The Broncos traded Tony Scheffler, the Patriots signed wide receiver Torry Holt and the Jets finished a rather extended courtship to acquire veteran defensive end Jason Taylor.
In short, the final pre-draft moves have taken shape, the boards are in place around the league and finally, Thursday evening, all of the planning for the draft will be over.
Because Thursday, in primetime, the picks will be made. So here’s one last look at how the opening round could shake out after discussions with scouts, coaches and personnel executives around the league.
1.St. Louis Rams (1-15)
Needs: QB, WR, DL, T
After a private workout with Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford in Norman, Okla., last week the team may have already stitched his name on a jersey. The pick is, and has been, Bradford. (Last week’s pick: Bradford.)
2.Detroit Lions (2-14)
Needs: RB, DT, T, LB
There will be a temptation to select a tackle here, and they still might when the arguments are done. But after signing Kyle Vanden Bosch in free agency, they can complete their makeover in the defensive front with this pick. With that in mind they would take Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. (Last week: Suh.)
3.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
Needs: DL, CB, G
They have five picks in the first 101 of the draft, but may trade out looking for more. If they stay, they get the one-gap defensive lineman they need in Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy. (Last week: McCoy.)
4.Washington Redskins (4-12)
Needs: T, C, G, CB, DT
The Redskins need a left tackle and may roll the dice they can get a prospect later in the draft – they also were flirting with veteran Flozell Adams as well in recent days. So they make a pick for beyond ’09 with Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. (Last week: Russell Okung.)
5.Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
Needs: T, NT, LB, S
They do need a tackle and with Suh and McCoy both likely off the board by this point, that leaves them happy to take Oklahoma State tackle Russell Okung. (Last week: Eric Berry.)
6.Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
Needs: RB, T, DE, S, CB
They need a replacement for Walter Jones and to keep their quarterbacks from taking so much punishment. This is the first of two first rounders for the team and the pick here is Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams. (Last week: Williams.)
7.Cleveland Browns (5-11)
Needs: QB, CB, LB, WR, RB, S
Desperately need a cornerback, but after trading Brady Quinn they also need a quarterback. But here they take the best player available and it’s Tennessee safety Eric Berry. (Last week: Clausen.)
8.Oakland Raiders (5-11)
Needs: QB, CB, T, LB
They’ll take a long look at a cornerback here, but Al Davis is poised to take another first-round flyer, this time on Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell. (Last week: Derrick Morgan.)
9.Buffalo Bills (6-10)
Needs: T, QB, LB, WR
They’d like a crack at Clausen, but know there’s a chance they don’t get him. They have other needs, however, that meet the value on this board so Iowa tackle Brian Bulaga would be the pick. (Last week: Bulaga.)
10.Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
Needs: LB, G, C, LB
They’re still looking to get out of this spot to move down and get some more picks. But if this scenario unfolds they would be happy to look up and see the best outside past rusher on the board in Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan. (Last week: Brandon Graham.)
11.Denver Broncos (from Chicago) (8-8)
Needs: LB, C, G, WR, DL
They certainly would be ecstatic to have a high-quality need player fall this far in Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain. (Last week: McClain.)
12.Miami Dolphins (7-9)
Needs: DE, NT, LB, S, RB
The trade for Brandon Marshall impacts their draft board and they can likely find a nose tackle down the board some as well. So, they go after some outside pop in the pass rush in Michigan’s Brandon Graham. (Last week: Dan Williams.)
13.San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
Needs: QB, S, T
They likely can’t take a quarterback in this spot without reaching some. They do like the safeties in this draft, but with the tackle run underway at this point they take Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis. (Last week: Earl Thomas.)
14.Seattle Seahawks (from Denver) (5-11)
Needs: RB, T, DE, S, CB
If he’s there, with Pete Carroll’s desire to have a rushing/receiving threat in the backfield, they take Clemson running back C.J. Spiller. (Last week: Spiller.)
15.New York Giants (8-8)
Needs: T, LB, CB, DT
They were hoping for McClain, or perhaps even a shot at Spiller at this point on the board. But they look up to find Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams is there for the taking. (Last week: Anthony Davis.)
