Upgrading the non-playoff NFL teams through the 2015 NFL Draft

Addressing the biggest needs of the non-playoff teams in the 2015 NFL Draft

All but two teams, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, have been eliminated from the NFL Playoffs, which means one thing: NFL Draft coverage starts right now.

Well, technically, the NFL Draft coverage and scouting has been going on all season, but it’s time to really start getting into it.

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With the college football season ending just over one week ago, it was nice to take some time and mull things over before jumping into NFL draft coverage.

This time of the year is incredibly important for NFL draft buzz because it’s the initial reaction right after the season. Typically, that reaction tends to be the best.

At this point, scouts have only seen what happened on the field, which the most important part of scouting, and their views haven’t been bogged down by who can bench press more than another player and all that, for like of a better word, crap.

Sure, physical strength and speed is important in the NFL, but it’s about what happens between the lines that actually matters. Right now, who can play and who can’t play is still fresh in our minds.

In a few weeks, that’s when you’ll start reading more words, like “upside” and “potential.” And before you know it, we’ve forgotten who could play and who can’t play.

For this reason, I broke down the NFL draft into the needs for the non-playoff teams and which types of players they should be targeting, and then, I gave my recommendation for what players a team should draft with their first pick based on who I thought would and would not be available at the time.

Remember: This is not a mock draft.

I’m simply matching players with certain skill sets with team the NFL teams that need those players’ skill sets. That’s all.

Teams don’t always draft on need; some teams take the best players available. It all depends on the scenario.

Here are the biggest needs the non-playoff teams in the NFL need to address in the 2015 NFL Draft starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Next: Tampa Bay Buccaneers