Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings offense had some issues in the passing game last season but a lot of that was the healthy of Adam Thielen, this year they hope he stays healthy.  The problem now is they traded his partner Stefon Diggs and they are relying on a rookie, Justin Jefferson, to replace Diggs’ production.  Lucky for them Jefferson is a talented guy.  It will help if they get some production from veteran Tajee Sharpe or rookie KJ Osborn too.  The offensive line needs to play better but at this point they are counting on individuals stepping up their play more than personnel changes.  Unless rookie Ezra Cleveland can find a starting spot there isn’t much of a talent upgrade coming.  Where the team doesn’t need any help is at RB.  Dalvin Cook stayed healthy last year and he was fantastic.  They have a solid backup in Alexander Mattison and the team should use both of them to make the offense better.  Kirk Cousins isn’t fancy but he gets the job done and I think this team can move back to the top of the division. 

The reason this team can make a move is largely because of a trade they made just a few weeks prior to the regular season.  They picked up DE Yannick Ngakoue in a trade from Jacksonville.  They already have Danielle Hunter at one DE spot and Ngakoue makes them elite on the edges.  An elite pass rush should make things easier on their evolving secondary that will have new CBs all around.  With two top DEs getting pressure the entire defense will be much better.  Anthony Barr and Erick Kendricks will be free to roam at LB and Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris can create problems at safety.  They need Mike Hughes and rookie Jeff Gladney to play well at CB but they shouldn’t haven’t to cover for too long. 

I think the Vikings can make a move in the division because their defense should be improved and while they will miss Diggs in the passing game the offense should be more harmonious without his complaining about not getting the ball enough. Team unity should be improved and if Thielen is healthy and Jefferson plays like he’s able the offense can be better than last year.  Ngakoue can be a game changer on defense and Mike Zimmer already had a solid unit to begin with. 

Green Bay Packers

It should be a dogfight between Green Bay and Minnesota for the NFC North division.  The Packers had a really good year last year but they are not getting a lot of credit going into this season.  The offense is lead by Aaron Rodgers, in theory anyway.  Last year, new head coach Matt LaFleur leaned heavily on Aaron Jones and the running game because the passing offense is Rodgers to Davante Adams and not much else.  Jones wasn’t just the leading rusher he was also second in receptions behind Adams.  It was Jones that kept the offense running.  Jamaal Williams contributed too but this season the team is looking to rookie RB AJ Dillon to bring a different power dimension to the table.  This isn’t going to be a high-flying offense as long as LaFleur can hand the ball off to a solid stable of backs.  The offensive line is largely intact with the one exception being RT where Ricky Wagner replaces Bryan Bulaga.  Wagner was cheaper than bringing back Bulaga in free agency but there’s a reason he’s cheaper. 

The Packers defense is solid upfront with Kenny Clark being the major contributor in the middle.  After years of not spending money in free agency the team splurged last off season on OLB Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith and that worked out well as both guys were playmakers.  This season they got a new ILB in Christian Kirksey from Cleveland, they signed him as an alternative to re-signing Blake Martinez who got big money from the Giants.  The Packers haven’t been ones to spend money on ILB and Kirksey was cheaper and he’s a solid addition if he’s healthy.  The secondary is very good and could be even better this year.  CBs Kevin King and Jaire Alexander were good last year with safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage Jr playing well.  If Josh Johnson can bounce back from an off year this secondary can be one of the best in the game. 

This team played well under Matt LaFleur and he showed that even though he has one of the best QBs in football he understands that the offense can’t be all Rodgers.  The team didn’t help Rodgers out much in the passing game this off season but adding AJ Dillon adds a major power element to the run game.  For a team that went 13-3 last season the Packers haven’t been mentioned as an elite contender this year and I think people see a little regression coming, I agree.  It will be a fight to the end between Minnesota and Green Bay for the division. 

Detroit Lions

I’m not sure the Lions are much better than the Bears and I’m not sure the Bears are much better than the Lions so when in doubt give the edge to the team with the better QB.  Matthew Stafford was off to a blistering pace last season before he had an injury, clearly having Darrell Bevell as his offensive coordinator agreed with him.  This season the team is hoping a healthy TJ Hockenson at TE and rookie RB D’Andre Swift will add the playmakers the offense needs.  Kerryon Johnson is a solid RB when he’s healthy but that just isn’t often enough and Swift is a bigger playmaker.  The team is clearly not willing to rely on Johnson as they made a late signing of veteran Adrian Peterson.  Peterson was cut by Washington and now he returns to the NFC North.  He still has something left and he could pair nicely with Swift and render Kerryon Johnson moo.  Hockenson can be a game breaker over the middle if he stays healthy and has Stafford throwing to him all year.  Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola may not be household names but they are a good NFL trio.  The offensive line needs a rookie from Ohio St., Jonah Jackson, and a free agent signee from Philadelphia whose name I do not want to try to type out, to step up at RG and RT respectively.  If they keep Matthew Stafford upright and healthy, he can sling it with the best of him and D’Andre Swift is the best RB this team has had since Barry Sanders retired. Peterson is the bigger name but he’s 35 and slowing down. The offense has potential.

The defense has potential, unfortunately it has the potential to be pretty ugly if things don’t go exactly right.  They do not have an elite pass rusher but Matt Patricia comes from the Belichick school of defense where you don’t need one elite guy if you can generate it from multiple points.  They have Trey Flowers at one DE spot, he’s good for seven sacks in a good year.  Romeo Okwara is the other starter but the team really needs his younger brother, rookie Julian Okwara, to take that job and run with it.  Julian was a heck of a prospect out of Notre Dame before he got hurt last year and he has pass rushing potential.  The Lions signed Jamie Collins to play LB and he can also get to the QB and has played in this defensive system before.  He’s pretty hit-or-miss as to how effective he can be but when he’s on he can wreak havoc.  The secondary finally freed Darius Slay when they shipped him off to Philadelphia.  They signed Desmond Trufant from the Falcons to man one spot and drafted Jeff Okudah to be their top guy.  Trufant isn’t the guy he was a few years ago so they need him to rebound and Okudah is a real talent but it’s a big ask to have a rookie line up as your #1 CB in a division that has Adam Thielen, Davante Adams and Allen Robinson.  Not to mention a schedule the features matchups with guys like Michael Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, TY Hilton and Mike Evans.  Okudah will get some baptism by fire in year one.  The Lions were pretty bad last year and if they don’t improve a lot Matt Patricia will be another failed Bill Belichick disciple as a head coach.   

