Draft Digest 2015 by Dave Jones

Top 10 rankings at every position • Team needs • Free agency impact • Two-round mock

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DRAFT OVERVIEW

More time, more stars, more questions

By ALAIN POUPART Editor When the NFL decided to move the draft a couple of weeks later into the spring, the idea was to keep football in the news for as much of the calendar year as possible. For draft pundits everywhere, it’s more time and more opportunities to discuss and dissect the prospects whose names will be called on one of the three days of the 2014 event officially known as the annual selection meeting, May 810. Fortunately for everyone, there is no shortage of conversation topics among this year’s prospects. You can start by analyzing — in many cases overanalyzing — Jadeveon Clowney’s relatively disappointing 2013 season and whether he’ll be willing to put in the time and effort to maximize his immense physical ability. There’s the case of Johnny Manziel and whether his improvisational style, however entertaining it might be, can work in the NFL. Of course, some time was spent on the question of whether defensive end Michael Sam hurt his draft standing by revealing he was gay. From this vantage point, Clowney is too good to pass up; Manziel could succeed but the odds aren’t very good; and Sam’s sexual orientation ideally shouldn’t impact his draft status although the reality is that any number of teams could wind up steering away from him in a case where they’re debating between Sam and another prospect they view as having the same kind of potential. For the second consecutive year, there will be intrigue at the top of the draft because the group of prospects available — however impressive — once again lacks a quarterback carrying the can’t-miss label the way Andrew Luck did two years ago. Truth is, there isn’t even a slam-dunk No. 1 prospect at quarterback between Manziel, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles from the University of Central Florida. In terms of ability and NFL potential, the top four prospects this year are Clowney, Auburn tackle Greg Robinson, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins and University of Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack. Any of them could be the first overall selection if the Houston Texans, who held that pick as of March 28, don’t choose a quarterback.

GRADING THE DRAFT Sammy Watkins Clowney, Robinson and Watkins were among the 98 underclassmen who made themselves eligible for the 2014 draft. That total obliterated the previous record of 73, set last year. Because of the high number of underclassmen, the talent pool increased and that led Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, among others, to label this the best draft class in as many as 30 years. “You can look across the board,” Colbert told reporters at the scouting combine, “I can’t see a position where there isn’t more depth than there has ever been.” Not surprisingly, national champion Florida State leads the way when it comes to high-end prospects in this year’s draft. FSU has six players in the Draft Digest Top 100 (page 21), led by defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Texas A&M, meanwhile, has three prospects considered likely first-round picks in tackle Jake Matthews, wide receiver Mike Evans and Manziel. The NFL teams best equipped to take advantage of the talent pool in the draft, as of March 28, were the St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. The Rams have the second and 13th picks in the first round as they enjoy the final returns from the 2012 draft-day

Position

Grade

Quarterback Halfback Fullback/H-back Wide receiver Tight end Offensive tackle Offensive guard Center Defensive end Defensive tackle Outside linebacker Inside linebacker Cornerback Safety Kicker/Punter

BBC A+ C+ A B C+ B B BBB B+ C-

trade that enabled the Washington Redskins to move from No. 6 to No. 2 to select Robert Griffin III. Cleveland also has two first-round picks as the result of the 2013 trade that sent running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts. The Browns also have an extra third-round pick, the result of a draft-day trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. The 49ers, coming off their third consecutive NFC Championship Game appearance, have two picks in the second round and three in the third. For the first time in five years, no team has forfeited a pick after selecting a player in the supplemental draft. Cleveland was without a second-round pick

last year after taking Josh Gordon in the 2012 supplemental draft, a move that has paid off with the emergence of Gordon as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints also have their full complement of picks after two years of having to forfeit their secondround choice as punishment for the “Bountygate” scandal. The strength of this year’s draft, in terms of depth, appears to be at wide receiver, offensive tackle and cornerback. What follows is a brief position-byposition breakdown analyzing this year’s draft: QUARTERBACKS — There are far more intriguing quarterbacks than last year starting with the big three, plus two or three more who could go in the first three rounds. RUNNING BACKS — It’s very possible that we’ll go a second consecutive year without a running back taken in the first round, but that doesn’t change the fact there are several quality runners available. WIDE RECEIVERS — This isn’t just the best group in this year’s draft, it’s among the best at any position in several years. There’s great depth in this group and the superstar prospect with Watkins. TIGHT ENDS — While the group of wide receivers is outstanding, there is quite a drop-off at tight end after the top three prospects. OFFENSIVE LINEMEN — Three offensive tackles were among the top four picks in 2013, but this year’s group is better even if the final draft results don’t show it. There’s also good depth at guard, with a couple of first-round possibilities. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN — In terms of depth, this group actually might not match what the 2013 draft offered. But Clowney is the most physically gifted defensive line prospect in a long, long time. LINEBACKERS — It’s one of those rare years where there’s a blue-chip prospect at both inside (C.J. Mosley) and outside (Khalil Mack) linebacker. DEFENSIVE BACKS — Cornerback is one of the deepest positions in the draft, with a half-dozen prospects considered possible first-round picks. The safety class offers good depth, led by two potential first-round selections, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor. SPECIALISTS — No kicking specialist was taken before the fifth round in 2013, and it would be a surprise if the same thing didn’t happen again.

FACTS & FIGURES WHAT: 79th Annual NFL Selection Meeting WHEN: May 8-10, 2014 TELEVISION: ESPN, NFL Network SCHEDULE: Round 1 on May 8; Rounds 2-3 on May 9; Rounds 4-7 on May 10 FORMAT: Each team has 10 minutes to make its selection in Round 1; seven minutes in Round 2; and five minutes in each round thereafter.

DRAFT HISTORY ROUNDS IN THE DRAFT Year 1936 1937 1938-1942 1943-1948 1949 1950-1959 1960-1966 1967-1976 1977-1992 1993 1994-present

Rounds 9 10 22 32 25 30 20 17 12 8 7

LAST 25 NO. 1 OVERALL PICKS BY POSITION: QB: 15 (Troy Aikman, Jeff George, Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning, Tim Couch, Michael Vick, David Carr, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, Alex Smith, JaMarcus Russell, Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck) T: 3 (Orlando Pace, Jake Long, Eric Fisher) DT: 3 (Russell Maryland, Steve Emtman, Dan Wilkinson) DE: 2 (Courtney Brown, Mario Williams) RB: 1 (Ki-Jana Carter) WR: 1 (Keyshawn Johnson)

2014 D r a f t O r d e r as of March 28 ROUND 1 1. Houston 2. St. Louis (from Washington) 3. Jacksonville 4. Cleveland 5. Oakland 6. Atlanta 7. Tampa Bay 8. Minnesota 9. Buffalo 10. Detroit 11. Tennessee 12. New York Giants 13. St. Louis 14. Chicago 15. Pittsburgh 16. Dallas 17. Baltimore 18. New York Jets 19. Miami 20. Arizona 21. Green Bay 22. Philadelphia 23. Kansas City 24. Cincinnati 25. San Diego 26. Cleveland (from Indianapolis) 27. New Orleans 28. Carolina 29. New England 30. San Francisco 31. Denver 32. Seattle ROUND 2 1-33. Houston 2-34. Washington 3-35. Cleveland 4-36. Oakland 5-37. Atlanta 6-38. Tampa Bay 7-39. Jacksonville 8-40. Minnesota 9-41. Buffalo 10-42. Tennessee

11-43. New York Giants 12-44. St. Louis 13-45. Detroit 14-46. Pittsburgh 15-47. Dallas 16-48. Baltimore 17-49. New York Jets 18-50. Miami 19-51. Chicago 20-52. Arizona 21-53. Green Bay 22-54. Philadelphia 23-55. Cincinnati 24.-56 San Francisco (from Kansas City) 25-57. San Diego 26-58. New Orleans 27-59. Indianapolis 28-60. Carolina 29-61. San Francisco 30-62. New England 31-63. Denver 32-64. Seattle ROUND 3 1-65. Houston 2-66. Washington 3-67. Oakland 4-68. Atlanta 5-69. Tampa Bay 6-70. Jacksonville 7-71. Cleveland 8-72. Minnesota 9-73. Buffalo 10-74. New York Giants 11-75. St. Louis 12-76. Detroit 13-77. San Francisco (from Tennessee) 14-78. Dallas 15-79. Baltimore 16-80. New York Jets 17-81. Miami 18-82. Chicago 19-83. Cleveland (from Pittsburgh) 20-84. Arizona

21-85. Green Bay 22-86. Philadelphia 23-87. Kansas City 24-88. Cincinnati 25-89. San Diego 26-90. Indianapolis 27-91. New Orleans 28-92. Carolina 29-93. New England 30-94. San Francisco 31-95. Denver 32-96. Minnesota (from Seattle) 33-97. Pittsburgh (compensatory pick) 34-98. Green Bay (compensatory pick) 35-99. Baltimore (compensatory pick) 36-100. San Francisco (compensatory pick) ROUND 4 1-101. Houston 2-102. Washington 3-103. Atlanta 4-104. N.Y. Jets (from Tampa Bay) 5-105. Jacksonville 6-106. Cleveland 7-107. Oakland 8-108. Minnesota 9-109. Buffalo 10-110. St. Louis 11-111. Detroit 12-112. Tennessee 13-113. New York Giants 14-114. Jacksonville (from Baltimore) 15-115. New York Jets 16-116. Miami 17-117. Chicago 18-118. Pittsburgh 19.-119 Dallas 20-120. Arizona 21-121. Green Bay 22-122. Philadelphia

23-123. Cincinnati 24-124. Kansas City 25-125. San Diego 26-126. New Orleans 27-127. Cleveland (from Indianapolis) 28-128. Carolina 29-129. San Francisco 30-130. New England 31-131. Denver 32-132. Seattle 33-133. Detroit (compensatory pick) 34-134. Baltimore (compensatory pick) 35-135. Houston (compensatory pick) 36-136. Detroit (compensatory pick) 37-137. N.Y. Jets (compensatory pick) 38-138. Baltimore (compensatory pick) 39-139. Atlanta (compensatory pick) 40-140. New England (compensatory pick) ROUND 5 1-141. Houston 2-142. Washington 3-143. Tampa Bay 4-144. Jacksonville 5-145. Cleveland 6-146. Seattle (from Oakland) 7-147. Atlanta 8-148. Minnesota 9-149. Buffalo 10-150. Jacksonville (from Detroit) 11-151. Tennessee 12-152. New York Giants 13-153. St. Louis 14-154. New York Jets 15-155. Miami 16-156. Chicago

17-157. Pittsburgh 18-158. Dallas 19-159. Jacksonville (from Baltimore) 20-160. Arizona 21-161. Green Bay 22-162. Philadelphia 23-163. Kansas City 24-164. Cincinnati 25-165. San Diego 26-166. Indianapolis 27-167. New Orleans 28-168. Carolina 29-169. New Orleans (from New England thru Phila.) 30-170. San Francisco 31-171. Denver 32-172. Seattle 33-173. Pittsburgh (compensatory pick) 34-174. N.Y. Giants (compensatory pick) 35-175. Baltimore (compensatory pick) 36-176. Green Bay (compensatory pick) ROUND 6 1-177. Houston 2-178. Washington 3-179. Jacksonville 4-180. Cleveland 5-181. Houston (from Oakland) 6-182. Atlanta 7-183. Chicago (from Tampa Bay) 8-184. Minnesota 9-185. Buffalo 10-186. Tennessee 11-187. New York Giants 12-188. St. Louis 13-189. Detroit 14-190. Miami 15-191. Chicago 16-192. Pittsburgh

17-193. Kansas City (from Dallas) 18-194. Baltimore 19-195. New York Jets 20-196. Arizona 21-197. Green Bay 22-198. New England (from Philadelphia) 23-199. Cincinnati 24-200. Kansas City 25-201. San Diego 26-202. New Orleans 27-203. Indianapolis 28-204. Carolina 29-205. Jacksonville (from San Francisco) 30-206. New England 31-207. Denver 32-208. Seattle 33-209. N.Y. Jets (compensatory pick) 34-210. N.Y. Jets (compensatory pick) 35-211. Houston (compensatory pick) 36-212. Cincinnati (compensatory pick) 37-213. N.Y. Jets (compensatory pick) 38-214. St. Louis (compensatory pick) 39-215. Pittsburgh (compensatory pick) ROUND 7 1-216. Houston 2-217. Washington 3-218. Cleveland 4-219. Oakland 5-220. Atlanta 6-221. Tampa Bay 7-222. Jacksonville 8-223. Minnesota 9-224. Buffalo 10-225. Carolina (from New York Giants) 11-226. St. Louis

12-227. Detroit 13-228. Tennessee 14-229. Dallas (from Chicago) 15-230. Pittsburgh 16-231. Dallas 17-232. Indianapolis (from Baltimore) 18-233. New York Jets 19-234. Miami 20-235. Oakland (from Arizona) 21-236. Green Bay 22-237. Philadelphia 23-238. Dallas (from Kansas City) 24-239. Cincinnati 25-240. San Diego 26-241. St. Louis (from Indianapolis) 27-242. San Francisco (from New Orleans) 28.-243 San Francisco (from Carolina) 29-244. New England 30-245. San Francisco 31-246. Denver 32-247. Seattle 33-248. Dallas (compensatory pick) 34-249. St. Louis (compensatory pick) 35-250. St. Louis (compensatory pick) 36-251. Dallas (compensatory pick) 37-252. Cincinnati (compensatory pick) 38-253. Atlanta (compensatory pick) 39-254. Dallas (compensatory pick) 40-255. Atlanta (compensatory pick) 41-256. Houston (compensatory pick)

FACTS & FIGURES UNDERCLASMENT IN THE 2014 DRAFT WR Davante Adams CB Nick Addison TE Jace Amaro RB George Atkinson WR Odell Beckham WR Kelvin Benjamin RB Kapri Bibbs RB Brendan Bigelow RB Alfred Blue C Russell Bodine QB Blake Bortles WR Chris Boyd CB Bashaud Breeland WR Martavis Bryant RB Ka'Deem Carey S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix DE Jadeveon Clowney WR Brandon Coleman WR Brandin Cooks DE Scott Crichton RB Isaiah Crowell S Jonathan Dowling DE Kony Ealy TE Eric Ebron WR Bruce Ellington WR Mike Evans DT Ego Ferguson T Cameron Fleming ILB Khairi Fortt WR Austin Franklin RB Devonta Freeman DT Carlos Gray TE Xavier Grimble

Fresno State Bethune-Cookman Texas Tech Notre Dame LSU Florida State Colorado State California LSU North Carolina Central Florida Vanderbilt Clemson Clemson Arizona Alabama South Carolina Rutgers Oregon State Oregon State Alabama State Western Kentucky Missouri North Carolina South Carolina Texas A&M LSU Stanford California New Mexico State Florida State North Carolina State USC

T Terrance Hackney DB Victor Hampton RB Jeremy Hill DB Kameron Jackson TE Nic Jacobs DT Timmy Jernigan DT Anthony Johnson WR Jamel Johnson RB Storm Johnson RB Henry Josey T Cyrus Kouandjio WR Jarvis Landry WR Cody Latimer DE Demarcus Lawrence WR Marqise Lee TE A.C. Leonard DB Albert Louis-Jean TE Colt Lyerla DE Aaron Lynch QB Johnny Manziel C Marcus Martin RB Tre Mason DE Chris McCain DB Terrance Mitchell DT Viliami Moala WR Donte Moncrief RB Adam Muema TE Jake Murphy TE Troy Niklas DT Louis Nix III DE Jeoffrey Pagan DE Ronald Powell S Calvin Pryor

Bethune-Cookman South Carolina LSU California McNeese State Florida State LSU Alabama State Central Florida Missouri Alabama LSU Indiana Boise State USC Tennessee State Boston College Oregon South Florida Texas A&M USC Auburn California Oregon California Mississippi San Diego State Utah Notre Dame Notre Dame Alabama Florida Louisville

DRAFT T r a d e s Trades involving 2014 picks (as of March 28) • Washington’s 1st-round pick to St. Louis as part of the 2012 draft-day trade that helped the Redskins draft QB Robert Griffin III. • Indianapolis’ 1st-round pick to Cleveland in the 2013 trade for RB Trent Richardson. • Kansas City’s 2nd-round pick to San Francisco as part of the 2013 trade for QB Alex Smith. • Tennessee’s 3rd-round pick to San Francisco as part of a 2013 draft-day trade involving picks. • Pittsburgh’s 3rd-round pick to Cleveland as part of a 2013 draft-day trade involving picks. • Seattle’s 3rd-round pick to Minnesota as part of the 2013 trade for WR Percy Harvin. • Tampa Bay’s 4th-round pick to N.Y. Jets as part of the 2013 trade for CB Darrelle Revis. • Baltimore’s 4th- and 5th-round picks to Jacksonville in the 2013 trade for T Eugene Monroe. • Indianapolis’ 4th-round pick to Cleveland as part of a 2013 trade involving picks. • Oakland’s 5th-round pick to Seattle as part of the trade for QB Matt Flynn. • Detroit’s 5th-round pick to Jacksonville for WR Mike Thomas. • New England’s 5th-round pick to Philadelphia for DT Isaac Sopoaga and a 2014 6th-round choice. Philadelphia then sent that pick to New Orleans for RB Darren Sproles. • Oakland’s 6th-round pick to Houston for QB Matt Schaub. • Chicago’s 6th-round pick to Tampa Bay for T Gabe Carimi. • Dallas’ 6th-round pick to Kansas City for OLB Edgar Jones and a 2014 7th-round choice. • San Francisco’s 6th-round pick to Jacksonville for QB Blaine Gabbert. • N.Y. Giants’ 7th-round pick to Carolina for LB Jon Beason. • Chicago’s 7th-round pick to Dallas for TE Dante Rosario. • Baltimore’s 7th-round pick to Indianapolis for C A.Q. Shipley. • Arizona’s 7th-round pick to Oakland as part of the 2013 trade involving QB Carson Palmer. • Indianapolis’ 7th-round pick to St. Louis as part of a 2012 trade for CB Josh Gordy. • New Orleans’ 7th-round pick to San Francisco for LB Parys Haralson. • Carolina’s 7th-round pick to San Francisco for DB Colin Jones.

CB Loucheiz Purifoy DT Kelcy Quarles RB Darrin Reaves S Ed Reynolds T Antonio Richardson WR Paul Richardson CB Marcus Roberson WR Allen Robinson T Greg Robinson CB Bradley Roby TE Richard Rodgers RB Bishop Sankey RB Lache Seastrunk TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins OLB Ryan Shazier LB Yawin Smallwood QB Brett Smith RB Jerome Smith WR Willie Snead RB John Spooney WR Josh Stewart G Xavier Su’a-Filo S Vinnie Sunseri RB De’Anthony Thomas DE Stephon Tuitt G Trai Turner DE George Uko DB Pierre Warren WR Sammy Watkins RB Terrance West RB James Wilder T David Yankey

Florida South Carolina Alabama-Birmingham Stanford Tennessee Colorado Florida Penn State Auburn Ohio State California Washington Baylor Washington Ohio State Connecticut Wyoming Syracuse Ball State Brown Oklahoma State UCLA Alabama Oregon Notre Dame LSU USC Jacksonville State Clemson Towson Florida State Stanford

The following players in timely fashion under NFL rules officially notified this office that they had graduated. Consequently, they are eligible for selection in the 2014 Draft: Player S Dion Bailey DE Carl Bradford QB Teddy Bridgewater OLB Adrian Hubbard

School USC Arizona State Louisville Alabama

SCHOOLS WITH MOST PLAYERS INVITED TO COMBINE School Alabama LSU Florida State Notre Dame Florida Stanford Missouri North Carolina USC Baylor Ohio State Oregon Wisconsin

Players 12 11 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 6 6

QUARTERBACKS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W For the second consecutive year, there really isn’t a unanimous top quarterback in the same vein as Andrew Luck in 2012. Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel clearly stand out at the top of a class that definitely is better than last year’s group. Complicating matters this year were the late-season injuries sustained by SEC stars Zach Mettenberger of LSU and Aaron Murray of the University of Georgia.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Blake Bortles

6-5

230

Central Florida

1st

Teddy Bridgewater

6-2

215

Louisville

1st

Johnny Manziel

6-0

205

Texas A&M

1st

Derek Carr

6-2

215

Fresno State

1st-2nd

Zach Mettenberger 6-5

225

LSU

2nd-3rd

Jimmy Garoppolo

6-2

225

Eastern Illinois

2nd-3rd

David Fales

6-2

210

San Jose State

3rd-4th

A.J. McCarron

6-3

220

Alabama

3rd-4th

Tom Savage

6-4

230

Pittsburgh

4th-5th

Logan Thomas

6-6

250

Virginia Tech

5th-6th

Teams with biggest need at the position: Buffalo, Cleveland, Jack-

sonville, Minnesota, N.Y. Jets

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Teddy Bridgewater had a tremendous career at Louisville and he’s got all the intangibles necessary to succeed. The only reason he’s not the slam-dunk No. 1 overall pick is that he doesn’t have elite arm strength and he’s got a slight build, which makes durability a concern. • Derek Carr has all the desired physical attributes, including a very strong arm, but there are questions about his ability to perform under center and he also didn’t help his cause with a shaky outing in his last bowl game. And, of course, his brother David’s disappointing NFL career isn’t likely to help his cause, either. • Johnny Manziel might be the most electrifying prospect in the draft, but he’s also the most polarizing. His shortcomings include lack of size or great speed and the lack of structure in his game, but there is no denying his playmaking ability. He’s also someone who can energize a franchise with his style.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Blake Bortles Central Florida Johnny Manziel probably is the best playmaker among this year’s quarterback prospects and Teddy Bridgewater probably is the most polished passer at this stage, but Bortles probably has a bigger upside than either of them. Bortles has drawn comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger because of his size, but at this point he’s not as accomplished as a passer while also possessing better foot speed. Bortles helped UCF win seven games by seven points or fewer in 2013, including a three-point victory against Bridgewater’s Louisville Cardinals.

• Zach Mettenberger has his share of detractors, stemming mainly from a March 2010 arrest that led to his dismissal from the University of Georgia, but he’s got more upside than most quarterback prospects in this class.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 11 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 9 Picks by round: 1 in the first, 1 in the second, 1 in the third, 4 in the fourth, 0 in the fifth, 0 in the sixth, 4 in the seventh Highest pick: E.J. Manuel, Round 1, 16th overall, by Buffalo Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Manuel (Buffalo), Geno Smith (2nd round, N.Y. Jets), Mike Glennon (3rd, Tampa Bay)

HALFBACKS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W Despite the huge role played by Marshawn Lynch in Seattle’s march to the Super Bowl title in 2013, the draft value of halfbacks continues to be on the downswing. This looks like a pretty good group, but it’s possible — if not likely — that for the second consecutive draft no running back will be taken in the first round. The halfback prospects include a large number of smaller players, with 14 combine invitees coming in at 5 feet 9 or shorter.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Auburn

2nd

Tre Mason

5-8

205

Carlos Hyde

6-0

230

Ohio State

2nd

Ka’Deem Carey

5-9

205

Arizona

2nd

Jeremy Hill

6-1

235

LSU

2nd-3rd

Bishop Sankey

5-9

210

Washington

2nd-3rd

Devonta Freeman

5-8

205

Florida State

3rd-4th

Lache Seastrunk

5-9

200

Baylor

3rd-4th

Charles Sims

6-0

215

West Virginia

3rd-4th

Terrance West

5-9

225

Towson

3rd-4th

Andre Williams

5-11 230

Boston College

3rd-4th

Teams with biggest need at the position: Cleveland, Houston,

Jacksonville, Miami, N.Y. Giants, Tennessee

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Carlos Hyde is a big, bruising back who rushed for more than 1,200 yards in 2013 despite missing the first three games because of a suspension related to an off-thefield incident. He would be ideal for a Marshawn Lynch type of workhorse role. • Ka’Deem Carey led the country in rushing yards per game in 2012 and finished second last fall, so there is no questioning his productivity. The two potential red flags in his game are a lack of breakaway speed and the fact he played in Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense. • If not for character red flags as the result of a couple of off-the-field incidents, including being caught on video punching an LSU student outside a bar, Jeremy Hill just might be the top prospect at running back. He’s a tad bigger than Hyde but also shows more explosiveness.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Tre Mason Auburn Mason, whose father is a member of hip-hop group De La Soul, was a rock star in his own right toward the end of the 2013 college football season. After rushing for 304 yards in the SEC title game against a good Missouri defense, Mason came back with 195 yards against Florida State in the BCS Championship Game. Mason compared his style at the combine to that of Marshawn Lynch, but he’s not as big as Lynch. Mason, however, is a strong runner with the ability to break the long one.

