Hey everyone I’m posting this on behalf of Bryan Luis so please give the credit where it is due. Thanks.
1 – TB: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
QBs go #1 in the draft, it doesn’t always make sense but the NFL covets and advertises QBs. Winston has ALL the arm talent in the world, he also has good football sense. I just think it’s risky to pick a QB at #1 with the talent in the front seven like there is this draft and the QB talent coming out in next year’s draft.
2 – TEN: Leonard Williams, DT, USC
Williams is the top prospect on the board for many and it’s easy to see why. He’s an 4-3 DT, 3-4 5-tech who displays great explosion and quickness in the line of scrimmage. Jurell Casey will be able to wreck havoc on the D-Line.
3 – JAX: Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, Florida
Gus Bradley’s “Seattle East” project makes this pick easy to analyze and project. Fowler was one of the few stars for the Gators last season. He could develop to be the pass rusher they need.
4 – OAK: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Cooper is the best WR in this draft, I’m not going to debate that but he’s an all-around player who can be the go-to-guy for the Raiders. Derek Carr is the QB of the future and he gets a WR target.
5 – WAS: Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
Scherff is going a little high here, but it’s a bigger need than pass rusher even with Brian Orakpo gone. They drafted Trent Murphy (Stanford) in the 2nd round last season. Scherff could be a day one G and an eventual T like Greg Robinson, whom I wasn’t very high on last year.
6 – NYJ: Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson
Beasley fits the Jets perfectly; he’s got a lot of quickness and speed, as well as pass-rushing skills. Pair him with Coples and Pace and you might have a more than fierce front seven to play off that impressive looking group of CBs in Revis and Cromartie.
7 – CHI: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
Brandon Marshall out, Kevin White in. Chicago needs to address defense but to get a WR to pair with Alshon Jeffery might be too good to resist. I also believe there is depth at these positions (WR, DT/DE) so passing up DE or DT isn’t a curse to say they won’t improve on the DLine.
8 – ATL: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
Shane Ray had a lot of sacks last season and joins a recent lineage of Missouri EDGE rushers. Atlanta needs some kind of defensive pass rush especially in a division having Brees, Newton, and possibly Winston.
9 – NYG: Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
Gregory’s failed drug test removed him from possibility at #4 for me, this is his third failed drug test in the past year. Otherwise the Giants may have the next pass rusher on their hands letting go of Umenyiora and Kiwanuka gone in the consecutive seasons.
10 – STL: La’el Collins, OT, LSU
The Rams need OL for the life of them, they let Jake Long go after the big contract he was given. Collins is a day one starter at G for anybody but at RT he solidifies their effort to control the line of scrimmage. Mariota isn’t as good as Foles is right now so if I’m the Rams I’d pass and worst case you go for Cook/Hackenberg in 2016.
11 – MIN: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
Parker could be a bust because guys like him usually do become busts. Remember Bryan Johnson, Michael Crabtree, and Buster Davis? Maybe being with Teddy Bridgewater can give him some familiarity and an edge on other rookies. But he looked he dogged it in position drills at the combine, so you’ve been warned!
12 – PHI: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon TRADE with CLE
For Bradford and the 20th pick (Plus additional later picks) Chip Kelly lands his coveted QB! Mariota fits in this part of the draft in my mind, 12-20. He doesn’t fit the mold of a QB that goes in the top 5 (Manning(s), Luck, Rivers, Stafford). But the system is more important than where he was picked. QB is like any other position in that regard.
13 – NO: Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky
Dupree may be a bit high also but there’s a theme I have here. He fits a huge need for the team at pass rush and is at the repertoire of DC Rob Ryan. Dupree was a star for Kentucky last season becoming a one-man show whom can constantly put up Pro-Bowl level sack numbers in New Orleans.
14 – MIA: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
Waynes is the 2nd CB in my board and 1st on many others. Waynes is the typical in-your-face Big Ten CB, a bigger version of Darqueeze Dennard who was a 1st rounder last season. Miami gets to pair him Brett Grimes, now that’s a formidable duo at CB.
15 – SF: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
Shelton is a huge mammoth of a man; he also fills a need for the unlucky 49ers after all the retirements this offseason. Shelton could line up as a 5 tech or a NT in my opinion like Glenn Dorsey did when he came from Kansas City.
