DEFENSIVE TALENT RIPE FOR DRAFTING
Teams looking to bolster defense have options
PHILADELPHIA >> DE-FENSE, DEFENSE.
That’s going to be the area of concentration in this draft, in the first round and through much of the proceedings in Philadelphia. Indeed, the first half- dozen or so selections could come from that side of the ball.
That’s often the fallout when there are no slam- dunk quarterbacks available.
Here’s how we see Thursday night’s first round falling, minus any trades. 1. Cleveland: With the QB class so dicey, especially to start things, Cleveland goes for the potential of a dominant, long-term pass rusher. Some analysts wonder about his passion for football, but ...
MYLES GARRETT, DE, TEXAS A&M
2. San Francisco: When in need of defense, go for the pass rusher first, the shutdown cornerback second, the stud linebacker or safety next. So ... SOLOMON THOMAS, DE, STANFORD
3. Chicago: John Fox, a defense-first coach, gets his pick of the top defensive backs for a team that needs help at receiver, on the offensive line, and has settled on Mike Glennon as its QB. Lots of options lead to ... JAMAL ADAMS, S, LSU 4. Jacksonville: Sticking with the theme — Tom Coughlin is running the Jaguars now and he won two Super Bowls with a deep, powerful and fast defensive front ... JONATHAN ALLEN, DE, ALABAMA
5. Tennessee (from Rams): There’s a great chance the Titans will trade out of this spot. Staying put will lead them to the most promising cornerback in this crop ... MARSHON LATTIMORE, CB, OHIO STATE
6. New York Jets: Offense, offense. New York wouldn’t mind grabbing future all-world tight end O.J. Howard here, except the Jets have no one of note to throw to him. So they try — again — to find their franchise quarterback in ... DESHAUNWATSON, QB, CLEMSON 7. Los Angeles Chargers: San Diego — Oops, that’s one even Roger Goodell might mess up on draft night — make that Los Angeles was hoping one of the top defensive backs remained available here. One did ... MALIK HOOKER, S, OHIO STATE 8. Carolina: This one is easy. The Panthers need a standout running back to balance their offense and make sure there can be a smooth transition from Jonathan Stewart down the line. That RB is ... LEONARD FOURNETTE, RB, LSU 9. Cincinnati: Always a haven for players with off-field incidents, Cincinnati fills a linebacking need with a guy who was dismissed from the NFL combine in February and has questions surrounding him about a drug test. If he behaves, the Bengals have an anchor at LB with ... REUBEN FOSTER, LB, ALABAMA 10. Buffalo: Hard, no impossible, to see the Bills passing up a target for Tyrod Taylor or whomever becomes Buffalo’s quarterback down the line. Howard is tempting, but an outside receiver is more tempting ... MIKEWILLIAMS, WR, CLEMSON 11. New Orleans: At some point, the Saints need to think about a young quarterback to groom behind Drew Brees. Maybe in the next round, but with so much juicy defensive talent available, how about ... HAASON REDDICK, LB, TEMPLE 12. Cleveland (from Philadelphia): Now, for that QB to follow in the footsteps of Otto Graham and Brian Sipe — oh, wait, those were the other Browns. Anyway, it’s a gamble here, yet ... MITCHELL TRUBISKY, QB, NORTH CAROLINA 13. Arizona: Bruce Arians blinks once, twice, three times. Yep, the perfect weapon to balance out his offense (if everyone can stay healthy) is there ... O.J. HOWARD, TE, ALABAMA 14. Philadelphia (from Minnesota): A terrific pass rusher remains on the board, and though the Eagles need a wideout, they can wait in this deep draft to get him. So the man is ... DEREK BARNETT, DE, TENNESSEE 15. Indianapolis: If Andrew Luck is in the Colts’ draft room, he’s also in the staff’s ear to get him more protection. He is, after all, coming off shoulder surgery. Here’s some help, Andrew ... RYAN RAMCZYK, OT, WISCONSIN 16. Baltimore: A teamwith mostly mediocre receiving options for Joe Flacco might dip into the wideout and tight end pool more than once this year. As a start ... COREY DAVIS, WR, WESTERN MICHIGAN 17. Washington: Another club with eyes on a young quarterback, but probably not here with the defense needing bolstering and lots of options there. Such as ... TAKKARIST MCKINLEY, DE, UCLA 18. Tennessee: The defense was addressed earlier, so for Marcus Mariota and the passing offense, a potential gamebreaking receiver with lighting speed makes sense ... JOHN ROSS, WR, WASHINGTON 19. Tampa Bay: Tampa has an interest in the running backs and offensive linemen still sitting there. With Doug Martin’s status in question, it seems logical to go with the versatile RB ... CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, RB, STANFORD 20. Denver: When C.J. Anderson went down last season, Denver headed straight into the dumpster. If John Elway is truthful about being satisfied with his quarterback crew, he gets those guys some help now ... DALVIN COOK, RB, FLORIDA STATE 21. Detroit: Back to defense after a short run on offensive players. The Lions get a boost to their cornerbacks group with the third Buckeyes DB chosen in this round ... GAREON CONLEY, CB, OHIO STATE 22. Miami: Miami continues the lovefest for DBswith the fifth one taken and the second from the Louisiana State secondary ... TRE’DAVIOUSWHITE, CB, LSU 23. New York Giants: What, only one offensive lineman off the board? Rejoice, Eli, the Giants have lots of blockers they could grab in this spot, and they gladly take ... CAM ROBINSON, OT, ALABAMA 24. Oakland: Already winners with the vote to allow their relocation to Las Vegas, the Raiders would like to add to their fortune with some help for the D. It comes in the form of ... JARRAD DAVIS, LB, FLORIDA 25. Houston: Had Watson or Trubisky been on the board, the Texans might have pulled the trigger on a quarterback. The others left are even bigger gambles, so the best option is the O-line ... FORREST LAMP, OG, WESTERN KENTUCKY 26. Seattle: The Seahawks would have liked to have Lamp up front, but with the Texans beating them to the choice, they turn to their secondary. An addition to the sputtering “Legion of Boom” in ... KEVIN KING, CB-S, WASHINGTON 27. Kansas City: Best talent still in the mix is where the Chiefs need to go. Some believe they will draft a QB for the future, but more likely it is ... ZACH CUNNINGHAM, LB, VANDERBILT 28. Dallas: Having scored bigtime in recent drafts, particularly last year with Zeke Elliott and Dak Prescott, the Cowboys seem to know what they are doing. Defense is a priority, though a TE to eventually replace Jason Witten is possible ... MARLON HUMPHREY, CB, ALABAMA 29. Green Bay: Folks point to how weak the Packers’ secondary looked late last season, but it was so banged up that backups for backups were playing. With better health expected, DB isn’t the selection. LB is with ... CHARLES HARRIS, LB, MISSOURI 30. Pittsburgh: With Ben Roethlisberger beginning to think about retirement and the Steelers in a good spot to develop a QB for perhaps two years, this is a perfect time to get one. He is ... PATRICK MAHOMES, QB, TEXAS TECH 31. Atlanta: Had the Falcons only been able to keep pressure on Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Addressing that shortcoming ... TACO CHARLTON, DE, MICHIGAN 32. New Orleans (from New England): Ooh, that hurt. The Saints had their eyes on Mahomes, and there aren’t any other QBs worth this pick. Here’s a chance to spice up the return game and bolster the secondary ... ADOREE’ JACKSON, CB, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA