• Dallas Cowboys need a versatile offensive lineman: With Tyler Smith expected to move from left guard to left tackle, they now have two starting spots to fill: center and left guard. Graham Barton is the perfect prospect for Dallas because he has the flexibility to play both.
• The ideal candidate to protector Joe Burrow on the right side: With the Bengals currently picking at No. 18, they may need to trade up for Taliese Fuaga, but he would be worth it for them – especially as an investment in protecting Joe Burrow.
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With most of the big moves in free agency all signed up, we wanted to turn our eyes towards the draft to identify some team fits, specifically for those who didn’t spend a lot in free agency. Here are the bottom 10 teams in terms of total guarantees spent this free agency period and a prospect they would love to draft.
DALLAS COWBOYS
- Total guarantees spent: $1.2M
- Perfect prospect fit: IOL Graham Barton
The Cowboys were oddly quiet in free agency in terms of welcomes and new additions. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for their departures, as Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz found new teams elsewhere. Those losses will force Dallas to do some shuffling along the offensive line. With Tyler Smith expected to move from left guard to left tackle, the Cowboys now have two starting spots to fill: center and left guard. Barton is the perfect prospect for Dallas because he has the flexibility to play both. That would aid Dallas’ quest to find its “best five” offensive line for 2024.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
- Total guarantees spent: $10M
- Perfect prospect fit: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Chargers were spending a lot more time and energy trying to get under the cap floor than thinking about new additions. With the restructuring of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa’s contracts along with releasing Mike Williams and trading Keenan Allen, they were able to do just that. However, with both of those receivers gone, the Chargers are in the market to draft receivers in the first round for the second year in a row. Harrison is the pick here, but you can choose Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze as well. They’d all lead this team in targets in 2024.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
- Total guarantees spent: $12.9M
- Perfect prospect fit: QB Drake Maye
With Kirk Cousins signing a big deal with the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings will be looking for their next franchise quarterback – with all due respect to Sam Darnold on a one-year deal. Currently picking at No. 11, they are well outside Drake Maye‘s range. However, after recently acquiring the No. 23 pick, they seem to be eyeing a trade-up. Maye’s arm talent is ideal to invest in.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
- Total guarantees spent: $19.6M
- Perfect prospect fit: OT Amarius Mims
Year 1 post-Mike McGlinchey was not great, as right tackle Colton McKivitz earned just a 65.7 overall PFF grade in 2023. I’m sure the Niners would love to improve their offensive line, if possible, and one player who would be a dream pick is Amarius Mims. At 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, Mims looks like he was built in a lab. He didn’t play a lot in college due to Georgia being a talent factory and Mims missing time due to injury last season. He is a right tackle, which bodes well for San Francisco. There’s a good chance Mims doesn’t make it to pick No. 31, so this might call for a trade-up, but he’s their ideal choice.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
- Total guarantees spent: $20.5M
- Perfect prospect fit: IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson
Isaac Seumalo was the only Steelers offensive lineman to earn a PFF season grade above 61.2 last season. They seem to be OK with Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr at the tackle spots, so an interior addition would be welcomed. Jackson Powers-Johnson only had one year as a full-time starter at Oregon, but he was dominant. He continued that trend at the Senior Bowl, where he performed well at both center and guard. He could fill either spot for Pittsburgh in their 2024 starting lineup.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
- Total guarantees spent: $20.6M
- Perfect prospect fit: OT Taliese Fuaga
After losing Jonah Williams in free agency, the Bengals have an immediate need at right tackle. Fuaga has started at right tackle for the last two seasons at Oregon State, and in 2023, he was the best right tackle in college football. With the Bengals currently picking at No. 18, they may need to trade up for Fuaga, but he would be worth it for them – especially as an investment in protecting Joe Burrow.
DETROIT LIONS
- Total guarantees spent: $20.6M
- Perfect prospect fit: IOL Graham Barton
The Lions lost Jonah Jackson in free agency, and replacing him with a player as versatile as Barton would be ideal. Barton could step in at guard right away but could have the flexibility to play center, too. It feels like Barton’s sweet spot in this draft is somewhere in the 20s. Though the Lions’ pick at No. 29 feels like it’s the back end of Barton’s range, it is possible, and they might even like him enough to jump up a few spots to secure him.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
- Total guarantees spent: $26.9M
- Perfect prospect fit: LB Payton Wilson
The Browns brought in Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush to replace Anthony Walker Jr. and Sione Takitaki, but I still believe a young, athletic linebacker could be a great investment. I am not sure who is going to be the top linebacker off the board this year, but it doesn’t feel like we’re getting one in Round 1. I think Payton Wilson is the top guy, and I would be comfortable picking him in the first half of the second round. Perhaps the linebacker run starts late, giving the Browns have a shot.
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