What is each NFL team's biggest deficiency heading into the draft?

There are a whole lot of "team needs" lists floating around this time of year, but we wanted to figure out how serious those needs are compared to the rest of the league. To do that, we recently asked the Eye on Football staffers (myself, Will Brinson, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, and Sean Wagner-McGough) to rank each of the league's 32 teams in the following position groups: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs. By averaging out the rankings from all five voters, we arrived at consensus position rankings for every team to help us zero in on which areas teams should address in next week's NFL Draft.

A few things to note before we get started:

  • Backups were taken into heavy consideration for the quarterback and running back rankings. It is not a ranking of merely starting quarterbacks and running backs.
  • Who teams are expected to pick in the draft was not taken into consideration. The Rams and Eagles don't get credit for having Jared Goff or Carson Wentz.
  • Yes, the reason your favorite team is ranked so low in [insert position group here] is because we are all personally biased against them. (Just kidding.)

Quarterback

The best QB group in the league is headlined by one of the greatest ever. (USATSI)

Quarterback Rankings
RANK TEAM PLAYERS EOF AVERAGE
1 New England Patriots Tom Brady
Jimmy Garoppolo
1.2
2 Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers
Brett Hundley
3.4
3 Arizona Cardinals Carson Palmer
Drew Stanton
4.2
4 Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger
Landry Jones
4.8
5 Carolina Panthers Cam Newton
Derek Anderson
5.2
6 Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson
Phillip Sims
5.8
7 New Orleans Saints Drew Brees
Luke McCown
7.4
8 Cincinnati Bengals Andy Dalton
AJ McCarron
8.0
9 San Diego Chargers Philip Rivers
Kellen Clemens
8.4
10 Indianapolis Colts Andrew Luck
Scott Tolzien
10.8
11 New York Giants Eli Manning
Ryan Nassib
12.8
12 Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo
Kellen Moore
13.0
13 Oakland Raiders Derek Carr
Garrett Gilbert
14.4
14 Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan
Matt Schaub
16.8
15 Chicago Bears Jay Cutler
David Fales
16.8
16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jameis Winston
Mike Glennon
17.0
17 Washington Kirk Cousins
Colt McCoy
17.6
18 Baltimore Ravens Joe Flacco
Ryan Mallett
17.6
19 Kansas City Chiefs Alex Smith
Aaron Murray
17.8
20 Tennessee Titans Marcus Mariota
Zach Mettenberger
19.2
21 Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford
Dan Orlovsky
19.2
22 Buffalo Bills Tyrod Taylor
EJ Manuel
19.2
23 Jacksonville Jaguars Blake Bortles
Chad Henne
21.2
24 Minnesota Vikings Teddy Bridgewater
Shaun Hill
22.0
25 Miami Dolphins Ryan Tannehill
Matt Moore
24.2
26 Philadelphia Eagles Sam Bradford
Chase Daniel
25.2
27 New York Jets Geno Smith
Bryce Petty
27.6
28 Houston Texans Brock Osweiler
Brandon Weeden
27.8
29 San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick
Blaine Gabbert
28.4
30 Los Angeles Rams Case Keenum
Nick Foles
30.0
31 Cleveland Browns Robert Griffin III
Josh McCown
30.2
32 Denver Broncos Mark Sanchez
Trevor Siemian
30.8

Some notes:

  • The Rams and Eagles, two of the bottom seven here, are expected to take Goff and Wentz at 1-2, in some order.
  • The Browns, who are the second-neediest team on our list, traded out of the second pick in the draft. Symmetry!
  • The Texans made a big splash by signing Brock Osweiler away from the Broncos in free agency, but still wound up 28th in these rankings.
  • The Cowboys had four top-10 votes but were pushed down to No. 13 overall because their fifth vote was a No. 30 ranking.
  • Four voters had the Patriots and Packers 1-2 in their rankings. The fifth voter had Cardinals-Patriots 1-2, with the Packers down at No. 9.