Chicago Bears

The Bears went 8-8 and are largely going to trot out the same team they had last year unless you believe Nick Foles is coming to save the day, he already lost the starting job…for now.  Not to rain on the Bears’ fans parade but in Foles career he’s had exactly one good season and one incredible playoff run several years after that as a fill-in.  His one good year he had a TD-Interception ratio of 27-2, that’s amazing but he also only threw for 2800 yards or so and only started 10 games.  This is still Mitch Trubisky’s team until he gives it away.  Allen Robinson is a solid #1 WR and I like Anthony Miller but the team felt the need to pluck Ted Ginn from the retirement line, he’s 35 and was never that great of a WR.  That doesn’t fill me with confidence in Riley Ridley contributing any time soon.  Tarik Cohen is a RB in name only and David Montgomery just got hurt and is going to miss some time.  They have to hope Cole Kmet can shine as a rookie TE otherwise they are hoping against hope that Jimmy Graham’s corpse can contribute.  Graham hasn’t been a game changer in about five years.  You could say I’m pessimistic about the Bears offense but that would be offensive to pessimism.  The best news on offense from the off season was they dismissed their offensive coordinator but then they followed that up by hiring a former Bengals offensive coordinator, it wasn’t even the good one, Jay Gruden, it was Bill Lazor.  Not a lot of teams are looking to recreate the juggernaut that was the Andy Dalton era Bengals offense that never won a playoff game.

Thankfully the Bears defense has been elite and even after losing former coordinator Vic Fangio the team didn’t really miss a beat under Chuck Pagano.  They run a 3-4 defense and usually defensive linemen are fairly non-descript in three-man fronts but Akiem Hicks has been quite a player for the Bears.  Obviously, Khalil Mack is the driving force of the defense and he is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.  Without him the defense is just not the same.  The team tried to get him some help by spending big free agent money on Robert Quinn, bringing him in from Dallas.  I’m not a fan of the move because Quinn has only been effective in his career as a 4-3 DE and failed pretty spectacularly when he’s been asked to be a pass rushing OLB.  If Pagano can make him an effective player at that spot, he should get coach of the decade because other great coaches (most notably Wade Phillips) failed to do so.  In the secondary they have a great safety in Eddie Jackson and I really like their pick of Jaylon Johnson at CB in the draft.  Kyle Fuller is effective at the other CB spot but I’m still not sure they have a great plan at SS.  The choice between Tashaun Gipson and Deon Bush isn’t exactly exciting.

I don’t think the Bears are going to be terrible, their defense simply won’t let that happen.  However, barring a major step by Trubisky or Bill Lazor becoming a genius level play caller the offense doesn’t look like it’s really going to improve.  I’m not sure what the plan was to get better this off season but I’m not seeing it.  With Stafford back healthy in Detroit the Lions should be better and I don’t think the Vikings or Packers are going to fall off that much which doesn’t leave the Bears much wiggle room.        

AFC South Draft Review

Houston continued their off season of making us all ask, “what the hell was that?”. They better hope their moves in free agency and the trade market work because other than Ross Blacklock there isn’t much help here. The Colts continued an off season of making moves to put them in a position to challenge for the division this season and if things go right, a deep playoff run. They got a WR and a RB to help Phillip Rivers course correct the offense right away. Jacksonville is throwing a lot at the wall to see what sticks. They need help and I think David Caldwell did a good job of getting them some. The Titans didn’t do a lot in the draft but they may have done enough to keep up in the division. They filled some really big holes at RT and CB. That’s going to go a long way to keeping them moving forward.

Houston Texans

(40) Ross Blacklock    DL    TCU
(90) Jonathan Greenard    OLB    Florida
(126) Charlie Heck    OT    UNC
(141) John Reid    CB    Penn St.
(171) Isaiah Coulter    WR    Rhode Island

Immediate Impact: DL Ross Blacklock
The Houston Texans have had one of the most heavily criticized off seasons in quite some time, one smart move they made was getting Blacklock. He’s a potential starter on the defensive line because the guys not named JJ Watt are replaceable. He may not take over immediately, especially if training camp is shortened or delayed, he has some work to do. However, he’s a talented guy who can fit in a few different ways. Watt will appreciate the help.

Best Value: None
The team essentially got players about where they were rated. Blacklock could have gone slightly higher but he was pretty much seen as a top half of round two guy and that’s where he went.

Sleeper: CB John Reid
The Texans have a couple of reclamation projects on one-year contracts behind Bradley Roby at CB. Vernon Hargreaves breathed some life into his career after he was cut from the Bucs last season and signed with Houston while Gareon Conley came over in a trade but didn’t have his fifth-year option picked up. That means the Texans aren’t sold on either one. Reid isn’t big, or long, or flashy but the guy started 40 games at Penn St. and he can play. He will likely end up a slot corner because of his size but he can make a move into that position pretty quickly on this roster.

Overall Analysis
You can’t evaluate the Texans draft without talking about their other moves because those moves affected the draft. The team traded their first-round pick for Laremy Tunsil and while he cost them a fortune with his new contract, he does give them a LT to protect Deshaun Watson for the foreseeable future. They gave up their second-round pick for WR Brandin Cooks, a trade made necessary by them trading Deandre Hopkins for a second-round pick and RB David Johnson. Essentially trading Hopkins for Cook and Johnson, not a great move. There were other picks involved in these trades that left them short of a full allotment of picks. Of the five picks they did make, Blacklock was a good choice who fills an immediate need. OLB Jonathan Greenard is a guy that looks the part getting off the bus but he’s highly inconsistent. If the Texans can harness his potential, he can be a great addition opposite Whitney Mercilus but that’s a tall task. OT Charlie Heck is a long, lean prospect with great reach but he has a long way to go with his technique and physicality. Solid prospect but with Laremy Tunsil and Tyus Howard around the Texans better hope they don’t need him.

