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NFL 2019: Here are seven trades that make sense now

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...aft-is-over-including-a-patriots-blockbuster/

With the NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, this is usually the part of the offseason where there's not very much excitement, but don't worry, because there could actually be some excitement this year in the form of some wild trades.

With the draft over and the free agency pool shrinking, any team still looking to beef up its roster will potentially have to do it by making a trade, and if we've learned one thing about the NFL this offseason, it's that teams love making trades.

Over the past three months, we've already seen Joe Flacco, Case Keenum and DeSean Jackson get dealt. Not to mention, it has become pretty clear that any player in the NFL can be acquired for the right price (hello, Odell Beckham) and it has also become pretty clear that some players have the power to turn their trade demands into an actual deal (we're looking at you, Antonio Brown). Two players on our trade list have taken a page out of Brown's book and demanded a trade.

With that in mind, here's a list of seven trades that would make a lot of sense if they went down over the next few months, and let's start with the Patriots.

1. Vikings trade Kyle Rudolph to the Patriots
Patriots get: Kyle Rudolph
Vikings get: 2020 third-round pick

Unless the Patriots can somehow convince Rob Gronkowski to come out of retirement, and that doesn't look like it's going to happen, they're definitely going to need some tight end help heading into the 2019 season. Although the Patriots have been busy adding tight ends this offseason -- they signed Austin Seferian-Jenkins in April and then added undrafted free agent Andrew Beck -- their Gronk replacements don't even come one-fifth of halfway toward filling the Gronk void. Bill Belichick seems aware of this, which is probably why the Patriots are expected to have Ben Watson in for a visit Thursday.

At this point in the offseason, if the Patriots want to add a starting caliber tight end -- and Watson doesn't really qualify as one at this point -- they're going to have to do it in a trade, which is where the Vikings come in. There's been a lot of speculation that the Vikings might be interested in trading Rudolph and there's a good reason for that.

For one, the Vikings salary cap situation is currently a nightmare. Once they get their 2019 draft picks under contract, the Vikings are only expected to have roughly $800,000 in salary cap space, which means they basically have the same spending power as someone who shows up at a Ferrari dealership with $41. There's just not really anything you can buy with that amount of money. With zero cap space, it won't be easy for the Vikings to add a potential replacement in the event that someone on the roster goes down with a serious injury, which is why it's important to have some cap room going into training camp.

By trading Rudolph, the Vikings would instantly free up $7.625 million in cap space. Not to mention, the Vikings already have a potential replacement for Rudolph on the roster in place in the form of Irv Smith Jr., who they selected in the second round of this year's draft.

The selection of Smith doesn't necessarily mean the Vikings are going to get rid of Rudolph, but the veteran tight end seems to be aware that a trade out of Minnesota is a possibility.

"Until it happens, I'm here in Minnesota," Rudolph said after the draft, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "My family is here in Minnesota. This is home for us. I have poured my heart and soul into this organization and given it everything that I had. I will continue to do that as long as I'm still wearing purple."

As for the Patriots, they don't have a ton of cap space -- just over $14 million -- but they do have enough room to absorb Rudolph's contract.

Also, if this deal were to happen, it would be vintage Belichick. Not only does the Patriots coach love to trade for tight ends -- we saw the Patriots trade for Martellus Bennett in 2016 and Dwayne Allen in a 2017 trade -- but he has also proven that he's willing to pull the trigger on a deal when he feels that his team needs an offensive weapon. Since March 2007, we've seen Belichick go the trade route to add weapons like Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Brandin Cooks. Last year, we even saw the Patriots add Cordarrelle Patterson.

If the Patriots feel that Rudolph is too expensive, they could also make a play for Texans tight end Ryan Griffin. Griffin has a cap hit of just $2.7 million in 2019 and the Texans might actually be looking to get rid of him after he was charged with public intoxication in Nashville during the NFL Draft.


