Asked what he learned from his first NFL draft as a team’s personnel chief in 2011, Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway used the word “fluid.” Fluid, as in ever-changing and always unpredictable. One day out, things are fluid all over the league, except at the top, where the top two quarterbacks will be taken on Thursday night. Beyond that, phones are ringing all over the NFL and the deals are percolating. Denver Post draft insider Jeff Legwold analyzes the first-round wants and needs of each team with a pick.
1. Indianapolis Colts (2-14)
Needs: QB, WR, NT, CB, LB, OL.
Total picks: 10 (including three compensatory picks.)
The pick: They’ve already made the call, and they’ll start the massive rebuild with Stanford QB Andrew Luck.
2. Washington Redskins (5-11)
from St. Louis
Needs: QB, T, G, C, CB.
Total picks: Eight (no second, two fourths).
The pick: In taking Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, they make another attempt to find the organization’s first homegrown franchise QB since Sammy Baugh retired in 1952.
3. Minnesota Vikings (3-13)
Needs:CB, T, S, WR, LB.
Total picks: 10 (two compensatory fourths).
The pick: No team has tried harder to trade down and the Vikings still are the most likely to get out, but if they stay here they’ll look at a CB before taking USC T Matt Kalil.
4. Cleveland Browns (4-12)
Needs: WR, RB, T, LB, CB.
Total picks: 13 (two firsts, four compensatory picks).
The pick: They may move around to get a QB at some point, but if they stay here, they have a desperate need for a playmaker such as Alabama RB Trent Richardson.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)
Needs: LB, S, CB, RB.
Total picks: Six (no fourth).
The pick: They have their pick of defensive backs but struggles against opposing run games push them to Boston College LB Like Kuechly.
6. St. Louis Rams (2-14)
from Washington
Needs: WR, DT, G, RB, LB.
Total picks: Eight (two seconds, two sevenths, no fifth).
The pick: Any player they select will be a need player for the thinnest roster in the league, and here it would be Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)
Needs: WR, DE, CB.
Total picks: Seven.
The pick: Will give a long look to the edge rushers on the board, but CB Rashean Mathis is coming off knee surgery so the pick is South Carolina CB Stephon Gilmore.
8. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
Needs: QB, S, WR.
Total picks: Eight (two thirds).
The pick: They may have to move to do it, especially with the Vikings shopping their pick so hard, but they’d like to have Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill.
9. Carolina Panthers (6-10)
Needs: DT, WR, DE, CB.
Total picks: Seven (no third, two sixths).
The pick:A defensive head coach with a need in the defensive front would like to see Mississippi State DT Fletcher Cox.
10. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
Needs: T, CB, WR, LB.
Total picks: 10 (two in fourth, fifth and seventh).
The pick: They have needs in the offensive line and at wideout, but in this scenario, they would quickly grab LSU CB Morris Claiborne.
11. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)
Needs: NT, G, QB, CB.
Total picks: Eight (two sevenths).
The pick: They tinker with the idea of pursuing Tannehill, but they’ll need to be better on defense, so the pick is LSU DT Michael Brockers.
12. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
Needs: DE, LB, S, QB.
Total picks: Six (no fifth).
The pick: If he can’t get a QB of his own (Tannehill), Pete Carroll wants a guy to tackle the other QB. So the pick is South Carolina DE Melvin Ingram.
13. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
Needs: T, LB, G, WR.
Total picks:Seven (no second, two sixths).
The pick: They’ll take a long look at WR here, but in the end, they select Iowa T Riley Reiff.
14. Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
Needs: DE, LB, S, C.
Total picks: Eight (two fourths).
The pick: They want a pass rusher in a big way, and if Brockers makes it this far, he doesn’t get past them, but it’s important to note coach Jason Garrett went to one pro day last month and saw Alabama S Mark Barron.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)
Needs: LB, S, DT, DE, RB.
Total picks: Nine (two seconds, three sixths, no seventh).
The pick: Everybody wants an edge rusher, and with the hope that demanding defensive line coach Jim Washburn can work his motivational magic, they select North Carolina DE Quinton Coples.
16. New York Jets (8-8)
Needs: WR, NT, S, LB.
