2014 AFC Preview

JULIAN PRITCHER AND MIKE TREVELISE
September 3rd, 2014
The season is upon us!  Welcome back #PickSixNation for another exciting and accurate year.  The 'NFL Genius' Julian Pritcher is back to give you accurate pick after accurate pick after finishing the 2013 season with an astonishing 71% correct-pick rate in a league where toss-ups are expected.  At Pick Six Previews we don't just give you something to read so you can stay busy.  As a nationally-recognized college football preview website with more accurate picks than ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Lindy's, Athlon, Sporting News, Yahoo, etc., we guarantee quality and accuracy in everything we produce, especially NFL.  We added on another NFL expert this season as we revamped our total NFL coverage.  Mike Trevelise joins the fold to not only uphold the gold-standard we've set at Pick Six Previews when predicting games, but also to help you win your fantasy league.

Without further adieu, the American Football Conference:


AFC SOUTH

   1.  Indianapolis Colts

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Writer
The Colts are coming off a strong 2013 campaign, and it seems that nothing can stop Andrew Luck's ascendance as the league’s next great quarterback. This year they get the return of Reggie Wayne, which will help to stabilize their offense.

The offense is an interesting case of having one extraordinary player lift a team of mediocre players to good. Luck gets hit so often and his offensive line has not gotten any better. They traded away their first round pick for Trent Richardson in a trade that seems to not have worked out. Hakeem Nicks could end up being an x-factor for Luck on offense, but as always his health will be a question. T.Y. Hilton needs to continue to progress if he wants to justify taking looks from Reggie Wayne and Nicks. The Colts will continue to rely heavily on Luck, but they need to start to protecting him better because they are one bad hit away from becoming a five or six win team with Matt Hasselbeck as their starter.

The Colts defense is nothing special. They have LaRon Landry and Vontae Davis in the secondary who are both quality starters, but they need a little more help. The main problem for the Colts, however, is their inability to stop the run. New linebacker D’Qwell Jackson should help in that part of the game. They will miss Mathis and his 19½ sacks during their first four games in which they see arguably the two most explosive offenses in Denver and Philadelphia.

Overall, the Colts’ roster isn’t very impressive. Andrew Luck makes up for their mediocrity all by himself though, and they are still poised to be one of the best teams in the AFC. There is no reason to expect anything but progression from Luck, which means the Colts will be fine.

1st AFC South (12-4)

   2. Houston Texans

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Writer
Houston is everyone’s pick to do what the Chiefs did last year. They were terrible last year, both their coach and quarterback seemed to lose all of their interest by midseason and everything fell off the tracks for a fairly talented team with a few successful seasons under its belt. This year new head coach Bill O’Brien will get them back to winning games.

The Texans desperately need a quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not a legitimate starter, fortunately for him Bill O’Brien is a miracle worker when it comes to getting the most out of average QB talent. Losing Ben Tate is a blow, and presumably Arian Foster will shoulder more of the offensive load this year. DeAndre Hopkins should take another step forward this year as an emerging playmaker across from Andre Johnson. Expect a competent offensive attack from this team as that is O’Brien’s specialty.

The Texans’ defense is very attractive. They have two of the most fearsome pass rushers in the league in J.J. Watt and (potentially) Jadeveon Clowney. Louis Nix is another intriguing rookie and will probably slide into the NT slot sooner than later as well. Brian Cushing’s return is one that hopefully sticks. His history with injury is concerning, but with him in the lineup, this defensive front seven is among the best in football. Expect Whitney Mercilus to have a big year thanks in part to the addition of Clowney. Offensive lines can only double team so many people. Expect a lot of sacks for this defensive unit. Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson are both quality starters at corner, but the safeties need to step their game up this year.

The Texans will definitely be better this year. Fitzpatrick simply needs to be competent. The defense will do most of the work. Bill O’Brien should be the first successful coach from the Belichick tree and this year should be a good start.

2nd AFC South (8-8)

   3. Tennessee Titans

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Writer
The Titans are a pesky team. They are the epitome of mediocrity, but they scrap in a lot of tough games (i.e. 20-13 loss at Seattle last year). They finished last year’s campaign at 7-9, but started the year 3-1. Going into this year, they’ve lost their top contributors on both sides of the ball in Chris Johnson and Alterraun Verner. They did add a good play maker in Dexter McCluster, and a stabilizing veteran defensive player in Shaun Phillips.

