Gridiron Experts

Team Needs Mock Draft (Part 1)

It’s a little early to be predicting the first round of the NFL Draft, yet people love to speculate what teams will do (Mel Kiper 9.0 by March). Every year Gridiron Experts refuses to post a Mock Draft too early, so instead we’re posting a 3 part team needs mock draft, giving an educated guess to what teams might be thinking.

Not every position that is lacking on an NFL squad has to be filled with a first round pick. There are still a ton of free agents that are about to hit the open market, and second year players who can step in now that they have a year under them; the first few weeks of March should completely change the draft, so here is a look at the NFL Draft based on how teams are sitting at the moment.

1) St. Louis Rams Team Needs: DT | QB | OT | CB | WR

The Rams really can’t screw this up. There are so many needs on this team that no matter whom they are able to grab in free agency, a blue chip player will be added to this team in the first round. Everyone is preaching about Ndamukong Suh, but the Rams have so much already invested on the defensive line that trading down a couple spots could really pay off with adding more talent quickly. A trade that could drop the Rams down just 5-6 spots is worth its weight in gold.

Mike Vick would be a great fit for this club since the Rams play in a dome, but the Eagles “no trade until the pre-season” smoke screen means the price is not cheap. Right now we’d say unload DE L. Little to the Eagles for Vick, and try to steal a couple of Philly’s late round picks, then grab Suh at pick one. Like we said, the end result is hard to mess up with the top pick in the draft, but teams do it all the time. The good news is there is so much offensive and defensive talent on the board this year that we’d be amazed if the Rams couldn’t improve on their 2 win season.

2) Detroit Lions Team Needs: DE | LB | CB …Anything On Defense

The Lions added a couple good defensive pieces last year with SS Louis Delmas and DT Sammie Lee Hill, but they need more. It’s unlikely that any of these bottom feeder teams are going to lure away an elite unrestricted free agent, so the Detroit Lions best bet is to simply take the best defensive player available. Another top key to this offseason for the Lions would be re-signing Larry Foote, who didn’t play as bad as his surrounding cast last year (70 tackles and 2 sacks). Re-signing Foote and maybe CB Williams James are the Lions top priorities in the next couple weeks.

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team Needs: DT | DE |LB | OL

The Buccaneers had the NFL’s worst rushing defense last year, allowing an average of 158.2 yards per game on the ground. Fans can say what they want about needing offense, but they’re in a division with Carolina’s J. Stewart and D. Williams, Falcons Michael Turner  and the Saints offensive attack. Pressure on the QB and stopping the run are big needs this offseason. DT Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma would be a great fit for the Bucs, but if Tampa can somehow add depth through free agency they would benefit from adding some kind of a pass rusher or one of the excellent safeties in this draft that could help with the run defense and improve the secondary. Rumors are that Tampa is trying to get up to pick 1 to grab Ndamukong Suh, which would be ideal for this team.

4) Washington Redskins Team Needs: QB | WR | RB | OL |

The Redskins fans and media have given up on Jason Campbell, or at least it seems like they have. Coach Mike Shanahan has been rumored to be eye-balling a new QB project to build into his system for the future, and many think pick four is where he’ll find one. Regardless of getting a QB in the first round or fifth round, giving up on Jason Campbell is a bit much. The revolving door of coaches that have come and gone in the Jason Campbell era is a little ridiculous. Each coach with his own different offensive style, Campbell has been asked to be a quarterback chameleon almost every other year. Granted Campbell hasn’t been able to adapt to all the systems run, he has at least been able to make plays under center.

So instead of throwing out the baby with the bath water, Shanahan would be smart to build his style of offense around Campbell’s for at least a season. With that said we think waiting until the second round to find a future gun slinger would be a smarter bet.

The Redskins are lacking a lot of fire power, and age is becoming a factor that can’t be ignored forever on the offensive line. Our take at this point would be: draft the best OT at pick four and find the best tier 2 QB in the second round to be the future.

5) Kansas City Chiefs Team Needs: OL | SS | RB | LB

Todd Haley didn’t start his head coaching career the way he wanted. After losing the receipt and realizing he couldn’t return the overpriced Matt Cassel, the Chiefs’ season had buyer’s remorse written all over it. Sure there were a few positive things that happened with this club, but are they better than they were a year ago? We’ll let you fight over that one.

Improving the offense is very important; we’re sure Haley has a few ties to players from Arizona, but luring them in free agency to play in Kansas City is a stretch. Go for the best player available and try to add some leadership to a very young group.

