Now that we seem to be done with an eventful free agency, let’s take a look at what each team’s biggest needs are with less than a month until the NFL draft. Football is almost back! Teams are running out of time to buff up their rosters, here’s the blueprint I think they should follow.
AFC North
Ravens: CB, WR
The Ravens had a good season, but the Chiefs proved once again to the hump no one in the AFC can get over. If the Ravens want to finally be the team to knock the Chiefs off the top, they need to figure out their cornerback room. The Ravens were forced to use eight different cornerbacks last season and just lost Ronald Darby to the Jaguars. As well, adding a WR to pair with Zay Flowers could turn an offense that already has Mark Andrews and Derrick Henry from great to lethal.
Browns: LB, OL
Having a linebacker room where over 30-year-old Jordan Hicks is the best option is not exactly the place the Browns likely want to be in. Adding depth to that room with pick 54 or 85 could be a decent option. As the Browns figure out whether nasty man Deshaun Watson is still their franchise QB, adding a developmental tackle to back up their two injury-prone starters, who are not on long contracts, would set their O-Line up for the future. I’d bet both picks 54 and 85 are used on an offensive lineman and linebacker if a good option falls to them.
Steelers: OL, CB
The best thing that a team can do to help a quarterback succeed is to give them a good O-Line to protect them. Russell Wilson or Justin Fields would both benefit significantly from the Steelers finding some answers on a line that has too many questions. The Steelers have four picks in the top 100 so have plenty of chances to find valuable contributors. Another position to address is cornerback. Shoring up a secondary that finished as one of the worst in the league would help the Steelers’ stout pass rush become even more productive.
Bengals: CB, DL
Are you sensing a trend in these team needs? There’s a reason why cornerbacks command such high pay. They play a very impactful position and there aren’t that many who can do so. Chido Awuzie jumped ship to the tune of a 3-year 25-million-dollar deal with the Titans. The loss of DJ Reader stings, but the good news is that the Bengals have a stash of draft picks, including lots of Day 3 picks to throw at players who might just become the steal of the draft.
AFC South
Texans: OL, CB
The Texans have had a productive free-agency, especially after adding Stefon Diggs to an already talented receiving room. As an O-Line simp, I’d like to see the Texans now turn to addressing their O-Line, which lost a couple of starters in free agency. That’s a scary spot to be in, and I’d hate to see Diggs getting upset over his lack of targets because Stroud doesn’t have the time to find him. Despite the additions that the Texans made to cornerback in free agency, they could benefit from drafting a cornerback and there are plenty to choose from. PFF has 10 cornerbacks in the top 70 on their Big Board, including 4 in the top 15.
Jaguars: CB, WR
While adding Ronald Darby helps a bit, the Jaguars still need to bolster the room after having to cut Darious Williams for cap space. Darby is a solid veteran but, as a Broncos fan, I know that he is not who you want as your top dog at CB. Besides that, the Jags have done a good job of addressing holes in their roster. However, adding a receiver in the draft to develop for a season would be a great fit with their solid, but not great receiving corp. The Jaguars have a nice amount of capital to find a CB or WR with and will likely address both of these positions.
Colts: CB, TE
Once again, a team finds itself with one good cornerback but needs to fill out the rest of the room. Interestingly, the Colts find themselves needing to prioritize a boundary corner, when usually teams find themselves needing a nickel who can put their nose to the grindstone and work in the run game. Luckily, there are lots of high-quality boundary corner prospects to choose from. Number 15 is probably too low to get to pick Brock Bowers, but man he would be fun in the Colts offense. If they can’t get him, I’d still expect them to invest a mid-round pick on another TE prospect.
Titans: OL, TE
Looking at the Titans’ biggest weaknesses, they are well situated to be able to take care of one of them with a premier prospect. Joe Alt and Brock Bowers are the best players in their position on the board. Especially considering we could see quarterbacks go with picks 1-4, either of these players would be a great boon to second-year QB Will Levis as he attempts to build on his rookie season.
AFC East
Bills: WR, S
After the complete overhaul of the wide receiver position, including trading Stefon Diggs for less than the Steelers got for Chase Claypool, the Bills receiving corps is looking a little thin. In addition, after cutting both of their quality starting safety duo, the Bills will want to ensure that they add some quality options to the safety room. The Bills do have 10 draft picks but 8 are on Day 3 of the draft, making finding immediate contributors in the draft more difficult.
Dolphins: OL, CB
The Dolphins lost more on the offensive line than they have regained through free agency. Tua Tagovailoa’s health should be a top priority for the Dolphins, as they have failed to be an effective offense when he is absent or beat up. The best way to protect a QB is to make sure his O-Line keeps him upright. Expect the Dolphins to invest heavily in the offensive line. Besides that, I am a firm believer that you can never have too many talented cornerbacks on a roster. Adding a quality prospect to learn behind Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller could be a fantastic move for the future, especially since Ramsey is almost 30.
