After picking up a corner at pick No. 22, head coach Mike Zimmer can now focus on getting Kirk Cousins a weapon to replace Stefon Diggs. Denzel Mims from Baylor has seen his stock rise more than any prospect in this class. It started with a stand out week at the Senior Bowl and he followed that up with a freak showing at the combine.
Mims uses his long arms to high point jump balls and leap over smaller defensive backs. I would be cautious of the limited route tree he ran at Baylor, but if you can look past that, he has as much upside as any receiver in this draft.
There is a huge need at running back for the Miami Dolphins, but with none off the board at this point, they can gamble that one of the top options will still be available when they pick in round two. Instead they can add the number one safety in the draft after trading Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers last season, bolstering a secondary that has already added Byron Jones this offseason.
Xavier McKinney was described by his coaches at Alabama as an “alpha dog.” That’s the type of mentality you want roaming the back end of your defense. At Alabama, McKinney lined up in single-high, two-high, and moved into the box in nickel situations. He is a Swiss army knife that Brian Flores will move all over the formation.
There still hasn’t been any progress in a deal with edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, so based on that, I am moving forward with the Seahawks selecting an edge rusher. Weighing in at 275 pounds, Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa has the size to play up and down the defensive line.
What’s remarkable about Epenesa’s numbers (26.5 sacks, 36.5 TFL) during his time at Iowa is that he accumulated them while starting only 13 games in three seasons. He won’t blow you away with his athleticism but he can rush with power with the best of them and holds his own against the run.
The Baltimore Ravens have three linebackers on their roster who have never played in more than 35 percent of the snaps in a season. To state the obvious they need a linebacker, and they have been on many mock drafts at getting one of the two best this draft class has to offer on Thursday night.
Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray is one of my favorite players in the draft. He has extremely high character, is a tone setter, alpha male, and has the leadership qualities you want from your inside linebacker. Murray fits the mold of the modern day NFL linebacker who can run sideline to sideline, tackle, and has decent enough coverage abilities.