However, the Broncos did add a very good talent to their secondary in UCLA safety Rahim Moore. Denver will be better off seeking an upgrade over Renaldo Hill and a long-term successor for Brian Dawkins. Moore, considered the best safety of the draft, is a true ballhawk, a team leader, and has the versatility to play a little corner. He’s the perfect injection of youth and talent that this defense has needed and after trading down to get him (most teams have to trade up for a guy they like), the Broncos brain trust sure looks like a group of brainiacs with this pick. With the 108th pick, Denver came back and got another safety, this time Quinton Carter out of Oklahoma. Carter, maybe the best player available when the 108th pick rolled around, and one of the top safeties of the 2011 draft, provides even more young talent for John Fox to work with, and with rookies Moore, Carter, and Nate Irving looking to contribute on the defensive side of the ball, this unit could get significantly better in 2011. I still don’t like the lack of a big run stopper. This will kill whatever effectiveness their secondary will have and partially remove their pass rushers from the equation. But you can only take baby steps when you’re (re-)building a team from the ground up, so there’s no reason for Broncos fans to be upset with this draft.

Finally, I’d like to touch on two potential steals that were selected in the very last round. Pass catching tight end Virgil Green out of Nevada should be a big help to Tim Tebow (or Kyle Orton) and was supposed to be a fourth round talent. Fourth round may not seem like a big deal, but for tight ends being taken in the fourth round isn’t necessarily a bad thing. New England took Aaron Hernandez in the fourth round of the 2010 draft (albeit because he fell due to behavioral concerns) and he had a very fine rookie season. John Fox has historically preferred his tight ends to be big blocker-types, but it was obvious that Richard Quinn and Daniel Coats weren’t getting the job done last year, so Denver deserves a lot of credit for snagging a good offensive weapon late that can be used to help the Broncos move the chains a bit more and hopefully keep their defense on the bench for as long as possible.

Oklahoma defensive end Jeremy Beal was once supposed to be a second round talent but because he underperformed last season he fell all the way down to Denver’s ninth and final pick, 247th overall. Beal is supposed to be a force to be reckoned with as a pass rusher, which was an area that the Broncos made it a point to address. The Broncos do come away with nice upgrades at outside linebacker and defensive end but fail to improve the run defense, and Kevin Vickerson doesn’t look like he can carry the load at the position. The lack of a run stopper will kill the Broncos in 2011, but it’s something that can always be addressed in free agency or next year’s draft. It was a dumb decision to not take a defensive tackle, but not franchise-crippling. Overall, this looks like a good but not great draft for the Broncos. Just like I did a few weeks ago, we’ll be writing next April that “the Denver Broncos badly need a defensive tackle because they just can’t stop the run.”

Heyward is a good option for the Pats because he is great against the run and has enough power in him to be a viable, though likely not better than average, pass rusher. Because of concerns surrounding his elbow (Tommy John surgery), Heyward may be available as late as 28 (assuming the Patriots don’t trade out of this slot, though if Heyward is still there I don’t think they will) and would be a great complement to the defensive pieces already in place. In New England’s 3-4 Heyward profiles as a defensive end and should become an every-down player, something the Patriots badly need (as well as a strong need to get rid of Gerard Warren). However, should the Pats switch to a 4-3 defense, Heyward also has the versatility to play defensive tackle. Long story short: Bill Belichick will be in hog heaven if he can net this at 28. Just to play it safe, he may take Heyward at 17, or use the 17th pick on someone else while using the 28th pick to move up and net Heyward. The Patriots have a ton of options and it’s still anyone’s best guess, but my guess is Heyward. The only way he could be a better fit for the system is if he could rush the QB like Robert Quinn, although if he could he’d probably be a top 10 or top 5 pick.