• Terrance West is one of the most intriguing prospects at any position after walking on at Towson and then rushing for 2,509 yards and an outrageous 41 touchdowns in 2013. Yes, West put up those huge numbers against inferior competition and he lacks elite physical attributes, but West clearly has good running skills.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 23 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 22 Picks by round: 0 in the first, 5 in the second, 1 in the third, 2 in the fourth, 5 in the fifth, 7 in the sixth, 3 in the seventh Highest pick: Giovani Bernard, Round 2, 37th overall, by Cincinnati Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Le’Veon Bell (2nd round, Pittsburgh), Eddie Lacy (2nd, Green Bay), Zac Stacy (5th, St. Louis)

FULLBACKS/H-BACKS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W If running backs have it tough these days in the draft, it’s downright dreadful for fullbacks. Only three fullbacks were taken in the 2013 draft and that’s exactly how many true college fullbacks were invited to this year’s scouting combine. As is typically the case, it’s highly unlikely that any fullback will get selected before the third day of the draft. The big question is whether a fullback goes before Round 5.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Trey Millard

6-2

245

Oklahoma

4th-5th

Jay Prosch

6-1

255

Auburn

5th-6th

J.C. Copeland

5-11 270

LSU

6th-7th

Ryan Hewitt

6-4

Stanford

7th-FA

Chase Abram

5-11 230

Florida State

7th-FA

Gator Hoskins

6-1

245

Marshall

7th-FA

Ray Agnew

5-9

245

Southern Illinois

7th-FA

Nikita Whitlock

5-10 250

Wake Forest

7th-FA

Kiero Small

5-8

255

Arkansas

7th-FA

Chad Young

5-9

240

San Diego State

7th-FA

245

Teams with biggest need at the position: Chicago, Houston,

New England, N.Y. Giants, San Diego, Washington

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • J.C. Copeland began his career at LSU as a defensive tackle before switching to fullback early in the 2010 season. At his size, he could be useful as a goal-line runner, as he showed in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl when he rushed for two touchdowns on two carries. • It was a surprise to many that Jay Prosch didn’t even get an invitation to the scouting combine considering he just might be the best prospect at the position. Prosch is the classic throwback at the position, even calling himself a “glorified lineman.” • Ryan Hewitt played different roles at Stanford, catching 34 passes in 2011 before becoming more of a blocker the last two seasons. He’s versatile but lacks a special skill. • Gator Hoskins led all tight ends in touchdown catches last season when he also saw time at fullback for Marshall. His lack of height (6-1) makes him more suited for a fullback/H-back role in the NFL.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Trey Millard Oklahoma Despite being a fullback, Millard was considered one of the key players on the Oklahoma offense because of his versatility. He was used in the roles of running back, fullback and tight end at different times, and also contributed on special teams. Millard also was a team captain and he was a two-time All-Big 12 selection despite being limited to eight games in 2013 because of a torn ACL in October. To illustrate what the NFL thinks of him, he was invited to the combine even though he couldn’t perform because he still was recovering from his knee injury.

• Nikita Whitlock was an All-ACC selection at defensive tackle, but he got work at fullback during practices for the inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 3 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 2 Picks by round: 0 in the first, 0 in the second, 0 in the third, 1 in the fourth, 0 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth, 1 in the seventh Highest pick: Kyle Juszczyk, Round 4, 130th overall, by Baltimore Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Tommy Bohanon (7th round, N.Y. Jets)

WIDE RECEIVERS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W That the wide receiver position is the strongest in this year’s draft isn’t as big a question as whether there’s even a close second. The infusion of underclassmen has made this group nothing short of tremendous, with at least a halfdozen prospects possessing legitimate first-round talent. Sammy Watkins leads a group that offers everything, from oversized red-zone threats to diminutive speedsters.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Sammy Watkins

6-1

210

Clemson

1st

Mike Evans

6-5

230

Texas A&M

1st

Marqise Lee

6-0

190

USC

1st

Kelvin Benjamin

6-5

240

Florida State

Odell Beckham Jr.

5-11 200

LSU

1st-2nd

Brandin Cooks

5-10 190

Oregon State

1st-2nd

Jordan Matthews

6-3

210

Vanderbilt

1st-2nd

Davante Adams

6-1

210

Fresno State

2nd-3rd

Jarvis Landry

5-11 205

LSU

2nd-3rd

Martavis Bryant

6-4

Clemson

2nd-3rd

210

1st

Teams with biggest need at the position: Baltimore, Carolina, Indianapo-

lis, Kansas City, New England, New Orleans, N.Y. Jets, St. Louis, Seattle

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Texas A&M’s Mike Evans and Florida State’s Kelvin Benjamin are both oversized wide receivers with the ability to win one-on-one battles for jump balls. Evans, who has been compared to Vincent Jackson, is the better prospect of the two because he’s got more speed. • LSU has a pair of good prospects in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. While the two have similar physical dimensions, Beckham relies more on speed, while Landry’s game is based more on route-running and toughness. • USC’s Marqise Lee had a disappointing 2013 season, but that was largely due to injury problems and a lack of dependable quarterbacking. But he looked like the best wide receiver in college football in 2012 when he put up ridiculous numbers (118 catches, 1,721 yards). • A couple of smallish but explosive playmakers to keep an eye on are Oklahoma’s Jalen Saunders (5-9, 165) and Michigan’s Jeremy Gallon (5-7, 185).

HEAD OF THE CLASS Sammy Watkins Clemson Sammy Watkins was viewed as a top NFL prospect from the time he arrived at Clemson, and in 2013 he erased any doubts that might have cropped up after a disappointing 2012 season. Probably the best wide receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson in 2007, Watkins is a playmaker with speed and toughness. Watkins had 101 catches for 1,464 yards as a junior and capped his college career with 16 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the Orange Bowl Classic against Ohio State.

• Brandin Cooks led all NCAA wide receivers (FBS schools) with 1,730 receiving yards in 2013, then showed off impressive speed at the combine.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 27 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 20 Picks by round: 3 in the first, 3 in the second, 5 in the third, 4 in the fourth, 3 in the fifth, 5 in the sixth, 4 in the seventh Highest pick: Tavon Austin, Round 1, 8th overall, by St. Louis Rookie starters (8 starts or more): DeAndre Hopkins (1st round, Houston), Robert Woods (2nd, Buffalo), Aaron Dobson (2nd, New England), Terrance Williams (3rd, Dallas), Keenan Allen (3rd, San Diego), Kenny Stills (5th, New Orleans)

TIGHT ENDS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W Jimmy Graham seems to have become the standard for NFL tight ends, but there doesn’t appear to be a prospect with that kind of gamechanging ability. That said, there are blue-chip pass-catching prospects available, with Eric Ebron, Austin SeferianJenkins and Jace Amaro all possible first-round picks. There also are a couple of allaround tight ends available, although it’s a top-heavy group.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Eric Ebron

6-4

250

North Carolina

1st

A. Seferian-Jenkins 6-5

260

Washington

1st-2nd

Jace Amaro

6-5

265

Texas Tech

1st-2nd

Troy Niklas

6-6

270

Notre Dame

2nd-3rd

C.J. Fiedorowicz

6-5

265

Iowa

3rd-4th

A.C. Leonard

6-2

250

Tennessee State

3rd-4th

Nic Jacobs

6-5

270

McNeese State

4th-5th

Xavier Gimble

6-4

255

USC

4th-5th

Crockett Gilmore

6-6

260

Colorado State

4th-5th

Joe Don Duncan

6-3

270

Dixon

5th-6th

Teams with biggest need at the position: Atlanta, Buffalo, Green Bay,

New England, N.Y. Giants, N.Y. Jets, St. Louis, Seattle, Tennessee

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been seen as a top NFL prospect for a while, but he enters the draft following a disappointing 2013 season when an ankle injury played a role in his number of catches going from 69 to 36. Not helping matters was a foot problem that prevented him for working out at the combine and required surgery. • Jace Amaro caught only 32 passes in his first two seasons at Texas Tech before he set a record for NCAA tight ends with 1,352 receiving yards on 106 receptions in 2013. He lined up in the slot a majority of the time last season and needs work on his blocking, but there’s no questioning his pass-catching ability. • The nephew of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews, Troy Niklas surprised many by entering the draft after only one season as a starter at Notre Dame. But Niklas does have a nice all-around game and showed better-than-expected speed at the scouting combine.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Eric Ebron North Carolina Eric Ebron steadily improved at North Carolina and in 2013 he set an ACC record for receiving yards in a season for a tight end with 973 yards. Ebron broke a record that belonged to Vernon Davis, who went on to become the sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft. Ebron won’t go that high in the draft because he doesn’t possess Davis’ astounding combination of size, strength and speed, but he should be a first-round pick because he’s a speedy pass catcher who still has room for improvement. Ebron also has special teams experience.

• Tennessee State’s A.C. Leonard was the fastest tight end at the combine, but NFL teams will be weighing character risks after an off-the-field incident led to his departure from the University of Florida.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 16 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 14 Picks by round: 1 in the first, 3 in the second, 2 in the third, 2 in the fourth, 1 in the fifth, 3 in the sixth, 4 in the seventh Highest pick: Tyler Eifert, Round 1, 21st overall, by Cincinnati Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Eifert, Ryan Griffin (6th round, Houston)

OFFENSIVE TACKLES DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W Offensive tackles Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel and Lane Johnson were selected first, second and fourth overall in the 2013 draft, but it’s fair to wonder whether any of them would even be among the top three prospects at their position this year. That speaks to a lack of elite talent at the top of last year’s draft, but even more so to the tremendous group of offensive tackles available this year.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Greg Robinson

6-5

330

Auburn

1st

Jake Matthews

6-5

310

Texas A&M

1st

Taylor Lewan

6-7

310

Michigan

1st

Zack Martin

6-4

310

Notre Dame

Cyrus Kouandjio

6-7

320

Alabama

Antonio Richardson 6-6

335

Tennessee

1st-2nd

Jack Mewhort

310

Ohio State

2nd-3rd

Seantrel Henderson 6-7

330

Miami (Fla.)

2nd-3rd

Morgan Moses

6-6

315

West Virginia

2nd-3rd

Billy Turner

6-5

315

North Dakota State

3rd-4th

6-6

1st 1st-2nd

Teams with biggest need at the position: Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina,

Detroit, Houston, Miami, St. Louis, Seattle

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Jake Matthews, the son of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews, is considered by some to be an even better prospect than Greg Robinson. As one would expect given his family tree, his technique is almost flawless. • For teams who like their offensive linemen to have a mean streak, Taylor Lewan is their guy, although he needs to keep his emotions in check (see Michigan State game, 2013). • Notre Dame’s Zack Martin was the talk of the Senior Bowl on the offensive side of things. The dilemma with Martin is whether to play him at tackle, where he should a solid 10-year starter, or move him inside to guard, where he has the chance to be a Pro Bowl regular. • One of the most polarizing players in the draft is Seantrel Henderson. The five-star recruit looks the part and has all the necessary physical attributes, but he badly underachieved at Miami amid questions about his dedication.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Greg Robinson Auburn Unlike some of the other top names in the offensive tackle class, Greg Robinson is somewhat of a late bloomer. He arrived at Auburn after having played guard in high school, and that for only two years because he used to play on the defensive line. After starting 11 games at left tackle as a redshirt freshman, Robinson had a monster 2013 season when he helped pave the way for Auburn’s tremendous running game. Robinson, who declared for the draft as a redshirt sophomore, made the SEC Honor Roll the past two years.

• Among the best small-school prospects at any position is North Dakota State’s Billy Turner, who saw some time at guard during Senior Bowl week.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 21 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 19 Picks by round: 5 in the first, 1 in the second, 3 in the third, 2 in the fourth, 4 in the fifth, 3 in the sixth, 3 in the seventh Highest pick: Eric Fisher, Round 1, 1st overall, by Kansas City Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Fisher, Lane Johnson (1st, Philadelphia), D.J. Fluker (1st, San Diego), Justin Pugh (1st, N.Y. Giants), David Bakhtiari (4th, Green Bay), Jordan Mills (5th, Chicago)

OFFENSIVE GUARDS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W Two guards — Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack — were among the top 10 picks in the 2013 NFL draft, but that was an aberration because guards usually don’t get taken high in the first round. It’s back to normal in 2014, with no guard likely to get selected in the first half of the first round. There’s not a lot separating the top three prospects at the position — David Yankey, Xavier Su’a-Filo and Gabe Jackson.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

6-6

315

Stanford

Projected round

David Yankey

Xavier Su’a-Filo

6-4

305

UCLA

1st-2nd

Gabe Jackson

6-3

335

Mississippi State

2nd-3rd

Cyril Richardson

6-5

330

Baylor

2nd-3rd

Brandon Thomas

6-3

315

Clemson

2nd-3rd

Trai Turner

6-3

310

LSU

3rd-4th

Dakota Dozier

6-4

315

Furman

3rd-4th

Jon Halapio

6-3

325

Florida

3rd-4th

Anthony Steen

6-3

315

Alabama

3rd-4th

Joel Bitonio

6-4

300

Nevada

4th-5th

1st-2nd

Teams with biggest need at the position: Buffalo, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, Seattle, Tampa Bay

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Xavier Su’a-Filo started as a true freshman at UCLA before going on a two-year Mormon mission, then picked up where he left off. Su’a-Filo played mostly left tackle in 2013, but has a chance to be the first guard taken. • Gabe Jackson, whose father was his high school coach, is the classic mauler at guard. He’s the largest prospect among our top 10 guards but actually moves pretty well for a 335-pounder. • Cyril Richardson started at left tackle for Baylor before switching inside to guard. Richardson, a two-time AllAmerican selection, has tackle size but his foot quickness has come under scrutiny. • Dakota Dozier, who plays the cello, lined up mostly at left tackle at Furman but his physical stature makes him better suited for guard at the NFL level. He’s a work in progress and didn’t face great competition in college, but he has a lot of upside.

HEAD OF THE CLASS David Yankey Stanford Born in Australia, Yankey saw action as a true freshman before his season was cut short by an injury. After starting the last three years and being a two-time All-American, Yankey decided to enter the draft even though he had a year of eligibility left. Yankey played left tackle in 2012 and allowed only one sack but moved back inside to guard last fall and that’s where his NFL future lies. Yankey has room for improvement, but he possesses of nice blend of strength and athletic ability.

• Anthony Steen, one of the lesser-known members of Alabama’s star-studded offensive line of 2012, is a savvy lineman who could wind up at center in the NFL.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 14 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 12 Picks by round: 3 in the first, 0 in the second, 3 in the third, 3 in the fourth, 0 in the fifth, 2 in the sixth, 3 in the seventh Highest pick: Jonathan Cooper, Round 1, 7th overall, by Arizona Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Chance Warmack (1st round, Tennessee), Kyle Long (1st, Chicago), Brian Winters (3rd, N.Y. Jets), Hugh Thornton (3rd, Indianapolis)

CENTERS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W Along with fullback, center remains among the most overlooked positions in the draft. Only five centers were taken in the 2013 draft, although Wisconsin’s Travis Frederick became a firstround selection when he was chosen 31st overall by the Dallas Cowboys. There very well might be more centers selected this year, although there doesn’t appear to be a firstround prospect in the group.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

6-3

320

USC

Projected round

Marcus Martin

Travis Swanson

6-5

310

Arkansas

3rd-4th

Weston Richburg

6-3

300

Colorado State

3rd-4th

Bryan Stork

6-4

315

Florida State

3rd-4th

Tyler Larsen

6-4

315

Utah State

4th-5th

Gabe Ikard

6-4

305

Oklahoma

5th-6th

Jonotthan Harrison 6-3

305

Florida

6th-7th

James Stone

6-4

305

Tennessee

6th-7th

Corey Linsley

6-3

295

Ohio State

6th-7th

Matt Armstrong

6-2

300

Grand Valley State

6th-7th

2nd-3rd

Teams with biggest need at the position: Baltimore, New Orleans,

N.Y. Giants, San Francisco

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • The younger brother of Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Cody Larsen, Tyler Larsen started four years at Utah State and then really helped his cause with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl. • Travis Swanson has limitations when it comes to athletic ability, but he’s got great intangibles (two-time team captain, academic honor roll), is durable (started 50 games in college) and faced great competition in the SEC. • A four-year starter who set a school record with 50 career starts, Weston Richburg became the first Colorado State player since 2004 (tight end Joel Dreessen) invited to play in the Senior Bowl. • Bryan Stork was a high school tight end before he moved to the offensive line at Florida State. After starting at guard, he eventually moved inside and won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in the nation in 2013.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Marcus Martin USC Marcus Martin wasted little time making an impact at USC, starting 10 games at guard as a true freshman in 2011. He started again at guard in 2012 before making the switch to center last season. In his only season at center, Martin played well enough to earn first-team AllPac-12 honors. His season ended when he sustained a dislocated kneecap and high ankle sprain in the finale against UCLA, although the injury didn’t require surgery. Martin isn’t quite a finished product at center, but possesses the size and athletic ability to become a quality NFL starter.

• Matt Armstrong, the Division II winner of the Rimington Trophy, played every position on the offensive line during his career at Grand Valley State and became the first player from that school ever invited to the combine.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 5 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 4 Picks by round: 1 in the first, 0 in the second, 0 in the third, 2 in the fourth, 0 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth, 1 in the seventh Highest pick: Travis Frederick, Round 1, 31st overall, by Dallas Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Frederick, Brian Schwenke (4th, Tennessee)

DEFENSIVE TACKLES DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W Defensive tackle is one of those positions in this year’s draft that appears to have greatly benefited from the influx of underclassmen. There were four defensive tackles taken in the first round in 2013, and it’s easy to envision a scenario where that number is topped this spring. This year’s crop offers blue-chip prospects of all types, from athletic pass rushers like Aaron Donald to run stuffers like Louis Nix III.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Aaron Donald

6-1

285

Pittsburgh

1st

Louis Nix III

6-2

330

Notre Dame

1st

Timmy Jernigan

6-2

300

Florida State

1st

Ra’Shede Hageman 6-6

310

Minnesota

1st-2nd

Stephon Tuitt

6-5

305

Notre Dame

1st-2nd

Anthony Johnson

6-2

310

LSU

2nd-3rd

Will Sutton

6-0

305

Arizona State

2nd-3rd

Dominique Easley

6-2

290

Florida

2nd-3rd

DaQuan Jones

6-4

320

Penn State

2nd-3rd

Kelcy Quarles

6-4

295

South Carolina

2nd-3rd

Teams with biggest need at the position: Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Minnesota, New England, Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Diego

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Louis Nix III had a breakout season in 2012 when he played a big role in Notre Dame’s run to the BCS Championship Game, but wasn’t quite as dominant last season before he had surgery for a torn meniscus. Even then, for teams looking for a nose tackle, he’s the guy. • Timmy Jernigan, who started only two games at Florida State before emerging as a game-changer in 2013, is similar to Aaron Donald in that he’s a tad undersized but has great quickness and tenacity. • When it comes to looking the part, nobody tops Ra’Shede Hageman. He could play inside in a 4-3 or outside in a 3-4 and has perhaps more upside than any other defensive tackle in the draft. • Stephon Tuitt played defensive end in Notre Dame’s 3-4 scheme and had 12 sacks in 2012, barely falling short of Justin Tuck’s single-season school record. Like Hageman, Tuitt fits as a 4-3 DT or a 3-4 DE.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Aaron Donald Pittsburgh The most decorated player in college football in 2013 as the winner of the Outland, Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski awards, Aaron Donald followed up his sensational season with tremendous performances at the Senior Bowl and the scouting combine. Donald has drawn comparisons to both former Vikings star John Randle and current Bengals star Geno Atkins. Like those two, he’s an undersized defensive tackle who relies on tremendous quickness. Because of his stature, Donald needs to go to a team that employs a 4-3 scheme.

• LSU offers a couple of intriguing prospects in Anthony Johnson and Ego Ferguson, who both have the physical attributes to become better NFL than college players.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 17 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 15 Picks by round: 4 in the first, 2 in the second, 4 in the third, 1 in the fourth, 2 in the fifth, 2 in the sixth, 2 in the seventh Highest pick: Sheldon Richardson, Round 1, 13th overall, by N.Y. Jets Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Richardson, Star Lotulelei (1st, Carolina), Bennie Logan (3rd, Philadelphia), Akeem Spence (3rd, Tampa Bay), Chris Jones (6th, drafted by Houston, started with New England)

DEFENSIVE ENDS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W The 2013 draft was loaded with stud pass-rushing defensive ends, with five going in the first round. Although it includes the top defensive end prospects in many years, this year’s class doesn’t come close to matching it in terms of depth. In fact, Jadeveon Clowney looks like the only sure-fire first-round pick in this year’s group, even though he’s likely to be joined by one or two others. It is, however, a top-heavy class.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Jadeveon Clowney 6-5

265

South Carolina

Dee Ford

6-2

250

Auburn

1st-2nd

Kony Ealy

6-4

275

Missouri

1st-2nd

Trent Murphy

6-5

250

Stanford

2nd-3rd

Scott Crichton

6-3

275

Oregon State

2nd-3rd

Kareem Martin

6-6

270

North Carolina

3rd-4th

Marcus Smith

6-3

250

Louisville

3rd-4th

Jackson Jeffcoat

6-3

245

Texas

4th-5th

Brent Urban

6-7

295

Virginia

4th-5th

Ed Stinson

6-3

285

Alabama

4th-5th

1st

Teams with biggest need at the position: Baltimore, Dallas, Green Bay,

Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Washington

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K

HEAD OF THE CLASS Jadeveon Clowney South Carolina Probably no prospect has been scrutinized as much as Jadeveon Clowney, who has been viewed as the best prospect in college football for a couple of years now. Clowney would have been the first overall pick in the 2013 draft but wasn’t eligible because he wasn’t three years removed from high school. So he returned to South Carolina and was knocked for not having the kind of dominating season his ability suggests he should have had. The bottom line is that Clowney is a freakish kind of athlete with the ability to dominate at any level.