The offense shouldn’t really miss Chris Johnson, the committee of running backs that are replacing him should add versatility to their game. Shonn Greene took most goal line situations last year anyway, and now he is matched with Bishop Sankey, a rookie with plenty of promise, and Dexter McCluster. McCluster figures to benefit from Whisenhunt in the same way that Danny Woodhead did last year in San Diego. Jake Locker needs to complete more of his passes this year to keep this team afloat on offense though. He has one of the best offensive lines in the league in front of him so he needs to step up and be a difference maker.

This isn’t a bad defense. It’s not particularly good, but they have some solid players at each position. Jurell Casey is a good pass rusher, but with Ray Horton’s scheme switch from a 4-3 to 3-4 wastes a lot of his pass rushing ability. They are solid at linebacker with new veteran additions Wesley Woodyard and Shaun Phillips. Losing Verner at corner is a tough loss, but they have two very good safeties in Michael Griffin and Bernard Pollard.

Ultimately this is a team on the right track, with the right coach in place to lead them to future success. That success is not going to come this year though. They are very comfortably just another boring slightly below-average team.

3rd AFC South (6-10)

   4. Jacksonville Jaguars

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Writer
The Jaguars had a rough season last year but finished at .500 over their last eight games of the season. That says a lot about their first eight games (0-8), but I think it also speaks to the attitude that Gus Bradley established in Jacksonville. I think we’ll be getting excited about Jaguars football in a few years, but this isn’t the year. Bortles will establish himself as the starter by year’s end, but he won’t excel just yet. Developing with him will be two young receivers: Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson.

The offense is a work in progress in Jacksonville and the departure of Maurice Jones-Drew is a tough loss for a team with no real quality starting quarterback. Everything on offense is in flux for Jacksonville, but everything is also headed in the right direction. There will be a lot of pressure on Toby Gerhart to perform. I expect Cecil Shorts to take a step forward this year as a leader. 

On defense, there is more stability than on offense. Paul Posluszny anchors the defense as a tackling machine in the middle. Their secondary has an emerging star in Johnathan Cyprien at safety. As for their D-line, Gus Bradley went and got two of his guys from his former Seattle team, in Chris Clemons and Red Bryant. They should help solidify a decent defense.

Ultimately, this team is a few years away, but for the first time ever I can say that I am excited to watch the Jaguars play.

4th AFC South (4-12)

AFC East

   1. New England Patriots

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Wrtier
The Patriots are coming off yet another successful season, bringing them to eleven consecutive seasons with at least ten wins. Despite making the AFC Championship last year, it was something of a down year for Tom Brady who struggled to find any consistency in an injury-riddled offense. The defense also struggled with Vince Wilfork missing all but four games. This year, with players returning from injury and other new faces, the Patriots should find a way to reach another AFC championship.

Tom Brady had to help along some rookie receivers last year, and this year they should take a small step forward. The trouble is that Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins aren’t very good. So they might not help Brady much this year. New addition Brandon LaFell should have a nice year with his new team. If Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola can stay healthy, then this passing game should improve from last year.

The defense took measures over the off season to get more physical. They lost Aqib Talib, but they replaced him Darelle Revis. All reports on Revis are raving, he should be back to top form and Pats fans will be glad to see an improved pass defense this year. The addition of Brandon Browner ensures that the team has a pair of dominant corners.  The defense should improve this year as well as this is being deemed the best Patriots defense since they've last been to a Super Bowl.

The Patriots are right there with the Broncos at the top of the AFC. If the team can avoid the injury bug, they will dominate a favorable schedule.

1st AFC East (13-3)

   2. Miami Dolphins

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Writer
The Dolphins are a team on the rise. They went 8-8 last year despite a season full of controversy. The Dolphins had a good offseason in terms of addressing problems, they got rid of their GM, Jeff Ireland and upgraded their awful offensive line.