Jets: WR, TE
Yet another team that is in a position to take Brock Bowers and give Aaron Rodgers more weapons as he attempts to make the most out of his final seasons before retirement. The Jets worked hard to refurbish their O-Line, so the next step is to surround ARod with as many skilled players as possible. Garret Wilson and Mike Williams are good options, but adding a receiver who can work over the middle of the field would be a nice addition to the receiver room.
Patriots: QB, OL
The big need for the Pats is QB. The question is who will be left to them, and if they even want them. The team seems content to ride with Jacoby Brissett for at least a season, which I think is a great place for a rookie QB to be. Having the time to develop and learn without the pressure to be the instant savior seems to have worked in the past. Besides that, buffing up the O-Line should be a priority, so that whatever rookie they may pick is not protected by a bunch of traffic cones.
AFC West
Chiefs: OL, WR
We’ve seen that the only way to slow Patrick Mahomes down is to get to him quickly, hope he can’t escape, and pray that if he does you’ve covered his receivers. Finding a reliable tackle for Mahomes would dash a lot of teams’ dreams at the first goal. As we’ve seen the Chiefs like to become a run-first team when possible, so strengthening the O-Line becomes even more important. Adding another receiver would make the second much harder too. Especially as we wait to see how Rashee Rice’s need for speed is handled.
Raiders: QB, OL
Similar to the Patriots, the Raiders have a solid option at QB right now, but not the person who will take them to playoff success. Unfortunately, they also don’t have the premium picks needed to select one of the top prospects. We’ll have to see what their strategy is to address this deficiency. I really feel like I could have just copied and pasted the Pats paragraph here. Adding to the O-Line is always a good strategy, and giving them time to build chemistry before trying to insert a young QB would be a boon to whoever takes snaps for the Silver and Black.
Broncos: QB, EDGE
The obvious problem for the Broncos is QB. The question is if they will suck with Stidham for the chance to pick a better prospect next year or draft one of the Tier 2 QBs that fall to them. Either way, the issue will likely not be fixed next season (crying Bronco noises). A personal preference, I think the Broncos need to find a solid answer at pass rusher. They haven’t had a GUY since Bradley Chubb. There are a lot of good rotational pieces at the position, but not someone who other teams will circle with a red marker on the game plan. There are a lot of intriguing options to choose from, we’ll see if they make the right choice.
Chargers: WR, LB
New coach Jim Harbaugh sure has his work cut out for him when it comes to rebuilding this team. He has an answer at QB, and not much else. Considering how many teams have everything but QB though, maybe this isn’t such a bad spot to be in. In this draft, the Chargers are likely to focus on replacing starters who departed in free agency. They are in a position to replace Keenan Allen with a great prospect who will likely become Herbert’s week 1 main target. On the other side of the ball, retooling a linebacker room that lost two starters is another priority, though any defensive player will help too.
NFC North
Detroit Lions: OL, WR
The Lions are set up for success, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still pieces they could add to improve the team overall. Both Lions guards are over 30, and considering it’s almost guaranteed for at least one O-Lineman to miss time during a season, more depth is never a bad thing. At skill positions, adding another piece to the receiver room to replace Josh Reynolds could be a useful addition, possibly developing into a starting slot receiver. The Lions have a pretty weak arsenal for the draft but don’t have any glaring needs either.
Green Bay Packers: OL, LB
The Packers have some work to do to patch up an offensive line that lost a starter and wasn’t that good to begin with. If the team wants to build on Jordan Love’s success this next season, making sure he stays upright is a great place to start. Staying with the theme of replacing starters, the Packers now have a hole to fill next to Quay Walker. Although the Packers don’t pick until 25 in the first round, they have 5 picks in the top 100 and 11 picks total. They’ll have plenty of ammo to find quality contributors.
Minnesota Vikings: QB, OL
With the departure of Kirk Cousins, and the Passtronaut, Josh Dobbs, return to Earth, the Vikings find themselves with a big question mark at QB. Luckily for them, they have plenty of capital to trade up for a QB; a move many analysts have them making. Regardless, I expect the Vikings to take a QB somewhere in the first round. The Vikings could help their new QB by beefing up their offensive line, a group that has quite a few holes to patch before the start of the season. However, after picks 11 and 23, the Vikings don’t pick again until 108. They’ll have to find some hidden value to get an immediate impact player out of the later parts of the draft.
Chicago Bears: QB, EDGE
Don’t overthink it, the Bears are taking Caleb Williams. He’s an amazing prospect who already has a very solid offense to work with. If the Bears mess this up, the entire city of Chicago might just collapse into Lake Michigan. On the other side of the ball, pairing Montez Sweat with another pass rusher would create a deadly edge-rushing duo. The Bears only have four picks but they could probably find value at 9 or 75.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: EDGE, OL
The Buccaneers are extremely lacking at edge after Shaq Barret moved 4 hours south to Miami. Although they have invested heavily in the position in the draft, those picks are yet to pay dividends. You can never have too many pass rushers, so they would be better off taking at least one this year. While the Bucs have their tackles locked in, the middle of the line needs patching. Besides tackle, they just weren’t good last year. To make Baker Mayfield’s contract extension worth it, they need to make sure he has a pocket to step into.