2. Texans trade Jadeveon Clowney to the Bills
Bills get: Jadeveon Clowney
Texans get: 2020 first-round pick, Shaq Lawson

If you haven't been following the Clowney situation in Houston this offseason, here's a quick update: Things aren't going so well. Back in March, the Texans hit Clowney with the franchise tag, and although the two sides have until July 15 to hammer out a long-term deal, it's starting to look more and more like that's not going to happen. When Texans coach Bill O'Brien was asked about negotiations in late March, he didn't sound overly optimistic.

"It'll be interesting," O'Brien said, via the Houston Chronicle. "We try to do the best we can to represent our organization in the best way possible relative to each player."

There was also a report form ESPN.com suggesting that the Texans are open to trading Clowney. Basically, this is starting to turn into a Frank Clark situation and we all know how that turned out. The one issue with trading Clowney is that the Texans need to find a team that has a need at the position AND has the money to get a long-term deal done, and that's where the Bills come in.

The Bills currently have a dicey situation on their defensive line. After declining Shaq Lawson's fifth-year option, that means that both Lawson and Jerry Hughes have contracts that will be expiring at the end of the 2019 season. Basically, this means that the Bills are going to have to spend some serious money on their defensive line at some point, so why not just trade for Clowney and do it now.

We do know the Bills are at least in the market for a pass rusher and that's because they had shown interest in Ziggy Ansah, but they're not going to get him, because it looks like he's about to land a deal with the Seahawks.

By getting Clowney and shipping Lawson to Houston, the Bills defensive front would get an instant upgrade. The first-round pick is a lot to give up, but if the Bills actually think they're going to be good, then Buffalo has to go into negotiations thinking that the pick will come at the low end of the first round.

Another potential Clowney deal that would be interesting is if the Texans decided to do a straight-up trade with the Cardinals for Patrick Peterson. The Texans need some help at corner and the Cards could use a pass-rusher, which is why that deal would make sense. Although that blockbuster deal would flip the offseason upside down, we have Peterson being traded somewhere else, which brings us to our next trade.

3. Cardinals trade Patrick Peterson to the Chiefs
Chiefs get: Patrick Peterson
Cardinals get: 2020 first-round pick

Patrick Peterson won't come out and say it, but it kind of seems like he doesn't want to play for the Cardinals anymore. Just to give you a little refresher on the Peterson situation: The Cardinals corner demanded a trade back in October, only to apologize for making that demand a few months later, but the situation didn't end there, because now, it looks like he wants to be traded again. Peterson has removed the Cardinals name from all of his social media accounts and he's spent the past month taking passive-aggressive shots at the team. If you've ever watched literally any reality show involving a Millennial, those are usually the first two signs that a breakup is coming.


Peterson even posted a photo of some of his former teammates who are no longer with him in Arizona, and that photo had an interesting caption, "My boys told me to watch out for the snakes in the long grass!"
With a new Cardinals coaching staff now in place, it would make since for them to start fresh with players who actually want to be in Arizona. Clearly, Peterson isn't one of those players.

If the Cards start to shop Peterson, every team in the NFL should call them with an offer. Not only is he a three-time All-Pro corner, but he's also under contract for the next two seasons at the very reasonable rates of $11 million (2019) and $12.05 million (2020).

Although Peterson could get dealt anywhere, we're sending him to the Chiefs and that's because Kansas City has been doing everything possible to beef up a defensive unit that couldn't stop anyone while ranking 31st overall in the NFL last season. After watching his defense choke away the AFC title game, Andy Reid is clearly trying to make sure that doesn't happen again.


Not only have the Chiefs already traded for Frank Clark and Emmanuel Ogbah, but they've also signed Tyrann Mathieu, Alex Okafor and Damien Wilson. If the Chiefs were to add Peterson to the mix, the defense would be nearly as scary as their offense. Also, based on Peterson's Instagram picture, it seems Peterson would probably be pretty excited about the chance to reunite with Mathieu.

