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.
Send Charlie an e-mail here: [email protected]
Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell for updates.
Play like a Carcass For Marcus:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers flirted with disaster as they jumped out to a lead on the Saints, but Tampa Bay wisely blew a 13-point lead to land the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. With the first pick, the Bucs have to land a franchise quarterback. The only question will be whether to take Oregon’s Marcus Mariota or Florida State’s Jameis Winston.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and head coach Lovie Smith have to get the pick right. Tampa Bay is a perfect example of how drafting a bust quarterback sets a franchise back for five or more years. Josh Freeman had flaws coming out, but those were ignored. Freeman went bust, and as a result, the Bucs have gone 30-66 since firing Jon Gruden and drafting Freeman in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Tennessee Titans: Tennessee was handled by the Colts, so the Titans maintained the second pick. Tennessee is more likely to draft a quarterback than to try to trade the pick away. Zach Mettenberger hasn’t been good enough to convince the franchise to pass on Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston.
WalterFootball.com knows from sources that Mariota has already impressed the Titans organization, and he could remind Tennessee fans of the glory days when the team had Steve McNair. The Titans also have the potential for a nice nucleus on offense around Mariota or Winston.
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.
New York Jets: Duke Johnson, RB, Miami 
The Jets outscored Miami with Geno Smith and Eric Decker having big games to lead New York. They made up for the fact that the Jets were incapable of running ball as Chris Ivory (13-29) and Chris Johnson (10-20) were kept from moving the ball. The Jets weren’t able to run the ball enough in 2014 and need an upgrade over Chris Johnson.
Duke Johnson would certainly provide that. The Hurricane averaged 6.8 yards per carry for 1,652 yards with 10 touchdowns. He had 38 receptions for 421 yards and three scores. Duke Johnson is a fast runner who can rip off a big gain on any carry. The junior will add an explosive element to the team that drafts him.
Minnesota Vikings: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville 
The Vikings beat the Bears in a low-scoring game, and even though Minnesota was going against a vulnerable secondary, the team didn’t have a single receiver catch four passes for a total of 70 yards or more. The Vikings should aide the development of Teddy Bridgewater this offseason by improving the supporting cast around him. Adding Bridgewater’s best receiver from college would make a lot of sense.
Parker missed the first seven games of 2014 with a broken foot, but he caught 35 receptions for 735 yards and five touchdowns in his five regular season games. The 6-foot-3, 208-pounder is a good route-runner with reliable hands to go with size and quickness. Parker would be a great addition for Minnesota.
New Orleans Saints: Buck Allen, RB, USC 
The Saints could let Mark Ingram leave in free agency; he never played up to his draft status or New Orleans’ trade up to get him. The Saints have more pressing needs, and a running back doesn’t make a lot of sense for their first two picks, thus a third-round selection on a back like Allen could be perfect for New Orleans.
Allen is a tough runner and an excellent receiver, thus he’s a great scheme fit for Sean Payton. In 2014, Allen averaged 5.4 yards per carry for 1,489 yards with 11 touchdowns. He caught 41 passes for 458 yards and a score, too. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has strength to go with quickness to hit the hole. Taking Allen in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft could be a steal for New Orleans.
Buffalo Bills: Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State 
The Bills beat the Patriots for their first winning season in a long time with a road win at New England. The Patriots were just going through the motions, and the Bills’ offense got enough out of Kyle Orton to get a win. Even if Buffalo hadn’t traded away its first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the team wouldn’t have been able to land a quarterback prospect with the spot of its selection. The Bills have to target a quarterback on Day 2 to compete to be their future starter. UCLA’s Brett Hundley doesn’t make sense because that would be like drafting E.J. Manuel all over again.
Grayson has a live arm with accuracy and mobility. He also has developed pocket-passing skills. Grayson completed 64 percent of his passes in 2014 for 4,006 yards with 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions. If Grayson has a big performance at the Senior Bowl, his stock could soar. It would make sense for the Bills to take him in the second or third round.
Kansas City Chiefs: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami The Chiefs beat the Chargers, but the offensive line issues for Kansas City were apparent again. San Diego doesn’t have a great pass rush, but totaled four sacks on the Chiefs. Improving the offensive line would help Jamaal Charles run the ball and improve the passing attack by giving Alex Smith better protection.
Flowers would be a great first-round pick for the Chiefs. He is a huge lineman who is extremely athletic. Flowers (6-6, 324) is very quick and agile for such a big blocker. He looks like a franchise left tackle who could have a long NFL career. If the Chiefs could land Flowers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, they could move Eric Fisher to the right side, which would be a better fit for him.
Philadelphia Eagles: Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville The Eagles beat the Giants to close out the season, but once again, Philadelphia’s terrible secondary was exposed. Odell Beckham Jr. (12-185) and Rueben Randle (6-158) tore up the Eagles’ corners. Beckham could be a huge pain for years to come if Philadelphia doesn’t get some help over the top with improved safety play. In the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Philadelphia should target a corner as there won’t be a safety available worthy of that pick since Alabama’s Landon Collins will probably be gone.
Holliman recorded 37 tackles with three passes broken up and 14 interceptions during the regular season. He was tremendous at creating turnovers while being equally bad at tackling. Holliman could be coached up in regard to the latter. The tackling issue keeps him out of the first round, but landing a ballhawk like Holliman in the second round with a cornerback in the first round could have the makings of an ideal draft for the Eagles.
St. Louis Rams: Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA 
If Sam Bradford could stay healthy, who knows how far the Rams could go. Their defense is superb, and they have some talented young skill position players. St. Louis will probably bring Bradford back because there aren’t any better options. Adding another quarterback via the 2015 NFL Draft would make sense; a mobile option wouldn’t hurt.
