Monday Morning Draft is back! This is a column that delves into the past weekend’s action from an NFL Draft perspective. As the season goes on, the draft picture and slotting will become more clear, but every Sunday will provide a few hints for next April.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell for updates.
Race for the No. 1 Pick:
Cleveland Browns: The Browns made history by finishing 0-16 in the 2017 season with a loss to the Steelers backups. It was fitting for Sashi Brown, Hue Jackson, Andrew Berry, and Paul Depodesta that their first draft pick, Corey Coleman, dropped an easy pass at the Pittsburgh 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter to clinch the winless season.
Cleveland had some bad coaching this season, plus was overmatched from a talent perspective on a weekly basis. The Browns were the last winless team in the NFL and did not significantly improve over last season despite lots of spending in free agency to go along with high draft picks. That lack of talent and passing on franchise quarterbacks ended up costing Sashi Brown his job after a stretch of 1-27 running the Browns.
As stated by owner Jimmy Haslam, finding a franchise quarterback is the No. 1 priority for new general manager John Dorsey. With the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Dorsey will have his choice among candidates of Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. At this point, Rosen would be the favorite to be that pick.
To add insult to injury this year, the Browns lost to the three quarterbacks they passed on recently and who look like three future franchise signal-callers. Carson Wentz won over them earlier in the year, and then the Texans’ Deshaun Watson killed Cleveland’s defense, teasing the organization with what could have been if it hadn’t passed on him twice in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mitch Trubisky put the final insult to the season with the Week 16 win over Cleveland.
Let’s Play Matchmaker:
This section will look at some of the top talent in college football and match those prospects up with teams that have a dire need at the position.
Atlanta Falcons: Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech 
The Falcons had Jay Ajayi really hurt them in their road loss to Philadelphia. Ajayi picked up a functional 54 yards on the ground, but also caught three passes for 44 yards. Atlanta has Ricardo Allen entering free agency and could look for an upgrade next to Keanu Neal. A safety like Edmunds could be an upgrade to the Falcons’ run defense and their ability to defend receiving backs. Pairing Edmunds and Neal together would give Atlanta two safeties who are big, fast, physical and versatile.
Edmunds hasn’t gotten as much attention as his brother Tremaine Edmunds, but NFL sources have told WalterFootball.com that Terrell Edmunds has really impressed them as well. Edmunds possesses good size to be an NFL safety and has shown coverage skills over the past few seasons while also being a physical defender who will tackle. As one source put it on Edmunds, “that guy plays like his hair is on fire.” In 2017, the junior totaled 59 tackles, two interceptions and four passes broken up before his season ended early with a shoulder injury. As a sophomore, he totaled 89 tackles, four interceptions and three passes broken up. Sources say they see Terrell Edmunds as a second-day prospect for the 2018 NFL Draft. He could provide a nice value for the Falcons in the second round.
Tennessee Titans: Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn 
The Titans were unable to stop Rob Gronkowski (6-81) on Saturday night as their safeties were incapable of defending him. Tennessee also may not have advanced to this game if Travis Kelce hadn’t been injured last week. The Titans also struggled agsinst Danny Amendola (11-112) as Tom Brady carved up their vulnerable secondary. Tennessee has a fast cornerback in Adoree’ Jackson but the team needs another corner to pair with him. The Titans could use a big corner who could also help them defend tight ends. Late in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Davis could fit that bill for Tennessee.
Davis (6-1, 203) is a good corner who has size, length and press-man ability. He has nice quickness in the short part of the field and can battle big wideouts. In the NFL, the junior also could be a good weapon to help defend receiving tight ends. Davis recorded 36 tackles with 11 passes broken up, one forced fumble and an interception in 2017. As a sophomore, he totaled 46 tackles, 10 passes broken up, one forced fumble and zero interceptions. Davis recorded three interceptions with 56 tackles and eight passes broken up as a freshman. He is a physical defender who really competes, but he does struggle with deep speed, like many big cornerbacks. The ultra-fast Jackson could handle the speed receivers for the Titans, and Davis would give them a big corner.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Justin Reid, S, Stanford 
The Steelers fell behind against Jacksonville because they couldn’t stop Leonard Fournette and the Jaguars’ rushing attack. One has to wonder if the Steelers would have been unable to get back into the game if Fournette hadn’t been slowed down by ankle injury he sustained in the second quarter. Pittsburgh needed more talent at safety all year, and after the injury to Ryan Shazier, getting more talent in the middle of their defense is even more critical. Taking Reid in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft would allow Pittsburgh to draft a linebacker in Round 1.
The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Reid played really well in 2017, impressing NFL scouts. Sources who are tough graders said they thought Reid had first-round potential for the 2018 NFL Draft and should go in the early rounds. They say that Reid doesn’t have Earl Thomas’ range as a free safety or Kam Chancellor’s size as a strong safety, but does everything well. Reid is a good free or strong safety with the ability to run and tackle. They say that Reid is a polished, clean, good all-around safety similar to HaHa Clinton-Dix coming out of Alabama. In 2017, Reid totaled 99 tackles with four passes broken up and five interceptions. He had 57 tackles with seven breakups as a sophomore. Reid is the younger brother of 49ers safety Eric Reid, a first-round pick out of LSU in 2013. Justin Reid would be a nice fit for Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
New Orleans Saints: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida 
The Saints couldn’t protect two leads late in the fourth quarter as Minnesota was able to score nine points to steal a win from New Orleans. Cam Jordan put some heat on the quarterback, but the Saints needed another pass-rusher to help get after Case Keenum to close out the game. New Orleans lost interior rusher Nick Fairley before the season and could use a replacement for 2018.
Bryan broke out in 2017 with 40 tackles with six tackles for a loss and four sacks. He had a dominant game against Texas A&M. In speaking with some scouting sources, Bryan has drawn comparisons to Denver Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe. Some announcers have compared the 6-foot-4, 295-pounder Bryan to J.J. Watt, and in terms of style of play Bryan is reminiscent of Watt when playing well, but Bryan is not consistently dominant to deserve a comparison to Watt. Bryan has a tremendous get-off with serious explosion off the snap. He also has developed strength with active hands to shed blocks. With his length, Bryan can play end or tackle. He could be a fit for the Saints late in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft,.
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