UPDATED: 4/21/10
1. St. Louis Rams
Sam Bradford, QB
The Rams need a QB now that they released Marc Bulger. They also have problems on their O-line and defense. Since there are not too many quality QBs in the draft they should go with Bradford here and address their other needs later in the draft. The Browns are potentially looking to trade up to this spot to get Bradford themselves. Either way it looks like the QB will be the first overall pick.
Other Options: Ndamukong Suh DT, Russell Okung OT, but it seems obvious that they will pick Bradford (I hope that I’m not wrong about this one now. They could trade the pick though and then all bets off the table).
2. Detroit Lions
Ndamukong Suh, DT
The Lions need to protect the franchise QB, Matt Stafford, that they just drafted to have any hope of succeeding on offense, but Suh is too good of a player to pass up. He is a dominant play maker at defensive tackle and is one of my favorite players in the draft. He will instantly make the Lions defense good. It’s possible to fill their Offensive tackle need in the second round with players like Rodger Saffold or Charles Brown if they are available. If they did go with an Offensive Lineman here like Russell Okung, OT, they could still go with Tyson Alualu DT with their second round pick. 4/18 I’ve heard that this pick might not be as obvious after all. I think it’s just smoke screen though and that Suh is a lock.
Previous Pick: Russell Okung, OT
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gerald McCoy, DT
McCoy is a disruptive defensive tackle who should upgrade the Buccaneers defense. Some teams have him ranked as the best defensive tackle but I disagree. In fact I don’t like him too much because of his lack of lateral movement, which decreases the amount of tackles that he makes. He will disrupt the line, but will not make the tackle often and someone will have to clean things up behind him.
Previous Pick: Ndamukong Suh, DT
4. Washington Redskins
Trent Williams, OT
Now that Washington has McNabb they need to protect him. McNabb struggled terribly against the Cowboys because they destroyed the Eagles O-line. If the Redskins want to have offensive success they need a new starting offensive tackle. The redskins have Trent Williams as their highest ranked tackle and therefor will draft him with the fourth pick.
Previous Pick: Bryan Bulaga, OT
5. Kansas City Chiefs
Russell Okung, OT
The Chiefs O-line has a chance to be dominant if they land a good starting tackle in the draft. I absolutely loved Brandon Albert from two years ago, but I assessed him as a guard not a tackle which he is playing now. The draft has a great deal of depth on defense and the Chiefs can address it later on.
Previous Pick: Trent Williams
6. Seattle Seahawks
Bryan Bulaga, OT
There are a few other possible players that the Seahawks could take including Eric Berry and Earl Thomas, but I believe that offensive tackle is a bigger need for them and he will be gone by their 14th pick.
The Seahawks should be able to address their other needs at the 14h pick, where Earl Thomas or Derrick Morgan, DE may be available.
7. Cleveland Browns
Eric Berry, S
The Browns also need a safety or two, and even though it’s a deep safety class They can’t pass on Berry. Another option here is Clausen who is the second best quarterback in the draft, but they can get Colt McCoy in the second round who is a good fit for their west coast offense. They have missed on first round quarterbacks twice so far and decide that Clausen is not for them. There has been some talk about the Eagles wanting to trade up above the Browns to take Berry and then Clausen might again become the pick, but I don’t think that the Eagles will end up trading up this far.
Previous Pick: Jimmy Clausen, QB
8. Oakland Raiders
Anthony Davis, OT
The raiders need a tackle and should take Anthony Davis with the eighth pick. Everyone thinks that they will take Bruce Campbell because he is athletic and the Raiders tend to take athletic players too high. It would be a mistake to take Campbell this high though. He is a very raw player who has not started many games.
Previous Pick: Bruce Campbell, OT
9. Buffalo Bills
Jimmy Clausen, QB
The Bills need offensive lineman really bad since they traded Jason Peters to the Eagles, but there are no lineman who are worth drafting at this https://terennab.wordpress.com/wp-admin/page.php?action=edit&post=414spot. Since the Bills are likely moving to a 3-4 on defense, they will need a nose tackle. Dan Williams, could be that guy, but they also need a QB and since Clausen sliped to them they can’t pass him up. They will be able to get a Nose Tackle in the second round in players like Terrence Cody or Linval Joseph.
Previous Pick: Dan Williams, DT
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
Earl Thomas, FS
Many people have the Jaguars drafting a DE, but they drafted two high DEs last year that still might pan out and they signed Aaron Kampman. They have too many other needs to draft another DE. Earl Thomas is an extremely athletic, play maker at the safety position and some people like him better than Eric Berry. They also have needs at Linebacker and Wide receiver, but there is some good depth at those positions later on. Thomas is the highest rated player that also fits a need.
