Few things will go exactly to the draft day plans of most NFL teams Thursday. Some general managers will make terrible decisions, while others will deal themselves into position to fill needs and deepen their depth charts.
The 49ers’ Trent Baalke, for example, inherited a great roster, and over the four drafts, has run it into the ground. Or Dennis Hickey of the Miami Dolphins, who seems compelled to nail the top free agent, paying whatever they want, but can’t nail a first-round pick.
To be fair, this is just Hickey’s second draft with Miami.
This is merely one person’s projection. And it’s not going to be 100 percent accurate. No way, no how. But it shows one possible way Thursday’s NFL Draft first round could emerge.
- Tampa Bay: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
- Tennessee: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
- Jacksonville: Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
- Cleveland (Trade via OAK): Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
- Washington: Leonard Williams, DT, USC
- New York Jets: Brandon Scherff, OG, Iowa
- Chicago: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
- Atlanta: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
- New York Giants: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
- St Louis: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St.
- Minnesota: Landon Collins, S, Alabama
- Oakland (via trade with CLE): Alvin “Bud” Dupree, DE, Kentucky
- New Orleans: Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon
- Miami: Jaelin Collins, CB, LSU
- San Francisco: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
- Houston: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
- San Diego: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
- Kansas City: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
- Oakland (via trade with CLE): Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
- Philadelphia: Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
- Cincinnati: Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas
- Pittsburgh: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
- Detroit: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
- Arizona: Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
- Carolina: D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
- Baltimore: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
- Dallas: Damarious Randall, S, Arizona State
- Denver: Cameron Erving, C, Florida State
- Indianapolis: Preston Smith, DE, Mississippi State
- Green Bay: Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
- New Orleans: Davante Parker, WR, Louisville
- New England: Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
Jason Leskiw is SFBay’s Oakland Raiders beat writer and member of the Professional Football Writers of America. Follow @SFBay and @LeskiwSFBay on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of the Oakland Raiders.
Last modified April 30, 2015 11:14 pm