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Rotoballer kicks off the 2015 NFL Season by reviewing each teams draft, continuing with the NFC South. Draft expert Owen Elle gives his take on each teams ability to fill their needs and add overall talent to their rosters.
Check out our previous divisional draft reviews: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1, Pick 8 - EDGE Vic Beasley, Clemson
Round 2, Pick 42 - CB Jalen Collins, Louisiana State
Round 3, Pick 73 - RB Tevin Coleman, Indiana
Round 4, Pick 107 - WR Justin Hardy, East Carolina
Round 5, Pick 137 - DT Jarrett Grady, Clemson
Round 7, Pick 225 - OT Jake Rodgers, Eastern Washington
Round 7, Pick 249 - DB Akeem King, San Jose State
The Falcons did a good job at addressing their leaky defense early on in the draft. Beasley and Collins should immediately help out, specifically . Coleman falling into the Falcons hands in the third round was great for Atlanta, as it gives them a strong talent to mix into their already young backfield that contains the promising Devonta Freeman. Although Freeman projects as a better fit for Kyle Shanahan's zone scheme, Coleman still has strong developmental value. Grady flew up draft boards and became a trendy name in the days coming towards the draft.
Grade: B-
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Carolina Panthers
Round 1, Pick 25 - OLB/S Shaq Thompson, Washington
Round 2, Pick 41 - WR/TE Devin Funchess, Michigan
Round 4, Pick 102 - OT Daryl Williams, Oklahoma
Round 5, Pick 169 - LB David Mayo, Texas
Round 5, Pick 174 - RB Cameron Artis-Payne, Auburn
It’s unfortunate that Carolina didn’t have more selections in this draft because they had a lot of needs they needed to fill. The Panthers first two picks are very risky selections, especially given the premium they gave up for them. We don’t know what position Thompson will play in the NFL as he is considered to be too big to play safety and too small to play linebacker. Funchess, comes with his own set of issues as he's considered not to have the skill-set play Wide Receiver and might have to make a transition to Tight End. He's a very similar player to the Panthers first round pick from last year, Kelvin Benjamin, and there's a lot of questions to how the market share of targets will be split between them. Williams was a necessary pick as the Panthers need to rebuild their horrendous offensive line.
Grade: C
New Orleans Saints
Round 1, Pick 13 - OT Andrus Peat, Stanford
Round 1, Pick 31 - ILB Stephone Anthony, Clemson
Round 2, Pick 44 - EDGE Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
Round 3, Pick 75 - QB Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
Round 3, Pick 78 - CB P.J. Williams, Florida State
Round 5, Pick 148 - DL Davis Tull, Tennessee-Chattanooga
Round 5, Pick 154 - DT Tyeler Davison, Fresno State
Round 5, Pick 167 - CB Damian Swann, Georgia
Round 7, Pick 230 - RB Marcus Murphy, Missouri
The Saints had five picks in the top-80 of this draft and they made the most out of their selections. Given the departure of Ben Grubbs and the decline of their offensive line, Peat was a solid choice for a position of need. Anthony should turn out to be a good player at the next level, however I would have rather seen the Saints take either Eric Kendricks, Paul Dawson or Bernardrick McKinney, who I thought were all better prospects than Anthony. New Orleans landed Garrett Grayson, one of the players who had been consistently called a sleeper QB leading up to the draft. Grayson's main questions involved unreliable arm strength but sitting will give him the chance to clean up his mechanics and gain more arm strength. He has the chance to develop into a real starter in the future if he's given the attention he needs. Additionally, the Saints had a need for another corner in this draft and they got P.J. Williams, who despite off the field concerns, had first-round talent which gave New Orleans incredible value in the third round.
Grade: A-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 1, Pick 1 - QB Jameis Winston, Florida State
Round 2, Pick 34 - OT Donovan Smith, Penn State
Round 2, Pick 61 - OG Ali Marpet, Hobart (D-III)
Round 4, Pick 124 - LB Kwon Alexander, Louisiana State
Round 5, Pick 162 - WR Kenny Bell, Nebraska
Round 6, Pick 184 - WR Kaelin Clay, Utah
Round 7, Pick 231 - FB Joey Iosefa, Hawaii
Good on the Buccaneers for building a franchise the right way in this draft. They take Jameis Winston, the best quarterback in this draft, giving them a guy who they hope can lead this team for 10+ years. Then they spend their next two picks on offensive lineman to protect their investment by choosing Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet. Later in the draft they took a pair of young, talented wide receivers in Kenny Bell and Kaelin Clay. Bell has the chance to find immediate starting time in the slot and has potential as a returner. The Buccaneers are doing what any team with a young quarterback should do, build around that talent, which gives them the best chance to succeed in the league. Their defense can still use some work but you can’t knock Tampa for bringing in pieces on offense to complement Winston.
Grade: A-
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