This post is not about what I think teams will do on Draft night (though I will make a mock draft), this is what they SHOULD do on draft night.
1. Bengals: Chase Young. Edge. Ohio State.
-What?! Not Joe Burrow?! That’s blasphemous! ... Is it really though? It’s no secret the Bengals have a long way to go before they will be considered contenders again; chances are they’ll be a top pick in next year's draft with a heavy abundance of QB talent. Say they draft Joe Burrow, what then? You’re going to sit him? Behind who? The fan base will eventually riot to get him on the field just for him to get absolutely obliterated in a defense driven AFC North. So why ruin a guy who could be great and set your own franchise back many seasons by drafting him? Take this year to draft a young defensive talent who will make an immediate impact and build your almost non-existent defense. Someone that can start week 1 and not have to learn. A guy that can get after Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, and whatever sorry sap of a QB Pittsburgh peddles out there. Build the defense, get an O-Line, and get your wide receivers healthy before you worry about drafting a franchise QB.
2. Washington: TRADE to the Dolphins: Joe Burrow. Quarterback. LSU.
-With or without Chase Young off the board, Washington needs prospects or proven talent. Washington is statistically the worst team in the NFL, though they had one more win than the Bengals; Washington needs to be smart in this draft. I’d go for quantity and quality here. Trent Williams wants out of Washington; you’ll need a high rated O-Linemen to replace him to protect Dwayne Haskins. Miami needs a QB and has three first round picks. I’m sure there will be many teams calling on draft day should Joe Burrow fall to number two, but Miami has the best call. So ask for picks 5, 16, and 39 (if they offer 26, take it, but I’m just trying to be logical). The Dolphins will obey, because Joe Burrow is awesome. For reason's sake, we will say that is the trade. I can’t see the Dolphins getting rid of all three picks because worst case Toa or Herbet will fall in their lap.
The Dolphins last season were well on their way to 0-16, before they squeaked out five wins last season. The Dolphins have needs, and surprisingly they aren’t horrible enough to where if they drafted a QB high, it wouldn’t be a horrible decision. If the Dolphins are smart (which I don’t know if they are) they wouldn’t think twice about any other QB in this draft other than Joe Burrow. He’s the guy.
3. Lions: Jeff Okudah. Cornerback. Ohio State.
-The Lions will clearly draft a corner here, because they just traded Darius Slay. The Lions have a depleted defense that is in desperate need of something big, Jeff Okudah is that guy. Drafting a CB can be very fruitful for a bad defense; just look at how it helped the Jaguars drafting Jalen Ramsey. Look at how it helped the Browns after drafting Denzel Ward. The Lions are in no position to be thinking about trades; they need to gamble on top prospects.
4. Giants: Isiah Simmons. Linebacker. Clemson.
-The Giants have a couple big needs in this draft: an offensive line, linebackers, maybe a pass rusher. The Giants should probably address the need of a linebacker while Isiah Simmons is on the board. Isiah Simmons just makes sense for a team that has historically had elite play-makers on defense. Isiah Simmons could definitely live in that company if he produces to his abilities.
5. Washington (via Miami): Tristin Wirfs. Offensive Tackle. Iowa.
-Washington needs to be making moves to protect the QB. Whether Dwayne Haskins is Washington’s guy or not is yet to be seen, but they shouldn’t just throw him to the wolves every Sunday. Build the offensive line to protect Dwayne Haskins or the QB they want to go with down the road. Tristin Wirfs is the highly touted offensive line prospect and for good reason. He has unique athleticism for a man his size and has the ability to play both left and right tackle (not at the same time). Double whammy. Plus, the last Hawkeye they drafted was Brandon Scherff, and that’s worked pretty well.
6. Chargers: Justin Herbert. Quarterback. Oregon.
-The Chargers are a fucking mess. They have a lot of holes on offense. A big question mark on QB. A pretty bad offensive line, tight end questions, and the running back position has its own questions. In short, there are a lot of questions. As much as I hate seeing the Chargers use a pick on a QB, because they have so many glaring needs, they may have to for the sole purpose of having a leader or just even having something in LA to look forward to. My thoughts are the Chargers should take a chance and sign Cam Newton to a short two-three year deal, and draft Justin Herbert to study under Cam for the next couple of seasons or so because I believe Justin Herbet can be a great QB, but not if thrown to the wolves. Build a team, then start him. Simple as that.