• While it was his Missouri teammate Michael Sam who earned SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors and later attracted all the attention, Kony Ealy clearly is the better NFL prospect. Ealy, who had 9.5 sacks in 2013, is athletic enough to play OLB in a 3-4. • After three rather quiet seasons at Auburn, Dee Ford emerged as a pass-rushing force in 2013. At 6-2, 250, Ford is undersized, and he could wind up playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. • Stanford has a pair of interesting, albeit different, prospects. Trent Murphy recorded 25 sacks the past two seasons while playing mostly outside linebacker in a 3-4 but probably isn’t athletic enough to play that role in the NFL. Josh Mauro, meanwhile, is a bigger prospect who could play end in a 3-4 or tackle in a 4-3. • The son of longtime Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jim Jeffcoat, Jackson Jeffcoat failed to live up to his advance billing at Texas until he earned the Ted Hendricks Award as a senior. • Kareem Martin broke out as a pass-rushing force with 11.5 sacks in his senior season, but he might stand out more as a run-stopping defensive end.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 33 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 29 Picks by round: 5 in the first, 2 in the second, 3 in the third, 6 in the fourth, 7 in the fifth, 3 in the sixth, 7 in the seventh Highest pick: Dion Jordan, Round 1, 3rd overall, by Miami Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Ziggy Ansah (1st round, Detroit)

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W In terms of top-end talent and depth, this shapes up as a banner year for this position. Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr both could or should be top 10 picks, and they could be joined in the first round by two or three other outside linebackers. There should be good prospects available through Round 3, even without including college defensive ends who will be moving to outside linebacker in 3-4 schemes.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round 1st

Khalil Mack

6-3

250

Buffalo

Anthony Barr

6-5

255

UCLA

Ryan Shazier

6-1

235

Ohio State

1st-2nd

Jerry Attaochu

6-3

250

Georgia Tech

2nd-3rd

Kyle Van Noy

6-3

245

BYU

2nd-3rd

Carl Bradford

6-1

250

Arizona State

2nd-3rd

Adrian Hubbard

6-6

255

Alabama

2nd-3rd

Trevor Reilly

6-3

235

Utah

2nd-3rd

Telvin Smith

6-3

220

Florida State

2nd-3rd

Jordan Tripp

6-3

235

Montana

3rd-4th

1st

Teams with biggest need at the position: Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Dal-

las, Jacksonville, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Tennessee

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Anthony Barr agreed to switch from running back to linebacker for his final two seasons at UCLA, and the move paid off in a big way. He racked up 23.5 sacks over the past two seasons and only figures to get better with more experience on defense. • Ryan Shazier, whose father has been the Miami Dolphins team chaplain the past five years, was an active defender playing inside and outside at Ohio State, but he might not have the size to play anything but outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. Regardless, Shazier is a playmaker with speed. • Trevor Reilly, who played defensive end and linebacker at Utah, is one of the most interesting prospects at any position. He’s 26, is married with two children, served a two-year mission in Sweden, and got into the Guinness Book of World Records by chowing down a raw onion in 1 minute, 35 seconds — 65 seconds better than the old mark. Oh, and he can rush the passer.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Khalil Mack Buffalo It’s really difficult at this time to understand how it could be possible that Mack didn’t receive a scholarship offer from any Division I-A school other than Buffalo. Mack became a star at Buffalo, setting a Bowl Subdivision career record with 16 forced fumbles and tying the record for tackles for loss with 75. Mack also came up big in games against Ohio State and Baylor. Mack is a tremendous athlete with a great size/speed ratio, and he followed up a tremendous college career with a great showing at his Pro Day.

• Telvin Smith is an athletic linebacker and he led national champion Florida State in tackles in 2013, but he has to play weakside linebacker in a 4-3 or move to safety.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 12 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 12 Picks by round: 1 in the first, 1 in the second, 2 in the third, 4 in the fourth, 0 in the fifth, 4 in the sixth, 0 in the seventh Highest pick: Jarvis Jones, Round 1, 17th overall, by Pittsburgh Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Jones, Jamie Collins (2nd, New England), Sio Moore (3rd, Oakland)

INSIDE LINEBACKERS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W With the great success enjoyed by Luke Kuechly with the Carolina Panthers, the search always is on for an inside linebacker who can have that kind of impact. C.J. Mosley just might be that kind of guy, but the bad news is that there appears to be a major drop-off after him. There were six inside linebackers taken in the first two rounds in 2013, and the total won’t come close this year.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

235

Alabama

Projected round

C.J. Mosley

6-2

Chris Borland

5-11 250

Wisconsin

2nd-3rd

Shayne Skov

6-2

245

Stanford

2nd-3rd

Preston Brown

6-1

250

Louisville

3rd-4th

Max Bullough

6-3

250

Michigan State

3rd-4th

Yawin Smallwood

6-2

245

Connecticut

3rd-4th

Christian Jones

6-3

240

Florida State

4th-5th

James Morris

6-1

240

Iowa

4th-5th

Avery Williamson

6-1

245

Kentucky

5th-6th

Lamin Barrow

6-1

235

LSU

5th-6th

1st

Teams with biggest need at the position: Denver, Houston, Indianapolis,

Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tennessee, Washington

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Chris Borland recorded 100 tackles or more each of the last three years and forced 15 fumbles during his Wisconsin career. Because of his great instincts and lack of size, he has been compared to longtime Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. • Shayne Skov re-established himself in 2013 as a bona fide NFL prospect after he sustained a torn ACL in 2011 and didn’t play up to standards the following season. Skov is a physical defender who’s a good fit for a 3-4. • Yawin Smallwood led UConn in tackles the last two years and has the athletic ability to conceivably be used as an outside linebacker in the NFL. • Christian Jones played outside linebacker at Florida State before switching inside in 2013. His best fit in the NFL looks like inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

HEAD OF THE CLASS C.J. Mosley Alabama The winner of the 2013 Dick Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker, C.J. Mosley is among the safest prospects in this year’s draft. Mosley played four years at Alabama after seeing action as a true freshman and has all the necessary physical attributes plus the intangibles. He’s known as a very quiet guy, and that can be considered one of the few knocks on his game. He also battled some injuries at Alabama, including a dislocated elbow during the 2011 season. Overall, though, he’s a great prospect.

• Max Bullough was a team captain at Michigan State, just like his father, and he’s a hard-nosed defender. He was suspended for the Rose Bowl after making 40 consecutive starts but said he addressed the issue with NFL teams at the combine.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 13 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 12 Picks by round: 1 in the first, 5 in the second, 0 in the third, 1 in the fourth, 1 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth, 4 in the seventh Highest pick: Alec Ogletree, Round 1, 30th overall, by St. Louis Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Ogletree, Manti Te’o (2nd, San Diego), Kiko Alonso (2nd, Buffalo), Jon Bostic (2nd, Chicago), Vince Williams (6th, Pittsburgh)

CORNERBACKS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W After the success enjoyed by the Seattle Seahawks, oversized cornerbacks figure to be in heavy demand moving forward, but those just aren’t that easy to find. There are a couple available this year, most notably Stanley JeanBaptiste and Keith McGill, but the most talented cornerbacks in this draft are closer to the 6-foot range. That said, there is a lot of depth in this year’s class, although there isn’t a top-10 lock in the bunch.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

6-0

200

Oklahoma State

Justin Gilbert

Darqueze Dennard 5-11 200

Michigan State

Bradley Roby

Ohio State

Jason Verrett

5-10 175

TCU

1st-2nd

Lamarcus Joyner

5-8

190

Florida State

1st-2nd

Kyle Fuller

6-0

190

Virginia Tech

1st-2nd

Loucheiz Purifoy

6-0

190

Florida

2nd-3rd

Stan Jean-Baptiste 6-3

215

Nebraska

2nd-3rd

Bashaud Breeland

5-11 195

Clemson

3rd-4th

Pierre Desir

6-1

Lindenwood

3rd-4th

5-11 190

200

1st 1st 1st-2nd

Teams with biggest need at the position: Carolina, Chicago, Dallas, De-

troit, New Orleans, Oakland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Tennessee

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard won the 2013 Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football and is considered by some the best cornerback in this draft. Dennard is a sound technician who’s also good in run support, but lacks elite speed. • On pure talent, Bradley Roby is as good a cornerback as there is in this draft, but he’s coming off a disappointing 2013 season that ended with several questions about him sitting out the Orange Bowl despite his claims of a knee injury. • Lamarcus Joyner played both safety and cornerback at Florida State and is a dynamic playmaker (he led FSU with 5.5 sacks in 2013). He’s only 5-8, though, and is very similar to Arizona Cardinals DB Tyrann Mathieu. • Jason Verrett is as good in coverage as any cornerback in this draft but his NFL potential could be limited by a lack of ideal size. He could be an ideal slot corner.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Justin Gilbert Oklahoma State While he’s not a jumbo-sized cornerback like Richard Sherman, Justin Gilbert is plenty tall enough to succeed in the NFL. What matters, though, is Gilbert’s playmaking ability, which was evidenced by his seven interceptions in 2013 and his six career kickoff returns for touchdowns, one shy of the NCAA record held by C.J. Spiller. Gilbert just might have earned the No. 1 spot among cornerback prospects by posting a time of 4.37 in the 40-yard dash at the combine.

• The wild card at cornerback is Oklahoma’s Aaron Colvin, who was a likely first-round pick before he tore an ACL during Senior Bowl practices.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 28 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 25 Picks by round: 4 in the first, 5 in the second, 7 in the third, 1 in the fourth, 6 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth, 4 in the seventh Highest pick: Dee Milliner, Round 1, 9th overall, by N.Y. Jets Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Milliner, Desmond Trufant (1st, Atlanta), Johnthan Banks (2nd, Tampa Bay), David Amerson (2nd, Washington), Dwayne Gratz (3rd, Jacksonville), Tyrann Mathieu (3rd, Arizona)

SAFETIES DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W At a time when certain positions (halfbacks, fullbacks, centers) are losing value, the importance of safeties seems to be increasing. It’s a good thing then that this year’s crop of available safeties looks like a really good one. There’s top-end quality with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor, who should battle for top spot at the position, and also good depth through the first two or three rounds of the draft.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

6-1

210

Alabama

Calvin Pryor

6-2

210

Louisville

1st-2nd

Jimmie Ward

5-11 190

Northern Illinois

2nd-3rd

Deone Bucannon

6-1

215

Washington State

2nd-3rd

Jonathan Dowling

6-2

200

Western Kentucky

3rd-4th

Terrence Brooks

5-11 195

Florida State

3rd-4th

Dontae Johnson

6-2

200

N.C. State

3rd-4th

Ed Reynolds

6-2

205

Stanford

3th-4th

Dion Bailey

6-0

200

USC

4th-5th

Craig Loston

6-1

215

LSU

4th-5th

1st

Teams with biggest need at the position: Atlanta, Carolina, Chicago,

Dallas, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, N.Y. Jets, Washington

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Calvin Pryor had three interceptions in 2013 when he was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection, but his coverage might pale in comparison to his physical toughness. • Dion Bailey played linebacker at USC in 2011 and 2012 before moving to safety last fall. Bailey had five picks in 2013, so he has playmaking ability. The question with Bailey is whether he’s fast enough. • Washington State’s Deone Bucannon is one of the biggest safeties in this draft and he’s also one of the biggest hitters. Bucannon also showed playmaking skills in 2013 when he had six interceptions. • Northern Illinois’ Jimmie Ward lacks ideal size, but he averaged almost 100 tackles the last three years and had seven interceptions in 2013. He also blocked three punts as a freshman in 2010.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Alabama Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix arrived at Alabama as the top high school safety in the country, according to several recruiting services, and he didn’t disappoint. Clinton-Dix got on the field as a true freshman before leading the 2012 national champions with five interceptions. While Clinton-Dix didn’t have quite as productive a junior season — he missed two games because of a team suspension and finished with two interceptions — he’s got the skills, particularly in coverage, to become a Pro Bowl player in the NFL.

• Jonathan Dowling, who wound up at Western Kentucky after being dismissed from Florida for a violation of team rules, had nine interceptions and eight forced fumbles over the past two seasons.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 23 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 21 Picks by round: 3 in the first, 2 in the second, 4 in the third, 3 in the fourth, 3 in the fifth, 4 in the sixth, 4 in the seventh Highest pick: Kenny Vaccaro, Round 1, 15th overall, by New Orleans Rookie starters (8 starts or more): Vaccaro, Eric Reid (1st, San Francisco), Matt Elam (1st, Baltimore), Jon Cyprien (2nd, Jacksonville), D.J. Swearinger (2nd, Houston), T.J. McDonald (2nd, St. Louis), Josh Evans (6th, Jacksonville)

SPECIALISTS DRAFT DIGEST’S TO P 10

OV E RV I E W Every once in a while, a kicker or punter has enough potential to merit getting drafted before the fifth round, but it doesn’t appear that will be the case in 2014. A total of 10 specialists — five punters, four kickers and one longsnapper — were invited to the scouting combine, but no one truly stands out. As usual, expect between four and six specialists to hear their name called during the draft.

No. Player

Ht.

Wt.

School

Projected round

6-3

220

Memphis

5th-6th

P Tom Hornsey

K Chris Boswell

6-2

185

Rice

5th-6th

P Cody Mandell

6-2

215

Alabama

6th-7th

K Anthony Fera

6-1

210

Texas

6th-7th

P Pat O’Donnell

6-4

220

Miami (Fla.)

7th-FA

K Cairo Santos

5-8

165

Tulane

7th-FA

P Richie Leone

6-3

210

Houston

7th-FA

P Steven Clark

6-5

230

Auburn

7th-FA

K Zach Hocker

6-0

190

Arkansas

7th-FA

LS Marcus Heit

6-3

260

Kansas State

7th-FA

Teams with biggest need at the position: Chicago (P), Cleveland (K), Detroit (K), New Orleans (K), Philadelphia (K), Pittsburgh (P), Tennessee (K)

SCOUTING N O T E B O O K • Chris Boswell ranks as perhaps the best kicker prospect because of his range — he made 13 kicks of 50 yards or more at Rice and 54 of his 70 kickoffs in 2013 resulted in touchbacks. Boswell, though, made only 74 percent of his field goal attempts the past two years. • Cairo Santos, a native of Brazil, won the Lou Groza Award in 2012 after being a perfect 21-for-21 on field goal attempts, including a long of 57 yards. Santos wasn’t nearly as good in 2013 but he remains a good prospect. • Cody Mandell became Alabama’s punter as a walkon true freshman in 2010 and made dramatic improvement as his college career went on. His average of 47.1 yards in 2013 would have put him in a tie for No. 2 nationally had he had enough punts to qualify. • Pat O’Donnell punted one season at Miami after transferring from Cincinnati and averaged 47.1 yards before he put on a show at the combine with a 4.62 40-yard dash.

HEAD OF THE CLASS Tom Hornsey Memphis Hornsey’s nickname is “Aussie,” which is fitting because he was born and grew up in Australia. He played Australian Rules Football and tennis in high school and also spent two years at an academy that teaches the fundamentals of punting. Hornsey obviously was a good student. Hornsey punted four years for Memphis, finished with a career average of 43.1 yards and, most impressive, had 101 punts inside the 20 compared to only 12 touchbacks. Hornsey won the Ray Guy Award last season.

• Penn State transfer Anthony Fera made 21 of 22 field goals for Texas in 2013, but he attempted only two field goals of at least 50 yards during his college career.

LAST YEAR’S D R A F T Number drafted: 4 Number on the season-ending roster of the team that drafted them: 4 Picks by round: 0 in the first, 0 in the second, 0 in the third, 0 in the fourth, 3 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth, 0 in the seventh Highest pick: P Jeff Locke, Round 5, 155th overall, by Minnesota Rookie regulars (8 games or more): Locke, P Sam Martin (5th, Detroit), K Caleb Sturgis (5th, Miami)

THE TOP 100 The following is Draft Digest’s Top 100 ranking of NFL prospects for the 2014 draft, as of March 28. Underclassmen are noted with an asterisk (*). Prospects are listed in a “best prospect available” order, not as a prediction of where they will get drafted. No. 1.

Pos. Name

College

Ht.

Wt.

No.

Pos. Name

College

Ht.

South Carolina

6-5

265

51.

JORDAN MATTHEWS

Vanderbilt

6-3

210

JADEVEON CLOWNEY*

Wt.

SAMMY WATKINS*

Clemson

6-1

210

52.

DAVANTE ADAMS*

Fresno State

6-1

210

GREG ROBINSON*

Auburn

6-5

330

53.

ZACH METTENBERGER

LSU

6-5

225

OLB KHALIL MACK

Buffalo

6-3

250

54.

DEONE BUCANNON

Washington State

6-1

215

JAKE MATTHEWS

Texas A&M

6-5

310

55.

OLB CARL BRADFORD

Arizona State

6-1

250

AARON DONALD

Pittsburgh

6-1

285

56.

Stanford

6-5

250

JUSTIN GILBERT

Oklahoma State

6-0

200

57.

OLB ADRIAN HUBBARD

Alabama

6-6

255

ILB C.J. MOSLEY

Alabama

6-2

235

58.

STAN JEAN-BAPTISTE

Nebraska

6-3

215

TAYLOR LEWAN

Michigan

6-7

310

59.

JARVIS LANDRY*

LSU

5-11

205

10.

DARQUEZE DENNARD

Michigan State

5-11

200

60.

SCOTT CRICHTON*

Oregon State

6-3

275

11.

BLAKE BORTLES*

Central Florida

6-5

230

61.

JACK MEWHORT

Ohio State

6-6

310

12.

MIKE EVANS*

Texas A&M

6-5

230

62.

MORGAN MOSES

West Virginia

6-6

315

13.

MARQISE LEE*

USC

6-0

190

63.

BISHOP SANKEY*

Washington

5-9

210

14.

LOUIS NIX III*

Notre Dame

6-2

330

64.

GABE JACKSON

Mississippi State

6-3

335

15.

TIMMY JERNIGAN*

Florida State

6-2

300

65.

MARTAVIS BRYANT*

Clemson

6-4

210

16.

TEDDY BRIDGEWATER

Louisville

6-2

215

66.

DEVONTA FREEMAN*

Florida State

5-8

205

17.

JOHNNY MANZIEL*

Texas A&M

6-0

205

67.

ILB SHAYNE SKOV

Stanford

6-2

245

18.

OLB ANTHONY BARR

UCLA

6-5

255

68.

ANTHONY JOHNSON*

LSU

6-2

310

19.

HA HA CLINTON-DIX*

Alabama

6-1

210

69.

LACHE SEASTRUNK*

Baylor

5-9

200

20.

CALVIN PRYOR*

Louisville

6-2

210

70.

ALLEN ROBINSON*

Penn State

6-2

220

21.

KELVIN BENJAMIN*

Florida State

6-5

240

71.

MARCUS MARTIN*

USC

6-3

320

22.

ODELL BECKHAM JR.*

LSU

5-11

200

72.

WILL SUTTON

Arizona State

6-0

305

23.

ZACK MARTIN

Notre Dame

6-4

310

73.

DOMINIQUE EASLEY

Florida

6-2

290

24.

ERIC EBRON*

North Carolina

6-4

250

74.

DONTE MONCRIEF*

Mississippi

6-2

220

25.

BRADLEY ROBY*

Ohio State

5-11

190

75.

TROY NIKLAS*

Notre Dame

6-6

270

26.

RA’SHEDE HAGEMAN

Minnesota

6-6

310

76.

BASHAUD BREELAND*

Clemson

5-11

195

27.

JASON VERRETT

TCU

5-10

175

77.

PIERRE DESIR

Lindenwood

6-1

200

28.

DEE FORD

Auburn

6-2

250

78.

KEITH McGILL

Utah

6-3

215

29.

STEPHON TUITT*

Notre Dame

6-5

305

79.

ILB PRESTON BROWN

Louisville

6-1

250

30.

CYRUS KOUANDJIO*

Alabama

6-7

320

80.

OLB TREVOR REILLY

Utah

6-3

235

31.

KONY EALY

Missouri

6-4

275

81.

SEANTREL HENDERSON

Miami (Fla.)

6-7

330

32.

BRANDIN COOKS*

Oregon State

5-10

190

82.

JIMMY GAROPPOLO

Eastern Illinois

6-2

225

33.

DAVID YANKEY*

Stanford

6-6

315

83.

OLB TELVIN SMITH

Florida State

6-3

220

34.

TRE MASON*

Auburn

5-8

205

84.

DaQUAN JONES

Penn State

6-4

320

35.

OLB RYAN SHAZIER*

Ohio State

6-1

235

85.

KAREEM MARTIN

North Carolina

6-6

270

36.

XAVIER SU’A-FILO*

UCLA

6-4

305

86.

KELCY QUARLES*

South Carolina

6-4

295

37.

LAMARCUS JOYNER

Florida State

5-8

190

87.

CHARLES SIMS

West Virginia

6-0

215

38.

KYLE FULLER

Virginia Tech

6-0

190

88.

TERRANCE WEST*

Towson

5-9

225

39.

JIMMIE WARD

Northern Illinois

5-11

190

89.

OLB JORDAN TRIPP

Montana

6-3

235

40.

ILB CHRIS BORLAND

Wisconsin

5-11

250

90.

MARCUS SMITH

Louisville

6-3

250

41.

CARLOS HYDE

Ohio State

6-0

230

91.

TRAVIS SWANSON

Arkansas

6-5

310

42.

AUSTIN SEFERIAN-JENKINS*

Washington

6-5

260

92.

ANDRE WILLIAMS

Boston College

5-11

230

43.

OLB JERRY ATTAOCHU

Georgia Tech

6-3

250

93.

BILLY TURNER

North Dakota State

6-5

315

44.

JACE AMARO*

Texas Tech

6-5

265

94.

CYRIL RICHARDSON

Baylor

6-5

330

45.

ANTONIO RICHARDSON*

Tennessee

6-6

335

95.

BRANDON THOMAS

Clemson

6-3

315

46.

KA’DEEM CAREY*

Arizona

5-9

205

96.

PAUL RICHARDSON

Colorado

6-0

175

47.

JEREMY HILL*

LSU

6-1

235

97.

DAVID FALES

San Jose State

6-2

210

48.

DEREK CARR

Fresno State

6-2

215

98.

WESTON RICHBURG

Colorado State

6-3

300

49.

LOUCHEIZ PURIFOY*

Florida

6-0

190

99.

JACKSON JEFFCOAT

Texas

6-3

245

50.

OLB KYLE VAN NOY

BYU

6-3

245

100.

TRAI TURNER*

LSU

6-3

TRENT MURPHY

310

BEST OF THE REST Here’s a look beyond the top 100 at other prospects who should or could get drafted. Players are listed alphabetically by position.

