5. Washington Redskins

Off Season Additions:

Chris Culliver, Cornerback (San Francisco 49ers)

Jeron Johnson, Safety (Seattle Seahawks)

Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton, Defensive Tackle (Denver Broncos)

Stephen Paea, Defensive Tackle, Chicago Bears

Off Season Departures:

Brian Orakpo, Outside Linebacker (Tennessee Titans)

Leonard Hankerson, Wide Receiver (Atlanta Falcons)

Roy Helu, Running Back (Oakland Raiders)

First Round Options:

Brandon Scherff, Offensive Line, Iowa

Randy Gregory, Outside Linebacker, Nebraska

Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Oregon

I don’t know what kind of psychological games they're trying to play with current starting quarterback Robert Griffin or if the front office is truly crazy enough to be interested in investing another early pick into a quarterback with Marcus Mariota.  To invest another top-5 pick into the position after giving up the farm for Griffin just a few seasons ago seems, well, very Daniel Snyder-ish to say the least.  The franchise that is known for overpaying in free agency and trying to buy a Super Bowl title always seems to wind up in the same place, which is the bottom of the NFC East.  

However, give the front office some credit this time around as they haven’t broke the bank for any injury-riddled aging players so far this offseason.  In fact this time around they seem to have a plan in place as they decided to part ways with Brian Orakpo after a torn ACL injury cost him his season last year, and will likely look to the draft to replace him in a rich class of pass rushers.  Meanwhile the front office snagged a couple of value guys that can come in and have an immediate impact in the secondary in both Chris Culliver and Jeron Johnson, and  Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea help add bodies in the thick of their 3-4 unit helping guys behind them like Paul Kruger and Trent Murphy as they continue to develop.  

No matter who is at the helm between Griffin or Mariota it is vital to have capable blockers in place that can be a force in the running game, and no one is better clearing holes into the second level then Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff.  The Outland trophy winner is the best run blocking lineman in this class and shows off unique versatility to thrive at tackle on the outside or be kicked inside to guard where he projects as a potential pro-bowler down the road.  Adding Scherff to Jay Gruden’s run-option offense would truly do wonders for the success of his week-to-week gameplan.  Keep an eye out and an ear to the ground as the Mariota to Redskins rumors either gain momentum and swirl up until draft day or die down as the offseason continues.

What’s nice about sitting where the Redskins are at pick number five is teams drafting there almost always have a blue-chip player fall in their lap.  Randy Gregory seems like that guy this time around as the game changing pass-rusher showed up light to his pro-day, but would be too good to pass up from both a talent and need standpoint with Orakpo now departed.    

4. Oakland Raiders

Off Season Additions:

Roy Helu, Running Back (Washington Redskins)

Dan Williams, Nose Tackle (Arizona Cardinals)

Nate Allen, Safety (Philadephia Eagles)

James Dockery, Cornerback (Carolina Panthers)

Curtis Lofton, Linebacker (New Orleans Saints)

Rodney Hudson, Center (Kansas City Chiefs)

Malcolm Smith, Outside Linebacker (Seattle Seahawks)

Lee Smith, Tight End (Buffalo Bills)

Christian Ponder, Quarterback (Minnesota Vikings)

Trent Richardson, Running Back (Indianapolis Colts)

Off Season Departures:

Tyvon Branch, Safety (Kansas City Chiefs)

Darren McFadden, Running Back (Dallas Cowboys)

Lamarr Woodley, Defensive End (Arizona Cardinals)

First Round Options:

Kevin White, Wide Receiver, West Virginia

Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver, Alabama

Leonard Williams, Defensive Lineman, USC

Randy Gregory, Defensive End, Nebraska

Reggie Mckenzie has had a pretty typical Raiders offseason overpaying for some adequate starters like safety Nate Allen and throwing away money on some former big name draft picks, most recently running back Trent Richardson.  It hasn’t been all bad though as the front office grabbed a solid linebacker in Curtis Lofton who is still one of the better players at his position when healthy and will help complement and groom last years first-round stud Khalil Mack.  On top of that the Raiders added some solid depth and possible starters inside the trenches with nose tackle Dan Williams and center Rodney Hudson.   

