Irv Smith should be a first-round pick, and this is around the range he’s likely to come off the board. The Raiders focused on defense with their first two picks, which allows the club to call on Smith as a great complement for an offense that’s already added Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams to the passing game.
It’s time for the Chargers to make a serious investment at offensive tackle and they need a guy who is a pass-protection specialist so the statuesque Philip Rivers can continue to thrive in his twilight years. Andre Dillard fits that description perfectly. He’s the ideal pick for Los Angeles at this point in Round 1.
The Chiefs made a big investment in Tyrann Mathieu in free agency, which knocked safety down the list of needs for Kansas City in Round 1. Now they can turn to the defensive line, where Clemson’s Dexter Lawrence would make a lot of sense. He’s not going to be every team’s cup of tea, but he’s a baller who brings a good bit of energy and twitch to a defensive front that needs a lot of help against the run.
The Packers were one of the busiest teams in free agency, especially on the defensive side of the ball, which is a huge change from the normal course of business under the previous regime led by Ted Thompson. Green Bay didn’t completely ignore the offensive side of the ball; they signed Billy Turner, who should step in and start at one of the guard positions. They’ll grab another starting-quality interior lineman in NC State’s Garrett Bradbury with their second first-round pick. Bradbury is a top-20 player in this class, so grabbing him at No. 30 is a huge win.
Polite is freefalling down the draft board right now and needs a strong Pro Day to maintain his first-round value. The Rams re-signed Dante Fowler to a one-year deal but still will look to add a young pass-rusher to the roster who has the kind of speed and quick-twitch pass-rushing upside that Polite brings to the table.
Should Daniel Jones be a first-round pick? No. Will he be? There’s a really strong chance. If he comes off the board in the first, it will happen in the bottom five picks or so. And the Patriots are a very real possibility to be the team that pulls the trigger. They have no young quarterback in the pipeline, and grabbing Jones in Round 1 gives the club five years instead of four on his rookie contract.