Not counting the top 2 quarterbacks, a handful of player-team matches make great sense to me. Some thoughts on Thursday night’s activity (the pairings I liked the most).

5. Harrison Smith S Notre Dame: The Vikings should be exuberant once they get a chance to work with Smith. He is tough, smart, and instinctive. He is an underrated athlete, and will help the back end of Minnesota’s defense in multiple ways. A few years from now, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that Smith was one of the steals of the entire draft.

4. Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State: The Eagles managed to select the top defensive lineman in this draft. Cox is uber athletic, and will be a terrorizing presence on Jim Washburn’s attacking defensive line.

3. Dont’a Hightower ILB/OLB Alabama: The Alabama LB is a thumper who can come downhill like a charging Rhinoceros, and can attack the edge with his hand in the dirt. Belichick might have found his next Willie McGinest (Hightower even looks a bit like him).

2. Morris Claiborne CB LSU: Yes, Dallas had to give up a 2nd round pick (and the chance to select another starter). But the Cowboys are known to take an aggressive approach to the draft, showing no qualms about packaging picks to move up.  Claiborne is the playmaking defender the Cowboys have needed for years.

1. David DeCastro OG Stanford: In no scenario could I believe that the best offensive lineman in this draft would slide to Pittsburgh at 24 overall. He is going to pair with Maurkice Pouncey to form one of the nastiest interior duos in the league. Steelers fans have waited patiently for the resurgence of the power run game in Pittsburgh, and it should be making its way back now.