The 2017 NFL Draft is hours away, and Niner Noise gives you our NFL power rankings just before all 32 teams look to make significant rookie-talent additions. Who sits at the top and where do the San Francisco 49ers fall into place?
NFL power rankings might seem a bit silly this time of year, since there is so much left undecided heading into the NFL Draft.
Speaking of the draft, the 2017 version kicks off on April 27 from Philadelphia.
It’s a chance for each team around the league to substantially upgrade their respective rosters and to undergo the ever-changing landscape of team makeup.
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Sitting comfortably at the top, of course, are the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. A few bottom-dwelling teams are vying for the “worst of the worst” in our NFL power rankings just before the draft.
Are the San Francisco 49ers one of them?
Well, they’re nowhere close to the top. But there are a few teams one should consider inferior to the red and gold right now.
The entire NFL power rankings landscape will change once the draft is complete, and one can bet Niner Noise will issue yet another post-draft ranking at some point in the not-so-distant future.
But until then, let’s start off with what we know right now at the very bottom of the league.
If there is good news for the Cleveland Browns, it’s the fact they own the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and have another first rounder at No. 12 overall.
Those are two chances to land top-tier talent for a team in utter need of it.
Chances are, the Browns take Texas A&M EDGE Myles Garrett at No. 1 and uses the second first-round pick to select the best player available.
And yet the Browns could mess this up. Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported the Browns are considering North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky at No. 1, since they don’t feel he’ll be around at No. 12.
Passing on Garrett here would certainly keep Cleveland at the very bottom of NFL power rankings post NFL Draft.
The New York Jets might be have a better 2016 record than many of the teams sitting towards the cellar, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fall in NFL power rankings.
New York owns the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, but it’s anyone’s guess how it will be spent.
Even more discerning is the fact we don’t know if the Jets are going through a rebuild or reconstructing the roster around what they currently have. The defensive front, with Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson, is nowhere near as dominant as it used to be. And the secondary got almost nothing out of cornerback Darrelle Revis last year.
Yes, there are needs aplenty here.
Quarterback is one of those needs. But is New York in a position to take another shot at a signal-caller early in the draft, all the while negating other pressing needs?
It’s not a good position to be in, which is why the Jets fall in the rankings.
The Los Angeles Rams brought in young head coach Sean McVay to install something resembling an offense in 2017.
Los Angeles hopes running back Todd Gurley can get beyond his sophomore slump from a year ago, as well as quarterback Jared Goff turning a page in year two of his NFL career.
Speaking of Goff, the Rams will be hindered by the trade that landed Goff first overall in last year’s draft. Los Angeles doesn’t have a first-round pick in 2017, which means they’ll bank on deeper classes at various positions to supplement a problematic offense.
The problem is most of the depth is found on defense, and the Rams are pretty good there. The draft’s only deep offensive position is at running back. And unless Los Angeles is ready to give up on Gurley, finding another tailback only serves to add depth.
Unless the Rams find some gems in the middle rounds, it’s likely they’ll stay towards the bottom of NFL power rankings for most of 2017.
The Jay Cutler era in Chicago has officially ended, and the Bears are putting their faith in quarterback Mike Glennon to see the team through whatever faces them over the next few seasons.
But Glennon hasn’t started a game since 2014, so one can easily see how this acquisition could be a problem.
Chicago won’t have the services of wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who departed the team via free agency this offseason. That’s one area of need in the NFL Draft, but the secondary is also a concern.
The Bears could go with a quarterback in Round 1, which would be a reach at No. 3 overall. Or they can try to land a standout defensive back like safety Jamal Adams or cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
In all likelihood though, 2017 is going to be a long, long year for Bears fans as the team looks to rebuild.
All those defensive free-agent acquisitions over the past two offseasons, and the Jacksonville Jaguars still carry plenty of questions on the defensive side of the ball entering this year’s NFL Draft.
The front seven is of primary concern here, and the Jags could use an impact player to anchor the defensive front. One more piece or two, and the Jaguars might actually boast a strong defense this season. This unit is close, if not totally good just yet.
