NFL Draft Predictions: 5-10

  5. Washington:
Dante Fowler Jr.,Defensive Lineman/ Linebacker

  With Brian Orakpo being a free agent, and the Washington Defense has been one of the worst over the past few years, Fowler Jr. should be the best available option on the board during this time. This team has a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, they need a player to build around on the defensive side, and Fowler Jr. is the type of player they need. He's a giant ball of energy and talent. If he can reach his full potential, this is a great pick for Washington.

  6. Jets:
Brandon Scherff, Offensive Lineman

The Jets should have Scherff available at the no.6 overall spot. Scherff would be a great anchor on this offensive line, and new head coach, Todd Bowels has to have a way to protect his quarterback, whoever it may be. He's your run-of-the-mill Iowa offensive lineman, big, powerful, has very good lateral movement, and he has a beard. He's the type of guy that can anchor the left side of the offensive line for the next decade or so.


  7. Chicago:
Randy Gregory, Linebacker

This team is a wreck, let's put that on the table. If you can think of a way to fix this Chicago team in a tough NFC North division, let's talk about getting them back to what made them great. Defense! The past couple of years under the offensive-minded head coach, Marc Trestman, the Bears' defense was getting worse every season. Trestman is now a thing of the past in Chicago, and hopefully so is that train of thought. Randy Gregory is a freak of nature. He can play outside linebacker or defensive end- depending on the defensive scheme- and can chase down any quarterback in the league. New head coach, John Fox had a similar player in a guy name Julius Peppers, which is why I believe Fox won't pass up Gregory with the no.7 draft selection.

  8. Atlanta:
Vic Beasley, Defensive Line/ Linebacker

He's an athletic freak! Standing 6-foot-3-inches tall, weighing 246 pounds, Beasley is nothing short of an all-pro in the making. The only hard part is to determine where you'll play him at, on the field. Very athletic, great size for outside linebacker (he may need to put on weight to play defensive end) but he has incredible speed and reaction time. At the Combine ran an impressive 40-yard-dash in 4.53 seconds- that's almost faster than every quarterback that ran. Atlanta has lacked a good defense for a long time, and with new head coach and former Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, that should end. Beasley at the no.8 selection could be considered a steal four-to-five years from now.

  9. Giants:
Danny Shelton, Defensive Lineman

The New York Giants have a great talent in last years' first-round selection, Odell Beckham Jr., but they still didn't make the playoffs, even with his incredible rookie performance. What made the Giants great in those two Super Bowl appearances? ...hmm... I remember, defense. Tom Coughlin, hopefully you'll remember soon, too. Eli Manning is who he is at this point and the offense isn't terrible. However, the defense last season were pretty bad. The Giants' defense is getting old and they need some young bodies on the field to help and build around. Danny Shelton is a HUGE body to build around. No, seriously, he's huge. At 6-foot-2-inches tall, 339 pounds, he's pretty hard to move. In the NFC East, you have to be able to stop the run to win. Shelton mid-season was talked about as possibly being the no.1 overall pick. To get a player like him in this draft slot would be a great lift for the Giants' organization, and could bring the defensive culture back to the Giants.

  10. St. Louis:
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback

The Rams have given Quarterback, Sam Bradford the ability to seek a trade. With that being said, they're thinking about their future without him. In 2011, they've seemed to have "dodged a bullet" with trading out of the no.2 draft spot, when they could've taken Robert Griffin III. However, all they have now is Bradford, who can't seem to stay healthy; a non-consistent running game, and a very good defense (the one bright spot). However, This isn't 2011, this is now and they need a quarterback that can help them make a playoff run in a very tough NFC West. I honestly don't know what to make of Mariota, I don't know if you can trust Oregon quarterbacks in the NFL, but it seems like Mariota could be different from previous Oregon quarterbacks that have entered the NFL. St.Louis doesn't need to draft defense, the receivers aren't terrible, oh and Mariota is the 2014 Heisman-trophy winner- that has to count for something, right? He's talked about on the same level as Jameis WInston, as far as talent. I just know the Bradford project seems to be over. Come draft day, it could be the Mariota era in St. Louis.