12. New York Giants (7-9) – Aaron Donald DT Pitt – The Giants have seen three of their most coveted offensive weapons come off of the board already (Lewan, Evans, Ebron) and they opt for the biggest need, Defensive Tackle. The Giants only have 3 DTs on the roster and non can really disrupt the line of scrimmage like Donald. Donald is a force as a 1 gap defensive tackle and could open things up for Jason Pierre-Paul to edge rush more than he did last season. Donald reminds me a lot of last years RoY Sheldon Richardson. It won;t be the flashy pick that will send Giants’ fans into an uproar but he’ll be the right pick.
13. Minnesota (5-10-1) (Trade W/ STL) – Anthony Barr OLB UCLA – Minnesota traded back since the top two QBs were off of the board when they were up at 8. Minnesota has many needs but pass rusher is atop that list since the departure of Jared Allen. The QBs in the NFC North read as such: Rodgers, Stafford, & Cutler. I’d say CB and DE are two need areas for a team hoping to contend in the division. They’ll be opportunities to trade up in the 2nd round to get a QB, so the Vikes get pass rushing freak Anthony Barr. Barr is still learning how to be a defensive player – having entered UCLA as a running back – which means his best days are ahead of him.
14. Chicago (8-8) – Justin Gilbert CB OkSt – The Bears’ offense is stacked. They now have monsters at wideout and arguably the best dual threat running back in terms of numbers in the backfield. Now it’s time to get some talent and youth on the defense. Justin Gilbert is the most naturally talented corner in this draft and he’ll fit right in with the press coverage of the Bears. He’s faced top level competition for 3 years now and never once backed down from a challenge. That’s something the Bears can surely use on defense, especially since Tillman only signed a one-year deal.
15. Pittsburgh (8-8) – Darqueze Dennard CB MichST – The Steelers can go in many directions with this pick. Their team has aged in a blink and they need to get younger on defense before its too late. William Gay isn’t a starting caliber DB and the Steelers constantly get picked apart because of that. Dennard is the prototypical tough player that the Steelers love. he was never the biggest or fastest player but he’s always made plays. He isn’t afraid to come up and make a tackle but still has the ability to man up with the best of wideouts.
16. Dallas (8-8) – Kony Ealy DE Mizz – The Dallas Cowboys cut DeMarcus Ware… Never thought I’d ever type those words. There’s a glaring whole at defensive end and Defensive Coordinator Rob Marinelli’s scheme is predicated on edge pressure. The Cowboys get one of the best 4-3 pass rushers in this draft. Ealy sparked a resurgence at Mizzou. His pressure disrupted some of the best lineman in college football and he is just what the Cowboys need. Even if its not the big named pick Jerry Jones would like to make. Sorry Cowboys fans no Johnny Football for you.
17. Baltimore (8-8) – Odell Beckham Jr WR LSU – The Ravens could use a Left Tackle of the future but that’ll have to wait because their 100 million dollar QB looked pretty average last season. They still have Pitta at tight end but he’s not supposed to be a second option. Torrey Smith run fade routes almost exclusively so they opt for a possession WR to take some pressure off of Flacco. Beckham is the most precise route runner in this draft and he will be the sure handed target Flacco desperately needs.
18. Tennessee (7-9) (Trade W/ NYJ) – Kyle Fuller CB VT – The Titans traded back with the Jets and still get who I believe to be the best CB in this draft. Kyle Fuller is a playmaker in every sense of the word. He played in the box and at the line of scrimmage for the entire Georgia Tech game and was the best tackler VT had. His coverage skills are just as good. He went step for step with Amari Cooper who will probably be a Top 10 pick in next year’s draft at wideout. Fuller fills the whole left by Alterraun Verner.
19. Miami (8-8) – Zack Martin OT Notre Dame – The very public ordeal between Incognito and Martin turned one of Miami’s most promising units into the teams biggest area of weakness. They saw franchise QB Ryan Tannehill regress last year behind the patch work line and Zack Martin is just the type of player they are looking for in this draft. He can play both tackle and guard at a high level, which gives them flexibility in free agency and the later rounds of this draft.
20. Arizona (10-6) – Derek Carr QB Fresno ST – The Cardinals seem like a team that likes a certain type of quarterback. Derek Carr fits the mold of the prototypical QB. Head Coach Bruce Arians works wonders with QBs and he will love Carr’s ability to chuck the football. Carr threw it an astronomical amount of times this past season at Fresno, yet his decision making remained good and he remained level headed. Lets see if the younger Carr can pan out better than his older brother.
21. Green Bay* (8-7-1) – CJ Mosley LB ALA – This is pretty much a no brainer pick. The Packers need a man in the middle of their defense now that AJ Hawk is getting older. CJ Mosley has been the leader of the Alabama defense for what seems like an eternity and he will bring those same qualities to this Packers D.
22. Philadelphia* (10-6) – Jason Verrett CB TCU – Philly could easily pick up DeSean Jackson’s replacement with this pick but I feel like Chip Kelly feels like he can turn someone later in the draft into a productive slot receiver (cough, cough, DeAnthony Thomas). With this pick they get the best available CB in Verrett. Chip Kelly has made it a point to improve this defense with new players and another young corner sticks to that plan.