Indianapolis Colts

(34) Michael Pittman Jr.    WR    USC
(41) Jonathan Taylor    RB    Wisconsin
(85) Julian Blackmon    S    Utah
(122) Jacob Eason    QB    Washington
(149) Danny Pinter    OL    Ball St.
(193) Robert Windsor    DL    Penn St.
(211) Isaiah Rodgers    CB    UMass
(212) Dezmon Patmon    WR    Washington St.
(213) Jordan Glasgow    LB    Michigan

Immediate Impact: WR Michael Pittman, RB Jonathan Taylor
The team had no first-round pick after trading it but they had two second-round picks and they hit both of them out of the park. Pittman is a big WR who plays like a big WR and he’s quite the technician, he should be a perfect outside complement to TY Hilton. He’s also the type of WR new QB Phillip Rivers loves. Taylor was the best RB in the draft in my opinion and they stole in at 41st overall. They have Marlon Mack but you won’t convince me Taylor isn’t going to be a monster behind the Colts excellent offensive line, it doesn’t matter how many touches he gets.

Best Value: RB Jonathan Taylor
Taylor is a future star and he gives the team a great 1-2 punch at RB behind a fantastic offensive line and for an offense with an aging QB. Rivers still has plenty of game but he will be a much more effective player with a great running game to lean on. Taylor is a work horse, he proved that in college. That heavy workload from college may end up meaning he has a shortened pro career but this team is primed to win now and Taylor can play day one. He should have been a first-round pick, getting him at 41st overall was a steal.

Sleeper: QB Jacob Eason
The Colts went for the short play signing Phillip Rivers to a one-year contract to take over a team that could be very good with some better QB play. They backed that up by taking a chance on Jacob Eason in round four, a QB with elite physical skills who needs some time to grow. Eason can throw it a mile but he’s not a great athlete. He needs to learn the nuances of the QB position and there are not a lot of guys in the NFL with more playing time under their best than Rivers. Rivers even plans to go into coaching after his playing days are over, he can start this year by bringing Eason along as a QB.

Overall Analysis
The Colts roster is actually in pretty good shape both with starters and with the backups. They traded their first-round pick to get DL DeForest Buckner which fills a huge need. Then in round two they got one starter and one potential starter in Pittman and Taylor. Throw in the fact they signed Phillip Rivers at QB and this team found four key players that will improve the team dramatically. The team isn’t exactly stacked at safety so Julian Blackmon is a guy with great versatility who could be quite useful. Eason has lottery ticket potential but he’s at least a year away from seeing the field and it would probably be better if it were two or three years down the line. Danny Pinter and Robert Windsor are two guys who could offer depth on the offensive and defensive lines respectively. The last three picks are going to have a hard time making the Colts’ roster, like I said the team is in pretty good shape overall. The Colts had a pretty good off season and this draft was just the capper.

Jacksonville Jaguars

(9) CJ Henderson    CB    Florida
(20) K’Lavon Chaisson    DE/OLB    LSU
(42) Laviska Shenault Jr.    WR    Colorado
(73) Davon Hamilton    DL    Ohio St
(116) Ben Bartch    OT    St. John’s (MN)
(137) Josiah Scott    CB    Michigan St.
(140) Shaquille Quarterman    LB    Miami
(157) Daniel Thomas    S    Auburn
(165) Collin Johnson    WR    Texas
(189) Jake Luton    QB    Oregon St.
(206) Tyler Davis    TE    Georgia Tech
(223) Chris Claybrooks    CB    Memphis

Immediate Impact: CB CJ Henderson, DE K’Lavon Chaisson
The first day Henderson walks onto the practice field he’s immediately the best cover corner on the team. The Jags traded away Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye and that leaves a huge hole in the secondary. Henderson is an elite coverage player, he’s not a great tackler, the Jaguars understand what they are getting and they will work with it. Chaisson is actually a maybe on being an immediate impact player. The team franchised Yannick Ngakoue and he doesn’t want to return. If he relents, he teams with Josh Allen at DE, if he doesn’t and they trade him, Chaisson becomes much more important.

Best Value: WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
Shenault was a dynamic weapon at Colorado all over the field. He lined up at WR, RB and even as a wildcat QB. He has elite after-the-catch skills and he only fell to the second round because he had a core-muscle injury he had to have surgically repaired after the combine. The only reason I didn’t list him as immediate impact is because of his rehab from surgery interfering with his ability to overtake some the veterans on the Jaguars. If he was 100% healthy, I would say he has a chance to take out either Chris Conley or Dede Westbrook as a starter opposite DJ Chark.

Sleeper: CB Josiah Scott
The team has veterans Rashaan Melvin, DJ Hayden and Tre Herndon lined up behind rookie CJ Henderson, that’s not the greatest lineup and Scott has a chance to make a move. He’s probably best suited to be a nickel back and I think he has a good shot of taking that spot pretty early. That would make two rookies out of their top three CBs but the Jaguars are in a rebuild so I don’t think they would mind.

