The NFL Draft marks one of the best weekends of the year.  Spring has sprung, longer days of the summer are almost here, and fall football will be back before you know it.
                              
It's also time for lots of teams to get ready to address their current and present needs.  I'll focus on the local teams needs.
                               
(1) Bills: Lots of holes, I don't know where to start.  RB Willis McGahee was traded.  LB London Fletcher-Baker and CB Nate Clements were lost to free agency.                          

Expect the Bills to go after Pittsburgh CB Darrelle Revis and try to draft running backs in later rounds.  However, if Adrian Peterson or Marshawn Lynch drop, they might be too tempting to pass up.

(2) Jets: Tight end.

Free agent RB Tommy Jones from the Bears was huge for the Jets and "already gelling with the guys" according to Nick Mangold who was on Stephen A. Smith's show on ESPN 1050 AM on Wednesday.  Stephen A's former co-host Brandon Tierrany made a great point last summer that the Jets needed to get (draft/trade/sign) a running back.  If the Jets had a successor to Curtis Martin, they could have gone farther if they did last season.                   
                                                                   
Expect the Jets to address other needs like tight end.  Miami (The U)'s TE Greg Olsen who runs a 4.51 second 40 yard dash.  If still available, Olsen would be a perfect possession target for Chad Pennington.                                            

(3) Giants: Linebacker.

RB Tiki Barber retired and let go of OLB Carlos Emmons and LaVar Arrington.  

Expect new GM Jerry Resse to go after Penn State LB Paul Posluszny.

Who will be the #1 Overall Pick?  The Raiders have numerous needs and probably would be best served with picking a quarterback like LSU's Jamarcus Russell or Notre Dame's Brady Quinn.  I would take Russell as he has better arm strength and more receivers to throw to.  Quinn maybe best served going to Cleveland to play under Romeo Crennell who was a former Patriots colleague of his college coach, Charlie Weiss.

Character: It always matters, especially in light of the off the field issues like the Titans Pacman Jones, the Bears Tank Johnson (no relation), and the Bengals who had nine players arrested last season.
              
Expect teams to do extra due diligence and pass on questionable players.  That said, it is hard to predict what a 22 year old kid goes from scraping by in college to becoming a millionaire overnight. 

Injuries: Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson and Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. had notable injuries with Peterson having more question marks than Ginn.  If I was an NFL GM, I would give California's Marshawn Lynch a look before Peterson.

Overall Outlook: Take the best player or fill their biggest need?  What is a team to do?  Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson is the best athlete in the draft but only would touch the ball about 10 to 15 times a game.  I lean toward taking the best player because you can always deal him.

I have seen and heard of a number of mock drafts.  The most important thing is to enjoy the Draft and hope your team needs are met.

Posted by the Tank in NY.