New England Patriots
Last Season’s Record: 14-2
Positional Needs: Defensive End (DE), Inside Linebacker (ILB)
Our Superbowl 51 champions looked strong all last year, even missing their all-star quarterback for the first four weeks. They struggled in the first half of the Superbowl against the potency of the Atlanta Falcons, but as I told all of those at the viewing party I was at during halftime, “you can never count out Belichick, Brady, and the rest of the Pats team.” As we all know, they came back from a 28-point deficit to win it all and once again hoist the Lombardi trophy; something fans of the National Football League have come to expect from Robert Kraft’s New England Patriots.
How can a team that did so well last season continue to improve moving into next season? Well picking up a top wide receiver would be the first thing I would have suggested since they didn’t have a wide-receiver who could pull double coverage all of last year. An elite wide-receiver who can accomplish that can open the field up even more and with the Patriots’ vast playbook; this would make them even more deadly. Well the front office of the team agreed with me and already went out and signed New Orleans star Brandin Cooks sending a first round and third round pick to the Super Dome in return. Yet another great move by the winningest football organization in recent years.
Okay, enough praise for this team. How else can they improve? They should start at defensive end. The upcoming class is loaded with talented DEs. The team has a strong starter in Trey Flowers and recently traded a 2nd-round pick for Kony Ealy, but those two alone can’t fill the void left by Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard. This is an opportunity for the Pats to start building up some more depth at this position, but it will be hard to do with their earliest pick currently sitting at 72nd overall. The other position that the Pats should look to draft for is inside linebacker. They traded star Jamie Collins to the Browns last year and allowed Dont’a Hightower to test Free Agency at the end of this past season. Since then they have signed Hightower to a four year deal, but it wouldn’t hurt to work on acquiring some more depth to back him and the rest of the corp up.
Miami Dolphins
Last Season’s Record: 10-6
Positional Needs: Linebacker (LB), Defensive End (DE)
Miami is a team moving in the right direction, but they need to continue to acquire young talent in order to stay relevant along their progression. If I had to choose one position on this team to address it would most definitely be the linebacker role. They have a solid trio right now in Kiko Alonso, Lawrence Timmons, and Koa Misi; however two-thirds of that trio is in their early 30s. The Dolphins did take a step forward extending Alonso’s contract through 2020, but this is still the top spot to add talent on this team. With the 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, I think the Dolphins have a good shot at locking down someone like Zach Cunningham or Jarrad Davis (or a higher rated option like Reuben Foster, but I doubt he falls this far) to help add some young talent to this aging corp.
The second position that the Dolphins should focus on in this year’s draft is defensive end. It can’t be stated enough how incredibly strong this draft class is at this position. The dolphins should dive into the mayhem like the fish they are named after. The Fins just recently acquired William Hayes from the Los Angeles Rams and extended Cameron Wake’s contract; but like the linebacker corp these players are not long term solutions. Cameron Wake is 35 years old and Hayes still struggles in 4-3 formations. With the wealth of talented DEs in this upcoming class, Miami would be silly not to try to lay their claim on one of them.
Buffalo Bills
Last Season’s Record: 7-9
Positional Needs: Wide Reciever (WR), Cornerback (CB)
Let’s go Buffalo! They need a lot more than some chanting to right their sinking ship. Buffalo is a team who have been on the verge of breaking through in recent years, but always seem to find a way to mellow out to an average at-best record. I want this team to succeed, I really do, but they need to develop their young talent and hold on to it as opposed to becoming their division rival Patriots’ farm system year after year (Hi Stephon Gilmore!). The Bills could also use a bit of luck in the health department as injuries have brought them an extra dose of woes over the past few years.
Whether the Bills want to stick with Tyrod Taylor or get yet another quarterback, it doesn’t matter if they don’t have anyone capable of catching the thrown passes. The Bills lost both Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin in Free Agency, Sammy Watkins is injury-prone, and signing Corey Brown and Andre Holmes is not the answer either. This team has a nice set of 3rd and 4th position WRs at the moment, but if they can’t pair Watkins up with a competent 2nd WR and have someone to step in and fill the void if Watkins gets injured then I have them competing with the Cleveland Browns for the least pass completions. The Bills should be smart and pick up a well-touted WR with their 10th overall pick. Giving Taylor a 2nd target that can draw coverage and spread the field will open up a lot more options and potential, especially if Watkins can stay healthy.
Once the Bills have had their fill on a wide-receiver they should turn their focus to the cornerback role. Ronald Darby is a young corner with a lot of potential, but he can’t do it alone. The Bills should look to draft another young cornerback to bolster their secondary with a look toward the future.
New York Jets
Last Season’s Record: 5-11
Positional Needs: Pass Rushers, Quarterback
The New York Jets utilize a blitz heavy defensive scheme that falls short of desire with their current pass rushers. On top of that, their starting quarterback is 37 years old and Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenburg are still much too inconsistent and lacking in confidence to be considered franchise quarterbacks.
With the #6 overall pick, the Jets could jump right in and claim a highly-rated pass rusher, or they could trade down for a potential franchise quarterback in someone like Deshaun Watson, who is brimming with confidence and potential, and get an extra pick along the way. This team has quite a bit of rebuilding to do, so that extra pick would only help. The Jets have a lot of needs, but it is time to look to the future. If they want to continue with a blitz-heavy playbook, they need to draft players capable of making it work and if they want to complete passes after McCown retires, now would be a great year to lock down that franchise quarterback. This team has lacked a clear leader on offense for years; trade down, get an extra pick, and lock down Deshaun Watson. If need be, change the defensive scheme up a bit as well, but don’t pass up a franchise quarterback here and continue to settle for mediocre.
