By Kevin Long
Staff Writer
1. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals find themselves in a strange spot, as for much of the season they were clear favorites to win the NFC, but injuries piled up midseason causing them to lose momentum. Their roster is fairly complete, but some improvements could be made in the secondary and on the offensive line to keep pressure off of QB Kyler Murray, who was sacked 31 times this season. Picking up a late-round or free-agent wide receiver could also be a good move.
2. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons may need to draft a wide receiver this year if Calvin Ridley ends up being traded. They should also start looking at young quarterbacks to work behind Matt Ryan and transition into the role as Ryan gets older.
3. Baltimore Ravens
After watching QBs Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley be chased down endlessly from opposing defenses, the Ravens should be focusing on revamping their offensive line, namely by getting an OT to work opposite Ronnie Stanley and an IOL to complement Kevin Zeitler and Bradley Bozeman. Defensive line could be a priority, depending on the fate of Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams in free agency.
4. Buffalo Bills
One of the most blatant needs in the NFL — the Buffalo Bills need a workhorse RB. They can likely get away with a skilled second or even third round RB in this year’s draft class. Though the team’s success without a running back could mean that the Bills will look to improve their team elsewhere and focus on the passing game.
5. Carolina Panthers
There is no dancing around the fact that Sam Darnold is not a franchise QB — the Panthers need to find a solid quarterback in the draft. With the Saints, Buccaneers and Falcons all either struggling or rebuilding, now is the time to strike for Carolina.
6. Chicago Bears
The Bears should work on strengthening their offensive line and wide receiver corps if they are to have any hope of giving QB Justin Fields a chance to emerge as the player he was marketed as. WR Allen Robinson will likely be on the way out, so Chicago should talk with Fields and see which WR in the draft he would like to play with.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
Poor Joe Burrow. This team needs to draft some offensive lineman right now. Otherwise, they are risking more injuries to their coveted QB, something they cannot afford if they wish to continue being contenders in the AFC.
8. Cleveland Browns
With Odell Beckham Jr. gone, the Browns should try and grab a WR for QB Baker Mayfield, especially if they want to see if Baker is the guy for them moving forward. They need to get some weapons and set Mayfield up for greatness.
9. Dallas Cowboys
While the Cowboys have a fairly complete roster, they would benefit from some help on the defensive side of the ball — but they need to figure out which offensive pieces they want to keep going into the 2022 season so they don’t get stuck with cap space issues. For this reason, Dallas should go for a WR in the first round.
10. Denver Broncos
The Broncos need to find a QB as soon as possible. The most common name being thrown around right now is Aaron Rodgers of the Packers. This would likely drain the Broncos of any high draft picks they have for the next three years, so do not expect anything special coming from the draft if they go for Rodgers.
11. Detroit Lions
With a top draft pick, the Lions are expected to grab one of the premiere edge rushers — namely Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon or Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan. The general consensus is that Detroit will end up going for Hutchinson, but the draft proves unpredictable each year, so only time will tell.
12. Green Bay Packers
After the display they put on against the 49ers in the postseason, I’m inclined to say they need a whole new special teams unit.
All jokes aside, it is likely that the Packers will try to find themselves a defensive lineman. This is, of course, assuming Devante Adams and Aaron Rodgers stay on the team going into 2022. In that case, expect the Packers to try and find a WR1 for Jordan Love.
13. Houston Texans
Oh my, how does anyone hope to fix this mess?
It's hard to say what they need, as it seems almost every position on the team could benefit from some personnel changes. They should try and grab some defensive talent early in the draft to rebuild their defensive identity and grab some offensive weapons later in the draft to help Davis Mills develop in tandem with Brandin Cooks. They better hope someone is willing to trade for Deshaun Watson, otherwise the rebuild could take a long time.
14. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts not having a first round pick this year hurts them a bit, as it felt like they were just one piece away from making a deep playoff run behind star RB Jonathan Taylor. They need to build around this MVP-calibur RB, build up the offensive line and pick up some wide receivers from the draft or free agency and figure out what QB will give them the best shot at winning in 2022. This team is a dark horse candidate for the Super Bowl in 2022.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars need many different things, but the most important are finding a WR for second-year QB Trevor Lawrence and an offensive line to protect him. Lawrence did not live up to the hype a first overall pick brings, but to be fair, he had a questionable head coach in Urban Meyer, an injured WR and RB room and a suspect offensive line that often failed to protect him. Get Lawrence what he asks for this offseason and all will be alright in Duval.
16. Kansas City Chiefs
The financial backlash of the Patrick Mahomes deal is starting to show up — Orlando Brown and Tyrann Mathieu are free agents this offseason. They lack a solid WR2 and frankly, the RB room seems a bit questionable. Chances are they will sell their souls to keep Brown and Mathieu on the team and will look to grab a WR2 in the draft.