QUARTERBACKS Tajh Boyd, 6-1, 220, Clemson Jordan Lynch, 6-0, 215, Northern Illinois Jeff Mathews, 6-4, 225, Cornell A.J. McCarron, 6-3, 220, Alabama Stephen Morris, 6-2, 215, Miami (Fla.) Aaron Murray, 6-0, 205, Georgia Bryn Renner, 6-3, 230, North Carolina Tom Savage, 6-4, 230, Pittsburgh Connor Shaw, 6-0, 205, South Carolina Brett Smith, 6-2, 205, Wyoming Logan Thomas, 6-6, 250, Virginia Tech Dustin Vaughan, 6-5, 235, West Texas A&M Keith Wenning, 6-3, 220, Ball State

HALFBACKS Antonio Andrews, 5-10, 225, Western Kentucky Dri Archer, 5-8, 173, Kent State George Atkinson III, 6-1, 220, Notre Dame Kapri Bibbs, 5-9, 210, Colorado State Alfred Blue, 6-2, 225, LSU Tim Cornett, 6-0, 210, UNLV Isaiah Crowell, 5-11, 225, Alabama State Timothy Flanders, 5-9, 205, Sam Houston St. David Fluellen, 5-11, 225, Toledo Tyler Gaffney, 5-11, 220, Stanford Marion Grice, 6-0, 210, Arizona State Storm Johnson, 6-0, 210, Central Florida Henry Josey, 5-8, 195, Missouri Jerick McKinnon, 5-9, 210, Georgia Southern Adam Muema, 5-10, 200, San Diego State Rajion Neal, 5-11, 210, Tennessee LaDarius Perkins, 5-7, 195, Mississippi State Silas Redd, 5-10, 210, USC Jerome Smith, 5-11, 220, Syracuse Lorenzo Taliaferro, 6-0, 230, Coastal Carolina De’Anthony Thomas, 5-9, 175, Oregon James White, 5-9, 205, Wisconsin James Wilder Jr., 6-3, 230, Florida State Damien Williams, 5-11, 220, Oklahoma

FULLBACKS/H-BACKS J.C. Copeland, 5-11, 270, LSU Ryan Hewitt, 6-4, 245, Stanford Gator Hoskins, 6-1, 245, Marshall Trey Millard, 6-2, 245, Oklahoma Jay Prosch, 6-1, 255, Auburn

WIDE RECEIVERS Jared Abbrederis, 6-1, 195, Wisconsin Chris Boyd, 6-4, 205, Vanderbilt John Brown, 5-10, 180, Pittsburg State Philly Brown, 5-11, 180, Ohio State Isaiah Burse, 5-10, 190, Fresno State Trey Burton, 6-2, 224, Florida Michael Campanaro, 5-9, 190, Wake Forest Brandon Coleman, 6-6, 225, Rutgers Kain Colter, 5-10, 200, Northwestern Damian Copeland, 5-11, 185, Louisville Mike Davis, 6-0, 195, Texas Bruce Ellington, 5-9, 195, South Carolina Quincy Enunwa, 6-2, 225, Nebraska Shaq Evans, 6-1, 215, UCLA Bennie Fowler, 6-1, 215, Michigan State Austin Franklin, 5-11, 190, New Mexico State Jeremy Gallon, 5-7, 185, Michigan Ryan Grant, 6-0, 200, Tulane Matt Hazel, 6-1, 200, Coastal Carolina Robert Herron, 5-9, 195, Wyoming

Tim Cornett Ja’wuan James Cody Hoffman, 6-4, 225, BYU Josh Huff, 5-11, 205, Oregon Allen Hurns, 6-1, 200, Miami (Fla.) Jeff Janis, 6-3, 220, Saginaw Valley State T.J. Jones, 6-0, 190, Notre Dame Cody Latimer, 6-2, 215, Indiana Marcus Lucas, 6-4, 220, Missouri Kevin Norwood, 6-2, 200, Alabama Walt Powell, 5-11, 190, Murray State Tevin Reese, 5-10, 165, Baylor Paul Richardson, 6-0, 175, Colorado Jalen Saunders, 5-9, 165, Oklahoma Willie Snead, 5-11, 195, Ball State Josh Stewart, 5-10, 180, Oklahoma State Devin Street, 6-3, 200, Pittsburgh L’Damian Washington, 6-4, 195, Missouri Albert Wilson, 5-9, 200, Georgia State

TIGHT ENDS Rob Blanchflower, 6-4, 255, Massachusetts A.D. Denham, 6-4, 235, Utah Joe Don Duncan, 6-3, 270, Dixie C.J. Fiedorowicz, 6-5, 265, Iowa Crockett Gilmore, 6-6, 260, Colorado State Xavier Gimble, 6-4, 255, USC Nic Jacobs, 6-5, 270, McNeese State Marcel Jensen, 6-6, 260, Fresno State Reggie Jordan, 6-3, 240, Missouri Western St. A.C. Leonard, 6-2, 250, Tennessee State Colt Lyerla, 6-4, 240, Oregon Arthur Lynch, 6-5, 260, Georgia Jake Murphy, 6-4, 250, Utah Jordan Najvar, 6-6, 255, Baylor Jake Pedersen, 6-3, 240, Wisconsin Richard Rodgers, 6-4, 255, California D.J. Tialavea, 6-3, 265, Utah State

OFFENSIVE TACKLES Justin Britt, 6-6, 325, Missouri Matt Feiler, 6-6, 330, Bloomsburg Cameron Fleming, 6-5, 325, Stanford James Hurst, 6-5, 295, North Carolina Ja’wuan James, 6-6, 310, Tennessee Wesley Johnson, 6-5, 295, Vanderbilt Charles Leno, 6-4, 305, Boise State Luke Lucas, 6-8, 315, Kansas State Matt Patchan, 6-6, 300, Boston College Michael Schofield, 6-6, 300, Michigan

BEST OF THE REST GUARDS Joel Bitonio, 6-4, 300, Nevada Russell Bodine, 6-3, 310, North Carolina Conor Boffeli, 6-4, 300, Iowa Dakota Dozier, 6-4, 315, Furman Kadeem Edwards, 6-4, 315, Tennessee State Zach Fulton, 6-5, 315, Tennessee Ryan Groy, 6-5, 315, Wisconsin Jon Halapio, 6-3, 325, Florida Brandon Linder, 6-6, 310, Miami (Fla.) Spencer Long, 6-5, 320, Nebraska Anthony Steen, 6-3, 315, Alabama John Urschel, 6-3, 315, Penn State Chris Watt, 6-3, 310, Notre Dame

CENTERS Matt Armstrong, 6-2, 300, Grand Valley State Jonotthan Harrison, 6-3, 305, Florida Gabe Ikard, 6-4, 305, Oklahoma Tyler Larsen, 6-4, 315, Utah State Corey Linsley, 6-3, 295, Ohio State Matt Paradis, 6-3, 305, Boise State James Stone, 6-4, 305, Tennessee Bryan Stork, 6-4, 315, Florida State

DEFENSIVE TACKLES Jay Bromley, 6-3, 305, Syracuse Ryan Carrethers, 6-1, 335, Arkansas State Deandre Coleman, 6-5, 315, California Justin Ellis, 6-1, 335, Louisiana Tech Ego Ferguson, 6-3, 315, LSU Kerry Hyder, 6-2, 290, Texas Tech Zach Kerr, 6-1, 325, Delaware Eathyn Manumaleuna, 6-2, 295, BYU Dan McCullers, 6-7, 350, Tennessee Tenny Palepoi, 6-1, 300, Utah Mike Pennel, Colorado State Pueblo Kaleb Ramsey, 6-3, 295, Boston College Caraun Reid, 6-2 300, Princeton Shamar Stephen, 6-5, 310, Connecticut Robert Thomas, 6-1, 325, Arkansas Khyri Thornton, 6-3, 305, Southern Miss George Uko, 6-3, 285, USC Chris Whaley, 6-3, 270, Texas

Anthony Hitchens, 6-0, 240, Iowa Howard Jones, 6-2, 235, Shepherd Devon Kennard, 6-3, 250, USC Chris Kirksey, 6-2, 235, Iowa Boseko Lokombo, 6-2, 225, Oregon Jonathan Newsome, 6-3, 245, Ball State Kevin Pierre-Louis, 6-0, 230, Boston College Ronald Powell, 6-3, 235, Florida Prince Shembo, 6-1, 255, Notre Dame Tyler Starr, 6-4, 50, South Dakota Jordan Zumwalt, 6-4, 235, UCLA

INSIDE LINEBACKERS Lamin Barrow, 6-1, 235, LSU Max Bullough, 6-3, 250, Michigan State Jeremiah George, 5-11, 235, Iowa State Drew Jackson, 6-1, 255, Western Kentucky Christian Jones, 6-3, 240, Florida State James Morris, 6-1, 240, Iowa Yawin Smallwood, 6-2, 245, Connecticut Uani’ Unga, 6-1, 230, BYU Avery Williamson, 6-1, 245, Kentucky

CORNERBACKS Ricardo Allen, 5-9, 185, Purdue Deion Belue, 5-11, 180, Alabama Bene Benwikere, 5-11, 195, San Jose State T.J. Carrie, 6-0, 205, Ohio Ross Cockrell, 6-0, 190, Duke Aaron Colvin, 5-11, 175, Oklahoma Chris Davis, 5-10, 200, Auburn Brandon Dixon, 5-11, 205, NW Missouri State Antone Exum, 6-0, 215, Virginia Tech E.J. Gaines, 5-10, 190, Missouri Phillip Gaines, 6-0, 195, Rice Meech Goodson, 5-11, 195, Baylor Dre Hal, 5-10, 190, Vanderbilt Victor Hampton, 5-9, 195, South Carolina Bennett Jackson, 6-0, 195, Notre Dame Kendall James, 5-10, 180, Maine Nevo Lawson, 5-10, 185, Utah State Dex McDougle, 5-10, 195, Maryland

Terrance Mitchell, 6-0, 190, Oregon Jabari Price, 5-10, 195, North Carolina Keith Reaser, 5-11, 190, Florida Atlantic Rashaad Reynolds, 5-10, 190, Oregon State Marcus Roberson, 6-0, 195, Florida Todd Washington, 5-11, 190, SE Louisiana Jaylen Watkins, 6-0, 195, Florida Lavelle Westbrooks, 6-0, 195, Georgia Southern

SAFETIES Mo Alexander, 6-1, 210, Utah State Dion Bailey, 5-11, 200, USC Nat Berhe, 5-10, 200, San Diego State Tre Boston, 6-0, 200, North Carolina Terrence Brooks, 5-11, 195, Florida State A.D. Dixon, 6-0, 205, Baylor Jonathan Dowling, 6-2, 200, Western Kentucky Marqueston Huff, 5-11, 200, Wyoming Dontae Johnson, 6-2, 200, N.C. State Kenny Ladler, 6-0, 200, Vanderbilt Isaiah Lewis, 5-10, 205, Michigan State Craig Loston, 6-1, 215, LSU Ed Reynolds, 6-2, 205, Stanford Daniel Sorensen, 6-2, 210, BYU Dez Southward, 6-0, 205, Wisconsin Vinnie Sunseri, 6-0, 210, Alabama Jemea Thomas, 5-10, 190, Georgia Tech Brock Vereen, 6-0, 200, Minnesota

SPECIALISTS Chris Boswell, 6-2, 185, Rice (K) Steven Clark, 6-5, 230, Auburn (P) Anthony Fera, 6-1, 210, Texas (K) Marcus Heit, 6-3, 260, Kansas State (LS) Zach Hocker, 6-0, 190, Arkansas (K) Tom Hornsey, 6-3, 220, Memphis (P) Richie Leone, 6-3, 210, Houston (P) Cody Mandell, 6-2, 215, Alabama (P) Pat O’Donnell, 6-4, 220, Miami (P) Cairo Santos, 5-8, 165, Tulane (K) Kirby Van Der Kamp, 6-4, 200, Iowa State (P)

DEFENSIVE ENDS William Clarke, 6-6, 270, West Virginia IK Enemkpali, 6-1, 260, Louisiana Tech James Gayle, 6-4, 260, Virginia Tech Taylor Hart, 6-6, 280, Oregon Demarcus Lawrence, 6-3, 250, Boise State Aaron Lynch, 6-5, 250, South Florida Cassius Marsh, 6-4, 250, UCLA Josh Mauro, 6-6, 270, Stanford Tevin Mims, 6-4, 260, South Florida Zach Moore, 6-5, 270, Concordia Jeoffrey Pagan, 6-3, 310, Alabama Michael Sam, 6-2, 260, Missouri Chris Smith, 6-1, 265, Arkansas Ed Stinson, 6-3, 285, Alabama Brent Urban, 6-7, 295, Virginia Larry Webster, 6-6, 250, Bloomsburg Ethan Westbrooks, 6-3, 265, West Texas A&M Kerry Wynn, 6-5, 265, Richmond

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS Morgan Breslin, 6-1, 250, USC Jonathan Brown, 6-0, 240, Illinois Kasim Edebali, 6-2, 255, Boston College Khairi Fortt, 6-2, 250, California

Dontae Johnson

Assessing the underclassmen There’s obviously a big hurry to get to the NFL these days, and the culprit is the clause in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulating that rookie contracts cannot be renegotiated until after a player’s third year in the NFL. A record 73 underclassmen made themselves eligible for the 2013 draft, but that benchmark was obliterated this year when 98 underclassmen declared — and that’s not counting four other players who entered the NFL draft with a year of eligibility remaining after informing the league they already had graduated. While it’s easy to understand the motivation for college players of getting into the NFL early to get to their second contract quicker, the trap is that some of them won’t get as much initially because they didn’t maximize their draft prospects while in college. Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said that certainly applied to this year’s group of underclassmen in an interview with local writers before the scouting combine. “Although it’s a talented group, it also has a bigger chance of failing because you’re going to get a lot of kids who aren’t physically or emotionally ready for (the NFL),” Colbert said. “We’re concerned about how many of those players came out prematurely and won’t be ready for this next challenge. I think that we have to be able to sort through them, because they’re not all ready for this.” Interestingly, despite having bigger numbers than ever, the impact of underclassmen at the top of the 2013 draft was minimal, with only three among the top 10 selections. As always, some of this year’s underclassmen made good football decisions to come out early, while others either just decided they didn’t want to wait any longer or had delusions of grandeur about their draft prospects.

THE NO-BRAINERS DE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina — He would have been among the top picks in 2013 and that hasn’t changed even though he had a relatively disappointing college season. WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M — Evans’ gift as a wide receiver is the ability to win one-on-one battles and come down with jump balls, and he’s already mastered those skills.

RB Devonta Freeman, Florida State — Freeman is a tremendous back whose only shortcoming is a lack of size, something that wouldn’t change with another year at FSU. DT Timmy Jernigan, Florida State — Jernigan is going to be among the top defensive tackles taken and he would have been hard-pressed to top his 2013 performance. QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M — Manziel’s style isn’t for everybody, but he clearly had nothing left to prove in college. RB Tre Mason, Auburn — Mason is entering the draft at the perfect time: after a fantastic 2013 season and great performances in the SEC title game and the BCS Championship Game. T Greg Robinson, Auburn — Robinson falls under the category of a great prospect coming off a great season whose stock wouldn’t get higher. WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson — A simply phenomenal performance against Ohio State in the Orange Bowl was the perfect way to end his college career.

RB Terrance West, Towson — The only way West could have improved on his 2013 season would have been to do it against better competition.

THE QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS RB Alfred Blue, LSU — Blue was granted a fifth year of eligibility as the result of his 2012 season being cut short by a knee injury after he posted back-to-back 100-yard games. But he turned it down, even though he might have had the chance to replace early entry Jeremy Hill as LSU’s feature back. WR Martavis Bryant, Clemson — A receiver with great size, Bryant should get drafted fairly early, but he might have been able to put himself into first-round consideration had he returned and thrived after the departure of Sammy Watkins. DT Dominique Easley, Florida — Easley is a stud but a bit of a question mark after a second ACL tear cut

UNDERCLASSMEN DRAFT RESULTS (2003-13) Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

No. 54 44 57 62 40 53 46 53 56 65 73

Drafted 32 35 38 34 29 39 41 46 43 44 52

Top 10 5 5 4 6 4 4 5 5 8 8 3

short his 2013 season. He could have erased the question mark to some degree by coming back. DT Anthony Johnson, LSU — Johnson is a physically gifted prospect who never was quite as dominant in college as expected. DT Viliami Moala, California — Moala arrived at Cal as a five-star recruit but started only 12 games in college and didn’t so much as earn an invitation to the scouting combine. DE Ronald Powell, Florida — A former No. 1 overall recruit, according to Rivals.com, Powell never was a star at Florida. He finished with four sacks in 2013 after coming back from a torn ACL that cost him the 2012 season. RB James Wilder Jr., Florida State — The son of the former NFL running back never lived up to expectations at Florida State and potentially could have helped his cause with Devonte Freeman’s departure to the NFL.

THE SPECIAL CASES WR Chris Boyd, Vanderbilt — A good prospect with size and speed, Boyd didn’t play in 2013 after being kicked off the Vanderbilt team for trying to cover up a rape incident allegedly involving some teammates. TE Mike Flacco, New Haven — The brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, Flacco played one season of college football after giving baseball a shot. He clearly could use more refinement at tight end, but he’s 26 years old. TE Colt Lyerla, Oregon — Lyerla is a gifted athlete, but was suspended twice at Oregon, left the team and then was arrested for cocaine possession. He still managed to get an invitation to the scouting combine.

DRAFT LISTS 10 PROSPECTS W I T H N F L FA T H E R S OR BROTHERS

1. Bloomsburg DE Larry Webster (father Larry) 2. UCLA OLB Anthony Barr (father Tony Brooks) 3. Virginia Tech CB Kyle Fuller (brothers Corey, Vincent) 4. Baylor CB Meech Goodson (brother Mike) 5. Texas DE Jackson Jeffcoat (father Jim) 6. Texas A&M T Jake Matthews (father Bruce) 7. Stanford S Ed Reynolds (father Ed) 8. Arizona State DT Will Sutton (father Mickey) 9. Minnesota S Brock Vereen (brother Shane) 10. Florida State RB James Wilder Jr. (father James)

10 PROSPECTS WHO SWITCHED SCHOOLS 1. Tennessee St. TE A.C. Leonard

(Florida) 2. Sam Houston St. RB Timothy Flanders

(Kansas State) 3. McNeese St. TE Nic Jacobs

(LSU) 4. Colorado St.-Pueblo DT Mike Pennel

(Arizona State) 5. SE Louisiana CB Todd Washington

(Memphis) 6. Alabama St. RB Isaiah Crowell

(Georgia) 7. Western Kentucky S Jonathan Dowling

(Florida) 8. Central Florida RB Storm Johnson

(Miami) 9. Delaware DT Zach Kerr

(Maryland) 10. Ball St. OLB Jonathan Newsome

(Ohio State)

10 PROSPECTS BORN OUTSIDE THE UNITES STATES

1. Georgia Tech OLB Jerry Attaochu (Nigeria) 2. Lindenwood CB Pierre Desir (Haiti) 3. Boston College DE Kasim Edebali (Germany) 4. Notre Dame WR T.J. Jones (Canada) 5. Alabama T Cyrus Kouandjio (Cameroon) 6. Utah State CB Nevin Lawson (Jamaica) 7. Oregon OLB Boseko Lokombo (Congo) 8. Stanford DE Josh Mauro (England) 9. Tulane K Cairo Santos (Brazil) 10. Stanford G David Yankey (Australia)

10 PROSPECTS NOT KNOWN BY THEIR REAL NAME 1. North Carolina S Jayestin Boston — Known as Tre Boston 2. Louisville ILB Michael Brown — Known as Preston Brown 3. Florida WR Lawrence Burton — Known as Trey Burton 4. Northwestern WR Theodis Colter — Known as Kain Colter 5. Nebraska WR Onochie Enunwa — Known as Quincy Enunwa 6. Auburn DE Donald Ford — Known as Dee Ford 7. Baylor CB Demetri Goodson — Known as Meech Goodson 8. UCF RB Westleigh Johnson — Known as Storm Johnson 9. Kansas State T Cornelius Lucas — Known as Luke Lucas 10. Alabama QB Raymond McCarron — Known as A.J. McCarron

10 DIVISION II SCHOOLS REPRESENTED AT THE SCOUTING COMBINE 1. Bloomsburg (T Matt Feiler, DE Larry Webster) 2. Colorado State-Pueblo (DT Mike Pennel) 3. Concordia-St. Paul (DT Zach Moore) 4. Dixie State (TE Joe Don Duncan) 5. Grand Valley State (C Matt Armstrong) 6. Lindenwood (CB Pierre Desir) 7. Missouri Western (TE Reggie Jordan) 8. NW Missouri State (CB Brandon Dixon) 9. Pittsburg State (WR/KR John Brown) 10. Saginaw Valley State (WR Jeff Janis) Plus two more: 11. Shepherd (DE Howard Jones) 12. West Texas A&M (QB Dustin Vaughan, DE Ethan Westbrooks)

10 PROSPECTS

WHO WERE F I R S T- T E A M ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS BUT NOT INVITED TO THE SCOUTING COMBINE 1. Oklahoma State DT Calvin Barnett 2. Arizona State TE Chris Coyle 3. Arizona State S Alden Darby 4. Nebraska CB Ciante Evans 5. Baylor OLB Eddie Lackey 6. Oklahoma State LB Shaun Lewis 7. Baylor DE Chris McAllister 8. Ohio State G Andrew Norwell 9. Wake Forest DE Nikita Whitlock 10. Kansas State S Ty Zimmerman

ODDS AND ENDS

Sport switch pays off for prospects

This year’s talent pool includes a few prospects who were busy with other sports before dedicating themselves to football. One such example is Bloomsburg defensive end Larry Webster. The son of the former Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle of the same name, Webster was a fouryear starter on the basketball team at Bloomsburg until giving football a shot in 2013. Webster obviously is raw and he didn’t face great competition at the Division II school, but he did finish with 13.5 sacks in his only football season and he’s an intriguing enough athlete that the idea of him switching to tight end has been brought up. Regardless of the position, he would make an intriguing third-day pick. Then there’s Baylor cornerback Demetri Goodson, who also goes by the name Meech Goodson. He played three seasons at Baylor, but that came after he spent three seasons as a point guard for college basketball powerhouse Gonzaga. Goodson, who hadn’t played football since his sophomore year of high school, was granted a sixth year of college eligibility in 2013 and he enters the draft as a mid-round prospect. Wide receiver Bruce Ellington also played basketball, but he actually was a dual-sport athlete at South Carolina, Ellington, who led the Gamecocks in receptions in 2013, played three seasons of basketball at the school before leaving the team to focus on his football career. Finally, there’s the story of Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney. Gaffney’s 2013 numbers of 1,618 yards and 20 touchdowns are even more impressive when taken into consideration that he didn’t play football in 2012 because he was playing Class-A baseball in the New York-Penn League after being taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 24th round of the 2013 baseball draft.

STRANGE STORY There have been some strange predraft stories, but the one involving San Diego State running back Adam Muema is an all-timer. After rushing for 1,458 and 1,244 yards the past two seasons, Muema decided to enter the draft early and headed to the combine as a likely mid-

men from 2013 earned invitations to the combine — tackles Antonio Richardson and JaWuan James, guard Zach Fulton, and center James Stone. The fifth starter on Tennessee’s offensive line in 2013, guard Alex Bullard, did not get an invitation to the scouting combine but did participate in the inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl.

IN THE GENES That Odell Beckham Jr. became a big-time prospect at LSU really shouldn’t have come as a surprise given his family ties. Not only did his father, Odell Beckham Sr., start at running back at LSU some 20 years earlier, but his mother, Heather Van Norman, was a six-time NCAA track All-American when she gave birth in November 1992 halfway through her senior year. “Odell Jr. always jokes about, ‘I’m gonna make sure I find an athlete who’s fast so I can make one like me,’ ” Odell Sr. told the Times-Picayune. “I’m like, ‘Boy, it’s NOT that easy. It’s just so happened you got blessed.’ ” The older Beckham didn’t play in the NFL after his stay at LSU, but Odell Jr. is a potential first-round pick.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Demetri Goodson to-late-round prospect. But Muema decided to leave the combine before taking part in any on-field drill, telling U-T San Diego that God told him he’d get drafted by the Seattle Seahawks if he skipped the workouts. Muema then drew some concern when no one could get in touch with him for a few days until he resurfaced in Florida wearing his combine shirt. Maybe the final twist to the story came in mid-March when Muema tweeted that he was done playing football, basically, because the world is coming to an end and there’s not going to be another football season anyway. It’s safe to assume Muema isn’t likely to be drafted.

TALENTED GROUPS Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson and Jaylen Watkins all started games at cornerback for the University of Florida in 2013, and all three of them impressed NFL talent evaluators enough to earn invitations to the scouting combine. Other college teammates in the same position group who went to the combine together were Iowa linebackers Anthony Hitchens, Christian Kirksey and James Morris, and Alabama defensive backs Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Vinnie Sunseri and Deion Belue. But the University of Tennessee accomplished a rare feat this year when four of their five starting offensive line-

Ohio State had two seniors on its 2013 roster named Corey Brown, and it also happened that both came from the state of Pennsylvania. It’s why wide receiver Corey Brown came to be known as Philly Brown by the time he arrived at the scouting combine, even though he prefers being called by his real name. The other Corey Brown actually enjoyed the nickname referencing his hometown, “Pitt.” There was no confusion at the combine, though, because “Pitt” did not earn an invitation. Philly Brown, for his part, earned the Paul Warfield Award as Ohio State’s outstanding receiver in 2011 and again in 2012, and then in 2013 joined David Boston as the only two Buckeyes wide receivers with back-to-back 60-catch seasons.

BAD LUCK As is usually the case, a number of prospects will see their draft status

ODDS AND ENDS greatly affected by injuries sustained late in their last college season or even after. Perhaps the most disappointing injury was the torn ACL sustained by Oklahoma cornerback Aaron Colvin during Senior Bowl practices. Colvin had gotten off to a great start in Mobile and appeared on his way to solidifying his status as a first-round pick; instead, he found himself staring at the likelihood of being a late-round pick at best because he might not be ready for the start of the 2014 season. North Carolina offensive tackle James Hurst, meanwhile, saw his draft prospects take a hit in the Belk Bowl when he sustained a broken leg in a 3917 victory against Cincinnati. Hurst, who started a school-record 49 games for the Tar Heels, had been given a chance of sneaking into the first round of the draft, a notion that doesn’t seem likely anymore. Then there’s the case of two marquee SEC quarterbacks — Zach Mettenberger of LSU and Aaron Murray of Georgia. The two sustained a torn ACL late in the 2013 season, greatly affecting their ability to work out for scouts before the draft.

