Well if you're reading this, then you've clicked on the link that brings you here to the second half of the Top Ten Draft Picks this year for the 2015 NFL Draft. So let's finish this thing off and continue with #6 to #10.
No. 6 Overall Pick: New York Jets
The New York Jets have the sixth pick in the draft today and all because they could not finish with anything better than the 4-12 record they got in the 2014 season. They've since said goodbye to head coach Rex Ryan and signed Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator Todd Bowles. They have a number of issues that they are looking into addressing, as most teams do in the top ten, but one of the biggest is really at positions like quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, wide receiver, and... no that's about it I think. The point is: the Jets need some serious life saving in order to become a AFC championship game competing team once again.
Right now, experts have put the Jets going all over the board including going off of it by trading away the pick for a chance to acquire someone like Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston to become the team's QB as all hope and faith in Geno Smith becoming the man has just been sunk to bottom of the ocean. They could even draft Mariota or Winston if the situation comes about that they have somehow (by the miracle of God himself) drop to No. 6 in the draft.
Away from QBs, they've also said that the team could go after Leonard Williams and Dante Fowler Jr. is available or feel that they are the player that they desire to acquire. But since my opinions have that being more unlikely than it actually happening, the best bet for them would be to improve the offensive line or defensive line with a different player.
One possibility as far as offensive line could be Iowa's Brandon Scherff. The Jets' line broke own too much and had too many missed blocks throughout the season which caused their own demise in some fashion. I mean granted, Geno Smith was no star QB, but he may have been better if he would've had better protection than just Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson.
Scherff has the size at 6'5' 319 lbs. to play either guard or tackle. He has some pretty quick feet that combines with his strength in his lower and upper body to make him an intense blocker to have to deal with up front. He has had a good efficient ability to stop attacking pass rushers from flying through and getting the quarterback. Another plus is that Iowa has always had a good history of providing strong, versatile offensive linemen over the past couple of years so that reputation helps out a lot.
Scherff's faults seem small, but could lead to his career coming to a halt. Brandon Scherff has had a history of injury problems with his legs and could be what stops him from being at his best if it does return again. Another issue he has that will come with more time and practice is that he tends to rely too much on his strength alone which can cause him to sit back on his heels instead of being in the balls of his feet for better leverage.Ultimately, I think Brandon Scherff will be more of a "Win Now" player in the NFL because while he does show that he has the size and skill to be a impacting player, he needs a lot of fine work to become better and more in-tune, and I just have that feeling that he will not get that chance because of injuries or because he'll never pick it up.
Defensively, there are really two options that we could look at for them. On one hand is Missouri defensive end Shane Ray. The Jets have some fantastic looking defensive linemen, but could still use some improvement upfront still a speedy and strong pass rusher. That's where Shane Ray could come into play.
Ray is a mystery because his frame of 6'3" 245 lbs. makes him the right size to be a blitzing outside linebacker, but he seems to be content on trying to play defensive end. The problem is that he is too small at his size. Regardless, he's been said to have 4.44 sec 40 yard dash which shows that he has the speed to get it done. His upper body strength and explosive first step makes him perfect for taking on larger offensive linemen in the NFL. On the other side of it, Ray's speed is only by his word-of-mouth and often can get caught and entangled in making moves past his opponents instead of combining it with his strength. He needs to improve getting off his blocks overall and start being more aware of cut blocks coming his way. If not, Shane ray could get seriously hurt as he has had injuries in the past which could come back to haunt him. The worst of it is the trouble he had with marijuana just this past week which could mean the difference between Top 10/first round and sliding to later rounds. Overall, Shane Ray is a "Win Now" player for a team that is looking to improve quickly in a speedy and agile defender.
Other options that could be there would be the possibility to add Vic Beasley to the linebacker corp if Shane Ray is not the type of player that they want to see if he can work out as a blitzing linebacker. But a better option then could be Kentucky's Alvin "Bud" Dupree. Dupree's skills are similar to last year's Top 10 pick from Kentucky in Khalil Mack. Dupree has shown great leader strength to help the team and amazing vision on the field when locating the ball carrier. He is also very versatile in his ability to play both outside linebacker and defensive end. His biggest downsides are that he lacks some of the necessary strength needed to perform in the NFL and he has trouble shooting his hands up into his opponents. Overall, Bud Dupree I think will be a "Fine Wine" player for the Jets or any team that decides to draft him.
My Opinion: If the New York Jets do not trade away this pick, their best bet would be to take Alvin "Bud" Dupree.