Wilkerson looks like the best fit of all for New England’s system, where he would line up as a defensive end. He’s big and strong enough to defend against the run, should be a good pass rusher, and is a team-leader type. The Patriots may “overpay” for Wilkerson at 17 just like they did for Warren at 13 because his build is almost exactly the same as Ty Warren’s. His motor never stops running and regardless of whether or not he’s netting sacks, he can evade blockers easily enough to constantly be making plays at the line of scrimmage. After allowing the most third down conversions by far last year, this is the kind of defensive impact the Patriots need to be looking for in order to get past the first round of the playoffs. Like I said with Heyward before, the Patriots may be “value” drafters, but if they can get Wilkerson at 17 and Heyward at 28, you won’t see them trading any draft picks tonight. That’s all the value they need on defense right there.

I’d just like to say before wrapping this up that most things never go as according to planned, so the Patriots (and their giddy fans, like me) can’t count on them being able to take both Wilkerson and Heyward tonight. So what other options exist? Luckily for the Pats, several other good fits will be out there for the taking in round one, including Ryan Kerrigan, JJ Watt, Cameron Jordan, and Brooks Reed. One guy I’d like to focus on is Reed, because there is a much better chance the Patriots will be able to net him than there is that they could take Kerrigan, Watt, or Jordan. Reed is considered a late first round talent, and the defensive end from Arizona is a high-motor, passionate player. He’s considered one of the best pure pass rushers in the draft and may have similar upside to Clay Matthews, but the downside is that he lacks the athleticism to shed some blocks and like Matthews, is a liability against the run. Reed will definitely be around late in the first round and even though he isn’t the most well-rounded prospect, physically he’s not a bad fit for New England’s system and provides the kind of edge rusher the Pats passed up on when they traded the pick they could have used on Matthews a few seasons ago. Of course, there is debate over whether or not Matthews would fit in a 3-4 system, so the same concerns exist here. With the Patriots Reed would turn into a project player, as he’d have to switch to outside linebacker from defensive end, so he’d require time to learn the ropes.

New England (33): Akeem Ayers, DE/OLB, UCLA

• Still in desperate need of some pass-rushing reinforcements for their front seven, New England is forced to use a second high draft pick on pass rush personnel. Even if both Cameron Jordan and Ayers pan out, the Pats have filled the need for a second outside linebacker and for a defensive end to upgrade over Gerard Warren. However, Mike Wright is injury prone and Ty Warren won’t be around forever, and with an abundance of draft picks the Pats very well might triple-dip in pass rushers with this draft class.

Buffalo (34): Kyle Rudolph, TE, Notre Dame

• Shawn Nelson has been a terrible disappointment for Buffalo. They’ve got a lot of holes to fill but Rudolph has first-round talent at tight end. Since I’m a believer in Ryan Fitzpatrick, they might as well surround him with some good toys to play with before moving on from him.

Cincinnati (35): Andy Dalton, QB, TCU

• Since Carson Palmer doesn’t plan on playing for the Bengals ever again, they need a contingency plan. I could have given them Blaine Gabbert in round one, but with the looming departures of Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, AJ Green’s talent was simply too much to pass up. Now they have to come back with an accurate West Coast-style passer to build the offense around. Dalton has really good accuracy and nice mobility to go with it, and given Green, Cedric Benson, Jermaine Gresham, and Jordan Shipley as weapons, Dalton will help a lot of Bengals fans forget the name Carson Palmer.

Denver (36): Cam Heyward, DE, Ohio State

• Despite Elvis Dumervil returning to the starting lineup next season, the Broncos really need to make improvements to their pass rush and add depth to their front seven. Injury concerns drop Heyward into the early second round, but despite the elbow he is too talented for Denver to pass up.

Cleveland (37): Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona

• Cleveland, in need of 4-3 personnel, is lucky to find Arizona’s Brooks Reed here. His stock has been rising and it’s starting to look like he could go in the first round. Cleveland didn’t have a bad defense last year and has a lot of solid building blocks, but they still need to improve at getting to opposing quarterbacks.