Total picks: 10 (no fourth, three sixths, three sevenths).
The pick: They wanted Ingram, but if the board shakes out this way, they would be glad to take one of the biggest men on campus in Memphis DT Dontari Poe.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
from Oakland
Needs: DE, S, DT, WR, G.
Total picks: Nine (two firsts, three fifths, no seventh).
The pick: With the selection they have in front of them, they take the best all- around rush player left on the board in Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw.
18. San Diego Chargers (8-8)
Needs: G, RB, CB, DE.
Total picks: Eight (two sevenths).
The pick: They haven’t selected an offensive lineman in the first round since 1986, but here, the value would be too good to pass on Stanford G David DeCastro.
19. Chicago Bears (8-8)
Needs: T, DE, DT, CB, WR.
Total picks: Seven.
The pick: They need help up front and will feel the tug of war between the safe pick and another skill player to help QB Jay Cutler. Skill wins with Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd.
20. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
Needs: CB, G, C, DE.
Total picks: Seven.
The pick: They could look at an edge rusher here, but this team has always leaned toward big-school picks, particularly from SEC schools, so it’s Alabama CB Dre’ Kirkpatrick.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
Needs: DE, S, DT, WR, G.
Total picks: Nine (two firsts, three fifths, no seventh).
The pick: They need help up front, and the best value pick here would be Georgia T/G Cordy Glenn.
22. Cleveland Browns (4-12)
from Atlanta
Needs: WR, T, LB, CB.
Total picks: 13 (two firsts, four compensatory picks).
The pick: They are more than happy to look and see Stanford T Jonathan Martin.
23. Detroit Lions (10-6)
Needs: T, CB, G, RB, S.
Total picks: Seven (no sixth, two sevenths).
The pick: They’re looking to get out here, and Baltimore might be the team that moves here, but if they stay they may reach for Midwestern G/T Amini Silatolu.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
Needs: T, CB, LB, G.
Total picks: 10 (four sevenths).
The pick: Baltimore wants to get in front of them to beat them to it, but here, the Steelers would take Alabama LB Don’ta Hightower.
25. Denver Broncos (8-8)
Needs: DT, RB, CB, LB.
Total picks: Seven (two fourths, no seventh).
The pick: John Elway’s uses the word “impact” a lot when talking about the draft and has said he’s taking the best player available. That would be Stanford TE Coby Fleener.
26. Houston Texans (10-6)
Needs: DE, WR, T, LB
Total picks: Eight (two fourths).
The pick: Two of their top WRs — Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter — will be 31 in the coming season, but DE Mario Williams was a huge loss in free agency, so the pick is USC DE Nick Perry.
27. New England Patriots (13-3)
Needs: CB, LB, DE.
Total picks: Six (two firsts, two seconds, no fifth, sixth or seventh).
The pick: They’re looking to trade out of this spot to get a few more picks along the way, but if they stay, the value of the board points to Syracuse DE/OLB Chandler Jones.
28. Green Bay Packers (15-1)
Needs: DE, OLB, S, RB.
Total picks: 12 (three fourths, no sixth, four sevenths).
The pick: They need some more pop in the pass rush and will look to Boise State OLB/DE Shea McClellin.
29. Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
Needs: G, LB, WR.
Total picks: Eight (two fifths).
The pick: GM Ozzie Newsome has made at least one draft-day trade in every year since 2001, and he’s looking to add to the total this year. But if he stays here, it’s Baylor WR Kendall Wright.
30. San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
Needs: DE, G, WR.
Total picks: Seven.
The pick: They were hoping Fleener made it down this far, so they still want some outside speed in the offense with Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill.
31. New England Patriots (13-3)
Needs: CB, LB, DE.
Total picks: Six (two firsts, two seconds, no fifth, sixth or seventh).
The pick: Most in the league believe they are going to move one of their first-round picks to get back into the third day of the draft a bit, but here, Bill Belichick takes a chance on North Alabama CB Janoris Jenkins.
32. New York Giants (9-7)
Needs: T, LB, RB, S.
Total picks: Seven (two fourths, no fifth).
The pick: They have gone defense with their first pick in six of the past seven drafts, but they need power up front so the pick this time is Wisconsin G Kevin Zeitler.