7. Panthers: Derrick Brown. Defensive Tackle. Auburn.
-A trade would be nice for the Panthers here, but they need to stay put. They can’t afford to pick after the Cardinals and let the Jaguars have the option of drafting Derrick Brown. Matt Rhule probably realizes he has a pretty alright team if Teddy Bridgewater can produce like he should. The Panthers lost a lot to free agency and retirement this off season; they need an anchor for the defense and that guy should be Derrick Brown, who regularly needs double teamed and can collapse a pocket like no one’s business.
8. Cardinals: Jedrick Wills Jr. Offensive Line. Alabama.
-My biggest concern for the Cardinals heading into last season was their lack of an offensive line. Kyler Murray proved he can play in the NFL; he proved a lot of doubters wrong. He produced. If the Cardinals want that production to continue, they need to get help at the offensive line. With the addition of De’Andre Hopkins, I’m sure they are going to rely heavily in their passing game this season,which is why I decided that the Cardinals should draft Jedrick Wills Jr. He’s a powerhouse lineman from Alabama (Roll Tide) that knows a thing or two about being a part of winning offensive lines. This is a no-brainer for the Cardinals.
9. Jaguars: Cee Dee Lamb. Wide Receiver. Oklahoma.
- The Jaguars are in such a confusing time. Too many storylines are hovering above the Jaguars heads. Where is Yannick Ngakoue headed? Is Gardner Minshew II really the guy? What about Cam Robinson? Will they move to London? It’s really frustrating because they were in the AFC Championship game not too long ago, and had they had a better QB, probably a Super Bowl. I think the strategy the Jaguars should utilize is simple, be spoiled. Let’s run with the assumption that the Jaguars are actually going to use this season to evaluate Gardner Minshew III as the guy, which I think is a lazy way of saying we're going to try and tank for Trevor Lawrence, but if it works out, it works out. I love Gardner Minshew II, but it’s going to be hard in Jacksonville this season, so if I’m the GM (I’m not) just be spoiled. Take a chance on a highly praised skill player like Cee Dee Lamb and see what happens. If it works for Garnder Minshew II, great! Give him a weapon! If it doesn’t, well you have all next season to rebuild, resign and draft Trevor Lawrence if they’re bad enough.
10. Cleveland Browns: Mekhi Becton. Tackle. Louisville.
-The Browns are in such dire need of offensive line help. The Browns didn’t produce the way they should’ve this season solely because of the offensive line struggles. Baker Mayfield needs time to throw the ball, let alone hand it off. Mayfied didn’t have time this season and as a result didn’t produce; but when he had time, Baker Mayfield balled out and they would win. Joel Bitionio and JC Tretter are great, but you can’t have just two linemen in the NFL. Adding Jack Conklin to the line is astronomical, but they need more. Mekhi Becton is being highly praised and, unfortunately, the Browns don’t have Tristin Wirfs or Jedrick Wills Jr. on the board. But, Mekhi Becton is huge, he’s physical, and athletic. His pass protection needs help, but anything can be better then Greg Robinson, right?
11. Jets: Jerry Jeudy. Wide Receiver. Alabama.
-The Jets need to give Sam Darnold some skill players. His biggest weapon, Robby Anderson, is in Carolina now, so unfortunately the Jets are going to have to play the replacement game in this draft. Jerry Jeudy is the best route runner in this draft class, which is such an underrated skill that is not appreciated enough as compared to “speed”. Speaking of speed, he’s also super fast and good luck catching him in the open field.
12. Raiders: Tua Tagovailoa. Quarterback. Alabama.
-The Raiders are good. Jon Gruden is doing his thing and still has lots of years left on his big contract. The Raiders have defensive needs, but there may not be a better time than to get Gruden’s guy than in this draft. The Raiders shouldn't be bad enough to have a high pick in the Draft next year. If Tua is on the board, just take him. The Raiders still have Derek Carr and just signed Marcus Mariota. Let Derek Carr play, while you let Marcus Mariota coach Tua Tagovailoa up and show him what it takes to be a guy for a franchise. I have concern for Tua’s health though; he is injury prone, which is why I have him so low. If you let him sit for a season or two and adapt to the NFL style and get healthy, Tua could be a big problem for a lot of teams for seasons to come.
13. 49ers: Justin Jefferson. Wide Receiver. LSU.
-The 49ers were Super Bowl runner-ups last season; they have a great team. They should probably stick with this pick just to stock the pond, and what better way than to draft a guy who is known to be a QB’s right hand man than with Justin Jefferson. His catch radius is through the roof, he can find holes in coverage and exploit them, and is reliable.