16 – HOU: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
Strong would seemingly slide into Andre Johnson’s spot as the #2WR after Hopkins took over as the number one guy last season. Strong can boost their offense in the redzone, which they will need in that division as they chase the Colts.
17 – SD: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
Todd Gurley is a home run threat, I compare him to CJ Spiller in his time at Clemson. This guy runs anyway he needs to. But I’m not totally sold he’s a 20 carry back but SD has Danny Woodhead so that concern is out the window here.
18 – KC: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
Remember Brandon Albert? Yeah, me too! He was great at G and T for the Chiefs. Now there’s a hole. Eric Fisher is at LT (for now), but a talent on the right side could benefit this offense. Peat is a GIANT who can set the tone of the running game with Davis and Charles.
19 – CLE: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
Brown could go as high as 7 because teams are higher on him than Shelton but Brown is a perfect fit for the Cleveland Browns, his size and pass rushing talent mixed together could be deadly. He’s also a 5 technique or a 3tech with Taylor in the middle.
20 – CLE: Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan from Philadelphia
This is CRAZY right! Strong is off the board but let’s be real here they have speed on the inside with Travis Benjamin and Andrew Hawkins, but in the red-zone having size would help McCown. His best success has been with twin towers out wide.
21 – CIN: Landon Collins, S, Alabama
Cincy has to go best availible here, Collins falls here at 21 due to needs at other positions prior to this pick. A three-year starter at Bama, he showed skills to play either S spot on the secondary, great replacement for Taylor Mays!
22 – PIT: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
Peters falling to 22 is simply a miracle for the Steelers who desperately need a presence at CB, possibly a #1 CB with Ike Taylor getting more and more worse. Peters is the kind of ball-hawk that could be a big playmaker for that secondary.
23 – DET: Michael Bennett, DT/DE, Ohio St.
Bennett is a guy who played extraordinary down the stretch for the Buckeyes en route to their National Championship. Detroit had the disaster offseason losing Fairley and Suh. Ngata helps but he can’t do it alone back there.
24 – ARI: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
Kevin Johnson was mocked at #22 but Peters fell in the draft and he’s definitely higher rated CB than Johnson is. But after losing Cromartie they may be on the market for a #2CB opposite of Peterson. Gordon is in play here but I’m not sure if Gordon is a perfect fit for Arians scheme.
25 – CAR: DJ Humphries, OT, Florida
Humphries is the LT type that many like. I can see him as a day one starter at RT. Cam Newton getting smashed on and off the field last season, although they made the postseason and even won a playoff game. Also keep a lookout for a WR here!
26 – BAL: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
Baltimore still is one of the three teams I see that will be willing to risk taking Dorial Green-Beckham. They have Marlon Brown as insurance with veteran Steve Smith. Joe Flacco likes the deep ball and DGB is the ultimate deep threat at his size.
27 – DAL: Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
Dallas needs LBs more than any other position on the field. Bruce Carter was the best of that group on a consistent basis. Of course, Sean Lee could stay healthy but let’s be serious. Thompson can also play S on the NFL level, but I believe he’s at his best at OLB.
28 – DEN: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami
The Denver Broncos have some needs on the offensive line and defensive line but they look pretty fragile at WR after this upcoming season. DeMaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders at UFA next season. Dorsett would be an ideal slot WR for Peyton Manning.
29 – IND: Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
Phillips is a big man and that’s what Indy needs to control the line of scrimmage. Phillips weighs 330lbs! Definitely going to help prevent Jonas Grey from running past them again, that was embarrassing to let a scrub run 150 yards on you then blow off a morning radio show…
30 – GB: Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
Green Bay cut Brad Jones and AJ Hawk this offseason, this makes LB the biggest need on the roster and Kendricks happens to fall here. Kendricks happens to be the best LB prospect on the board. If Clay Matthews stays on the inside, look at Eli Harold of UVA.
31 – NO: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
The Jimmy Graham trade got them a 1st round pick and Max Unger. The 31st pick could go a bunch of different ways, but with Colston looking for more and more like a safe option, you need a playmaker in Sammie Coates. Brees could stretch the field for the Saints while being a steady #2.
32 – NE: Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
For the last pick in the first round, the New England will… I say they trade down but Byron Jones is way too good to not go in the first round. Jones has been a three year starter at UConn that could fill one of the CB spots that Browner and Revis have left behind. Keep in mind he stole the show at the combine.