Overall Analysis
The Jaguars are ready to go into the season with Gardner Minshew leading the way, if Minshew Mania fails, they will be in a good position to take one of the top QBs next year. They are building a solid offense and they are trying to rebuild their defense. Henderson and Chaisson fill needs, Henderson fills the biggest one at CB. I don’t actually like Chaisson as a prospect, for me he’s too much athletic flash and not enough football player. I love the Shenault pick, that kid will make plays and do it all over the field. He makes a really nice complement to DJ Chark. Davon Hamilton isn’t the flashy guy but he brings one thing the team can use, size up the middle, he’s 6’4 320 lbs. He will make life easier for undersized DT Taven Bryant and new MLB Joe Schobert. OT Ben Bartch was a solid gamble trying to find an OT to develop. I like the Josiah Scott pick quite a bit and while LB Shaquille Quarterman doesn’t wow you he gives them LB depth and should be good on special teams. The team had twelve draft picks, that’s a lot and it’s very difficult for that many rookies to make a roster. They did draft to try to find some depth at positions of need with a safety, Daniel Thomas, and a CB Chris Claybrooks. If you’re going to take a shot it might as well be at your weakest position. WR Collin Johnson looks like Calvin Johnson getting off the bus since he’s 6’6 220 lbs. Unfortunately, when he plays, he is not like him at all. He can high-point the ball but he’s 6’6 so that should be a given. He doesn’t separate well at all. They drafted TE Tyler Davis who is raw and I’m not sure he can be very productive; the team might be better off trying to bulk up Collin Johnson and make him a move TE. The choice of QB Jake Luton is strange since the team signed Mike Glennon to replace Nick Foles as the backup and they still have Josh Dobbs. I’m not sure drafting a poor-man’s Mike Glennon as a development QB for the practice squad was necessary.

Tennessee Titans

(29) Isaiah Wilson    OT    Georgia
(61) Kristian Fulton    CB    LSU
(93) Darrynton Evans    RB    Appalachian St.
(174) Larrell Murchison    DL    North Carolina St.
(224) Cole McDonald    QB    Hawaii
(243) Chris Jackson    CB    Marshall

Immediate Impact: OT Isaiah Wilson
There might not be a better player to scheme fit in the first round of the draft or maybe the whole draft than Isaiah Wilson going to the Titans. Wilson is mammoth human being who absolutely mauls defenders in the run game. The team lost RT Jack Conklin in free agency and Wilson is a ready-made replacement. Derrick Henry is a power back and he shouldn’t miss a beat running behind Wilson, unless his 6’6 350 lbs. frame makes it take longer for Henry to run around him.

Best Value: CB Kristian Fulton
I had Fulton as a first-round pick and he damn near fell out of the second round. He has starter potential and as much as I will always love Malcolm Butler for his interception in the Super Bowl, he better watch his back. Fulton can take the starting job from Butler and at the very least he’s the third CB very early. That’s incredible value for the 61st pick.

Sleeper: RB Darryton Evans
This team likes to run the ball but Derrick Henry was used way too much last season and the team doesn’t even have a veteran like Dion Lewis around anymore. That leaves a big, giant hole behind Henry and Evans should fill it nicely. He’s a strong runner who has a little different skill set than Henry and that could help the offense. He can come in and take some of the weight off of Henry which should help keep him fresh.

Overall Analysis
The Titans started out well with three good picks. Wilson fills their biggest hole on offense after they couldn’t afford to keep Conklin with the re-signing of Ryan Tannehill and franchising Derrick Henry. Fulton was such a great pick at the end of round two considering his value and the team’s need for help at CB. Evans is a sneaky good pick; he wasn’t a household name but he’s a highly effective RB. DL Larrell Murchison gives them depth on the defensive line. QB Cole McDonald is a guy with a live arm and good accuracy who makes some bad decisions but they are only bringing him in to compete for the backup spot. Logan Woodside is his competition so the job isn’t guaranteed to anyone. Chris Jackson is an instinctive CB who needs to eat a cheeseburger or two. At 186 lbs. he’s going to get pushed around in the NFL, for his sake he better hope an NFL training regiment can bulk him up a bit. He’s probably looking at a rookie year on the practice squad.

 

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.

AFC East Draft Review

When a team trades their first-round pick for a #1 WR and still ends up with a first-round talent in the second round of the draft, that’s a pretty good draft day. The Bills did just that with Stefon Diggs and AJ Epenesa, throw in a good RB a solid backup QB and some other potential contributors and that’s an excellent draft weekend. Miami had a lot of picks and they did very well with them. A QB, a new LT, offensive line depth all over and some nice additions to a defense that did quite well in free agency and the Dolphins rebuild is in good shape. The Jets fills some huge needs with a new LT Mekhi Becton and WR Denzel Mims. They even covered themselves at safety with Ashtyn Davis in case the Jamal Adams situation goes bad. Solid additions to a team that needed it. The Patriots did what the Patriots do, they traded out of the first round and then picked guys they wanted with little regard for where they were valued by others. It doesn’t always work, especially in the early rounds but Bill Belichick hasn’t made any trades for other team’s draft mistakes and then revived them so give him time. He’s much better at taking someone else’s bust and turning them into a player, Kyle Van Noy was the latest one. I’m waiting for him to steal Josh Rosen at the trade deadline if Stidham looks like he’s in over his head.

Buffalo Bills

(54) AJ Epenesa    DE    Iowa
(86) Zack Moss    RB    Utah
(128) Gabriel Davis    WR    UCF
(167) Jake Fromm    QB    Georgia
(188) Tyler Bass    K     Georgia Southern
(207) Isaiah Hodgins    WR    Oregon St.
(239) Dane Jackson    CB    Pittsburgh

Immediate Impact: DE AJ Epenesa, RB Zack Moss
Epenesa isn’t going to start with Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes set at DE but both of them are aging DEs that will need to rotate out and Epenesa can play either side of the line and play DT on passing downs. He brings a lot of versatility to a defensive line that needs more depth, he’ll get plenty of snaps. The Bills let Frank Gore go after watching Devin Singletary be more effective in his rookie year. However, Singletary is a smaller back who has a myriad of skills and while he’s a physical runner he would be better off not taking so many hard hits. Moss is a bigger back with the physical skills to excel between the tackles and allow Singletary to save his touches for the outside runs where he is highly effective.

Best Value: DE AJ Epenesa
I don’t care what the stop watch at the combine says AJ Epenesa should have been a first round pick. Every team that passed on him is going to regret it. On a team like the Bills who have multiple defensive linemen over the age of thirty Epenesa is going to be a great rotational piece at multiple positions and eventually he’ll be a starter. The Bills didn’t have a first-round pick but they got one anyway.

