Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Carolina Panthers
Gross-Matos amassed 17 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss over his last two seasons for Penn State, adding seven quarterback hits and 38 quarterback hurries over that time. He’s a smooth rusher who can move inside as well, and he’ll get a lot of opportunities in a Panthers’ defensive front that lost Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin in free agency.
Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There’s obviously a lot of excitement about the Buccaneers’ offense with Tom Brady replacing Jameis Winston, but don’t sleep on the Todd Bowles-led defense that moved from dead last in Football Outsiders’ efficiency metrics in 2018 to fifth in 2019. Adding Winfield, who bounced back from two injury-plagued seasons to post seven interceptions in 2019 and has a game reminiscent of Earl Thomas, will make that defense even more formidable.
Xavier McKinney, S, New York Giants
In 2019, McKinney replaced Minkah Fitzpatrick as the do-it-all guy in Nick Saban’s Alabama defense, playing at least 227 snaps in the slot, the box, and at free safety. While he’s athletic enough to play the deep third alone, the Giants would be wise to use him all over the field as Saban did. If so, he’ll become the epicenter of Big Blue’s defense quickly.
Jeff Gladney, CB, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings lost outside cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Trae Wayned after the 2019 season, though given their performance, it wasn’t really a “loss.” Getting Gladney with the 31st overall pick is a big step in the right direction of a rebuild, as the TCU alum has the deep downfield tracking ability and short-area quickness to become a true No. 1 cornerback over time.
Patrick Queen, LB, Baltimore Ravens
As formidable as Baltimore’s defense was in 2019, the Ravens weren’t really able to replace the speed and range of linebacker CJ Mosley, who left for the Jets in free agency after the 2018 season. Queen is the perfect replacement, as the LSU product is athletic enough to play in the slot or at free safety, but also has the nascent run-stopping ability to become a true three-down guy.