It’s nearly draft time, which means you want an idea of which team’s going to draft which player. We don’t have the expertise to do mock drafts, which even if we did are a massive crapshoot, so what we’re doing this year is identifying a few team needs, and which players might be around for teams with their first and second round pick. It’s educated guesswork, but it’ll be a useful guide for you if you’re not sure who to hope your team drafts. Anyway, let’s start with the NFC and AFC North divisions.
NFC North
Chicago Bears
They Pick: 11th overall
They Need: Cornerback, 3-4 Defensive End, Offensive Tackle, Wide Receiver.
Who might they go for in the first round? Picking 11th overall, they could pick a cornerback in Vernon Hargreaves, a tackle in Ronnie Stanley, or a defensive end in A’Shawn Robinson or Jarran Read. While they’ll want another wide receiver, I don’t think any are quite up to being picked 11th overall. Chicago can afford to wait.
In the second round? Mackensie Alexander or Xavien Howard are possible cornerbacks. If they go for a defensive end, Chris Jones, Hassan Ridgeway and Adolphus Washington may be in play. Offensive tackles like Jason Spriggs, Germain Ifedi and Le’Raven Clark are available. And there will be loads of options for a complementary receiver – Sterling Shepard looks like a quality slot receiver, and Corey Coleman and Will Fuller will be great speed receivers if they slide to there.
Detroit Lions
They Pick: 15th overall
They Need: Wide Receiver, Offensive Tackle, Center, 4-3 Defensive Tackle
Who might they go for in the first round? At wide receiver, this is just about the range for Laquon Treadwell or Josh Docton. Offensive tackle is tricky – Jack Conklin offers value as a potential left tackle there, but if he’s gone, is Taylor Decker a better bet than Riley Reiff? Detroit won’t go center in the first round, but A’Shawn Robinson, Sheldon Rankins, Jarran Reed and Andrew Billings are all in play at defensive tackle.
In the second round? Receivers like Michael Thomas and Tyler Boyd could be Detroit’s thing. There’s also Braxton Miller, but I’m not sure he’d quite fit what Detroit want. As with Chicago, Spriggs, Ifedi and Clark are all in this range at offensive tackle, are Ryan Kelly and Nick Martin at center. At defensive tackle, Vernon Butler, Jonathan Bullard, Kenny Clark and Adolphus Washington could go in this sort of range.
Green Bay Packers
They pick: 27th overall
They Need: Tight End, 3-4 Defensive End, 3-4 Inside Linebacker
Who might they go for in the first round? Some teams draft according to the “best player available” philosophy, whereby they don’t draft to a need, maybe because they don’t need to, or maybe because of a can’t-miss-player. Green Bay drafted Aaron Rodgers in 2005 despite having several more years of Brett Favre to come, and it worked out great. If they don’t just snag a player who’s inexpicably slid, defensive ends like Shaq Lawson and Noah Spence come into play, as do Reggie Ragland and Darron Lee at linebacker.
In the second round? Jaylon Smith may end up in the “best player available” category here, he’s an inside linebacker who will probably miss the 2016 season due to injury, and has a somewhat uncertain future but could well end up one of the best players to come from the draft if he’s fit. Elsewhere, look out for Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper at tight end, Shilique Calhoun at defensive end, and at linebacker, Scooby Wright or Su’a Cravens (if they’re feeling creative – Cravens is sort of half safety, half linebacker).
Minnesota Vikings
They pick: 23rd overall
They need: Wide receiver, many Offensive Linemen, Strong Safety
Who might they go for in the first round? This is prime territory to pick up a wide receiver. Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson would both be tasty alongside Stefon Diggs. Tackles like Jack Conklin and Taylor Decker may be available, Germain Ifedi probably will. There probably isn’t a safety worth picking here to pair with Harrison Smith.
In the second round? I think Minnesota will pick receiver first, but if they don’t, Michael Thomas would be a nice fit here, though I think Braxton Miller is too similar to Cordarelle Patterson for Minnesota to go for. On the O-Line, as well as the tackles mentioned for Chicago and Detroit, Cody Whitehair would be a nice fit at guard. At strong safety, Keanu Neal, Darian Thompson and Jeremy Cash are possibilities.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
They pick: 6th overall
They need: Offensive tackle, 3-4 Defensive End, 3-4 Outside Linebacker, Cornerback
Who might they go for in the first round? Baltimore are flooded with options here. Of the very top players, Laremy Tunsil and Jalen Ramsey are two potential targets who will likely already be gone. But, a top tackle like Ronnie Stanley is in play, as are top defensive ends DeForest Buckner and Joey Bosa (who may be more likely to fulfill their linebacker need). They could trade down for an outside linebacker like Leonard Floyd, or draft a top cornerback like Vernon Hargreaves.
