Packers, Bears.......and Raiders?

So this year I am featuring a bonus team in the Raiders given that Dave Wood has peeked my interest in them, plus Derek Carr made me look pretty good last year when I stated that he was the best QB in the draft!  So here is the plan I have for the Packers, Bears, and Raiders.  Again, these are the players I think they should nab, not the players I think they will take.  I offered a few alternatives from time to time.  Keep in mind that I like the players here so I consider it a success if the teams end up with the players regardless of where they get them for the most part (unless it is a crazy reach).  So for example, the Packers ended up taking Richard Rodgers in Round 3 instead of round 5 like I had him; this is still considered a success to me. 

Packers: ILB, CB, OL, OLB, DL, S, RB, QB

I am super confused by so many analysts saying the Packers need a TE early.  I think the combination of Quarless and Richard Rodgers have enough promise.  The Packers are really only looking for one starter out of this draft, ILB, and perhaps two if they draft somebody who really steps up at CB. 

First round, 30th overall: ILB Eric Kendricks ~ UCLA – Plain and simple, Eric Kendricks is one of my favorite players in the draft and I see a super instinctive smart player.  I was looking at a highlights reel of him and it was not the typical big hits but the non-stop motor plays that I really like.  He also appears to be pretty good in coverage and has very good awareness overall.  I have a sad feeling that another team will take him away from my Packers.  Even if the Packers have to trade up to get him it is worth it.

Second round, 62^nd: CB Quinten Rollins ~ Miami (Ohio) – It is really hard to project if Rollins will be here or not because he lacks experience and is not ideally fast but fast enough.  However, he looks like the real deal when I watched him at the senior bowl and has some very natural Cornerback instincts. 

DL Carl Davis ~ Iowa - Davis will most likely be gone at this point but if he is here I would love him.

DL Jordan Phillips ~ Oklahoma He could be here as this is right around where some have projected him, he has a high ceiling and may have been underutilized in college.

Third round, 94^th: CB Steven Nelson ~ Oregon State – A feisty cornerback that plays with confidence, likes to tackle, and should be able to play the #2 CB spot eventually.  I really like Nelson’s on field presence and chippiness.  Even if they get Rollins, Nelson here would be a nice addition.

Fourth round, 129^th: LB Neville Hewitt ~ Marshall – I am not sure what you do with him because he looks like he has a better build for safety but played linebacker the last few years.  His instincts and heart look great, he just needs some bulk to play linebacker or may fill in and be a nice situational safety.  He draws a lot of comparison to Cam Chancellor when he was coming out and may be a similar type of player.  Regardless, this is one of those players that you like to have on your team for special teams and situations alone.  Nick Barnett was actually a little smaller coming out of Oregon and he put some weight on and turned out to be pretty good.  Hewitt has better instincts.

Fifth round, 166^th: Robert Myers OL ~ Tennessee State – He will most likely be a G in the NFL.  He is a very raw prospect but he seems to have a high ceiling.  This may be a bit high for him but he may pay dividends down the line which should align with the Josh Sitton’s sunset.  He also has really awesome hair.

Nick Marshall QB/CB ~ Auburn – Marshall could be a very intriguing prospect at this point and should pay dividends a few years down the road as both a CB and on special teams.  He may also be long gone here but this is really where he belongs at this point since he is a projection to other positions besides QB.

Sixth round,

205^th: CB Tye Smith ~ Towson – Big hitter and scrappy player, though I think he may translate better to Safety in the NFL.

210^th: FB Tyler Varga ~ Yale or FB Mark Wiesman ~ Iowa – I am torn between these two player.  Varga was very impressive at the Senior Bowl and deserved every bit of consideration for MVP (He was responsible for the block on a TD, a rushing TD, and a receiving TD).  Wiesman is bigger but not as good of an athlete as Varga who boasts some pretty impressive muscle and low body fat.  Both should be good special teams contributors and Weismann probably has the edge for lead blocking due to his size.  But I think Varga will go higher than this and he is probably not worth more than a 6th round pick because he has no clear position.  I really love both players though but I tend to like FBs more than a lot of other people.

212^th: RB Akeem Hunt ~ Purdue – Hunt had a not so great Junior year and split carries Senior year.  He is not a starter but he is an x-factor rotational player with great speed and quickness that can also return kicks.  He also has a little bit of that Warrick Dunn mentality of lowering his shoulder when he needs to.  He looks like a bit of a sleeper at this point.

Back-ups:

S Ronald Martin LSU – Martin does not appear to be a starter in the NFL now and possibly ever but he looks like he might be good enough to fill in and he may develop down the road.  However, a lot of guys like him find ways onto the field so I think he is a nice pick here.  He does bring is passion for the game and that often times leads to a player you need on your team, particularly on special teams.

TE MyCole Pruitt ~ Southern Illinois – Pruitt is a bit raw and may never be an inline tight end but he could add an interesting dynamic being split out or in an H-Back Role.

Two interesting DL prospects that may not be bad picks here would be DT Xavier Williams ~ Northern Iowa and DL Kristjan Sokoli ~ Buffalo.  Both are raw but show flashes with Williams being more of a NT and Sokoli being more of a pass rusher.

Seventh round, 247^th

DE/OLB: Kyle Emanuel ~ North Dakota State – an intriguing prospect who may be gone at this point who could be a solid special teamer that works his way into the rotation eventually.  Houston Bates out of Louisiana Tech may also be a similar and interesting prospect.

