Post-Combine: Why the Detroit Lions should pass on Jeffrey Okudah
Teams that need quarterbacks
Back to the teams who need to move up and we do think that there are some teams that will be highly motivated to move up. Why? The number of quarterback-needy teams exceeds the talent pool.
Of the next eleven teams who draft after the Detroit Lions, as many as seven could be looking to draft another trigger-man. The Miami Dolphins (pick 5), Los Angeles Chargers (pick 6), Carolina Panthers (pick 7), Jacksonville Jaguars (pick 9), Las Vegas Raiders (pick 12), Indianapolis Colts (pick 13), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (pick 14) all have reasons to be in the market, full draft order here at the Tankathon website.
The Dolphins traded for second-year Josh Rosen and have Ryan “Fitzmagic” Fitzpatrick as their stop-gap starter but it seems likely that they will want a permanent answer to their quarterback problem sooner rather than later.
The Chargers let go of long-time starter Phil Rivers, leaving Tyrod Taylor and 2019 rookie Easton Stick to carry the offense. With Rivers gone, the draft needs to yield a new arm early for a team that wants to get back to the playoffs.
The Carolina Panthers’ new regime is said to be bringing back Cam Newton as their starter but like many teams, the situation could be very fluid with a 30-year-old quarterback who has not fully recovered from a Lisfranc foot injury. Rumors have also been floating that when healthy, he might be traded for the right price. Regardless the situation seems ripe for another signal-caller.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have parted ways with former starter and Super Bowl MVP, Nick Foles, leaving Gardner Minshew and Josh Dobbs as the two survivors. The Jags have some big decisions to make about their direction and two first-round picks to help them.
The Las Vegas Raiders have Derek Carr, Mike Glennon, and DeShone Kizer are all currently under contract but chatter has been that head coach Jon Gruden may be ready to start fresh with his own choice under center.
The Indianapolis Colts have Jacoby Brissett, who has been pretty good after taking over after the surprise Andrew Luck retirement. The Colts have a great situation where they don’t have to replace their starter right away but still seem to be indicating that Brissett is not their long-term answer.
Lastly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a rather unique quandary. Jameis Winston has just finished off his first five years in the NFL, his rookie deal including his fifth-year option. He lead the NFL in yards with an over 5,000-yard season but also threw over 30 interceptions.
Head coach Bruce Arians has indicated that they are looking at all options, free agency, draft, and possibly bringing back Winston. All depth charts are looked at from the Ourlads website.