Arizona (38): Aaron Williams, CB, Texas

• The Cardinals need multiple offensive line upgrades, but their defense gave up the third-most yards in the league last year. Their front seven needs most of the help and will enjoy the addition of Von Miller, but the Cards could use reinforcements at corner as well. Texas’ Aaron Williams should not disappoint.

Tennessee (39): Marcus Cannon, G, TCU

• The Titans got their new quarterback in Round One with Blaine Gabbert, now they need to start giving him protection and weapons. Having Kenny Britt and Chris Johnson will be a big help, so they should pursue an offensive line upgrade before getting another receiver or tight end for Gabbert to work with. Cannon is currently the top talent on the board at guard, an area where the Titans could use some help.

Dallas (40): Ben Ijalana, T, Villanova

• The Cowboys need a bunch of upgrades on defense and on the offensive line. They got JJ Watt to bolster their defensive front seven and now seek to improve Tony Romo’s protection with a new right tackle. Next up they’ll have to address holes in their secondary, regardless of whether or not Jerry Jones sees it as a position of need.

Washington (41): Jake Locker, QB, Washington

• Once considered a first round prospect, Jake Locker threw his draft stock off the cliff after the season he had in 2010. Still, there’s not much in terms of surefire quarterback talent this year, so the Redskins will start a mini-run on the position here by taking the top name off the board.

Houston (42): Brandon Harris, CB, Miami

• After giving up a league-worst 267.5 passing yards per game last year, the Texans badly need help in their secondary. Brandon Harris, like Aaron Williams, is a borderline first-round talent who falls to round 2 out of circumstance and provides Houston a nice option to pair alongside former first round pick Kareem Jackson.

Minnesota (43): Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State

• It’s time to move on from Brett Favre, and Tarvaris Jackson just isn’t the answer. The Vikings have to find a guy to be their next starting quarterback, and Ponder is the best option to go with. With Sidney Rice (assuming he is re-signed), Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Adrian Peterson in place, any potential new QB for the Vikings is coming in to a pretty good situation, so there will be no excuses for failure.

Detroit (44): Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina

• The Lions have had a really nice youth movement as of late led by Louis Delmas and Ndamukong Suh, but there is still plenty of work left to be done. Particularly, the team needs some help at linebacker and to groom a replacement for Julian Peterson. Bruce Carter should be a beast on the outside and will help “restore the roar” to the Lions defense.

San Francisco (45): Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas

• Mallett may not have great character, but boy can he throw a football. For a desperate franchise like San Francisco, they need to take a look and hope that he can become a great quarterback despite his obvious downsides. Being able to take him in round two and after other elite quarterback prospects is a huge plus because it will mean less of a financial commitment in case Mallett follows in the footsteps of superbusts Ryan Leaf and Matt Leinart.

Denver (46): Joseph Barksdale, T, LSU

• Luckily for the Broncos they have the second overall pick and two early second rounders to address their many holes. Cam Heyward and Marcel Dareus represent much-needed upgrades to the front seven, and now they need to focus on the offensive line. I thought about Danny Watkins, who is ready to be an impact blocker right now, but because of his age (27) I feel many teams will back off him more than they should. Instead they end up with Joseph Barksdale of LSU, who will hopefully be the upgrade Denver needs at right tackle.

St. Louis (47): Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami

• Q: Why did Sam Bradford struggle so much at times last year?   A: He has no help at receiver. The Rams need another playmaker on offense and at 47 Leonard Hankerson is a steal.

Oakland (48): Davon House, CB, New Mexico State

• For some reason, the Raiders decided they didn’t want the best cornerback in the game on their roster anymore. Nnamdi Asomugha’s contract was voided for not getting enough interceptions (it’s hard to get a lot of them when you’re the least-thrown-at-defensive back in the game), and while the team may try to bring him back they certainly can’t count on it. Davon House is the best cornerback on the board and they pretty much have to take him unless they can find some other contingency plan.