When it boils down to it though the team didn’t make any game changing signings that swayed my projections as to what they will look to draft with the fourth-overall pick.  Last year they struck gold in the second round with quarterback Derek Carr who looked the part of a future NFL signal caller with the proper coaching and tutelage.  Now, the most important thing this offseason for the franchise is to continue the progression of Carr from year one to year two making sure he doesn’t plateau and continues to grow.

While there are numerous ways to do that through the draft none would be more obvious than to get him a sure handed playmaking wide out which they will have their choices of.  While Kevin White offers the “big play” threat and is a constant one-on-one mismatch down the field, its Amari Cooper who is the safe play with his consistent route running, sure hands, and most importantly for Carr his football IQ and understanding of the game.  I can’t tell you how many times I watched Cooper on tape during a crucial third down cut his route off into the soft spot of the zone to give his quarterback a clear target pass the sticks to move the chains.  Little things like that are why Cooper transitions smoothly and safely into the NFL.

You could also make a legitimate argument about how the game starts up front meaning adding a premier left tackle to help protect Carr’s blindside and improve the running game would be equally as important.  Guys like Brandon Scherff and La’el Collins both help in that sense.  Or if Mckenzie wants to live by the motto “defenses win championships” then USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams is the no brainer pick as he has blue-chip talent with a rare blend of monster size and smooth athleticism giving him and his team the versatility to line him up in multiple positions up and down the defensive line.    

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

Off Season Additions:

Jared Odrick, Defensive Tackle (Miami Dolphins)

Julius Thomas, Tight End (Denver Broncos)

Sergio Brown, Free Safety (Indianapolis Colts)

Dan Skuta, Outside Linebacker (San Francisco)

Jermey Parnell, Offensive Tackle (Dallas Cowboys)

Off Season Departures:

Will Blackmon, Cornerback (Seattle Seahawks)

Cecil Shorts, Wide Receiver (Houston Texans)

J.T. Thomas, Outside Linebacker (New York Giants)

First Round Options:

Leonard Williams, Defensive Lineman, USC

Dante Fowler, Outside Linebacker, Florida

La’el Collins, Offensive Tackle, LSU

We all know what Gus Bradley is capable of after watching him mold the Seattle Seahawk defense into dominance with his exotic schemes and aggressively natured packages however, we still haven’t seen him transform the Jaguars defense into its clone as of yet, partially because he hasn’t had the time nor resources to build his unit in Bradley like fashion.  After going offense inside the top-5 in back-to-back drafts with Luke Joeckel and Blake Bortles isn’t it time to give coach Bradley a shiny new toy of his own?  

If the draft starts out with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota Bradley will have his choice of his favorite front-seven player in this ultra-rich class of edge rushers like Shane Ray, Bud Dupree, and Vic Bealsy.  The en vogue pick as of now is Florida’s Dante Fowler who has an elite burst off the snap to go with an array of pass-rushing moves in his arsenal.  

If defensive-lineman Leonard Williams falls past the Titans however, I just can’t see how Bradley passes on a game changing player like that.  The key to remember with Williams is his ability to not just play multiple positions but to be effective at them too.  Bradley would have a cornerstone piece inside his defensive line to move inside and outside in his various defensive packages giving him great flexibility inside his schemes.  Williams isn’t getting a lot of love or attention right now as people have grown bored with him during this long and tedious draft evaluation process, but make no doubt he is a top-3 talent in this class and a new breed of athletic interior defensive lineman you can build your front-seven around.  And while the team made a great move bringing underrated defensive tackle Jared Odrick in, there is still plenty of room to be made by Bradley for a rare talent like Williams anywhere and everywhere on the defensive line.  

In all reality however, while we try to justify Bradley’s deservedness for his own top-3 pick he can use on the defensive side of the ball his offensive line is still in dire need of help and talent.  While Joeckel is still growing into his own at left tackle the right side is average at best and needs to be addressed.  The team signed Jermey Parnell form the Cowboys to fill the void for now, but not only is he not the long term solution he may not even be good enough as the short term solution either.  La’el Collins or Brandon Scherff would be both safe and logical solutions to help solidify this unit for a very long time, sorry Gus.   