4. Broncos trade Chris Harris to 49ers
49ers get: Chris Harris
Broncos get: 2020 first-round pick

After eight seasons in Denver, it's starting to look like Chris Harris and the Broncos could be heading toward a nasty break up. Just before the draft, Harris reportedly gave the Broncos an ultimatum: Give him a new contract or trade him away. Broncos general manager John Elway has been coy about the situation and hasn't revealed whether or not the team plans on keeping Harris.

The Broncos might want to keep Harris, but if his demands are too high, then a trade could be in play, and that's where the 49ers come in. Although the 49ers have Richard Sherman, they don't really have a bona fide starter to play opposite him. As things stand now, the 49ers will likely go into training camp with Jason Verrett, Ahkello Witherspoon and Tarvarius Moore battling out for the other corner spot. The 49ers did select a corner in the draft, but that didn't come until the sixth round with Tim Harris, which means it's unlikely that the rookie will see a lot of playing time in 2019.

The 49ers currently have the fourth most cap space in the NFL, which means the only question is whether or not they'd be willing to give up the potential first-round compensation that it will take to land Harris.

5. 49ers trade Solomon Thomas to the Buccaneers
Buccaneers get: Solomon Thomas
49ers get: 2020 fifth-round pick

Over the past month, there have been multiple reports that the 49ers are looking to trade Solomon Thomas, and although John Lynch has denied them, dumping Thomas would definitely make sense now that Nick Bosa is in San Francisco.

Although there's probably not a huge market for Thomas, the Buccaneers could be looking to add a pass-rusher due to the current health status of Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP was involved in a car accident on May 2, and although the Buccaneers haven't confirmed it, there's a chance he could miss the entire season due to a neck injury.

If JPP is going to miss any substantial time, that potentially opens the door for a Thomas trade to Tampa. Although a player like Jadeveon Clowney would also make sense, it's hard to envision a way that the Bucs could afford him, considering they currently have the second lowest amount of salary cap room in the NFL. The advantage of Thomas is that he would come cheaply and the Bucs could potentially keep him for two years.

As the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Thomas definitely hasn't lived up to expectations and he's now in a situation in San Francisco where a change of scenery might be for the best. On the Bucs' end, they'd only have to pay him $645,000 for the 2019 season and $735,000 for the 2020 season, which are numbers that even the Bucs could afford at this point.


6. Buccaneers trade Gerald McCoy to the Browns
Browns get: Gerald McCoy
Buccaneers get: 2020 sixth-round pick

When it comes to trades, if we've learned one thing about the Browns this offseason, it's that you can never discount any rumor no matter how crazy it is. Back in March, there were murmurings that Odell Beckham might get traded to Cleveland a full five days before he actually got traded to Cleveland.

This time around, at least one report has suggested that the Browns general manager John Dorsey is interested in McCoy, and if we know one thing about Dorsey, it's that he has no problem making a trade for a player that he's interested in. On the surface, this trade might not make much sense due to the amount of money that McCoy is scheduled to make in 2019 ($13 million), but that's also why it makes a lot of sense.

For one, unless they do something dramatic, the Bucs can't really afford his salary, which means they're either going to have to release him, trade him or ask him to take a pay cut. Of those choices, let's go ahead and eliminate option three because NFL players are almost never willing to take a pay cut. The Bucs could also release McCoy, but if they do that, the decision could come back to haunt them if he ends up signing with a division rival and the Bucs have to face him twice a year. Basically, the Bucs best choice would be to trade him and there's a good chance the asking price won't be too high since Tampa will just be happy to get him out of the division and to get his salary off their books.

Think about it, if you're the Bucs: Would you rather cut McCoy and get nothing in return or trade him away for a sixth-round pick, even if it's not a huge return?

Dorsey might not be thrilled with paying McCoy $13 million for 2019, but you have to think if he can get the six-time Pro Bowler for the equivalent of a soft taco, he'll definitely make the deal. The other good news for the Browns is that none of McCoy's future money is guaranteed, which means that even though he has three high-paying years left on his deal, they could release him after the 2019 season without taking any sort of dead cap hit.