Jacksonville (49): Rahim Moore, S, UCLA

• After ranking second-to-last in passing defense last year, the Jaguars have a ton of improvements to make in order to get their defense to an acceptable level. Moore will be a big boost to the secondary but even after this pick the Jags will need another safety and a cornerback.

San Diego (50): Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy

• The Bolts have almost no chance of retaining Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd, so to keep their offense in tip, top shape they’ll need to add a wide receiver. Jernigan is the top wide out left on the board and his stock is after the rise after a nice Pro Day.

Tampa Bay (51): Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pitt

• The Bucs need a bunch of help at defensive end even with their first round selection of Muhammad Wilkerson. Sheard has better talent than his draft stock indicates and should fill in nicely in the starting lineup for Tampa.

New York Giants (52): Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech

• With Ahmad Bradshaw in the fold, the Giants don’t necessarily need Williams, but it can never hurt to take the best player on the board. Besides, with Bradshaw an upcoming free agent, it is possible that he could leave the team. If Bradshaw does leave, no one in the Giants organization would be comfortable using Brandon Jacobs in an every-down role. Williams would make for a very good replacement, sooner or later.

Indianapolis (53): Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma

• After releasing the oft-injured Bob Sanders, the Colts are going to have to look for a new safety who can step in and take over the role. Carter is the top safety left on the board and has demonstrated some very nice ability in coverage.

Philadelphia (54): Tyler Sash, S, Iowa

• Like Indy, the Eagles are need of a few upgrades to their secondary with their top needs including a replacement at safety and depth at cornerback. After the Colts nabbed Quinton Carter and no prospects currently worth taking at corner, the Eagles are left to go with Iowa’s Tyler Sash.

Kansas City (55): Christian Ballard, DE, Iowa

• Kansas City’s only big pass-rush threat at the moment is Tamba Hali, and this needs to change if the they expect to make more playoff runs (or even win a playoff game) in the future. Ballard is worth a look as a defensive end, though this will still leave the Chiefs with a need to upgrade over Mike Vrabel. Still, there’s no way Ballard can be any worse than Tyson Jackson, making him an instant upgrade.

New Orleans (56): Drake Nevis, DT, LSU

• The Saints need a long term solution at defensive tackle because Shaun Rogers will be little more than a stopgap. Nevis is a big, quick, disruptive tackle and as long as he can keep his size under control he should be a serviceable player for the Saints.

Seattle (57): Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina

• Even more so than the Saints, the Seahawks need help up front with their defensive line. Austin is even more physically gifted than Drake Nevis, but the problem is that there are issues with Austin’s work ethic. However, as we’ve seen with his gambles on LenDale White and Mike Williams, this isn’t a big deal for Pete Carroll, who is too desperate for defensive help to be picky.

Baltimore (58): Curtis Brown, CB, Texas

• He may not be the fastest corner prospect in this draft class, but Curtis Brown had a nice 39.5-inch vertical and is not afraid to dish out some hard hits. Is it just me, or is that Baltimore-style football? With multiple cornerbacks set to reach free agency, this is a big area of need for the Ravens, and as the best cornerback prospect left on the board Brown seems like a natural fit to me.

Atlanta (59): Stefen Wisniewski, OL, Penn State

• Wisniewski’s draft stock currently pegs him as a middle-second round pick, so it’s a bit of a miracle for Atlanta that he’s fallen this far. The Falcons could use an offensive line upgrade to improve protection for Matt Ryan, and while they have a bigger need at offensive tackle, Wisniewski has the flexibility to play center or guard and certainly couldn’t hurt Atlanta’s offensive line. Matty Ice will appreciate all the extra blocking help he can get.

