At this late stage of the game, just a week and a half away from the NFL draft's first round, there's understandably a lot of attention paid to need and prospect potential when projecting possible picks. But that's not the only consideration for most, if not all teams. Not only do you want to nab the best available player, but it should also be one who fits your team's style of play. There's no use selecting a player who projects as a 4-3 defensive end that would struggle in coverage if your team plays the 3-4, after all. With that in mind, we're going to take a look today at some team-player-scheme matches that could come into play in the first or second round.
Jacksonville Jaguars -- Dante Flower, Edge, Florida
The Jags have put in a lot of work revamping their offense over the last two offseasons. They drafted Blake Bortles with last year's third overall selection, then took two receivers -- Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee -- in the second round and picked up another in undrafted free agent Allen Hurns. They turned the running back job over to Denard Robinson midway through last year, then signed former Cowboys tackle Jeremy Parnell and former Broncos tight end Julius Thomas this offseason. While they could still use help on the interior offensive line, it doesn't seem likely they'll address that position at No. 3.
That leads us to Fowler, about as perfect a fit for the LEO role in Gus Bradley's defense as you could ask for. Jacksonville's pass rush was actually quite strong last year -- they posted to NFL's second-highest Adjusted Sack Rate, per Football Outsiders -- but they don't have much in the way of youth on the outside edge. Fowler's versatility would allow him to line up both as a hand-on-the-ground defensive end and a stand-up linebacker much like Bruce Irvin does for the Seattle Seahawks, the key to slotting in at that LEO position.
Chicago Bears -- Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
The Bears have a big hole at wide receiver opposite Alshon Jeffery after trading Brandon Marshall to the Jets earlier this offseason. They signed Eddie Royal to play in the slot and Marquess Wilson has potential as a sub-package option, but neither has the explosive potential of White. At 6-3, 215 pounds, White has the ideal size the Bears are looking for at one of the outside receiver positions. His 4.35 speed would allow him to stretch the field, and as an ESPN Sports Science special recently showed, he has a huge catch radius, which would aid him in hauling in passes from Jay Cutler that aren't necessarily always that accurate. Pairing him with Jeffery would give the Bears one of the league's top receiver tandems for the foreseeable future.
Atlanta Falcons -- Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri or Randy Gregory, Edge, Nebraska
With Fowler off the board, the Falcons would move onto other LEO candidates. Like Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley, new Falcons top man Dan Quinn is a former Seahawks defensive coordinator, and he'll presumably be implementing his scheme in his new home. The Falcons had one of the NFL's worst pass rushes last year -- they finished third-to-last in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Sack Rate -- and didn't do much to address the position in free agency. O'Brien Schofield was a nice pickup, but his injury history only allows for him to play a limited number of snaps as a situational pass-rusher. Adding some versatility along the defensive line with Ray or Gregory would help the Falcons bring some more heat on opposing quarterbacks. Ray in particular has so much speed around the edge that it overshadows the fact that he's not yet the most polished rusher.
New York Giants -- Brandon Scherff, OT/OG, Iowa
The Giants have drafted an offensive lineman in the first round only once since 1990, and that was two years ago with former Syracuse tackle Justin Pugh. Pugh struggled last year, though, and the Giants still have a need on the interior of the offensive line. That makes Scherff, who has the versatility to play both guard and tackle, a perfect fit. Much like the divisional rival Cowboys did with Zack Martin last year, the Giants could slide Scherff inside and immediately improve their run-blocking, and he could even move back outside to tackle in a couple years if Pugh doesn't work out.
Cleveland Browns -- Danny Shelton, NT, Washington
As we noted a few weeks back, the Browns were arguably the NFL's worst run defense last season and are looking to make a significant upgrade in that area. Enter Shelton, a prototypical, space-eating, blocker-swallowing dynamo that would immediately become the best run defender on the Browns. As our player overview on Shelton states, " He's a classic two-gap run-plugger with the bulk and brute strength to bull-rush opponents into the backfield. What makes Shelton unique is his effort in pursuit. It wasn't uncommon for Shelton to sprint to the sideline or 10-plus yards downfield to stop ballcarriers." He also showed surprising mobility as a pass-rusher last year, which would just be an added bonus to his run-stopping if it continues at the NFL level. If Shelton is still on the board at pick No. 12, the Browns shouldn't hesitate before turning in a card with his name on it.
San Francisco 49ers -- Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
There's a reason so many mock drafts have pegged Armstead as the pick for San Francisco at No. 15. He has ideal size and quickness to be a gap-penetrating 5-technique defensive end in a 3-4 defense and the Niners will probably have a hole there if Justin Smith retires, as is expected. He's a former basketball player who already has a nice spin move to get away from blockers on the line of scrimmage. If he adds some weight to his frame, he can potentially push inside on passing downs and take advantage of slower guards and centers.
Philadelphia Eagles -- Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri
This may not be a first-round fit, but it's tough to find a receiver who would be more tailored to Chip Kelly's preferences than Green-Beckham. He's a huge body at 6-5 and 237 pounds, and we know all about Kelly's preference for big wide receivers. He cut DeSean Jackson last year and let Jeremy Maclin walk earlier this offseason, while his recent signings and draft picks include the taller Jordan Matthews and Miles Austin. Green-Beckham's checkered past could push him out of the first round, and we've seen already throughout this offseason that Kelly is not one to shy away from controversial roster acquisitions. With his size, speed (a 4.49 40-yard dash at his size is incredible) and ball skills at the point of catch, he would make a perfect fit as a Kelly-style wideout.
Denver Broncos -- Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL)
The Broncos lost one University of Miami lineman earlier this offseason when Orlando Franklin left for the San Diego Chargers, and tabbing another one late in the first round would be a pretty good idea. Flowers already has experience blocking in the kind of zone system Gary Kubiak is famous for, as Miami ran a ton of outside zone-type runs while Flowers blocked for running back prospect Duke Johnson. Flowers could play right away as Denver's right tackle, and if he improves as a pass protector, could even move over to the left side eventually if Ryan Clady ends up leaving Denver at the end of his current contract.
