1. Houston Texans-Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo
Houston surprises with Mack here. Him and Jadeveon Clowney are in a race to be the top pick. Mack is the safe pick character wise and also he won’t have to get used to playing on his feet like Clowney would.
2. *Trade* Atlanta Falcons from St. Louis Rams-Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
Atlanta trades picks 7 and 37 to move up and select the dynamic pass rusher they need.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars-Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
Teams are always desperate to find a quarterback when they don’t have one. I don’t believe the smokescreen that Bridgewater has fallen so far out of grace when he was clearly the best quarterback after the season ended.
4. Cleveland Browns-Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
Watkins is the best player on the board and fills the spot opposite of Josh Gordon. The plan will be to draft a quarterback later and give him a dominant receiver duo.
5. *Trade* Detroit Lions from Oakland Raiders-Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
The Lions trade picks 10 and 45 to move up and take Evans. They are desperate to give Matt Stafford another great weapon. With Watkins off the board and a few receiver needy teams on deck, they will make the move to get their man.
6. St. Louis Rams-Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
Jeff Fisher picks the son of Bruce Matthews, who he coached in Houston/Tennessee. Matthews will pair with Jake Long to give the Rams bookend tackles.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
Lovie Smith is a classic Tampa 2 coach. With that comes a love for pass rushing linemen. Donald will pair with Gerald McCoy to form a dangerous duo in the middle of their line.
8. Minnesota Vikings-Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
Christian Ponder is not the guy in Minnesota. New offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, will want his own quarterback. He will get along with the prototype quarterback, Blake Bortles.
9. Buffalo Bills-Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
Buffalo wants to surround E.J. Manuel with weapons and give him the best chance to succeed.
10. Oakland Raiders-Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
Rumors have come out that Oakland likes Lewan best of the tackle class. The top three tackles really are that close. This pick would fill a need and fit Reggie McKenzie’s style. Last year he traded back and still got the guy he wanted (D.J. Hayden).
11. Tennessee Titans-Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
Again, QB needy teams will make sure they get a QB. Manziel may seem like an odd fit for Ken Wisenhunt but remember that he groomed a young Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. He has had success with QBs who can improvise.
12. New York Giants-Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
This will be considered a huge steal to many out there. As the Giants often do, here they sit back and pick the best player on their board. In this case he also fills a need.
13. St. Louis Rams-Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU
This is Sam Bradford’s make-or-break year. Pairing Beckham with last years first round pick, Tavon Austin, gives Bradford his best receiving duo yet.
14. Chicago Bears-Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
Chicago needs to bolster their run defense and has a need at interior defensive line. Jernigan is the single best run stopper in the draft, regardless of position.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers-Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
Dick LeBeau may not value talented corners very highly but the need is so great that they have to take one now. Kyle Fuller is the best and most versatile in the draft.
16. Dallas Cowboys-Anthony Barr, DE, UCLA
Out goes DeMarcus Ware, in comes his replacement.
17. Baltimore Ravens-Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State
Baltimore (and Joe Flacco) miss Anquan Boldin. Luckily there is a clone of him in the draft this year.
18. New York Jets-Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
Rex Ryan lives and dies with man coverage from his corners. They desperately need one (or two). Gilbert may be the best man coverage corner in the draft.
19. Miami Dolphins-Zach Martin, OT, Notre Dame
Martin could play multiple positions on the line, including left tackle. That’s good because Miami has multiple needs on the line. Martin will have no trouble finding a starting job here.
20. Arizona Cardinals-Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State
Arizona will miss Karlos Dansby but Shazier will help fill the void.
21. Green Bay Packers-Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois
Green Bay surprises here when they pass up Calvin Pryor and Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix. Ward is the best coverage safety in the draft. In Green Bay, everything revolves around slowing down other quarterbacks as they try to keep up with Aaron Rodgers.
22. Philadelphia Eagles-Brandon Cooks, WR, Oregon State
Philly gets a younger and very similar player to replace DeSean Jackson.
23. Kansas City Chiefs-Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
Andy Reid was notorious for two things on draft day during his time in Philly: drafting large offensive linemen early and not taking receivers early. Kouandjio is a big body who can take over for Eric Fisher, who will slide over the left side that was vacated by Branden Albert.
24. Cincinnati Bengals-Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
The loss of Anthony Collins hurts Cincy. Andrew Whitworth may be able to man the left tackle spot once again but he is not young. Cincy needs Moses, even if they have to reach.
25. San Diego Chargers-Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
San Diego NEEDS help in the secondary. Verrett is the best DB on the board and will fill one of many holes in the back line of their defense.
26. Cleveland Browns-Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
Cleveland gets their new signal caller in Carr. He better succeed with Watkins and Gordon as his targets.
27. New Orleans Saints-Marqise Lee, WR, USC
Thanks to Jimmy Graham wanting a ton of money, New Orleans had to cut half of Drew Brees’ targets. Lee will help Brees forget about that.
28. Carolina Panthers-Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
Cam Newton is desperate for a talented receiver. Benjamin gives him a big athlete to take some pressure off him.
29. New England Patriots-Stephon Tuitt, DL, Notre Dame
Bill Belichick values hard working guys that are versatile above all else. Tuitt can play 5-tech in their odd front and kick inside when they go even.
30. San Francisco 49ers-Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
San Francisco may be more desperate for corner help than any team in the league this year. Luckily Dennard falls into their lap here. He could start for them tomorrow.
31. Denver Broncos-Xavier Su’a-Filo, G, UCLA
Denver needs to replace Zane Beadles, a guard who excels in pass protection. How about a guard who is able to play left tackle in a pinch?
