21. Green Bay Packers (8-7-1): Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State University
The Packers are in tough situation because they need a lot of upgrades on the defensive side of the ball. The Packers are ranked 24th in pass defense and 25th in run defense. With B.J Raji, an impending free agent and his price tag probably too high for the Packers to be able to resign him. The Packers do not have a lot of cap space so they will have to rectify the nose tackle position through the draft. Even if B.J Raji returns to the team, the Packers need someone else. Enter FSU DL Timmy Jernigan, who is an athletic, hard-working lineman who has good pass rushing moves, destructive against the run and plays smart. Last season, he recorded 63 tackles (11 for loss) and 4.5 sacks. He is the most versatile defensive lineman in the draft. The 6-foot-2, 298 pounder will be a future pro-bowler if he reaches his potential.
22. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6): Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville
The Eagles were awful last season against the pass and ranked last in passing defense. The Eagles desperately need to upgrade the secondary. The Eagles need a cornerback but with all the top corners gone they will have to take a safety. Patrick Chung is a natural strong safety playing out of position. Nate Allen has done nothing to warrant him being considered a starting caliber safety by his inconsistent play and lack of football IQ. By moving Chung back to the strong safety position they will have a starting caliber strong safety. Calvin Pryor is the player the Eagles need in the secondary because he has great size (6’2, 208 pounds) and the range to be effective on passing plays. Pryor has fluid hips, good ball skills, good in run support, solid in man coverage and in zone coverage he thrives because of his range, speed, and instincts. Pryor has the ability to start right away at free safety.
23. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5): Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Louisiana State University
The Chiefs have a stellar defense and an excellent running game, but Alex Smith has no weapons on the outside except for Dwayne Bowe. The Chiefs ranked 24th in passing offense because they had no one who could stretch the field; teams would squeeze the field against the Chiefs and would play tight man to man coverage and it would be hard for Alex Smith to find an open receiver. Andy Reid loves speed and drafted players like Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Billy McMullen. Odell Beckham Jr. is the player the chiefs need on the outside because of his game changing speed. The junior last season had 59 catches for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns. Beckham Jr. gets downfield quickly, is a talented punt returner, is effective catching passes and has an eye for the end zone.
24. Cincinnati Bengals (11-5): Kony Ealy, DE/OLB, Missouri
The Bengals have needs at left tackle, cornerback and defensive end. The reason why they have a need at defensive end is because Michael Johnson is an impending free agent who is going to break the bank in free agency. Ealy has the length, speed, power and pass rushing moves to be a great defensive end in the NFL.
25. San Diego Chargers (9-7): Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
The Chargers took strides in the right direction last season. Mike McCoy did a great job in San Diego this past season and helped revitalize Philip Rivers career. Statistical speaking the Chargers ranked 4th in passing offense, 13th in rushing offense and 12th in rushing defense. Those are great numbers but the biggest problem for this team was their pass defense which ranked 29th in the league. This team needs more talent at the cornerback position because this team cannot go forward with Richard Marshall and Shareece Wright as its starters. Jason Verrett is fantastic in press coverage, good in man to man coverage, solid against the run and has good ball skills which helped him have six interceptions in 2012. He isn’t the biggest cornerback, but he is physical and he has the range to be a defensive playmaker.
26. Cleveland Browns (from 11-5 Indianapolis Colts): Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
The Browns made the decision to trade running back Trent Richardson, to the Colts for a first round pick and Browns front office looks smart for trading Richardson. With the Browns taking Johnny Manziel with its first pick, the Browns now need to focus on the other side on the ball. A lot of people think the Browns need to select a wide receiver but they can find a quality receiver with their next pick at #35. The Browns have a solid front seven but they to upgrade at the “Ted” linebacker and defensive end but, they can upgrade at those positions through free agency or later on in the draft. But the Browns need to select a cornerback because Buster Skrine is better suited to play the nickel position going forward because of his size and ability. Skrine was the weak link in a strong secondary last season and offensive coordinators picked on him the whole season. But offensive coordinators will find it more challenging passing on the Browns after they select, cornerback Bradley Roby out of Ohio State. Roby has good size (5’11, 192 lbs), man to man coverage skills, speed and solid ball skills. Roby and Haden will be a great cornerback tandem going forward.
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5): Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson
The Saints played well all season long but, they fell short against the Seahawks in the second round and they couldn’t stop Russell Wilson. Cameron Jordan had 12.5 sacks and Junior Galette had 12 sacks respectively but after that the next person who had the most sacks only had 4.5. Rob Ryan did a magnificent job last season and turned the defense into a great one without the lack of ideal players to fit the 3-4 scheme. The Saints need someone opposite of Junior Galette to generate pressure off the edge. That is Vic Beasley who is a tremendous pass rusher, who has great size (6’3, 235 lbs) and has a great first step. This pick makes a lot of sense because Victor Butler and Keyunta Dawson are not getting the job done. Beasley is the pass rusher the Saints defense needs to become a more well rounded unit.
