Miami Dolphins
Round 1 (22): Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
Round 2 (54): Zach Cunningham, LB Vanderbilt
Round 3 (97): Nico Siragusa, OG, San Diego State
The Dolphins would be thrilled if Conley lasted until the 22nd pick, given their clear need for more depth at the position. Conley shows excellent ball skills on tape, and teams will like his length (33-inch arms) and speed (4.44 40). Cunningham looks like a three-down linebacker in the NFL, with his ability to cover in space and use his athleticism to cover a lot of ground versus the run. Siragusa's tape is a little erratic, but he has the power, feet and length to quickly develop into a quality starter at guard, where the Dolphins lack an established player on the left side.
New York Giants
Round 1 (23): Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
Round 2 (55): Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
Round 3 (87): Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama
The Giants have invested heavily in their front four and secondary the past few offseasons, and I like the idea of adding a playmaker to the second level. Davis still has room to grow in coverage, but he's an elite run defender, showing the ability to react and close on the ball in a hurry (much like Bucs LB
Kwon Alexander). Brantley, Davis' Florida teammate, is another disruptive run defender, and Everett's athleticism and ball skills give him the potential to be a pass-catching mismatch at the next level.
Oakland Raiders
Round 1 (24): Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Round 2 (56): Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
Round 3 (88): Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
Running back is a glaring hole on an otherwise stacked Raiders offense. Cook comes with durability and character concerns, but he's electric in the open field and has shown the ability to create yards on his own. Tabor has a knack for finding the ball, with 28 pass breakups and nine interceptions in three seasons. He falls to the second round after showing lackluster explosiveness (31-inch vertical) and long speed (4.62 40) at the combine. Adams has the natural ability to be a difference-maker on Sundays, but he did not show consistent effort on tape, particularly in 2015. Adams would be worth the risk in Round 3; he's gifted enough to warrant second-round consideration.
Houston Texans
Round 1 (25): Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
Round 2 (57): Josh Jones, S, North Carolina State
Round 3 (89): Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee
Ramczyk, who played only one year of major college football after transferring from Division III, is a fringe first-round talent, but so was everyone else still on the board at No. 25 (yes, including the quarterbacks). Houston has a major need at right tackle. Does Ramczyk have the skill set to make that transition after playing on the left side in college? Private workouts could help sway teams one way or another. The Texans don't have much experience at safety right now. Jones isn't a finished product either, but his athleticism (4.41 40 at 220 pounds) and versatility are intriguing. Teams like the Texans, who don't have a long-term answer at QB, should take a passer every single year, hence the selection of Dobbs. He has intriguing physical tools as a dual-threat QB, but he's very much a work in progress as a passer.
Seattle Seahawks
Round 1 (26): Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
Round 2 (58): Taylor Moton, OT/OG, Western Michigan
Round 3 (90): DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
Round 3 (102): Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia
Round 3 (106): Zach Banner, OT, USC
Offensive line is a huge need for the Seahawks, but by the time it was their turn in Round 1, four had already been taken and none of the ones left presented remotely good value. Instead, I opted for McDowell, who is supremely talented but took too many plays off this past season. Seattle's coaching staff would have as good a chance as any to coax the best out of him. Moton had 52 career starts in college and would give the Seahawks depth at both tackle and guard, and Banner is a massive right tackle prospect (6-8, 353) who thrives as a run-blocker. I love the way Walker uses his hands and creates leverage as a pass-rusher. Douglas has terrific length, with nearly 32½-inch arms, and is perfect for Seattle's press-coverage scheme.
Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1 (27): Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
Round 2 (59): Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
Round 3 (91): Davis Webb, QB, Cal
Round 3 (104): Blair Brown, ILB, Ohio
The Chiefs lack a true No. 2 corner to play opposite of
Marcus Peters. With 47 college starts, many of which came against quality competition, White has the requisite experience to make a smoother transition to the NFL than most rookie cornerbacks. Kamara's tape as a pass-catcher is impressive, and he runs with great determination and physicality. Webb has a lot of room to grow, but he's worth a dice roll in the third round for a team with no established backup QB. ILB
Derrick Johnson turns 35 next season and comes off his second torn Achilles. Brown is a steady tackler who has a chance to develop quickly into a starter.
Dallas Cowboys
Round 1 (28): Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
Round 2 (60): Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland
Round 3 (92): Justin Evans, S, Texas A&M
Wilson has some of the best ball skills of any defensive back in this class, totaling 14 pass breakups and six interceptions. The Cowboys need more big and physical corners like Wilson (6-1½, 211) after seeing Brandon Carr and
Morris Claiborne depart in free agency. Dallas also lost safeties J.J. Wilcox and Barry Church, which was the impetus for the Evans pick. He can manufacture big plays (five interceptions), but Evans will need to play with better discipline in the pros. I love Shaheen's tape, and he'd be the perfect tight end to learn from veteran
Jason Witten as Witten's career winds to a close. Shaheen ran a 4.79 40 at 278 pounds. That's ridiculous.
Green Bay Packers
Round 1 (29): Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri
Round 2 (61): Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
Round 3 (93): Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
Running back is a need, which I didn't address here, but we see teams get good values all the time on Day 3 (
Jordan Howard, for example). Harris has loads of raw ability, winning with speed and an elite first step off the edge, and he'd give the Packers an insurance policy for Clay Matthew, who missed time because of injury last season and has been forced to play inside linebacker in the past. Kupp would quickly become a favorite of
Aaron Rodgers; he catches everything thrown his way and is a solid underneath route runner. Sutton won't be much help against the run, but he's a fluid athlete in coverage and brings value as a punt returner.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 1 (30): T.J. Watt, DE/OLB, Wisconsin
Round 2 (62): Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
Round 3 (94): Alex Anzalone, ILB, Florida
Round 3 (105): KD Cannon, WR, Baylor
Watt continues to move up the board, despite having just one year of notable production at linebacker after suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2014 and undergoing a position change from tight end. He has the frame (6-4, 252) and athleticism (4.69 40, 10-8 broad jump) to continue to develop as a pass-rusher. Moreau needs to improve his ball skills, but he has top-tier coverage ability and physical tools. Anzalone played just one full season at Florida. I'm intrigued by his range against the run and in coverage, though. Cannon is an underdeveloped route-runner, but he has the toughness, quickness and top-end speed to develop into a productive slot receiver, which Pittsburgh needs.
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1 (31): Tyus Bowser, OLB, Houston
Round 2 (63): Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
Round 3 (95): Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama
Admittedly, Bowser is my biggest reach of Round 1, but it's still not much of a reach. If he doesn't go in the late first, he's likely to come off the board in the first half of Round 2. Bowser could be another matchup piece for Dan Quinn's defense, given his ability to cover tight ends and get after the QB. Protecting
Matt Ryan up the middle is essential to the success of Atlanta's offense (as we saw last season). Feeney rarely gets caught off guard in pass protection. Tomlinson is a stout run defender, something the Falcons sorely need. He's not an every-down player, but Tomlinson would give Atlanta good rotational depth.