And yet there are still plenty of issues on offense as well. Quarterback Blake Bortles isn’t the answer, and as long as he’s under center, the offensive production will be problematic.
Chances are, Jacksonville doesn’t worry itself with adding a quarterback early in the NFL Draft. The Jaguars will give Bortles one more chance to prove himself this season.
If he can’t, look at 2018 as the time for the Jags to make a change under center.
The 49ers jump a couple of spots largely due to the addition of a number of offensive free agents which, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (h/t KNBR 680), improved the “middle class” of San Francisco’s roster.
These additions will make the Niners a better team in 2017 under head coach Kyle Shanahan. But they’ll still win only five or six games, at most, this season.
Armed with the No. 2 overall pick, general manager John Lynch will likely have his choice of any player in the NFL Draft not named Myles Garrett. That’s a good position to be in, and it could improve if the 49ers are able to trade down in Round 1.
Like a number of teams at the bottom of NFL power rankings, the 49ers are in rebuild mode. They’ve already started the process of clearing out roster excess, which has left the cupboard pretty bare. Even quarterback Colin Kaepernick is nowhere in the picture.
But that’s the place to start, and San Francisco climbs in our rankings since the team has started to show it’s heading in the right direction.
Finally.
The Los Angeles Chargers are one of those frustrating teams that should be vastly better than their record indicates.
On the positive side, the Chargers boast one of the best one-two punches up front with defensive end Joey Bosa and EDGE Melvin Ingram combining to create a formidable pass rush. But the secondary is a bit of a question mark, so it’s easy to see why the Chargers defense was vulnerable last season.
Yet the bigger problems reside on offense. Quarterback Philip Rivers was under a great deal of pressure last year to perform. He lacks protection up front and could use some more weapons at his disposal.
Unfortunately, this year doesn’t provide a lot of surefire offensive line prospects via the NFL Draft. It’s possible Los Angeles still has to deal with Rivers taking a good deal of sacks — not ideal for a 35-year-old quarterback.
If the Chargers were in any other division than the AFC West, they’d probably stand a little higher in NFL power rankings.
But their record from last year tells us a lot, and it’s going to be difficult to see vast changes despite the move to L.A.
One might think the Cincinnati Bengals would have enough offensive firepower to ensure 2016 was more of an anomaly than an indication of what to expect this upcoming season.
Sure, quarterback Andy Dalton is good enough for regular-season play. But the problem here entering 2017 is up front along the offensive line.
Cincinnati let O-linemen Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth walk this offseason. And we’ve already pointed out how thin the NFL Draft is along the offensive line.
It’s not likely the Bengals will find worthwhile replacements to protect Dalton and open up the running game once more. And everything starts to fall apart, offensively, from this unit forward.
Unless Cincinnati can somehow make significant defensive upgrades to make up for offensive shortcomings, it’s likely the Bengals’ 2016 woes will carry into this season.
The good news — the New Orleans Saints boast two first-round picks in this NFL Draft. The bad news — they had to jettison one of their better wide receivers, Brandin Cooks, to do so.
As long as quarterback Drew Brees is under center, the Saints will be competitive. But at 38 years old, Brees’ days are numbered, and it’s only a matter of time before New Orleans has to start thinking about his replacement.
If the team hasn’t already.
But this year’s NFL Draft shouldn’t worry about a quarterback. Not yet, at least.
Instead, both of the Saints’ first-round draft picks should be used on defense — a putrid unit carrying over from 2016.
Ideally, the Saints use a pick to address the front seven and another to help out the secondary. And subsequent picks should round out the defensive depth chart.
If these prospects wind up making something of an impact, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Saints make some headway in NFL power rankings throughout the upcoming season.
The Buffalo Bills are one wide receiver away from having a pretty good offense.
With quarterback Tyrod Taylor returning, and wide receiver Sammy Watkins looking to bounce back in 2017, the Bills offense could actually be a solid group with this addition via the draft.
