After a truly awful 2013 season, the Houston Texans are looking to revamp their team in hopes of becoming Super Bowl contenders once again. Despite having several talented player on their roster, the Houston Texans also have several holes to fill on their depth chart. Along with a huge need at quarterback, the Texans could also use depth on defense, especially in the secondary. In the draft, there seem to be three main beliefs as to what may happen with the first overall pick: 1) The Houston Texans will draft a quarterback, 2) The Texans will draft Jadeveon Clowney, or 3) The first overall pick will be traded. Since the Texans have such a large need at quarterback, it would seem reasonable that the team would draft a quarterback, whether it be Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, or Teddy Bridgewater. But, none of these three quarterbacks seem to be #1-pick worthy, while defensive end Jadeveon Clowney does seem worthy of the pick. With an all-pro defensive end in J.J Watt, drafting Clowney would certainly make up one of the deadliest duos in pro football. Finally, the fact that the 2014 draft is very deep gives a viable third option for the Houston Texans: a trade. If Houston decides that "their player" is later in the draft, the Texans could trade the #1 overall pick for several other picks at a very high price. All of these three options are very possible for the Texans in the draft, and the only way to know for sure is to find out on May 8th. If Houston can draft a franchise-level player, then this team could easily be back in contention for a division title.
Just as their record would indicate, the St. Louis Rams were just about average in 2013, with a decent defense and a lackluster offense. Although the Rams have some needs in their defensive secondary, the majority of their problems lie on offense. Both running and passing the ball were issues in 2013, and quarterback Sam Bradford was injured halfway into the season. During the draft, the main priority is obviously to help a struggling Sam Bradford, who is still the center of the Rams' offense. With no elite running backs in this draft class, it's very possible that the Rams will draft either a wide receiver or an offensive tackle. The three most likely picks for St. Louis would be receiver Sammy Watkins, offensive tackle Jake Matthews, or tackle Greg Robinson. All of these players are expected to be very productive in their professional careers, and the Rams have several choices when making their pick. Similar to the Houston Texans, the Rams could also take advantage of the depth in the draft and trade away the #2 overall pick. The Rams did this in 2012 and it was very beneficial to them, receiving three first-round picks from the Washington Redskins. With no serious holes in their roster, the chance of a trade does seem likely, but there is no way of knowing for sure until the night of the draft. Despite a very competitive division, the St. Louis Rams are in perfect position to greatly improve their roster in this year's draft.
As the Jacksonville Jaguars continue to rebuild under Gus Bradley, the situation has not changed much since the 2013 off-season. The Jaguars can improve at nearly every position, and are overall a bad team. Despite playing awfully at defense, it seems more likely that the Jaguars will draft an offensive star, to aid an equally bad offense. Similar to the St. Louis Rams, the Jaguars were average at best in the passing game in 2013, and were overall one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Along with a huge need at quarterback and offensive lineman, Jacksonville could also use a star receiver such as Sammy Watkins from Clemson. The Jaguars have already worked out most of the top quarterbacks heading into the draft, and are obviously in the market for one of the top three signal-callers in the draft. Unlike the previous two picks, there is almost no possibility that the third overall pick will be pried away from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a trade. Although there would be a very high price for the pick, it seems that the Jaguars have too many immediate needs to afford to trade away the third pick in May's draft. This team might not have a shot at an 8-8 record like the Texans and Rams, but picking a talented player with this pick might just put the Jacksonville Jaguars on the right track.
Besides the fact that they only won a handful of games, the Cleveland Browns finished the 2013 season with 6 pro bowlers and a great opportunity to improve their football team. Despite having talent in several different positions, the Browns have a huge need at quarterback, and this has been the recurring issue every year for this team. The Cleveland Browns seem to be the most likely team to draft a quarterback with their first pick, and a franchise quarterback could immediately put this team into playoff contention. Although a quarterback seems to be the obvious selection, there is a chance that a talented player such as Sammy Watkins could fall to the Browns, and could draft him instead. There is also a chance that the Browns could fall in love with a defensive player, such as linebackers Khalil Mack or Anthony Barr, and add depth to the defensive side of the ball. Along with Jacksonville, it's very unlikely that the Cleveland Browns will trade away the 4th overall pick, as this team is expecting results in the very near future. Like they were in free agency, the Cleveland Browns are most likely going to be very aggressive in the draft, and in all probability will draft a quarterback with this pick. If the Browns are able to take a franchise-caliber player with the fourth overall pick, this team will be primed for success and could easily earn an 8-8 record next season.
Although the Oakland Raiders only managed to win four games in 2013, and has continued their 11-year streak without a winning record, it appears that this team is finally rebuilding. In 2013, the Oakland Raiders were near the bottom in the NFL in nearly category, and truly has no way to go but up. And, after a blockbuster free agent period with several veteran signings, the Raiders now have a nucleus of talent to build their team around. With the fifth overall pick, the Raiders can draft a player of almost any position, and the team is most likely going to take the best player available. With this said, Oakland also has a huge need at quarterback, and a quarterback being drafted at #5 would not be unlikely. In the NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders always seem to be a wild card, and this year is no exception. Prospects such as Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, Greg Robinson, Sammy Watkins, and Khalil Mack are all in the mix to be drafted by the Raiders. Like so many other organizations heading into May's draft, the chances of this pick being traded are slim to none. The Raiders are currently in the phase of finding franchise players to lead their team for the next 10-15 years, and trading far down into the draft would be unwise for this team. But, there is also a small possibility that this team could trade up in the draft, and steal a talented player away from other teams. Despite drastic improvements to this team, a talented AFC West division may hold back the Oakland Raiders in 2014, and may only win 5 or 6 games.
*The second overall pick (Rams) was received in a trade with the Washington Redskins in the 2012 draft.*
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