aNewDomain — The four-day extravaganza known as the NFL Draft starts Thursday, giving bad teams the chance to restock and good teams an opportunity to fill their needs and contend again.
To prepare fans for the draft, we’ve compiled the first-round projections of six experts: ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, NFL.com, Sam Farmer from the Los Angeles Times, Rob Rang from CBS Sportsline and Brian Baldinger from FOX Sports.
We’re also included a consensus of the six selections for each team. Remember that the list doesn’t take trades into consideration, and there’s always one or two of them in the first round.
1. Tampa Bay
Mel Kiper, ESPN: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
Todd McShay, ESPN: Winston
NFL.com: Winston
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: Winston
Rob Rang, CBS Sports: Winston
Brian Baldinger, FOX Sports: Winston
Consensus: The Bucs pin their offense’s future on the wild card Winston.
2. Tennessee
Kiper: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
McShay: Mariota
NFL.com: Mariota
Farmer: Mariota
Rang: Mariota
Baldinger: Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
Concensus: This pick is the subject of much speculation, including the possibility of Phillip Rivers coming over from San Diego. Or maybe the Titans grab Mariota and keep him.
3. Jacksonville
Kiper: Leonard Williams, DE, USC
McShay: Fowler Jr., Florida
NFL.com: Williams
Farmer: Williams
Rang: Williams
Baldinger: Williams
Consensus: Jacksonville will get a pass rusher and it appears to be Leonard Williams.
4. Oakland
Kiper: Omari Cooper, WR, Alabama
McShay: Cooper
NFL.com: Cooper
Farmer: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
Rang: Cooper
Baldinger: White
Consensus: The Raiders can’t miss with the speedy Omari Cooper.
5. Washington
Kiper: Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
McShay: Shane Ray, LB, Missouri
NFL.com: Fowler Jr.
Farmer: Fowler Jr.
Rang: Fowler Jr.
Baldinger: Ray
Consensus: Dante Fowler Jr.’s presence is one step toward getting the Redskins’ defense back on track.
6. New York Jets
Kiper: Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
McShay: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
NFL.com: Bud Dupree, LB, Kentucky
Farmer: Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
Rang: Scherff
Baldinger: Gurley
Consensus: Either the massive Brandon Scherff or shifty Todd Gurley will help the sad-sack Jets.
7. Chicago
Kiper: White, West Virginia
McShay: Williams, USC
NFL.com: White, West Virginia
Farmer: Cooper, Alabama
Rang: White
Baldinger: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
Consensus: Trading Brandon Marshall during the offseason created a need that Kevin White will be asked to help fill.
8. Atlanta
Kiper: Vic Beasley, LB, Clemson
McShay: Gregory, Nebraska
NFL.com: Beasley
Farmer: Beasley
Rang: Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky
Baldinger: Dupree
Consensus: The Falcons also need to upgrade their defense and will do so with Vic Beasley.
9. New York Giants
Kiper: Ray, Missouri
McShay: Scherff, Iowa
NFL.com: Shelton, Washington
Farmer: Scherff
Rang: Gregory, Nebraska
Baldinger: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
Consensus: If Scherff doesn’t go to the Jets, the rival Giants will grab him.
10. St. Louis
Kiper: Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida
McShay: White, West Virginia
NFL.com: Peat, Stanford
Farmer: La’El Collins, OT, LSU
Rang: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
Baldinger: Collins, OT, LSU
Consensus: The Rams shore up their offensive line with La’El Collins or wide receiver spot with Breshard Perriman.
11. Minnesota
Kiper: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
McShay: Waynes
NFL.com: Scherff, Iowa
Farmer: Landon Collins, S, Alabama
Rang: Waynes
Baldinger: Cooper, Alabama
Consensus: In a division filled with pass-happy offenses, the Vikings shore up their coverage with cornerback Trae Waynes.
12. Cleveland
Kiper: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
McShay: Parker
NFL.com: Parker
Farmer: Parker
Rang: Parker
Baldinger: Mariota, Oregon
Consensus: Whoever ends up quarterbacking the Browns looks to have DeVante Parker among his receivers.
13. New Orleans
Kiper: Gregory, Nebraska
McShay: Beasley, Clemson
NFL.com: Gregory
Farmer: Ray, Missouri
Rang: Beasley
Baldinger: Beasley
Consensus: Defense everywhere. If Beasley s already gone, the Saints look to go with linebacker Randy Gregory.
14. Miami
Kiper: Shelton, Washington
McShay: Perriman, Central Florida
NFL.com: Collins, OT, LSU
Farmer: Waynes, Michigan State
Rang: Gurley, Georgia
Baldinger: Waynes, Michigan State
Consensus: Since Waynes will probably be off the board, Miami could go with defensive tackle Danny Shelton.
15. San Francisco
Kiper: Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
McShay: Armstead
NFL.com: Armstead
Farmer: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
Rang: Collins, CB, LSU
Baldinger: Scherff, Iowa
Consensus: San Francisco has major needs in the pass-rushing department, so Arik Armstead is the choice.
