There may be no bigger influence on the NFL draft than the biggest event to proceed it being the free agency period. Where some of the top names wind up ultimately has the biggest ripple effect on what teams are likely to do come draft day. With the first wave of free agency winding down let’s take a look at how the top-10 teams are likely to play their draft cards now as we are able to start narrowing down each teams needs even more so in this two part series.  

10.  St. Louis Rams

Off Season Additions:

Akeem Ayers, Outside Linebacker (New England Patriots)

Nick Fairley, Defensive Tackle (Detroit Lions)

Nick Foles, Quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles)

Kenny Britt, Wide Receiver (Re-sign)

Lance Kendricks, Tight End (Re-sign)

Off Season Departures:

Shaun Hill, Quarterback (Minnesota Vikings)

Kendall Langford, Defensive Tackle (Indianapolis Colts)

Mike Pearson, Offensive Tackle (Atlanta Falcons)

First Round Options:

La’el Collins, Offensive Tackle, LSU

DeVante Parker, Wide Receiver, Louisville

Brandon Scherff, Offensive Lineman, Iowa

The Rams parted ways with former number one overall pick Sam Bradford in one of the off seasons biggest blockbuster trades however, what may be more important inside the front office is the potential loss of offensive tackle Jake Long. Long was one of the team's anchors inside the trenches and even after using the second overall pick on an offensive lineman just last year this team still has a glaring hole there at the position.

After the addition of Nick Fairley and Akeem Ayers inside an already potent front-seven the Rams are in no place but to continue to add pieces on the offensive side of the ball, specifically into the offensive line as mentioned or their choice of one of the big-three wide receivers, all who would add an explosive playmaker into the weekly game plan and help develop former first-round pick Tavon Austin as he would slide inside into his more natural position.  

9.  New York Giants

Off Season Additions:

Shane Vereen, Running Back (New England Patriots)

Marshall Newhouse, Offensive Tackle (Cincinnati Bengals)

Dwayne Harris, Wide Receiver (Dallas Cowboys)

J.T. Thomas, Linebacker (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Off Season Departures:

Antrel Rolle, Safety (Chicago Bears)

Walter Thurmond, Cornerback (Philadelphia Eagles)

First Round Options:

Trae Waynes, Cornerback, Michigan State

T.J. Clemmings, Offensive Tackle, Pittsburgh

Bud Dupree, Linebacker, Kentucky                  

The Giants wisely placed their franchise tag on defensive-end Jason Pierre Paul but suffered a huge blow in the backend of their defense with the losses of Antrel Rolle and Walter Thurmond. With not much depth behind them the team could look to take their pickens as they should have their choice of any defensive back in the class with one not being projected to be off the board at pick nine. Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes or Alabama safety Landon Collins will get flung out inside the war room.  

Ultimately though in the draft you always want value and reaching on a player as mentioned above wouldn’t be wise, but instead hoping one of the premier pass-rushers of the class drops in their lap and in-turn adds another element of attacking the quarterback which can cover up even the poorest of coverage units at times.  While it seems more and more likely Clemson’s Vic Beasly and Florida’s Dante Fowler will be gone the Giants still have options with Missouri’s Shane Ray and my personal favorite Bud Dupree from Kentucky.  

Shane Vereen was added to an already crowded backfield where he will likely be the third-down back subbing in for last years second round pick Andre Williams, and Odell Beckham Jr. was the cream of the crop in the craziest receiver class we’ve seen in decades however, behind him is an recovering Victor Cruz and not much else.  The team could also look to finishing their offensive line makeover with one final piece to the puzzle.  While fans may want the sexy pick they should remember that when Eli Manning is at his best its when he has a clean pocket to step into and gives him ample time as just another half of a second can make a world of difference to a pure pocket passer.  

8.  Atlanta Falcons

Off Season Additions:

Justin Durant, Outside Linebacker (Dallas Cowboys)

Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Phillip Adams, Cornerback (New York Jets)

Brooks Reed, Outside Linebacker (Houston Texans)

Leonard Hankerson, Wide Receiver (Washington Redskins)

O’Brien Schofield, Defensive-End (Seattle Seahawks)

Mike Person, Offensive Tackle (St. Louis Rams)

Off Season Departures:

Harry Douglas, Wide Receiver (Tennessee Titans)

Corey Peters, Defensive Tackle (Arizona Cardinals)

Sean Weatherspoon, Outside Linebacker (Arizona Cardinals)

First Round Options:

Vic Beasley, Outside Linebacker, Clemson

Shane Ray, Outside Linebacker, Missouri

Bud Dupree, Outside Linebacker, Kentucky  

Ask any man, woman, or child that watched an Atlanta Falcons and they will mention the team's abysmal pass rush was the first and foremost need and priority of this offseason.  So far the front office has done a solid job of getting a quality group of bodies that can come in and compete for a starting job inside the front seven.  From Justin Durant to Adrian Clayborn to Brooks Reed the team has snapped its fingers and became if nothing else competitive again on the defensive side of the ball.  But, let’s not get carried away as those names above were let go by their respective teams for a reason and are not the end all be all to the Falcons pass-rushing woes.  

