After going from a Super Bowl contender to one of the worst teams in football, the Atlanta Falcons are looking to revamp their team to become a playoff-caliber team again. The causes of Atlanta's awful season in 2013 were terrible play on the offensive and defensive lines, a poor secondary, and constant injuries to key players. Last season, the Atlanta Falcons were 29th in the NFL in sacks, with only 32. Also, Matt Ryan, the Falcons' franchise quarterback, was one of the most sacked signal-callers in football last year, making offensive tackle an immediate need. With no defensive backs expected to go this high in the draft, along with the Falcons' huge needs in the trenches, it's safe to say that Atlanta will draft either an offensive lineman or a pass-rusher. Although defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is expected to be picked within the top five, there is a chance that the Falcons could draft linebackers Khalil Mack or Anthony Barr to help their atrocious pass rush. Another popular prediction for the #6 overall pick is to draft an offensive tackle, whether it be Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews, or even Michigan's Taylor Lewan. Like several other teams heading into the 2014 draft, the likelihood of the Falcons trading away their first-round pick is very unlikely. Despite the reports of the Falcons being very interested in Jadeveon Clowney, the price seems to be just out of reach for Atlanta to trade up into one of the top two picks of the draft. Although the Atlanta Falcons desperately need talent in the trenches, this team has a very solid nucleus of talent to build around, and picking a franchise-level player with the 6th overall pick could propel this team back into playoff contention.
The 2013 regular season was one to forget for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finishing with a 4-12 record and one of the worst offenses in football. Although they had some defensive stars like linebacker Lavonte David and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owned one of the most inconsistent offenses in the NFL in 2013. On the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster, there are several positions where they can improve, such as wide receiver or offensive tackle. After losing starting tackle Donald Penn to free agency, the Buccaneers have almost no talent along the offensive line heading into 2014. With this said, the Bucs' will possibly target one of the top three offensive tackles in this year's draft (Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews, or Taylor Lewan). Also, after the addition of Josh McCown and announcing him the starting quarterback, Tampa Bay might go in a different direction to improve their passing game: wide receiver. In early April, former Buccaneer Mike Williams was traded to the Buffalo Bills, leaving Vincent Jackson as the only talented wide receiver on the roster. With this lack of depth at the receiver position, is seems likely that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will draft Mike Evans out of Texas A&M, since Sammy Watkins will potentially be gone by pick #7. Although it seems improbable, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might trade up to get a star player, such as Greg Robinson or Sammy Watkins, or possibly trade down to stockpile draft picks and still take a talented player. If and when the Buccaneers pick a talented player in May's draft, it will be very interesting to see how big of a role he will have under coach Lovie Smith's new regime.
After winning ten games and earning a playoff berth in 2012, Minnesota Vikings fans were disappointed in 2013, as their team played poorly on both offense and defense, and only won five games. Outside of Adrian Peterson and a handful of other decent players, the Vikings are nearly devoid of any talent on their roster, with glaring needs at cornerback, quarterback, and linebacker. The Vikings' quarterback situation in 2013 was simply a fiasco, and only led to a mere 18 touchdown passes. This awful quarterback carousel is definitely the Vikings' first priority heading into the draft, but the defensive-minded coach Mike Zimmer might plan on drafting a linebacker, instead. Since there is a large amount of talent at the linebacker position in the draft, there is a good possibility that the Vikings could draft either linebackers Anthony Barr or C.J Mosley. Although both of these linebackers would greatly improve the team, quarterback is still this team's biggest weakness. With how close (skill-wise) the top quarterbacks are in this draft, there's a chance that Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, or even Johnny Manziel could fall to the 8th overall pick. By being into the quarterback and linebacker markets (which are very deep), the Vikings have the luxury of not needing to trade up to draft a quality player that addresses their needs. Instead, it is more likely the the Vikings could trade down in the draft to pick a cornerback or a lower-rated quarterback, such as Derek Carr. It may not be likely, but the Minnesota Vikings could trade back into the draft to compile picks and still draft a talented player. If the Vikings can draft an explosive linebacker or quarterback, then they could easily become competitive again.
After finishing with only six wins last year, the Buffalo Bills have extended their playoff drought for yet another year. As their long rebuilding project continues, the situation remains the same: Bad defense and even worse offense. In 2013, the Buffalo Bills relied on an injury-prone rookie quarterback, average receivers, and unproductive running backs. While all of these positions did not play up to expectations, the offensive line was possibly the worst of the Bills' problems. The Bills' offensive line was decent in the running game in 2013, but was awful in the passing game, allowing 48 quarterback sacks. Buffalo is obviously in the offensive tackle market heading into the draft, and needs to protect their developing quarterback. Along with these needs on offense, the Buffalo Bills could also vastly improve on defense, which was one of the worst in the NFL in the running game. The Bills allowed over 125 rushing yards per game in 2013, which was the 5th worst in the league last year. Also, the Bills have the very hard task of replacing Pro-Bowl safety Jairus Byrd, who was arguably one of the best in all of pro football. With the 9th overall pick in May's draft, the Buffalo Bills can go in several directions, but the most likely positions to be filled are offensive tackle with possibly Taylor Lewan or linebacker with C.J Mosley or Anthony Barr. Although Bills' general manager Doug Whaley stated that he would be interested in trading up in this year's draft, a blockbuster trade seems unlikely because of the depth in the draft. If the Bills can draft a quality player with the 9th overall pick, they might finally be able to be competitive in the AFC East.
After the Detroit Lions defeated the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field during Week 10, almost the entire country thought that the Lions would be able to win the NFC North for the first time in 20 years. But, as the season progressed, the Detroit Lions collapsed, finishing with a 7-9 record. Despite what their record might say, the Lions are a very talented football team, with stars such as Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, and Ndamukong Suh. This team is only one or two more pieces away from a division title, and those key positions that must be filled seem to be in the defensive secondary. In 2013, the Lions' defensive backfield was average at best, and is clearly the biggest weakness on the team. The Detroit Lions have no outstanding talent at the safety position or cornerback position, and a complete rebuilding project seems eminent. Since there are no cornerbacks or safeties that are expected to go in the top ten picks, the Lions should have their pick at the defensive back position, whether that pick be cornerbacks Kyle Fuller or Justin Gilbert, or safeties Calvin Pryor or Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix. With the large amount of talented players available at these two positions, there is a possibility that the Lions could trade back into the first round and stockpile picks in a very deep draft. If the Detroit Lions can draft an outstanding defensive back in next week's draft, then this team could easily compete for a playoff berth and win at least nine games.
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