I agree bleak is a strong word and they don't
need to go DL in the 1st round. But it also
could make sense if the draft falls a certain way given that (a) between Donald and Jonah Williams they have a void of 1,500+ snaps on the DL to fill and (b) Brown is a free agent next spring.
If they do take Murphy or Newton I'd prefer it be after a trade back 3-5 spots to add another top 90 pick.