Running backs

Good luck stopping Le'Veon Bell. (USATSI)

Running Back Rankings
RANK TEAM PLAYERS EOF AVERAGE
1 Pittsburgh Steelers Le'Veon Bell
DeAngelo Williams
1.2
2 Los Angeles Rams Todd Gurley
Tre Mason
Benny Cunningham
2.8
3 Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson
Jerick McKinnon
Matt Asiata
3.2
4 Cincinnati Bengals Jeremy Hill
Giovani Bernard
5.2
5 Kansas City Chiefs Jamaal Charles
Charcandrick West
Spencer Ware
5.4
6 Seattle Seahawks Thomas Rawls
Christine Michael
7.4
7 Buffalo Bills LeSean McCoy
Karlos Williams
7.6
8 Arizona Cardinals David Johnson
Chris Johnson
Andre Ellington
7.8
9 Carolina Panthers Jonathan Stewart
Mike Tolbert
Cameron Artis-Payne
9.0
10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Doug Martin
Charles Sims
9.8
11 Green Bay Packers Eddie Lacy
James Starks
9.8
12 Atlanta Falcons Devonta Freeman
Tevin Coleman
13.6
13 New England Patriots LeGarrette Blount
Dion Lewis
James White
14.4
14 Houston Texans Lamar Miller
Alfred Blue
17.0
15 Dallas Cowboys Alfred Morris
Darren McFadden
Lance Dunbar
17.4
16 Philadelphia Eagles Ryan Mathews
Darren Sproles
17.8
17 Denver Broncos C.J. Anderson
Ronnie Hillman
18.6
18 Oakland Raiders Latavius Murray
Roy Helu
18.8
19 New Orleans Saints Mark Ingram
C.J. Spiller
19.2
20 New York Jets Matt Forte
Bilal Powell
Khiry Robinson
19.4
21 Chicago Bears Jeremy Langford
Ka'Deem Carey
20.4
22 Tennessee Titans DeMarco Murray
David Cobb
Dexter McCluster
20.4
23 San Francisco 49ers Carlos Hyde
Shaun Draughn
21.8
24 Jacksonville Jaguars Chris Ivory
T.J. Yeldon
22.2
25 Baltimore Ravens Justin Forsett
Javorius Allen
22.2
26 New York Giants Rashad Jennings
Andre Williams
Shane Vereen
23.2
27 Detroit Lions Ameer Abdullah
Theo Riddick
Zach Zenner
Stevan Ridley
24.8
28 Cleveland Browns Duke Johnson
Isaiah Crowell
26.6
29 Miami Dolphins Jay Ajayi
Daniel Thomas
28.0
30 Indianapolis Colts Frank Gore
Robert Turbin
28.8
31 Washington Matt Jones
Chris Thompson
29.4
32 San Diego Chargers Melvin Gordon
Danny Woodhead
Branden Oliver
30.0

Some notes:

  • The Steelers received four of five No. 1 votes; the other went to the Vikings.
  • The Steelers, Rams, Vikings, Bengals, Chiefs and Bills got top-10 rankings from everyone.
  • San Diego had the lowest average despite not being voted No. 32 by any voter.
  • The Bears were ranked as high as No. 7 and as low as No. 28, while the Patriots were ranked as high as No. 8 and as low as No. 25.
  • Despite trading DeMarco Murray to the Titans, the Eagles finished up with a ranking 2.6 spots better, on average.

Wide receivers and tight ends

Antonio Brown (left) and Marcus Wheaton help give the Steelers another No. 1 ranking. (USATSI)

