Excluding the Jets and Giants, Post NFL writer BART HUBBUCH breaks down the respective needs entering tonight’s NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall:
NFC EAST
COWBOYS
Needs: C, G, DT
Comment: Dallas needs secondary help but will likely have to move up to get Alabama safety Mark Barron.
EAGLES
Needs: CB, OT, S
Comment: Asante Samuel is now gone, and LSU’s Stephon Gilmore would look very good in his place.
REDSKINS
Needs: QB, G, DT
Comment: They’re getting the quarterback, but still much work to do in the trenches.
NFC NORTH
BEARS
Needs: OT, G, CB
Comment: Despite numerous other needs, Chicago can’t let Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones fall past them.
LIONS
Needs: CB, S, DE
Comment: Detroit is stocked in the middle of its defense, but the rest of it needs work – a lot of it.
PACKERS
Needs: DE, RB, S
Comment: A lack of pressure resulted in the NFL’s worst defense last year and doomed Green Bay in the playoffs.
VIKINGS
Needs: OT, G, S
Comment: Badly in need of blockers for Adrian Peterson.
NFC SOUTH
BUCCANEERS
Needs: LB, RT, RB
Comment: Appear likely to pounce on Trent Richardson if the Browns don’t get him first.
FALCONS
Needs: LT, RB, G
Comment: No first-round pick after last year’s Julio Jones trade, which explains Atlanta’s busy free agency and trade work.
PANTHERS
Needs: DT, CB, OLB
Comment: Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox would be a good first step in much-needed overhaul.
SAINTS
Needs: ILB, S, OL
Comment: Can New Orleans avoid yet another scandal before the draft starts?
NFC WEST
49ERS
Needs: G, OT, S
Comment: San Francisco is sitting prettier after addressing its receiver woes in free agency.
CARDINALS
Needs: OT, WR, ILB
Comment: Levi Brown was re-signed, but offensive line lacks depth and Iowa tackle Riley Reiff would be a great fit.
RAMS
Needs: OT, WR, S
Comment: Many vacancies elsewhere, but no way they can pass on LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.
SEAHAWKS
Needs: DE, G, CB
Comment: Very underrated defense would get even better if North Carolina’s Quinton Coples is available.
AFC EAST
BILLS
Needs: OT, CB, OLB
Comment: Tackle is the more pressing need, but GM Buddy Nix looks more likely to go for more defense.
DOLPHINS
Needs: QB, WR, DE
Comment: Will total desperation cause them to reach for Ryan Tannehill? Looks like it.
PATRIOTS
Needs: DE, CB, S
Comment: When you’ve had one of the worst defenses in the NFL two years running, it’s not hard to identify the holes.
AFC NORTH
BENGALS
Needs: CB, WR, S
Comment: Even though Cincinnati signed Jason Allen and Terence Newman, it will jump on Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick if available.
BROWNS
Needs: WR, QB, RT
Comment: Justin Blackmon would fill the bigger vacancy, but might go for Trent Richardson instead.
RAVENS
Needs: OLB, WR, OT
Comment: Baltimore’s famed defense is getting long in the tooth, but receiver is the bigger worry spot.
STEELERS
Needs: OT, G, NT
Comment: Its roster in shambles, Pittsburgh is showing you can stay good for only so long.
AFC SOUTH
COLTS
Needs: QB, NT, CB
Comment: Andrew Luck is a good start, but Indy still has a long ways to go to be relevant again.
JAGUARS
Needs: WR, DE, RT
Comment: Still need playmakers but appear likely to go for defensive-line help if they don’t trade down.
TEXANS
Needs: WR, K, G
Comment: Cap problems have made this an even more important draft for Houston.
TITANS
Needs: C, WR, CB
Comment: Word is Tennessee has its sights on Georgia Tech wideout Stephen Hill to fortify a middling crew.
AFC WEST
BRONCOS
Needs: G, DT, WR
Comment: While Peyton Manning could use more targets, beef up front on both sides of the ball is more pressing.
CHARGERS
Needs: G, CB, S
Comment: Kris Dielman needs to be replaced at guard, but the secondary still leaves more to be desired.
CHIEFS
Needs: QB, NT, S
Comment: Even with a glaring hole at quarterback, don’t be surprised if KC goes for a safety (Mark Barron) in the first round for the second time in three years.
RAIDERS
Needs: NT, OLB, G
Comment: No first-round pick, which certainly won’t help new GM Reggie McKenzie’s overhaul.