16. Houston
Kiper: Dupree, Kentucky
McShay: Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
NFL.com: Perriman, Central Florida
Farmer: Dupree
Rang: Ray, Missouri
Baldinger: Parker, Louisville
Consensus: The Texans go with Bud Dupree to complement J.J. Watt in the pass-rushing department.
17. San Diego
Kiper: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
McShay: Shelton, Washington
NFL.com: D.J. Humprhies, OT, Florida
Farmer: Gurley, Georgia
Rang: Armstead, Oregon
Baldinger: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
Consensus: Where’s the consensus here? Maybe Malcom Brown from Texas.
18. Kansas City
Kiper: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
McShay: Cameron Erving, C, Florida State
NFL.com: Waynes, Michigan State
Farmer: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
Rang: Eric Rowe, CB, Utah
Baldinger: Armstead, Oregon
Consensus: Again, no consensus, so wide receiver Jaelen Strong makes sense.
19. Cleveland
Kiper: Gurley, Georgia
McShay: Brown, Texas
NFL.com: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
Farmer: Armstead, Oregon
Rang: Shelton, Washington
Baldinger: Brown
Conensus: If Todd Gurley is still on the board, he could be the choice.
20. Philadelphia
Kiper: Collins, Alabama
McShay: Collins, Alabama
NFL.com: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami
Farmer: Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon
Rang: Collins, OT, LSU
Baldinger: Strong, Arizona State
Consensus: Landon Collins is the selection to shore up the Eagles secondary.
21. Cincinnati
Kiper: Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
McShay: Peat, Stanford
NFL.com: Ray, Missouri
Farmer: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
Rang: Peat
Baldinger: Collins, Alabama
Consensus: Offensive linemen Andrus Peat or T.J. Cummings are primed for this spot.
22. Pittsburgh
Kiper: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
McShay: Dupree, Kentucky
NFL.com: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
Farmer: Johnson
Rang: Johnson
Baldinger: Peters
Consensus: Kevin Johnson would be an upgrade in the secondary.
23. Detroit
Kiper: Collins, OT, LSU
McShay: Collins, OT, LSU
NFL.com: Brown, Texas
Farmer: Brown
Rang: Brown
Baldinger: Flowers, Miami
Consensus: The Lions need to shore up their line and Ereck Flowers is the best on the board here.
24. Arizona
Kiper: Gordon, Wisconsin
McShay: Johnson, Wake Forest
NFL.com: Johnson
Farmer: Gordon
Rang: Gordon
Baldinger: Gregory, Nebraska
Consensus: Melvin Gordon is the exact kind of running back the Cardinals need.
25. Carolina
Kiper: Humphries, Florida
McShay: Flowers, Miami
NFL.com: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
Farmer: Humphries
Rang: Humphries
Baldinger: Humphries
Consensus: A bad offensive line would be improved by D.J. Humphries.
26. Baltimore
Kiper: Peters, Washington
McShay: Gordon, Wisconsin
NFL.com: Gurley, Georgia
Farmer: Strong, Arizona State
Rang: Perriman, Central Florida
Baldinger: Johnson, Wake Forest
Consensus: If Breshad Perriman hasn’t found a spot, he’ll go here.
27. Dallas
Kiper: Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
McShay: Jones
NFL.com: Gordon, Wisconsin
Farmer: Peters, Washington
Rang: Peters
Baldinger: Goldman, Florida State
Consensus: Cowboys need help at corner, which means either Marcus Peters or Byron Jones.
28. Denver
Kiper: Erving, Florida State
McShay: Humphries, Florida
NFL.com: Fisher, Oregon
Farmer: Flowers, Miami
Rang: Clemmings, Pittsburgh
Baldinger: Erving
Consensus: Cameron Erving has the ability to play a couple positions along the offensive line.
29. Indianapolis
Kiper: Peat, Stanford
McShay: Eli Harold, LB, Virginia
NFL.com: Flowers, Miami
Farmer: Harold, LB, Virginia
Rang: Collins, Alabama
Baldinger: Harold
Consensus: Indianapolis helps its defense with linebacker Eli Harold.
30. Green Bay
Kiper: Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
McShay: Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA
NFL.com: Collins, CB, LSU
Farmer: Kendricks
Rang: Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
Baldinger: Collins, CB, LSU
Consensus: Again, in a pass-happy division, cornerback Jalen Collins is a solid choice.
31. New Orleans
Kiper: Agholor, USC
McShay: Dorsett, Miami
NFL.com: Agholor
Farmer: Perriman, Central Florida
Rang: Jones, Connecticut
Baldinger: Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
Consensus: USC receiver Nelson Agholor fills a need.
32. New England
Kiper: Goldman, Florida State
McShay: Peters, Washington
NFL.com: Collins, Alabama
Farmer: Goldman
Rang: Erving, Florida State
Baldinger: Preston Smith, DE, Mississippi State
Consensus: The Super Bowl champs go with defensive tackle Eddie Goldman.
For aNewDomain, I’m Rodney Campbell.
Photo of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston by Mike Ewen.