Dorsey is clearly doing his best to build a Super Bowl contender and adding McCoy to a defensive line that already includes Olivier Vernon, Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobiand Sheldon Richardson is, well, let's just say that's a nightmare for any opposing offense.

Of course, if the Browns aren't willing to trade for McCoy, then the Bucs might want to think about calling the Colts or Texans, who both have a need on the defensive line and have the cap space to make a deal happen.

7. Jets trade Darron Lee to the Bengals
Bengals get: Darron Lee
Jets get: 2020 conditional pick (Sixth or seventh round depending on playing time)

Heading into the 2019 NFL Draft, one of the biggest needs for the Bengals was at linebacker, and although they ended up taking one, the pick didn't come until the third round. Basically, the Bengals could still stand to add some depth at the position, which is why they should make a move for Lee.

The good news for the Bengals is that Lee should come at a cheap price because it seems the Jets really, really, really want to trade him.
_______________________________________________________

Nobody I'd really want the Rams to get, given realistic prices, but unlike many of these articles, some plausibility in the players and teams listed.

2019 Rams’ offense makes top five in NFL.com rankings

Agree on some of your points Bonifay.

A QB leads one of the highest scoring offenses to the SB but only merits a B? Sure, the offense sputtered down the stretch when his fav WR goes down and incumbent OPOY struggled with injury, but after seeing Goff over the last 2 seasons, are there really that many QBs you would rather build your team around for the future?

Not only do the Rams have the best WR trio in the league, but I'm hard pressed to even think of another one worth mentioning in the same breath.

And yes, that is a generous grade for an OL that is old at LT and inexperienced in the interior. Havs is the only guy, really, you can feel pretty sure is gonna play well all year. I'm concerned (as usual) about our OL going into camp.

Will NFL overtime rules be changing in 2019?

So I was chatting in PM's with @Selassie I and he had a great idea. He thinks, because he loves, Loves, LOVES kickers, that each teams kicker should engage in a kicking game of HORSE to decide the winner. He thinks that his idea is "really staying close to the spirit of the game".

What do you guys think? I told him to email the league and see if they would consider it.
That’s funny, I thought @Selassie I was an advocate for throwing all four team kickers in a pen with 3 hungry lions, and the team with the surviving kicker wins. (n)

McVay changed the whole culture (not owner, not GM)

He nickname was The Italian Stallion... so who knows.

It always used to annoy the crap out of me when she would kiss various players on the sideline. I remember her having a special love of kissing Lansford the kicker. So freaking wrong and embarrassing.
She must have loved him because he could always squeeze it through the uprights. Lol.

The Draft Grades Thread

The draft is simple.

1st round. 70% chance of getting a long term starting player.
2-3 rounds 60% chance of getting a long term starting player.
4-5 rounds 50% chance of getting a starting player or long term backup.
6-7 rounds 30% chance of getting a starting player.

Now here's the big thing. It doesn't matter what position (1-32) you pick in in each round. The numbers almost always stay the same.

Not accurate for Snead/McVay

1st round. 100% chance of the pick being traded
2-3 rounds - 70% chance of getting a long term starting player, including some stars - if the pick isn't traded
4-5 rounds - 60% chance of getting a starter, with 25% chance of getting a nice backup - barring a trade
6-7 rounds - 10% chance at best of getting a starter. High chance of getting a useful role player, since that's what they aim for in those rounds. Or a trade.

You're welcome.