Tack on running back LeSean McCoy, and we can see why.
Yet the main problem — and primary reason why the Bills drop in our NFL power rankings — is on defense.
Sure, the Bills brought in former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to “right the ship” here. But Buffalo lost key defensive contributors Zach Brown and Stephon Gilmore this offseason and wasn’t able to replace them via free agency.
The good news is both Brown and Gilmore’s positions are relatively deep in this year’s draft, so the Bills shouldn’t have much trouble tabling those needs until the middle rounds.
An early pick in the draft should go to a playmaking wide receiver.
Quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are going to give it one more year to see if the Arizona Cardinals can win a Super Bowl.
One of the NFL’s darling teams in 2015, the Cardinals fell flat a season ago as age started to show.
Palmer needs a replacement sooner rather than later, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see Arizona try to land someone like Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes early in the NFL Draft. Such a move will help matters down the road, but it solves nothing right now.
In Round 2, the Cardinals would be wise to find a wide receiver to replace Fitzgerald. Depth at running back would help too. If No. 1 tailback David Johnson suffered a major injury, this offense would go stagnant in a hurry.
And the defense, well, it was up and down last season. Placing the franchise tag on EDGE Chandler Jones was smart. Letting defensive end Calais Campbell walk in free agency was a wise move too.
Still, the Cardinals are dangerously close to heading in the wrong direction, which puts even more pressure to deliver in the NFL Draft.
The Panthers’ lackluster 2016 campaign might be due more to a post-Super Bowl hangover than anything else.
Sure, injuries to players like linebacker Luke Kuechly hurt matters a bunch. And one has to think the level of talent Carolina carries over into 2017 should make the Panthers more than capable of bouncing back this season.
Still, this is far from a perfect roster. The Panthers secondary has largely overachieved in recent years, and it’s a reasonable assumption the team still hasn’t gotten over the departure of cornerback Josh Norman.
The Panthers manage to climb in our NFL power rankings because they only need a few key parts in the NFL Draft — an offensive lineman, a cornerback and a running back.
In an ideal world, LSU tailback Leonard Fournette falls to Carolina at No. 8 overall. Fournette would take a lot of pressure off quarterback Cam Newton and would make the Panthers offense just as potent as it was during the team’s Super Bowl run two seasons ago.
Other teams might have worn the laughingstock moniker prior to this offseason. But that less-than-desirable accolade now goes to the Washington Redskins.
Yes, even the lowly Browns appear to know what direction they’re headed.
Not so with Washington. The team parted ways with general manager Scot McCloughan for shadowy reasons and also lost wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon via free agency.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins, retained on a franchise tag, doesn’t want to be there anymore. So all the signs are pointing towards a complete implosion in 2017.
Offensively, Cousins and Co. will have to make do without their former offensive coordinator, Sean McVay, who jettisoned for the Rams’ head-coaching gig. And they’ll be without two top-tier receiving targets.
But the main focus will be on defense, where a number of key members are needed within the front seven.
Unless the Redskins can find these pieces via the NFL Draft, 2017 might wind up being a long season in Washington. And it wouldn’t be a shock to see the team fall drastically in NFL power rankings.
The Indianapolis Colts take a hit on our NFL power rankings largely due to the fact their offensive line remains terrible.
Protecting quarterback Andrew Luck — their most prized asset — should have been top priority for new general manager Chris Ballard. And yet his offseason moves didn’t do much to address this pressing need.
And considering what we know about the NFL Draft class along the O-line, it’s not likely any April moves will make much of a difference. Indy’s O-line will be about as bad as it was a year ago. That’s not a good thing.
Defensively, the Colts have to get much younger. Adding defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins helps matters a lot. But Indianapolis still needs to bolster the pass rush and add a few components within the secondary.
Ideally, a first-round pick addresses some O-line worries. The Colts would be wise to spend their next few picks on defensive contributors.
Hopefully all this translates to keeping Luck healthy enough over the course of 2017.
If there was one area of concern to address with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, it was their offensive line.
