Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State He's the best player in this class and it's too hard to pass on elite pass rushers -- even if it's not an overwhelming need for Arizona. Bosa will be a star. Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky They have a lot of talented down players, but they need help on the edge. Allen would provide that. He is a player who really impressed in 2018. Quinnen Williams, DL, Alabama He might not play a position of major need for the Jets, but in this scenario he would be too good to pass up. He really came on strong in 2018 to vault up draft boards. Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan They have to get help up front for their pass rush. Gary would help in a big way, although he didn't quite have the year some expected in 2018 with just 3.5 sacks in nine games. Greedy Williams, CB, LSU They need to get help at corner to go with some of their younger players from last year. Williams will battle to be the top corner in this class. Dwyane Haskins, QB, Ohio State They have to get a passer at some point in this draft after passing last year to take Saquon Barkley. Haskins would seem to be a nice fit. Drew Lock, QB, Missouri They are moving on from Blake Bortles, and Lock is a guy they can develop if they sign a veteran passer like Joe Flacco. If they opt for a Nick Foles mega-deal, they could turn to the offensive line for help here. Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State When was the last time the Lions had a good pass rush? With Ziggy Ansah a free agent, they need help and Sweat is that type of player. Jonah Williams, OL, Alabama They got their quarterback in Josh Allen last year, so now it's time to get help around him. Williams could also play guard. Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia Bradley Roby is a free agent who might not be back, which means they need help to go with Chris Harris Jr. Baker could push Williams to be this class's top corner. Jawaan Taylor, OL, Florida They have to get better up front and Taylor is a power player who can do that. I see him playing right tackle for them. Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida They have to improve the outside rush and Polite has the speed to do that. They could also look to upgrade the interior of the offensive line at the guard spots. Daniel Jones, QB, Duke They have to land a quarterback of the future. With two already off, they settle for Jones, who was tutored at Duke by passing guru David Cutcliffe. Dexter Lawrence, DL, Clemson They have to get bigger inside to choke off the run. Lawrence can do that and he will be a better pocket pusher than most think. Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma With the uncertainty surrounding Alex Smith and his knee injury, landing a playmaking quarterback like Murray makes sense. They could also look to add a receiver here. Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma Their offensive line had some major issues last season. Ford would be able to possibly play tackle -- his college position -- or move inside to guard. Yodny Cajuste, OL, West Virginia The Browns are solid on the interior of their line, but the tackles are still so-so at best. Cajuste could come in and provide immediate depth or push for a starting job on either side of the line. Ed Oliver, DL, Houston Sheldon Richardson, who started 16 games, is a free agent. Oliver is a smallish defensive tackle, but he can get up the field and push the pocket. Byron Murphy, CB, Washington He is a talented player who could step in and start right away. In a division with Andrew Luck and Deshaun Watson, they need to be better in coverage. Devin White, LB, LSU They need to get better at inside linebacker and this kid can fly. He would be an immediate upgrade on a unit that needs him in a big way. Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson Frank Clark is a pending free agent and even if he comes back they need more help rushing the passer. Ferrell has that look of a Seahawks edge rusher. Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama They need to add an elite back to their run game to complement Lamar Jackson. Jacobs has that home-run speed to help the young quarterback. Andre Dillard, OL, Washington State Until they fix their offensive line, the team will be limited in terms of pushing for a Super Bowl. Dillard has great feet and would seem like an ideal player to start at left tackle. From Chicago Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware They might be smart to use all their first-round picks on defense. Adderley would step in and add some range and toughness to the back end. Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State They will likely lose Brandon Graham in free agency and they need to get a young pass rusher to go with Derek Barnett. Burns has big-time speed. Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson They have to get somebody who can push the pocket inside. Wilkins was impressive doing that at Clemson. He would be a nice addition to a young defense. From Dallas T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa Jared Cook is a free agent and this team needs to get weapons for Derek Carr. After going defense with their first two picks, they would be wise to add a pass-catching tight end like Hockenson. Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama We saw their linebacker group decimated by injury last year. They need to get better all across the board at that spot and Wilson is a player who could do just that. Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama The back end of their defense had issues all season long. Even with Eric Berry back, they need a young, developmental player. From New Orleans Noah Fant, TE, Iowa He has the pass-catching ability the Packers thought they had in Jimmy Graham. A young threat in the middle of the field would help Aaron Rodgers and the passing game. Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech They can talk all they want about their interior pressure, but they need help on the edge. With Dante Fowler a free agent, look for the Rams to address that early in this draft.<doc-sep>Well, football season is over so it’s time to begin the speculation of what the Colts are going to do before we kick off again in September. In this article, we’ll take a closer look into the draft, especially the Colts first 4 picks and consider who might slide, who will probably be there and who may be a “reach” but would make sense schematically or potential wise. With the 26th overall pick, the Indianapolis Colts select..... Note: This is our first pick and I truly can see Ballard trade down if he deems that there is not much of a drop off in talent between the late first round and early second, particularly if it lets him stockpile picks. However, since mock trades get a little bit untidy, let’s just say the Colts stay put. The possible slip: Montez Sweat, DE Miss St.: Sweat was predicted to be a late first-round pick, around the Colts’ range, but after dominating the Senior Bowl, he is quickly moving up draft boards. At 6’6’’, 241 pounds with 22.5 sacks to his name over the last 2 seasons (10.5 and 12 respectively) against SEC competition, Montez Sweat would be an ideal selection. He definitely has measurables that Ballard would like plus his motor is off the charts and he has decent hand placement to go along with above average explosiveness. His secondary moves are somewhat lacking as, from his tape, he seems to just outwork the OT when his primary move fails. Overall, his extreme athletism and his use of hands remind me of a mixture between a less-athletic Bradley Chubb (5th overall pick) and a less-refined Derrick Barnett (14th overall pick). Needless to say, Sweat at 26 is a no-brainer. Probably there: Dre’Mont Jones, DT Ohio State University: This draft is so deep in the interior DL that Jones doesn’t even crack the Top 5 DTs. At 6’3’’ and 295 pounds, Jones is slightly over-weight, noted it’s mostly muscle, to play the 3-tech, but he definitely has the bust and hand-use to produce at a high level. I still like him as a great penetrator against both the pass (8.5 sacks) and the run (13.5 TFL). I don’t see him testing as well as other players in the Combine just because his size and weight aren’t prototypical, but if the Colts nab him at 26, it will be a pick well used. The “reach”: Deebo Samuel, WR University of South Carolina: So a lot of people have been clamoring that Deebo be the first selection by the Colts due to his performance at the Senior Bowl. And while I agree that he certainly helped his stock in Mobile, it’s against my beliefs to take a WR in the first round (unless it is a generational talent and we have a top 10 pick). Now, that doesn’t matter since I’m not the Colts’ GM, but Ballard seems to agree with me as he has never drafted a WR earlier than the 3rd round and, as Zach Hicks pointed out, Ballard seems to take WRs in the mid rounds and values height and athleticism over route running and catching ability. And while I disagree (which again, doesn’t matter in the least), I just don’t see Ballard wavering from his beliefs and I honestly think that the first round is going to be DL or OL for the foreseeable future considering the emphasis Ballard puts in the trenches. \ That said, Deebo may have the best route running tree in the whole class along to go with decent speed and average hands. My comp would probably be Stephon Diggs as they have similar size and both