On offense, Ryan Tannehill needs to show progress, former Eagles QB coach, Bill Lazor, is taking over as the offensive coordinator and should help Tannehill’s development. The addition of Branden Albert at left tackle will also help give Tannehill some more time. Mike Wallace and him need to start connecting on deep balls. Knowshon Moreno is joining a running back unit, but not necessarily improving it. Is he really an upgrade from Lamar Miller or Daniel Thomas? Miami may quickly find out how much his stats were bolstered in a frightening Denver offense.

Defensively, this team is strong in the secondary and securing Brent Grimes with a new deal was a key move for them. The pass rush needs Dion Jordan to put his physical tools into practice and develop into the dominant presence that he can be. The D-line is good, but they need help from a very weak group of linebackers, most noticeably against the run, where the Dolphins were among the worst in the league.

Ultimately, the Dolphins haven’t lost any ground since last year, and if Tannehill continues to develop, they should get better this year. If the sacks go down, then the wins will increase this year in Miami.

2nd AFC East (8-8)

   3. New York Jets

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Writer
The Jets are coming off of an 8-8 season in which they had one of the worst offenses in the league. Geno Smith turned the ball over 25 times and was largely ineffective. The defense did a poor job of forcing turnovers as well only forcing 15 turnovers. Heading into this year, the Jets need to improve everywhere that isn’t rushing. Their ground attack should remain strong, and their rushing defense bolstered by reigning defensive rookie of the year, Sheldon Richardson will only get better this year.

On offense, the Jets are committed to Geno Smith despite having Michael Vick backing him up. They brought in Chris Johnson to help out a running game that was largely a committee set up last year. The ground game should get better, though it wasn’t particularly an area of weakness last season. Nick Mangold anchors a strong offensive line that needs to be good to help Geno Smith develop. Eric Decker’s arrival should give Geno Smith a viable passing option, but expect Decker’s production to drop without Peyton Manning throwing him the ball.

Defensively, the Jets are a bit two-faced. They are in good shape in terms of run defense. Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson anchor a great run defense and both are young and still coming into their primes, so they both should take steps forward this year. The secondary is weak, but developing. Last year’s first round pick Dee Milliner struggled in his rookie year, but he was an easy target across the field from Pro-Bowler Antonio Cromatie. This year he should get better with a year of experience under his belt. This year, the Jets took safety Calvin Pryor with their first pick. He fills a void and will start from day one. He hits incredibly hard and Rex Ryan will love him. Expect him to help the pass defense.

The Jets are a middle of the road team. They have the strengths that Rex Ryan values, they are strong on the lines and on the ground. Despite not being very talented, the Jets have something that many other teams do not: an identity. Expect them to grind out gritty wins and lose some head-scratchers. If Geno Smith takes a step forward this year, they should be in pretty good shape, but if doesn’t, which I think is more likely (cue the Mike Vick chants) they won’t make it to .500.

3rd AFC East (7-9)

   4. Buffalo Bills

MIKE TREVELISE
NFL Staff Writer

EJ Manuel is coming into his sophomore season healthy and with a new weapon in Sammy Watkins. Watkins won’t be a superstar right away, but he is a can’t miss talent who will help EJ Manuel’s development as they both progress in the league. A huge x-factor for the Bills will be their running backs. On paper, they are very strong in the backfield, but CJ Spiller seems to always be nursing an injury and Fred Jackson is approaching the end of his career. Expect to see new addition Bryce Brown get a decent share of the workload.

The Bills’ defense has been very good in recent years, a lot of the credit goes to Jairus Byrd, but not all of it. They still have a good pass rush anchored by a very strong D-line. Kiko Alonso’s injury is devastating for their linebacking corps. He emerged as one of the top rookie defensive players last year and was poised to keep progressing and emerging as a leader on the team. Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin are both very good corners, but they will have to compensate more for the safeties this year without Byrd behind them.

The Bills will not find the same success as last year. I’m not giving up on EJ Manuel, but I think he will experience some growing pains this year. The offensive struggles combined with defense losing their star should lead to a disappointing season.  And the worse part: Cleveland owns the rights to the Bills' 2015 first round pick.

