The NFL draft is coming up and names like Jameis Winston, Amari Cooper, Devin Smith, Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley, Ameer Abdullah, Marcus Mariota, Kevin White, Dorial Green-Beckham, DeVante Parker, Jaelen Strong and Shane Ray have been getting attention as teams like the Buccaneers, Titans, Jaguars and Raiders line up as the first four teams to make selections.
Winston is expected to go number one, but this year there could be some major trades up top with Marcus Mariota also available. There are some strong wide receivers in this class and the running back group is also deep. Abdullah and Gordon could be two of the top RBs, while Duke Johnson and Gurley also should get some major attention.
The Buccaneers have the top pick in the draft and all signs point to the team taking Winston with the number one pick overall, even with the shoulder issues that popped up at the combine. Winston is considered by most scouts to be the better prospect over Mariota, as he played in a more NFL-style offense.
According to ESPN.com, Mariota said to the Buccaneers team website that it's not a "huge thing" to be the number one pick in the draft. The Buccaneers were at Mariota's pro day at Oregon and while they are very likely taking Winston, they are doing their homework. The draft will be in Chicago and it starts at the end of April and Mariota could be the main attraction, as reports say Winston will not be attending the draft.
The Titans have the number two pick and while many have suggested that Tennessee could take a quarterback, Pro Football Talk writes that the team could look at a defensive player second overall. The team has Zach Mettenberger and if the Titans feel that he can develop into a solid quarterback they may stick with him over adding Mariota if he is available at number two. The Jaguars and Raiders are next and they are not expected to take quarterbacks after drafting Blake Bortles and Derek Carr last year.
Apart from Green-Beckham, Cooper is looked at as the best prospect ahead of White and Parker. Jaelen Strong and Devin Smith are also looked at as strong players and this could be another great class after the one from last year. According to 49ers.com, White is moving up draft boards and he could be a high pick after the way he performed at the NFL combine. White went for 4.35 seconds in the 40 yard dash, which is impressive and he also showed off strong ball control for his size at 6-foot-3, 215-pounds. White could also be one of the steals of the NFL draft.
Green-Beckham comes in after putting up 87 catches for 1278 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career and that came at Missouri, and later he transferred to Oklahoma and did not ever play before declaring for the draft. Green-Beckham had to sit out the season and his waiver request was denied by the NCAA.
The Jets are another option, but the team added Ryan Fitzpatrick and they also appear to be comfortable keeping Geno Smith in the mix. The team will likely wait and see what happens, as they have the number six pick and could be in position to trade up. The Redskins pick right ahead of them and with the Jaguars and Raiders at three and four and without a need at QB, it could get very intriguing.