seem to gain separation with clear cuts and speed. With the 34th overall pick, the Indianapolis Colts select...... The possible slide: Byron Murphy, CB Washington: If the DL prospects that the Colts want are all gone at 26, this is the guy I would take. To me, the top CB prospects are in two separate tiers. Greedy, Deandre and Byron in tier one, a drop-off and then everyone else. Greedy and Deandre are both length corners that will be great pros, but they are mostly press DBs. Byron is not the athlete either of the latter two are (5’11’’ and 180 pounds), but his instincts are insanely good (6 INTs in the last 2 years) and he seems to be made for a zone scheme. Sadly, I don’t see him sliding past 25 because the secondary needy Eagles will probably take him. Probably there: Andre Dillard, OT Washington St. Alright, I get it. The Colts have a Top-3 OL which is young, talented and straight-up mean. But do you know who is also those three things? Dillard. He takes a lot of pride in his work and his effort would certainly match that which the Colts already have. Ballard has stated that he wants 8 starting caliber OLs, and the Colts probably have 6 (Castonzo, Nelson, Kelly, Glowinski, Smith, Haeg) due to the cutting of Denzelle Good and Matt Slauson retiring. The one knock against Dillard is his hand placement is inconsistent and he sometimes goes a little wide instead of getting his hands on the Pass-Rushers chest. I think the Colts take their left tackle of the future and groom him for when Castonzo hits FA. The “reach”: Jaylon Ferguson, DE Lousiana Tech: Last year the Colts gave a small town prospect a try and that worked out pretty well. Ferguson is one of those love-hate prospects in the draft. Some GMs and coaches are raving about his FBS D1 record 45 sacks while others can’t see past the fact that he is a small school player and therefore faced lesser competition. He is very raw but has elite potential thanks to his incredible burst and bend. He would need some grooming but this could be a nice role-of-the-dice pick for Ballard. With the 59th pick, the Indianapolis Colts select...... The possible slide: Julian Love, CB Notre Dame: Another instinctive Corner who would certainly play well in Eberflus’ Zone Defense. His size isn’t standard (5’11’’ and 193 pounds), but he is a sound tackler (176 tackles in 3 years) and plays with an aggressiveness that is uncommon in small CBs. He’s got nice closing speed in curl routes and thanks to his smaller size he can twist and turn out of cuts better than corners with bigger strides. Sometimes, when he goes down the field past 20 yards from the LOS, he decides not to turn his head around to see the ball. That and his size are the only knocks I have on him. Probably there: Hakeem Butler, WR Iowa State: While the Colts have the small speedster in T.Y. Hilton, Butler gives them the complete opposite. A 6’6’’ behemoth had 1,318 yards his senior year and averaged 22.0 YPC. His height is one of his clear strengths, the other is his elusiveness, which is strange for a WR that big. His route running is not superb as bigger strides make it harder for him to change direction. Could be the WR with the most upside, and considering Ballard likes the tall, raw, high-potential receivers, I can see him taking a gamble on Butler with this pick. The FA market is quite dry except for maybe Golden Tate, who will demand an inordinate amount of money. Drafting Butler would give the Colts a sound WR room with T.Y. Hilton, Deon Cain, Hakeem Butler, and Zach Pascal/Chester Rodgers. The “reach” Charles Omenihu, DE Texas: Omenihu seems to have all the tools to have been a great player in college. At 6’6’’ and 275 pounds, Omenihu could play inside or outside due to his good get-off at the LOS and arm length. He has a great motor, athleticism, tackling skills, and strength. He showed out at the Senior Bowl where he began to gain traction, but there are still some knocks against him. While his senior year was good (45 tackles, 18 TFL, 9.5 sacks) his previous 3 years combined were a bit underwhelming (70 tackles, 12 TFL, 7 sacks).