Putting things bluntly, it was terrible in 2016. One can only think what Minnesota’s record would have been had the team bolstered an above-average unit here.
Bringing in free-agent tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers should help a good deal and keep quarterback Sam Bradford upright and injury free. Those additions alone help push the Vikings up a spot in our NFL power rankings.
Parting ways with running back Adrian Peterson was a smart move too. This year’s NFL Draft provides plenty of options on the ground, and the Vikings could chose one of many prospects to replace an aging, increasingly ineffective Peterson.
As far as the NFL Draft goes, the Vikings would be wise to find a solid guard to bolster the O-line. Another wide receiver to pair with Stefon Diggs would help, and depth along the defensive line could do some good too.
Finding wide receivers this offseason was the No. 1 priority for the Philadelphia Eagles, and they did just that.
Veteran wideouts Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith find their way to Philly and will hopefully give second-year quarterback Carson Wentz a few more weapons at his disposal. Jeffery should be able to contribute nicely, but one has to wonder if Smith’s career-low years with San Francisco are an indication of things to come.
Regardless, this position is improved a bit. But there’s still offensive work to be done.
Running back Darren Sproles will be 34 years old before the season starts, and one has to wonder if the workload catches up to him. Targeting a player like Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey could make a lot of sense for Philadelphia in Round 1.
But another pressing need is at cornerback. As of now, the Eagles don’t have any tried-and-true answers at this position.
Fortunately, this year’s draft is laden with talented corners. A few pickups here should help propel the Eagles up NFL power rankings in coming months.
The Baltimore Ravens could head in either direction away from the middle of the pack in our NFL power rankings.
On one hand, a good number of blue-chip pieces are in place heading into this season. But on the other, the Ravens lack true playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Joe Flacco needs some weapons, especially with the retirement of veteran wideout Steve Smith.
A wide receiver would be a nice priority for Baltimore to have early in the NFL Draft.
One of the ideal targets should be former Clemson wideout Mike Williams, who should be available when the Ravens select at No. 16. If he’s not, look for general manager Ozzie Newsome to add someone like Eastern Carolina’s Zay Jones in Round 2.
Newsome has made magic out of many an NFL Draft, so there shouldn’t be too much of a worry Baltimore gets out of this offseason in good position to contend within the AFC North once again.
Two things propelled the Houston Texans into the playoffs last year — a stout, top-tier defense and a weak AFC South.
Without either, Houston would have been a joke in 2016.
Give credit to the Texans for abandoning the idea Brock Osweiler could be a franchise quarterback. They sent him packing to the Cleveland Browns, which opens up the need under center.
And this is such a pressing need, the Texans can’t climb any higher in our NFL power rankings.
None of the NFL Draft’s quarterbacks are true plug-and-play starters. And Houston doesn’t have anyone lined up to be an effective signal-caller for this season. So it’s probably going to be another frustrating year, offensively, for head coach Bill O’Brien.
The last we checked, quarterback Colin Kaepernick is still waiting for a phone call.
Teams that win Super Bowls based off their defense alone rarely hang onto a year-to-year dominance unless they have something going for them, offensively.
This was the case with the Denver Broncos a year ago, who watched their postseason-return hopes vanish with poor quarterbacking, a porous offensive line and a banged-up running game.
Perhaps 2017 is the year in which general manager John Elway installs quarterback Paxton Lynch, Denver’s 2016 first-round draft pick, under center to replace Trevor Siemian. But either QB will need protection, and that has to be priority No. 1 for the Broncos in the NFL Draft.
The Russell Okung experiment at tackle didn’t work, but the addition of former Oakland Raiders tackle Menelik Watson isn’t exactly an upgrade. He’s a swing tackle, at best, and shouldn’t be viewed as a long-term solution.
Instead, Denver’s first couple of picks should be used to address the offensive line. The team could stand to use an anchor at tackle, and a guard would help matters too.
Depth at running back is also key, and it would be nice to see the Broncos find some tight end production to replace Julius Thomas, whose absence was sorely missed a year ago.