Sleeper: CB Dane Jackson
The Bills have star CB Tre’Davious White but they are counting on the recently signed Josh Norman to come in and resurrect his career opposite White. That’s a big gamble for a team that is poised to move to the top of the AFC East with the Patriots looking vulnerable. They don’t have a lot of depth either which means Jackson has a chance to stick around an contribute. He can play inside and out and while he isn’t the biggest or the fastest CB, he’s a fighter and that might be enough to get on the field.

Overall Analysis
Epenesa can be the steal of the draft and I love the Moss pick, he’s a great fit for this roster. The Bills are trying to make a move in the AFC at just the right time as the East is wide open with the Patriots in transition. You can’t evaluate this draft without acknowledging the fact the team traded their first-round pick for Stefon Diggs. Diggs is the best overall WR they have had in a while and bringing him in makes John Brown that much better because it takes the focus off of him, Brown is a hell of a #2 WR. It also makes Cole Beasley that much more effective in the slot. Great move at the right time for the team and especially for their QB. WR Gabriel Davis has some talent and he should either push for playing time or push guys like Duke Williams and Isaiah McKenzie to step it up to keep their spots. QB Jake Fromm was a great get in the fifth round. At worst he’s an upgrade as a backup over Matt Barkley and at best he might be a great insurance policy if Josh Allen never takes the next step in his development. They took a kicker which is weird because they already have a couple. WR Isaiah Hodgins is going to need an out-of-this-world performance to make the roster. CB Dane Jackson was solid seventh-round choice.

Miami Dolphins

(5) Tua Tagovailoa    QB    Alabama
(18) Austin Jackson    OT    USC
(30) Noah Igbinoghene    CB    Auburn
(39) Robert Hunt    OL    Louisiana-Lafayette
(56) Raekwon Davis    DT    Alabama
(70) Brandon Jones    S    Texas
(111) Solomon Kindley    OG    Georgia
(154) Jason Strowbridge    DL    North Carolina
(164) Curtis Weaver    OLB    Boise St.
(185) Blake Ferguson    LS    LSU
(246) Malcolm Perry    WR    Navy

Immediate Impact: QB Tua Tagovailoa, OT Austin Jackson, OL Robert Hunt
I’m not sure how immediate Tua’s impact will be but knowing Ryan Fitzpatrick’s usual M.O. he will play well early and then fall apart and Tua will step in. If Tua is healthy, he’s fantastic, that’s a big if. Austin Jackson isn’t a ready-made player but he’s by far the best option at LT and when your QB of the future has past injury issues, you go with the best man for the job. He will start at LT and push Julie’n Davenport over to compete at RT. OL Robert Hunt is an intriguing prospect, he played OT in college and most assume he will move inside to guard in the NFL. However, in Miami I think he might just compete with Davenport and Jesse Davis for the RT spot and then if he doesn’t win it, he could end up at RG. I think Hunt will prove to be one of the five best offensive linemen on the team, it’s more about what’s the best lineup overall.

Best Value: OLB Curtis Weaver
I do not know how this guy got all the way to the fifth round of the draft. I’m a little upset the Patriots passed on him several times. He is definitely a Patriots type player, evidenced by the fact that Brian Flores’ team took him. Weaver isn’t a flashy speed rusher off the edge but he’s an effective one. He had first-round potential and I’m not completely certain why he fell this far. The Dolphins signed Kyle Van Noy for one OLB spot but Weaver will give Vince Biegel a run for the other side. If not, he’s a fantastic third OLB for this team. Great pick, phenomenal value.

Sleeper: OG Solomon Kindley
The Dolphins signed Ereck Flowers to big free agent deal to come in and play LG, a position he admittedly played well at last year for the Redskins. Flowers resurrected his career with a solid half of a season stepping in for the Redskins after some injuries. Flowers was a colossal bust for the previous 4.5 years of his career flaming out with the Giants and Jaguars. Let’s just say I’m skeptical of his career turnaround. Kindley is a mammoth human being who moves surprising well for a guy who is 6’3 337 lbs. He is built like an ox and his strength is beyond NFL caliber. Both Flowers and incumbent RG Michael Dieter could be beaten out for their job and while Robert Hunt could be an OG or OT, Solomon Kindley is a guard for sure and I really like his odds of becoming a starter.

Overall Analysis
Obviously, when a team takes a QB with a top five pick that draft is going to be judged by the success of that QB. In this case it’s going to be judged by Tua’s health initially. However, this draft might end up having enough good players to overcome any issues Tua has moving forward. They did draft two of the most important positions in the NFL with their first two picks so this is a very important draft for the future of the team. They took a risk on Tua and OT Austin Jackson isn’t a sure thing either. I really like Jackson and I think he has elite skills that just need a little more time to develop but if both Tua and Jackson fail, everyone in Miami will be looking for jobs in a couple of years. Their third first-round pick Igbinoghene has loads of potential but with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones at CB he’ll have to make his mark as the nickel corner and that’s no sure thing. Veteran Bobby McCain isn’t going to hand over that job without a fight. I do love the fact that in addition to a new LT they also drafted Hunt and Kindley. Hunt has lots of versatility and potential and while Kindley may never be a Pro Bowl regular he could end up a 10-year starter in the NFL. All three of those guys make Tua feel safer. DT Raekwon Davis isn’t flashy but he plays nose tackle and those guys rarely are flashy. He may have gone too soon in the second round but keep in mind he was actually the Dolphins fifth pick overall and they had no backing up Davon Godchaux at NT. If you don’t believe me take a look at who they signed as undrafted free agents, two NTs (Benito Jones and Ray Lima). They know they need some options there. S Brandon Jones is another guy that simply isn’t flashy. He’s not a great athlete but he’s smart and he knows where to be. The team isn’t stacked at safety and Jones’ intelligence will be a welcome addition. Brian Flores learned from Belichick and Belichick loves smart safeties. DL Jason Strowbridge is a solid investment in a developmental player, even if he ends up on the practice squad. Usually drafting a long snapper is a little crazy but when you have 11 picks you might as well take one when you need one because Blake Ferguson is going to end up being your long snapper and that means you drafted a starter. WR Malcolm Perry is a nice story of a great QB out of Navy who is going to try to make an NFL team at a different position. Taking a hard-working, intelligent, respectful guy that Perry is only good news for your team, even if he doesn’t make the roster, he sets a tone in training camp. He’s a longshot but who doesn’t want to cheer for a longshot out of the Naval Academy.

