2014 NFL Draft: A dream pick for each team
Green Bay Packers: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
The Green Bay Packers have their cornerback duo dialed in after locking up Sam Shields to a massive contract, but they still need some coverage help, specifically at the free safety position. While Jimmie Ward is the better coverage safety. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix would be too talented for them to pass up on, and they would love to have a chance at him if he falls outside the top 20.
Chicago Bears: Louis Nix
I also think Louis Nix would be the best pick for the Chicago Bears, though Aaron Donald is an incredibly enticing option. Donald’s explosive pass rushing might be too enticing for the Bears to pass up on, but I think they need a run-stuffer like Nix more. Their run defense up the middle was putrid last season, and they didn’t do enough to shore it up this offseason. Nix is much better than Donald as a run defender, and the difference between their pass rushing isn’t enough to change this. While we’re obviously in a passing league now, the Bears did a great job of getting a stacked group of defensive ends in Lamarr Houston, Willie Young, and Jared Allen this offseason. After aggressively upgrading their pass rush, it only makes sense for them to get better against the run.
Detroit Lions: Mike Evans
The Detroit Lions have their safety duo locked in after reuniting James Ihedigbo with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, as Glover Quin will be the free safety in a new defensive scheme under Austin. Even though they have the elite Calvin Johnson and signed Golden Tate to a significant deal, Matthew Stafford could still use some more weapons to make the Lions offense even more dangerous. A wide receiver trio of Johnson, Tate, and Evans would be ridiculous, and Evans’s size, physicality, long speed, and ball skills make him an incredible weapon too good to pass up on.
Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater
This one pretty much speaks for itself. Anytime you mock Teddy Bridgewater to the Minnesota Vikings, you will get several Vikings fans waxing poetic about how great your mock draft was, simply because they would love to have their team drafting the best quarterback prospect with the eighth overall pick. If Rick Spielman can pull Bridgewater this year, then he may finally have smooth sailing again as a GM. Maybe.
Seattle Seahawks: Kelvin Benjamin
I can’t see a guy like Zack Martin being available here, so I think Kelvin Benjamin would be a great pick for the Seattle Seahawks. I don’t think he truly qualifies as a “dream” pick, but Martin would have been an unrealistic dream for the Seahawks, especially since I can’t see both Lewan and Martin slipping past the 28th pick. Anyway, the Seahawks have an uncanny ability of turning a raw, uber-athletic player into a high-impact playmaker, and I think they could do exactly that with Kelvin Benjamin and give their offense a whole new dimension. Benjamin struggles with concentration-related drops and is very unpolished, but he is an incredible talent in every sense due to his mix of size and explosiveness. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks excel at molding athletic specimens into key players, and they could use another wide receiver after Golden Tate’s departure. For the Seahawks, another playmaker is never too much.
San Francisco 49ers: Brandin Cooks
I think the San Francisco 49ers biggest position of need is cornerback, but I also think they’d have a few options to choose from if they are looking to replace the losses of Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers. But if they are looking to add another weapon at wide receiver (I think they have some interest), then Brandin Cooks would be a dream pick. CB is a bigger need for the 49ers than WR, but Cooks would be too good to pass up on if he’s available with the 30th pick. He has DeSean Jackson’s playmaking ability without the baggage, as he is a YAC monster who plays a bigger than his height’s His hands and route-running are mediocre, but he’s the kind of playmaker who could thrive with steady targets Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, and Anquan Boldin around him. Quinton Patton is an interesting second-year pro to watch and WR isn’t a pressing need, but the 49ers offense could really explode in the final year of Colin Kaepernick‘s rookie deal with a guy like Cooks.
Arizona Cardinals: Anthony Barr
Pass rushing help looks like the Arizona Cardinals biggest need, and Anthony Barr is the kind of uber-athletic edge rusher who could thrive under Todd Bowles. The Cards have a very talented secondary, but they could take their pass defense to a higher octave with a dynamic player like Barr. He’s a bit boom-or-bust and might not make an immediate impact, but he’s worth the risk for a team that should try to do whatever possible to inject a top pass rush.
St. Louis Rams: Trading down with Falcons and still getting Sammy Watkins
Wide receiver is still a need for the St. Louis Rams, and they could easily fill it by staying put with the second pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and plucking away Sammy Watkins as their No. 1 guy even after trading up to draft Tavon Austin with a top ten pick last year. But the best option for the Rams is probably still to trade down, and the Atlanta Falcons look like the most logical partners due to their interest in making a huge upgrade to their defense by getting their hands on Clowney. If the Rams can somehow pull off a trade with the Falcons and still scoop up Watkins with the sixth overall pick, then their fan base will undoubtedly cry tears of joy. If they trade down further and are able to net Mike Evans, then that might be an even bigger win, though that also depends on the haul of picks they bring home in the deal.