32. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags are all in on Gardner Minshew at quarterback, and while Minshew had a decent rookie campaign, I’m not sure even Jacksonville sees him as the future. New offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, formerly head coach in Washington, may be able to get more out of Minshew. That being said, teams with bad offensive lines and second year quarterbacks with a new offensive coordinator should never be expected to succeed. It’s going to be a long season in Duval.

31. Detroit Lions

Matt Patricia is still the head coach. Bob Quinn is still the General Manager. Matt Stafford’s cap hit is still over $21 million. Same old Lions, different year.

30. Cincinnati Bengals

While I worry about Joe Burrow’s limited college success, I think there’s merit to the leap he made from 2018 to 2019. I don’t know if I peg him as future elite at the quarterback position, but the Bengals have a franchise signal caller to pair with head coach Zac Taylor. Burrow will still be a rookie, however, and there are many other holes remaining on the roster. It’ll be a rough year with many flashes of hope.

29. New York Giants

A part of me thinks I have the Giants too low, as general manager Dave Gettleman did a good job of adding talent in key places in the draft, most notably with first round pick Andrew Thomas. Daniel Jones is the kind of guy that can succeed if you build around him, but in a division with the Cowboys and Eagles, New York may be one more offseason away from contention.

28. Miami Dolphins

Instantly, the Dolphins have the best signal caller they have had since Dan Marino retired in Tua Tagovailoa. If Tua remains healthy, he will be a top ten quarterback in the league. That is a big if, however, which is why I liked their pick of tackle Austin Jackson. This team has been building for 2021 for quite some time it seems, it means the roster still has improvements to make and Ryan Fitzpatrick is still the starter. Brian Flores is a leader of men, and is a head coach on the rise. With Tom Brady gone from the division, playoff dreams abound 12 months from now.

27. Houston Texans

Houston traded their best player this offseason by shipping wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. In the process, they didn’t even manage to get a first round pick in return. Ross Blacklock in the second round still and fills a need, but there’s a lot left to desire on the offensive side of the ball sans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson is good enough to keep this team competitive, but the offensive line is still in the bottom third of the NFL from a quality perspective, and Watson may struggle to stay healthy this season because of poor protection. The bottom is going to fall out in Houston this season.

26. Cleveland Browns

I love what the Browns did in the draft, adding offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. in the first round pick, safety Grant Delpit in the second, and defensive tackle Jordan Elliot in the third. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry is declining but still productive. The trade talk around Odell Beckham Jr. is ludicrous, but he doesn’t do himself any favors in that regard. They woefully overpaid for tight end Austin Hooper, but have Nick Chubb at runningback. I like this roster, but they still have Baker Mayfield at quarterback. He peaked in the NFL in Week 17 of the 2018 season.

25. Atlanta Falcons

It’s a defining year for the coaching staff and front office in Atlanta, and they’re off to a rough start. Picking cornerback A.J. Terrell at 16 overall just isn’t something a team with this many holes an do, especially in a year where they need to make the playoffs to save their jobs. It doesn’t matter if they Terrell ends up being good, as long-term contenders end up getting the players they want at good value. Adding Dante Fowler Jr. off the edge should help, but Atlanta now has to contend with a Tom Brady lead Tampa, Drew Brees and New Orleans, and a potentially menacing front in Carolina.

24. Washington

Chase Young at second overall didn’t fit a need, but he’s the best player in the draft. Good for Washington to not screw that up. There’s an adult at head coach now in Ron Rivera, and bringing on Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator is probably the best assistant coach offseason signing. You’re not going to want to play these guys. The key is quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ play. If he makes a sophomore leap, Washington can contend for a playoff spot. If he regresses, they’ll find themselves searching for a quarterback in the 2021 draft.

23. Chicago Bears

Nick Foles is a definite upgrade over Mitchell Trubisky. The roster just isn’t as talented as it was two seasons ago, which puts an even heavier emphasis on head coach Matt Nagy to make magic in the offensive scheme. Much has been made about the Bears having nine tight ends on the roster, but I really love Cole Kmet out of Notre Dame. Allen Robinson is an underrated WR1. They have Khalil Mack coming off the edge. Admittedly, this may be too low of a projection for Chicago.

22. New York Jets

Sam Darnold is the real deal. The key now is surrounding him with talent and making sure he doesn’t take a David Carr like beating. Mekhi Becton could end up being the best offensive tackle in this draft class. He could also just as easily bust. I like the Denzel Mims pick in the second round. The rush defense is elite (second in run defense efficiency last season) but the pass defense needs to make some strides. The Jets were next to last in offensive efficiency, though that’s in part due to Darnold missing the early part of the season.

21. Las Vegas Raiders

I wasn’t surprised to see Henry Ruggs III be the first wide receiver off the board. He could end up being the best playmaker from this draft. I thought Damon Arnette at 19 was a reach, but he fits a need. The Raiders 2019 draft class actually ended up being pretty darn good. Maybe Mike Mayock knows what he’s doing after all. Derek Carr gets a lot of flack, but Las Vegas was seventh in pass offense efficiency last season, up from 25th in 2018. I would have this team much higher, but they play in one of the better divisions in pro football, have a lot of explosive wide receivers to contend with, and were 30th overall in defensive efficiency last season. That new stadium is sexy though.

20. New England Patriots

In the wildcard game against the Titans, I saw a team get bullied by a Tennessee team that was just overpowering in the trenches. Not to mention that the mentee, Mike Vrabel, severely outcoached the mentor that evening. Tom Brady is gone (in case you haven’t heard) but the Patriots brass seems confident in Jarrett Stidham. I’ll believe it when I see it.

19. Tennessee Titans

The Titans made a surprise trip to the AFC Championship Game, in large part because they bullied New England and Baltimore on the line of scrimmage. Then they let defensive tackle Jurrell Casey walk to Denver and Jack Conklin go to Cleveland. In turn, the Titans are relying on a lot of first and second year players to make big time leaps. Oh, and they gave Ryan Tannehill $62 million in guaranteed money. That contract hasn’t been scrutinized nearly enough. They’ll keep living in eight or nine win Titan land.

18. Carolina Panthers

Teddy Bridgewater got a much deserved mega deal. He’ll be the starter in Carolina after the Panthers traded Kyle Allen to Washington and let Cam Newton. They got the steal of the draft in defensive tackle Derrick Brown at seven overall. That defensive line is going to rough to see on Sunday’s. They still lack a lot of talent at linebacker but added Robbie Anderson at wide receiver to help give Bridgewater another target. The loss of Luke Kuechly can’t be understated, but dependent on how quickly new head coach Matt Rhule assimilates to the pro game, this could be a sleeper playoff contender.

17. Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert probably won’t be elite at the next level, but he won’t be bad either. For now, they turn to Tyrod Taylor, who has a staple of weapons in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams that he did not have when he lead Buffalo to their first playoff experience since the Clinton administration a couple seasons ago. The Chargers need to improve on defense, where they ranked 21st in defensive efficiency.

NFL Post Draft Power Rankings (17-32)

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