SECOND CHANCE A couple of highly talented prospects got invitations to the scouting combine despite not being with a college team at the end of the 2013 season. There was former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla, who left the program back in October after being suspended one game for violating team rules and later was arrested and pled guilty to cocaine possession. Lyerla earlier had gotten himself in trouble by posting a Twitter message (later deleted) suggesting the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a government conspiracy perpetrated to push forward anti-gun legislation. Lyerla didn’t put up big numbers at Oregon before leaving the team, but he was considered a talented athlete with intriguing potential. Then there’s Vanderbilt wide receiver Chris Boyd, who was dismissed from the team last July for his after-the-fact involvement in an alleged sexual assault incident involving a teammate. Boyd, who entered a conditional guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge for his role in attempting to cover up the crimes, had 50 catches for 774 yards and five touchdowns in 2012 and has great size at 6-4, 205. He didn’t help his cause, though, with a poor showing in the 40-yard dash at the combine.

WILL PERSEVERANCE PAY OFF? When it comes to overcoming adversity to put himself in position to get drafted, it’s really difficult to top offensive tackle Matt Patchan from Boston College. Patchan played in the Senior Bowl and participated at the combine after completing a sixth year in college in 2013. Patchan began his collegiate career at the University of Florida way back in 2008 as a backup defensive tackle. He moved to offensive tackle the following year, but then saw his development slowed by a torn ACL, a fractured wrist and a strained pectoral muscle. Oh, and before he transferred to Boston College after having to sit out all of 2012 with the pectoral injury, he was shot (in a drive-by shooting at a park in his hometown of Tampa) and was involved in two scooter accidents, including getting hit by a car. Patchan, whose father was a thirdround pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the late 1980s but who never played in the NFL, has seen his stock drop since he arrived at Florida as a highly touted recruit. But he’s got enough ability and toughness to merit getting drafted.

FAMILIAR NAME If you’re old enough or are a student of college football history, then

you might recognize the name Richard Rodgers from the University of California. For those who don’t, he was one of the players involved in “The Play,” the wild and famous five-lateral finish to the Stanford-Cal game in John Elway’s senior season in 1982. Well, there’s a Richard Rodgers from Cal available in this year’s draft and, yes, it’s his son. While the elder Richard Rodgers, now an assistant coach with the Carolina Panthers, was a defensive back, Richard Rodgers Jr. is a tight end and he was good enough to get invited to the scouting combine. The younger Rodgers told reporters at the combine he’s seen video of “The Play” about 50 times, but has never seen with his father.

ALREADY A HIGH PICK Defensive lineman Brent Urban steadily developed into a solid NFL prospect during his career at the University of Virginia, but the Canadian Football League recognized his vast potential even before his senior season. Urban, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, was the 15th overall pick in the 2013 CFL draft when he was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. At 6-7, 295 pounds, Urban fits the

mold of a 3-4 defensive end and while he likely won’t be a first-round pick in the NFL draft, he still figures to have a good shot at a productive career in the United States.

BRIGHT PROSPECT Penn State guard John Urschel was a first-team All-Big Ten selection the past two years, so he figures to have a legitimate chance to make it in the NFL. If it doesn’t work out, though, nobody should worry about his future. The native of Winnipeg, Canada, also was a two-time Academic AllAmerican and he was the winner of the 2013 Campbell Trophy, which goes to an individual who best combines academic success, football performance and community leadership. Urschel earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in May 2012, a master’s in mathematics a year later, and began working on a second master’s degree in math education. Urschel has taught college-level courses, including Integral Vector Calculus and Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry, and has had several research papers published. Asked at the combine about his success as both a student and an athlete, Urschel said: “That’s something I did take pride in, but I’m officially no longer a student-athlete and I’m soon to be a professional athlete.”

John Urschel

ALL-STAR GAMES, COMBINE REVIEW

The stars, stories of the postseason The annual scouting combine just keeps getting bigger and bigger in terms of the attention it draws, but NFL personnel would be the first to point out that it’s only a smart part of the evaluation process. That said, it’s obvious certain prospects solidified or improved their draft stock at the combine, while others saw their negatives get exposed. Among the performances that stood out was defensive end Jadeveon Clowney running the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, a time that was better than more than half the running backs at the combine. Sammy Watkins, meanwhile, cemented his status as the top wide receiver in the draft by turning in a time of 4.43. The fastest time for any prospect at the combine was produced by Kent State running back Dri Archer, an undersized prospect whose role in the NFL should be that of wide receiver and kick returner. Archer ran a 4.26, coming close to the official combine record of 4.24 set by running back Chris Johnson in 2008 — the NFL began electronic timing in 1999. At the other end of the spectrum, LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry, considered a potential second-round pick, didn’t help his cause by running a 4.77 in the 40-yard dash. Perhaps no one, though, saw his draft prospects negatively impacted like Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. He came into the combine on the heels of a Sugar Bowl performance against Oklahoma that he admitted wasn’t up to par, then had the slowest 40yard dash of anybody who ran in Indianapolis with a slumbering 5.59. But perhaps the most troubling part came after an NFL Network report that “several teams failed him on his physical. Arthritic knee from failed surgery.” Kouandjio tore an ACL midway through his freshman season in 2011, although he did start 27 consecutive games over the past two years. A week later, renowned physician Dr. James Andrews as well as the Alabama team doctor told CBSSports.com there was no major issue with Kouandjio’s knee.

SENIOR BOWL The Senior Bowl is a showcase for draft prospects, but the talent pool took

EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME The week before the Senior Bowl, the East-West Shrine Game took place in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took home the William H. Coffman Award for Most Outstanding Offensive Player after completing 9 of 14 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown. The E. Jack Spaulding Award for Most Outstanding Defensive Player went to West Texas A&M defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks, who had two sacks, along with a pair of solo tackles and an assist, including one tackle for loss. He also caused a fumble. Before the actual game, University of Oklahoma center Gabe Ikard was given the East-West Shrine Game Pat Tillman Award, which honors perseverance and talent during practice week and also recognizes the recipient’s overall achievements and conduct.

Dri Archer a dip this year because of injuries or college stars simply turning down an invitation. Four unanimous 2013 All-Americans — tackle Jake Matthews, linebacker Shayne Skov, and cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard and Lamarcus Joyner — were among the nine players who turned down invitations, along with QB A.J. McCarron, LB C.J. Mosley, CB Justin Gilbert, RB Carlos Hyde and Buffalo LB Khalil Mack. Nineteen other prospects had to bow out of the Senior Bowl because of injuries and among them were potential first-round picks such as UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan and TCU cornerback Jason Verrett. The South team recorded a 20-10 victory in Mobile, Ala., and the star of the game was Auburn defensive end Dee Ford, who earned MVP honors with two sacks and a pass deflection. Running back James White of Wisconsin earned North Most Outstanding Player honors after rushing for a gamehigh 62 yards and a touchdown; and Alabama wide receiver Kevin Norwood, who had four catches for 53 yards and

a touchdown, was the South's Most Outstanding Player. Perhaps as important as the game itself were the practices leading up to it, and that’s where Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald shined. He was named the Most Outstanding Overall Player at Reese's Senior Bowl practices during the Alabama Power Practice Awards ceremony at the annual Players’ Banquet. The player who took that honor last year was Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher, who went on to be the first player selected in the 2013 NFL draft. Along with Donald, the other position winners for their work during the Senior Bowl practices were: Ford (Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman); Northern Illinois’ Jimmie Ward (Most Outstanding Defensive Back); West Virginia’s Charles Sims (Most Outstanding Running Back); Iowa’s C.J. Fiedorowicz (Most Outstanding Receiver); Notre Dame’s Zack Martin (Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman); Wisconsin’s Chris Borland (Most Outstanding Linebacker); and Auburn’s Cody Parkey (Most Outstanding Specialist).

OTHER ALL-STAR GAMES The East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl are the two postseason college all-star games that attract a lot of attention, but they’re far from the only ones. • At the College All-Star Bowl, University of Washington cornerback Greg Ducre was the star with a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown. Clemson running back Rod McDowell led all rushers with 53 yards on just seven carries. • At the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, LSU fullback J.C. Copeland earned MVP honors with two 1-yard touchdowns on his only two rushing attempts. Stanford running back Anthony Wilkerson also was impressive, rushing for 67 yards and a touchdown. • At the Medal of Honor Bowl, the inaugural game was marred by weather that featured 40-mph winds and a tornado watch. Florida wide receiver Solomon Patton was the American team MVP with one carry for 33 yards on a reverse and three catches for 50 yards. The National team MVP was Fort Valley State linebacker Deon Furr, who had six tackles with half a sack and a pass breakup.

HISTORY LESSON: L o o k i n g b a c k a t 2 0 0 4

When the top pick played hardball By ALAIN POUPART Editor • @apoupartFins Ten years after the fact, it remains one of the most interesting — and bizarre — developments at the top of an NFL draft. Truly, watching Eli Manning with a constipated look on his face and refusing to put on a San Diego Chargers hat after being the first overall pick in the 2004 draft provided a different element to the draft telecast. The drama lasted some 45 minutes — about the length of a good HBO episode — before the Chargers relented and consummated a trade with the New York Giants after the Giants had made fellow quarterback Philip Rivers from North Carolina State the fourth overall selection. Ten years later, it’s easy to conclude that the Giants got the better of the deal because they’ve won two Super Bowl titles with Manning at quarterback while the Chargers haven’t returned to the big game since Stan Humphries was their quarterback in the 1994 season. Before examining that question, though, let’s remember that the Chargers didn’t have much of a choice because Manning, with a lot of input from his famous dad, had made it clear before the draft he wanted no part of playing for an organization still reeling from the regrettable decision to take Ryan Leaf second overall in the 1998 draft after Indianapolis first had taken Manning’s older brother. It’s also interesting to note that San Diego’s roster at the time of the 2004 draft included a quarterback they had taken at the top of the second round in 2001, a fellow by the name of Drew Brees. It’s just that Brees wasn’t yet Drew Brees, having struggled the previous two seasons after seeing only mop-up duty as a rookie. So the Chargers entered the 2004 draft looking for a franchise quarterback and had their sights set on Manning, who had had a good but not spectacular career at the University of Mississippi. Then-head coach Marty Schottenheimer also liked Rivers, who had a splendid senior season at N.C. State but also had a rather peculiar shotputlike throwing motion. Unwilling to let Manning dictate their drafting plans, the Chargers

Eli Manning and Philip Rivers (inset) went ahead and took Manning first overall. The photo ops that followed were awkward, to say the least. The Giants had hoped to somehow be able to land Manning, but were prepared to go with their Plan B, which was to select Ben Roethlisberger from Miami of Ohio with the fourth overall pick. After Oakland took tackle Robert Gallery and Arizona followed with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, thenChargers general manager A.J. Smith called then-Giants GM Ernie Accorsi to offer Manning if the Giants would draft Rivers and send him, defensive end Osi Umenyiora, and third- and fifth-round picks to San Diego. Accorsi countered by offering a 2005 first-round pick instead of Umenyiora, who had had one sack as

a rookie in 2003 but who Accorsi saw — accurately, as it turned out — as a future pass-rushing star. The Chargers accepted and the deal was done. With the 2004 third-round pick, the Chargers took kicker Nate Kaeding; with the 2005 first-round choice they selected outside linebacker Shawne Merriman; and they traded the 2005 fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay for veteran offensive tackle Roman Oben. While the Chargers got some contributions from Kaeding (who was tremendous in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs) and Merriman (who was a pass-rushing terror before a league suspension sent his career spiraling), the trade pretty much comes down to Rivers and Manning.

And here’s the thing: Both teams have reason to be happy with the trade. For the Giants, they’ve got their two Super Bowl rings, although it should be pointed out that it was the defense, more than anything, that won those titles. As proof, consider that the Giants never gave up more than 20 points in any of their eight playoff victories during their two Super Bowl runs as wild-card teams. While Manning deserves credit for the game-winning drive he produced in the Super Bowl victory against New England at the end of the 2007 season, the defense deserves more credit for the 17-14 victory against a team that had averaged a then-record 36.8 points during the regular season. Manning has a career passer rating of 81.2 and has topped 90 only twice in nine full seasons as a starter. Rivers, meanwhile, has a career passer rating of 96.0 and has topped 100 four times in eight seasons as a starter, including the 2013 season when he matched his career high with a 105.5. Rivers, however, hasn’t had the kind of phenomenal playoff run that elevated Manning to elite status in the eyes of many. Rivers has a 4-5 record in the playoffs and only once has been able to lead the Chargers to the AFC Championship Game, that coming in 2007 when he played with a torn knee ligament in a 21-12 loss against New England. The bottom line is that it’s easy to anoint the Giants as the winners of the 2004 draft-day deal but the reality is that both teams made out well. The real winners, perhaps, were fans who like drama in their NFL draft.

Another No. 1 gets away ... Eli Manning and John Elway (in 1983) are not the only two players selected first overall who refused to play for the team that drafted them. In 1979, 25 years before the Manning/Chargers saga, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau turned his back on the Buffalo Bills after they took him first overall, instead signing a more lucrative contract with the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes. Three years later, Cousineau was ready to return

to the NFL and signed with Houston, but the Bills still held his NFL rights and matched the offer. Then they traded him for a first-round pick in the 1984 draft. The pick became the 14th overall in ’84 and the Bills used it to select a quarterback by the name of Jim Kelly, the same Jim Kelly who would go on to earn a place in the Hall of Fame. Guess the Cousineau pick worked out after all for the Bills.

as of March 28

ARIZONA c a r d i n a l s draft d i t t y : The Cardinals haven’t taken an offensive tackle before the fourth round since 2007

status re p o r t 2013 record: 10-6 Finish: Third in NFC

West (no playoffs)

Season recap: Because they were overshadowed by Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West, the Cardinals’ impressive season went under the radar. But Arizona was among the best teams in the league over the final nine games (7-2). Offseason moves: The Cardinals made a couple of significant acquisitions, none bigger than that of tackle Jared Veldheer. The defense took a hit, though, when Karlos Dansby left via free agency.

HELP WANTED 1. Guard: Offensive tackle was the biggest issue heading into the offseason, but that was solved with the signing of Veldheer. Arizona now must find a guard to replace the departed Daryn Colledge. 2. Safety: Arizona had one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL in 2013, but it won’t be able to take the next step without better safety play. Vet-

eran Yeremiah Bell is a free agent and has seen his better days. 3. Tight end: The Cardinals have a solid set of starting wide receivers after the emergence of former first-round pick Michael Floyd in 2013, but the passing game needs to have a bigger threat at tight end than what Rob Housler was able to provide. Also: Quarterback, outside linebacker, wide receiver

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t By ending up with the best record among non-playoff teams, Arizona wound up with the 20th overall pick, and the Cardinals should have options if they decide to draft for need. Among the prospects who could/should be available at No. 20 are Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin, North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, Louisville safety Calvin Pryor and Missouri defensive end Kony Ealy, who could be taken with the idea of moving him to outside linebacker in the Cardinals’ 3-4 scheme.

POSITION FILLED 1. Running back: The Cardinals used two draft picks last year on Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor, and the two of them showed enough that they’re expected to share the load in 2014. 2. Wide receiver: The Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2012, Michael Floyd topped 1,000 yards in his second season and provided the kind of outside complement to Larry Fitzgerald that Arizona hadn’t had since the days of Anquan Boldin.

ATLANTA f a l c o n s draft d i t t y : The Falcons have taken 10 defensive backs in the last five drafts, including five last year

status re p o r t 2013 record: 4-12 Finish: Fourth in NFC

South (no playoffs)

Season recap: The Falcons find themselves having to regroup after a 2013 season that could only be described as a disaster. It’s almost easy to forget that this team was in the NFC Championship Game just two seasons ago. Offseason moves: The Falcons went about addressing their defensive line, signing free agents Paul Soliai from Miami and Tyson Jackson from Kansas City. Atlanta also picked up guard Jon Asamoah, also from Kansas City.

HELP WANTED 1. Offensive tackle: A large part of the Falcons’ offensive problems in 2013 could be traced to mediocre offensive line play. Left tackle Sam Baker took a step backward last season and Atlanta also could use an upgrade over Lamarr Holmes on the right side. 2. Safety: After a difficult season, veteran Thomas DeCoud was re-

leased in the offseason. That left Atlanta with William Moore as the only proven safety. 3. Tight end: The Falcons got a reprieve last year when future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez decided to come back for one more year, but he’s gone now and Atlanta somehow must find a way to replace him. Also: Center, fullback, outside linebacker

POSITION FILLED 1. Quarterback: Perhaps the biggest reason the Falcons can be optimistic about their chances of quickly returning to the postseason is the presence of Matt Ryan, who turned in another solid performance in 2013. 2. Cornerback: You can never have enough cornerbacks in today’s NFL, but the Falcons appear to have two keepers in their top two 2013 picks, Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Falcons have the sixth overall pick, just as they did in 2011 after they sent Cleveland multiple picks for the chance to draft Julio Jones. This time, the Falcons “earned” that sixth overall pick and at their positions of biggest need, the prospects who could or should fall around this spot are tackles Jake Matthews and Taylor Lewan, and linebackers Anthony Barr and Khalil Mack. Jadeveon Clowney also would be impossible to pass up should he slide that far.

BALTIMORE r a v e n s draft d i t t y : The Ravens’ top pick has been spent on a linebacker or defensive back each of the last four years

status re p o r t 2013 record: 8-8 Finish: Third in AFC

North (no playoffs)

Season recap: The Ravens’ follow-up to their Super Bowl title didn’t go as planned following the departures of defensive fixtures Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Baltimore found itself with more than its share of questions this offseason, particularly after the arrest of running back Ray Rice. Offseason moves: The Ravens were relatively quiet, but did pick up veteran wide receiver Steve Smith after he was released from Carolina and traded for Tampa Bay center Jeremy Zuttah.

HELP WANTED 1. Wide receiver: After trading him last offseason, the Ravens ended up missing Anquan Boldin even more than they could have imagined. After Boldin’s departure, the Ravens simply didn’t have a complement to star Torrey Smith. Steve Smith could help, but Baltimore really needs an inside presence.

2. Offensive tackle: Michael Oher moved from left to right tackle after former Jacksonville first-round pick Eugene Monroe was acquired in a trade, but now the Ravens have to find a replacement for Oher. 3. Tight end: The Ravens re-signed free agent Dennis Pitta in the offseason, but he’s coming off an injury-shortened season. Also: Defensive end, safety

POSITION FILLED 1. Quarterback: Like it or not, Joe Flacco will be the Ravens quarterback for a while. While he wasn’t able to build on his strong 2013 playoff performance, it has to be pointed out that Flacco operated last season without many weapons at wide receiver and tight end. 2. Outside linebacker: Terrell Suggs, armed with a contract extension, and Elvis Dumervil form a dynamic pass-rushing tandem for the Ravens’ 3-4 defense.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t Baltimore ended up with the 17th overall pick after losing a coin flip with the Dallas Cowboys at the scouting combine. One option for the Ravens at that spot would be to find a replacement for Boldin with another physical Florida State wide receiver, in this case Kelvin Benjamin. Texas A&M’s Mike Evans is another oversized wide receiver, but he’s likely to be gone by this time. Baltimore also could address the offensive line with Cyrus Kouandjio or Zack Martin, and upgrading at tight end with Eric Ebron is another intriguing possibility.

BUFFALO b i l l s draft d i t t y : The Bills have taken two players from Florida State each of the last two drafts

status re p o r t 2013 record: 6-10 Finish: Fourth in AFC East (no playoffs) Season recap: The

Bills started over last year with a new head coach (Doug Marrone) and a new quarterback (E.J. Manuel), but the result was a 14th consecutive season out of the playoffs.

Offseason moves: The biggest personnel news involving the Bills was the loss of safety Jairus Byrd to the New Orleans Saints. Buffalo didn’t make any splashy acquisitions, but did pick up CB Corey Graham and LBs Brandon Spikes and Keith Rivers.

HELP WANTED 1. Offensive tackle: The Bills have solidified their offensive line over the past couple of seasons, thanks in large part to left tackle Cordy Glenn. But they need an upgrade on the other side over what they’ve gotten from Erik Pears. 2. Wide receiver: The Bills have some depth here after 2013 draft picks Robert Woods and

Marquise Goodwin showed promise as rookies; what they don’t have is a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver because Stevie Johnson never proved consistent enough to be that guy. 3. Quarterback: It’s not as though anyone expects the Bills to draft another quarterback early, but the position clearly remains a question mark. Also: Tight end, safety

POSITION FILLED 1. Running back: The Bills have been stacked at this position for a long time, and C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson remain a formidable tandem. Imagine if they still had Marshawn Lynch. 2. Defensive tackle: Veteran Kyle Williams and former third overall pick Marcell Dareus combined for 18 sacks last season and both were selected to the Pro Bowl. There might not be a better tandem anywhere in the league.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Bills have the ninth overall pick, just as they did in 2010 when they selected C.J. Spiller. They very well might go with another skill position player this year, particularly if either of the top two wide receivers — Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans — is available. Another logical option would be to go for an offensive tackle, with Michigan’s Taylor Lewan the most likely blue-chip prospect to be available at this spot. A more remote possibility would be safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

CAROLINA p a n t h e r s draft d i t t y : The Panthers have not drafted a tight end before the third round since 2003

status re p o r t 2013 record: 12-4 Finish: First in NFC

South (lost to San Francisco in divisional playoffs)

Season recap: Carolina was perhaps the biggest surprise in the NFL, particularly after starting the season 1-3. A disappointing home loss in the playoffs shouldn’t diminish the team’s accomplishments. Offseason moves: The offseason has been tough on Carolina, which lost tackle Jordan Gross to retirement and released wide receiver Steve Smith. On the flip side, the Panthers’ most significant acquisition might be S Roman Harper.

HELP WANTED 1. Wide receiver: The Panthers receiving corps has consisted of Steve Smith and little else in recent years, but Smith wasn’t much of a factor in 2013 and subsequently was released. Three other wide receivers — Ted Ginn Jr., Brandon LaFell and Domenik Hixon — left as free agents. 2. Offensive tackle: This spot be-

came a major priority when Gross, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, retired. His departure created a huge void. The Panthers also could use an upgrade on the right side. 3. Cornerback: One of the best pass rushes in the NFL was able to protect what really was a rather pedestrian group of cornerbacks. Sooner or later, that group will be exposed. Also: Safety, outside linebacker

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Panthers will pick 28th overall and it’s a pretty good assumption Carolina will select a player at one of their three positions of major need. Among the prospects at those positions would could or should be available late in the first round are wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin, Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandin Cooks; cornerbacks Jason Verrett, Kyle Fuller and Bradley Roby; and offensive tackles Cyrus Kouandjio, Antonio Richardson and Morgan Moses.

POSITION FILLED 1. Defensive end: Greg Hardy was considered the best free agent on the market before the Panthers assured he wasn’t going anywhere by placing the franchise tag on him. He’ll be back to team with Charles Johnson to give Carolina a tremendous pair of bookends. 2. Defensive tackle: Barring injuries, the Panthers are set in the middle of the defensive line for a while after the rookie performances of Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short.

CHICAGO b e a r s draft d i t t y : The Bears have selected at least one player from the Pac-12 (or Pac-10) eight of the past nine years

HELP WANTED

status re p o r t 2013 record: 8-8 Finish: Second in NFC North (no playoffs) Season recap: The Bears found themselves with the task of rebuilding their once-proud defense after they ranked last in the league in run defense and allowed 40 points or more in four different games. Offseason moves: The Bears were involved in a swap of high-profile defensive ends after they released Julius Peppers and signed Jared Allen after the latter was let go by the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago also lost backup QB Josh McCown.

1. Safety: The Bears had issues in a lot of places on defense in 2013, and safety certainly was one of those. Neither Chris Conte nor Major Wright did anything to inspire much confidence. 2. Cornerback: The Bears began last season with a solid starting tandem with Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman, but Tillman sat out the second half of the season with a triceps injury.

And he turned 33 in February. 3. Defensive tackle: Perhaps the Bears wouldn’t have been so porous against the run in 2013 if Henry Melton, given the franchise tag six months earlier, hadn’t torn an ACL in September. Melton signed with Dallas, so this is a need — even after the signing of Lamarr Houston. Also: Fullback, punter, middle linebacker

POSITION FILLED 1. Wide receiver: Alshon Jeffery broke out in a big way in his second season and teamed with Brandon Marshall to give the Bears the most physically imposing set of wide receivers in the league. 2. Tight end: Martellus Bennett had a productive 2013 season after coming over from the New York Giants as a free agent. The former Dallas Cowboys draft pick gives the Bears yet another huge target in the passing game.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t While it’s always tricky to try to predict the exact pick of a team, it really seems pretty obvious that the Bears will opt for a defensive player. Narrowing it down further, the expectation is that Chicago will go for a defensive tackle or a defensive back. That said, prospects who could/should be available for the Bears at No. 14 include DTs Aaron Donald and Timmy Jernigan; CBs Justin Gilbert and Darqueze Dennard; and safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor.

