By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia is on the horizon. We get to see where future stars will land and get to see if teams will address their needs. I’m going to take a look at the NFC South and look at some possible landing spots for the 1^st round of the draft.

Carolina is going first in the division with the 8^th pick. The Panthers were 15-1 in 2015 and advanced to the Super Bowl. They drastically regressed last year finishing 6-10 and last in the division. They have several needs that can be addressed like help in the secondary, offensive tackle, defensive end or running back.

I think the Panthers will pick a running back first. The first option is Leonard Fournette of LSU. He’s a big, powerful back that also has good speed for his size. I think it’s possible he may be off the board before Carolina can pick him though. If that’s the case Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey will be selected. He’s the most versatile back in the draft because he can return kicks and he’s a great pass catcher.

New Orleans (7-9) has two first round picks. They have the 11^th pick and they acquired the 32^nd pick after trading wide receiver Brandon Cooks to New England. I think they need a receiver to replace Cooks but the Saints have bigger needs on defense. They finished 27^th last season in total defense allowing an average of 28.4 pointer per game and 375.4 yards. They also ranked 27^th in sacks with only 30.

The first pick will be used to draft a pass rusher and I think that will be Taco Charlton from Michigan. Charlton had 13.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2016. He has great size at 6’6 and 277 pounds. One possible red flag is it took him a while to become productive. He broke out as a senior but as a junior he was only able to start 3 games and prior to that he played mostly on special teams.

The last pick of the first round should be used to draft a corner. I think two Pac 12 players will be considered. Either Adoree Jackson from USC or Kevin King from Washington makes the most sense. Jackson won the Thorpe Award so I give him the edge if he’s still available.

Tampa Bay (9-7) was very close to making the playoffs last year. The Bucs added speedy receiver DeSean Jackson to play opposite Mike Evans. Quarterback Jameis Winston should improve even more going into his 3^rd season. The offense could be prolific and I believe they will add a weapon.

Running back Doug Martin is facing a three-game suspension for PED use and he’s been injury prone. FSU’s Dalvin Cook would be a great fit. He has good speed, terrific hands and he’s a shifty runner.

Atlanta (11-5) gets the Super Bowl loser pick which is 31^st. We all know they had the most epic collapse in NFL history, giving up a 28-3 3^rd quarter lead to lose to New England. Their most glaring weakness came back to haunt them which is defense. The Falcons were 26^th in total defense last year. Defensive end Vic Beasley had a breakout second year, leading the league in sacks with 15.5.

Atlanta needs another pass rusher to pair with him. DE/OLB Charles Harris of Mizzou will probably be the best player still available. He had double digit tackles for loss the last two years. I think he’ll be a good fit in Atlanta.