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First Round Projections
By Mike Detillier
The NFL free agency period is just hours away and the commuter world of the NFL is going to happen in a major way again. Look for the New Orleans Saints to be players in the sweepstakes quickly, especially at the offensive guard position, and we will have a better look at the major needs of teams across the league. Below is my look at the first round of the April NFL draft and also an early guess of the picks for the New Orleans Saints.
As you can see, this will be a heavy defensive line loaded draft in the early rounds and I believe that you will be able to get very good "value" wide receivers and halfbacks in the second and third rounds of the draft.
This draft would be even more impressive if Notre Dame inside/outside linebacker Jaylon Smith was healthy. As I wrote in late November before the injury, Smith had a higher rating that Patrick Willis did coming out of Ole Miss and Luke Kuechly did coming out of Boston College.
The 1st team All, American will miss the 2016 NFL season rehabbing his knee injury, which happened in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl versus Ohio State and we will have a better understanding of his recovery time and rehab.
First Round
1. Tennessee Titans, Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
2. Cleveland Browns, Jared Goff, QB, California
3. San Diego Chargers, Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State
4. Dallas Cowboys, Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
5. Jacksonville Jaguars, Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
6. Baltimore Ravens, DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
7. S.F. 49ers, Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
8. Miami Dolphins, Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
10. New York Giants, Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
11. Chicago Bears, Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
12. N.O. Saints, A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
13. Philadelphia Eagles, Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
14. Oakland Raiders, Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson
15. Los Angeles Rams, Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
16. Detroit Lions, Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
17. Atlanta Falcons, Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama
18. Indianapolis Colts, Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State
19. Buffalo Bills, Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State
20. New York Jets, Leonard Floyd, OLB/DE, Georgia
21. Washington Redskins, Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
22. Houston Texans, Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
23. Minnesota Vikings, Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
24. Cincinnati Bengals, Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky
25. Pittsburgh Steelers, Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
26. Seattle Seahawks, Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA
27. Green Bay Packers, Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas
28. Kansas City Chiefs, Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor
29. Arizona Cardinals, Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss
30. Carolina Panthers, William Jackson III, CB, Houston
31. Denver Broncos, Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech
New Orleans Saints later picks
New Orleans Saints 2nd round pick projection,
Joshua Perry, OLB, Ohio State
New Orleans Saints 3rd round pick projection,
Bronson Kaufusi, DE, Brigham Young
New Orleans Saints 4th round pick projection,
De'Runnya Wilson, WR, Mississippi State
New Orleans Saints 5th round pick projection,
Connor McGovern, OG, Missouri
New Orleans Saints 7th round projection,
Cre'von LeBlanc, CB/return man, Florida Atlantic
Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDetillier