We're reaching the final stage of the evaluation process for the 2018 NFL Draft (April 26-28 on NFL Network and FOX). Team visits wrap up on Wednesday, and clubs will be putting the finishing touches on their draft board in the days to come.
Every year teams have certain prospects that they're hoping are still on the board when they're on the clock because the fit is just so perfect. With that in mind, I reached out to five NFL personnel executives with this question: What's the most natural prospect-team fit in this year's draft?
Here are their answers.
Executive 1: South Carolina TE Hayden Hurst: New England Patriots
"(Bill) Belichick took him out the night before his pro day. He could make Pro Bowls with (Tom) Brady."
Executive 2: Georgia LB Roquan Smith: San Francisco 49ers
"(Smith) walks in starting on all three downs (from Day One)."
Executive 3: Washington DT Vita Vea: Miami Dolphins
"Fills void left by (Ndamukong) Suh. Vita's just scratching the surface. He can get better, which is scary."
Executive 4: Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick: Oakland Raiders
"Pro-ready, tough and versatile player who can plug in and be good to go in short order without a lot of rookie growing pains ... at a place where the head coach prefers veterans and doesn't have a lot of patience for rookie moments."
Executive 5: Alabama WR Calvin Ridley: New England Patriots
"Brady needs another target. Only question is will he slide to them? Doubtful, but perfect fit if he does."
Conclusion: I like the fits these personnel executives mentioned. When we look for the right fit for these prospects, it's not just about filling a team's need -- it's about connecting styles and personalities, as well. I've never really thought about Ridley to the Patriots, but his skill set closely mirrors that of the receiver they traded away to the Rams in Brandin Cooks. Ridley could easily fit that role in New England.
I've connected the dots on a few of the others listed above -- I have Smith to the Niners, Vea to the Dolphins and Fitzpatrick to the Raiders in my most recent mock draft. However, the Ridley-Patriots connection is the one that jumped out to me among the feedback from the execs. Interestingly enough, my colleague Ian Rapoport reported that Ridley visited the Patriots on Wednesday. I can't wait to see if any of these fits come to fruition next week.
Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter @MoveTheSticks.
