2021 draft, Rodgers stir cause shake-up
NFL power rankings, 2021 post-draft edition (previous rank in parentheses):
1. Buccaneers (1): The first team since the 1977 Oakland Raiders to return a Super Bowl starting lineup intact, Tampa Bay also corralled WR Antonio Brown just prior to the draft before bolstering the pass rush in Round 1 with Joe Tryon and getting a nice developmental prospect behind QB Tom Brady in Round 2 with the selection of Kyle Trask. The pathway is there for the first Lombardi Trophy repeat in 17 years.
2. Chiefs (2): An offensive line that was Kansas City’s downfall in Super Bowl 55 now projects as the strongest unit on the team after the procurement of G Joe Thuney in free agency and LT Orlando Brown Jr. in a trade – plus quality depth from the draft.
3. Browns (7): They had already knocked free agency out of the park but over the past three weeks have signed pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney and probably got two more defensive starters – CB Greg Newsome II (Round 1), LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Round 2) – atop the draft. They’ve got a legitimate shot to reach their first Super Bowl.
4. Bills (5): Worth wondering if they’ll regret drafting offensive line depth in the middle rounds instead of another running back, but going pass rush with the their first two selections seems like a good formula for getting past Kansas City next time.
5. Ravens (6): WRs Hollywood Brown, Sammy Watkins and firstrounder Rashod Bateman – plus reliable TE Mark Andrews – form a nice quartet of passing targets. Now it’s up to QB Lamar Jackson and the coaching staff to “expand our profile quite a bit,” as offensive coordinator Greg Roman recently put it.
6. Rams (4): The secondary of last season’s top-ranked defense has suffered key personnel losses, but that could be a moot point if new QB Matthew Stafford can threaten opposing secondaries in a way that restores the offense to an elite level.
7. 49ers (9): Even if QB Trey Lance, the draft’s No. 3 overall pick, takes a redshirt season, this team will be formidable if its main players merely stay healthy in 2021.
8. Packers (3): It’s hard to know what to think here. (Insert shrug emoji.) Will they have league MVP Aaron Rodgers back in 2021? If he does return, will his attitude short-circuit a team that’s fallen one win shy of the Super Bowl the past two years? Even if Rodgers reconciles with management, did it do enough to get this team over the top? And you thought Brett Favre was dramatic ...
9. Titans (8): Second-rounder Dillon Radunz should solve their right tackle problem while rookie CBs Caleb Farley (Round 1) and Elijah Molden (Round 3) should enable this defense to get off the field on third down more effectively. The only unresolved issue is finding a receiver to make defenses pay for double covering WR A.J. Brown.
10. Dolphins (15): After a strong
draft, they seem poised to take the next step with second-year QB Tua Tagovailoa – and that means going to the playoffs this year.
11. Saints (11): Friendly reminder that they’re 8-1 over the past two seasons with now-retired Drew Brees out of the lineup. Case to be made this offense might even expand given QB Jameis Winston’s ability to strike further reaches of the field ... though getting him one more weapon in the draft would have helped.
12. Seahawks (10): Good time to reference an old sports quote – “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.” Yeah ... pretty much true here.
13. Colts (12): So ... what exactly does GM Chris Ballard have up his sleeve to address that glaring void at left tackle after opting not to draft one? Maybe Eric Fisher? Stay tuned ...
14. Cowboys (13): They wisely spent their first six draft selections on defense ... though it remains to be seen how wisely they invested them given some of the characters and projects they picked.
15. Patriots (16): They’ve added a slew of talent this offseason. But how do you design an offense that both serves QB Cam Newton’s talents in the short
term but also helps first-round QB Mac Jones get ready to play?
16. Vikings (21): Since Mike Zimmer was hired in 2014, Minnesota has missed the playoffs in every even-numbered year but made the postseason in all the odd-numbered years. Pencil ’em in, especially given the offensive line upgrades.
17. Cardinals (17): Their biggest obstacle to success (aside from their heinous uniforms) is probably being mired in the NFC West. But, hey, in a 17-game season with three wild cards in play, maybe the whole division will reach the playoffs ... which Arizona missed by a tiebreaker in 2020.
18. Washington (18): Question – should they have aggressively pursued QBs Justin Fields or Mac Jones in the draft? Answer – Ryan Fitzpatrick has never taken a playoff snap in his itinerant career.
19. Chargers (19): Their best addition in 2021? How about former All-Pro S Derwin James, who’s missed 27 of his last 32 games – including all of 2020 with a torn meniscus. (FWIW, the Bolts did a nice job in free agency and the draft, too.)
20. Panthers (27): New QB Sam Darnold has never been one to make excuses, but he surely shouldn’t have any given all the offensive assets Carolina has surrounded him with – something he’s obviously not accustomed to.
21. Steelers (14): You really have to wonder if this offensive line, which didn’t get reinforcements before the third round of this draft, will make QB Ben Roethlisberger’s last dance a short one.
22. Giants (25): A lot of new ingredients to blend into a winning recipe, but this could be a tasty entrée if QB Daniel Jones finally starts cooking with gas.
23. Broncos (23): A team undermined by injuries in 2020 may have already lost RT Ja’Wuan James to a torn Achilles. Still, wild-card potential if QB Drew Lock (or newly acquired Teddy Bridgewater) stabilizes this offense.
24. Falcons (20): QB Matt Ryan might pass for 400 yards a week ... but Atlanta might also run for 50 yards and surrender 550 and a ton of points every Sunday.
25. Raiders (22): They’re shaping up as one of the toughest teams to figure – they could win 11 games or lose 11, and neither outcome would necessarily be surprising. O-line still looms as a potential shortfall even if questionable firstround pick Alex Leatherwood has an All-Pro rookie season.
26. Bears (24): They’re in a similar pickle as the Patriots, grateful to have obtained a potential franchise quarterback in Justin Fields but not in a position to smoothly transition the offense to him from veteran Andy Dalton’s style.
27. Bengals (26): With first-rounder Ja’Marr Chase giving them a deadly three-wide option, this team should be fun to watch – especially if you like 3834 games ... though Cincinnati will likely be regularly allowing the 38 points.
28. Jaguars (29): Rookie QB Trevor Lawrence, new coach Urban Meyer and a squadron of new players will navigate the NFL’s significant learning curve together – maybe with Tim Tebow learning how to play tight end – but this could be a dangerous team and fun one to watch by Halloween.
29. Jets (28): Rookie QB Zach Wilson, new coach Robert Saleh and a squadron of new players will navigate the NFL’s significant learning curve together – maybe with C.J. Mosley learning how to play middle linebacker – but this could be a dangerous team and fun one to watch by Thanksgiving.
30. Eagles (31): From rookie head coach Nick Sirianni’s bizarre news conferences to senior director of player personnel Tom Donahoe’s draft room dourness, it’s just hard not to get the vibe that Philly fans should start thinking about the 2022 season. (But enjoy rookie WR DeVonta Smith in the interim.)
31. Lions (30): Their new regime pretty much took this roster down to the studs, but then got busy drafting studs. They’re admittedly a year or two away, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be a freebie on anyone’s 2021 schedule.
32. Texans (32): For a team with so many questions, new GM Nick Caserio somehow managed to create more during the draft ... while predictably sidestepping meaningful answers to any of them.