CINCINNATI b e n g a l s draft d i t t y : The Bengals’ eight first- or second-round picks from 2011-13 were spent on eight different positions

status re p o r t 2013 record: 11-5 Finish: First in AFC

North (lost to San Diego in wild-card playoffs)

Season recap: It’s a good news/bad news situation in Cincinnati, where the Bengals have made the playoffs three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history but were one-and-done each time. Offseason moves: The Bengals’ impressive depth took a hit with the free agency losses of T Anthony Collins, DE Michael Johnson and WR Andrew Hawkins, who left for Cleveland when Cincinnati declined to match an offer sheet.

HELP WANTED 1. Defensive tackle: Geno Atkins might be the most dominant DT in the league and the Bengals are counting on a return to form after his 2013 season was cut short by a torn ACL. Still, the Bengals could use an upgrade at the other defensive tackle spot. 2. Quarterback: Marvin Lewis is a staunch supporter of Andy Dal-

ton, but the reality is the Bengals never topped 13 points in any of their last three playoff losses and Dalton’s postseason passer rating is 56.2. 3. Cornerback: The Bengals are loaded with former first-round picks at cornerback, but there’s a lot of age there and the one young guy (Dre Kirkpatrick) hasn’t developed yet. Also: Middle linebacker, safety

POSITION FILLED 1. Wide receiver: A.J. Green has been an elite player pretty much from the time he joined the Bengals and Marvin Jones emerged last year as a terrific complement on the other side. 2. Offensive tackle: With Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith, the Bengals have two top-notch starters. Actually, the Bengals have talent everywhere on what could be considered one of the top offensive lines in the NFL.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t As was the case last year, the Bengals will enter the draft as one of the most complete teams around. It could be argued Cincinnati is a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl team, but it looks like Andy Dalton will get another shot. Therefore, the Bengals really can go for the best player available with the 24th overall selection, and top prospects who could/should be available at that spot include DE Kony Ealy, DT Ra’Shede Hageman, S Calvin Pryor, G David Yankey, DT Timmy Jernigan and CBs Lamarcus Joyner and Bradley Roby.

CLEVELAND b r o w n s draft d i t t y : Cleveland’s top pick has come from the SEC three of the past four years

status re p o r t 2013 record: 4-12 Finish: Fourth in AFC North (no playoffs) Season recap: It was more of the same for the Browns, who ran their streak of consecutive seasons with at least 11 or 12 losses to six. Now it’s Mike Pettine’s turn to get a shot, as he becomes the team’s third head coach in as many seasons. Offseason moves: The

Browns made some big acquisitions, landing linebacker Karlos Dansby, safety Donte Whitner and running back Ben Tate. The big loss was T.J. Ward leaving for Denver.

HELP WANTED 1. Quarterback: The Browns went through Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer and Jason Campbell last season. That’s not exactly a recipe for success. Hoyer showed some promise before tearing an ACL, but he’s not likely a long-term answer. 2. Wide receiver: Andrew Hawkins, signed from Cincinnati as a restricted free agent, should fill the

need for a slot receiver, but Cleveland still needs a complement on the outside for star Josh Gordon. 3. Cornerback: Former first-round pick Joe Haden is firmly established as one of the top corners in the league, but there’s a clear void on the other side even after the free agent signings of Brandon Hughes and Isaiah Trufant. Also: Kicker, safety, guard

POSITION FILLED 1. Offensive tackle: The Browns don’t have a lot of elite players on offense, but Joe Thomas certainly fits that description and 2012 secondround pick Mitchell Schwartz is a solid starter on the right side. 2. Defensive tackle: New head coach Mike Pettine says the Browns will play a combination of 3-4 and 4-3, but either way he’s got two solid interior defensive linemen in former first-round pick Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin.

potential n o . 1 p i c k s The Browns clearly are in need of a franchise quarterback and logically will get a shot with the fourth overall pick at one of the three top prospects in this year’s class — Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel. Another way the Browns could go is wide receiver Sammy Watkins to team up with breakout star Josh Gordon and wait until their second No. 1 pick — 26th overall, acquired from Indy in the Trent Richardson trade — and take Fresno State’s Derek Carr. If they go with a QB first, a wide receiver or cornerback would be the logical choice at No. 26.

DALLAS c o w b o y s draft d i t t y : Dallas has taken a player from Oklahoma or Oklahoma State each of the past five drafts

status re p o r t 2013 record: 8-8 Finish: Second in NFC East (no playoffs) Season recap: After three seasons of finishing at 8-8 and losing a winner-takeall battle for the NFC East on the last Sunday night each time, the Cowboys were staring at a nasty cap situation that could actually set them back. Offseason moves: The

Cowboys’ cap issues led to the release of DeMarcus Ware along with that of talented but oft-injured wide receiver Miles Austin. The big acquisition was that of former Chicago DT Henry Melton.

HELP WANTED 1. Defensive tackle: The Cowboys switched to a 4-3 alignment last season but were dreadful against the run. Signing Henry Melton should help, but he’s coming off a torn ACL. 2. Safety: This has been a position of need for the Cowboys for several years now. The starters at the end of last season were Barry Church and undrafted rookie Jeff

Heath; an upgrade is needed. 3. Guard: The Cowboys entered last offseason with major needs in the interior of their offensive line, and Travis Frederick filled the void at center. Now it’s time to address the guard position after veteran stopgap Brian Waters went down with an injury. Also: Defensive end, cornerback, outside linebacker

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Cowboys will have the 16th overall selection after winning a coin toss with Baltimore — both teams were 8-8 with identical opponents’ winning percentages. It would be a major surprise if that pick wasn’t used on a defensive player. A defensive tackle like Aaron Donald or Timmy Jernigan certainly would make sense at No. 16, or perhaps the Cowboys might opt for a safety like Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or Calvin Pryor. Other defensive prospects who could be of interest at that spot include Missouri DE Kony Ealy and UCLA OLB Anthony Barr.

POSITION FILLED 1. Wide receiver: Despite his sometimes controversial nature, Dez Bryant is a bona fide superstar at wide receiver, and Terrance Williams showed enough promise as a rookie to think he’ll become a very good second option. 2. Quarterback: Tony Romo may be polarizing, but he’s coming off a very good 2013 season. He remains the man in charge, although his health (back surgery) needs to be monitored.

DENVER b r o n c o s draft d i t t y : Denver has taken a running back in one of the first three rounds three times in the past five years

HELP WANTED

status re p o r t 2013 record: 13-3 Finish: 1st in AFC West (lost to Seattle in Super Bowl) Season recap: The

Super Bowl loss was disappointing but certainly couldn’t take away from Peyton Manning’s record-setting season. As long as he can remain productive, Denver will be an elite team.

Offseason moves: The

Broncos sure appear to be in win-big-now mode, as evidenced by the acquisitions of CB Aqib Talib, S T.J. Ward and DE DeMarcus Ware after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys.

1. Guard: The Broncos signed Louis Vazquez in free agency last year to fill a hole at guard, but this offseason they lost starter Zane Beadles in free agency and need to add some depth at the position. 2. Middle linebacker: The Broncos have an established star outside in the form of Von Miller, but neither Wesley Woodyard

nor Paris Lenon made much of an impact in the middle. 3. Defensive end: The Broncos filled a major need for a pass-rushing defensive end when they paid big money to sign Ware. But the reality is Ware will be 32 at the start of the 2014 season and he’s coming off the worst season of his career. Also: Cornerback, safety, wide receiver

POSITION FILLED 1. Quarterback: Nobody knows how long Manning can keep going, but the Broncos have set themselves up at the position by having former second-round pick Brock Osweiler learn behind him. 2. Running back: The Broncos have invested a lot of high picks at this position and it gave them the ability to watch Knowshon Moreno leave via free agency without much of an effect because of the presence of Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman.

possible n o . 1 t a r g e t Given the Broncos’ record-setting offense in 2013, logic would suggest that they should go with defense with the 31st overall pick. If that winds up being the case, some of the prospects who could/should be available include defensive ends Kony Ealy and Dee Ford; cornerbacks Kyle Fuller, Jason Verrett and Lamarcus Joyner; and safeties Deone Bucannon and Jimmie Ward. Another way the Broncos could go is to solidify their guard position with someone like Stanford’s David Yankey or go for a wide receiver like Jordan Matthews or Davante Adams.

DETROIT l i o n s draft d i t t y : The Lions have taken an offensive or defensive lineman with their top pick each of the last four years

status re p o r t 2013 record: 7-9 Finish: Third in NFC North (no playoffs) Season recap: After the Lions pounded the Packers on Thanksgiving Day, no one could have foreseen the collapse that would see Detroit lose its last four games (without scoring more than 20 points) and lead to the hiring of Jim Caldwell to replace the fired Jim Schwartz. Offseason moves: It

has been a pretty quiet offseason for the Lions, whose biggest acquisition was that of former Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate.

HELP WANTED 1. Cornerback: The Lions have one of the most imposing defensive lines in the NFL, but they don’t have the playmakers on the back end. Chris Houston was the only Lions CB with an interception last season, and he only had two. 2. Safety: Starter Louis Delmas was released in the offseason, partly because of chronic knee

issues and also because he wasn’t seen as a good fit in the new defense. 3. Kicker: After longtime kicker Jason Hanson retired following the 2012 season, the Lions went with another veteran in 2013, but David Akers had a somewhat disappointing season and he was released in the offseason. Also: Wide receiver, tackle

POSITION FILLED 1. Defensive tackle: Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley both have their set of issues, but when they’re at their best, there isn’t a more dominating duo of interior defensive linemen in the league. 2. Running back: The Lions have a nice combination of power and speed in the offensive backfield with Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, who the Lions re-signed in the offseason. And that’s not even mentioning Mikel Leshoure.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Lions find themselves with the 10th overall pick, the same spot they had in 2005 when they selected USC wide receiver Mike Williams. Nine years later, it would not be a great shock if the Lions went with a wide receiver again, with the logical option at that spot this year being Mike Evans from Texas A&M or perhaps Marquise Lee from USC. A more logical option would be addressing the major need at cornerback with either Justin Gilbert or Darqueze Dennard.

GREEN BAY p a c k e r s draft d i t t y : The Packers have taken a college offensive or defensive lineman with their top pick each of the last five years

HELP WANTED

status re p o r t 2013 record: 8-7-1 Finish: First in NFC North

(lost to San Francisco in wild-card playoffs)

Season recap: Given that Aaron Rodgers missed seven games because of a shoulder injury, it was quite an accomplishment that the Packers made the playoffs last season. Offseason moves: The Packers haven’t added many veterans, but they did make a splash by signing Julius Peppers after he was released by Chicago. After playing defensive end for the Bears, Peppers is expected to line up at outside linebacker in the Packers’ 3-4 scheme.

1. Safety: The Packers have issues at several different spots on defense, but perhaps nothing is more glaring than the need for a playmaker at safety after the position recorded one interception all of last season. 2. Tight end: Jermichael Finley had some big seasons for the Packers and now Green Bay needs to find a bona-fide

threat at the position because a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers needs to have as many targets at his disposal as possible. 3. Nose tackle: Opponents averaged a healthy 4.6 yards per rushing attempt against the Packers in 2013, and that serves as an indictment on the work of Ryan Pickett. Also: Defensive end, inside linebacker

POSITION FILLED 1. Quarterback: Rodgers has topped 100 in passer rating each of the past five seasons and he turned only 30 years old last December. The Packers aren’t even at the stage to start thinking about Rodgers’ successor. 2. Running back: The Packers doubled up in the draft last year with Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin to find an answer at running back, and Lacy responded by earning Rookie of the Year honors.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Packers will have the 21st overall pick, which will be their highest first-round selection since 2009 when they selected B.J. Raji with the ninth overall pick. Five years later, it’s entirely possible that the Packers could go with a defensive lineman again, with Notre Dame nose tackle Louis Nix III looking like a good fit. Other options would include safeties Calvin Pryor or Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or a tight end like Eric Ebron or Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Another possibility would be Nix’s college teammate, 3-4 defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

HOUSTON t e x a n s draft d i t t y : Houston hasn’t taken a QB before the fifth round since making David Carr the first overall pick in 2002

status re p o r t 2013 record: 2-14 Finish: Fourth in AFC South (no playoffs) Season recap: Wasn’t it just two years ago that the Texans seemed on the cusp of getting to the Super Bowl? After a couple of close victories to start the 2013 season, things went south in a hurry and the Texans were left with a new head coach (Bill O’Brien) and a bunch of questions. Offseason moves: The Texans said goodbye to several veterans, releasing TE Owen Daniels, trading QB Matt Schaub and losing in free agency RB Ben Tate, DE Antonio Smith and DT Earl Mitchell.

HELP WANTED 1. Quarterback: Matt Schaub entered last season surrounded by questions as to whether he was capable of leading a team to a Super Bowl. What followed were a series of pick-sixes that left Houston having to start over at the position. 2. Running back: The Texans used to have the best one-two tandem in the league with Arian Foster

and Ben Tate, but Foster is coming off back surgery and Tate now is a member of the Cleveland Browns. 3. Safety: The Ed Reed experiment didn’t quite pan out for the Texans, and that’s putting it gently. The Texans headed into another offseason still looking for a difference-maker in the secondary. Also: Inside linebacker, nose tackle, fullback, tackle

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t By virtue of their incomprehensible collapse, the Texans inherited the first overall pick and will have their choice of any quarterback in the draft. The question is whether Houston decides that any of the top candidates — Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel — merits the No. 1 overall pick. The other option at No. 1 would be the .. uber-talented Jadeveon Clowney, even though he’s better suited to a 4-3 than the Texans’ 3-4. There’s, of course, always the option of trading down.

POSITION FILLED 1. Wide receiver: The Texans are going to have to start thinking about replacing Andre Johnson pretty soon, but it doesn’t rank as a need this offseason. Besides, they spent their No. 1 pick last year on a wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. 2. Center: Chris Myers has been a steady performer for the Texans for six years and he’s coming off another solid season even though his streak of consecutive Pro Bowl appearances stopped at two.

INDIANAPOLIS c o l t s draft d i t t y : Indy didn’t select a single linebacker in any of the last three drafts

status re p o r t 2013 record: 11-5 Finish: First in AFC South (lost at New England in divisional playoffs) Season recap: After making the playoffs twice in Andrew Luck’s first two seasons, it should be pretty clear this is a team that’s going to be a factor for a long time. Offseason moves: The Colts made a couple of key acquisitions to improve their defense, signing DE Arthur Jones away from Baltimore and LB D’Qwell Jackson after he was released by Cleveland. WR Hakeem Nicks also could help.

HELP WANTED 1. Wide receiver: As good as Luck is, it’s imperative that the Colts keep him surrounded with playmakers on offense. This is a major need because Reggie Wayne is 35 and has to come back from reconstructive knee surgery. 2. Center: Samson Satele was a serviceable center for the Colts, but the team was in need of

an upgrade at the position even before they decided to release him in the offseason. 3. Safety: The two Colts starters from 2013, Antoine Bethea and LaRon Landry, both have made the Pro Bowl during their career, but that’s not how they played last season. And Bethea left for the 49ers in free agency. Also: Cornerback, inside linebacker

POSITION FILLED 1. Quarterback: The Colts have made the playoffs in each of Andrew Luck’s first two seasons and the likelihood is that Luck will just keep getting better and better. 2. Running back: After giving up their 2014 first-round pick for Trent Richardson last season, the Colts are likely to give him every opportunity to show they were right in making the trade. With Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard, the Colts also have good depth at the position.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Colts do not have a first-round pick as the result of their trade with the Cleveland Browns for the services of running back Trent Richardson, who did little to justify the move. Indianapolis’ first selection in the draft will be the 27th in the second round, the 59th overall. Luckily for the Colts, there’s tremendous depth at wide receiver in this draft, which means they still could land someone like Jarvis Landry, Martavis Bryant, Allen Robinson, Donte Moncrief or Davante Adams. Center Marcus Martin also could be a possibility.

JACKSONVILLE j a g u a r s draft d i t t y : The Jaguars haven’t drafted a tight end before the sixth round since 2006

status re p o r t 2013 record: 4-12 Finish: Third in AFC South (no playoffs) Season recap: The Jaguars doubled their victory total in Gus Bradley’s first season as head coach in 2013, but considering they lost five games by 20 points or more, it’s clear there’s still a lot of work to be done. Offseason moves: The Jaguars didn’t make any headline-grabbing moves early in free agency, but did pick up a few players who could help — G Zane Beadles, DE Chris Clemons, RB Toby Gerhart, LB Dekoda Watson, DE Red Bryant.

HELP WANTED 1. Quarterback: The Blaine Gabbert experiment ended when he was traded to San Francisco for a late-round pick. The Jaguars resigned Chad Henne in the offseason, but it should be clear by now that Henne is better suited for a backup role. 2. Guard: The Jaguars averaged only 3.3 yards per rushing attempt in 2013 and a big rea-

son was the sub-par performance of the interior of the offensive line. Veteran starter Uche Nwaneri then was released in the offseason. 3. Running back: Maurice Jones-Drew made the Pro Bowl in 2009, 2010 and 2011, but injuries then derailed him and there was nobody to take over. Also: Outside linebacker, cornerback, center

POSITION FILLED 1. Punter: The Jaguars made the highly suspect decision to draft punter Bryan Anger in the third round in 2012 at a time when they had bigger needs throughout the roster, but at least he has performed up to expectations. 2. Kicker: In his 10th season in Jacksonville in 2013, Josh Scobee was 23-of-25 on field goal attempts for the second time in three years. At least the Jaguars don’t have to worry about their kicking game.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t After picking second overall last year, the Jaguars will have the third selection this time and it seems likely they’ll want to address their long-problematic quarterback situation. At No. 3, Jacksonville is assured that one of the top three passing prospects — Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel — will be available. The one player who likely would make the Jaguars pass on a quarterback is Jadeveon Clowney, the kind of dynamic defensive difference-maker the Jaguars simply don’t have on their roster.

KANSAS CITY c h i e f s draft d i t t y : The Chiefs have taken five offensive linemen in the first three rounds in the past three drafts

status re p o r t 2013 record: 11-5 Finish: Second in AFC

West (lost at Indianapolis in wild-card playoffs)

Season recap: The

Chiefs’ turnaround from 2-14 in 2012 to playoff team was impressive but perhaps not all that stunning considering the talent that had been wasted by shoddy quarterbacking. That said, the question is how far this team can get.

Offseason moves: It

has been a tough offseason for the Chiefs, who lost several key contributors in free agency — T Branden Albert, DT Tyson Jackson, WR Dexter McCluster, G Geoff Schwartz, G Jon Asamoah.

HELP WANTED 1. Safety: The Chiefs defense thrived on turnovers last season but also gave up its share of big plays. The one spot in the secondary that could use some upgrading is free safety, where Kendrick Lewis was merely adequate in 2013. 2. Wide receiver: Dwayne Bowe is a bona fide No. 1 receiver, but the Chiefs have had

problems finding him a complementary playmaker. Kansas City landed former first-round pick A.J. Jenkins last season after he flamed out in San Francisco, but Jenkins is far from a proven commodity. 3. Guard: The offensive line took a big hit in free agency, and two of the losses were starting guard Geoff Schwartz and key backup Jon Asamoah. Also: Cornerback

POSITION FILLED 1. Outside linebacker: Justin Houston and Tamba Hali both finished with 11 sacks last season and their ability to pressure the quarterback was a big key to the success of the defense in 2013. 2. Running back: While Alex Smith deserves credit for avoiding the mistakes that killed the Chiefs in 2012, it was Jamaal Charles who made the offense go. He not only rushed for 1,287 yards but also led the team with 70 receptions.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The price of Kansas City’s successful 2013 season will be having the 23rd pick instead of the first overall that the Chiefs had last year. At that spot, the Chiefs figure to go for a wide receiver or defensive back. Among wide receivers who should land around this spot are LSU’s Odell Beckham Jr. and Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks, with a slight chance that USC’s Marqise Lee could fall to 23 as well. Among defensive backs, options here could include CB Bradley Roby, CB Kyle Fuller, CB Jason Verrett or safety Calvin Pryor.

MIAMI d o l p h i n s draft d i t t y : The Dolphins haven’t taken a linebacker in the first round since 1984 (Jackie Shipp)

status re p o r t 2013 record: 8-8 Finish: Third in AFC East (no playoffs) Season recap: The Dolphins are looking to turn the page after a season marred by the much-publicized bullying scandal and later on the field by a late-season collapse that kept them out of the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year. Offseason moves: The

Dolphins have been pretty active in free agency and the biggest move easily was landing tackle Branden Albert from Kansas City. Landing Knowshon Moreno also was a solid move.

HELP WANTED 1. Guard: Last year’s openingday starters were Richie Incognito and John Jerry, both of whom were implicated in the bullying scandal. Jerry has signed with the Giants and Incognito has practically zero chance of returning. 2. Running back: Miami went with 2012 fourth-round pick Lamar Miller and 2011 secondround choice Daniel Thomas

as a tandem last year, but the results were less than overwhelming. 3. Offensive tackle: The Dolphins ended last season with veterans Bryant McKinnie and Tyson Clabo as their starters and might want a restart here, too. Signing Branden Albert was a good start, but more help is needed. Also: Outside linebacker, fullback

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t With four of the five starters from an underperforming Dolphins offensive line becoming unrestricted free agents, it has been assumed that Miami will be targeting that position with the 19th overall pick. One player whose name has come up often is Notre Dame’s Zack Martin, who could play guard or tackle. But Miami has needs throughout its lineup and other options could include Alabama OT Cyrus Kouandjio, North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, and safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor.

POSITION FILLED 1. Defensive end: Olivier Vernon emerged last season to provide pass-rushing help for three-time Pro Bowl selection Cameron Wake. In addition, the Dolphins also have 2013 third overall pick Dion Jordan. 2. Cornerback: The re-signing of Pro Bowl selection Brent Grimes before the start of free agency was a big priority. The Dolphins also used picks in the second (Jamar Taylor) and third rounds (Will Davis) on this position last year.

MINNESOTA v i k i n g s draft d i t t y : The Vikings took nine players from Florida schools the past seven years, including three in 2013

HELP WANTED

status re p o r t 2013 record: 5-10-1 Finish: Fourth in NFC

North (no playoffs)

Season recap: After

managing to make the playoffs despite shaky quarterback play in 2012, the Vikings had no such luck in 2013 and the result was the firing of Leslie Frazier and hiring of Mike Zimmer as head coach.

Offseason moves: The

Vikings’ biggest acquisition was that of former Giants DT Linval Joseph, but that paled in comparison to longtime DE Jared Allen leaving for Chicago as a free agent.

This is a renewal

1. Quarterback: The Vikings had their most success last season with Matt Cassel at quarterback and they re-signed him in the offseason. But it’s not like he solves the team’s quarterback issue. 2. Outside linebacker: Chad Greenway has been a starter since being a first-round pick in 2006 and he led the Vikings with three inter-

Also: Middle linebacker, cornerback, guard

1. Offensive tackle: With Matt Kalil on the left side and massive Phil Loadholt on the right, the Vikings have one of the best tackle tandems in the NFC. 2. Running back: Adrian Peterson wasn’t able to duplicate his 2,000yard performance, but he had yet another Pro Bowl season. The Vikings will have to think about a successor at some point, but that time clearly has not arrived yet. He should remain the focal point on offense.

The Vikings have the eighth overall pick and logic says that if one of the three top quarterback prospects — Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel — is still on the board, they’ll strongly consider going that route. Otherwise, Minnesota could instead look at an outside linebacker like Anthony Barr or Khalil Mack, although Mack is expected to be selected before then. Cornerbacks Justin Gilbert and Darqueze Dennard also could be options, and an outside possibility would be Alabama ILB C.J. Mosley.

