Round 1
- 1. Indianapolis Colts
QB – Andrew Luck: The most pro ready quarterback in the draft with enough experience to make a difference for a team from day one. There is no chance the Colts will enter spring with Drew Stanton as their No. 1 quarterback.
- 2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams)
QB – Robert Griffin III: Rex Grossman and John Beck did not work out the way Washington had hoped, so they will take their future quarterback here.
- 3. Minnesota Vikings
T – Matt Kalil: After drafting Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick of the draft last year and Adrian Peterson still at running back, the Vikings greatly need to improve their offensive line. First, they need to protect Ponder and secondly they need to open more running lanes for Peterson. Kalil helps do both of these.
- 4. Cleveland Browns
RB – Trent Richardson: The Browns need help at all offensive skill positions. Colt McCoy may prove a serviceable quarterback if he has other offensive weapons around him. Since wide receiver is deeper in this draft than running back, the Browns should select Richardson here.
- 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CB – Morris Claibourne: Morris is the best available athlete at this point in the draft and the Buccaneers have questions at cornerback. Ronde Barber is getting old and may look to retirement soon, Aqib Talib seems to surround himself with as many off field issues as possible, and Eric Wright while serviceable is not ever going to lockdown his side of the field. Claibourne possesses this ability and makes for a good fit.
- 6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins)
WR – Justin Blackmon: The Rams have many holes to fill, but priority one should be finding a go to receiver for quarterback Sam Bradford. The Rams have invested a huge amount into the success of Bradford and not allowing him to have even a serviceable receiving corps is inexcusable.
- 7. Jacksonville Jaguars
G – David DeCastro: The Jaguars need improvement in their receivers and offensive line the most. This draft class possesses great depth at wide receiver and reasonable depth on the offensive line. A guard with the ability of DeCastro is necessary; he will protect either quarterback, Blaine Gabbert or Chad Henne, and open running lanes for Maurice Jones-Drew.
- 8. Miami Dolphins
QB – Ryan Tannehill: The Dolphins are desperate to find their quarterback of the future. They failed to land top free agent quarterbacks in Peyton Manning, Alex Smith, and Matt Flynn this off-season. Even though Tannehill is not a top ten-quality pick, the Dolphins will take him here because they are desperate for a quarterback.
- 9. Carolina Panthers
DT – Micheal Brockers: The Panthers drastically need to improve on the defensive side of the field. Brockers fills a need on the defensive line. The Panthers could also look at defensive ends or linebackers with this pick, but Brockers’ athletic ability appears too great to pass up.
- 10. Buffalo Bills
T – Riley Reiff: Reiff instantly makes the Bills offensive line better and they seem to have addressed most other needs in free agency. Reiff adds greater protection for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick while at the same time opening more lanes in their running game.
- 11. Kansas City Chiefs
DT – Dontari Poe: This is a very large man with incredible athletic ability, which the Chiefs can stick in the middle of their defensive line. While many players are returning from injury on both sides of the ball, this appears the greatest need.
- 12. Seattle Seahawks
DE – Fletcher Cox: The Seahawks need help on the defensive side of the ball along with on the interior offensive line. Although Quinton Coples is the better defensive end prospect, he has some character concerns that will cause teams to shy away from him this early. If DeCastro is still available here, the Seahawks will select him, but the likelihood of DeCastro being available is highly unlikely.
- 13. Arizona Cardinals
G – Cordy Glenn: This is a great prospect for a team that needs to find a way to get better production out of quarterback Kevin Kolb. The addition of a receiver could help but the Cardinals already have some decent receivers so protecting Kolb becomes a greater priority.
- 14. Dallas Cowboys
CB – Dre Kirkpatrick: The Cowboys need to find more depth on the outside of the defense. Losing Terrance Newman hurts the depth on the outside so adding Kirkpatrick helps. The Cowboys may also take a long look at tight ends Orson Charles and Coby Fleener.