Priority Free Agent: Zack Wagenmann OLB/DE ~ Montana has a strong lower body but looks a little skinny on the top.  He has good instincts but he needs a year or two on a practice squad and then he could surprise.

Bears: NT, CB, S, OL, QB, WR

The Bears are not in terrible shape but the transition to a 3-4 is a bit tricky.  They need to refuel their defensive secondary significantly, find a Nose Tackle (though somebody already on the team might be able to do that), bring in some young OL to compete, think about a developmental QB, and perhaps bring in some WRs.

First round: 7th overall selection: NT Danny Shelton ~ Washington – Athletic big men are hard to come by and Shelton is the best big man in the draft.  His biggest issue is understanding that his role is going to be a space eater and part time pass rusher, not the other way around.

Second round 39th overall selection: Best available between CBs PJ Williams ~ Florida State and CB Marcus Peters ~ Washington – both players are a bit troublesome but immensely talented.  Peters gets the edge on talent here and is the better player.

If DT Carl Davis Iowa is available here the Bears should seriously consider him as well because they lack a dynamic 3-4 DE and Davis could be a real steal. 

Third round: 71st overall selection: S Jaquiski Tartt ~ Samford – Tartt has as much potential as anybody at safety in this draft (and really as much as anybody the last few years).  The Bears need somebody bad and have not really been able to get it right for a while.  Considering, albeit under a different GM, they took a chance on Brandin Hardin a few years ago, Tartt should be a shoe in here.

Another back-up choice here would be QB Garrett Grayson ~ Colorado State I really like Grayson, his lack of arm strength is present but he looks like the third best QB in this draft.

Fourth round: 106th overall selection: OT Rob Havenstein ~ Wisconsin – I hate to say it since I was so hot on him when they drafted him but Jordan Mills has regressed and does not appear to be a solid starting RT despite a lot of promise in his rookie year.  Havenstein fits the mold for a very good RT who just gets it done.

Fifth round: 142nd overall selection:  WR Dezmin Lewis ~ Central Arkansas – Lewis is raw but has some potential as a possession WR.  Look for him to be a quietly good special teams player as well.  He stuck out to me as a guy who sticks his first few years because of special teams and emerges as a good number 2.

Sixth round: 182nd overall selection: QB Blake Sims Alabama – What Sims lacks in experience he makes up for in his moxy and determination.  He looked like a guy that could come in and rally a team at the Senior Bowl. 

Raiders: WR, OL, DL, S, CB, RB

The Raiders pulled off an amazing scam last year with landing one of the top three or so defensive players in the first round and then grabbing the best QB in the draft in the second round.  This has them set with two big leaders to guide this young team.  However, the Raiders need to help and protect their investments now.  That means keeping the pressure off of Carr.  They also need a lot of help in the secondary as Woodson is getting old, they lost Stanford Routt (though he was getting to the end as it is), and their CBs have been only average at best.  They also need to bring some speed to both the WR and RB positions.

First Round: 4^th overall selection: DL Leonard Williams ~ USC - This is a tough call because he may go second or third.  But if Williams is there, the Raiders must pull the trigger and this could be an amazingly talented front seven. 

Second Round: 35^th overall selection: OT Jake Fisher ~ Oregon – He may or may not be here.  The more I see of Fisher the more I think he is going to work out to be a real steal once he puts a little weight on.  In 2013 David Bakhtiari dropped into the fourth round because he was a little skinny for the position (not small just a little light).  Yet, he has started more games successfully than anybody drafted ahead of him (9 other OT went ahead of him including three of the top four picks overall).  But a good football player is a good football player and Fisher has a huge upside that you should not pass up on.

If Fisher is not there: I would go with WR Breshad Perriman Central Florida – Perriman looks to be a decent young player with the potential to be very good down the road once he develops.  He should contribute right away but he will not be a star rookie per se. 

Third Round: 68^th overall selection: CB Alex Carter ~ Stanford – The Raiders need a CB and DJ Hayden is just been okay.  Carter is chippy and will give you his all.

If they do not grab a WR with their second pick WR Phillip Dorsett ~ Miami – Dorsett looks to be a very electric player and is worth a 3^rd round pick despite the fact that he will probably only be a contributing slot receiver.  He makes a lot of sense here, although he may also be gone at this point.

Fourth round: 102^nd overall selection:  S Adrian Amos ~ Penn State – Amos has a lot of talent but he looks like he goes for big hits more than he should and it is a detriment to him.  If he gets some good coaching this could turn out to be a steal here but if he cannot get the coaching he needs he will just be another mistake prone safety that drives you crazy.

Sixth Round: 179^th overall selection: C Greg Mancz ~ Toledo – Mancz is a scrappy C who should also play guard.  They just signed Rodney Hudson to a big contract but having a good back-up who can play both guard positions is a good thing.

Seventh Round: 221^st overall selection: WR DeAndrew White ~ Alabama – He is the other guy from Alabama and it appears he has been really overshadowed.  But there is a lot of talent here and I think he is being a bit underrated.  He may just be a priority Free Agent type of player but I think something is hidden away here.

Back-up:

CB SaQwan Edwards ~ New Mexico – This draft is full of some boom or bust CBs and Edwards falls into that category.  I could see somebody taking him a little earlier but he is still raw as he played WR his first few years.  He has a lot of intrigue at this point.

So that is all for now but at the very least there will be more comments right before the draft.