Included in the following reports are a list of needs, some quick notes, and a full seven round draft analysis for each of the four teams that I consider "teams on the rise". I will be keeping a close eye on them as the decisions made now in April will have drastic effects on how these respective teams develop over the next few years.
NFC
The Detroit Lions (6-10)
Five Top Needs: cornerback, left guard, wide receiver, outside linebacker, o-line
Notes: With only five total selections in the draft the Lions may look to trade down from the 13th spot in the first round. There will be lots of decent talent to choose from in the second, third, and fourth rounds so one or two extra picks in that part of the draft could go a long way towards solidifying the overall roster a little more.
Round One, Pick #13 - CB Prince Amukamara (Nebraska) would be an ideal selection here as he has great size (6'0" 200 lbs) and enough ability to be a solid all-around defender. If he is not available the team might really want to seek a trade down and go after one of the O-linemen that will still be available later. I do not believe any of the top OL prospects are really worth taking this high. Besides, the team only gave up 27 sacks in 2010, which was 6th in the league. WR Julio Jones (Alabama) would be a possibility here too if he's still on the board as there is literally no depth at wide receiver.
Round Two, Pick #44 - This might be a great spot to land an offensive lineman, particularly a guy that can play left guard. Ben Ijalana (Villanova), Orlando Franklin (Miami, FL), and Danny Watkins (Baylor) all could fit the bill. OLB Bruce Carter (UNC) seems to be the popular pick here though, as he seems to possess the raw athleticism, skills, and work ethic to become a good starter in the NFL. The Lions need somebody to take over for veteran Julian Peterson, who is well-beyond his prime. WR Torrey Smith (Maryland) has visited the Lions recently and even said that he thinks Detroit is a "beautiful city". His moves on the field are beautiful too.
Round Three, Pick #75 - This might be a great time to add another receiver. Greg Little (UNC), Leonard Hankerson (Miami, FL), and Jerrel Jernigan (Troy) all possess some intriguing traits and each of them are capable of immediately finding a home as the third receiver on this roster. CB's Kendric Burney (UNC) and Ras-I Dowling (Virginia) are both interesting prospects that could be available here as well.
Round Four, Pick #107 - The great thing about this year's draft is that there should still be some strong talent available to choose from in the fourth round. DE Jeremy Beal (Oklahoma), DT Drake Nevis (LSU), LB Casey Mathews (Oregon), and OL Stefan Wisiewski (Penn St) could all be available when the Lions pick here and any one of them would be welcomed additions to the team.
Round Five, Pick #155 - LB Greg Jones (Michigan State) would be an absolute steal here. OT Jah Reid (UCF), WR Darvin Adams (Auburn), and RB Stevan Ridley (LSU) all could help with depth on offense immediately.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)
Five Top Needs: defensive end, cornerback, offensive line, wide receiver, running back
Notes: It looks like starting CB Aqib Talib could be sitting out for a while due to a federal gun charge so a replacement may be needed. EJ Biggers, Elbert Mack, and Myron Lewis all will get first crack at the job though so the team should not panic and reach for a player in the first. There looks to be some decent corner talent in the second and third rounds, which is where the team has had luck drafting corners in the past.
Round One, Pick #20 - There will be a load of talent to choose from here so the Bucs should walk away with a guy they are extremely happy in taking. Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue), Aldon Smith (Missouri), and Cam Jordan (Cal) all could help out immediately at end on defense, while Anthony Castonzo (Boston College), Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin), and Mike Pouncey (Florida) all could contribute on the O-line. There doesn't appear to be much secondary talent to really consider here.
Round Two, Pick #51 - CB Ras-I Dowling has the size and zone-coverage skills that the Bucs love at the position but DE Allen Bailey might be a great fit on the left side of the D-line. DE Jabaal Sheard is a nice talent worthy of a look here too.
Round Three, Pick #84 - TE Luke Stocker (Tennessee) has about as good a chance as anybody to get taken here. He has the size (6'5" 260 lbs) and all-around ability to develop into a nice pro and the Bucs could use some more depth behind starter Kellen Winslow Jr. RB's Demarco Murray (Oklahoma), Johnny White (UNC) and Jacquizz Rodgers (Oregon State) wouldn't be bad choices here either.
Round Four, Pick #115 - DE Pernel McPhee (Mississippi St), WR Austin Pettis (Boise St), TE DJ Williams (Arkansas), and LB Casey Mathews would all be nice picks here.
Round Five, Pick #151 - CB Davon House (New Mexico St) might be a steal here while OT Demarcus Love and could also be available, but OT Zach Hurd (UConn) might be a sleeper worth taking here too. Hurd is big (6'7" 316 lbs.), strong, and quick enough to get out to the second level of the defense.
Round Six, Pick #187 - This might be a good time to stock up on some athletes that can play special teams. There are a lot of receiver prospects with the potential to develop. Dane Sanzenbacher (Ohio St) and Ronald Johnson (USC) are just two of those guys.
Round Seven Picks #222 and #238 - With two picks in the seventh the Bucs will have a couple chances to grab whatever is left of the remaining talent. Some players to keep an eye out for this late include OG Justin Boren (Ohio St), OLB Mark Herzlich(Boston College), RB Noel Devine (West Virginia), WR Jeff Maehl (Oregon), and ILB Greg Lloyd (UConn).
AFC
Miami Dolphins (7-9)
Five Top Needs: outside linebacker, offensive line, wide receiver, running back, quarterback
Notes: QB Chad Henne is still young and has a shot to make some real gains in 2011 as long as he can stay healthy and play more consistently. He could benefit greatly from an improved running game.
Round One, Pick #15 - I like RB Mark Ingram (Alabama) going to the Dolphins here. He may not be fast but he is a tough, down-hill runner that would be a nice compliment to the multi-dimensional Ronnie Brown while assisting in taking some of that pressure of Henne. OLB Akeem Ayers (UCLA), G/C Mike Pouncey (Florida), and OT Tyron Smith (USC) all would be nice selections for the 'Fins. Do not be surprised to see another D-lineman go here as this team always wants to solidify the position.
Round Three, Pick #79 - LB Martez Wilson (Illinois) would be a great pick here in the third if he is still available. He can play inside or outside and possesses enough pass-rush ability and speed to make things a little more interesting on defense. OG John Moffit (Wisconsin) and OT Lee Ziemba (Auburn) are capable of providing some help on the O-line immediately, at least in terms of depth. Jake Locker (Washington), Andy Dalton (TCU), and Colin Kaepernick (Nevada) are three QB's worth watching out for here, although all three should already be gone.
Round Four, Pick #111 - OLB Dontay Moch (Nevada) seems to have the pass-rush skills that Miami could use but he might take a while to truly develop his game. OT Joe Barksdale (LSU) might be able to help a little sooner on the O-line as he is big (6'5" 324 lbs) and versatile (played left and right tackle).
Round Five, Pick #145 - WR's Ricardo Lockette (Fort Valley State) and Terrence Tolliver (LSU) are the type of big, well-rounded players that teams look for in the middle of the draft. The 'Fins seem to always need pass-catchers and these guys could possibly help on special teams too.
Round Six, Pick #179 - DE/OLB Craig Marshall (South Florida), RB John Clay (Wisconsin), and TE Weslaye Saunders (South Carolina) all would be worth a shot right here.
Round Seven, Picks #216, #217, and #234 - The team could possibly use some of these late round picks to move around earlier in the draft. RB Matt Asiata (Utah), C Kris O'Dowd (USC), OT Richard Lapham (Boston College), LB Cobrani Mixon (Kent State), and QB Pat Devlin (Delaware) are a number of guys that could still be hanging around at this point. Take your pick.
San Diego Chargers (9-7)
Top Five Needs: outside linebacker, defensive end, offensive line, wide receiver, safety
Notes: The leagues perennial let-down and all-time paper champs, it can easily be argued that the Chargers have been the team with the most talent over the course of the last ten years. The problems is that they do not have much to show for it at this point. Despite having both the top-rated offense and defense in the league last season, they allowed Kansas City to run away with the AFC West Division Championship and a playoff berth. Excuse the players though if they don't really care because from what I hear nobody's upset due to the weather being great.
Round One, Pick #18: OLB Akeem Ayers could be a nice addition here as the team is in need of an all-around player on the edge of the defensive front seven. DE's Cam Jordan (Cal), Muhammed Wilkerson (Temple), J.J. Watt (Wisconsin), and Cam Heyward (Ohio St) are possibilities as well. Anybody that could immediately help with clogging running lanes or rushing the passer would be fine, and the organization has a reputation of going out of their way to get the guys they covet. They do have extra picks in rounds two and three to entertain plenty of trade opportunities.
Round Two, #50 and #61: DE Allen Bailey (Miami), WR Jonathan Baldwin (Pitt), WR Torrey Smith (Marlyland), OG Clint Boling (Georgia), LB Martez Wilson (lllinois), and OLB Justin Houston (Georgia) are on the watch list of players to be taken at one of these two spots.
Round Three, Pick #82 and #89: LB's Quan Sturdivant (UNC) and Dontay Moch (Nevada) are possibilities here, as are OG's William Rackley (Lehigh) and John Moffit (Wisconsin). Vincent Brown (San Diego St) might be somebody worth adding to the receiving corps right here too.
Round Six, Pick #183 and #201: If S DeAndre McDaniel (Clemson) is still around he might not make it past here. Eric Hagg (Nebraska) and Deunta Williams (UNC) are a couple other safety prospects that could contribute as rookies and develop into solid pros. RB Graig Cooper (Miami, FL) is a crafty player that could find a role in the NFL very quickly. This could actually be a good round for RB's this year.
Round Seven, Pick #234: WR Armon Binns (Cincinnati) would definitely be an attractive prospect here, if he's available. DT Jerrell Powe (Mississippi) has the size (6'2" 335 lbs.) and quickness to be a factor in the front line of defense, but he could be gone too. There may just be a bevy of decent defensive backs to choose from here as well. Scoring a special teams coverage player here would be pure gold.
Scot Acocks also writes for the NFL Draft Dog as an NFL Team Columnist and Beat Writer.
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