2.  Tennessee Titans

Off Season Additions:

Perrish Cox, Cornerback (San Francisco Forty-Niners)

Harry Douglas, Wide Receiver (Atlanta Falcons)

Anthony Fasano, Tight End (Kansas City Chiefs)

Brian Orakpo, Outside Linebacker (Washington Redskins)

Da’Norris Searcy, Strong Safety (Buffalo Bills)

Off Season Departures:

Michael Oher, Offensive Tackle (Carolina Panthers)

Jake Locker, Quarterback (Retired)

Nate Washington, Wide Receiver

First Round Options:

Jameis Winston, Quarterback, Florida State

Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Oregon

Leonard Williams, Defensive Line, USC

Trade Down

The Titans have quietly had a solid offseason signing a handful of potential starters in Perrish Cox, Brian Orakpo, Da’Norris Searcy, and Harry Douglas all while being able to retain most of their important core free agents like Derrick Morgan and Ryan Succop.  The biggest question now surrounding the team relating back to the draft is whether to believe head coach Ken Whisenhunt on the franchise's commitment to last year rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger as a guy they can build a Super Bowl team around.  While Mettenberg showed flashes last year a team only gets so many chances to draft a potential franchise quarterback like Winston or Mariota.  If the team truly is sold on Mettenberg then as we’ve seen in the past starting a bidding war for the number two overall pick is the best case scenario and could prove to reward the Titans handsomely.  Just sliding back a few spots would help the team garnish a few top-100 picks this year along with multiple early picks in future years, which can go along way for a team in a transition seeking talent.  

The last scenario has the team staying put and taking the best player on their board which for me would be Leonard Williams.  As stated before in relation to the Jaguars Williams is a centerpiece you can build your defensive front-seven around with his ability to dominate both inside and outside on the defensive line.  

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Off Season Additions:

Bruce Carter, Outside Linebacker (Dallas Cowboys)

Chris Conte, Safety (Chicago Bears)

Henry Melton, Defensive Tackle (Dallas Cowboys)

Off Season Departures:

Michael Johnson, Defensive End (Cincinnati Bengals)

Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End (Atlanta Falcons)

First Round Options:

Jameis Winston, Quarterback, Florida State

Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Oregon

It all starts here in Tampa Bay, Florida where new head coach Lovie Smith and the front office have some serious decisions to make.  While the team went above and beyond last year in free agency throwing out money like Jordan Belfort’s “fun coupons” they have wisely had the opposite approach this offseason as they found out you can't always buy yourself success, or in this case they couldn't buy a measly three wins as they now hold the first overall pick.  

Smith is a smart man and understands you have to have a quarterback to win in this league which is why they will do their due diligence (or just flip a coin) and make a choice on which of Winston or Mariota they will anoint as the new face of the team and hopeful savior to a franchise that has had a hard time landing a truly consistent quarterback they can count on for long periods at a time.

As of now the money is on Winston as the hometown boy has the local edge along with the prototypical size and arm strength, as well as the leadership (on the field) pedigree with his 25-1 record and numerous come from behind wins at Florida State suggests.  

Meanwhile Mariota is in the midst of trying to prove to the outside world (not named Chip Kelly) that he is much more than a system quarterback and he has the tools both physically and mentally to lead a NFL team to a Lombardi trophy.  Recently Mariota didn’t do himself any favors as he looked above average at best during his local pro-day, an event in which players are expected to shine as they not only have ample time to prepare, but are the producer, director, and main character in their own Broadway performance.  Don’t count out Mariota just yet though as the ebbs and flows of this tumultuous process continues for another five weeks as we watch the stock of these players go every which way possible.

So, so far the Buccaneers have lost a few guys in their front-seven and replaced them with adequate players like Bruce Carter and Henry Melton, but ultimately this whole offseason will come down to what they do with that first pick as it will have a long lasting ripple effect for the franchise’s future as well as the rest of the league waiting to pick behind them.