Written by Brandon Miller, Cleveland OH. Follow Brandon on Twitter @itsmillertxme
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State. This pick is a virtual lock. Winston is the best quarterback, and arguably the best overall player, in the draft. The Bucs need a signal-caller in a division that has three Pro Bowl’ers at QB.
2. Tennessee Titans: Leonard Williams, DE/DT, USC. The Titans need to go with the ‘safe pick.’ They could potentially trade down but, unless it’s right, the best choice is Williams. He would make the D-Line scary alongside Jurrell Casey–with both keen on getting to Andrew Luck twice a year.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson. The Titans (like the Jags) are in the AFC South, chasing Andrew Luck and the Colts. The Jags need to pressure Luck. Vic can do that.
Courtesy: wvgazette.com
4. Oakland Raiders: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia. This is one of the easiest picks to predict. The Raiders tend to pick speed at wide-out and White can run 4.35 in the 40. Oakland needs to put a solid supporting cast around their potential franchise QB, Derek Carr. Kevin White would be the first step.
5. Washington Redskins: Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, Florida. If they can’t trade down the Redskins are better off by taking the best player available. Fowler, paired with Ryan Kerrigan, should make QBs nervous in the NFC East. Fowler has one of the highest ceilings in the draft; he just needs to clean up his pass rushing technique.
6. New York Jets: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri. Todd Bowles, the new head coach, has been upgrading the Jets’ defense. He would make it even stronger by drafting Ray. Ray is one of the best pass rushers in the draft … and Tom Brady is still in the AFC East the last time I checked.
7. Chicago Bears: Danny Shelton, NT, Washington. Will Sutton is the only DT on the Bears roster currently! You need to get to the quarterback in the NFL and Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Teddy Bridgewater are all in the NFC North. Danny Shelton would help get to those guys … shoring up a defensive line that’s probably the NFL’s weakest.
Courtesy: al.com
8. Atlanta Falcons: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama. Roddy White isn’t getting any younger or more durable. Amari Cooper is a ‘Bama product ala Julio Jones. He could make the Falcons pass offense soar. Atlanta needs a legit #2 and Amari can play the slot and slide anywhere on the field.
9. New York Giants: Brandon Scherff, OG, Iowa. Who wants to see more Odell Beckham Jr.? I think we all do. How will that happen? Eli needs time to throw. Brandon should be a solid player in this league … on the left side of a line that needs a lot of help.
10. St. Louis Rams: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford. Nick Foles is the new starting quarterback for the Rams. Nick needs protection if he wants to throw the ball in LA a couple of years from now. But the right side of the Rams line is awful right now. Peat could help fix that, day one.
11. Minnesota Vikings: La’el Collins, OT, LSU. The right side of the Vikings line is atrocious. La’el can shore up the right side–a side that Adrian Peterson likes to run. Collins isn’t a finished product, but he could be very good in short order.
12. Cleveland Browns: Devante Parker, WR, Louisville. Josh Gordon is done in Cleveland. Dwayne Bowe is of the slower variety. And Brian Hartline is 2 years past his prime. So the Browns really need offensive output. While there’re questions at QB–whether Manziel or McCown will start–no matter who wins the job, that man will need weapons. Parker is a big-time receiver with massive upside potential.
13. New Orleans Saints: Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky. This is a great fit for the Saints. Bud Dupree can start Day 1 opposite Junior Galette. There’re a lot of holes on the Saints roster, but getting a pass rush can do wonders in this division. The Saints also have another 1st round choice that they can use to address other needs.
Courtesy: walterfootball.com
14. Miami Dolphins: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St.. What does Tom Brady have to do with this pick? Everything. If Miami wants to contend in the AFC East, they’ll have to up their interception totals. Trae Waynes can do that … and more.
15. San Francisco 49ers: Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon. The 49ers have had a rough offseason. Veteran Patrick Willis and rising star Chris Borland both retired. The Niners have to replace that defensive intensity. Arik Armstead is a good start. He’s a solid pass rusher and an above-average run stuffer.
16. Houston Texans: Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF. The ‘Greatest Texan ever,’ Andre Johnson, has left. So there’s a spot for a talent like Perriman. Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett (QBs competing for the job) will need targets. Breshad has risen up the Draft Boards … and for good reason … he’s a big-time talent.
17. San Diego Chargers: Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska. Gregory is a Top 5 talent, but his ‘marijuana incident’ has teams leery about him. San Diego has had a terrible pass rush. Randy Gregory can come in and get after Peyton Manning in the AFC West. We may look back at this pick as the ‘steal of the draft’ … if Randy can stay off the weed.