32. Seattle Seahawks-Joel Bitonio, OL, Nevada
Seattle has a need at right tackle. Bitonio is a perfect fit for offensive line coach, Tom Cable. He can play any position on the line.
Round 2
Pick (overall)
1 (33). Houston Texans-Louis Nix, NT, Notre Dame
No quarterback yet. Instead, Houston continues to get pieces for Romeo Crennel’s defense. Mack is his new Willie McGinist. Nix will be his new Vince Wilfork. Jerrell Powe is not a sure answer at nose by any means.
2 (34). Washington Redskins-Ra’Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
Hageman gives the Redskins a big body who can upgrade their interior line and play in any defensive front.
3 (35). Cleveland Browns-Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
Cleveland gets what many will consider a steal here. They could use help in their secondary.
4 (36). *Trade* San Francisco 49ers from Oakland Raiders-Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
The 49ers send picks 56 and 61 to Oakland. Jerry Rice’s cousin finds his way to San Francisco. They hope Matthews can be they guy they desperately need to stretch the field.
5 (37). St. Louis Rams-Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
The Rams need help in the secondary. Pryor will be considered a steal at this point.
6 (38). Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana
Tampa needs another receiver. With Latimer and Vincent Jackson, Josh McCown will have no trouble finding his big targets.
7 (39). Jacksonville Jaguars-Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor
The first running back is off the board. Seastrunk will step into the shoes long worn my Maurice Jones-Drew. A strong running game is a rookie quarterback’s best friend.
8 (40). Minnesota Vikings-Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State
This is an absolute steal. Crichton is a first round talent that can fill the void left by Jared Allen.
9 (41). Buffalo Bills-Trai Turner, G, LSU
A big guard to help protect E.J. Manuel and open holes in the running game.
10 (42). Tennessee Titans-Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
The Titans desperately need a corner. Roby is arguably the best player on the board.
11 (43). New York Giants-C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
As inside linebackers often do, Mosley slides here and the Giants get what many would consider a steal.
12 (44). St. Louis Rams-Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
Jeff Fisher loves physical corners. Here they get arguably the most physical corner in the draft.
13 (45). Oakland Raiders-Jimmy Garappolo, QB, Eastern Illinois
The Raiders get their quarterback of the future here. Garappolo has all the tools to play the position and can sit behind Matt Schaub while he adjusts to the speed of the NFL.
14 (46). Pittsburgh Steelers-Dee Ford, DE, Auburn
Pittsburgh takes a dangerous pass rusher here to replace LaMarr Woodley.
15 (47). Dallas Cowboys-Will Sutton, DT, Arizona
Jason Hatcher out, Will Sutton in. Dallas reloads their defensive line with young talent.
16 (48). Baltimore Ravens-Ed Stinson, DL, Alabama
Stinson can play ANY defensive line position in ANY scheme. Factor in that he is one tough player and you get a Baltimore Raven.
17 (49). New York Jets-Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
The Jets are desperate for offensive weapons. A pass catching tight end can be a quarterbacks best friend.
18 (50). Miami Dolphins-Caraun Reid, DT, Princeton
Miami takes a very talented and disruptive player from the ivy league.
19 (51). Chicago Bears-Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
Another running back is off the board. Chicago needs a strong backup for Matt Forte plus Hyde can catch passes, block, and be a complimentary power back.
20 (52). Arizona Cardinals-Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin
Stopping the run is the highest priority of all defenses in the NFC West. Borland is the best run stopping linebacker in the draft. He can pair with Daryl Washington to form a great one-two punch in the middle.
21 (53). Green Bay Packers-Marcus Smith, DE/LB, Louisville
Dom Capers wants to be more versatile on defense this year. Smith can play end or linebacker and will fit in well in this blitz heavy scheme.
22 (54). Philadelphia Eagles-Keith McGill, CB, Utah
Philly is desperate for a corner. McGill needs some development work but his size and athletic ability is too much to pass up here.
23 (55). Cincinnati Bengals-Jeremiah Attaochu, DE, Georgia Tech
Attaochu fills the void in Cincy’s pass rush rotation left by Michael Johnson.
24 (56). Oakland Raiders-Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU
Oakland needs help all over the board. Landry is too talented to pass up here and can grow with their new quarterback.
25 (57). San Diego Chargers-Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State
San Diego devotes another pick to bolstering their secondary. They need it if they want to knock Denver off the top of the division.
26 (58). New Orleans Saints-Lamarcus Joyner, DB, Florida State
Joyner falls because of his size but New Orleans gets a steal. Joyner can play anywhere in the secondary.
27 (59). Indianapolis Colts-Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State
Indy upgrades its interior line with the very athletic Weston Richburg.
28 (60). Carolina Panthers-Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado
Carolina double dips at receiver because they are so depleted there. Paul Richardson is the best route runner college football has seen in a long time.
29 (61). Oakland Raiders-Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford
More depth for the new aging defensive line in Oakland. Murphy’s can be an understudy for Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley.
30 (62). New England Patriots-Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State
Tom Brady needs a decent weapon besides the oft injured Rob Gronkowski. Adams can go deep and make big plays from short passes.
31 (63). Denver Broncos-Tre Mason, RB, Auburn
Denver is in the ultimate “win now” mode. Mason can fill the void left by Knowshon Moreno and pair up with Monte Ball to form a dynamic rushing attack.
32 (64). Seattle Seahawks-Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
A new weapon for Russell Wilson. Amaro can pair with Zach Miller in two-tight end formations.
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