New England (60): Mikel Leshoure, RB, Illinois

• It may not be very Belichickian to take a big-time running back, but it is Belichickian to take a big value pick. Mikel Leshoure is one of the best running backs in this draft class and could easily be taken much earlier in the second round. Also, despite the emergence of both BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead last year, having a three-down back in the fold would go a long ways in helping the offense as it wouldn’t telegraph what sort of play to expect for the defense. The Pats are actually expected to take a running back in the draft this year, and this seems like the best spot for them to do it.

San Diego (61): James Carpenter, T, Alabama

• Carpenter isn’t the most athletic guy at tackle, but has excelled as a run blocker and would fill a positional need for the Chargers.

Chicago (62): Danny Watkins, G, Baylor

• Just like Matt Stafford with the Lions, it isn’t the front office that is paying the price for having a bad offensive line, it’s the quarterback. Jay Cutler may have been able to lead the Bears to the Super Bowl last year, but we have no idea what would have been because terrible blocking allowed the Packers to pound him to the turf until he couldn’t play anymore. Teams will likely back off of Danny Watkins a little bit because he’s 27, but he’s ready to start right now and should be an impact blocker. Chicago needs to find out if he’s as good as advertised.

Pittsburgh (63): Rodney Hudson, G, Florida State

• There’s a possibility the Steelers won’t be bringing back Willie Colon, so he will need to be replaced. Rodney Hudson has been a great run-blocker and Rashard Mendenhall will love all the open rushing lanes that Hudson will create for him.

Green Bay (64): Sam Acho, DE/OLB, Texas

• I originally would have given the Packers a guard here like Orlando Franklin or Will Rackley, but since Johnny Jolly has been arrested again it’s time for the Packers to move on and find somebody else. Sam Acho will provide another pass rusher across the field from Clay Matthews, which is always a plus when you face Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler twice a year.
  

Despite being one of the better AFC teams, there are many improvements to be made in order to get the team some much-needed January success. However, if the team plays its cards right, by this time a year from now Atlanta won’t even remember some of these question marks and the Falcons may just be 2011-12 Super Bowl contenders. Below I present the three biggest areas of need.

Wide Receiver and/or Tight End

You wouldn’t know it judging by his play, but Matt Ryan needs more to work with. Roddy White’s play has been incredible, but at wideout that’s pretty much all they have. Michael Jenkins has yet to really contribute anything to this team, and while Harry Douglas has shown a few flashes, the team has yet to see enough out of him to know if they can actually count on him. Compounding the problem is the fact that Tony Gonzalez is deep in the twilight of his career. Netting just 70 grabs last year, Gonzalez compiled a career-low 9.4 yards per catch. His 70 catches and 6 touchdowns show that he was still a useful player last year, but the numbers show that Gonzalez is trending downward and that the Falcons need to start considering drafting a replacement.

Left Tackle

Sam Baker was supposed to be a really good pass protector coming out of Southern California. So much for that. Baker has become perhaps the biggest liability on Atlanta’s offensive line, and the Falcons need an upgrade to allow Ryan more time in the pocket. The Falcons gave up the third fewest sacks last year with 23, but that’s not going to stop them from looking at potential upgrades in the earliest rounds of the draft. Because this isn’t the biggest hole on the roster, it may not be addressed until round 2 or later. However, if the opportunity to pick Wisconsin’s Gabe Carimi arises, I have to think they will jump at it and snatch him up.

Defensive end

Atlanta’s weak pass rush generated just 31 sacks last year, which was just barely outside the bottom 10 in the league. John Abraham had another productive season with 13 sacks last year, but they’ve got practically nothing to complement him. Starting left end Kroy Biermann registered only 36 tackles and a paltry 3 sacks in 2010, so he is the weakest link. If not a wide receiver, Atlanta will be looking for an upgrade at defensive end in the first round, with Brooks Reed a potential target of interest. If the Falcons instead wish to upgrade with a rush linebacker, they could go with Akeem Ayers or Cameron Heyward, however with a 4-3 defense there is no need.