Entering the Alamo Bowl, Hundley has completed 70 percent of his passes for 3,019 yards with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. Jeff Fisher has a lot of experience developing athletic signal-callers. It worked out for Fisher with Steve McNair, but didn’t with Vince Young. Fisher could be the perfect coach to work with Hundley. Hundley at least would give the Rams another option if Bradford gets hurt again.
Team Draft Report:
In this section, we take a deeper look at specific teams and where they stand in regards to the 2015 NFL Draft.
Oakland Raiders: Even though the Raiders went 3-13, Oakland has given its fans some signs of optimism that the franchise could be starting down the path toward becoming a playoff competitor again. The reason for that is the good play out of rookies quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack. Oakland also has seen the emergence of other talented youngsters in running back Latavius Murray, tight end Mychal Rivera, guard Gabe Jackson, linebacker Sio Moore and defensive tackle Justin Ellis. Clearly the Raiders still have a lot to improve on, but at least they have potential franchise building blocks in Carr and Mack.
It would make sense for Oakland to retain quarterback guru Greg Olson on their new staff. He has done a great job with Carr. The rookie quarterback threw only 12 interceptions in his first season with 20 touchdowns and completed 59 percent of his passes. It was very impressive how Carr consistently played mistake free football as a rookie. Oakland has to get Carr some receiving help as the organization’s wideouts lack talent. Taking Amari Cooper in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft has to be one of the top options for the Raiders.
If they chose to address their defense instead, adding some receiving talent on Day 2 could make sense. There should be some good options, including Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong, Oklahoma’s Dorial Green-Beckham, Miami’s Philip Dorsett and USC’s Nelson Agholor. Oakland also could add another running back to go with Murray. Top candidates to consider would be Miami’s Duke Johnson, Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, USC’s Buck Allen and Boise State’s Jay Ajayi.
The Raiders need more help on their defense. They have to find a difference-maker on the defensive line at the point of attack. USC’s Leonard Williams would be a perfect fit, plus WalterFootball.com has heard that Williams would love to play for the Raiders. He would work in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense, so Oakland can’t go wrong by taking him.
If the Raiders miss out on Williams, defensive end/outside linebackers Randy Gregory or Shane Ray could help invigorate the pass rush. But both players are undersized for defensive end, so if the team keeps the 4-3, those might not be as good of fits. If the Raiders switched to a 3-4 and had Gregory/Ray on the other side from Khalil Mack, that could be a great tandem. The team also needs help at cornerback and could look to add a cover corner on the second day or in free agency.
Oakland suffered through another losing year, but at least with Carr and Mack, the Raiders have some reasons to feel that they are the right path to becoming a playoff competitor again. The real wild card is whether owner Mark Davis is capable of choosing the right general manager and head coach to lead the franchise.
Houston Texans: The Texans were one of the most improved teams in the NFL in 2014 as they won seven more games in 2014 than they did a year ago. Clearly, Bill O’Brien and his staff did a great job considering Houston almost made the playoffs despite a significant weakness at the quarterback position. The defense is strong enough that if the Texans had a good quarterback, they could be battling New England and Denver as the top team in the AFC.
Houston won’t be picking high enough in the 2015 NFL Draft to feasibly trade up for Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota; the franchise won’t be willing to do an RG3-like package to move up. Thus, the Texans may have to go into 2015 with Ryan Fitzpatrick and/or Ryan Mallett leading the offense. Perhaps Houston could land Jay Cutler or Nick Foles via a trade, but it doesn’t look like there is a solution to the position via the 2015 NFL Draft unless the organization like Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson or Oregon State’s Sean Mannion enough to take either on Day 2. Most likely, Houston will have a competition between Fitzpatrick and Mallett to determine the starter.
The Texans need help on offense more than their defense. Their first-round options to consider are an offensive tackle to go on the other side from Duane Brown, a No. 1 receiver to replace Andre Johnson, or a running back to maintain their ground-led offense. Arian Foster is a great back, but he is injury prone. It Todd Gurley is available when the Texans are on the clock, he could be tough to turn down. Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper won’t get to Houston’s pick, so DeVante Parker could be the only wideout to think about. Perhaps the best route to go would be the offensive tackle with a blocker like Miami’s Ereck Flowers or Texas A&M’s Cedric Ogbuehi. That selection could start out at right tackle before moving to the left side with Brown going to the right side as he ages.
On the second day of the 2015 NFL Draft, Houston could consider a running back like Miami’s Duke Johnson or Indiana’s Tevin Coleman. The Texans need more speed at wide receiver, so a burner like Miami’s Philip Dorsett could also be worth targeting.
The Texans also have a few needs on defense. They have missed DeMeco Ryans ever since trading him while Brian Cushing has completely dropped off after all his injuries. Cushing will have to take big pay cut and could be a cap casualty. Houston will have to think of a middle linebacker on the second day of the 2015 NFL Draft. Mississippi State’s Bernardrick McKinney or Miami’s Denzel Perryman would be good fits if either get to the franchise’s pick. However that seems unlikely, so signing a free agent could make sense.
Houston also needs a rangy free safety to pair with D.J. Swearinger, but that could maybe be filled in free agency. A cornerback could become an option in the first or second round if Kareem Jackson isn’t re-signed.
The Texans have a ton of cap space and will probably free up some more, so they can fill a lot of their needs in free agency. If Houston gets a good quarterback, th team could be in the running as the best of the AFC.
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