Just In: Patriots select Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas with 32nd pick – Boston Herald
Stay here for pick-by-pick analysis as the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft unfolds Thursday night in Chicago. The event is being broadcast live on TV by both the NFL Network and ESPN. The Patriots enter the night with the No. 32 pick, which most expect to come around at roughly 11:30.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
Skinny: With solid receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, the Buccaneers are hoping this Winston can be the long-term answer to this quarterback starved franchise.
2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Skinny: Not satisfied with Zach Mettenberger’s rookie performance, the Titans went with a player who has excellent athleticism and runs the up-tempo spread as well as anyone.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dante Fowler, Jr., Edge, Florida
Skinny: Dominant pass rushers are difficult to pass up, and the Jaguars feel they found one in Fowler, who made 8.5 sacks as a senior.
4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Skinny: The Raiders like what they have in young quarterback David Carr, and Cooper projects as his versatile, long-term favorite target.
5. Washington Redskins: Brandon Scherff, OL, Iowa
Skinny: Offensive line is a longtime need for Washington, and Scherff is one of the strongest players in the class with the ability to play either tackle or guard.
6. New York Jets: Leonard Williams, DL, Southern Cal
Skinny: The Jets strengthen a strength with a player whom many consider the top overall talent in the draft.
7. Chicago Bears: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
Skinny: It may not be long until the Bears part ways with quarterback Jay Cutler, but White’s a big and explosive option for any signal-caller.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson
Skinny: The Falcons were tied for second-worst in total sacks last season and Beasley made 33 in his career at Clemson to go along with a strong NFL Combine performance.
9. New York Giants: Ereck Flowers, OL, Miami (Fla.)
Skinny: Trying to fill a need of a shaky offensive line in recent years, the Giants went with a 6-foot-6, 329-pounder who can play either right or left tackle.
10. St. Louis Rams: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
Skinny: Although Tre Mason had a strong rookie season for the Rams in 2014, Gurley, who is coming off an ACL injury, plays with a rare combination of speed and strength.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
Skinny: The top-rated corner by many, Waynes performed well on an island this past season with his physical brand of man coverage.
12. Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
Skinny: Interior defensive line was a need, and this 6-foot-2, 339-pounder is a natural nose tackle.
13. New Orleans Saints: Andrus Peat, OL, Stanford
Skinny: The Saints can never have enough protection for aging quarterback Drew Brees, and the 6-foot-7, 313-pound Peat may provide that.
14. Miami Dolphins: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
Skinny: With the departure of Brian Hartline to the Browns in free agency, the Dolphins believe they have found quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s next weapon.
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15. San Diego Chargers (from San Francisco 49ers): Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
Skinny: The Chargers wanted to take some of the pressure off quarterback Philip Rivers with some help in the backfield and Gordon is a breakaway threat.
16. Houston Texans: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
Skinny: The Texans were solid against the pass last year and could get better as Johnson is one of the more complete corners in this class.
17. San Francisco 49ers (from San Diego Chargers): Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
Skinny: The 49ers are getting a versatile player who can play multiple spots along the line but whose production was questioned at times.
18. Kansas City Chiefs: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
Skinny: If it weren’t for some troubling off-the-field issues, Peters may have been the first cornerback taken.
19. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo Bills): Cam Erving, OL, Florida State
Skinny: The Browns are prioritizing line play on both sides of the ball, as the versatile, 6-foot-5, 313-pound Erving can play any position along the front.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: Nelson Agholor, WR, Southern Cal
Skinny: The Eagles lost Jeremy Maclin to the Chiefs via free agency, so the speedy Agholor is a logical choice.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Cedric Ogbuehi, OL, Texas A&M
Skinny: Current left tackle Andrew Whitworth is 33 years old, and Ogbuehi, who is coming off a knee injury, could be the heir apparent.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Edge, Kentucky
Skinny: With a defense that has gotten older and worse over the last few seasons, the Steelers picked a player whose stock rose rapidly toward the latter course of the process.
23. Denver Broncos (from Detroit Lions): Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri
Skinny: The Broncos moved up aggressively to take a pass rusher who doesn’t have great length at 6-foot-2, 245 pounds but produced at a high level in college.
24. Arizona Cardinals: D.J. Humphries, OL, Florida
Skinny: Oft-injured, 36-year-old quarterback Carson Palmer will welcome the protection from this athletic, 6-foot-5, 307-pounder.
25. Carolina Panthers: Shaq Thompson, DB/LB, Washington
Skinny: The Panthers are getting one of the more unique defensive players in the draft as Thompson could either play safety or outside linebacker.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida
Skinny: After losing the speedy Torrey Smith in free agency to the 49ers, the Ravens may have good value in Perriman, who slipped a tad further than some projected.
27. Dallas Cowboys: Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
Skinny: The Cowboys have struck out with some recent picks at corner and hope to have better luck with Jones, who opened some eyes at the NFL Combine.
28. Detroit Lions (from Denver Broncos): Laken Tomlinson, OL, Duke
Skinny: Tomlinson, who has designs on becoming a brain surgeon after his football career, is a predictably intelligent player who didn’t allow a sack his last two years.
29. Indianapolis Colts: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami (Fla.)
Skinny: The Colts released the seemingly ageless Reggie Wayne and look back to the “U” for a future replacement in this speedster.
30. Green Bay Packers: Damarious Randall, DB, Arizona State
Skinny: The Packers hit gold with safety Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix in last year’s draft and Randall could pair up with him to make a formidable safety tandem.
31. New Orleans Saints (from Seattle Seahawks): Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson
Skinny: Rob Ryan’s defense badly needed an upgrade and Anthony wasn’t projected to go this high by many but had an impressive NFL Combine.
32. New England Patriots: Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas
Skinny: The Patriots lost Vince Wilfork to the Texans and immediately look for his replacement in Brown, who can be effectibve in either a 3-4 or 4-3 defense.
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