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POSITION FILLED

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t

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NEW ENGLAND p a t r i o t s draft d i t t y : The Patriots have ended up with four or more picks in the first three rounds six consecutive years

status re p o r t 2013 record: 12-4 Finish: First in AFC East

(lost at Denver in AFC Championship Game)

Season recap: The Patriots entered the offseason after once again coming up short in the playoffs, and had age and cap issues to address. On the flip side, they’ve also reached double digits in victories 11 straight years and still have Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Offseason moves: The Patriots didn’t make many moves, but signing Darrelle Revis after he was released by Tampa Bay might qualify as the most significant acquisition by any team.

HELP WANTED 1. Defensive tackle: The Patriots opened the season with their starters at this position being Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly, both of whom are in their 30s and both of whom ended the season on injured reserve. 2. Tight end: With all due respect to Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end in the league when healthy.

But that’s just the problem — Gronkowski hasn’t been healthy. Now he has to try to come back from a torn ACL. 3. Wide receiver: Tom Brady had his lowest passer rating since 2003 and that had a lot more to do with some growing pains from New England’s rookie wide receivers, who remain unknown quantities. Also: Fullback, safety

POSITION FILLED 1. Offensive tackle: While the skill positions have been in flux in recent years, the New England offensive line has been a steady force and it starts with young and talented tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer. 2. Outside linebacker: With the emergence of Jaime Collins late last season, the Patriots have reason to feel good about their starting tandem of Collins and 2012 first-round pick Dont’a Hightower.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t Having a pick late in the first round is nothing new for the Patriots, who will select 29th this year. The Patriots don’t have a glaring need that must be addressed, so they could go in several directions here. Among the possibilities are Notre Dame nose tackle Louis Nix III, Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro, Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.

NEW ORLEANS s a i n t s draft d i t t y : The Saints haven’t ended up with at least seven draft picks in any draft since 2007

status re p o r t 2013 record: 11-5 Finish: Second in NFC South (lost at Seattle in divisional playoffs) Season recap: The

Saints rebounded from the Bountygate mess just as expected, but were facing a whole new set of issues this offseason, namely trying to re-sign Jimmy Graham and trying to get younger.

Offseason moves: For a

team dealing with cap issues, the Saints did well in landing safety Jairus Byrd from Buffalo. Re-signing right tackle Zach Strief also was key. The one loss of note was that of Darren Sproles.

HELP WANTED 1. Inside linebacker: Former Atlanta starter Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne handled the inside linebacker spots in the Saints’ new 3-4 scheme last year, and neither of them had what could be considered a productive season. 2. Cornerback: Veteran starter Jabari Greer was among three veterans released in mid-Feb-

ruary, and nickel corner Patrick Robinson is coming off a major knee injury. 3. Kicker: Garrett Hartley made only 22 of 30 field goal attempts last season and hasn’t had a conversion rate higher than 81.8 percent since 2008. That doesn’t cut it in a league where the average success rate last season was 86.5 percent. Also: Wide receiver, center

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t With the 27th overall pick in the first round, the Saints figure to focus on defense. If they choose to go with a cornerback, likely options at No. 27 could include Bradley Roby of Ohio State, Jason Verrett of TCU, Kyle Fuller of Virginia Tech and Lamarcus Joyner of Florida State. The Saints could use an inside linebacker, but there isn’t a prospect who falls near the 20-30 range in terms of draft value. So New Orleans could wind up just looking for depth on defense, with someone like DE/OLB Dee Ford or Notre Dame DE Stephon Tuitt.

POSITION FILLED 1. Quarterback: Drew Brees turned 35 in January but he has shown no signs of slowing down. Last season, he recorded his third consecutive season with at least 5,000 passing yards. 2. Defensive end: Whatever success the Saints defense had in 2013 was largely due to the play of Cameron Jordan and Akiem Hicks. Jordan emerged as a pass-rushing force, while Hicks turned in a strong performance against the run.

NEW YORK g i a n t s draft d i t t y : The Giants haven’t taken a linebacker before Round 6 since 2009

status re p o r t 2013 record: 7-9 Finish: Third in NFC East

(no playoffs)

Season recap: The Gi-

ants have followed up their Super Bowl title of 2011 by failing to make the playoffs the past two years and now need to figure out how to get Eli Manning and the offense back on track.

Offseason moves: The Giants were very active, and among their key acquisitions were CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and G Geoff Schwartz. On the flip side, New York said goodbye to former key contributors Justin Tuck, Hakeem Nicks and David Diehl.

HELP WANTED 1. Running back: David Wilson was a first-round pick just two years ago, but now he has become a question mark after having surgery on his neck. Veteran Brandon Jacobs announced his retirement. Rashad Jennings was signed as a free agent, but is the former Jaguars and Raiders backup really the answer?

2. Defensive tackle: The Giants did a good job against the run in 2013, but lost starter Linval Joseph in free agency. There’s little depth at this position on the roster. 3. Tight end: Brandon Myers had decent numbers in 2013 in his first season with the Giants, but he left for Tampa Bay via free agency. Also: Fullback, defensive end, outside linebacker

POSITION FILLED 1. Safety: Opposing quarterbacks managed only a 78.2 passer rating against the Giants and a big reason was the strong play of starters Will Hill and Antrel Rolle, who led the Giants with six interceptions. 2. Guard: This was a position of need entering this offseason, but the Giants then signed Geoff Schwartz from Kansas City and John Jerry from Miami. In addition, the Giants kept starter Chris Snee when he agreed to restructure his contract.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Giants currently own the 12th overall pick, which would be their highest since the famous 2004 draft when they had the fourth pick and selected Philip Rivers. New York has enough needs to be able to find a match at No. 12. Options that could be available include TE Eric Ebron from North Carolina, DT Louis Nix III from Notre Dame, CB Darqueze Dennard from Michigan State, CB Justin Gilbert from Oklahoma State, and OLB Anthony Barr from UCLA. An outside possibility would be a wide receiver like USC’s Marquise Lee.

NEW YORK j e t s draft d i t t y : The Jets have not drafted a tight end since 2008 when they took Dustin Keller in Round 1

status re p o r t 2013 record: 8-8 Finish: 2nd in AFC East

(no playoffs)

Season recap: That the Jets were able to finish at .500 last season was nothing short of remarkable given the talent level on the roster. It earned Rex Ryan at least another year as head coach but shouldn’t have masked the team’s deficiencies. Offseason moves: The Jets made a couple on offense with the signings of Eric Decker and Michael Vick, but that was overshadowed by the departures of Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie.

HELP WANTED 1. Wide receiver: Newcomer Eric Decker has become a better wide receiver than the departed Santonio Holmes, but he’s not really a pure No. 1 target. The truth is the Jets don’t have that kind of wide receiver on their roster. 2. Quarterback: Let’s face it, did Geno Smith really do much as a rookie in 2013 to make anyone

think he’s the long-term answer for the Jets? And Michael Vick signed only a one-year deal. 3. Safety: The release of Antonio Cromartie suggests a glaring hole at cornerback, but the reality is the Jets are in better shape there with former first-round picks Dee Milliner and Kyle Wilson than at safety. Also: Guard, fullback, tight end, inside linebacker, cornerback

POSITION FILLED 1. Defensive end: Sheldon Richardson’s ability to make an immediate impact gave the Jets a formidable set of bookends with Muhammad Wilkerson on their 3-4 defensive line. In fact, it could be argued that no 3-4 team has better defensive ends. 2. Running back: Neither Chris Ivory nor Bilal Powell are particularly flashy, but they’re both solid and effective backs, and they form a pretty good combo.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Jets have the 18th overall pick in the first round and logic says they need to get playmakers on offense, preferably at wide receiver. Among the wide receivers who could or should be available at that spot are Marquise Lee from USC, Odell Beckham Jr. from LSU, Kelvin Benjamin from Florida State and Brandin Cooks from Oregon State. A tight end like Eric Ebron also would help the passing game. If they opt for defense, logical choices for the Jets here would include safety Calvin Pryor and inside linebacker C.J. Mosley.

OAKLAND r a i d e r s draft d i t t y : Oakland has taken at least one wide receiver each of the past eight drafts

HELP WANTED

status re p o r t 2013 record: 4-12 Finish: Fourth in AFC

West (no playoffs)

Season recap: There

seemed to be some hope in Oakland after a 3-4 start, but in the end it was yet another disappointing season for the Raiders, who once again found themselves staring up at the rest of the division.

Offseason moves: The Raiders loaded up on established veterans with the additions of DE Justin Tuck, OLB LaMarr Woodley, T Donald Penn, DT Antonio Smith, QB Matt Schaub and RB Maurice Jones-Drew. The question is: How much do those guys have left?

1. Quarterback: The Raiders last year traded for Matt Flynn, drafted Tyler Wilson and gave looks to both Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin. Now, they’ve traded for Matt Schaub. The bottom line is Oakland still doesn’t have a definitive answer. 2. Defensive end: The Raiders began the offseason looking like a team that could use pass-

rushing help, which made it all the more surprising that they let their 2013 sack leader, Lamarr Houston, leave via free agency. Justin Tuck will only help so much. 3. Cornerback: Raiders opponents combined last season for a 68.1 completion percentage and a passer rating of 105.1. Also: Wide receiver, safety, defensive tackle

POSITION FILLED 1. Outside linebacker: Sio Moore turned in an impressive performance as a rookie third-round pick in 2013, and the Raiders also got solid play from veteran free agent acquisition Kevin Burnett. 2. Center: The Raiders entered the offseason with plenty of question marks surrounding their offensive line, but the one spot where they were solid was in the middle, thanks to Stefen Wisniewski.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Raiders have a first-round pick for the second consecutive year after a three-year run without one, and will pick fifth overall. While the Raiders badly need someone who can make an immediate impact, they might be hard-pressed to pass up one of the top three quarterbacks — Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater — if available. The other prospects considered top-five talents are Sammy Watkins, Jadeveon Clowney, Greg Robinson and Khalil Mack, and the Raiders could justify drafting any of them.

PHILADELPHIA e a g l e s draft d i t t y : The Eagles haven’t taken a cornerback in the first or second round since 2002 (Lito Sheppard, Round 1)

status re p o r t 2013 record: 10-6 Finish: First in NFC East (lost to New Orleans in wild-card playoffs) Season recap: Even

after the disappointing loss against the Saints, the outlook is bright in Philadelphia after a return to the playoffs in Chip Kelly’s first year as head coach.

Offseason moves: The Eagles began the offseason by re-signing several key players, highlighted by OT Jason Peters and WR Jeremy Maclin, and then picked up Darren Sproles in a trade. The Eagles later cut WR DeSean Jackson.

HELP WANTED 1. Outside linebacker: Even though he led the team with eight sacks, converted defensive end Trent Cole isn’t seen as a great fit in the Eagles’ 3-4 scheme. Besides, you can never have enough quality OLBs in a 3-4. 2. Cornerback: Brandon Boykin has developed into a quality slot corner, but the Eagles could use an upgrade over

starters Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher on the outside. 3. Safety: Signing former Saints first-round pick Malcolm Jenkins as a free agent was a good move, but it didn’t completely solve the issues at this position. Earl Wolff started five games as a rookie fifthround pick in 2013, and the jury is still out on him. Also: Kicker, inside linebacker

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Eagles seem to have all the elements for a Super Bowl offense; the task now will be to build the defense. With the 22nd pick in the first round, the Eagles figure to go for the best prospect in the back seven. Among those who should be available around this spot are Auburn DE/OLB Dee Ford, TCU CB Jason Verrett, Ohio State CB Bradley Roby, Missouri DE/OLB Kony Ealy, and safeties Calvin Pryor and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. One option on offense would be an oversized wide receiver like Kelvin Benjamin.

POSITION FILLED 1. Offensive tackle: The Eagles gave left tackle Jason Peters a contract extension in the offseason and they should be set on both sides for a few years with Peters and 2013 first-round pick Lane Johnson. 2. Running back: LeSean McCoy was the perfect fit for Chip Kelly’s wide-open offense, and the addition of Darren Sproles gives Kelly one more weapon to utilize. Bryce Brown is a good complementary back with some power.

PITTSBURGH s t e e l e r s draft d i t t y : The Steelers selected a running back in each of the past six drafts

status re p o r t 2013 record: 8-8 Finish: Second in AFC

North (no playoffs)

Season recap: The Steelers deserve kudos for overcoming a 2-6 start to end up close to making the playoffs, but the once-dominating defense appears to be in transition. Offseason moves: It’s

been a typical Steelers offseason, which means they’ve focused on retaining their own free agents while adding some complementary pieces, such as S Mike Mitchell, WR Lance Moore and NT Cam Thomas. The one departure of note was that of OLB LaMarr Woodley.

HELP WANTED 1. Cornerback: Veteran Ike Taylor will be back after agreeing to take a pay cut, but he’s not the shutdown cornerback he once was. And nobody has emerged on the opposite side in recent years to earn that distinction. 2. Nose tackle: It wasn’t that long ago that the Steelers were almost impossible to run against,

but that was when Casey Hampton was still lining up at nose tackle. The Steelers need a dominant force again in the middle of the defensive line. 3. Wide receiver: Antonio Brown has emerged as one of the best in the league, but the Steelers just don’t have much else on the roster. Also: Defensive end, punter, fullback, inside linebacker

POSITION FILLED 1. Quarterback: The biggest reason for the Steelers’ turnaround in 2013 was the stellar play of Ben Roethlisberger, who remains among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. 2. Outside linebacker: Even after releasing LaMarr Woodley in March, the Steelers should be fine at outside linebacker if 2013 firstround pick Jarvis Jones makes enough of a step to become a solid complement to Jason Worilds.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t Before free agency started, it seemed a popular thought that the Steelers would take a safety with the 15th overall selection, but the addition of former Carolina starter Mike Mitchell might change that view. The Steelers took Casey Hampton at No. 19 in 2001 and it’s certainly easy to see them taking nose tackle Louis Nix III this year. Other options should include cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard or Justin Gilbert, if either is available, or a wide receiver such as Marqise Lee or Mike Evans, if the latter should happen to last beyond the first 14 picks.

ST. LOUIS r a m s draft d i t t y : The Rams took 10 wide receivers in the past six drafts, including two last year

status re p o r t 2013 record: 7-9 Finish: Fourth in NFC

West (no playoffs)

Season recap: The Rams definitely have made progress in the two years since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach, but they haven’t been able to keep up in what has become the best division in the NFL. Offseason moves: The Rams did very little in terms of adding players. In fact, their biggest move was resigning guard/tackle Rodger Safford after his deal with Oakland was voided when the Raiders failed him on their physical.

HELP WANTED 1. Guard: Two players who got multiple starts at guard left the Rams in the offseason — Harvey Dahl was released and Chris Williams left as a free agent — and they almost lost a third with Saffold. 2. Wide receiver: While Tavon Austin showed explosiveness at times last season, he’s not a pure wide re-

ceiver but more of an all-purpose back. The Rams actually don’t have a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver on their roster. 3. Safety: Rodney McLeod and rookie T.J. McDonald were the starters in 2013 and they both had their share of struggles. An upgrade clearly is mandated. Also: Cornerback, offensive tackle, quarterback, tight end

POSITION FILLED 1. Defensive end: Robert Quinn went to the Pro Bowl last season after leading the league with 19 sacks and even though he’s never been selected to the Pro Bowl, Chris Long is a very good defensive end in his own right. 2. Defensive tackle: While they’re not nearly as spectacular as their defensive line partners, Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers form an effective starting tandem inside.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t Enjoying the last rewards of the big draft trade with Washington two years ago, the Rams will hold the second overall pick courtesy of the Redskins, along with their own 13th overall selection. That gives St. Louis an awful lot of flexibility, assuming they don’t trade out of the second spot again. If they stay put, logic says they’ll go after Sammy Watkins to fill their wide receiver need, Jadeveon Clowney because he’s just too good to pass up, or tackle Greg Robinson because of uncertainty surrounding Jake Long after he tore an ACL in the season finale.

SAN DIEGO c h a r g e r s draft d i t t y : The Chargers haven’t drafted a safety in the first round since 1991 (Stanley Richard)

status re p o r t 2013 record: 9-7 Finish: Third in AFC

West (lost at Denver in divisional playoffs)

Season recap: Mike McCoy’s first year as head coach was a success as the Chargers returned to the playoffs. McCoy’s biggest accomplishment was getting QB Philip Rivers back to elite status. Offseason moves: With little cap with which to operate, the Chargers were among the quietest teams early in free agency. Their biggest moves involved resigning their own players, such as LB Donald Butler and CB Richard Marshall.

HELP WANTED 1. Cornerback: The Chargers signed Derek Cox as a free agent last offseason but he struggled badly enough that he was released. You need a lot of quality cornerbacks playing in the same division as Peyton Manning, and the Chargers might not have even one. 2. Nose tackle: The Chargers gave up 4.6 yards per rushing at-

tempt in 2013, and that’s an indictment on the work of starting nose tackle Cam Thomas, who wound up leaving for Pittsburgh as a free agent. 3. Wide receiver: The Chargers could have had a tremendous wide receiver corps if not for the significant injuries sustained by Malcom Floyd and Danario Alexander. Also: Guard, fullback

POSITION FILLED 1. Offensive tackle: After trying several alternatives, the Chargers seem to finally have found an answer at left tackle with King Dunlap. Over on the right side, first-round pick D.J. Fluker has the look of a future Pro Bowl selection. 2. Inside linebacker: The Chargers took care of this spot in the offseason when they re-signed Donald Butler, one of their best defensive players. Manti Te’o came on late last season and should only get better.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t Despite their unspectacular 9-7 record, the Chargers will have to settle for the 25th overall pick after winning a playoff game. Given the severity of their need at cornerback, it would seem likely that’s the position they’ll target and the three prospects who could/should be available at that spot are Bradley Roby, Kyle Fuller and Jason Verrett. At nose tackle, the one prospect considered a first-round pick is Louis Nix III and he’s likely to be a top 20 pick. Another option would be a wide receiver like Kelvin Benjamin or Odell Beckham Jr.

SAN FRANCISCO 4 9 e r s draft d i t t y : The 49ers drafted a running back each of the last five years

status re p o r t 2013 record: 12-4 Finish: Second in NFC West (lost at Seattle in NFC Championship Game) Season recap: The 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season, but that was followed by reports of dissension between Coach Jim Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke. Offseason moves: The

49ers pretty much maintained the status quo, with their one big acquisition being longtime Colts safety Antoine Bethea. He replaces Donte Whitner, who left as a free agent to join Cleveland.

HELP WANTED 1. Cornerback: The departure of Carlos Rogers has left a void at this position. The 49ers have some young players they’re confident can do the job, but there’s little in terms of proven talent and depth is an issue as well. 2. Inside linebacker: NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis are probably the best starting tandem

among teams using a 3-4, but remember that Bowman will be trying to come back from that nasty knee injury (ACL/MCL) he sustained in the NFC Championship Game. 3. Wide receiver: Even after the re-signing of the sure-handed Anquan Boldin, depth is a bit of an issue here, as is a lack of speed on the outside. Also: Defensive end, center

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The 49ers once again are armed with a surplus of draft picks in 2014, and maybe they’ll do what they did last year and trade up in the first round. The reality is that this is one of the most complete teams in the NFL, a team with practically no glaring hole on the roster. The best guess if the 49ers stay put at No. 30 in the first round is they’ll go for a speedy wide receiver like Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham Jr. or a cornerback like Jason Verrett, Bradley Roby or maybe Lamarcus Joyner.

POSITION FILLED 1. Guard: It’s tough to decide whether the 49ers are in better shape at guard or tackle, but we’ll go with the inside position with Mike Iupati and Alex Boone. Again, the 49ers have two good tackles with former first-round picks Joe Staley and Anthony Davis. 2. Safety: The 49ers lost starter Donte Whitner in free agency, but actually probably upgraded after they were able to land longtime Colts starter Antoine Bethea.

SEATTLE s e a h a w k s draft d i t t y : The Seahawks haven’t taken a cornerback before Round 4 since 2007

status re p o r t 2013 record: 13-3 Finish: First in NFC West

(beat Denver in Super Bowl)

Season recap: A stifling defense and punishing running game paved the way for the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl title. With a young nucleus in place, this is a team that should be tough to beat for a while. Offseason moves: As is

often the case with Super Bowl champs, the offseason was about trying to minimize losses. Seattle was able to re-sign DE Michael Bennett, but lost DE Chris Clemons, T Breno Giacomini, WR Golden Tate and CB Walter Thurmond.

HELP WANTED 1. Guard: Former No. 1 pick James Carpenter was drafted as a right tackle before eventually moving inside, but he has yet to live up to his draft status. The other 2013 starter at guard, J.R. Sweezy, also is pedestrian. 2. Wide receiver: After oft-injured veteran Sidney Rice was released, the Seahawks also lost Golden Tate, who led

the team in receptions and punt returns in 2013, via free agency. Percy Harvin will be available from the start in 2014, but he’s not a true wide receiver. 3. Offensive tackle: The Seahawks don’t have great depth along the offensive line, even before they lost starting right tackle Breno Giacomini to the Jets in free agency. Also: Cornerback, tight end

POSITION FILLED 1. Safety: The strength of the Seattle defense very well might be its secondary, and no team in the league has a better safety tandem than playmaking Earl Thomas and big hitter Kam Chancellor. 2. Running back: Marshawn Lynch is the pre-eminent power back in the league, Robert Turbin is a promising backup, and the Seahawks also have their top pick from the 2013 draft, Christine Michael, waiting for his chance.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t Even after losing some players in the offseason, Seattle still has a Super Bowl-caliber defense. It’s on offense where the Seahawks need to solidify their roster, and that’s where the focus figures to be with the 32nd and last pick of the first round. Offensive linemen who could/should be selected around that spot include guards David Yankey and Xavier Su’a-Filo, and tackles Cyrus Kouandjio and Antonio Richardson. Another option could be wide receiver Brandin Cooks from Oregon State.

TAMPA BAY b u c c a n e e r s draft d i t t y : Tampa Bay’s top pick was spent on a defensive player six of the past seven years

status re p o r t 2013 record: 4-12 Finish: Fourth in NFC

South (no playoffs)

Season recap: Coming off a promising start in 2012, Greg Schiano’s second season as Bucs head coach was a disaster, starting with QB Josh Freeman falling out of favor. Lovie Smith has taken over to turn things around. Offseason moves: The Bucs made several big acquisitions, led by T Anthony Collins, DE Michael Johnson, CB Alterraun Verner and QB Josh McCown. The one big loss, of course, came when Darrelle Revis was released.

HELP WANTED 1. Guard: The Buccaneers decided to release former firstround pick Davin Joseph because he wasn’t performing up to his contract, but that left a void in the starting lineup because there was no proven commodity behind him. 2. Outside linebacker: The Buccaneers have a tremendous young starter at this position with

Lavonte David, but they need someone on the other side to replace Dekoda Watson, who moved up the state to Jacksonville in free agency. 3. Cornerback: The signing of free agent Alterraun Verner was a nice coup to help make up for the departure of Darrelle Revis, but the Bucs still need more corners. Also: Tight end, wide receiver

POSITION FILLED 1. Running back: Doug Martin had an injury-marred 2013 season, but he was tremendous as a rookie. Bobby Rainey also emerged as a quality running back last year after Martin and promising rookie Mike James both were injured. 2. Defensive end: The Bucs are hoping they filled their need for a pass rusher when they signed former Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson early in free agency. Tampa Bay has decent depth at this spot.

potential n o . 1 p i c k For the second time in three years, the Buccaneers have the seventh overall pick. In 2012, Tampa Bay selected safety Mark Barron. If they choose a defensive player again this time, the logical options at that spot would be OLBs Khalil Mack or Anthony Barr, or Jadeveon Clowney, who simply would be too good to pass up even though defensive end isn’t one of Tampa’s biggest needs. The one player on offense who would make sense at this spot is playmaking Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

TENNESSEE t i t a n s draft d i t t y : Five of Tennessee’s last six first-round picks were spent on offensive players

status re p o r t 2013 record: 7-9 Finish: Third in AFC

South (no playoffs)

Season recap: After the Titans missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year, they’re starting over again with former Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt taking over for Mike Munchak. Offseason moves: The Titans made two key additions on offense, picking up the explosive and versatile Dexter McCluster from Kansas City and offensive tackle Michael Oher from Baltimore. The big signing on defense was LB Shaun Phillips.