Scouting the Scouts series

These are really cool, if you haven't seen them check them out (and note the overriding focus on what they're looking for in players):

Director of College Scouting on the Rams scouts and process
https://www.therams.com/video/scouting-the-scouts-brad-holmes-director-of-college-scouting

Darrell Henderson
https://www.therams.com/video/scouting-the-scouts-billy-johnson-the-area-scout-who-scoped-out

David Long & David Edwards
https://www.therams.com/video/scouting-the-scouts-area-scout-brian-hill

2019 NFL Draft: Ranking all 40 trades

I don't have a problem with someone assigning values to picks and another person comparing actual trades by those same values. Certain teams act as pawn brokers who are willing to trade up or down to acquire extra value through trades. Most fans will understand if you trade up for a Patriots pick you will have to overpay somewhat for it to be a worthwhile exercise for the Patriots. There are several issues with grading trades this way. The first is that there's no way to tell if the players involved in the trade are truly worth the value of the pick. The second is that different drafts will be comparatively talent rich or talent poor at certain parts of the Draft. IE the late 2nd round of the 2019 Draft might have more talented players available than the same point of the 2018 Draft. Equally the mid 4th round of the 2019 Draft might be talent poor compared to another Draft. Teams might well be aware of those talent ratings and adjust for it - but a fixed points chart will not.

A third issue, (which is my clearest issue), is there is no evidence to suggest this Draft chart is more accurate in it's valuations than the original chart. Obviously the original chart has flaws, such as the last 32 picks having no value and the difference in value of picks #17 to #21. This chart isn't based on 'actual recorded trades' as the article suggests. This chart starts with a bottom pick value and works on a principle of the pick 32 places higher being worth a certain amount more. (I would base any chart on the same principle). The author of this chart settled on a value of 2.038. This value seems low and the consequence is that lower round picks have a comparatively high value compared to the original chart. On this chart late 1st round and early 2nd are worth less than the original chart. The 2.038 multiplier kicks in and picks converge in comparative value on both charts and then later picks become more valuable on this new chart.

Based on this chart we lose about 8 points of value on both the LT and CB trade-ups. Those 8 points equate to losing the #167 pick in the Draft, (twice). I think it's also fair to note our Draft strategy was to have a very small number of Draft targets and aggressively trade for them at where we thought we could most cost-effectively get them. This is opposed to grading large numbers of players and making BPA decisions. This is definitely a Snead trait. I consider it to be a sub-optimal strategy.

Can The Los Angeles Rams Go Death Row In 2019?

FWIW Ohio State played Washington in the Rose Bowl and were up 28-3 by the 3rd Quarter and coasted the rest of the way winning 28-23, but it was not that close. My feeling on the Huskies is they were a bunch of try hard players, but not very athletic and I was never worried in this game.

Gaines played hard and so did the others, but it was obvious the Huskies did not have the athletes to stand up to the Buckeyes. Now in college football, you can win with those type of players as Iowa consistently does, but the key is to have the right combinations of the Greg Gaines & Dante Fowler's of the world, the never say die guys combined with the athletic players that are explosive and can make big plays.

I have always respected the Washington Huskie program going back to the days of Don James & Jim Lampbright....However, again the need for the right combination is crucial and under McSnead I believe the Los Angeles Rams do a great job of that and encourage everyone to head to the Rams website and view the videos on the area scouts like Brian Hill on Long & Edwards & Billy Johnson's synoposis of RB Darrell Henderson closing with the Director of College Scouting in Brad Holmes!

https://www.therams.com/video/

Yes, the right combination is important. You can't have 22 all pros on your team with the salary cap. You just need enough of them teamed with the right role players to win. Our defense during the regular season did not seem to have that combination. But they did step up in the playoffs. Maybe this year that combination will come together. But its not like they have to shut people down with our offense scoring points.

Inside the draft room: One last trade to pick up Greg Gaines

In this case, that starts with the Rams finding a way to move up for defensive tackle Greg Gaines. General manager Les Snead would say later that afternoon at the post-draft press conference that acquiring Gaines was the team’s “first priority” for Saturday. According to Snead, he and McVay had met that morning, and came to the conclusion that Gaines would be the right fit to compete for the nose tackle spot vacated by the departed Ndamukong Suh in Los Angeles’ base 3-4 defense.

