The NFL draft is this week and with the little talk there is this draft class is strong. Fernando Mendoza is pretty much a lock at the number one pick for the Raiders as they have an older quarterback in Kirk Cousins that would be an excellent mentor. Defensively this draft can go multiple ways for many teams as the edge rusher power players will be going left and right within the top ten.
Now to logistics, the New York Jets have the second pick in the draft and after struggles on both sides of the football last year most think they are going to lock up the defense first with Aaron Glenn, a defensive head coach. Two stud players in David Bailey and Arvell Reese are being debated at this spot. Truely, the Jets can’t mess up at this position in the draft but, this will be interesting to keep your eyes on.
Now, the Cardinals are a very interesting team to look at leading up to the third pick on draft night. The Cardinals need lots of offensive line help, but they also could use a linebacker and even with the need of an offensive lineman they could also pick the best man available. Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles are the two linebackers that they would most likely take a look at. The Cardinals are in a great position to pick up a stud, but it’s also going to be hard for them to decide, do they pick the best player available or the positional value player.
Tennessee, this team has a new coaching staff which makes things very confusing for outsiders looking in. Robert Saleh, a defensive head coach in a draft class with this much defensive talent, definitely doesn’t want to regret his decisions. There is undoubtedly greatness still at pick four, like Jeremiyah Love, a running back from Notre Dame,who is special. If the Titans want to help out their quarterback Cam Ward, this would be an excellent offensive pick. If Saleh wants defense they can go to pretty much any position possible.
The Giants have young offensive talent and a new head coach which makes this team very promising if put into the right situation. Malik Nabers was the Giants number one target until injury hit him, he still is going to come back and perform, but the injury raises concerns whether or not they could use another receiver. If so, Carnell Tate would most likely be the pick for them, but if they feel fine offensively Caleb Downs is a safety out of Ohio State that would immediately impact this defense. The Giants are looking good so far this year and this decision mainly decides on how Harbaugh feels about the situation around Jaxson Dart.
Lastly, let’s look at the home town Chicago Bears. After what you could call a season no one expected, the Bears still have some work to be done. Lots of their secondary has been released onto other teams in the NFL so this comes with ideas. The defensive line problem will need to be addressed at some point in this draft. But do they do it as early as pick 25? Some think the defensive tackle or edge position will be picked for the Bears this early. The safety situation has left some questioning on whether they will see this as a problem needing to be addressed as soon as possible. The last issue is that Ozzy Trapilo, who was injured last year against the Packers, can make a return at all for next season. This is an issue Ben Johnson is going to want to fix, but most don’t think leaving talent on the board for this is that important.
These situations can go on endlessly for multiple teams wanting to address all different issues which is why this draft is so important for all teams wanting success in future years.