NFL Draft 2015: Teams with the Most Work to Do in Round 2

With report cards and final grades handed out for the first round, it's now time to turn our attention to the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. No, the fun is not over, and for NFL decision makers, there's plenty left to be done.

Acing the first round is one thing, but building a deep team requires success throughout the draft. Here are four teams that still have their work cut out for them heading into the draft's second round.

St. Louis Rams

There are two ways to look at the Rams’ decision to draft Todd Gurley last night. The first is they needed to upgrade their offense, and they got one of the highest-ranked playmakers in the draft.

The other way to look at it is they still have a lot of question marks on that side of the football.

St. Louis ranked 27th in pass-blocking and 23rd in run-blocking last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Only two starters from last year’s offensive line remain under contract, and no reinforcements have been signed in free agency.

A healthy Nick Foles will stabilize the passing game, but that remains a mess too. The last time the Rams had a receiver catch more than 65 passes? Danny Amendola in 2010.

The Rams will need to be aggressive in targeting a receiver and a lineman on Day 2, possibly even trading back into the second round after their initial selection.

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis TV station WTHR's columnist Bob Kravitz summed up the Colts’ selection of Phillip Dorsett the best:

Dorsett represents a fine value at No. 29, but the Colts had far more pressing issues to address. According to Pro Football Focus, Indianapolis graded out as the seventh-worst pass-blocking squad and the third-worst pass-rushing team in the NFL last season.

Holding the 29th pick in the second round, the Colts may need to trade up to find an immediate impact player at a position of need.

If offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings (51st on Matt Miller’s big board) or defensive end Preston Smith (53rd) is still around late in the round, the Colts could do worse than move up a few slots to grab one of them.

New Orleans Saints

After stunning the league by trading tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Kenny Stills in March, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis indicated the offseason focus was on building a better defense.

The Saints then used their first pick in the first round on offensive lineman Andrus Peat.

To be fair, the Saints were in need of an upgrade on the offensive line, too, and they added linebacker Stephone Antony later in the round.

Still, there’s plenty of room for improvement on a defense that permitted the second-most yards last season. Finding a pass-rusher would be a good place to start, as the Saints notched the eighth-least amount of sacks in 2014.

The Saints could move up for Randy Gregory (ninth on Matt Miller’s big board), or hope he, Eli Harold (35th) or Owa Odighizuwa (37th) falls to them.  

Tennessee Titans

Without knowing what offers were made, it’s hard to complain about the Titans’ selection of Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick in the draft. They got their franchise quarterback.

According to NFL Network’s Jeff Darlington, Mariota will be “the guy” under center immediately.

Now they need to get Mariota some help.

Tennessee finished last season with the fifth-worst pass-blocking rating, via PFF, and none of their receivers topped 900 yards. Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter have talent, but neither has proven to be a No. 1 option.

Picking first in the second round, receivers Dorial Green-Beckham and Devin Funchess could be appealing as a big target for Mariota, and tackle Jake Fisher could help offset the retirement of Michael Roos.

Tennessee has options. They now need to use their pick wisely to help Mariota’s transition to the NFL.