The Tennessee Titans could wind up being a nice little fairy tale in the NFL this season.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota’s performance before his season-ending injury late in 2016 would have been big news if he was playing in a major market. And if he had big-name receivers to help him out, Tennessee’s offense would be flat-out imposing.
That stated, the Titans would be wise to use one of two first-round picks in this year’s NFL Draft to pick up a talented wide receiver.
Someone like Washington’s John Ross or Clemson’s Mike Williams would bolster this group to a great extent. On top of that pickup, Tennessee could use some secondary help and depth. Fortunately, the defensive backfield is something the Titans can address in the middle rounds without missing out on too much talent.
The Titans made some free-agent moves here, but a number of first-round defensive backs could wind up being even more of an upgrade.
If Tennessee goes this route in the draft, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Mariota and Co. make a serious playoff run in 2017.
The Detroit Lions’ collapse in the latter stages of the 2016 season was hard to watch. But in reality, one could have seen it coming. Detroit had a knack for winning close games for the majority of the season. But it isn’t as if this group was vastly superior to knock off competition easily.
And the weaknesses showed late in the year.
Perhaps the Lions will improve a bit, thanks to free agency, after adding offensive linemen T.J. Lang and Rick Wagner. We also learned, last year, quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn’t need wide receiver Calvin Johnson to be effective.
If anything, not having Johnson on the roster forced Stafford to distribute his passes. It worked, and Detroit’s offense was better as a result.
But the Lions defense still remains a major question mark, which is why they slip a spot in our NFL power rankings.
The team needs help within the pass rush in a major way, and it would be a shock not to see Detroit address this early in the draft.
Like the Titans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be one of the darlings of the upcoming season.
Quarterback Jameis Winston is the real deal, and it’s exciting to think what he’ll be capable of doing with up-and-coming wide receiver Mike Evans.
Oh, and the addition of free-agent wideout DeSean Jackson only makes this offense more potent.
True, the Bucs might want to consider moving on from running back Doug Martin this season. Martin will be serving a four-game suspension to start the year, and injuries hindered his performance a season ago.
Thankfully for Tampa Bay, the team can worry about this need later in the NFL Draft.
Outside of that glaring need, the Bucs only need a bit of help along the offensive line and a bit of depth within the defensive front seven. The secondary is good enough, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Tampa Bay compete for the NFC South division crown this year.
Offensively, the Miami Dolphins should be just fine entering 2017.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill finally started to look like more than just an above-average signal-caller. He also will have solid receiving options at his disposal, in wide receiver Kenny Stills and newly acquired tight end Julius Thomas. Both will help.
But the main feature of the offense should be running back Jay Ajayi, who tore up the charts last season en route to becoming one of the more standout tailbacks in the NFL.
Yet the Dolphins drop a spot in our NFL power rankings largely due to their inadequate defense, which largely underperformed last season.
Sure, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is still a force. But even he registered just five sacks in 2016. Cameron Wake, who is 35 years old now, led the team with 11.5 sacks. Should that kind of production be expected to repeat? Not likely.
The pass rush should be a top priority for head coach Adam Gase. Otherwise, we could wind up seeing the Dolphins replicate their defensive numbers from a year ago — 29th in yards allowed (6,122) — which makes one wonder how former defensive coordinator Vance Joseph got a head-coaching job this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers take a notable drop in NFL power rankings before the NFL Draft, largely due to all the weird storylines that accompanied the team throughout the offseason.
First, there was the seemingly never-ending worry quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would retire.
Roethlisberger put that worry to rest on April 7:
Informed the team I am looking forward to my 14th season. Steeler Nation will get my absolute best! — Ben.
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) April 7, 2017
Still, it prompts a question — how much longer does he have in the tank? More pressing, will any sign of weakness start to show?
Another weird tale was that of wide receiver Antonio Brown, whose Facebook Live postgame locker-room footage sparked a controversy all on its own. And the ramifications from that event certainly carried over into the offseason.