- 15. Philadelphia Eagles
SS – Mark Barron: The back end of the defense though not weak, it is far from the strongest part of this team. Selecting Barron gives the Eagles more depth in the secondary, which in the event of injuries is priceless.
- 16. New York Jets
OLB – Melvin Ingram: This selection gives the Jets the ability to improve their pass rush and stop the run on the outside. The Jets also have needs at wide receiver, though the Jets could choose to address this in later rounds.
- 17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders)
WR – Kendall Wright: While this draft class is deep at wide receiver there are few upper level prospects, so the Bengals will look for a receiver to play opposite A.J. Green and give quarterback Andy Dalton more weapons to make plays.
- 18. San Diego Chargers
T – Mike Adams: The Chargers adjusted their offensive line and bringing in a young strong lineman such as Adams could significantly improve the depth on the offensive line.
- 19. Chicago Bears
DE – Quinton Coples: Character concerns will cause Coples to fall down the draft charts. In a division that includes quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford, the Bears need more pass rush and Coples will provide that. Therefore, the Bears will overlook the issues around Coples and draft him based on his ability.
- 20. Tennessee Titans
DT – Devon Still: Just missing the playoffs means the Titans do not have many needs and can draft the best available player. In this case, that player is Devon Still. The Titans do need to address the cornerback positions but they can do that in later rounds.
- 21. Cincinnati Bengals
ILB – Donta Hightower: This is an excellent pick for the Bengals, as Hightower gives them the ability to upgrade their linebacker corps and provide depth in the middle of the field.
- 22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons)
WR – Malcolm Floyd: The Browns have needs at all skill positions. Selecting Richardson with their first pick addresses running back and adding Floyd with the second gives quarterback Colt McCoy a decent weapon who can get open and catch.
- 23. Detroit Lions
ILB – Luke Kuechly: This draft pick gives the Lions added depth at linebacker and allows them to draft one of the best available players. The lions could also address offensive line, which is aging, running back, or cornerback. However, at this point in the draft getting a solid linebacker seems likely.
- 24. Pittsburgh Steelers
DT – Alemeda Ta’amu: The Steelers greatest immediate need is nose tackle. Adding Ta’amu gives the Steelers a player who can step in pressure quarterbacks and stop the run. This will also allow the Steelers to address other concerns later in the draft.
- 25. Denver Broncos
DT – Jerel Worthy: The Broncos seem to have many pieces in place to have success next year. The signing of Peyton Manning solves any issues they had on offense. The Broncos’ primary area of concern is the defensive line and Worthy can answer many questions there.
- 26. Houston Texans
T- Andrew Datko: This fills a need created by releasing Eric Winston. With the injuries to quarterbacks Matt Shuab and Matt Leinart last season, it seems likely they will look to improve the line as much as possible.
- 27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints)
DT – Brendan Thompson: The Patriots have serious needs on defense, despite making it to the Superbowl last year. They also have four picks in the first two rounds. The Patriots have few concerns on offense so they will look to upgrade the defense and add depth at several positions.
- 28. Green Bay Packers
OLB – Courtney Upshaw: This addresses a serious issue for the Packers and gives them another quality linebacker to play opposite Clay Matthews.
- 29. Baltimore Ravens
FS – Markel Martin: This will help replace the loss of Tom Zbikowski in free agency. The Ravens will also look to add depth and youth at other positions, but safety remains their greatest need at this point.
- 30. San Francisco 49ers
G – Amini Silatolu: This will give the 49ers greater depth on an already solid offensive line. The 49ers return every starter from the second ranked defense last year. They could look to add depth at several positions but there are not many needs for this team.
- 31. New England Patriots
OLB – Nick Perry: This will be part of a continuing effort by the Patriots to pick up the best available player on defense for the first two rounds of the draft.
- 32. New York Giants
WR – Stephen Hill: The Giants need to find wide receivers. Hill offers Eli Manning a big receiver who can go up and get the ball.
Sources: Yahoo Sports!
NFL.com