New England Patriots

(37) Kyle Dugger    S    Lenoir-Rhyne
(60) Josh Uche    OLB    Michigan
(87) Anfernee Jennings    LB    Alabama
(91) Devin Asiasi    TE    UCLA
(101) Dalton Keene    TE    Virginia Tech
(159) Justin Rohrwasser    K    Marshall
(182) Michael Onwenu    OG    Michigan
(195) Justin Herron    OL    Wake Forest
(204) Cassh Maluia    LB    Wyoming
(230) Dustin Woodard    OL    Memphis

Immediate Impact: OLB Josh Uche
This kid is a tailor-made Bill Belichick LB. He can run sideline-to-sideline as a LB and also rush the passer from the edge when need be. He’s basically the replacement for Kyle Van Noy which is a good thing because right now the Patriots have Brandon Copeland and Shilique Calhoun penciled in to start at OLB. Those two aren’t scaring anyone. I see Uche stepping in rather quickly, he won’t be Van Noy but he’s better than the rest of the group.

Best Value: ?????
Yeah, I got nothing here. Belichick likes his kind of players which doesn’t usually match up with what others like and where they are valued. Uche is the best player they got and he came about where he was expected to go, mid to late second round.

Sleeper: S Kyle Dugger
It’s weird to call a player who was over-drafted a sleeper, especially a second rounder but Duggar is a Belichick special. Most teams had him late second or in the third round, not top five of the second round. However, in Belichick’s hands Duggar could be very good. He isn’t a traditional safety and most teams are looking for more coverage-oriented safeties but Belichick likes the guys who can hit. Patrick Chung has made a very long career being a Belichick guy, a big, smart safety that tackles and knows where to line up and where to go. Duggar is basically a far more athletic version of Chung. Patrick Chung is 32, Belichick just drafted his replacement and if Duggar works out, he could be an All-Pro by the time his career is over.

Overall Analysis
Once again Bill Belichick is a mystery at the draft. The visual during the draft whenever they cut to Belichick’s house was usually his laptop sitting at the table with his dog sitting in the seat. If you told me his dog was pushing buttons on the keyboard with his paw to pick players, I wouldn’t doubt you for a second. It’s hard to disagree with a guy that has put together six Super Bowl winners but let’s just say he has proven to be great coach considering he’s won six Super Bowls with the players Belichick the GM has given him to work with. Duggar has immense potential. Uche fits the defensive system like a glove. LB Anfernee Jennings was severely over-drafted especially considering he’s a whole lot like Juwan Bentley who is an athletically limited MLB who struggles in coverage. TE Devin Asiasi is a solid prospect but he was the second TE off the board, he wasn’t the second best TE in the draft. Then they drafted another TE ten picks later, the fourth off the board but not the fourth best TE. They took a kicker, they needed a kicker, but by all accounts, Rohrwasser wasn’t the best kicker. Onwenu and Herron were solid depth picks for a team that doesn’t have a lot of depth on the offensive line and both could develop into future starters. Cassh Maluia isn’t making the team unless he’s a special team’s demon. Dustin Woodard is a seriously undersized offensive lineman who only has a chance to make the team because David Andrews is the only other center on the roster.

New York Jets

(11) Mekhi Becton    OT    Louisville
(59) Denzel Mims    WR    Baylor
(68) Ashtyn Davis    S    California
(79) Jabari Zuniga    OLB    Florida
(120) Lamical Perine    RB    Florida
(125) James Morgan    QB    FIU
(129) Cameron Clark    OL    UNC-Charlotte
(158) Bryce Hall    CB    Virginia
(191) Braden Mann    P    Texas A&M

Immediate Impact: OT Mekhi Becton, WR Denzel Mims
Becton is a freak athlete for a man his size and he has great length, great feet and good power, he looks like an all-world type of LT. The biggest concern is keeping his weight under control so he can continue to dominate. He has some technique work to do but that is not a huge worry. He has All-Pro potential and probably has the highest ceiling of any of the top four OTs from this draft. He might also have the biggest bust potential. Mims is another fantastic athlete (there was a theme to many of the Jets’ picks). He comes in to replace Robbie Anderson’s production, although the team did sign Breshad Perriman to help do that too. Mims is a big, fast WR who was highly productive in Baylor’s high-powered offense. He’s going to have to work on using his own skills to get open and not relying as heavily on the scheme, that’s the big difference between college and the NFL.

Best Value: CB Bryce Hall
I might be wrong about this is Hall’s ankle injury from last year has any lasting effects but this kid is a player. If he doesn’t get injured, he competes with CJ Henderson to be the second CB off the board, he’s that good. The Jets somehow lucked into him in the fifth round. They signed Pierre Desir after he was cut by the Colts and they have Brian Poole as their nickel corner but they don’t have much else at CB. As long as Hall is healthy, I think he wins a starting job, and he was a fifth-round pick (I still can’t believe it). Hall isn’t the fastest player but he sticks to guys like glue. There was once a CB named Derrell Revis who wasn’t really a speed guy either but somehow, he made it work. That’s a pretty lofty expectation for Hall but I’m just pointing out you don’t have to be a great CB.

Sleeper: One of the Florida guys (Zuniga or Perine)
Zuniga has all the tools you look for in a pass rusher but he was highly inconsistent. He looks the part of an outside pass rusher but somehow, he just disappears during games. Perine isn’t great at anything but he’s not bad at anything either. The Jets are spending too much money on LeVeon Bell so they are going to use him and they just signed Frank Gore, even though he’s 147 years old. Perine is a great backup option and I think he can be a bit more. Think of guys like Raheem Mostert or Chris Carson who aren’t great at any one thing but are pretty effective.