On the field, these two are stellar. Keeping running back Le’Veon Bell around for another year on the franchise tag also helps.
Yet the “elephant in the room” here is the Steelers porous defense. Pittsburgh has tried to make efforts to address this in recent seasons — none of which have really panned out.
At least the 2017 NFL Draft is deep enough, defensively, to hope for the better. And if things go well on both sides of the ball Pittsburgh shouldn’t have much trouble climbing back up in NFL power rankings.
The Seattle Seahawks stay put in our NFL power rankings because there isn’t much of a change of issue here.
Seattle’s offensive line remains the No. 1 problem. Simply put, it’s bad. One of the worst in the NFL, if you want to go there.
The Seahawks’ first three picks in the NFL Draft should be used to address the O-line. Aside from center Justin Britt, this group is pretty awful heading into this season. And it’s only a matter of time before quarterback Russell Wilson winds up taking too many sacks and suffers an elongated injury.
While the secondary remains good, the Seahawks might be wise to find their next great cornerback. Those Richard Sherman trade rumors keep floating around. And while a deal likely won’t happen anytime soon, the possibility of such a deal could easily increase with time.
Seattle would also like to tab a running back out of this deep class. The ground game hasn’t quite been the same since the retirement of Marshawn Lynch.
The Seahawks may not be the intimidating force they were only a couple of years ago. But they’re still among the NFL’s elite, and they won’t drop out of the top 10 in NFL power rankings just yet.
The Kansas City Chiefs could well be on their way to regression in 2017, which makes them drop a spot in our NFL power rankings.
Quarterback Alex Smith’s days are starting to wane, and the Chiefs have to start thinking about his replacement at some point in the not-so-distant future. On top of that, performances by players like wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Dee Ford defied expectations. Is it likely these two repeat the same efforts going into this season? Probably not.
But what made the Chiefs so powerful last season was their defense. Retaining safety Eric Berry was the right move, but it came at the expense of defensive tackle Dontari Poe, who went on to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
Perhaps the Chiefs defense remains as prominent as it was last year.
Yet as we saw with the Denver Broncos, top-tier defenses rarely stay as dominant for elongated stretches of time.
There’s still a window here for Kansas City. But it got notably smaller during this offseason.
The New York Giants’ defensive upgrades prior to the 2016 season paid off nicely, and New York rode that momentum to an 11-5 record. Had it not been for the upstart Dallas Cowboys, the Giants might have been able to continue that drive deeper into the postseason.
New York’s defense will be fine this year as well. There isn’t much to worry about here. But where the Giants get a nice jump in our NFL power rankings is almost entirely due to the free-agent pickup of wide receiver Brandon Marshall from the Jets.
Marshall is a great complement to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and Marshall gives yet one more weapon to veteran quarterback Eli Manning.
If there are some issues to worry about with New York this offseason, they reside along the offensive line and in the backfield.
The Giants could use a right tackle — someone ideally suited to play the left side, which would push incumbent tackle, Erek Flowers, over to the right.
A game-changing running back would be nice, although the Giants could settle on a decent contributor in the later rounds.
All said, New York should still be in a solid position to give Dallas a run for its money for the division crown.
If the Dallas Cowboys’ 2016 mantra was the offense protecting the defense, the same theory would have to apply tenfold this season.
A number of free-agent departures, especially within the secondary, force us to drop Dallas down a spot in our NFL power rankings. Gone are the likes of defensive backs Morris Claiborne, Barry Church and Brandon Carr.
Up front, the Cowboys need to move on from disappointing defensive end Randy Gregory, who will likely never meet his expectation level.
The good news is this NFL Draft has plenty of options from which to choose. Dallas can focus either on its defensive front or its secondary and not have to worry too much about either value or reaching.
On top of that, the Cowboys are set on offense for a long time. Quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott are the new faces for this storied franchise, and both should be expected to carry the load well enough throughout 2017.
Dallas may be a bit weaker on defense this season. But the Cowboys should still be fine enough to retain their spot atop the NFC East.
