Cooper falls down to Minnesota at the 11th spot after a less-than-impressive vertical jump at the combine. His ability to play as a big guy on the outside along with his 4.42 40 keeps him in the conversation as a number-one outside receiver but I see him working just as much in the slot at the NFL level. With the aging Greg Jennings and inconsistent Cordarrelle Patterson working in the Vikings’ reeiving corps, Cooper has an opportunity to see a lot of playing time as a rookie.
If Fowler Jr. is indeed selected by the Browns, I bet he’ll be more excited to play in Mike Pettine’s 3-4 defense then he’ll be to sport Clevelands’ “new” logo. The issues for Cleveland are over on the offensive side of the ball but passing on Flower would be a mistake.
Unfortunately for Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense, they’ve lost a lot of games because of their defense. Saying the unit as a whole last year was awful is an understatement. Ray did a solid job getting to the quarterback while playing for Missouri but his decision to pass on working out at the combine is questionable. Depending on how he does at his pro day will determine more if he’s a fit in the 3-4 or 4-3 at the pro level.
Kendricks was shooting up draft boards before the combine and now after blowing scouts away this past weekend, there’s no doubt Miami will take a hard look at selecting him at 14. Their defense fell apart the second half of the season, particularly against the ground. Kendricks would take over in the middle and push Koa Misi back to his natural SAM backer position in 2015.
Anquan Boldin isn’t getting any younger and Michael Crabtree is a pending free agent. It’ll be vital for first-year head coach Jim Tomsula to give Colin Kaepernick a lethal option in the passing game and he has the opportunity to do that by taking Parker here. However, if Crabtree is retained and Frank Gore moves on, a running back would be the next choice for the 49ers.
Bill O’Brien is entering his second offseason as the head coach in Houston and his number one responsibility is to fix the back end of the Texans’ defense. D.J. Swearinger is great against the run but is often lost in pass coverage. Collins would not only give Houston help against the run but is an immediate upgrade over Swearinger in pass protection. JJ Watt and the rest of the defensive line would have a safer asset while rushing the quarterback with Collins in town.
San Diego can go in a number of different directions with their first-round pick this year. However, due to the success the Dallas Cowboys have seen with having a stout offensive line, I believe they’ll turn in that direction first and pick up Flowers. This move would allow them to move DJ Fluker from the right tackle spot to a guard position and pair Flowers up with King Dunlap at the tackle positions.
Everybody knows about the struggles the Chiefs had last season at the wide receiver position after none of them caught a single touchdown through six games. Some blame Alex Smith’s ability to get receivers the ball but behind Dwayne Bowe (who’s lost ability the last couple of years) there’s not much talent. After Donnie Avery and A.J. Jenkins were released, the position is even thinner than before. Green-Beckham will have an opportunity to stay in his home state and be a great target for Smith for the next few years.
Had the Buffalo Bills not traded up to select Sammy Watkins in last years draft, they’d be picking here. Instead, general manager Ray Farmer and Pettine get another shot at boosting the defensive side of the ball and snag Armstead from Oregon. At 6-7 and 292 lbs, he’s going to boost the middle of the 3-4 defense and with a little more coaching and experience he’ll be able to play either end spot as well.
Nobody really knows what Thompson is going to play at the next level. After an average performance at the combine, it looks as if he’ll fit best at the WILL backer spot opposed to safety and running back. However, Chip Kelly is a creative mind so he’ll find plenty of uses for Thompson throughout the Eagles defense.
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