"A lot of experts have Jacksonville" Eagles, Rams rise. Patriots solid. Broncos to surprise?

With the 2018 NFL Draft completed in April, let’s take a quick look at how some of the top teams line-up heading into next season in this year’s NFL Power Rankings.

The Eagles look to be dangerous once again following their first Super Bowl winning campaign. With the loss of tight end, Trey Burton, Philly went ahead and jumped over the Cowboys to select Dallas Goedert in the 2nd Round. The 6’5”, 255 lb. tight end out of South Dakota State should be a great target man for a healthy Carson Wentz. With the return of Sidney Jones at cornerback following an achilles injury prior to last year’s draft, the Eagles look to have improved on both sides of the ball.

The Rams also look to be a threat in the NFC. Last year’s disappointing Wild Card loss to Atlanta has left a bitter taste for the LA franchise. They’ve responded by going absolutely mental in free agency, picking up big names like Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh and Aqib Talib. The loss of wideout Sammy Watkins also led the Rams to adding Brandin Cooks from New England. Cooks had a pretty good year with the Pats nearly doubling Watkins’ stats in both receptions and receiving yards. Cooks had 65 receptions, for 1,082 yards, and 7 touchdowns, while Watkins had 39 receptions, for 593 yards, and 8 touchdowns. The Rams look on paper to be a juggernaut, but will it work on the field?

The Patriots looked to the draft to fill in needed spots this year, going with two Georgia Bulldogs as their marquee picks. Tackle Isaiah Wynn provides needed depth to an offensive line that lost big man, Nate Solder, in free agency. And Sony Michel adds depth to a running back corp that lost the agile Dion Lewis to the Titans. The Patriots’ next three picks were all on the defensive side. Duke Dawson, cornerback out of Florida, will look to replace Malcolm Butler. And two linebackers, Ja’whaun Bentley and Christian Sam, add much needed depth to a position that was banged up last year.

My shocker for this year’s NFL Power Rankings, the Denver Broncos. Every season there is one team that surprises. A lot of experts have Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and Houston behind New England in the AFC, but I am going to go out on a limb and pick the Denver Broncos to surprise this year. They finally have a quarterback that has proven he can win ball games. Case Keenum will also have a bit of fire this year after being ousted by Minnesota for Kirk Cousins. The Broncos still have a lot of pieces from their last Super Bowl win, so look out for a comeback year for the orange and navy.

2018 NFL Power Rankings:

Philadelphia Eagles

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

Denver Broncos

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Atlanta Falcons

New Orleans Saints

Green Bay Packers

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Tennessee Titans

Seattle Seahawks

Los Angeles Chargers

Kansas City Chiefs

Oakland Raiders

Washington Redskins

Detroit Lions

Baltimore Ravens

Arizona Cardinals

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Cincinnati Bengals

New York Jets

Buffalo Bills

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cleveland Browns

Chicago Bears

Indianapolis Colts

Who's your surprise for this season?

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