Guess what, Raiders Nation. Quarterback Derek Carr will be back and healthy to lead Oakland into the 2017 campaign.
That alone pushes the Raiders up nicely in our NFL power rankings.
He’ll have motivation too. With the news of the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas, Carr and Co. will want to take every shot to give Northern California Raiders fans a Super Bowl run.
Offensively, Oakland is about set to do this. The offensive line could use a bit of help, as could the running game. While veteran Marshawn Lynch’s status with the team — will he be picked up or not — remains in flux, the Raiders’ next great runner is likely to be found via the NFL Draft.
The same goes for the secondary as well.
Last year, Oakland got by with patchwork pieces in the defensive backfield. While cornerback Sean Smith was a nice offseason pickup a year ago, he needs help on the opposite side. And it wouldn’t hurt for the Raiders to add some promising pieces along their defensive line either.
Fortunately, the NFL Draft is deep at each one of these respective spots, which means general manager Reggie McKenzie shouldn’t have any trouble adding on to one of the more successful NFL rebuilding projects in recent history.
It’s a bit hard to drop the Atlanta Falcons a spot in our NFL power rankings simply because they still have the makeup of a Super Bowl-caliber team heading into this season.
Yes, the gut-wrenching loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI could put quarterback Matt Ryan and Co. into full-on hangover mode — much like what the Panthers went through after suffering an embarrassing defeat in Super Bowl 50.
But let’s bank on head coach Dan Quinn not letting the pity party get out of hand here.
Offensively, the Falcons still have a great deal of pieces in place. Their offensive line remains stout, their running game — with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman — should stay dynamic and the tandem of quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones is just as big a threat as ever.
Defensively, Atlanta would like to pair someone with EDGE Vic Beasley. Beasley is a beast, but one can only think what the Super Bowl results would have been had Beasley not been the lone pass-rushing threat.
It will be interesting to see how the Falcons adjust to the departure of former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who left town to take over the 49ers head-coaching job.
But aside from that, Atlanta looks to be in pretty good shape moving forward.
This selection in our NFL power rankings might be a bit of a reach. But it’s just too hard to find another team right now capable of knocking off the No. 1-slated squad on our list.
The Green Bay Packers are, perhaps, the closest to being a franchise capable of taking over the No. 1 spot right now.
Sure, there were a number of key free-agent losses this offseason. Departurees included offensive tackle T.J. Lang and cornerback Micah Hyde. But Green Bay’s depth along the offensive line is pretty good, and this year’s NFL Draft is deep at cornerback. So neither player’s departure should be a major warning.
Adding tight end Martellus Bennett via free ageny gives quarterback Aaron Rodgers yet one more dynamic weapon. As if Rodgers needed any more.
Green Bay could use a little bit of depth along its front seven, and a cornerback or two would be nice to have as well.
With those pieces, the Packers should be in prime position to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LII.
Until proven otherwise, the Patriots are going to remain atop our NFL power rankings for quite some time. It’s the least that could be said as long as quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick are in town.
And the rich get richer too. New England solved one of its few offensive concerns by adding former Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks with a late first-round draft pick.
Bam! Just like that, the Pats offense gets even more prolific. Cooks has speed to burn, so it’s going to be awfully amazing to see what he can do in New England’s offense.
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Ensuring linebacker Dont’a Hightower stayed put was huge. So was adding cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Defensive end Kony Ealy was a nice trade pickup, and he’ll help with the pass rush a great deal.
Letting tight end Martellus Bennett walk in free agency might be considered a questionable move, especially considering health issues for No. 1 TE Rob Gronkowski. But Bennett’s replacement, Dwayne Allen, had 406 yards and six touchdowns for the Colts last year.
Not a bad No. 2 option at all.
Never getting close to panic mode, the Patriots had one of the better offseasons a team could ask for, which is surprising for most defending Super Bowl champions.
Next: NFL Power Rankings: Post-Super Bowl LI Standings for All 32 Teams
And it wouldn’t be a shock to see New England reaching that same goal once more when 2017 comes to a close.