HELP WANTED 1. Defensive end: The Titans are expected to switch from a 4-3 defense to more of a 3-4, but they don’t appear to have on their roster a proven commodity with the ideal physical dimensions to play defensive end in that scheme. 2. Cornerback: The Titans did a good job in pass defense last season, but have to replace Alterraun Verner, who led the

team with five picks. Blidi Wreh-Wilson, a third-round pick last year, should step into a starting role, but depth is an issue. 3. Tight end: Delanie Walker was the team’s second-leading receiver, but he averaged less than 10 yards per catch. The Titans need a downfield threat at this position. Also: Inside linebacker, running back, quarterback, kicker

POSITION FILLED 1. Wide receiver: The Titans have invested a lot of high picks on wide receivers in recent years, and that’s given them a lot of depth. Even with former No. 1 pick Kenny Britt gone, Tennessee still has Kendall Wright, Nate Washington and 2013 secondround choice Justin Hunter. 2. Guard: Andy Levitre lived up to expectations in 2013 after being signed as a free agent. Chance Warmack had his struggles as a rookie, but there still are high hopes for him.

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t Even though they could use a long-term answer at quarterback, it’s unlikely Tennessee would use the 11th overall pick on that position. Rather, the Titans could have a variety of options to fill one of their many needs. They could go for a pass-rushing outside linebacker such as Anthony Barr from UCLA; or a cornerback like Darqueze Dennard or Justin Gilbert. More remote possibilities would include Alabama inside linebacker C.J. Mosley or perhaps North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron.

WASHINGTON r e d s k i n s draft d i t t y : Washington drafted seven players from Florida schools over the past three drafts

status re p o r t 2013 record: 3-13 Finish: Fourth in NFC

East (no playoffs)

Season recap: The Mike Shanahan era ended on a sour note in Washington, where the Redskins took a nasty fall in 2013 after their improbable run to a division title the previous year. Offseason moves: The Redskins went with volume early in free agency, with CB Tracy Porter and DT Jason Hatcher ranking as the two most significant acquisitions. The biggest moves actually involved the re-signing of CB DeAngelo Hall and OLB Brian Orakpo after the team put the franchise tag on him.

HELP WANTED 1. Inside linebacker: London Fletcher couldn’t keep playing forever, so he finally retired after the 2013 season. That left a gaping hole in the middle of the Washington defense. 2. Safety: Brandon Meriweather and Reed Doughty started for the Redskins last season and neither played well enough that re-signing them in

free agency should have been much of a priority. Opposing quarterbacks combined for a 96.1 passer rating. 3. Guard: Washington has a very good left tackle in Trent Williams, but the rest of the offensive line was mediocre at best in 2013. Starters Chris Chester and Kory Lichtensteiger are both replaceable at guard. Also: Fullback, punter, defensive end

potential n o . 1 t a r g e t The Redskins might have reconsidered trading up from No. 6 to No. 2 in 2012 had they known they would have had the No. 2 pick in 2014, but as it is, that pick belongs now to St. Louis. The Redskins instead will have to wait until the second pick of the second round (34th overall) to make their first selection. At that spot, Washington isn’t likely find an inside linebacker of value, but they could be in position to land someone like Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward or Stanford guard David Yankey. Other options could be 3-4 DEs Stephon Tuitt or Ra’Shede Hageman.

POSITION FILLED 1. Tight end: The downfall of former starter Fred Davis would have been a lot more problematic for the Redskins had it not been for the play of rookie Jordan Reed. Before he went down with a concussion, Reed had the look of a future star. 2. Quarterback: There’s obviously uncertainty as to whether Griffin can regain his rookie form, but he’s the guy for a while. Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, showed starting-caliber ability last season.

LOOKING AHEAD: W h a t ’ s i n s t o r e f o r 2 0 1 5

Get ready for the Winston watch There’s a little bit of deja vu in the 2014 draft in that, for the second consecutive year, the best prospect was not eligible to get selected. It was Jadeveon Clowney last spring — some might argue maybe it would have been Johnny Manziel, who also was ineligible as a redshirt freshman — and this year it’s Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Even more than Clowney, Winston appears a lock to be the first overall pick whenever he decides to enter the draft because he’s got all the necessary attributes and also because he plays quarterback, whereas Clowney is a defensive end. The big question, of course, is: When will Winston make himself available for the draft? He can do it as early as next year, and history suggests that it’s pretty rare for a blue-chip athlete of his caliber to go back for another year of college with a top draft slot all but guaranteed. After winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Florida State to the national championship in 2013, Winston already has shown there’s reason to believe he’ll be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. Where it gets complicated is that Winston also is a stud baseball player — an outfielder/pitcher with a fastball clocked around 93-95 mph — and he said in mid-February his dream was to become another dual-sport star like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. The road to baseball stardom, though, typically is much longer than that in football and it’s easy to see Winston putting himself in the 2015 NFL draft. And why not? He’s got size, obviously has a strong arm and the ability to make all types of throws, and he can move well enough. Without question, he’s a better NFL prospect than any of the quarterbacks available this year or any of the ones in last year’s draft.

Here are some of the other top prospects to watch in the 2014 college season, including upcoming juniors and draft-eligible sophomores who might enter the draft early: BRYCE PETTY, QB, BAYLOR — Two years after Robert Griffin III won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors, Petty did the same in his first season as Baylor’s starting quarterback. While not in the same class as Griffin — and certainly not Winston — Petty is an accomplished passer with good size. CEDRIC OGBUEHI, T, TEXAS A&M — The Aggies tackle pipeline continues. After Luke Joeckel in 2012 and Jake Matthews last fall, Ogbuehi is expected to be a force at left tackle. He played guard in 2012 when Joeckel and Matthews were the tackles, then moved to right tackle in 2013 after Joeckel left and Matthews moved from right to left tackle. Ogbuehi should be able to make another move with no problem and could be a high first-round pick himself next spring. MARCUS MARIOTA, QB, OREGON — Mariota earned first-team all-Pac-12 honors in his two sea-

Jameis Winston sons as a starter at Oregon and it was considered somewhat of a surprise that he didn’t enter the draft as a redshirt sophomore. Mariota is a dual-threat quarterback with good running ability but also prototypical size. RASHAD GREENE, WR, FLORIDA STATE — Yes, it was Kelvin Benjamin who caught the gamewinning touchdown pass in the BCS Championship Game and it’s Benjamin who’s the first-round prospect in this year’s draft. But let’s not forget it was Greene, and not Benjamin, who was a first-team AllACC selection and it was Greene who had the big game against Auburn, with nine catches for 147 yards, including a 49-yard catch-and-run on the game-winning drive. Greene doesn’t have Benjamin’s great size or freakish ability to win jump balls, but he’s a more polished receiver and probably has more consistent hands. IFO EKPRE-OLOMU, CB, OREGON — A twotime All-Pac-12 selection, Ekpre-Olomu reportedly got a second-round evaluation from the draft advisory committee, although it’s not unrealistic to think he might have slipped into the first round. He’s a talented cover corner with seven interceptions over the past two seasons. The only knock on the 5-foot-10 Ekpre-Olomu is a lack of ideal height for today’s NFL.

LEONARD WILLIAMS, DE, USC — After earning Freshman All-American honors in 2012, Williams continued to make strides last season when he earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors. The 6-foot5, 290-pound Williams remarkably finished second on the team in tackles and had six sacks. The biggest debate among NFL teams might be whether to use him at defensive end or move him inside to defensive tackle. SHILIQUE CALHOUN, DE, MICHIGAN STATE — The Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year as a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Calhoun was a terror for opposing quarterbacks as well as an opportunistic ball hawk. He tied a school record with three defensive touchdowns, including a 56-yard interception return. A bit of a tweener at 6-4, 250, he’s the kind of player who might be turned into a outside linebacker by an NFL team using a 3-4. TODD GURLEY, RB, GEORGIA — Gurley exploded onto the scene in 2012 when he rushed for almost 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns as a true freshman, but an ankle injury helped keep him under 1,000 yards last fall. That doesn’t matter, though, because Gurley is a remarkable talent with a tremendous combination of size (6-1, 230) and breakaway ability. With Aaron Murray no longer the QB at Georgia, Gurley could be poised for a big 2014. VIC BEASLEY, DE, CLEMSON — After two years as a backup, Beasley emerged as a starter in 2013 and led the ACC with 13 sacks. At around 6-2, 235, there’s little doubt that Beasley will end up as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL, but he very well could wind up as a first-round pick with another productive college season. LA’EL COLLINS, T, LSU — LSU seemingly loses more underclassmen to the NFL than any other college every year, but the Tigers caught a break when their All-SEC tackle decided to return. Collins started at guard in 2012 before he moved to tackle, where he blossomed, particularly as a run blocker.

OTHERS TO WATCH Seniors in 2014 QB Sean Mannion, Oregon State DE Trey Flowers, Arkansas CB Quandre Diggs, Texas T Cameron Erving, Florida State RB Ameer Adbullah, Nebraska QB Braxton Miller, Ohio State DE Cedric Reed, Texas Underclassmen in 2014 WR Amari Cooper, Alabama QB Brett Hundley, UCLA RB T.J. Yeldon, Alabama WR Nelson Agholor, USC

LOOKING BACK: T h e 2 0 1 3 d r a f t r e v i s i t e d T he best picks by round Round 1: DT Sheldon Richardson, Missouri, 13th overall, by N.Y. Jets — Richardson started 15 games and was a dominant force in the middle of the Jets defensive line, both as a pass rusher and against the run. He teamed with 2011 first-round pick Muhammad Wilkerson to give the Jets a potent 1-2 punch on the D-line. Round 2: RB Eddie Lacy, 61st overall, by Green Bay — After a slow start, Lacy took off and never looked back. He finished with 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns while earning Rookie of the Year honors from the Pro Football Writers Association. Round 3: G Larry Warford, Kentucky, 65th overall, by Detroit — Warford started all season for the Lions and ended up as one of the most highly rated guards in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Round 4: T David Bakhtiari, Colorado, 109th overall, by Green Bay — Not one fourth-round pick made the PFWA All-Rookie team and only three started more than five games. Bakhtiari earns the nod for starting all 16 games at left tackle. Round 5: WR Kenny Stills, Oklahoma, 144th overall, by New Orleans — An argument could be made for Rams running back Zac Stacy, who rushed for almost 1,000 yards as a rookie, but Stills provided a needed deep threat at wide receiver for Drew Brees as he averaged 20 yards per catch. Round 6: RB Andre Ellington, Clemson, 187th overall, by Arizona — Ellington brought a big-play element to the Cardinals backfield while rushing for 652 yards and catching 39 passes. Round 7: FB Tommy Bohanon, Wake Forest, 215th overall, by N.Y. Jets — Bohanon was the only seventh-round pick to average at least 15 snaps on offense or defense for the team that drafted him.

The early losers

The early winners

Philadelphia Eagles — Six of the Eagles’ eight picks ended up making the team, including DE Joe Kruger, who spent the season on IR. More importantly, three of them became starters, led by first-round pick Lane Johnson at right tackle. Second-round pick Zach Ertz also looks like a future star at tight end.

New Orleans Saints — The Saints only had the benefit of five picks, but they sure made the most of them. First-round pick Kenny Vaccaro started all year at safety until he went on IR; third-round pick Terron Armstead ended the season as the starting left tackle; and Kenny Stills was a steal in the fifth round.

Carolina Panthers — Carolina also had only five picks, and only got significant contributions from their first two. But considering how glaring a need was shoring up the middle of the defensive line and improving the run defense, the Panthers hardly could have asked for more than what they got from first-round pick Star Lotulelei and second-round choice Kawann Short, both of whom wound up on the All-Rookie team.

Seattle Seahawks — The Seahawks became Super Bowl champions thanks to some great drafting, but that all happened before last year. The Seahawks got practically nothing out of their 2013 draft class. The only pick with more than 65 snaps on offense or defense the whole season was backup tight end Luke Willson. Defensive ends — The 2013 draft was touted for its abundance of pass rushers, but of the 10 defensive ends taken in the first three rounds, only one — Ziggy Ansah — started more than three games as a rookie.

LOOKING BACK: T h e 2 0 1 3 d r a f t r e v i s i t e d 2013 NFL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM ... and where they were drafted OFFENSE QB Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay — Round 3 RB Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati — Round 2 RB Eddie Lacy, Green Bay — Round 2 WR Keenan Allen, San Diego — Round 3 WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston — Round 1 TE Jordan Reed, Washington — Round 3 T D.J. Fluker, San Diego — Round 1 T Justin Pugh, N.Y. Giants — Round 1 G Kyle Long, Chicago — Round 1 G Larry Warford, Detroit — Round 3 C Travis Frederick, Dallas — Round 1

DEFENSE

EARLY RETURNS Breaking down every team’s 2013 draft, with the number of picks still on the roster at the end of the season (ROS); the combined number of games in which they appeared (G); and the total number of starts they made (ST) Team Arizona Atlanta Baltimore Buffalo Carolina Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit Green Bay Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Miami Minnesota New England New Orleans N.Y. Giants N.Y. Jets Oakland Philadelphia Pittsburgh St. Louis San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tampa Bay Tennessee Washington

ROS 7/9 8/8 8/8 8/8 5/5 6/6 7/10 4/5 7/7 6/7 7/9 10/11 6/8 4/7 8/8 7/8 9/9 7/8 7/7 5/5 7/7 7/7 8/10 6/8 7/9 7/7 6/6 8/11 6/9 6/6 8/8 7/7

G 62 88 74 85 56 75 59 49 98 43 87 98 47 36 82 57 102 90 85 52 66 77 95 65 68 87 56 60 26 75 84 45

ST 12 23 17 42 18 46 15 6 34 6 34 36 34 13 44 16 5 13 30 31 17 63 27 33 35 43 48 20 7 48 27 15

FIRST ROUND EARLY VERDICT INSTANT I M P A C T Player T Lane Johnson, Philadelphia DE Ziggy Ansah, Detroit T D.J. Fluker, San Diego DT Sheldon Richardson, N.Y. Jets DT Star Lotulelei, Carolina S Kenny Vaccaro, New Orleans S Eric Reid, San Francisco T Justin Pugh, N.Y. Giants CB Desmond Trufant, Atlanta WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston WR Cordarrelle Patterson, Minn. ILB Alec Ogletree, St. Louis C Travis Frederick, Dallas

DL Sheldon Richardson, N.Y. Jets — Round 1 DL Kawann Short, Carolina — Round 2

TOO E A R L Y T O T E L L

LB Kiko Alonso, Buffalo — Round 2

T Luke Joeckel, Jacksonville DE Dion Jordan, Miami G Jonathan Cooper, Arizona CB D.J. Hayden, Oakland OLB Jarvis Jones, Pittsburgh S Matt Elam, Baltimore

DL Star Lotulelei, Carolina — Round 1

LB Sio Moore, Oakland — Round 3 LB Alec Ogletree, St. Louis — Round 1 CB Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona — Round 3 CB Desmond Trufant, Atlanta — Round 1 S Eric Reid, San Francisco — Round 1 S Kenny Vaccaro, New Orleans — Round 1

SPECIALISTS K Caleb Sturgis, Miami — Round 5 P Sam Martin, Detroit — Round 5 PR Tavon Austin, St. Louis — Round 1 KR Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota — Round 1 ST Don Jones, Miami — Round 7

Games/starts 16/16 14/12 15/15 16/15 16/16 14/14 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/6 16/16 16/16

8 10 20 25

13/3 16/16 16/16 13/6

2 3 7 12 17 32

5/5 16/0 0/0 8/2 14/8 16/15

FUTURE L O O K S G O O D WR Tavon Austin, St. Louis G Chance Warmack, Tennessee G Kyle Long, Chicago CB Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota

DL Ziggy Ansah, Detroit — Round 1

Pick 4 5 11 13 14 15 18 19 22 27 29 30 31

REASON F O R C O N C E R N T Eric Fisher, Kansas City DE Barkevious Mingo, Cleveland CB Dee Milliner, N.Y. Jets QB E.J. Manuel, Buffalo TE Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati DT Sharrif Floyd, Minnesota DE Bjoern Werner, Indianapolis DE Datone Jones, Green Bay DT Sylvester Williams, Denver

1 6 9 16 21 23 24 26 28

14/13 15/3 13/12 10/10 15/15 16/1 13/1 16/0 13/4

The big disappointments 1. DE Datone Jones, UCLA, Round 1, 26th overall, by Green Bay — The Packers indicated before the season they were hoping Jones would be an every-down player on the defensive line. Instead, he didn’t start one game and averaged a little more than 16 snaps a game on defense. 2. DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida, Round 1, 23rd overall, by Minnesota — The Vikings hit big with their other two first-round picks, Xavier Rhodes and Cordarrelle Patterson, but got very little from Floyd. He was drafted with the idea that he eventually would replace longtime stalwart Kevin Williams, but he didn’t show much to suggest he’ll be up to the task. 3. DE Barkevious Mingo, LSU, Round 1, 6th overall, by Cleveland — Mingo recorded a sack in each of his first three games, but had only two the rest of the way. More troublesome, especially for the sixth overall pick, he later would admit he probably should have studied the playbook more intensely.

MOCK DRAFT Trying to predict the draft isn’t as simple as just matching a team’s needs with the best prospects at those positions because systems come into play, and a player might be a good fit for one team and not for another. There’s also the issue of potential trades. That said, here is Draft Digest’s projection for the top two rounds of the 2014 draft, as of March 28.

ROUND 1 No. Team 1

Houston

ROUND 2 Player

School

No. 33, Houston

QB Blake Bortles

Central Florida

CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech

This is an awfully tough call between taking a quarterback or taking Jadeveon Clowney. Trading down an option.

St. Louis (from Washington)

T Greg Robinson

Auburn

Taking Clowney here would be overkill for the Rams, who need to give QB Sam Bradford as much help as possible.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Jacksonville

DE Jadeveon Clowney

South Carolina

12 13 14 15 16

No. 36, Oakland

Cleveland

T Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama

OLB Khalil Mack

Buffalo

The Browns have a lot of pieces in place to develop a front-line defense and Mack just adds to that.

No. 37, Atlanta

Oakland

DE Kony Ealy, Missouri

QB Teddy Bridgewater

Louisville

Trying to predict what the Raiders will do always is tricky, but their need for a quarterback can’t be ignored.

No. 38, Tampa Bay

Atlanta

OLB Ryan Shazier, Ohio State

T Jake Matthews

Texas A&M

The Falcons need better play from the O-line to maximize the talents of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White.

No. 39, Jacksonville

Tampa Bay

QB Derek Carr, Fresno State

WR Sammy Watkins

Clemson

The Bucs give new quarterback Josh McCown a big-time playmaker to team up with Vincent Jackson.

No. 40, Minnesota

Minnesota

MLB Chris Borland, Wisconsin

DT Aaron Donald

Pittsburgh

Donald is most often compared to Geno Atkins, who played in Cincinnati for Mike Zimmer, who’s now Vikings head coach.

No. 41, Buffalo

Buffalo

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington

T Taylor Lewan

Michigan

The Bills need to give E.J. Manuel every chance to succeed before they decide if he’s the long-term answer at QB.

No. 42, Tennessee

Detroit

Oklahoma State

RB Tre Mason, Auburn

Alabama

RB Carlos Hyde, Ohio State

CB Justin Gilbert

Tennessee

ILB C.J. Mosley

No. 43, N.Y. Giants

New coach Ken Whisenhunt needs help in all areas as he tries to rebuild the Tennessee defense.

No. 44, St. Louis

N.Y. Giants

TE Jace Amaro, Texas Tech

CB Darqueze Dennard

Michigan State

The Giants always have been fond of Big Ten prospects and Dennard fills a need in the secondary.

No. 45, Detroit

St. Louis

T Antonio Richardson, Tennessee

WR Mike Evans

Texas A&M

The Rams drafted WR Tavon Austin in 2013, but he’s not a pure No. 1 wide receiver like Evans has the chance to be.

No. 46, Pittsburgh

Chicago

CB Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida

S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

Alabama

The Bears can’t go wrong by going with any position on defense as they start the rebuilding process of that unit.

No. 47, Dallas

Pittsburgh

RB Ka’Deem Carey, Arizona

DT Louis Nix III

Notre Dame

The Steelers run defense wasn’t quite as dominant in 2013 with Casey Hampton having retired.

No. 48, Baltimore

Dallas

Florida State

WR Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt

North Carolina

OLB Jerry Attaochu, Georgia Tech

DT Timmy Jernigan

The Cowboys’ rebuilding of the defensive line gets an athletic playmaker for the middle.

17 18

Baltimore

TE Eric Ebron

No. 49, N.Y. Jets

The re-signing of Dennis Pitta notwithstanding, Ebron brings a new dimension to the Ravens passing game.

No. 50, Miami

N.Y. Jets

CB Stan Jean-Baptiste, Nebraska

WR Marqise Lee

USC

The addition of Eric Decker in free agency was a start, but the Jets still need more help for the passing game.

Miami

T Zack Martin

Notre Dame

The Dolphins have almost rebuilt their offensive line from scratch this offseason and Martin is just another piece.

Arizona

S Calvin Pryor

Green Bay

CB Bradley Roby

Philadelphia

OLB Anthony Barr

Ohio State

S Deone Bucannon, Washington State

UCLA

T Jack Mewhort, Ohio State

Florida State

OLB Kyle Van Noy, BYU

Eagles coach Chip Kelly is familiar with this pass rusher from his days in the Pac-10/12.

Kansas City

WR Kelvin Benjamin

The Chiefs get a much-needed complement for Dwayne Bowe as well as a tremendous red-zone target.

Cincinnati

DT Ra’Shede Hageman

San Diego

CB Jason Verrett

Cleveland (from Indianapolis)

QB Johnny Manziel

New Orleans

DE Dee Ford

WR Davante Adams, Fresno State

Carolina

WR Odell Beckham Jr.

New England

DT Stephon Tuitt

Auburn

C Marcus Martin, USC

LSU Notre Dame

The versatile Tuitt is a perfect fit for the Patriots’ multiple-look defensive scheme.

San Francisco

WR Brandin Cooks

Oregon State

The 49ers don’t have a lot of glaring needs, but a speedy wide receiver might be one of them.

Denver

G David Yankey

Stanford

John Elway goes to his alma mater to get some offensive line help.

Seattle

G Xavier Su’a-Filo

The Super Bowl champions have depth at a lot of positions, but not at guard.

No. 58, New Orleans WR Jarvis Landry, LSU

After losing Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. in the offseason, the Panthers need to retool at this position.

No. 57, San Diego

Texas A&M

The Saints will use the pass-rushing specialist as an outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme.

No. 55, Cincinnati

TCU

The Browns can’t afford to pass up on Manziel at this spot the way they could at No. 4.

No. 54, Philadelphia

No. 56, San Francisco (from Kansas City) T Morgan Moses, West Virginia

If they hope to build on last year’s surprising playoff season, the Chargers must get better in the secondary.

No. 53, Green Bay

Minnesota

The Bengals defense is loaded, but DT Geno Atkins is coming off a torn ACL.

No. 52, Arizona QB Zach Mettenberger, LSU

You just can never have enough good cornerbacks, and Roby certainly has a lot of potential.

No. 51, Chicago RB Jeremy Hill, LSU

Louisville

The big-play safety should make an already stout defense even better.

No. 35, Cleveland CB Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State

Yes, the Jaguars badly need a quarterback, but they just can’t afford to pass up a talent like Clowney at this spot.

The Lions have a dominant front four, but they need help for their shaky secondary.

No. 34, Washington S Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois

UCLA

No. 59, Indianapolis No. 60, Carolina CB Bashaud Breeland, Clemson

No. 61, San Francisco OLB Adrian Hubbard, Alabama

No. 62, New England G Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State

No. 63, Denver WR Martavis Bryant, Clemson

No. 64, Seattle DT Anthony Johnson, LSU

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