14. Buccaneers: Jordan Love. Quarterback. Utah State.
-The Buccaneers are digging their own grave. If they truly think that they are in a win-now mode mentality, everyone needs to be fired. Tom Brady is a great asset, so exploit it. They may not get the guy they want, but if you take Jordan Love, a guy who has talent but just needs to learn, there could be gold there. Not taking a QB in this draft to study and learn under Tom Brady for the next two seasons would be so dumb, yet so Buccaneers. Take a QB. This could’ve been avoided in 2015 by taking Marcus Mariota, but that’s not the reality we live in. Develop a QB under Tom Brady’s tutelage and carry in the new era in Tampa Bay.
15. Broncos: CJ Henderson. Cornerback. Florida.
-Tall, has great speed recovery. The Broncos play the replacement game in this draft after parting ways with Chris Harris.
16. Falcons: K’Lavon Chaisson. Edge. LSU.
-The Falcons needs an impact player, right away. Xavier McKinney would be a great addition for the Falcons, but I want IMPACT! K’Lavon Chaisson was exactly that for LSU. Great speed/power combo when coming off the edge and can get to the QB.
17. Cowboys: Trevon Diggs. Cornerback. Alabama.
-I don’t know if Dallas really needs this pick and can see a trade on draft night happening, but with that being said, I think they should still use it because there is a lot of talented players still on the board. I think on draft night they’ll probably go edge rusher, but they really need to fill the cornerback position first. Trevon Diggs is fast and has a lot of experience covering elite receivers (especially since he probably trains with his brother Stefon Diggs). An impact pass rusher might be a glamorous pick here, but defensive backs always need to be on par in the NFL.
18. Washington (via Miami): TRADE to the Jaguars: Javon Kinlaw. Defensive Tackle. South Carolina.
-Now it all makes sense. Washington should be smart. This is smart. Take Miami’s 18th pick and dangle that in front of Jacksonville, who not only desperately needs draft prospects and to take chances, but needs to unload their proven star EDGE rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who coincidentally played in Maryland during his college years. Washington gets their star EDGE rusher that has proven himself to be a commodity in the NFL. This trade would probably involve Washington sending the 18th and 3rd rounder this year, while sending a second rounder next year and Jacksonville sending Yannick Ngakoue and a 3rd rounder next year.
-Jaguars now have three first round picks and finally got rid of Yannick Ngakoue. What does Jacksonville do? Defense is what they do. They traded their corners, Calius Campbell, and now their top pass rusher. Big trouble on defense is what I see. I think you go with a defensive anchor with this pick. Javon Kinlaw will unfortunately fall in this Draft, even though he has top 10 draft talent, he falls because of what teams really need. The Jaguars get an absolute steal here and losing Yannick Ngakoue hurts a lot less.
19. Raiders: Xavier McKinney. Safety. Alabama.
-The Raiders finally address an actual concern in this Draft, which is at the Safety position. Xavier McKinney did nothing but produce for Nick Saban at Alabama (Roll Tide). Not drafting Xavier McKinney would be a big whiff by Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders.
20. Jaguars: AJ Espensa. Edge. Iowa.
-The Jaguars, I think, need to go back to being greedy here and take a chance, and they need to take that chance on the wrecking ball from Iowa that is AJ Espensa. This dude wrecks unparalleled carnage and will be a steal for anyone in this draft. The Jaguars come out of this draft nice and shiney and without a doubt replace Yannick Ngakoue with no harm or foul. The Jaguars not only took a chance on an elite skill player, filled a need, and replaced a star in my mock draft, but have a pretty good roster heading into Summer Camp. All while Washington gave and swapped picks for a proven pass rusher and a drastic need on the offensive line. Washington wins. Jacksonville wins.
21. Eagles: Grant Delpit. Safety. LSU.
-The Eagles need receivers for Carson Wentz to throw to; luckily for them, there will be good wide receiver talent in late rounds and not taking a Safety might haunt them this season. The Eagles pass defense sucked this year; adding Darius Slay was a great move by them, but not the answer. The reason I put Grant Delpit here is because he is versatile. He can play FS, SS, and Cornerback if needed. The Eagles need that kind of talent in their pass defense.
22. Vikings: TRADE to the Cleveland Browns: Patrick Queen. Linebacker. LSU.
-The Vikings traded Stefon Diggs for some reason; they need to replace him. Betting on just Adam Theilen is risky. Kirk Cousins needs a second option. If the Browns call the Vikings offering to unload Odell Beckham Jr., they should take it. The Browns should at least get one of their first round picks. For the sake of argument, the Vikings send the 22nd pick and a 4th rounder for Odell Beckham Jr.