Luckily for them they own pick number eight in a deeply rich class of players who can not just get after the quarterback but rip their heads off while they're at it too. After watching the tape on Clemson’s Vic Beasley I find it nearly impossible that the team would pass on such a premiere talent. Of course if another big name fell like Dante Fowler then the team would have a serious choice to make. Either way though it’s clear with the emergence of some young players in the secondary and the formidable duo of Matt Ryan to Julio Jones on offense, adding talent inside the defensive front is still priority number one, two, and three.  

7.  Chicago Bears

Off Season Additions:

Antrel Rolle, Safety (New York Giants)

Eddie Royal, Wide Receiver (San Diego Chargers)

Pernell McPhee, Linebacker (Baltimore Ravens)

Off Season Departures:

Chris Conte, Safety (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Stephen Paea, Defensive Tackle (Washington Redskins)

First Round Options:  

Danny Shelton, Nose Tackle, Washington

Shane Ray, Outside Linebacker, Missouri

Trae Waynes, Cornerback, Michigan State

While their names aren't mentioned here because technically they're still unsigned the potential loss of both Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs is going to hurt equally from a talent standpoint as much as a leadership and locker room standpoint as well.  The two players combine for over two decades of play in a Bears uniform and have been to countless pro-bowls representing Chicago to its finest.  

Clearly in a rebuilding mode with Lovie Smith out and John Fox in the team would be wise to build the foundation of their new 3-4 defense brick-by-brick starting at the bottom or in Xs and Os at the nose tackle position.  As many now understand the key to building a great 3-4 defense is to have a strong anchor at the point of attack that can chew up blockers willingly while allowing everyone around him to fly to the ball.  No one better in this class for the money than Washington’s Danny Shelton who at 342 pounds is a mammoth of a man who has exceptional movement skills getting up and down the line of scrimmage as well as penetrating into the backfield.  

Fox has been around the block and understands that defense wins championships, or at least he does now after his stint in Denver.  If they decide to pass on Shelton defense still has to be the priority as they may indulge into the rich class of pass rushers and find Fox’s next Von Miller type off the edge with their choice of remaining talent.  

Grabbing a cornerstone cornerback like Trae Waynes to build opposite of Kyle Fuller sure does sound enticing too doesn’t it?  With key weapons and playmakers already in place on offense similar to Atlanta, John Fox’s motto on draft weekend will be defense, defense, defense.

6. New York Jets

Off Season Additions:

Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver (Chicago Bears *Trade)

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Quarterback (Houston Texans)

Darrelle Revis, Cornerback (New England Patriots)

Antonio Cromartie, Cornerback (Arizona Cardinals)

Buster Skrine, Cornerback (Cleveland Browns)

James Carpenter, Offensive Guard (Seattle Seahawks)

Marcus Gilchrist, Safety (San Diego Chargers)

Off Season Departures:

Percy Harvin, Wide Reciever (Buffalo Bills)

Phillip Adams, Cornerback (Atlanta Falcons)

First Round Options:

La’el Collins, Offensive Tackle, LSU

Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver, Alabama

Randy Gregory, Outside Linebacker, Nebraska

Top to bottom you can chalk up the Jets as my favorite offseason up to this point.  How they went out and signed three starting cornerbacks of that nature had me dumbfounded and now excited to watch their new defense take shape.  Of course that was after they stole one of the most sure handed receivers in the game for just a late round pick in Brandon Marshall.  Even with the loss of Percy Harvin to the Bills the Jets still came out on top no longer dealing with the headache and drama that Harvin presents while gaining still one of the better route runners and one-on-one mismatches out there.

The addition of former Seahawk guard James Carpenter was a sneaky and solid acquisition plugging in the new starting right guard next to Nick Mangold.  To the right of Carpenter however lays a giant question mark as the team may want to invest their sixth overall pick into the offensive tackle position.  What’s cool for the front office is they may have their pick of the litter and first crack at any lineman they so choose.  Iowa’s Brandon Scherff seems like a possibility but LSU’s La’el Collins projects as a better left tackle down the road giving them the best value as he learns the nuances of the game early on from the right side.

On paper that defense is just one or two real pieces away from being a top-5 unit and a legitimate power house, meaning if a blue chip talent like Randy Gregory were to fall in their lap I’d be hard pressed on them passing up on him and his 10 sack a season potential.  An addition like that really would make the secondary look that much better and take some heat off of the general manager for spending all that money on the back end of the defense.  Lastly, even with the trade for wide-out Marshall adding a player like Amari Cooper could not be treated with backlash.  Simply too good off the line of scrimmage, exploding in-and-out of his cuts, and a smart player to have on your team a 1-2-3 punch of Marshall, Decker, and Cooper would add a much needed element to the offensive playbook helping out whoever winds up as their starting quarterback.  

The way this draft is shaking out the Jets are sitting pretty as they will likely have a blue-chip talent fall right into their laps, and more importantly at a position of need.    

Stay tuned tomorrow for the continuation as we dissect the off seasons of teams picking one through five