By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
The team needs series comes to an end with the SEC. The Auburn Tigers have won the SEC title in back-to-back seasons and the rest of the conference wants to make sure they don’t make it a third season in a row. Here are what they are looking for to make that goal a reality.
For those new to the draft, each team can draft until they hit the 26-man roster limit. Once they hit that, they are out of the draft. So, a few teams will only draft in the first round and some will have many picks to use.
Alabama
Number of Picks in the Draft: 5
Biggest Need: WR
Where They Draft: 19th
Alabama doesn’t need a lot going into the draft. They have talent at every position, they just need to add depth at certain spots. One of those is going to be a wide receiver. They currently have three wide receivers on the roster, including stars Troy Tree and Kyle Claxon. They need to add depth behind those two and perhaps upgrade at WR3.
Alabama could also use depth at cornerback, safety, and defensive line. Alabama is poised to be a power player in the SEC. These picks could put them over the top.
Auburn
Number of Picks in the Draft: 4
Biggest Need: Defensive Line
Where They Draft: 20th
Auburn lost some big names in the offseason, but they have built back well in recruiting. Now it is time for them to fill the last few spots in the draft and the defensive front is going to be a priority. There are three linemen on the roster right now. Thanks to the versatility of Alexis Storm, this player could be either DE or DT, but they need to add at least one.
Other positions the Tigers might target include corner, halfback, linebacker, and/or wide receiver.
Florida
Number of Picks in the Draft: 3
Biggest Need: Defensive Line
Where They Draft: 18th
The Gators are another team that needs to use some picks on the defensive line. The Gators return DE Michael Moore and DT Michael Vazquez, but those are the only guys they have up front. They likely spend more than one of their three picks on defensive linemen.
Corner is the most likely spot that Florida could spend a pick that isn’t a defensive lineman. However, half-backs could be in play if one falls to them.
Georgia
Number of Picks in the Draft: 11
Biggest Need: Defensive Line
Where They Draft: 17th
The defensive line trend continues with the Bulldogs. They do return start DT Lacrisa Pettijohn, but that is the only lineman they have on the roster. They will need to spend a few picks to beef up the defensive front.
Wide receiver is going to be another big area of need for Georgia. They have two WRs on the roster currently, so this will be another need they need to spend more than one pick on. Other positions they could pick include safety, tight end, corner, and halfback.
Kentucky
Number of Picks in the Draft: 8
Biggest Need: Linebacker
Where They Draft: 21st
Kentucky has only two wideouts on the roster, so they will need to add depth, but it is not their most pressing need. Star OLB Bear Brown is the only linebacker on the roster. They are not only looking for depth but at least one starter (depending on the defensive scheme).
The Wildcats will also be looking to add depth at corner, halfback, and perhaps defensive line. They do draft later in the draft, but there should be plenty of talent for them to fill the needs they have with quality players.
Tennessee
Number of Picks in the Draft: 12
Biggest Need: Defensive Line
Where They Draft: 4th
Tennessee stays with the SEC theme of needing defensive linemen. They currently do not have any D-linemen on the roster. This means the Volunteers will need to spend perhaps a third of their picks on the defensive front.
Tennessee also doesn’t have a tight end on the roster, so that will be their second biggest need. Other positions they will be looking for include safety, halfback, and maybe linebacker. Luckily for them, they draft early, so they should be able to get some big names in the draft.
