Getty Gallery: 4/6
No. 5 Tampa Bay Bucs: DL Ed Oliver, Houston
Bucs GM Jason Licht signed a one-year extension through 2019 prior to the 2018 season. The Tampa Bay roster has looked talented over the last few years but has underperformed on the field compared to preseason expectations.
From the roster to the front office, little seems stable in Tampa Bay heading into 2019. The Bucs have not made the playoffs since 2007 and have not won a playoff game since their Super Bowl run in 2002. After Tampa Bay selected Jameis Winston, it seemed like there was a reason for optimism, but the Winston era has largely underwhelmed since the quarterback donned a Bucs uniform.
The talent on defense is likely too much to pass up, but you have to wonder if the Bucs will take a look at the quarterbacks in this draft class.
Ed Oliver was once believed to be in the running to be the No. 1 pick, but the Houston defensive tackle will have some work to do for that to happen in April. ESPN's Todd McShay reported Oliver is closer to 270 pounds than the 290 originally suspected. This has caused some concern over whether he is too light to be a dominant NFL defensive tackle.
Even if Oliver is not the first defensive tackle off the board, he still has a good chance to find himself among the top 10 picks. ESPN's Todd McShay explained why he has Oliver ranked as his No. 5 prospect on his big board.
"Oliver missed four straight Cougars games with a knee injury and had an explosive exchange with coach Major Applewhite on the sideline in mid-November before returning at the end of the regular season," McShay noted. "But on the field, you don't want to have to block this dude. He explodes out of his stance, has elite initial quickness and is totally disruptive and usually unblockable one-on-one. Oliver has great range and always plays hard. He had 58 tackles, including 14.5 for a loss and three sacks, in eight games."
No. 6 New York Giants: QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
The Giants are one of the few teams who are being penciled into taking a quarterback. New York had the No. 2 pick in 2018 but opted to select Saquon Barkley over a long list of highly-touted quarterbacks. This year's draft class is not as deep, but the Giants once again have a high draft pick.
Teams like the Giants who could be looking at quarterbacks received a bit of bad news after Justin Herbert decided to stay in Oregon for another year. This means the Giants will be choosing between Dwayne Haskins, Will Grier and a few other signal callers.
The Giants could decide to give Eli Manning another season, but all signs point to the Manning era coming to a close in New York.
Haskins may be the main beneficiary of Herbert going back to school. Even with Herbert potentially in the draft, Haskins had a chance to be the top quarterback selected in April. Haskins has not officially declared for the draft, but many expect the Ohio State signal caller to go pro after playing in the Rose Bowl.
Haskins would be the favorite to be the first quarterback selected if he does declare for the draft. The Athletic's Dane Brugler provided an overview of his current standing.
"Only a redshirt sophomore, Haskins has yet to reveal his NFL decision, but after one of the best seasons in Big Ten history, many around the NFL expect him to go pro," Brugler noted. "If he does declare, he becomes the new favorite to be QB1 in the 2019 draft class, despite only 13 career starts at the college level. Haskins is expected to wait until after the Rose Bowl to announce his decision."