28. Carolina Panthers (12-4): Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
The Carolina Panthers had a great season and head coach Ron Rivera did an amazing job developing talent in Carolina. Wide receiver has been an issue with the Panthers but I think they will address that issue through free agency. Offensive tackle is another issue for this team but I think they can draft someone in round two. The Panthers need to address the cornerback position because Captain Munnerlyn is an impending free agent and if he returns they still need to upgrade the cornerback position. Melvin White is a decent corner but he was exposed against the 49ers in the playoffs and he would be suited playing as a nickel cornerback. Based on their lack of cap room, it seems they will need to address the cornerback position through the draft. The Panthers need a big cornerback to matchup with big receivers like Julio Jones (6’3, 220 lbs), Vincent Jackson (6’5, 230 lbs) and Marques Colston (6’4, 225 lbs) and that is why they will draft cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste out of Nebraska. Jean-Baptiste has great size (6’2 ),very solid build, decent hips, solid footwork, and he uses his speed and length to make up ground. He will be a great selection for the Panthers.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12) projected trade with NE: Dee Ford, DE/OLB, Auburn University
The Patriots are going to trade back and that is no surprise. People have to understand that the Patriots like to accumulate picks and they need too. They can also find a quality tight end and wide receiver. The Jaguars addressed the quarterback position by selecting with the third overall pick but, they could really use a hybrid pass rusher to help out the defense. The last two seasons the Jags had the fewest sacks in the NFL which is a serious problem. It makes a lot of sense for Jaguars to trade back into the first round because the player they will target was named the MVP of the Senior Bowl and Gus Bradley coached this player at the 2014 Senior Bowl. Dee Ford stands at (6’2, 242 lbs) is athletic and has good pass rushing ability. Ford has a great first step and he has the strength to utilize, the bull rush. He is athletic, has the fluid hips and leg drive to use the dip move and has the upper body strength to use the rip & go. Ford was a great leader in college and after a strong showing at the senior bowl this seams like a good match for Ford. But the main reason why I think he will be selected by the Jaguars is because Bradley really likes Ford, as John Zenor of the of the Associated Press, via Yahoo! Sports wrote:
“I think that all it takes is one team to really like him, and I think that Dee is exciting. I really like his personality. I like his spirit. He loves the game, and he showcases that on the practice field. Any time a guy can come off the edge and show his ability to have some rushes in him, I think it really stands out and it really pops out for all the coaches.”
30. San Francisco (12-4): Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State University
Head coach Jim Harbaugh and General Manager Trent Baalke have done a great job putting talent on this roster and they have depth at every position. GM Trent Baalke has his work cut out for him this off-season because Donte Whitner and Tarell Brown are impending free agents. It is going to be hard to bring them both back because of salary concerns. There is also talk within the organization that Carlos Rogers could be cut because it would save the team about $5.1 million, so I expect him to take a pay cut. So the 49ers could have to address the secondary through the draft. But the 49ers also have concerns at the wide receiver position. With three impending free agents, including Anquan Boldin who had one of the greatest seasons of his career and help elevate Kaepernick’s play over the course of the season and GM Trent Baalke is going to try his best to resign him. If they can’t resign Boldin then they will have to bring in another veteran on a short-term deal. But the 49ers are in a prime position to add a matchup nightmare at wide receiver. Enter Kelvin Benjamin who would provide another big target for Kaepernick. The 49ers had red zone issues last year and the (6’5, 234 lbs) Benjamin could rectify this issue because he is a big-bodied target.
31. Denver Broncos (13-3): Trent Murphy, DE/OLB, Stanford
The Broncos ranked 27th in passing defense and that was the achilles heel of the Broncos defense. The defense also could not generate pressure on quarterback Russell Wilson in the Super Bowl. Von Miller is coming back from a serious knee injury and his status for training camp is uncertain. Quanterus Smith missed his rookie year recovering from a knee injury he suffered at Western Kentucky during the 2012 season. Derek Wolfe suffered an illness that ended his second season. Robert Ayers is an impending free agent and will probably explore his options in free agency. NFL Network Ian Rapaport says the Broncos will be re-signing Shaun Phillips. So the Broncos are trying to rectify the pass rush. But I believe this team will need to add more pass rush to help the Broncos woeful secondary. The Broncos will select Stanford defensive end Trent Murphy who is the kind a player the Broncos need on the defensive line. Murphy has all the measurables standing at (6’5, 252 lbs) he is one of the most productive edge-rushers on terms of sacking the quarterback, he has a solid bull rush and has variety of pass rush moves, he has the strength to set the edge as a run defender and he does a good job of getting his hands to passes at the line of scrimmage. The Broncos are getting an impact player at the end of the first round.
32. Seattle Seahawks (13-3) David Yankey, OG, Stanford
The Super Bowl champions do not have a position of need and it is very hard to find a position where the Seahawks were struggling at this season. Pete Carroll and John Schneider have done a great job of selecting players in the later rounds. Pete also has a thing for selecting players from Stanford, (Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin) and I believe he is going to draft a player from Stanford again. The Seahawks could use some depth on the offensive line and Yankey could be the guy. David Yankey is the most polished guard in the draft this year. He has good footwork, smart and strong. He is a good run blocker and is athletic for a man of his size. David Yankey to the Seahawks seems like a no brainer.
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