Overall Analysis
The Jets started off with some guys with some really high upside. Becton could be a star at LT and Mims certainly checks plenty of boxes when it comes to impressive looking WRs. Ashtyn Davis was a star track sprinter at Cal before walking on to the football team. He didn’t work out at the combine but if he had he would have been one of the most impressive athletes to ever compete there. The team has Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye but Adams is going to get really expensive here pretty soon and the team has to decide where to spend its money. Davis could be a fantastic replacement for one of them. Zuniga and Perine are good players that will have to find their place to make a difference. The Jets are far from stacked at either position so both players should make the roster it’s just a matter of how much they contribute. James Morgan is a curious choice considering Sam Darnold is so young but the Jets only have David Fales behind him so a developmental QB might make the team. However, I think they may want to find a better veteran backup than Fales. Cameron Clark might be able to give them some depth on the interior offensive line, this team can’t be too particular when looking for quality depth there, they don’t have much else. Hall was a gigantic steal, as a Patriots fan I hate that they got him. They took a punter with a sixth-round pick. They needed a punter but they probably should have used that pick elsewhere. Perhaps Braden Mann will be their punter for the next 20 years but it’s a better bet they could have found someone else as an undrafted free agent.

NFC West Draft Review

No one from the NFC West is building a contender from this draft but most of them don’t have to because they were well on their way. Arizona got some nice players to put around Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, on both offense and defense. The 49ers were in the Super Bowl last year and replaced their two biggest free agent losses with younger, cheaper versions of those guys. The Seahawks had another unorthodox draft but it seems to work for them. The Rams are in transition and it’s going to be a bumpy ride. This draft class isn’t going to turn around their fortunes but there are some solid players in this group.

Arizona Cardinals

(8) Isaiah Simmons    LB    Clemson
(72) Josh Jones    OT    Houston
(114) Leki Fotu    DL    Utah
(131) Rashard Lawrence   DL    LSU
(202) Evan Weaver   LB    California
(222) Eno Benjamin    RB    Arizona St.

Immediate Impact: LB Isaiah Simmons
Simmons could change the trajectory of the entire Cardinals defense. He can play all over the field and while he will line up at LB, he’s chess piece the team can move all over. He can drop into coverage, blitz off the edge and chase down any RB in the league. Within his own division he’ll be covering George Kittle one week and trying to chase down Russell Wilson the next. He’s a perfect defender for today’s NFL.

Best Value: OT Josh Jones
Seriously? The guy had first-round ability and the Cardinals got him in round three. The team has Marcus Gilbert set to play RT but he’s 32 and he missed last season with an injury. Jones can take that job pretty quickly and he is so much more talented than a third-round pick. He isn’t flashy but he’s good. The team needs to protect Kyler Murray and they lucked into a starting caliber RT with the 72nd overall pick.

Sleeper: RB Eno Benjamin
They are bringing back Kenyan Drake after trading for him last season and they have Chase Edmunds but Benjamin is good enough to push Edmunds down the depth chart. He’s not the biggest RB in the world but he’s actually the same size as Edmunds. Benjamin carried the load at Arizona St. the last two years and proved that his size isn’t a detriment to him being a full-time player. He has a multitude of skills and he’ll find a place in what should be a high-powered Arizona offense.

Overall Analysis
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good and the Cardinals got lucky plenty of times in the draft. Simmons falling to 8th overall makes him a steal. Then they didn’t have a second-round pick but they end up with a first-round talent in OT Josh Jones at a position of need in round three. The two d-lineman, Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence aren’t household names but they add some heft and some run-stopping prowess to defensive line that needed it badly. LB Evan Weaver is an underrated player because he’s not a superior athlete but when you can potentially play him with uber-athlete Simmons that drastically reduces the problem of his athletic limitations. RB Benjamin is legitimately the best seventh-round pick of the year. This draft was damn good overall. It wasn’t a big class but it is a good one.

Los Angeles Rams

(52) Cam Akers    RB    Florida St.
(57) Van Jefferson   WR    Florida
(84) Terrell Lewis    OLB    Alabama
(104) Terrell Burgess    S    Utah
(136) Brycen Hopkins    TE    Purdue
(199) Jordan Fuller    S    Ohio St.
(234) Clay Johnston   LB    Baylor
(248) Sam Sloman    K    Miami-OH
(250) Tremayne Anchrum    OL    Clemson

Immediate Impact: RB Cam Akers, OLB Terrell Lewis
The Rams can pretend they really like the combination of Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson at RB but Akers is the more talented back. I don’t think it will take him long to take the starting job. Brown is the bigger power back while Henderson is the smaller shiftier guy but Akers is good at both. He would allow Brown to be the short-yardage back and Henderson to be the third-down specialist. Lewis has to be more consistent and stay healthy but the Rams lost Dante Fowler Jr. and cut Clay Matthews so they need someone to bring the pressure from the OLB spot. DE Aaron Donald shouldn’t have to be the lone focus for offenses to stop. Lewis might not be the biggest impact player but they need him pretty badly.

Best Value: OLB Terrell Lewis
Lewis has first-round talent the only thing that held him back was his injury history. It’s certainly a concern but if he’s healthy, on this roster, he’s a starter. That’s pretty good value for a third-round pick.

Sleeper: TE Brycen Hopkins
He’s a sleeper here because the team already has Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett at TE so no one is expecting a lot from Hopkins. He was only a fourth-round pick but he’s got plenty of skills. He runs good routes and he’s a very good athlete. He will be hard to handle in the passing game and while he’s not a great blocker he is willing and that’s half the battle. The biggest concern with him is that he’s the type of guy who will make a tough catch one play and then drop a routine one the next play. He needs to work on his consistency catching the ball. Higbee and Everett are young guys but their contracts will be coming up soon and the team has some salary cap issues. Hopkins would be a cheap alternative if they decide not to bring one of these guys back in the next couple of years.

