Atlanta Falcons
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| (photo credit: bleacherreport.com) |
6 Draft Picks
The Falcons had a
decent draft, their defense has been a concern over the last few
years and they made a number of moves to address there. Safety Keanu
Neal should help bolster the Falcons secondary that was middle of the
pack last season. I'm not a fan of the selection of Deion Jones. If a
Linebacker is about 220lbs in the NFL he needs to be a beast athlete,
and I don't know if Jones is that. I'm also surprised that they
waited until the sixth round to pick an Offensive Lineman.
Grade: B-
Carolina Panthers
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| (photo credit: playitcoy.com) |
5
Draft Picks
During their
Super Bowl loss to the Broncos it became abundantly clear that Cam
Newton needed more help on offense. It's understandable why Cornerback was a
priority with Josh Norman in Washington; but that doesn't justify
taking three corners before adding any offensive players. This write up
could look stupid in a couple of years if any of these corners become
stars; but at the moment this draft has been a head scratcher.
Grade: D+
New Orleans Saints
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| (photo credit: hogshaven.com) |
5 Draft Picks
The Saints' went
into the draft looking at how they could get back to the playoffs as
soon as possible. They got Drew Brees desperately needed help in the
passing game with Ohio State's Michael Thomas. They also addressed
their defense which has been one of the worst over the past two
years. Vonn Bell will instantly improve a secondary which was
embarrassed on a weekly basis and Sheldon Rankins will upgrade a pass
rush that's been nonexistent. David Oneymata, a Defensive Tackle out
of Canada is a project, but his upside makes him a value pick in the fourth round. The Saints should have pick
Brees' successor in this draft, but I'll give them a pass since they
only had five picks.
Grade: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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| (photo credit: bleacherreport.com) |
7 Draft Picks
After focusing on
the offensive side during the last few drafts Lovie Smith went all in
on defense this season. I love the picks of Vernon Hargraeves III and
Noah Spence. Hargraeves is one of the best defensive backs in a
loaded draft class and has shutdown potential, while the one-time
Buckeye Spence has as much upside as and edge rusher. The only thing
I didn't understand was the decision to trade back into the second round and pick Kicker Roberto Aguayo. I know that a bad kicker can
doom a team and that was an issue that Tampa dealt with last year,
but Aguayo would have still been available when it was
their pick in the third round.
Grade: B+
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