This was a great report. Rams are targeting players and getting them. SJD and Gaines will push each other. I expect them both to get playing time. Could be a very good day three for the Rams.

Could any Leftover FA Interest Rams?

I think many of us would jump for joy if another linebacker was added, although, I'm anxious to see Micah Kiser because at Virginia all he did was make plays and guys he tackled got up winded and woozy, IMHO.

I totally agree about Micah Kiser! Kiser was one of the players I was really hoping the Rams would draft last year and even though I was disappointed that he couldn’t get more playing time I still think he can and will prove to be a valuable contributor to the Rams Defense soon (Hopefully, This season!)!

2019 NFL Draft: Five biggest instant impact rookies

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft...ct-rookies-based-on-talent-fit-and-situation/

2019 NFL Draft: Five biggest instant impact rookies based on talent, fit and situation
Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams are obvious, but here are five others who could make a huge impact

Which first-round picks from the 2019 NFL Draft are truly in "instant impact" situations?

Sure, every team believes its Round 1 pick will be a Rookie of the Year candidate at the end of the season. In actuality, some rookies simply find themselves in more advantageous situations than others based on the roster makeup of their respective new team.

Based on talent, fit, and situation, these are the five biggest instant impact rookies from this draft class. Kyler Murray was left off on purpose. Listing him would've represented the low-hanging fruit. The same goes for Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams.

Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Raiders
Not counting Boston College's Zach Allen, who's a hybrid more than anything else, this is how I ranked the edge rusher position in the 2019 NFL Draft: Nick Bosa. Montez Sweat. Ferrell. And the latter was ranked No. 17 overall.

Considering those rankings, you're probably not surprised I was among the few who liked the Raiders going Ferrell at No. 4 overall. Purely based on the rankings, Sweat would've been the highest-ranked prospect at that position on my board when Oakland went on the clock, but who knows if the Raiders' medical staff saw his heart condition as a red flag? Sure, Ferrell at No. 4 was technically early. Yet Oakland had a gigantic need on the outside of its defensive line and there was no guarantee he'd be there at No. 24.

Ferrell is in prime position to be hugely impactful to the Raiders in 2018 because of the club's well-documented pass-rush problems. I tracked defensive pressure rates last season to get a good sense of truly how productive each team's pass rush was, instead of solely looking at sack figures. The Raiders not only finished with the fewest amount of sacks in football, with 13, but the second-lowest number was a whopping 30. Jon Gruden's club had the league's lowest pressure rate. The Raiders pressured the opposing quarterback on 23.3% of drop backs they faced. The Lions had the second-lowest pressure rate at 29.0%.

Arden Key, Oakland's 2018 third-round selection, will likely open as the team's "top" pass rusher. Ferrell has a higher motor, better hand use, and more strength to push offensive tackles backward. While I don't expect Ferrell to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, his size, length, power, and ascending pass-rushing ability will likely keep him on the field for 60-70% of the snaps -- Key played 62.6% as a rookie -- and his well-rounded game will lead to him loading the stat sheet. Oh, and my pre-draft comparison for Ferrell was Chandler Jones.

Devin White, LB, Buccaneers
Before the aftershock of Ferrell at No. 4 subsided, White to the Bucs was one of the most obvious prospect-team pairings in the entire first round mainly due to the free-agent departure of Kwon Alexander, an athletic but vastly inconsistent linebacker.

Lavonte David is and has always been a stud at the weak-side spot. He's needed a reliable running mate for a while now and gets that with White, a ferocious, athletic, ridiculously fast second-level defender who did a marvelous job cleaning up tackling issues that popped on film in 2017. Also, he was much more comfortable in coverage in his final year at LSU than he was the season before.

In 2018, the Buccaneers had Football Outsiders' second-worst run defense DVOA, and David had two times the amount of tackles (120) of the linebacker with the second-most on the team (60, Adarius Taylor). There'll be plenty of opportunity for White to fly across the football field to make plays against the run. While he's not the most efficient blocker-shedder, the former LSU star often beats blockers to the ball and can lay the lumber. My pre-draft comparison for him was Myles Jack.