WR/TE Rankings
RANK TEAM EOF AVERAGE
1 Pittsburgh Steelers 2.0
2 Arizona Cardinals 2.2
3 New England Patriots 2.8
4 New York Jets 5.4
5 San Diego Chargers 6.0
6 Seattle Seahawks 6.5
7 Green Bay Packers 10.8
8 Cincinnati Bengals 10.8
9 New York Giants 12.0
10 Washington 12.3
11 Carolina Panthers 12.4
12 Jacksonville Jaguars 13.5
13 Oakland Raiders 14.3
14 Chicago Bears 14.8
15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15.3
16 Denver Broncos 15.3
17 New Orleans Saints 15.8
18 Dallas Cowboys 15.8
19 Buffalo Bills 18.3
20 Houston Texans 19.0
21 Indianapolis Colts 20.0
22 Kansas City Chiefs 20.3
23 Atlanta Falcons 20.8
24 Detroit Lions 22.8
25 Minnesota Vikings 23.5
26 Philadelphia Eagles 24.3
27 Miami Dolphins 26.3
28 Baltimore Ravens 26.8
29 Tennessee Titans 28.0
30 San Francisco 49ers 30.0
31 Cleveland Browns 30.0
32 Los Angeles Rams 31.0

Some notes:

  • The Rams were ranked No. 31 by every voter.
  • The Steelers, Cardinals, and Patriots were voted in the top four by every voter.
  • The Seahawks finished with a No. 6 ranking in quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers/tight ends.
  • The Bears ranked as high as No. 6 and as low as No. 24, while the Jaguars also ranked as high as No. 6 and as low as No. 21. The Cowboys, meanwile had three top-12 votes but also were ranked No. 32 by one voter.
  • The Bengals snuck in the top 10 despite losing both Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency, while the Chargers earned a top-five ranking partly on the strength of the Travis Benjamin signing.

Offensive line

Do the Bengals have the best offensive line in football? (USATSI)

Offensive Line Rankings
RANK TEAM EOF AVERAGE
1 Cincinnati Bengals 2.0
2 Dallas Cowboys 2.3
3 Arizona Cardinals 4.3
4 New England Patriots 5.0
5 Pittsburgh Steelers 5.3
6 Kansas City Chiefs 8.0
7 Oakland Raiders 8.0
8 Carolina Panthers 8.3
9 Denver Broncos 12.0
10 Chicago Bears 12.7
11 Atlanta Falcons 13.0
12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13.3
13 New Orleans Saints 14.3
14 Green Bay Packers 14.7
15 New York Giants 15.0
16 Minnesota Vikings 15.7
17 Buffalo Bills 16.7
18 Seattle Seahawks 17.0
19 New York Jets 17.0
20 Washington 19.3
21 Baltimore Ravens 19.3
22 Houston Texans 19.7
23 Jacksonville Jaguars 20.3
24 Detroit Lions 25.0
25 Los Angeles Rams 25.0
26 Philadelphia Eagles 25.3
27 Miami Dolphins 26.0
28 Tennessee Titans 26.7
29 Indianapolis Colts 28.3
30 Cleveland Browns 29.7
31 San Diego Chargers 30.0
32 San Francisco 49ers 31.3

Some notes:

  • Unsurprisingly, the bottom five teams on this list have been heavily connected to offensive linemen in the draft process, with four of the five (Titans, Colts, Chargers, 49ers) rumored to be targeting tackles as soon as the first round.
  • Dallas finished second in the overall rankings despite receiving three No. 1 votes. 
  • Oakland would have been much higher were it not for a sole No. 19 vote.
  • This is the only offensive category in which the Seahawks were not ranked No. 6.
  • It appears the EOF crew bought into the improvement shown by the Panthers' offensive line last season, giving them a No. 8 overall ranking.

Defensive line

The Jets' defensive line is the stuff of nightmares. (USATSI)

Defensive Line Rankings
RANK TEAM EOF AVERAGE
1 New York Jets 1.0
2 Denver Broncos 2.3
3 Carolina Panthers 4.3
4 Los Angeles Rams 4.3
5 Arizona Cardinals 6.0
6 Seattle Seahawks 7.0
7 Houston Texans 7.0
8 Jacksonville Jaguars 8.7
9 Cincinnati Bengals 9.7
10 Kansas City Chiefs 12.3
11 Oakland Raiders 12.3
12 Miami Dolphins 12.7
13 New York Giants 15.0
14 Phiadelphia Eagles 15.0
15 Green Bay Packers 15.7
16 Detroit Lions 16.0
17 Minnesota Vikings 16.7
18 Pittsburgh Steelers 17.3
19 New England Patriots 18.0
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18.7
21 Baltimore Ravens 19.3
22 Atlanta Falcons 20.7
23 Buffalo Bills 23.7
24 Tennessee Titans 24.7
25 Chicago Bears 25.0
26 Dallas Cowboys 26.0
27 Washington 26.0
28 Indianapolis Colts 26.7
29 San Diego Chargers 27.3
30 New Orleans Saints 29.0
31 San Francisco 49ers 29.0
32 Cleveland Browns 30.7