<doc-sep>The Buffalo Bills defense looks all set, according to DraftWire’s latest 2019 NFL mock draft. Putting together their latest three-round prediction of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Bills triple-up on three players on offense. Here’s what DraftWire’s Luke Easterling has the Bills doing with their first three picks of the 10 they hold, in total: 9. Buffalo Bills | D.K. Metcalf | WR | Ole Miss This pick (and most of the rest of them) for the Bills has to be about improving the supporting cast around Josh Allen, whether it’s an explosive downfield weapon or improved protection up front. In this scenario, the former gives them better value in this year’s top pass-catcher. The 6-foot-5 wideout hasn’t made as much noise recently because he’s missed time due to a neck injury. Metcalf appeared in seven games this season with Ole Miss and in that time he notched five touchdowns. In total, Metcalf made 26 grabs and 549 yards this season. For his college career, Metcalf has played 21 games, making 67 catches, 1,228 yards and 14 touchdowns in that span. He uses his uncanny catch radius to beat defenders all over the field. And he’s got some speed for his size. Second-year pro Zay Jones and rookie Robert Foster are emerging as solid playmakers for the Bills, however, quarterback Josh Allen will need much more help around him moving forward. With excellent measurables, Metcalf has the size to become an elite NFL wideout.<doc-sep>
With the Senior Bowl in the books and the Scouting Combine fast approaching, NFL draft season is officially in full swing. We know which underclassmen will be included in this year’s class, who has injury and off-field concerns, and which under-the-radar players made a name for themselves during the all-star circuit. To top it all off, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner has officially committed to a football career. Will that have a seismic impact on this year’s draft? If my latest three-round projections are any indication . . . absolutely. *=projected trade 1. Arizona Cardinals | Kyler Murray | QB | Oklahoma Is it crazy to think that Murray made his firm commitment to football over baseball because he knows something we don’t? Maybe Kliff Kingsbury wants to hand-pick his franchise quarterback, one with a rare skill set who would fit perfectly with his offense? Taking Murray at No. 1 and putting Josh Rosen on the trade block would instantly throw this draft into chaos. 2. San Francisco 49ers | Nick Bosa | EDGE | Ohio State Any scenario that leaves Bosa on the board for the 49ers would be a dream scenario for general manager John Lynch and his crew. Getting the top overall prospect in the draft any later than the No. 1 overall pick is a steal, and it just happens to fill San Francisco’s biggest need. 3. New York Jets | Quinnen Williams | DL | Alabama Offensive tackle is also a big need for the Jets, but there’s not a tackle in this draft that’s worth taking over Williams, who should get strong consideration at No. 1 overall. Just a redshirt sophomore, Williams is loaded with potential and is barely scratching the surface of his talent. 4. Jacksonville Jaguars (from OAK)* | Dwayne Haskins | QB | Ohio State The Blake Bortles experiment is over, and the Jags desperately need to make a bold move to secure a new franchise quarterback. They’re likely to find a willing trade partner in the Raiders, who keep adding premium picks by getting at least a second-round pick and a third-round pick from Jacksonville in this deal. 5. Denver Broncos (from TB)* | Drew Lock | QB | Missouri With both Murray and Haskins already off the board, John Elway won’t be able to sit still and hope his quarterback of choice is still on the board at No. 10 overall. In return for their picks in the second and third rounds, and likely an additional Day 2 pick in next year’s draft, the Broncos get their man in Lock. 6. New York Giants | Jonah Williams | OT | Alabama If the Giants miss out on this year’s top quarterback prospects, the Giants will be better off spending this pick on someone who will make Eli Manning’s life easier. In this scenario, they get their pick of this year’s top offensive tackles, and Williams is the best of the bunch. 7. Oakland Raiders (from JAX)* | Josh Allen | EDGE | Kentucky The Raiders are loaded with premium picks thanks to multiple trades, but they also have a gaping hole where Khalil Mack used to be. After trading down and grabbing even more additional selections, they still land one of this year’s top pass rushers in the versatile Allen. 8. Detroit Lions | Greedy Williams | CB | LSU There are needs at every level for this defense, but finding a stud corner to line up opposite Darius Slay should be high on the list. While Williams is still learning how to maximize his physical skills, he has the height, length and athleticism to be a star at the next level. 9. Buffalo Bills | D.K. Metcalf | WR | Ole Miss This pick (and most of the rest of them) for the Bills has to be about improving the supporting cast around Josh Allen, whether it’s an explosive downfield weapon or improved protection up front. In this scenario, the former gives them better value in this year’s top pass-catcher. 10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from DEN)* | Ed Oliver | DL | Houston After moving back five spots and loading up on additional picks, the Bucs still get one of this year’s top overall prospects.