Overall Analysis
I love the Cam Akers pick considering the team had to let Todd Gurley go. Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson are nice complementary backs but Akers is a better overall talent. The Van Jefferson pick was also a solid choice. Jefferson isn’t flashy and he was almost a forgotten man in a draft so stocked with WR talent. However, Jefferson is a technician at WR which probably comes from the fact his father, Shawn Jefferson, was a long-time NFL WR and is now a WR coach. The team traded Brandin Cooks and while Jefferson won’t outright replace him, he does offer nice depth and he could compete with Josh Reynolds to be the third WR behind Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Obviously, I like the Lewis and Hopkins picks and that is mostly because while they have their issues the team didn’t overdraft either one and they both have great upside. The team took S Terrell Burgess in round three and S Jordan Fuller in round six. Burgess is a CB sized safety with good coverage skills while Fuller is the bigger, more physical safety. Considering the team doesn’t have much beyond starters Taylor Rapp and John Johnson, these were very solid picks. Clayton Johnston is a coverage LB I’m not sure makes the roster. The took a kicker, they needed a kicker so I won’t argue with taking one in round seven. The one spot that stands out as a problem with this draft is that while the team clearly needed some help on the offensive line, they only drafted one and it was Tremayne Anchrum in the seventh round. LT Andrew Whitworth is 38 years old and LG Austin Corbett was a bust in Cleveland the Rams traded for last year. This team needed more than a developmental seventh-rounder.

San Francisco 49ers

(14) Javon Kinlaw    DT   South Carolina
(25) Brandon Aiyuk    WR    Arizona St.
(153) Colton McKivitz    OL   West Virginia
(190) Charlie Woerner    TE    Georgia
(217) Jauan Jennings    WR    Tennessee

Immediate Impact: DT Javon Kinlaw, WR Brandon Aiyuk
The 49ers traded for the 13th pick which they then flipped to Tampa Bay to move down one spot and still get the player they wanted. In that trade they gave up DeForest Buckner and Kinlaw is a younger and cheaper version of Buckner. He could become a starter rather quickly or just be one of the many talented d-linemen they like to rotate. The team moved up at the end of the first round to grab WR Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona St. because the need a playmaker. They got Emmanuel Sanders last year and he really helped but he left for the Saints and that left Deebo Samuel to fend for himself. Aiyuk is a big play monster and he’s actually a pretty good blocker for a WR, that will help on a team that loves to run.

Best Value: None
When you only have five picks it’s hard to find great value. It was a pretty good move to pick up a pick for the 13th spot and still get Javon Kinlaw, the guy they would have taken at 13.

Sleeper: OT Colton McKivitz
There isn’t a lot to choose from with only five picks but I like McKivitz. He shouldn’t play this season since the team traded for Trent Williams to play LT and they have Mike McGlinchy entrenched at RT and that’s good because McKivitz is a bit of a project. Williams will be 32 this season so they should be looking at a long-term replacement there. McKivitz looks the part as he’s 6’6 and move quite well. He can be their swing tackle for now and develop over the next several years. He may not be the long-term solution but he’s worth a shot.

Overall Analysis
Kinlaw and Aiyuk fill a couple of key holes for a team that went to the Super Bowl last year but this draft probably doesn’t move the needle overall for the team. They are still good and they will still heavily rely on their run game. Kinlaw and Aiyuk are much cheaper replacements for veterans DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders so that helps the team moving forward. McKivitz is worth a shot but I feel like Woerner and Jennings are longshots for the roster. The team isn’t extremely deep at either WR or TE but it will be an uphill battle to make a Super Bowl roster.

Seattle Seahawks

(27) Jordyn Brooks    LB    Texas Tech
(48) Darrell Taylor    DE    Tennessee
(69) Damien Lewis    OG    LSU
(133) Colby Parkinson    TE    Stanford
(144) DeeJay Dallas    RB    Miami
(148) Alton Robinson    DE    Syracuse
(214) Freddie Swain    WR    Florida
(251) Stephen Sullivan    TE    LSU

Immediate Impact: OG Damien Lewis
This speaks volumes about the Seahawks draft overall but I’ll get to that. The team drafted Lewis to bring some power and nastiness to the interior offensive line. Lewis is a beast on the inside and he should start right away after the team cut DJ Fluker after drafting Lewis. He was a part of the best offensive line in college football last season at LSU and he should be a starter for the next decade in the NFL.

Best Value: Maybe TE Colby Parkinson
Parkinson is a tall, rangy athlete that could turn into a valuable asset in the passing game. He’s long and has a giant catch radius which Russell Wilson should find useful. The team got him in the fourth round and he has starter potential down the road. The one roadblock is the Seahawks have quite a few bodies at TE and while newly signed Greg Olsen should start easily Parkinson might find it difficult breaking through so many players to find snaps as a backup. He was well worth the fourth-round pick they used on him.

Sleeper: DE Alton Robinson
Robinson is a fifth round pick out of Syracuse that showed flashes of pass rushing ability that could be quite useful to the Seahawks who are counting on LJ Collier and Bruce Irvin to be their main source of pressure. The team took Darrell Taylor from Tennessee in round two but I actually think they got a better deal with Robinson in round five and he could break out. He needs to be more consistent but if the team coaches him up a bit, they may find a steal.

Overall Analysis
Evaluations of Jordan Brooks were all over the place and as they usually do, the Seahawks zig when everyone else zagged. Brooks could be a good player but the Seahawks have Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright set at two starting LB spots with Shaquem Griffin and Ben Burr-Kirven set to compete for the other spot so Brooks might not contribute much next season. For a team looking to compete for a Super Bowl title they may have spent their first-round pick on a guy that sits on the bench next season. Darrell Taylor fits a need as a DE but there were better DEs available. This team has a weird idea of what they want off the edge. Taylor was extremely inconsistent and disappears for long stretches. The Lewis pick was great, he is exactly what they need for their power running game and they finally invested in the offensive line. I like Parkinson’s potential; I just hope he can navigate his way to some playing time. DeeJay Dallas is proof the Seahawks like average RBs. Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas, yeah, he fits right in. Robinson is a boom or bust pick but if you’re going to take an inconsistent edge player it’s better to do it in round five not round two. WR Freddie Swain and TE Stephen Sullivan are going to find it hard to make the roster considering the depth the Seahawks have at WR and TE.