Previous Pick: Eric Berry, S
11. Denver Broncos
Maurkice Pouncey, C/G
Dez Bryant is a possibility here, but it seems like they are showing people that they want him really badly, which makes me think that they don’t. Even though he is a great WR, he has some issues. I don’t think that they want to deal with a problem WR again. Since they traded Brandon Marshall they are going to need another quality receiver though and will have to address it later in the draft. The Broncos also a quality inside linebacker so Rolando McClain ILB is an option here also, but there is more linebacker depth than Center/Guard Depth.
Previous Pick: Rolando McClain, ILB
12. Miami Dolphins
Dan Williams, DT
I think that Brandon Graham is the best DE/OLB in the draft. The Dolphins need an outside backer and could go with Brandon Graham, but they also have a big need for a Nose Tackle, which is much more rare than rush linebackers. Ultimately they decide to go with Williams because of the depth later on at the linebacker position.
Previous Pick: Brandon Graham, DE/OLB
13. San Francisco 49ers
Joe Haden, CB
The 49ers need a Cornerback and Haden is the highest ranked one. They may however be scared away by his slow 40 time and decide to go with Kyle Wilson, CB who some people think is a better Corner than Haden.
14. Seattle Seahawks
C.J. Spiller, RB
The Seahawks still have a lot of needs after taking an Offensive Tackle with their first pick. They could go with Derrick Morgan DE or Earl Thomas if he is available since he can play Safety and Cornerback and they need both. There are no Receivers worth taking at this point in the draft, but Spiller fills a need and is a play maker. He could completely turn around their offense. They will have to address their defense later in the draft.
Previous Pick: Earl Thomas, S/CB
15. New York Giants
Derrick Morgan, DE
The Giants need a linebacker and could go with Weatherspoon’s who had good production and athleticism, but Morgan is a higher rated player than Weatherspoon and they need a DE more to bolster their weak pass rush. They could also go with Rolando McClain, ILB at this spot, but I think that he will slip to the twenties or lower. He is not as polished as other players.
Previous Pick: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB
16. Tennessee Titans
Jason Pierre-Paul DE
Pierre-Paul is an athletic DE, that I think is overrated. He has only one year of top level production and didn’t have a very good year. Teams like his
potential, but I would stay away from him. Still, the Titans biggest need is at DE and I don’t think that they will be able to pass on Pierre-Paul.
Previous Pick: Derrick Morgan, DE
17. San Francisco 49ers
Mike Iupati, G
The 49ers still need a OT, but it probably wouldn’t be worth taking the remaining OTs at this spot. They could go with Earl Thomas and have one of the best secondaries in the NFL in a few years since they also took Haden, but they really need help on their O-line. I think that they should probably trade this pick down and try to get a tackle at the end of the first or early second, but if they don’t they should go with Mike Iupati, G, who is the best lineman available. They will have to move one of their other lineman over to Tackle if they do though.
Previous Pick: Earl Thomas, FS
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
Dez Bryant, WR
The Steelers’ defense is not what it once used to be and they need to start rebuilding it so a CB like Kyle Wilson is an option here. They also need a DE and DT, but unless they want to pull the trigger on Everson Griffen there is no one that is worth drafting at this point. They need a running back, but mostly for depth and there are some quality running backs that will be available later on in the draft. Since the Steelers traded away Holmes they now need a WR and Dez Bryant is a great one who fell right into their laps. Some people are scared away by Bryant’s character, but I’m not that worried. He hasn’t has problems with the law and that seems to be the Steelers main problem.
Previous pick: Earl Thomas, FS
19. Atlanta Falcons
Brandon Graham, DE
The Falcons need the most help at the DE position, so they decide to go with Graham, who I think is the best DE in the draft.They also need a Cornerback and could go with Kyle Wilson, but they only really need depth at the position. I could also see them going with Jermaine Gresham, TE to replace the aging Tony Gonzalez.
Previous Pick: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB
20. Houston Texans
Kyle Wilson, CB
Houston’s biggest need is at Cornerback and Kyle Wilson is the best Cornerback remaining. They could also go with Ryan Matthews, RB who has good size and speed and reminds me of a young Larry Johnson. They should probably wait on drafting a running back though.
Previous Pick: Kareem Jackson, CB
21. Cincinnati Bengals
Jermaine Gresham, TE
He is the best receiving TE in the draft and will fill the Bengals question mark at that position. The Bengals need offensive weapons and Gresham is one of the best available.