18. Kansas City Chiefs: Cameron Erving, C, Florida State. Everyone in KC is screaming: no receiver caught a TD pass last year! 2015 will be different if the line can Alex Smith upright. The Chiefs will draft a receiver later in the Draft. But, first, KC needs to build strength in the trenches. Erving is a solid choice.
19. Cleveland Browns: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh. Cleveland needs to protect its QB. Clemmings is a solid RT, perhaps the best in the Draft. Cleveland’s left OL may be the NFL’s best, but the right side might be the League’s worst.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: Landon Collins, SS, Alabama. Chip Kelly tends to play the wild card, but at this point in the draft I think he’ll do the safe, smart thing. Landon Collins would fill a final missing hole in the secondary. While Chip has confidence on offense, he has been trying to talent-up the defense. Landon Collins is very talented.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida. The Bengals had a very good offense line last year. But Andy Dalton still couldn’t get it done. Plug in Humphries and Dalton can’t make excuses. D.J. is a good run-blocker and that’s important: Jeremy Hill may be a focal point for the Bengals next season.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington. DB is an absolute must for the Steelers because they have some of the oldest corners in the league and Troy Polamalu just retired. The Steel Curtain has been down for several years, but Marcus Peters has the skills to toughen-up the Steelers’ D.
Courtesy: USAToday.com & sbnation.com
23. Detroit Lions: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas. With Suh and Fairley gone the Lions need to fill big holes. Malcom Brown is no Suh, but Brown is a great run-stopper and an above-average pass rusher. Detroit has to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers if it ever expects to win the NFL North.
24. Arizona Cardinals: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin. By season’s end the Cardinals lost offensive punch. QB injuries contributed, but they also couldn’t run the ball. Melvin Gordon dominated college football at Wisconsin. He has an opportunity to come in and make Arizona a title contender
25. Carolina Panthers: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M. Cam Newton couldn’t stay healthy last year. That outcome had a lot to do with the offensive line. Newton’s one of the game’s best playmakers, but he needs blocking to optimize his talents. Cedric was once regarded as one of college football’s best O-lineman. After a bad ’14 his stock is lower, but he’s still a high-potential pick.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State. Jaelen Strong is a big-time receiver who has great hands. He could help put the Ravens offense over the top. Strong isn’t as fast as Torrey Smith, but he’s much better than Smith when it comes to catching the 50/50 balls.
Courtesy: lostlettermen.com
27. Dallas Cowboys: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia. Todd Gurley is a big-time RB, an absolute all-around stud. He might have been a Top 10 pick if he hadn’t torn his ACL last year. Todd may miss the beginning of the year but, once he’s off and running, he’ll be a scary sight for years to come.
28. Denver Broncos: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami. Will this be Peyton Manning’s last year? If so, John Elway would be wise to make moves to protect him. One way is to draft Flowers, a player who’s capable of playing right away.
29. Indianapolis Colts: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State. With many off-season additions (and with Luck getting better), the Colts may be primed to break records on the offensive side of the ball. The defense is another story, though. Remember how the Patriots ran up and down the field last year against Indy? Drafting Eddie Goldman will help: he’s a big-body DT who’s primed to stop the run.
30. Green Bay Packers: Jalen Collins, CB, LSU. The Packers kept good players and trimmed the excess. But Tramon Williams is now with the Browns, which leaves a CB gap. Jalen Collins hails from ‘cornerback school’ LSU and could come in and play right away. That’s one way for the Packers to get back to the NFC Championship game.
31. New Orleans Saints: Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan. Jimmy Graham is now in Seattle. The best way to use the pick they got in return is to draft Graham’s replacement. Funchess is too big and slow to be a full-time WR, but he can play TE as Graham did. Let’s face it: Drew Brees is on the last legs of his career. You can’t shed one of Drew’s favorite targets without replacing him.
32. New England Patriots: Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut. A classic Patriots’ move would be drafting Byron Jones. Off many scouts’ draft boards–before the Combine–Jones had a freakishly athletic Combine performance. The Pats lost Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner last year. And with the division getting better, New England can’t afford to field a mediocre defense.
Conclusion: The first day of the 2015 NFL draft should be exciting. We may see some incredible trades. And everyone is interested in seeing what happens to Marcus Mariota.
It should be entertaining and awesome to see!
