Welcome to the start of the NFL Season, the Draft!

Believe it or not, the process leading up to the NFL Draft started last preseason, when all of the team scouts gathered to share the plan for collegiate scouting all across the country. They looked at offensive tackles, inside linebackers, and each and every special teams player to formulate an idea for how their team should attack the draft based only on a big board, an entire list of the top prospects of the country. Next, back at their headquarters, teams missed the playoffs, won the Super Bowl, had injuries, lacked certain depth at certain positions, players performed great, players failed to live up to potential, and everything else happened during the course of the regular season. Scouts, the front office, and the coaching staff have met before the pro days, scouting combines, and other individual training sessions, and have fully formulated a answer to the most crucial question: “team needs or individual talent?”.

Teams always approach the draft differently. However, specific positions have to be addressed in the draft, but sometimes, a player might just have so much sheer talent you can’t afford to let them pass. One example could be what the Patriots did a couple years ago. They drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. One might think to themselves “Oh yeah, quarterback is a pressing need in the first few rounds when you have a such lack of talent at the position”. However, Belichick and company saw something in the young thrower and decided that individual talent trumped team needs, and they could address it in the later rounds.

Below, I will make the decision in a mock draft of what teams I believe will take picks based on team needs, and then individual talent. Let’s get to it!