No. 7 Overall Pick: Chicago Bears
This pick I hold very dearly because this is my hometown's team: the Chicago Bears. The team has a Top 10 pick for the first time in a long time after finishing last year with a 5-11 record under former second head coach and new Bucs' offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. Let's not be cute about this one and just say what we know: the Bears were down right awful after finishing the year before last season with a franchise-record breaking offense. We've since traded our top receiver Brandon Marshall, hired new GM Ryan Pace, new head coach and former Denver Bronos' head coach John Fox, offensive coordinator Adam Gase that was with Fox in Denver, and defensive coordinator of the San Fransisco 49ers Vic Fangio.
It's been a whirlwind of an offseason, but speculation still looms over where the Bears will be with the No. 7 overall pick. Right now, this team is all over the board and place. In the beginning, the Bears were said to be in need of a defensive back, which is a big pool to jump into, but I think the best one for us to go to would be Michigan State's cornerback Trae Waynes. We lost one of the best defensive backs in our team's history in Charles Tillman, who is at the end of his career. Luckily, we had drafted Kyle Fuller for this exact moment when he left so to hopefully lose no momentum. On the other side is Tim Jennings, who is talented at defending the pass but has begun to show the signs of wear and tear.
Trae Waynes' size is a huge plus side at 6'0" 186 lbs. Combined with his ability to ballhawk the football out of the air and amazing 4.31 sec 40 yard dash speed, Waynes could establish himself as a dominant cornerback in the NFL for many years to come. His negatives are that he does not have the physical looking body that many of the NFL cornerbacks have to work with in having skinny arms and legs. He also has concerns in being able to tell apart run/pass plays on play action and has a tendency to be hit with defensive pass interference calls. In the all, Trae Waynes I think will be a "Fine Wine" player for the Bears as he somewhat shadows the skill set and abilities that Kyle Fuller has brought to the team.
Chicago has also been noted as to potentially take another defensive tackle to add to the roster's depth in order to man the middle in the new 3-4 defense that is planned to be put into effect by Vic Fangio. That would mean drafting a big solid nose tackle to help stop the run and get pressure on the quarterback. The best choice in this case would be Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton. This past season saw just an ugly show from the Bears' defensive line as they finished at the bottom of just about every category that you could think of to mark. So of course, it would make sense to load the line with enough guys to take over just in case someone else were to get hurt at some point as injuries were also an issue of ours as well.
As far as Danny Shelton goes, he has a the size at 6'2" 339 lbs. and has shown to have the ability to plug up the holes in which the ball carrier can run through. His biggest plus sides for this team should be that Shelton has never missed a single college game in his life and has not a single injury that hangs over him. The other reason is that Shelton took his schoolwork very seriously which shows that he has a dedication to working hard and making an impact to the team. Shelton's issues come from the fact that he is not really the best pass rushing option that most would look to use and can sometimes find himself being thrown off the line and to the side in plays where double teams concentrate their efforts on him. For Shelton, I think he could become a a very talented "Fine Wine" player that can be one of young building blocks in the team's climb back to being a great defense.
My Opinion: The Chicago Bears are in their city for this year's draft and could potentially make a trade for the No. 2 overall pick with the Tennessee Titans to get Marcus Mariota, but problems seem to persist as the Titans seem to not want Jay Cutler which the Bears need to ditch in order for this to happen. Other than that, I think they'll take Danny Shelton with the No. 7 overall pick.
No. 8 Overall Pick: Atlanta Falcons
This year's No. 8 overall pick belongs to the Atlanta Falcons, who have done a complete 180 from where they once stood at 13-3 in the NFL and was considered one of the most versatile offenses and have now slipped down to a 6-10 record last season. The Falcons have made some major moves in letting go of head coach Mike Smith in order to bring in former Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. The hopes are that this team's offense can be restored back to strength, but more importantly is the necessity for them to improve on the defensive side of the ball which has struggled for quite some time now.
On the defensive side of the ball, we could be looking at the Atlanta Falcons taking a pass rusher to make up for where they once were with former DE/OLB John Abraham. The best two at this point in my picks would be the Vic Beasley or Bud Dupree. Both players bring a certain style of pass rushing the quarterback. Beasley would be most effective from coming out of the linebacker position, whereas Bud Dupree would be somewhat considered to be a younger John Abraham for the team.
The other route they could go is drafting offensive lineman Brandon Scherff in order to give Matt Ryan more protection and help be a bigger support on the inside for a steadier ground game. Speaking of ground game, another great pick would be for the team to use it on a running back, such as Georgia's Todd Gurley. Atlanta's issue in the run game has been a problem for a long time in their entire franchise history, except for that time when they had Michael Turner on their roster and he charged over everyone. But this is where Todd Gurley would fit in just right.