22. New England Patriots
Rolando McClain, ILB
The Pats have lost too much on defense and need to start rebuilding. Rolando McClain slipped in the draft and can either play inside Linebacker or weak side Linebacker. Jared Odrick, DE is another option and would work well in their 3-4 system. He didn’t have the production that I would like, but he was double teamed a great deal and had a great combine.
Previous Pick: Jared Odrick, DT
23. Green Bay Packers
Devin McCourty, CB
The Packers need help on their O-line desperately. Aaron Rodgers won’t last long unless they upgrade, but there is no one left worth taking here. Pouncey and Mike Iupati would both be good options if they fell, however.
They decide to go with McCourty to fill their biggest need, which is Cornerback.
Previous Pick: Maurkice Pouncey, C
24. Philadelphia Eagles
Kareem Jackson, CB
The Eagles need help on their O-line since they can’t stop any team’s pass rush and because of Jamal Jackson’s injuryNow that the Eagles aquired Ernie Sims they can afford to draft Linebackers later in the draft. There are some good Linebackers in the second and third rounds like Navorro Bowman OLB or Jamar Chaney ILB. The Eagles might also look at Everson Griffen DE, but his lack of production scares me away, even though he looks good on tape. Lastly I would look at Tyson Alualu DT/DE. While most people don’t have him rated this high, I do. He is a play maker who is athletic enough to play DE on first and second downs and then more to DT on third down. He will be an impact player and a high motor guy. We might be able to get him with our high second round though. I think that it’s a bit of a reach to take Jackson here, but there are no other good options. I strongly believe that the Eagles will try to trade up to get Brandon Graham, Earl Thomas or Kyle Wilson. I just hope that they don’t move up too far and waste too many draft picks.
Previous Pick: Sergio Kindle, OLB
25. Baltimore Ravens
Jared Odrick, DT
The Ravens need to upgrade at Cornerback, but there are no first round CBs remaining. They also need a and Jared odrick, DT/DE fills that need. He is a high motor guy who is fairly athletic.
Everson Griffen DE is also available but he is more of a 4-3 defensive end than a 3-4.
Previous Pick: Kareem Jackson, CB
26. Arizona Cardinals
Sergio Kindle, OLB
Kindle is a converted DE and is probably a better fit for a 3-4 but he is the best player available and the Cardinals need a Linebacker. He has great athleticism and good size to play linebacker and has the potential to be a great pass rusher. The Cardinals could also go with an offensive lineman and may decide to go with Charles Brown, OT or Rodger Saffold.
Previous Pick: Jerry Hughes, DE
27. Dallas Cowboys
Rodger Saffold OT
If I was the Cowboys I would trade down here, because they would have to reach for an OT or FS, which are their needs. They need to improve at the safety position and Taylor Mays is the highest rated Safety, but he can’t cover and is more of a SS than FS. Nate Allen is better in coverage than Taylor Mays and could be a possibility here, but there is depth at the safety and can wait until the second round. They Cowboys work on improving their offensive line, but they need more depth and future starters.
28. San Diego Chargers
Ryan Mathews, RB
The Chargers biggest need is at Nose Tackle but there are no nose tackle worth taking at this point. Terrence Cody, DT is very over rated and needs to get in shape. Jared Odrick is more of a 4-3 DT or a 3-4DE than a nose tackle and is already off the board. They need a CB, but there are no more that are worth taking at this spot. Running Back isn’t their biggest need, but they do need one and Mathews is not only the highest rated player available he is going to be great. He has good size and very good speed. They will have to address their Nose Tackle need and CB need later in the draft.
Previous Pick: Devin McCourty, CB
29. New York Jets
Everson Griffen, DE
The Jets need a DE and Griffen is rated too high to pass on. The Jets could also go with a FS here, but there is value later on in the draft. If they do go with a FS they will go with either Nate Allen or Taylor Mays.
30. Minnesota Vikings
Taylor Mays, S
The Vikings need a Safety and take a chance on boom or bust Mays the super athletic large safety who can’t cover. Since they need a a Strong Safety though they can take a chance on him and rely on him in the run game. They would need to teach him how to tackle properly instead of just throwing his body at people. They don’t have as many needs as other teams and can afford to take a chance with this pick.
31. Indianapolis Colts
Charles Brown, OT
The Colts need help on their offensive line. They also need a DE and could take a chance on Carlos Dunlap DE. I wouldn’t want to rely on either player and would trade down if I was the Colts GM.
32. New Orleans Saints
Sean Weatherspoon, OLB
The Saints have several needs on Defense and they go with the highest defensive player still available that fills a need in Weatherspoon. They could also go with Bryan Price, DT who has a similar value at this point as well. Weatherspoon is a very athletic, very productive Linebacker who will have to be taught to shed blocks in the NFL.