While the quest for the Vince Lombardi Trophy will continue for the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, the season is now over for four other teams. The New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers quest fell short over the weekend as their glaring weaknesses were exposed and cost them the game. Now they must look towards the draft to fill those needs, but what are the big needs for the four teams?
Indianapolis Colts
Wide Receiver: Even before Reggie Wayne went down with a knee injury, bringing in some help at wide receiver was seen as a key need for the Colts in the offseason.
But we didn’t realize just how necessary it will be to address the position until after Wayne went down. While T.Y. Hilton showed some great flashes of greatness and Da’Rick Rogers is a draftnik’s favorite, this team needs more weapons for Andrew Luck.
While the Colts gave away their first-round pick this year they catch a break because the 2014 class is loaded at wide receiver. They can sit back until they are on the clock in the second round and still grab a starting-caliber wide receiver.
Free Safety
Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has been given credit for drafting Luck, Hilton and Coby Fleener, but if you take a look back at this past offseason and all of the money he spent, it’s crazy to think he was Executive of the Year just a year ago. The Colts handed out big bucks to outside linebacker Erik Walden, free safety LaRon Landry and many others.
But the Landry signing has really hurt and we saw it in the loss to the Patriots. Landry has lost at least a step from what he used to be and just can’t play significant snaps anymore. The 2014 free safety class has some depth, but if the Colts want one of the top names like Calvin Pryor, they will have to trade up into the early-second round or sit back and take a safety later in the draft.
Defensive End
Another spot the Colts really need to address in the offseason is the defensive line and really bringing in some run stoppers. In the wild card win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Jamaal Charles went out early but Knile Davis immediately took over and had no problem picking up yards. Then in the loss this week to the New England Patriots, the team was just trounced by LeGarrette Blount as the Colts’ defensive line was just pushed around. Indianapolis needs to bring in some run-stuffing defensive ends to help turn this team around.
San Diego Chargers
Cornerback
The Chargers had a turnaround season on offense that took them all the way to the final minutes against the Broncos in the divisional playoffs, but Peyton Manning exposed their secondary one drive after another. Stopping the pass has been an issue for the Chargers all season, ranking 29th in the league with allowing 258.7 yards per game. San Diego needs to lock in this draft on finding some talented corners and really turning this group around.
Outside Linebacker
While actually covering wide receivers is a great idea for the Chargers and a big reason why they need cornerback help, but a great way to take pressure off of your cornerbacks is by bringing pressure and not giving the opposing quarterback time to relax in the pocket until a wide receiver gets open. Now the Chargers were hurt for much of the year without Melvin Ingram who returned and played well late, but this team still ranked 23rd in the NFL in sacks with 35. San Diego’s biggest need is cornerback and they will very likely go in that direction with their first-round pick. But you can bet Chuck Pagano will be ready in the Chargers war room with his list of outside linebackers that he needs to have.
Offensive Guard
Mike McCoy doesn’t get enough credit for the tremendous work he did as a rookie head coach turning around this Chargers’ offense. A year ago Philip Rivers appeared to be out of his prime and potentially on the outs if the Chargers could land a rookie quarterback. Meanwhile the Chargers’ 2010 first-round pick, running back Ryan Mathews, couldn’t stay healthy and was looking like a bust. Now fast-forward to the end of the season, Rivers looked like an elite quarterback and Mathews set a career-high with 1,255 rushing yards. But this offensive has even more room to grow with improvements on the interior of the offensive line. Opening up some inside running lanes will help Mathews do even more next season and even more importantly, keeping the pocket clean and allowing Rivers to step up can help this team take an even bigger step next season.
Carolina Panthers
Wide Receiver
The Panthers were the breakout team this season, with Cam Newton stepping up and proving he can take the next step. The Panthers won the NFC South and even the number two seed in the NFC, but they showed they just aren’t Super Bowl contenders yet. Newton showed signs this year of greatness and delivered some beautiful throws against San Francisco, but even with a healthy Steve Smith, this team just doesn’t have enough weapons.
Carolina needs to invest heavily on wide receiver in this draft and that might mean spending two of their first three picks on the position. But if they want Newton to really become an elite-quarterback and contend for Super Bowls, they need to bring in some help at wide receiver.
Cornerback
The Panthers have an outstanding defense, and their front seven is a huge reason why they made it as far as they did. But the Panthers needs to fix their secondary and that’s clear when watching them, and something you won’t find in the numbers. While the Panthers ranked sixth in the NFL in passing yards allowed, that was a large product of their front-seven creating pressure and not letting the quarterback throw the football. But when matched up against great offensive lines like the 49ers, Carolina couldn’t get as much pressure and their secondary was picked apart. Wide receiver is a big need for the Panthers but they can wait in a deep class, so they very likely can take a cornerback in the first round.
Safety
Bringing in depth at cornerback will be a big key for the Panthers but they also need to address the need at free safety. While Mike Mitchell may feel the NFL is after him, the truth is he just isn’t a starting-caliber safety, or at least not for a potential Super Bowl contender. Meanwhile strong safety Quintin Mikell will be 34 at the start of next season. Bringing in some youth at safety, it could go a long way in making this one of the best teams in all of football.
New Orleans Saints
Cornerback
The Saint did a nice job in the offseason addressing the horrendous defense of 2012. The team signed cornerback Keenan Lewis who excelled especially against the Seahawks and Eagles and also drafted Kenny Vaccaro to help at safety.
But this group still needs some more help especially with Malcolm Jenkins and Jabari Greer a potential candidate to be cut. The Saints could look to address the cornerback position in the first round with someone like Darqueze Dennard, or they could wait until the second or third round and take a chance on someone like Kyle Fuller or Aaron Colvin who have fell due to injuries.
Offensive Tackle
The Saints may have one of the best quarterbacks in football in Drew Brees and he does an excellent job moving out of pressure and getting the football out of his hands quickly. But when matched up against teams like the Rams, Panthers and Seahawks, the Saints offensive line crumbled and Brees struggled. Now the team could lose Charles Brown to free agency. Terron Armstead has filled in nicely at left tackle and at just 22, he has only begin to tap into his potential. But this offensive line still needs a lot of help if they want to let Brees contend for a Super Bowl once more, by addressing the offensive line early in the draft.
Outside Linebacker
New Orleans will likely spend another draft focusing on the defense and focusing on adding to the secondary, defensive line and help at outside linebacker. The Saints need a linebacker who has the speed to cover the field and make some big plays. One name they could focus on in the first round is Ohio State’s Ryan Shazier. Shazier is a great athlete with a quick first step and has shown often this past season he can make some big plays. He is still a work in progress and will need great coaching to help him but he is made for the Saints’ defense and should be available at their pick in the first round.