The NFC South features some of the best teams in the NFL, and that wouldn’t be the case if they didn’t know how to draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are obviously reigning Super Bowl champions, while the New Orleans Saints have had one of the best rosters in football over the past three or four seasons. However, there is no such thing as a truly complete team, and each one of these teams needs some kind of help in the NFL Draft.
One Need For Every NFC South Team In the NFL Draft
Carolina Panthers – Offensive Tackle
The Carolina Panthers gave up a decent haul for Sam Darnold, which means that they probably won’t be addressing the quarterback position this year. Darnold was one of the league’s least efficient quarterbacks throughout his time in New York, but the Jets didn’t give him any type of support. The Panthers already have a great receiving duo in Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore, but the offensive line could improve. With an early run on quarterbacks expected, there is a chance that one of Penei Sewell or Rashawn Slater fall to Carolina. If that happens, they’ll need to pull the trigger and grab their franchise tackle.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Running Back
You know you’re in a pretty good place when running back is the biggest need on the team. The defending Super Bowl champions have one of the best rosters in all of football, and there really isn’t a pressing need at any other position. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones are fine runners, but neither player does much of anything in the pass game.
Giovani Bernard is not a long-term solution, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn looked pretty terrible when on the field. Running backs simply aren’t worth first-round picks in today’s NFL, so Tampa might miss out of the top of the class. However, they could probably grab someone like Kenneth Gainwell out of Memphis in the second or third round.
[pickup_prop id=”5181″]
New Orleans Saints – Wide Receiver
New Orleans’ endless quest to find a competent receiver opposite Michael Thomas continues into 2021. This team lost a lot of key players over the offseason, with Drew Brees being the most notable. However, Jameis Winston is set to take over the role, and he does have a track record of modest success with Tampa Bay. That said, he’ll need some more help, as he’s not good enough to do it all on his own. This is a good receiver class, and the Saints could probably grab someone like Rashod Bateman with their first-round pick.
Atlanta Falcons – EDGE
The Atlanta Falcons need help at just about every position. While they weren’t quite as bad as their record would indicate, they’re still a ways away from competing for the division. With the team financially committed to Matt Ryan for the next few seasons, Atlanta should spend the last few years of his prime trying to build up a defense. Every level of the defense could use some improvement, but EDGE is the biggest need.
Atlanta will probably have to wait until the second round to address this concern. The Falcons currently own the fourth-overall pick in the draft and there simply isn’t an edge defender worth taking that high. Assuming they don’t trade back, the Falcons could improve the offense with Kyle Pitts in the first and wait to see if someone like Jaelan Phillips drops to the second.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
