Here is my take. I would love to stockpile picks if we had some impact players already on the team to build around. But we are lacking in a lot of areas. We will have a shot of at least at two of the four best players in this draft.
After QB, the second most important position in today's league iis a pass rusher. We do not have a bell cow in that area so our need aligns with the best defender in the draft: Chubb. I heard Mcglinchey say a few weeks ago in an interview that Chubb was hands down the best defender he has ever faced. He has also been working out against him every day in California. If you don't have a pass rush, you are going nowhere in this league. I think we should double dip in this draft at the very least. After Chubb, the DE candidates start to get sketchy. I don't want a project like Davenport. Sure he has a high ceiling, also has a low floor. For every Davenport that succeeds there are a ton that go by the wayside. I will take technique and skill over raw athleticism. IMO the first round is not the round to take those projects.
If Chubb is gone, I would go with Nelson. I really like Barkley, in the right offense he could be a devastating weapon. He isn't really a hard inside runner, you want to move him all over to create mismatches. He would be hard to pass by especially if you think he could have a Faulk type impact. That is really hard to pass by, especially since we need an impact player in the backfield. However, this draft is deep at RB: Guice, Jones, Johnson, Chubb, Michel, Freeman, Penny, Kelly, Adams, Walton, Ballage. Not all will be a bell cow, but there is a lot of potential in there and some of these guys will fall. We could get a good back in the third or fourth.
This is also a deep draft in interior linemen. Will Hernandez the past two years has been rated very close to Nelson, and was rated better last year. Bill Price, Raganow, Brandon, and more. There are guys to be had. The reason I say Nelson next after Chubb is b/c Nelson would allow Luck to step up in the pocket. I don't like drafting a guard that high, but his skill and potential has kind of won me over. Still, we could get a guy later and not have a lot of dropoff IMO.
If I have my way, this is how I would draft:
1. Bradley Chubb
2. Maurice Hurst
This would give us instant pass rush. I think Hurst might drop because teams are worried about his size holding up in the league. But in our scheme I think he would excel. He would give us that interior pass rush presence we lacked the last time we ran a 4-3. He would prevent QB's from stepping up into the pocket and they would be moving off their space. Combine that with Chubb's non-stop motor and they could be a devastating combination for years.
Defense wins championships, and this would instantly inject our D with the most critical component to win today. With these two on the front line, Hooker will capitalize from the mistakes that will be forced. Giving our offense more possessions, which equal more points, which means the other team has to pass more. Rinse, repeat.
Now check out this mock I saw this morning
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2...op-five-picks/