Some notes:

  • As you can see, the Jets were unanimously ranked No. 1.
  • The Broncos retained a high ranking despite losing Malik Jackson, while the Jaguars jumped into the top 10 with his signing and the return of Dante Fowler Jr.
  • The Mario Williams signing seemed to offset the loss of Olivier Vernon for the Dolphins, while not everyone bought into the free agency splash of the Giants, who ranked in the No. 13 spot.
  • Personal opinion: The Eagles are at least a few spots too low here. Same with the Vikings.
  • San Francisco and Cleveland sure do rank at or near the bottom of a lot of these lists, huh?

Linebackers

Luke Kuechly (left) and Thomas Davis are big parts of the Panthers' No. 1 linebacker corps. (USATSI)

Linebacker Rankings
RANK TEAM EOF AVERAGE
1 Carolina Panthers 1.0
2 Seattle Seahawks 3.3
3 Denver Broncos 3.3
4 Kansas City Chiefs 4.7
5 Arizona Cardinals 6.3
6 New England Patriots 6.3
7 Cincinnati Bengals 8.0
8 Pittsburgh Steelers 9.3
9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10.0
10 Baltimore Ravens 10.3
11 Minnesota Vikings 10.7
12 Detroit Lions 12.0
13 Los Angeles Rams 12.3
14 Green Bay Packers 15.3
15 Houston Texans 15.3
16 New York Jets 16.7
17 Oakland Raiders 16.7
18 Chicago Bears 17.3
19 Buffalo Bills 17.7
20 Jacksonville Jaguars 18.7
21 Phildelphia Eagles 22.7
22 Washington 23.0
23 New York Giants 23.7
24 San Francisco 49ers 24.0
25 Atlanta Falcons 24.0
26 Miami Dolphins 25.0
27 Dallas Cowboys 25.0
28 Tennessee Titans 26.3
29 San Diego Chargers 27.7
30 Cleveland Browns 29.0
31 New Orleans Saints 29.3
32 Indianapolis Colts 31.0

Some notes:

  • The Panthers, on the strength of Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, were a unanimous No. 1 selection.
  • You have to think the Packers would be higher on this list if we knew Clay Matthews was going to be rushing the passer from his outside linebacker spot rather than playing inside.
  • The Bears were ranked as high as No. 5 and as low as No. 31. They were a very volatile team at pretty much every position.
  • The Colts received only votes as No. 30, 31, or 32.
  • Cleveland, which finished 30th, is in pretty decent position to take someone like Myles Jack after trading down to No. 8.

Defensive backs

Challenge the Legion of Boom at your own peril. (USATSI)

Defensive Back Rankings
RANK TEAM EOF AVERAGE
1 Seattle Seahawks 1.7
2 Denver Broncos 1.7
3 Arizona Cardinals 3.7
4 Kansas City Chiefs 4.0
5 Green Bay Packers 6.0
6 New York Jets 6.7
7 Cincinnati Bengals 7.7
8 Houston Texans 7.7
9 Carolina Panthers 11.7
10 New England Patriots 12.3
11 Oakland Raiders 12.7
12 Minnesota Vikings 13.0
13 Philadelphia Eagles 13.3
14 Atlanta Falcons 13.7
15 Los Angeles Rams 14.0
16 Buffalo Bills 15.3
17 Washington 16.3
18 Indianapolis Colts 17.0
19 Detroit Lions 18.3
20 Dallas Cowboys 20.0
21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20.7
22 New York Giants 21.3
23 Tennessee Titans 23.0
24 Chicago Bears 24.0
25 Miami Dolphins 25.3
26 San Francisco 49ers 26.3
27 Baltimore Ravens 26.7
28 San Diego Chargers 27.0
29 Cleveland Browns 28.0
30 Pittsburgh Steelers 28.3
31 Jacksonville Jaguars 29.0
32 New Orleans Saints 32.0

