Thursday 27 April 2017 13:04, UK
The 82nd NFL Draft takes place this week and the annual selection of college football's best players offers each club the chance to re-stock their roster ahead of the 2017 season.
So while this is an important time for all 32 NFL teams, which clubs are under the most pressure to have a good three days in Philadelphia?
This goes without saying as the team with the worst record in the entire league from a year ago. The Browns won just a single game and are beginning their re-build from rock bottom.
But they make this list because it is time to stop stock-piling draft picks and time to start adding young talent to the roster.
The Browns cannot keep building for tomorrow by stacking future draft picks for a rainy day. This is a good and deep draft at so many positions and now is the time for Cleveland to make the most of their league-high 11 selections, which includes two picks in round one and five in the top 100.
Whether the Browns can find their franchise quarterback remains to be seen, but they are crying out for stability at that vital position. Since re-entering the NFL in 1999, the Browns have gone through a league-high 26 starting quarterbacks and none has come close to being the long-term answer.
You would expect everything to be relatively rosy in the Dallas Cowboys' garden after they reached the final eight on last year's road to the Super Bowl. But this team was decimated on defence in free agency, losing seven defenders to other clubs.
That has been a real blow to a defence that led the NFL against the run in 2016. But their ability to stop the pass will be more of a worry after the entire secondary - cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, and safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox - jumped ship in March.
Re-stocking a defence that was just beginning to show its teeth in 2016 is going to be vital for Dallas.
It was not that long ago that the San Francisco 49ers were competing for honours in the NFC. But their downward spiral has been alarming and they are now on their fourth head coach in as many seasons with Kyle Shanahan.
Stability is going to be the order of the day for this once-proud franchise, that has been picked apart in terms of high-profile player defections, retirements and loss in form. The pairing of Shanahan and general manager John Lynch attempted to stop the bleeding with a few good free agent signings.
But the long-term success of this team is going to depend on good drafting and the 49ers would love to come out of this draft with a viable answer at quarterback, because Brian Hoyer is little more than a stop-gap veteran.
New general manager Chris Ballard is the man charged with righting the wrongs of the previous regime headed up by since-fired Ryan Grigson. The Colts have been wasting Andrew Luck's best years and are getting the franchise quarterback beaten up far too often.
Ballard must use this draft to further bolster a poor offensive line that has been culpable in Luck going under the surgeon's knife in each of the last two seasons. And Indianapolis should also use this draft to upgrade a defence that gets pushed around far too much and could use a bit of muscle and grit!
The Colts made some under-the-radar defensive additions in free agency but not nearly enough to be considered done on that side of the ball. Luck is good enough to win a Super Bowl in Indy - but the pieces around him are nowhere near that standard. This draft can go some way to improving a roster that needs help.
Every year, the Jacksonville Jaguars make an off-season splash with some high-profile and expensive free agency signings. And why do they make those moves? To cover up the fact that they have been unable to draft and develop their own at a much cheaper rate.
The Jags are embarking on a bold new era under Tom Coughlin and head coach Doug Marrone. Coughlin will want tough, no-nonsense players who love the game. If the Jags hit on enough of those players this year, especially on offence, they can stop taking so many expensive gambles when the following season's free agency signing period opens.
This talented team got raided during the free agency signing period with defensive end Calais Campbell, linebacker Kevin Minter and safety Tony Jefferson going from one of the best defences in the NFL.
So loading up on defence is going to be key for the Cardinals, but they have also made it clear that the Carson Palmer succession plan has to start in this draft. Can Arizona find a day one defensive starter or two and also pick up their quarterback of the future?
That is the plan for general manager Steve Keim but it won't be an easy task. That said, it does need to happen because it feels like Arizona's Super Bowl window is not only closing, it's about to slam shut on their fingers!