4th AFC East (4-12)

AFC North

   1. Cincinnati Bengals

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
After a great regular season last year, the Bengals have experienced nothing but loss. They lost a home game to San Diego in the first round of the playoffs. In the offseason, they lost their offensive coordinator and their defensive coordinator. Usually when you lose your two primary coordinators, it’s because of poor performance, but Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer both accepted head coaching jobs for other teams.

Jay Gruden’s ability as an offensive coordinator still remains to be seen a little bit. Did Gruden elevate Andy Dalton’s play? Or was Dalton hindered by Gruden’s scheme? Whatever it was, Dalton and the offense have the talent to repeat their regular season success last year. Young guys like Giovanni Bernard, Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert will be heavily relied upon, but each guy showed flashes last year. The offense will look to be more balanced running the ball this year as well. Hue Jackson wants to give Bernard more carries this season, which isn’t a bad thing.

The loss of Mike Zimmer is a bit more worrisome. He was an underrated motivator, succeeding with seemingly “troubled” players and castoffs from other teams. Marvin Lewis has always been a good defensive-minded coach though and in the end, players play, not coaches. The Bengals still have one of the best rosters in the league, in one of the weaker divisions.

Record: 10 – 6 (1st in AFC North)

 

   2. Baltimore Ravens

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
For one reason or another, teams that win the Super Bowl one year usually have a disappointing time trying to “defend their title” the following season. The Ravens were no different last year, going 8 – 8 while the offense struggled to do anything but kick field goals. They still should be just as good at splitting the uprights with Justin Tucker still on the roster, but Gary Kubiak was hired as offensive coordinator to help Baltimore score touchdowns, not settle for field goals.

It was a good hire by the Ravens too. The success of Kubiak’s Texans teams relied on a good offensive line in a zone blocking scheme with a multiple running backs and a quarterback to take advantage of play action. This sounds like a formula that Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce can thrive in. As for the sometimes erratic Joe Flacco, Kubiak put Matt Schaub in the Pro Bowl in 2012, so Flacco should be fine after a poor season last year.

There is no reason to think Flacco can’t bounce back either. Remember, Dennis Pitta was out all last year with a major hip injury. He’s never going to impress anyone with speed or athleticism, but he uses his body well and knows where to sit down in zone coverage for Flacco to find him. Not only does Flacco get his favorite target back in Pitta, but their receiving core was bolstered by the addition of veteran Steve Smith. The Ravens have some underrated speed on the outside with Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones.

So with Torrey Smith and Jones streaking down the field and Steve Smith and Pitta patrolling the middle, Flacco should have plenty to work with in the passing game. It might start slow because of the offensive line adjusting to a brand new zone blocking scheme, but the run game should be better than last year as well. Expect the defense to be a little worse than last year, but the offense should be much better.

Record: 9 – 7 (2nd in AFC North) 

   3. Pittsburgh Steelers

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
After having some great teams over the last decade, it seems like it’s been awhile since the Steelers were relevant. They had an old defense in their last run to the Super Bowl in 2010 and their attempt at replacing those players has all but failed. Their secondary is full of guys that they should have gotten rid of this offseason if not earlier. I understand the organization’s attachment to guys like Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor, but clinging to older players just doesn’t work in a constantly evolving NFL. In addition to being old in the secondary, guys they’ve drafted in the front seven just haven’t played well. They are still looking for Jason Worilds to break out and play the James Harrison role. Lawrence Timmons is a stud, but he looks bigger and scarier than he actually plays. And that’s been their problem on defense ever since 2010; they don’t have the players that scare anyone the way they used to.  Hopefully Ryan Shazier can become that next Larry Foote in the middle.

For all their potential problems on defense, Pittsburgh’s offense might be worse. They still have problems protecting Ben Roethlisberger. It was almost the Steelers game plan to have their offensive line get beat on a blitz, and for Ben to play the scramble drill with Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown. The line is still getting beat but Ben doesn’t have anyone to throw to. Now that both Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount await suspensions, it’s hard to picture that the Steelers will be all that good on offense.

This was a team that needed to draft well after the 2010 season and they just haven’t. The Steelers just don’t have the talent to compete at this point. Don’t be surprised if Mike Tomlin gets fired after this season, fair or unfair.