Some notes:

  • Despite jettisoning Brandon Browner, the Saints unanimously finished last in the DB rankings.
  • How the Cowboys are up at No. 20 is beyond my personal comprehension.
  • The Seahawks, Broncos, Cardinals, and Chiefs were all in the top five of every ranking.
  • San Diego, at No. 28, can address the secondary early by taking Florida State's Jalen Ramsey.
  • These rankings were compiled before Carolina rescinded its franchise tag offer to Josh Norman and before Norman signed with Washington. I'd slot Washington near the top 10 with Norman aboard and place Carolina in the 18-22 range.

After all that, we can identify which position group is the biggest area of need for each team by taking their lowest ranking, as well as the "strength" of that need by showing you their average ranking in that specific category. Here's the full list:

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Team Needs (Alphabetical Order)
RANK TEAM Biggest Need
1 Arizona Cardinals RB (7.8)
2 Atlanta Falcons LB (25.0)
3 Baltimore Ravens WR/TE (26.8)
4 Buffalo Bills DL (23.7)
5 Carolina Panthers WR/TE (12.3)
6 Chicago Bears DL (25.0)
7 Cincinnati Bengals WR/TE (10.8)
8 Cleveland Browns DL (30.7)
9 Dallas Cowboys DL/LB (26.0)
10 Denver Broncos QB (30.8)
11 Detroit Lions OL (25.0)
12 Green Bay Packers DL (15.7)
13 Houston Texans QB (27.8)
14 Indianapolis Colts LB (31.0)
15 Jacksonville Jaguars DB (29.0)
16 Kansas City Chiefs WR/TE (20.3)
17 Los Angeles Rams WR/TE (31.0)
18 Miami Dolphins RB (28.0)
19 Minnesota Vikings WR/TE (23.5)
20 New England Patriots DL (18.0)
21 New Orleans Saints DB (32.0)
22 New York Giants LB (23.7)
23 New York Jets QB (27.6)
24 Oakland Raiders RB (18.8)
25 Philadelphia Eagles OL (25.3)
26 Pittsburgh Steelers DB (28.3)
27 San Diego Chargers RB/OL (30.0)
28 Seattle Seahawks OL (17.0)
29 San Francisco 49ers WR/TE (31.3)
30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers DB (20.7)
31 Tennessee Titans WR/TE (28.0)
32 Washington RB (29.4)

Some notes:

  • Some of these "needs" are things that aren't really needs at all, just the position group that teams happened to rank lowest in. Nobody thinkts the Cardinals are in need of a running back, for example.
  • The Cardinals, Panthers, Bengals, Packers, Patriots, Raiders, and Seahawks did not rank in the 20s or 30s in any of the position groups. The Cardinals ranked in the top 10 in every single position group.
  • The Cowboys (DL/LB) and Chargers (RB/OL) each had two position groups qualify as their biggest need, but the Chargers just drafted a running back (Melvin Gordon) in the first round last year, so they seem more likely to address the offensive line early in the draft. Dallas could be in position to address either of its biggest needs early on, especially if the Chargers opt for Laremy Tunsil at No. 3.
  • Comparing these needs to the mock drafts on CBSSports.com can be useful as well. The Bucs are unanimously taking a defensive back (Vernon Hargeaves III) in all five mocks, which matches up with their biggest need here. The Vikings are unanimously expected to take a wide receiver, as are the Bengals. The Packers select a defensive lineman in all five. The Chargers grab an offensive lineman (Tunsil) in four of five mocks, and so do the Seahawks. The Falcons take a linebacker in three of five, while the same is true of the Bills with a defensive lineman and the Broncos with a quarterback.