16.Tennessee Titans (8-8)
Needs: LB, DE, S, CB
They don’t have many picks and have some spaces to fill on defense – at end or linebacker. So, if Graham is off the board that would leave them with South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. (Last week: Pierre-Paul.)
17.San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina) (8-8)
Needs: QB, S, T
Should they have addressed the tackle spot with their first pick in this round and the board falls this way, they would quickly grab Florida cornerback Joe Haden. (Last week: Dez Bryant.)
18.Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Needs: CB, DE, T, RB
They’re still going corner, it’s just a matter of who is available here. This time it would be Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson. (Last week: Haden.)
19.Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
Needs: LB, C, DT, DE
They’d like to move down and get back the second-round pick they surrendered in the Tony Gonzalez deal last year. They’d also like to get some more help around prized quarterback Matt Ryan so may look at a receiver here, but the best pick is Florida center Maurkice Pouncey. (Last week: Pouncey.)
20.Houston Texans (9-7)
Needs: RB, CB, S, DL
Coach Gary Kubiak has spent much of the offseason talking about improving the team’s running game. They get the chance here with Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews. (Last week: Devin McCourty.)
21.Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
Needs: S, DT, DE, TE
Few teams have taken bigger character risks over the years than this one. And they’ll be willing to roll the dice on value here when they take Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant. (Last week: Jermaine Gresham.)
22.New England Patriots (10-6)
Needs: LB, DE, T, TE
They will always take a look on offense to keep enough weapons around quarterback Tom Brady, but the value of this board at this point is defense and they have some openings as well for a player like Penn State defensive lineman Jared Odrick. (Last week: Odrick.)
23.Green Bay Packers (11-5)
Needs: CB, S, T, RB
Sure, they’d like to have some help in the pass rush and they would give a long look to Earl Thomas, but Charles Woodson isn’t getting any younger and Al Harris had reconstructive knee surgery at cornerback so the Packers take Florida State cornerback Patrick Robinson (Last week: Wilson.)
24.Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
Needs: G, LB, CB, DE
Andy Reid will always look at offensive lineman in the first round, but with Brian Dawkins” departure still stinging and free-agent signee Marlin Jackson coming off his second ACL surgery the pick here is Texas safety Earl Thomas. (Last week: Mike Iupati.)
25.Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
Needs: DE, CB, S, TE
Good players always seem to fall to them in the first round and if things unfolded as they have here they wouldn’t take very long to grab Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham. (Last week: Robinson.)
26.Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
Needs: LB, T, TE, WR
They’ll certainly look hard at their defensive issues, especially at linebacker where they lost Karlos Dansby in free agency. But in Matt Leinart’s first full season as the unquestioned starter at quarterback they’ll pick Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. (Last week: Thomas.)
27.Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
Needs: T, S, LB
They would have taken a long look at Bryant had he fallen this far or perhaps a guard like Iupati, but without Flozell Adams at left tackle they need some reinforcements up front so they take Indiana tackle Rodger Saffold. (Last week: Campbell.)
28.San Diego Chargers (13-3)
Needs: RB, T, CB, S
They want a running back and a nose tackle by the time the third round is over, so could go for secondary help here with USC safety Taylor Mays. (Last week: Mathews.)
29.New York Jets (9-7)
Needs: LB, T, DE
The trade for Santonio Holmes impacts what they’ll do here. They’ll take a long look at the cornerback prospects and were hoping one of the top two wide receivers would fall, but the pick here would be TCU’s outside linebacker Jerry Hughes. (Last week: Hughes.)
30.Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
Needs: CB, RB, LB, DT
They need defensive depth all over the field, but really need one of the top cornerbacks to fall their way. So they would be happy to see the guy who fits their Tampa-2 coverage just fine in Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty. (Last week: Kareem Jackson.)
31.Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
Needs: T, CB, DT
They’d still like a chance at a corner as well and Jackson is a physical player who could fit, but they also need help up front on offense to protect the franchise, so the pick is USC tackle Charles Brown. (Last week: Brown.)
32.New Orleans Saints
Needs: RB, LB, S, DE
They need defense and would take a long look at an interior defensive lineman like UCLA’s Brian Price, but Gregg Williams” defenses have usually featured a smart, athletic linebacker and they could have that in Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon. (Last week: Weatherspoon.)
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