Gurley's biggest up-sides are that he is built for the NFL level at 6'1" 222 lbs. and has shown a good balance of power and speed when at his healthiest point in the game. He has shown to not only be talented at running the ball (like he should), but can also be a lethal component to the passing game. Todd Gurley does have a few faults that is mainly concerned with if he will be healthy enough to go all out and be an every down running back that you can depend on to give the ball to in the clutch moment. As much as I would like to see Gurley have a long career, I think he'll just be another "Win Now" player that will be effective for a few years before going down with injuries and becoming a journeyman around the NFL.
My Opinion: Out of all the options that are available for them out there, I think it will be a toss up between Brandon Scherff and Vic Beasley, with Beasley winning out as the Atlanta Falcons' No. 8 overall pick.
No. 9 Overall Pick: New York Giants
The New York Giants currently have this year's No. 9 overall pick after going through a season that ended with them finishing with a 6-10 record. The Giants have fallen on tough times since winning two Super Bowls (2007, 2011). Tom Coughlin knows that he really hit a spark in in last year's first rounder Odell Beckham Jr. But this year, the Giants have a lot of pieces that have fallen or are falling apart on the roster.
The biggest concern for this team has been in the offensive line and that would be the spot of Brandon Scherff. New York has suffered up front in age and injuries for the team which has lead to a lack of protection for Eli Manning. Scherff's versatility to play both guard and tackle could really help benefit this team in the end. They also need more support in the running back game which is where a man like Todd Gurley would certainly help to pick up the extra yards that they were able to get out of Rashad Jennings, who came through and surprised a lot of people in his skill and ability.
My Opinion: Look for the New York Giants to go ahead and draft themselves the man from Iowa Brandon Scherff to help protect Eli Manning for the next couple of years.
No. 10 Overall Pick: St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams haven't seen a draft in the last five years that did not include a first rounder somewhere in the Top 10, but to round out our Top 10, we're looking at the Rams to potentially take some with the NO. 10 overall pick after finishing with a 6-10 record last year. They lost so much and have yet to really gain any ground. They finally have a strong QB in Nick Foles, whose showed his promise with the Philadelphia Eagles, however, the rest of the team is is just a complete mess all over.
Right now, this team is in desire to look at taking an offensive tackle. the two best options would be either Miami's Erik Flowers or Stanford's Andrus Peat. When it comes to their offensive line, they selected Auburn's Greg Robinson with the NO. 2 overall pick last year, but he needs more help in anchoring this offensive line. For Erik Flowers, we are looking at quick feet and intense strength with a wide body to help him block as being his biggest attributes for the team. His biggest negatives seem to be in picking up the extra blocks and can sometimes really get caught on his heels. Surely, I think Flowers has a chance to be a "Fine Wine" player for this team as being the other tackle to anchor the Rams' O-Line.
The other mention is Andrus Peat, who has shown the skill set to be a well designed and power proven offensive lineman. He also is very tactical in using his mind to oversee the defense in making big time blocks. His issues mostly are with using his arms in a well extended length and making sure that he is in position to make the key block on his opponent. Overall, I think that Peat will become a "Fine Wine" player for this team.
My Opinion: This team will go ahead and take shot with drafting the strong offensive lineman from Stanford in Andrus Peat.
Right now, this team is in desire to look at taking an offensive tackle. the two best options would be either Miami's Erik Flowers or Stanford's Andrus Peat. When it comes to their offensive line, they selected Auburn's Greg Robinson with the NO. 2 overall pick last year, but he needs more help in anchoring this offensive line. For Erik Flowers, we are looking at quick feet and intense strength with a wide body to help him block as being his biggest attributes for the team. His biggest negatives seem to be in picking up the extra blocks and can sometimes really get caught on his heels. Surely, I think Flowers has a chance to be a "Fine Wine" player for this team as being the other tackle to anchor the Rams' O-Line.
The other mention is Andrus Peat, who has shown the skill set to be a well designed and power proven offensive lineman. He also is very tactical in using his mind to oversee the defense in making big time blocks. His issues mostly are with using his arms in a well extended length and making sure that he is in position to make the key block on his opponent. Overall, I think that Peat will become a "Fine Wine" player for this team.
My Opinion: This team will go ahead and take shot with drafting the strong offensive lineman from Stanford in Andrus Peat.
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