In the second round? A tackle like Germain Ifedi is a possibility, and there are many potential 3-4 ends as mentioned with Chicago further up. Pass-rushing linebackers available should include Noah Spence and Yannick Ngakoue, and cornerbacks such as Xavien Howard and Mackensie Alexander are potential picks, though Baltimore are the type of team that may take a flyer on Kendall Fuller – a top-quality cornerback who will miss some if not all of the 2016 season.
Cincinnati Bengals
They pick: 24th overall
They need: Wide receiver, 4-3 Defensive Tackle, 4-3 Defensive End
Who might they go for in the first round? Cincinnati have been shedding secondary receivers recently, so a Laquon Treadwell, Corey Coleman, Will Fuller or Josh Doctson will likely appeal. On defense, big bulky units up the middle like Vernon Butler and Jarran Reed would be welcome, as would scary pass-rushers like Kevin Dodd and Emmanuel Ogbah.
In the second round? Again, there’ll be some decent wide receivers to pick up like Tyler Boyd, though a Braxton Miller-type “versatile” “weapon” might appeal to a team already set at the WR1 slot with AJ Green. Along the defensive line, tackles include people like Chris Jones and Adolphus Washington, and pass rushers will include Shilique Calhoun and Carl Nassib.
Cleveland Browns
They pick: 2nd overall
They need: Quarterback, Wide Receiver, 3-4 Defensive End, 3-4 Outside Linebacker, Safety
Who might they go for in the first round? Cleveland were thought of as favourites to go quarterback prior to the Rams-Titans trade. Now, if their quarterback of choice is off the board, Jalen Ramsey at safety/cornerback would be the choice, though they may pick Laremy Tunsil and leave him at right tackle until their all-pro left tackle Joe Thomas leaves or retires.
In the second round? If they want quarterback here, Connor Cook is in play. Expect either Will Fuller or Corey Coleman to still be available here as a deep threat or slot weapon at wide receiver. They may target Chris Jones or Hassan Ridgeway at defensive tackle, or Noah Spence, Emmanuel Ogbah or Yannick Ngakoue to be in play at outside linebacker. Cleveland would also have their pick of safeties, with Vonn Bell, Keanu Neal and Karl Joseph likely to be available.
EDIT: Well, the first round here’s all change now since the trade where Philadelphia get Cleveland’s second overall pick. Cleveland don’t get a whole heap this year but will in future years. In any case, it changes who Cleveland will go for in the first round. I still think it’s not wide receiver territory, though they may go for Paxton Lynch at quarterback if they like him. More realistically, if DeForest Buckner slides to 8 they may pick him, or a pass-rusher like Shaq Lawson or Leonard Floyd may be in play. But I think they may just go for best player available. Someone like Vernon Hargreaves, Ronnie Stanley or even Ezekiel Elliott may not be one of the Browns’ biggest needs, but they’d still be very good players, presumably.
Pittsburgh Steelers
They pick: 25th overall
They need: Offensive tackle, Nose Tackle, Safety, Cornerback
Who might they go for in the first round? Though Pittsburgh need a left tackle, I’m not sure any will fall within this sort of range. A nose tackle like Vernon Butler or A’Shawn Robinson will be in play. Pittsburgh would have their pick of the safeties mentioned with Cleveland’s second round pick, though a cornerback like William Jackson, Eli Apple or Mackensie Alexander might offer better value.
In the second round? At tackle, players like Jason Spriggs and Le’Raven Clark maybe available, as would nose tackles like Adolphus Washington and Hassan Ridgeway. The best safeties will have gone, but players like Jeremy Cash and Darian Thompson may still offer value. A cornerback like Artie Burns is a potential pick too.
The Long Snapper 
Top stuff! Agree with most of the bears stuff, except I don’t think WR is a target area – White and Jeffrey with Royal/Mariani in the slot and Wilson coming in occasionally isn’t incredible, but it’s a damn sight better than other areas. Also Royal Marquess Jeffrey White. Given the loss of Bennett and Forte, and the offers to Hill and Anderson to replace those respectively, TE and RB are needs. I think TE will be later in the draft, but if Elliot is there at 11, that could work.
Agree on all the other picks though. Probably sprinkle in a safety/hybrid LB in round 3 or 4.
From what I can gather from Green Bay, they want to move Clay Matthews back to OLB, so I think all things being equal they’d like to pick up one of the good ILB prospects. Smith would be interesting, although I think teams will be terrified by the reports that his drop foot isn’t recovering. He’d be interesting at the top of the 3rd for Chicago, seeing as they’re covered at ILB for now, so could take a chance.
Prefer Doctson to Treadwell for the Vikings, too many drops for the latter, although both would help Teddy in the redzone.
Trade down might be good for Detroit, as you say it’s a wee bit of a reach for one of the WRs there, and plenty for them to get stuck into from 20-50. Maybe with the Steelers, who could really do with the best CB they can get?
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