The 80th annual NFL Draft kicks off this Thursday at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, Illinois. The draft will be broadcasted on ESPN and the NFL Network. Round one begins at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, rounds two and three start at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, and rounds four through seven start at 12 p.m. on Saturday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had the worst record in the NFL this past season, will select first.
Where players are going to be selected is a mystery, as many teams spread false rumors about trades and players in order to gain leverage on other teams. Some of the top prospects include USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams, Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White, Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, and Heisman winner Marcus Mariota from Oregon.
The two local New York teams, the Jets and the Giants will look to revamp their rosters. The Jets have the sixth overall pick and will be able to pick up a player in the draft to build up a young roster. Quarterback, offensive linemen, and outside linebacker are likely positions that the Jets will look to address this weekend. The Jets have been linked to both quarterbacks, tackle Andrus Peat, and running back Todd Gurley. Star Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson has also been rumored to be on the “trade block” as the two parties have not been able to come to an agreement on a new contract.
The Giants also have a high draft pick, at 9th overall; The giants are likely to select a safety, offensive linemen, or a defensive end. Peat has also been linked to the Giants, as well as lineman Brandon Scherff and linebacker Bud Dupree.
UPDATE
12:15 PM 5/4/15
With the completion of the 2015 NFL Draft, all 32 teams look forward to their respective offseason programs and minicamps that will take place over the next few months.
As expected, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota went with the first two picks of the draft, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans, respectively. The New York Jets selected defensive lineman Leonard Williams out of the University of Southern California with the sixth overall pick in the draft. Despite having spent 4 out of their last 6 first round picks on defensive lineman, the Jets feel like he will proved a solid pass-rush threat for the team.He was touted to be the “best defensive player in the draft” by many anonymous scouts and front-office executives. In the second round, the Jets selected wide receiver Devin Smith out of Ohio State University. He is a quick and agile pass-catcher that hopefully will be able to “take the top off a defense”, playing with Eric Decker and newly-acquired Brandon Marshall.
The Giants selected offensive lineman Ereck Flowers out of Miami with the ninth overall pick in the draft. He is known as a mauling blocker with high upside, however, Flowers was not the “best player available” at the time, according to many draft experts. He was projected to be drafted towards the end of the first round. The Giants traded up to select safety Landon Collins out of Alabama in the second round. He was widely considered as a first-round talent.
