16. Carolina Panthers; Greg Little, OT Ole Miss
Over the past decade, the Panthers have had 17 top-60 picks – only one of which, Amini Silatolu, was an offensive lineman. No wonder the line has been a perpetual issue. At some point the Panthers have to commit some resources to the position and Greg Little would be a hard player to pass up at this stage of the draft. It’s not clear if he can play guard as well as tackle, but if so, he could start immediately while offering a long-term replacement for Matt Kalil – for those looking for an edge rusher like the next pick Montez Sweat, I’m assuming they’ll be addressing that in free agency – this pick will obviously look quite different if they invest a lot of money into Daryl Williams next month.
17. Cleveland Browns; Montez Sweat, EDGE Mississippi State
The Browns would likely love to find an interior pass rusher, but they also wouldn’t say no to somebody who can offer a partner for Myles Garrett. Sweat has gotten a lot of draft attention to this stage and would likely be seen as good value at this stage of the draft.
18. Minnesota Vikings, Jonah Williams, OT Alabama
The Vikings probably have to ride with Kirk Cousins at this point – with a number of good offensive weapons already on the roster that probably means bolstering the offensive line. While some view Williams as the #1 tackle on the board, I think he’ll actually end up more in this range when all is said and done.
19. Tennessee Titans; Jachai Polite, 3-4 OLB Florida
Offensive skill position players are a need in Tennessee, but Polite is probably seen as better value here; having missed on a number of edge rushers in recent years, they need to offer more of a pass rush. Polite, while he has flaws, can certainly get after the quarterback.
Devin Bush. Photo Credit: Isaiah Hole/247Sports
20. Pittsburgh Steelers; Devin Bush, LB Michigan
The Steelers really need a linebacker, and while they’d probably wish either White or Wilson had fallen to them here, there is enough talk about Bush as a first rounder for me to think that he’d be an option for the Steelers at this point.
21. Seattle Seahawks; Deionte Thompson, S Alabama
Earl Thomas doesn’t seem to want to stay in Seattle, and for their defense that deep safety is crucial – while there are a number of concerns with Thompson, there is no clear #1 safety above him on the board, certainly not one who is quite as good a scheme fit as the rangy Thompson.
22. Baltimore Ravens; Marquise Brown, WR Oklahoma
The Ravens have their QB of the future, a very good defense, a solid offensive line and more tight ends than there should be room for on an NFL roster – what they lack is a receiver to stop the defense from crowding the box, and while Brown isn’t a #1 receiver, he sure is fast.
23. Houston Texans; Cody Ford, G Oklahoma
The Texans offensive line isn’t very good; it’s not very good at all. While they might have some needs emerging with a number of defensive free agents, protecting Watson has got to be a concern at this point. This might not be a sexy pick, but it’s certainly a need.
Clelin Ferrell. Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard/USA TODAY Sports
24. Oakland Raiders; Clelin Ferrell, 4-3 DE Clemson
What was is that Dave Gettleman said about pass rushers?
25. Philadelphia Eagles; Greedy Williams, CB LSU
It’s hard to know what’s going to happen with the Eagles this offseason – but adding more help in the secondary is likely to be something they try to get done – while Williams’ stock has fallen a bit in recent months, there is a real possibility he comes off the board in the first round.
26. Indianapolis Colts; N’Keal Harry, WR Arizona State
The Colts were one of the most improved teams last season, but they could do with having some more weapons on the outside. Harry is likely to put up some huge numbers at the Combine and while he runs the risk of getting overdrafted as a result, the Colts would likely feel OK about taking him here.
Noah Fant. Photo Credit: Chris Machian/The World-Herald
27. Oakland Raiders; Noah Fant, TE Iowa
As tempted as I am to give the Raiders another defensive lineman, they also need help on offense, and with Jared Cook possibly leaving in free agency, they could do with another intermediate target for Carr. Fant has a huge ceiling – which matches where the Raiders have done with their picks under Gruden – and he would be a good fit for what they try and do offensively.
28. Los Angeles Chargers; Jonathan Abrams, S Mississippi State
I really don’t know what the Chargers are going to do in this draft – they don’t have any glaring issues and could go a number of ways. Abrams is highly rated, and would be a good partner for Derwin James.
29. Kansas City Chiefs; Dre’Mont Jones, DT/DE Ohio State
The Chiefs could do with another pass rusher, and wherever you line Jones up he flashes elite pass rushing ability. The Chiefs obviously have a huge amount of talent on offense, they just need to get the defense anywhere near that level if they want to compete for titles.
30. Green Bay Packers; Josh Jacobs, RB Alabama
The Packers don’t really have a true running back since they refuse to use Aaron Jones – giving Aaron Rodgers more weapons to work with is only going to help. Given the Titans ran the ball a lot, it wouldn’t be a shock to see that be more of a point of emphasis for the Packers this season with LaFleur at the helm in 2019.
31. Los Angeles Rams; Drew Lock, QB Missouri
Hear me out. The Rams really don’t have many holes and while they would be tempted if a linebacker fell to them, they really need to judge where they are on Jared Goff. Goff was really poor in the Super Bowl – while some of that was due to the Pats’ defense, he has had similar meltdown games in the past. Given that he’s now going into year four, the Rams are running out of time with him as a ‘cheap’ option, and unless they have another option to turn to they are going to have to pay his $27,937,673 fifth-year option after this season. That is a lot of money for a mediocre quarterback.
32. New England Patriots; TJ Hockenson, TE Iowa
Gronk just isn’t the player he used to be, and given how important he has been for this team and how much they struggled for offensive options against the Rams, this would make an awful lot of sense.
Don’t agree? Let me know on Twitter – I’m at @vrichardson444 – I’m sure you’ll be kind.
