This week we are going to be taking a look at which positions each team should be looking out for in the upcoming draft. Today we will dive into the needs off one of the ore surprising divisions in football, the NFC South.
New Orleans Saints
Outside Linebacker:
The Saints are back to being one of the NFL Elite teams with the return of a few players and most importantly, head coach Sean Payton. The team is playing well in almost every phase of the game….. Almost. They are currently letting up the eighth most rushing yards per game in the NFL. This is largely in part to their lack of strength or depth along their line backing core. We are going to start with the outside linebacker position because they have suffered key injuries there and are losing some players to free agency when the year is over. This is where the Saints should use their first round pick and hope that either Alabama’s C.J. Mosley or Buffalo’s Khalil Mack will fall to them. There is a lot of depth at the position in this year’s draft as well so we could see names like Telvin Smith or Jonathan Brown get picked up in later days of the draft.
Inside Linebacker:
See above. Inside will be nearly as depleted as the outside at seasons end. It’s time to restock the middle of this defense.
A player like Florida State linebacker Christian Jones or A.J. Johnson out of Tennessee would set this defense up for long term success. These kids show immense leadership ability and the Saints just do not have that.
Offensive Tackle:
Somehow, the New Orleans Saints offense has played great this season without a great offensive line. We are going to fix this by replacing Charles Brown with a stronger more suitable offensive tackle. You want strong? Look no further than Miami’s 6’7, 345 lb. tackle Seantrel Henderson. He could be a third round steal, but if they take him in the second, it would still be good value.
Carolina Panthers
Wide Receiver:
The Carolina Panthers are one team that I am extremely proud of and they are going to make a strong push for the playoffs. Cam Newton has proven, once again, that critics need to slow their roll before assessing him. He has brought his team to the next level and he has not had much offensive help along the way. Steve Smith is still productive but cannot have too much left in the tank. The team is going to need to supply Cam with a franchise receiver if they plan for continued success in the future. I would not be surprised to see this team trade up for a player like Clemson’s Sammy Watkins. He is worth dealing for.
Offensive Guard:
On top of having limited weapons, Newton also has limited time to deliver the ball. He has mobility to his advantage, but if you have ever watched Cam sit in a clean pocket and deliver a strike down field, you would know that he is at his best as a pocket passer. The offensive line needs to be cleaned up and signing a solid guard could help tremendously. Luckily guards are undervalued so you can find good quality starters a bit later in the draft. We’ll stick with Clemson for a moment here, the Tigers guard Brandon Thomas would be a nice fit in Carolina. The team could also look at a player like Ryan Groy out of Wisconsin or Jon Halapio from Florida.
Cornerback:
The Panthers defense has been very good this season and is a large part as to why their record is so good.
They do not however, have the passing coverage that most teams would like. This has a lot to do with their lack of skill at the cornerback position, especially with Captain Munnerlyn playing out a contract year.
Players for them to consider include Justin Gilbert out of Oklahoma State and Jaylen Watkins from the Florida Gators.
Atlanta Falcons
Linebacker:
The Atlanta Falcons were supposed to be a Super Bowl contender this year, WHAT HAPPENED?! They have gone from a top-five team, to a team with a top-five draft pick. I guess that will be the only way to look at this season positively. Injuries played are big role, considering that the team has not and will not have a week this season in which they had their best offensive weapons healthy. But the even bigger problem is that the defense is even worse, so in this year’s draft we will start off fixing the line backing core. To think that the Atlanta Falcons could be in play for the UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr is mind boggling, but that is the case. This will be the first round selection unless they have a huge turn around at the end of the year.
Offensive Tackle:
If Anthony Barr is taken already, and the Falcons are a top 5 pick, that would mean offensive tackle Jake Matthews is still available. The team needs better protection. Matt Ryan is a pure pocket passer and needs time to deliver the ball. A quarterback without a good left tackle, usually is not a good quarterback, and Sam Baker my friends, is not a very good left tackle. Jake Matthews could come in and instantly and sufficiently fill that void. If not, a player like La’el Collins or Seantrel Henderson could come in and develop.
Tight End:
This is the end of the road for Tony Gonzalez and although they have a rookie in Levine Toilolo, but nothing indicates that he is the player of their future. Tight End is clearly an important part of the Falcons offense and they won’t want to lose that advantage. A couple of big talented athlete’s that the team may be watching are Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro and Southern California’s Xavier Grimble.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now the only winless team in the NFL and their season is basically over. But now here comes the tricky part, the NFL Draft.
If the Buccaneers have the first overall pick, they have a big choice to make because the two best players in the draft fit a need for this team. I need to put quarterback as the need however because it is the most important position in the game of football.
So now the Buccaneers will have an opportunity to bring in either Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater or Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. I do not think they can pass on Bridgewater however.
Defensive End:
The Buccaneers are in position to take the best overall player this year in Jadeveon Clowney. He applies pressure on opposing quarterbacks more than any defensive end I have studied before. He will come onto the Buccaneers as the instant anchor for their defense. I just cannot sell myself on the idea that they will pass on a QB for a DE. If I were them, I would hope I get a couple of wins, so someone else is stuck with making the wrong decision. If they do go QB round one, the Bucs can look for guys like Chris Smith or Josh Mauro later in the draft.
Guard:
The offensive line of the Buccaneers has absolutely no depth. They are not in a position where they need to jump on a player in the early rounds but they do need to add some pieces along the line and the draft is the place to do it. Davin Joseph is listed as the only right guard on the team, I am sure you can see how that could be problematic. Ryan Groy out of Wisconsin or Chris Watt from Notre Dame are just a couple of guys who could add some quality depth later in the draft.