-The Browns have a glaring need at Linebacker. It should be addressed after the OLine. Joe Schobert left for Green Bay. The Browns need to take a chance on the highly touted LSU prospect Patrick Queen. I don’t put much stock in speed when it comes to the NFL, because everyone is fast. As a linebacker, he ran a 4.5 forty yard dash. That’s impressive, plus as far as linebackers in this draft, he is probably the best prospect. The Browns don’t need an Edge guy (as much as I want AJ Espensa); they need a true linebacker. That would be Patrick Queen.
23. Patriots: Ross Blacklock. Defensive Tackle. TCU.
-The Patriots have a need on offense. Whether it’s Quarterback (maybe), wide receiver, or tight end. I don’t think they need to go with that just yet, though. They have no idea where they are offensively post Tom Brady. There will be a plethora of offensive talent in the mid rounds; take them there. What they do know is that their run stoppage sucked! They need a big, burly guy with speed and good hand placement. That would be Ross Blacklock.
24. Saints: Kristian Fulton. Cornerback. LSU.
-The Saints need help in their pass defense, and luckily for them there are still LSU defensive studs on the draft board. Kristian Fulton has great closing ability for a cornerback and is great in press-man coverage. There are questions of strength, but that’ll be fixed once he gets to an NFL training facility. He should be a higher pick, but his suspension in the 2017 NCAA season is why he falls here. He should be a great asset.
25. Vikings: Jeff Gladney. Cornerback. TCU.
-Luckily for them, The Vikings get away with not unloading both first rounders to the Browns. They need a cornerback; Jeff Gladney is still on the board and should be taken here. He is only 5’10ish, but has tenacity, and at the end of the day that’s what matters - who wants it most.
26. Dolphins: Andrew Thomas. Offensive Line. Georgia.
-They have the QB of the future in Joe Burrow after trading picks for him. Now they need to protect him. Trading away Laremy Tunsil means they need to fill a hole, and they do exactly that with Andrew Thomas. If he can sharpen his footwork, he’d be a great pass protector for Joe Burrow.
27. Seahawks: Yetur Gross-Matos. Edge. Penn State.
-The Seahawks need a pass rusher. They need to move on from Jadeveon Clowney and invest in a 6’5 powerhouse that has a motor to run offensive tackles over. Yetur Gross-Matos is that powerhouse.
28. Ravens: Zack Baun. Linebacker. Wisconsin.
-The Ravens need an inside linebacker. Zack Baun is on the board. They should take him.
29. Titans: Neville Gallimore. Defensive Line. Oklahoma.
-REPLACEMENT GAME! The Titans losing Jurrell Casey is a huge loss for them because he is so good. Neville Gallimore has the size and speed to be good, really good. He’ll also be a lot cheaper for the next couple of seasons for Tennessee.
30. Packers: Henry Ruggs III. Wide Receiver. Alabama.
-They have a tall receiver; they have an elite receiver. What they really need is a speed guy. Henry Ruggs III is that speed guy; there is a question about size, but his speed could open Lazard or Adams up more, if not get himself open more while the defense is worried about Lazard and Adams. Either way Ruggs III to the Packers would be a great fit.
31. 49ers: AJ Terrell. Cornerback. Clemson.
- He can get to the ball and tackle well. The Niners can draft anyone they want, just for the fun of it here. If they take a cornerback here, it’ll allow for said cornerback to study under Richard Sherman, which is very important.
32. Chiefs: Tee Higgins. Wide Receiver. Clemson
-Now the Chiefs could use this on an OLine prospect like Josh Jones or could use it to take some help in their run defense, but if I’m the Chiefs and Tee Higgins is on the board, I’m taking him because he’s a steal. If Tee Higgins is so great, why didn’t he go sooner? Well, there are so many highly touted wide receivers in this draft he’ll probably fall under the radar. I wanted so many times to write his name down, but the Packers don’t need Tee Higgins, they need a speedy guy. Cee Dee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy might be too big to miss out on and Justin Jefferson is a QB’s right hand man. Either way, this would make the Chiefs offense almost impossible to stop next season with all the play makers already on the Chiefs. Adding Tee Higgins makes me shudder here.
Again, I say this is what I think teams SHOULD do, not what I think they will do. I know I also praised a lot of selections and realize they all won’t work out; that’s the nature of the Draft. You never know. I’ll probably make a mock draft of what they will do closer to Draft Day. For right now though, this is what they should do based off team needs, free agency departure/signings, placement of their picks and if they need proven talent or need to invest in prospects. This was fun.
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