they can just sign him after the Saints cut him in the fall. The belief is that the Saints, along with other teams, see Stevens as a Taysom Hill type of player. That’s a reach because he isn’t the athlete Hill is, he doesn’t have a great arm and I doubt he’s really going to become a special team’s guy. Taysom Hill is a rare breed in the NFL and trying to replicate him is a fool’s errand. If you’re going to waste a seventh-round pick at least take a WR or a LB who might make the roster or actually help on special teams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(13) Tristan Wirfs    OT    Iowa
(45) Antoine Winfield    S    Minnesota
(76) Ke’Shawn Vaughn    RB    Vanderbilt
(161) Tyler Johnson    WR    Minnesota
(194) Khalil Davis    DT    Nebraska
(241) Chapelle Russell    LB    Temple
(245) Raymond Calais    RB    Louisiana-Lafayette

Immediate Impact: OT Tristan Wirfs, S Antoine Winfield
I’m not sure if you heard but the Buccaneers let Jameis Winston go and they signed some soon-to-be 43-year-old QB named Tom Brady. When your new QB is 43 and wasn’t ever considered fleet-of-foot you have to invest in some protection. Tristan Wirfs is a high-ceiling player who will step right in at RT and will quickly become the best offensive lineman on the team. Wirfs is a monster and the team just got a lot better up front and that will not only help Brady passing but will also help the running game tremendously. Winfield is going to have to fight for a starting spot with Justin Evans returning from injury and Mike Edwards not being too bad last year but Winfield will find playing time. He’s a deep cover safety who can help in so many ways and the defense needs his skill set.

Best Value: WR Tyler Johnson
At Minnesota Rashod Bateman became a star WR this last season but it has been Tyler Johnson who was the reliable playmaker and producer for several years. He isn’t the biggest or the tallest guy but he runs routes well and he doesn’t lose contested catches to anyone. There is a lot of talk about how great Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are for Tom Brady but at WR there isn’t much else. The team lost Adam Humphries to free agency last year and never replaced him. Johnson is fantastic in the slot and he will become a Tom Brady favorite because of his route running proficiency. Brady has made the career of many slot WRs and many of them were guys like Johnson, they don’t win with their overall athletic traits, they win with knowing how to play the position.

Sleeper: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
The Bucs have Ronald Jones II at RB and not much else. Dare Ogunbowale is decent depth but he’s a niche player, not a full-time guy. Vaughn doesn’t stand out at anything he does but he gets yards. He rarely falls backwards and he doesn’t dance around looking for yards, he takes what the defense gives him. This offense needs a guy who will get four yards and just take it to keep the offense moving. It’s not that Vaughn is a power back he’s just a guy that sees the hole and hits the hole and doesn’t need a lot of room to move through it. I like Vaughn and I haven’t been very impressed with the rest of Bucs RBs so Vaughn could make some noise pretty quickly.

Overall Analysis
Tristan Wirfs has the ability to become one of the best RTs in the NFL pretty quickly in his career. He just turned 21 and yet he has two and half years of starting experience in the Big Ten and he’s just scratching the surface. He also has the athleticism and versatility to eventually move to LT if the Bucs need him there. Antoine Winfield is such a versatile defender in the secondary it’s scary to think of what a great defensive mind like defensive coordinator Todd Bowles can do with him. Bowles is a wizard with defensive backs and Winfield should be fantastic under his tutelage. Vaughn and Johnson add to an already talented group of skill position players and they really complement WRs Evans and Godwin and RB Jones. Throw in TEs Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate and for now OJ Howard and Tom Brady has the embarrassment of riches he was begging the Patriots for over the last several years. The Bucs aren’t stacked at d-line so Khalil Davis gives them a little depth. Chapelle Russell is a fluid LB who sort of fits the Bucs mold as they like athletic LBs who can run. RB Raymond Calais is unlike the other backs on the team as he is small, shifty and has great speed. He might have to make the team as a return man but he has a skill set that is a bit like James White or Dion Lewis so if he can show something on offense Tom Brady may find a way to use him.