The 2015 NFL Draft is officially behind us, which should allow us to move forward as we anticipate another exciting NFL season. The new season naturally could bring some new contenders to the field, and could have some other teams taken down a peg or two. We can’t know for sure who will rise or fall just yet, but we can clear up the picture by taking a look at who won and lost this year’s draft.
With that, let’s break down the top winners and losers of the 2015 NFL Draft:
Winners
Cleveland Browns
The Browns left the draft without an answer at quarterback, but the jury is still out on Johnny Manziel. They also failed to land an impact wide receiver, but appear to have addressed every other key need. Danny Shelton and Cameron Erving take care of needs in the trenches, while Nate Orchard helps their pass rush and Duke Johnson gives their running game a boost. Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu may be the steal of the draft when it’s all said and done. Cleveland still has some questions to answer, but they did a terrific job ignoring outside noise and just building out their team.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Gus Bradley enjoyed a fantastic 2015 draft, as he and his Jaguars secured an elite edge rusher in Dante Fowler with their first round pick. They didn’t stop there, as they got the bruising feature back their offense demands via Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon. Yeldon is a serious steal in round two and could be exactly what their balanced offense needs. Offensive guard A.J. Cann was another solid steal in round three, while the Jags continued to be all about value by snagging hometown product Rashad Greene in round five and space-eater Michael Bennett in round six. From top to bottom, the Jags may have had the best draft based on immediate impact and total value.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta needed a pass rusher and they got a total stud with Clemson edge rusher, Vic Beasley. He stands out the most in their 2015 draft class, but they landed stud corner Jalen Collins to give their shaky pass defense a major boost and also beefed up their running game with the electrifying Tevin Coleman. That’s three impact players for rookie head coach Dan Quinn in what should go down as a very solid draft.
Houston Texans
The Texans only miss in this draft was failing to acquire some much-needed offensive line depth, but they otherwise hit home run after home run. Kevin Johson is a fine cornerback prospect that will round out their secondary, Benardrick McKinney can pair with Brian Cushing in the middle of their 3-4 defense and Jaelen Strong can be a long-term Andre Johnson replacement. Kenny Hilliard was even a solid steal in round seven to provide the offensive backfield with more depth.
Miami Dolphins
Miami landed an impact wide receiver in DeVante Parker and a powerful defensive tackle in Jordan Phillips to pair with Ndamukong Suh for the future. Both picks were solid values, but their value didn’t touch their fifth round selection of running back Jay Ajayi. Ajayi has a shaky injury history but was insanely productive at Boise State and could be one of the top steals of this year’s draft. Overall, Miami did a fantastic job addressing all of their key needs with just seven picks.
Minnesota Vikings
Already a team seemingly on the rise, the Vikings beefed up a solid defense even more with key additions, Eric Kendricks and Trae Waynes. Those two are likely impact starters, while T.J. Clemmings was a steal in round four that could help a shaky offensive line. Minnesota already has the makings of a playoff contender, especially if Adrian Peterson stays in town.
Losers
Buffalo Bills
Rex Ryan’s first draft was quite underwhelming, as the Bills had just six picks to use and arguably grabbed zero impact players. Ronald Darby, their best prospect, comes in at a position the Bills were already stacked at (cornerback). Buffalo still has no answer at quarterback, either.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina might be teetering on the fence here, but they simply didn’t make a splash in this draft. They took Shaq Thompson and Devin Funchess, two guys without true positions, and failed to address defensive end or cornerback. If Funchess can’t be a wide receiver at the NFL level, they failed to land another impact wideout, too, while they waited until round four to take their lone offensive lineman in this draft.
Green Bay Packers
Ted Thompson reached for a safety when he had two already, then drafted a basketball player in round two. In round three he selected a wide receiver when the Packers already have at least three legit options and he later grabbed a quarterback when he has Aaron Rodgers. For a team that sorely needed a lot of pieces on defense, Thompson failed the Packers this year.
Indianapolis Colts
Indy reached for a wide receiver in round one and failed to land any legit impact players on defense. They were stacked at receiver and badly needed to improve in various spots on defense, so they’re an easy pick for this side of the winner/loser debate.
Philadelphia Eagles
Chip Kelly and co. came out of the draft without Marcus Mariota, and after offering half of their picks and a bunch of their players to try to make it happen, they couldn’t even save face. The Eagles did land an impact wide receiver and addressed some needs, but no Mariota should leave fans quite disappointed.
While other teams had good or average drafts, the teams above best fit into a clear “winner” or “loser” slot. Think someone else deserves to be mentioned above? Let us hear it in the comments below!
