Below, Football Outsiders takes a look at the biggest need positions for all 32 teams going into the 2017 NFL draft. Each team is listed with its biggest need, a lesser-known need and a position where there's no need at all. Many of the descriptions reference Football Outsiders stats, which are explained here. The most common is DVOA, or defense-adjusted value over average, which compares every play of the NFL season to a league average and adjusts based on situation and opponent.
AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West
NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West
AFC East
By Aaron Schatz
Buffalo Bills
Biggest need: wide receiver
Three of the Bills' four top wide receivers from last year signed with other teams this offseason. The fourth is Sammy Watkins, who may never reach his NFL potential after repeated foot surgeries. If Watkins isn't healthy to start the 2017 season, Buffalo's starting receivers will be Corey Brown (ex-Carolina) and Andre Holmes (ex-Oakland), who would make very good fourth options. The rest of the depth chart is made up of special-teamers such as Walt Powell, Brandon Tate and Jeremy Butler.
Quiet need: cornerback
This is a similar situation to wide receiver, a "quieter" need only because cornerback is not a position in most fantasy football leagues. Four Buffalo cornerbacks had at least 400 defensive snaps last year, and three of them are now gone. That leaves Ronald Darby, the main holdover, set to start across from 2016 sixth-round pick Kevon Seymour. The prospective nickelback, Leonard Johnson, had a below-average 50 percent success rate in coverage with Carolina last year and is now on his fourth NFL roster in the past three years. The rest of the depth chart is made up of undrafted players with little NFL experience.
Not a need: defensive tackle
It seems like the Bills have switched defensive schemes nearly every year for the past decade, and they're back to a 4-3 this year. So between youngster Adolphus Washington (who had a promising 2016 rookie season) and veterans Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams, someone has to be left out of the starting lineup.
Miami Dolphins
Biggest need: linebacker
Kiko Alonso has never fully recovered the mobility he showed in his rookie year, but he's locked in as one of Miami's starters. The others are question marks. Free-agent signing Lawrence Timmons turns 31 soon, which is part of why Pittsburgh let him leave. He could start in the middle and move Alonso to the weak side, or be a rotational player on the outside. Koa Misi missed most of last year with a neck injury and took a pay cut to come back as the penciled-in starter on the strong side. Neville Hewitt has outplayed his pedigree as an undrafted free agent, but is he good enough to be a full-time starter?
Quiet need: defensive tackle
Ndamukong Suh is set in stone, thanks to both his talent and his contract, but the decision to cut both Earl Mitchell and Jason Jones leaves the other starting spot to 2015 second-rounder Jordan Phillips, who has been inconsistent in his first two NFL seasons. Plus, defensive tackle is a position where you want depth to rotate in fresh bodies, and right now the only other defensive tackle on the roster is Lawrence Okoye.
Guard is also a need with Laremy Tunsil moving outside to left tackle.
Not a need: safety
Rashad Jones should be back from his torn rotator cuff, and the Dolphins signed Nate Allen to play next to him. They also added T.J. McDonald from the Rams, though he'll start the season serving an eight-game suspension. Behind them are special-teams stalwarts Michael Thomas (who also has 23 games of starting experience on defense) and Walt Aikens. A number of draftniks are giving the Dolphins a safety in the second or third round of their deep mock drafts, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of roster room at the position.
