Williamson: 4 teams desperately in need of a strong draft
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
The draft is of the utmost importance for every team in the NFL. It's the lifeblood of the league, infusing it with cheap young talent.
The actual drafting process can also be the most exciting and revealing few days of the entire league year. It's extremely important for every team, of course, but those listed below simply cannot afford to waste their picks.
Buffalo Bills
Due to major salary-cap constraints, the Bills weren't active in free agency, and struggled to even keep the left side of their offensive line intact by retaining Richie Incognito and putting the franchise tag on Cordy Glenn.
There is still an awful lot of work that needs to be done in Buffalo, including improving the right side of that line, as well as adding a wide receiver to compete with Robert Woods opposite Sammy Watkins.
There's even more to be done on defense. Finding an edge pass-rusher is this team's top priority for a draft upgrade, since Jerry Hughes is the only one they can count on there. In fact, considering Kyle Williams' age, and that he is coming off an injury, Buffalo’s entire front seven (and they were very weak on the second level last year) could use a facelift.
And hey, are we all convinced Tyrod Taylor is the ultimate answer at quarterback?
Cleveland Browns
This one is rather obvious, as the Browns currently have the league's worst roster, which is even more true after they allowed several of their best players to depart in free agency.
While the logic of allowing players like Mitchell Schwartz and Tashaun Gipson to walk can be questioned, it's apparent that this new front office values draft picks a great deal (they will be loaded up with compensatory picks in the 2017 draft) and is going to rebuild this squad through the selection of college players.
Therefore, it's imperative the Browns get this draft right, and that doesn't necessarily mean they have to draft the next Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick. In fact, if Cleveland isn't in love with any of these quarterback prospects, it's conceivable they'll go through this year with Josh McCown while dedicating a ton of time and effort to rejuvenating Robert Griffin's once-promising career.
Maybe with the second pick overall, they'll instead pick a physical freak like Jalen Ramsey and go from there. But no matter what, the Browns have to get it right.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have an awful lot of needs. Their offensive line needs a lot of work, and this might be the draft to find Frank Gore's successor at running back.
There really isn't a position they should ignore on defense, but the secondary and edge pass-rusher take the lead as top priorities. That's asking a lot with only six draft picks to use, with one in every round except the sixth.
No longer is Indianapolis the class of the AFC South. In fact, if they get very little from this draft class, they could quickly find themselves the bottom-feeder in this rapidly improving division.
Houston Texans
Like the Colts, Houston has to look in its rear-view mirror and feel Jacksonville and Tennessee roaring up behind in the AFC South.
Also very similar to Indianapolis, the Texans have plenty of areas on their team that could use a major boost in this draft class ... and that's even after they spent a small fortune to add Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller to their offense.
But the offense is still devoid of a true starting tight end, and needs to add a speed wide receiver as well. Plus, the offensive line is much more in flux than they should feel comfortable with.
The defensive end position (besides J.J. Watt, obviously) might be Houston’s biggest singular need, and they also could use stiff competition at safety.
As the only playoff team on this list, Houston doesn’t pick until 22nd overall. Even if Osweiler is a success in his new home, the Texans might go backward in 2017.