Record: 6 – 10 (3rd in AFC North)

   4. Cleveland Browns

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
While the Browns offseason moves might not be anything special in the long run, for now it’s at least something to get excited about. Johnny Manziel has not looked good in the preseason but he’s sure to take the starting job away from Brian Hoyer at some point this year. The only thing that puts Hoyer ahead of Manziel right now is his knowledge of the offense. It’s clear watching them on the field. Hoyer has a better grasp of what they’re trying to do and Manziel is just a little bit behind. The Browns wouldn’t have drafted Manziel though if they had confidence is Hoyer’s ability. He isn’t any good. Knowing the playbook only gets you so far. Eventually you have to make the throws. Unfortunately for the Browns, Manziel hasn’t been making them either, but the organization is going to get him on the field eventually.

Regardless of who is playing quarterback, the Browns have some good players at other positions. The backfield looks good with Ben Tate coming over from Houston. He never got a chance to shine behind Arian Foster, but he’ll get plenty of opportunity in Cleveland. If Kyle Shanahan uses Tate like Alfred Morris in Washington, the Browns could have a really good running game. They expect rookie Terrance West to get a decent amount of carries as well.

While Josh Gordon and his All-Pro talents will not be available until 2015, Cleveland has some depth at receiver behind him. While Miles Austin is quickly becoming an NFL journeyman, he is an experienced starter from a good passing team. That’s not a bad thing to have with a shaky-at-best quarterback position. Fans should be most excited about Andrew Hawkins who came over from the Bengals. He has great speed and can seemingly score whenever he touches the ball.

The quarterback situation, as well as Josh Gordon’s potential absence dooms this team, however. Their roster is good, but not good enough to overcome whoever Cleveland trots out onto the field under center.

Record: 6 – 10 (4th in AFC North)

AFC WEST

   1. Denver Broncos

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
Denver was the destination for free agents this summer. Easily the class of this division and the entire AFC, the Broncos may have taken another step forward by adding DeMarcus Ware to an already deep pass rush. Von Miller should be healthy again, giving them a bunch of playmakers on the defensive line including Terrance Knighton and Derek Wolfe. Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward give them Pro Bowl-caliber pass defenders. Denver is considerably weak at inside linebacker, but Ward should be able to come down into the box and play the run pretty well. Talib was the best player on the Patriots defense the last two seasons. He’ll make an immediate impact at corner and give the Broncos decent depth at that position along with Rahim Moore and Chris Harris who were out missed last year with injuries. The only issue I have with how deep they are on defense is if it will all come together and mesh well on the field. We’ve seen it before (2011 Philadelphia Eagles) where teams bring in big names for seemingly all-star caliber rosters and it just doesn’t work.

Whether their defense plays well together or not, it’s going to be awfully tough to outscore Denver again. Their historically great offense last year has the potential to be just as potent. Peyton Manning has had another offseason to make Julius Thomas better. They added Emmanuel Sander over the summer as well just so Peyton can throw him eight touchdowns and make Steelers fan angry. Their running game will continue to be screen passes to Demaryius Thomas and not much else. Montee Ball looks to get a majority of the carries, but with that passing game, it’s a plug and play situation. Take most competent running backs in the league and put them in that offense. Holes will open up and there will be space to run. 

It’s Super Bowl or bust for the Broncos and in the much weaker AFC, they shouldn’t have too much trouble getting there.

Record: 13 – 3 (1st in AFC West)

   2. San Diego Chargers

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
The Chargers were another surprise playoff team last year, ending the season at 9 – 7 and winning a playoff game on the road. Phillip Rivers seemed to really respond to Ken Whisenhunt’s system and lots of things broke right for the Chargers to have a really good offense last year. Keenan Allen had a great rookie year and Danny Woodhead became Rivers favorite target on third down. Ryan Matthews wasn’t severely injured either and actually had a pretty good year as well. All those guys return except for maybe the most important factor in their success last season: Ken Whisenhunt.

Say what you want about him as a head coach, but Whisenhunt has proven to be a pretty good offensive coordinator in his career. He got the most out of that offense that couldn’t protect and, at the beginning of the season, didn’t have anyone to throw to after Malcolm Floyd was out for with an injury and Danario Alexander tore his ACL. I don’t think they will take a huge dip in offensive production this season. Allen and Woodhead will still be good players on this offense and San Diego won’t be as unlucky with injuries to their other receivers.