6) Seattle Seahawks Team Needs: SS| RB | OL | QB

Say what you want about the offense in Seattle, but with the 26th ranked rushing attack and two first round picks, something’s got to give. Rumors are that the offensive coaching staff is happy with the RB’s on this team, but most fans would disagree.

People in the rainy west coast remember how great things were with a elite running back like Shawn Alexander, so why run with a half ass squad? It’s highly unlikely that our prediction for a RB will be correct here at pick 6, but there is no reason why the Seahawks couldn’t add a play maker at 14. Most likely you’ll see the safe pick here and the gamble at 14. Players we could see Seattle liking at 6:  Taylor Mays, Eric Berry, or Russell Okung.

7) Cleveland Browns Team Needs: QB | WR | CB | DT| LB

The  Browns ranked in the bottom of almost all categories last season except running the ball; maybe that’s what attracted Mike Holmgren to step in, as a good running game is hard to come by. Holmgren and Eric Mangini should team up and produce a different looking squad this season.

First things first, locking up J. Cribbs has to get done. Cribbs is the starting point to a winning or losing season in our opinion. At this point of the year you want to add/keep players, not see them walk.

Expect a totally different philosophy this year with much more attention put on the defense and starting quarterback. Could the Browns trade for McNabb? Probably not, especially if Holmgren has his say in the matter. Remember when he joined the Seahawks back in the day, Holmgren went after back-up Matt Hasselbeck from Green Bay to lead his team, finding a diamond in the rough so to speak. Expect the Browns to run with Brady Quinn and add a cheap young addition through a trade or the draft to add competition in training camp.

As far as pick 7 goes, best player available would be our guess. This team isn’t overly strong at any one position (expect for LT), so any blue chip player that can step in right away is a bonus.

8 ) Oakland Raiders Team Needs: OL | QB | LB | General Manager

The Raiders are the “what not to do” franchise of the NFL. Whether it’s overpaying average players, locking up kickers to the next millennium, or passing on quality players in the draft, Oakland screws things up.

The smartest thing that this club has done in the last few years has been keeping Tom Cable around. While a 9-19 record might not please fans in Oakland right now, it’s the opportunity that comes with not having to re-build every season. Cable is putting together a solid team, and if the Raiders can just get through this draft without doing anything stupid, the Raiders might have a good season.

Locking up Richard Seymour is the top priority in the next few weeks, and if no additions to the offensive line can be added through free agency, the Raiders first round pick needs to be spent on adding beef to the line. It’s not Al Davis’s style…but who cares, it needs to be done.

9) Buffalo Bills Team Needs: OL | WR | TE | DLine

The hiring of Chan Gailey as head coach was an offseason surprise. Frankly, we’re not a fan of Gailey, but he does have a resume that should come with some prestige, which will add confidence to the sidelines.

The Bills traded LT Jason Peters to the Eagles for a 1^st round pick last year giving the Bills two picks in the top 28, yet when on the clock they selected a center to add to the line, instead of finding a replacement at LT; this was a huge mistake. That one move affected the flow of the Bills entire first half of the season. The hurry-up offense that was installed last season was a flop, mainly due to an inexperienced offensive line and young quarterback. We know this may sound like a broken record for the 10 teams at the top of this years draft, but time in the pocket is critical for a quarterback to make his throws and for the running game to succeed. The best teams in this league always draft big smart offensive cornerstone’s to their lines that get no attention since they aren’t the “sexy” pick, but year after year those teams are playing in January and sometimes February.

10) Jacksonville Jaguars Team Needs: CB | QB | LB | Fans

The Jaguars biggest needs might not be on the field, with a lack of fan base in Jacksonville, filling seats might be a bigger concern. Of course picking the right guy and winning games is a formula that should, no doubt bring people in.

Finances aside, the Jaguars are a team that should be on the rise. Gridiron Experts was very impressed with last year’s draft in which they went after rebuilding the offensive line, and got great value with their picks. Unfortanely the defense played very soft and never did the team any favors.

This year’s strategy might be trying to motivate what they already have opposed to really changing any key position.

Never the less the Jaguars are in a very pass happy division, and should look to add another CB to the mix. Even if the guy plays nickel or only on passing downs, extra speed and talent to face Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub and Vince Young could make a huge difference.

Of course that isn’t much of a hype player so expect a surprise when the Jag’s are on the board. There is no position that can stir up more hype in a city than drafting a quarterback, and with D.Garrard playing only average football these days, why not take a shot with a new gun slinger?

***Make sure to check back for part two of our team needs mock draft in the next few days.

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