White doubled his pass breakup total from three as a sophomore to six as junior. He can strike quickly on underneath throws after sinking in zone and proved capable of turning and running with backs and tight ends alike in 2018. He'll have to be key cog to Tampa's pass defense in a division with tight ends like Austin Hooper, Jared Cook, and Greg Olsen.

Ed Oliver, DT, Bills
This is the best combination of value and fit in the entire first round. Buffalo was active in free agency, yet entered the draft with a gaping hole at the play-making three technique defensive tackle spot vacated by the retired Kyle Williams.

Oliver was born to play three technique. He's an athletic marvel, the most electric mover we've seen at defensive tackle since Aaron Donald joined the league in 2014. Oliver was able to overcome playing predominately at the nose tackle spot at 6-foot-1 and 280-plus pounds -- basically coaching malfeasance -- to amass 53 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in his three seasons at Houston.

With an open gap staring him in the face when he looks up from his three-point stance on the outside shoulder of the guard -- or at the one-technique outside the center -- Oliver's elite first step and sustained speed will allow him to create consistent havoc. And in 2018, Oliver flashed more pass-rushing moves than in his first two years with the Cougars. The run-stopping prowess has been there since his true freshman season in 2016.

The Bills actually finished sixth in defensive pressure rate in 2018 at 37.1%. But outside of Kyle Williams and a sprinkling of pass-rush production from Jordan Phillips and Harrison Phillips, most of Buffalo's pressure was created by Jerry Hughes on the outside.

Oliver is in prime position to be "freed" on the inside with the Phillips duo and the massive Star Lotulelei eating double teams. The No. 9 overall pick in this draft will be the definition of "instant impact" on Buffalo's deep defensive line, both against the run and the pass. My pre-draft comparison for him was John Randle.

Noah Fant, TE, Broncos
In 2016 and 2017 combined, Joe Flacco's final two years as the 16-game starter in Baltimore, tight ends accounted for 24.8% of the team targets and 25.5% of the team receptions. In his Super Bowl winning season of 2012, an even more sizable 28.1% of the Ravens' team targets went to tight ends.

Last year in Denver, just 18.5% of team receptions and 19.1% of the targets were tight end targets. The Broncos understood their new quarterback would want to get the tight ends more involved in the offense, so they drafted one of the top two tights in this class in Fant.

While he doesn't necessarily play to his measured athleticism -- 4.50 in the 40, 39-inch vertical, 6.81 three-cone -- Fant is a big receiver with some blocking chops. You want him accelerating down the seam. He's the definition of a matchup nightmare with that type of speed at 6-4 and 249 pounds.

It won't be surprising if Fant takes a considerable bite out of the target shares of Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt on Sundays and is utilized in the intermediate and deep portions of the field with Flacco under center. My pre-draft comparison for him was O.J. Howard.

Jerry Tillery, DT, Chargers
Tillery is a nearly 6-7, 295 pound interior wrecking ball who just so happens to be a superb athlete for the position and regularly deploys heavy hands to guards and centers on his way to the football.

He was my No. 4 defensive tackle -- behind Oliver, Quinnen Williams, and Jeffery Simmons -- and No. 7 overall prospect in the entire class. Because he's so stellar athletically and has long, active hands, his height isn't an issue in the leverage battle very often. Why? Offensive linemen can't get their hands into his chest and keep them there.

And he lands with a team in Los Angeles that desperately needs push up the middle, with their two bookend edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa drawing significant attention every week.

Corey Liuget is gone. Brandon Mebane is in the twilight of his career and has been a reliable block-eater at nose tackle. Justin Jones, the team's third-round pick in 2018 who plays defensive tackle, appeared on just 28.9% of the defensive snaps in 2018 and registered a half sack. Tillery is bound to eat immediately in Los Angeles. My pre-draft comparison for him was Chris Jones.

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