Addressing the defense, there is good news and bad news. The good news; there is only room for improvement. The Chargers were terrible almost everywhere on defense, especially in the secondary. They ranked 29th in pass defense last year and their attempts to improve were signing Brandon Flowers and drafting Jason Verrett. And if you think Brandon Flowers is the best cornerback in the league (which apparently he does), then that is certainly an upgrade. Don’t expect Jason Verrett to have much of an impact this season. Rookie cornerbacks usually struggle, especially undersized ones like Verrett. San Diego’s insider linebackers should be better with Donald Butler and Manti Te’o starting another season, while their outside linebackers are only getting older. Jarrett Johnson is 33, Dwight Freeney is 34 and Melvin Ingram, their first round pick from a year ago, might be a complete bust.  2nd round pick Jeremiah Attaochu provides hope for fans at this position.  His speed off the edge is elite.

Offensive regression should lead to one more loss for this team

Record: 8 – 8 (2nd in AFC West)

   3. Kansas City Chiefs

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
Worst-to-first last season, Kansas City looks to continue the Alex Smith/Andy Reid era with another playoff berth. Unfortunately, the Chiefs had one of the worst offseasons for a team that needs to add players and improve instead of get rid of everyone. They lost their left tackle, Branden Albert in the offseason. That means Eric Fisher will move into the most important spot on the offensive line, which isn’t good. He struggled on the right side last year, and, barring a few big steps forward, is probably going to be a shaky left tackle as well.

Luckily for the Chiefs, Alex Smith is more athletic than people give him credit for. He makes plays with his feet while under pressure and is a good scrambler. It’s sometimes hard to differentiate if he is actually better at running than he is at throwing the ball. Smith, like Sam Bradford, is king of the checkdown pass. Also like Bradford, Smith doesn’t have anyone to throw the ball too. Jamaal Charles was incredibly productive last year, but there is no reason to expect the same performance this season. Those numbers will be very hard to duplicate and that means less points for the Chiefs.

It would make sense for a team that didn’t make any effort to improve on offense, to maybe try and improve their defense instead. Kansas City didn’t do that either. A bad secondary got worse by losing Brandon Flowers to San Diego. Players like Sean Smith and Marcus Cooper were ok last year because of how scary the Chiefs pass rush was at the beginning of last season. Once Tamba Hali and Justin Houston were either out or playing hurt, that secondary struggled even with Flowers. Like Jamaal Charles, the pass rush can’t expect to produce sacks and pressures as well as last year. That secondary is going to struggle and I don’t think the Chiefs are going to be able to outscore people when they do.

A lot of things broke right for Kansas City last year, and it’s tough to picture their current roster winning 11 games again.

Record: 7 – 9 (3rd in AFC West)

4. Oakland Raiders

JULIAN PRITCHER
NFL Genius
The Raiders are pretending its 2009 again, bringing in Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Tuck and Lamar Woodley. Five seasons ago, this looks like an all-star team with a two-headed monster of a backfield and the best pass rush in the league; now it just looks like the Raiders, always thinking they are a few free agents away from being good.

This seems like a team that just doesn’t learn from its mistakes. When you’re constantly trading away draft picks for players, you won’t have any young talent to look forward too. The Raiders have been doing this for what seems like a very long time. That Carson Palmer trade was awful for the future of their team. They’ve also been terribly unlucky in the draft, most notably for players like JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden.

Now it’s Matt Schaub’s turn to be the free agent quarterback in Oakland when everyone knows they were better off with Carson Palmer. Matt Schaub.  That’s when their second round pick, Derek Carr will step in. I think it’s the pick Oakland needed for now. Even if Carr isn’t any good (and quarterbacks picked in the second round usually aren’t), it’s at least something to be hopeful for. Oakland’s offseason was similar to the Browns in that there is potential to have some exciting things happen. They probably won’t, but maybe Khalil Mack becomes a stud defensive end. Maybe Derek Carr is ok. Either way, this team has no chance to succeed until they start drafting solid players and not relying on free agency.

Record: 3 – 13 (4th in AFC West) 
 

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