Editor's note: Click through the tabs above to see the rankings for offensive and defensive talent.
While the Baltimore Ravens were busy bolstering their offense like no other club in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans were pacing the NFL in improving their defense. Ranked 20th in the NFL last year in allowing 328 yards per game, the Titans entered the draft primarily needing help in for its front seven. It came early with two picks -- Rashaan Evans and Harold Landry -- that set the tone for the club's brief, four-pick draft.
We arrived at these rankings using NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt's Hot 150 prospect rankings as the measurement. Points were assigned to each draftee based on where he ranked in Brandt's Hot 150. The No. 1-rated prospect received 150 points, the No. 2 prospect received 149 points, etc.
Here are the five teams with the most points among defensive players:
1. Tennessee Titans
Score: 290 points (3 players)
The players (points):
No. 28 in Brandt's Hot 150: Alabama LB Rashaan Evans (123)
No. 36: Boston College OLB Harold Landry (115)
No. 99: Arizona S Dane Cruikshank (52)
The skinny:In Evans, the Titans add the most versatile linebacker Alabama has produced since C.J. Mosley; an instinctive presence whether he's inside, outside, dropping into coverage or blitzing. Landry's pass-rush skills are much-needed in Tennessee, and in Cruikshank, the Titans got one of Brandt's top 100 players at a fifth-round bargain.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Score: 286 points (4 players)
The players (points):
No. 52 in Brandt's Hot 150: Wake Forest S Jessie Bates (99)
No. 63: Ohio State DE Sam Hubbard (88)
No. 68: Texas LB Malik Jefferson (83)
No. 135: Virginia DT Andrew Brown (16)
The skinny:The Bengals made additions to every level of their defense with Hot 150 players, from a roaming deep safety in Bates, to an athletic linebacker in Jefferson, to a disruptive end in Hubbard. They allowed 339 yards per game last year, placing them in the middle of the pack league-wide (18th). With this draft class, they should be able to climb that list.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Score: 283 points (3 players)
The players (points):
No. 11 in Brandt's Hot 150: Washington DT Vita Vea (140)
No. 43: Auburn CB Carlton Davis (108)
No. 116: North Carolina CB M.J. Stewart (35)
The skinny: Vea will help Gerald McCoy anchor the middle of the defense with his massive 350-pound frame, and he can move a lot faster than the University of Washington's last first-rounder at the same position, Danny Shelton. The Bucs addressed a need for depth in the secondary by spending second-round picks on cornerbacks Davis and Stewart.
4. Green Bay Packers
Score: 280 points (3 players)
The players (points):
No. 16 in Brandt's Hot 150: Louisville CB Jaire Alexander (135)
No. 26: Iowa CB Josh Jackson (125)
No. 131: Vanderbilt LB Oren Burks (20)
The skinny:The Packers made a big commitment to improving their cornerback play in drafting two of them with their first two selections, at Nos. 18 (Alexander) and 45 (Jackson) overall. Brandt thought even higher of them than their draft slots, ranking Alexander the draft's No. 16 player and Jackson at No. 26. If Burks' athleticism translates from a stellar NFL Scouting Combine performance to the Sunday gridiron, he'll make immediate contributions.
5. Buffalo Bills
Score: 240 points (2 players)
The players (points):
No. 6 in Brandt's Hot 150: Virginia Tech LB Tremaine Edmunds (145)
No. 56: Stanford DT Harrison Phillips (95)
The skinny:The Bills crack the top five with just two Hot 150 players, but in Edmunds, Bills DC Leslie Frazier gets to work with a wondrous talent who can help the Buffalo's defense in multiple roles. As a draft prospect, Phillips has been billed as an immovable gap plugger, even though he was very much a playmaker at the Pac-12 level. If he proves to be more of the latter than expected in the NFL, the Bills' defense will benefit greatly.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