New Orleans Saints: DL, OL
The Saints need help all over the trenches. While we’ll have to see if Chase Young provides the boost they need, they should continue to bolster the defensive side of the line. On the offensive line, tackles are more important considering how none of the Saint’s options panned out last year. With almost all of their picks coming in Day 3, the Saints need to pick a tackle high or hope that they find a gem.
Atlanta Falcons: EDGE, CB
Having signed Cousins to be their QB of the future, for the Falcons to succeed they need to fill in the rest of the team (and hope that Cousins was the right move at QB). The Falcons have gaps all over the defense, especially at edge and cornerback. With a top 10 ranking in draft capital including pick 8 of the draft, they are well situated to get their guy at one of these positions and find plenty of other valuable players throughout the draft.
Carolina Panthers: EDGE, WR
After trading Brian Burns away for much less than they could have got for him a year ago (point and laugh), and also losing some other pieces at the position, the Panthers are in desperate need of added depth at the position. On the offense, adding more receiving threats to help Bryce Young as he attempts to improve on an underwhelming rookie campaign would be a good step. This draft has loads of talent, but unfortunately, the Panthers don’t have their first-round pick so might miss out on top prospects.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys: OL, DL
Jerry Jones said the Cowboys were gonna be all in for free agency. In the words of Skip Bayless, “All in, my ass.” The Boys saw two starters on the O-Line leave, and four D-Line players found other teams, as the team didn’t have the cap space to retain them. Being ranked 30 in the amount of draft capital, the Cowboys will likely struggle to replace these player’s snaps in the draft (I’m so sad. Can you see how sad I am?).
Philadelphia Eagles: OL, CB
With Jason Kelce’s retirement, the Eagles are left with questions at center for the first time in more than a decade. While they have options for how to address the issue, they will want to find an answer before the season. Besides that, while the Eagles did add pieces at cornerback, they will still need more depth for a unit that ranked almost at the bottom of the NFL. Both of the Eagle’s starting corners are over 30, making it more urgent that the Eagles find players who can step up in the near future.
New York Giants: WR, TE
With the 6th pick in this year’s draft, the Giants are in the position to have their pick of the litter when it comes to receiving options. This could not come at a better time as the amount of elite receiving talent is one of the best in years. Since the Giants focused on the trenches in their free agency, they have set themselves up to focus on skill positions in the draft. I’m confident they will be happy with whoever falls to them, especially considering QB will almost certainly be the first three picks.
Washington Commanders: QB, EDGE
The Commanders will have their choice between Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels with the 2nd pick of the draft. However they have been linked to just about every QB in this draft, so who knows who they want. We’ll have to see if new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury can help their new QB succeed. On the defensive side, the Commanders traded away both their starting edge rushers last season. Although they added some players in the off-season, you can never have too many pass rushers and always need a Batman to pair with the Robins.
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers: OL, DL
Besides Trent Williams, the 49ers offensive line is full of question marks. While I think Brock Purdy can succeed within the Shanahan system, his weakness is his ability to create plays when under pressure. He doesn’t have the same playmaking ability as Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen do. With multiple players departing in free agency, the 49ers will need to shore up their defensive line. The 49ers have a decent amount of draft capital and will try their best to fill in the trenches before the season.
Los Angeles Rams: EDGE, CB
Another big-name retirement that shook the NFL world, Aaron Donald decided to hang up the cleats after last season. This leaves an impossible-to-fill hole in the pass-rushing unit for the Rams. The unit wasn’t very productive even with Donald still in his dominant shape, making addressing the position all the more important. Moving to the coverage unit, despite adding pieces this off-season the Rams will likely still look for more in a draft that is absolutely loaded with cornerback talent.
Seattle Seahawks: OL, TE
The Seahawks O-Line wasn’t very good last season, but it didn’t get better through two of the starters leaving with no viable replacements being signed. When you have a less-than-great QB, keeping them clean is all the more important. In addition, a good O-Line opens up lanes in the run game, again making a QB’s life easier. Another thing that could help Geno Smith is adding a tight end. Two of the Seahawks TEs left in the offseason.
Arizona Cardinals: CB, LB
The Cardinals have the most draft capital in this year’s draft. In addition to pick 4, they have 5 other picks inside the top 100. This is great because there are serious issues for the Cardinals to address. The back 7 for the Cardinals were the worst in the league. Although the team has been assumed to take a top receiver with pick 4, expect them to invest heavily in defense for the rest of the draft.
