Monday, May 1, 2017

2018 Mock Draft 1.0: WAY TOO EARLY 2018 Mock Draft

It’s never too early to start talking about next year’s draft, right? Well regardless of your opinion, here we are making a round one mock for the 2018 NFL Draft. There is plenty of change to come as we collect more tape and develop our own opinions, but all mock drafts are is predicting picks, sharing opinions, and having fun. These predictions are based off current Las Vegas odds per vegasinsider.com. Now then, let’s jump right into 2018!

11.     Cleveland Browns (300/1): Derwin James, S, FSU
22.     San Francisco 49ers (300/1): Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
33.     Los Angeles Rams (150/1): Connor Williams, OT, Texas
44.     New York Jets (150/1): Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
55.     Chicago Bears (125/1): Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
66.     Jacksonville Jaguars (90/1): Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson
77.     Buffalo Bills (90/1): Sam Darnold, QB, USC
88.     Los Angeles Chargers (80/1): Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB, Alabama
99.    New Orleans Saints (70/1): Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
110. Detroit Lions (70/1): Saquon Barkley, RB, PSU
111. Washington (60/1): Tarvarus McFadden, CB, FSU
112. Miami Dolphins (60/1): Cameron Smith, LB, USC
113. Cincinnati Bengals: Arden Key, EDGE, LSU
114. Tennessee Titans (55/1): Armani Watts, S, TAMU
115. Philadelphia Eagles (50/1): Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
116. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (40/1): Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
117. Baltimore Ravens (40/1): Deon Cain, WR, Clemson
118. Carolina Panthers (35/1): Mitch Hyatt, OT, Clemson
119. Arizona Cardinals (32/1): Christian Kirk, WR, TAMU
220. Minnesota Vikings (30/1): Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
221. Indianapolis Colts (30/1): Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College
222. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City): Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
223. New York Giants (22/1): Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State
224. Pittsburgh Steelers (18/1): Jordan Whitehead, S, Pittsburgh
225. Denver Broncos (18/1): Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
226. Oakland Raiders (15/1): Sam Hubbard, EDGE, Ohio State
227. Cleveland Browns (via Houston): Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama
228. Atlanta Falcons (13/1): Tyquan Lewis, EDGE, Ohio state
229. Seattle Seahawks (12/1): Mason Cole, C, Michigan
330. Green Bay Packers (12/1): Josh Sweat, EDGE, FSU
331. Dallas Cowboys (11/1): Da’Shawn Hand, DL, Alabama
332. New England Patriots (18/5): Marcus Allen, S, Penn State

- What positions look deep as of now? Let’s start with the quarterback class. UCLA’s Josh Rosen will open the year as my top overall prospect. Rosen has everything you want in a prospect: touch, footwork, and arm strength. The biggest concern will be how he returns from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss most of the 2016 season. Wyoming’s Josh Allen has a cannon for an arm and good mobility. If you liked Patrick Mahomes in 2017’s draft, you’ll love Allen. USC’s Sam Darnold is the media’s darling as of now. I won’t bring up how USC quarterbacks fare in the NFL (rule of scouting: Scout the player, not the helmet), but his awkward throwing motion and small sample size (366 pass attempts in 2016) leave me wanting more. Of course, the upside is there to be the first quarterback taken. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is missing from this mock because of his rawness as a passer. However, the arm talent is certainly there for him to become a Michael Vick type passer. Add in his explosiveness as a runner and he could also garner round one talk. Then we have Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and Washington State’s Luke Falk. Both of them have plenty of arm talent and will be interesting case studies for the 2017 season. Overall, this is a very good quarterback class as of now.

- A safety as the top overall pick? The value for safeties certainly doesn’t garner that type of draft capital, but Florida State’s Derwin James has the upside of a top overall pick. After tearing his MCL in 2016, James was able to apply for a red-shirt and will have three year of eligibility remaining so while he may opt to return to Tallahassee for another season, his talent could lock him into round one.

- Back to a safety being a top overall pick… Should Cleveland once again hold rights to the number one pick, we could of course see a trade happen. Without a trade, however, we have to look at Cleveland’s needs. The addressed edge rusher and quarterback early in the 2017 draft, so the top quarterbacks and edge rushers appear to be out of play. Running back could be looked at, but no player possesses that Leonard Fournette upside to justify such a high selection. Offensive tackle would appear to be the next option, and with Joe Thomas getting another year older it would make sense to go with Texas tackle Connor Williams. With a best-player-available approach, James is ranked higher for me at this time. Of course, if Jalen Ramsey and Jamal Adams weren’t top three selections in 2016 and 2017 respectively despite their talent as top three players in their draft class, it is extremely doubtful a safety would be selected number one overall.

- This running back draft class appears to be just as special as 2017’s class. Headlined by Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and LSU’s Derrius Guice, there is plenty of depth to include Bo Scarbrough and seniors Royce Freeman and Nick Chubb from Oregon and Georgia respectively.

- Who are some of my early draft crushes? The aforementioned Josh Rosen will open the season as my top prospect and quarterback, but I love his game. Other include: LSU’s Arden Key, Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk, Clemson’s Deon Cain, Penn State’s Marcus Allen and Saquon Barkley, and Boston College’s Harold Landry.


With draft season over, I will be taking a slight vacation for the summer. Around July, I will do my projections for each division similar to last year for the 2017 season as well as scouting reports for 2018 draft prospects as often as I can. Look for those reports to come mid-to-late season once I have more accurate and recent tape to study. Thanks to all for the views! It means a great deal to me. Here’s to the 2018 draft!

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Mock Draft 9.0: Final Mock Edition

The last one. One four round mock draft just moments away from round one of the 2017 NFL draft… As always, no trades are predicted, even though its guaranteed there will be movement throughout the draft. That being said, enjoy my faithful followers!



ROUND ONE
11.     Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, EDGE, TAMU
22.     San Francisco 49ers: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
33.     Chicago Bears: Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
44.     Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
55.     Tennessee Titans (via LAR): Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
66.     New York Jets: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
77.     Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
88.     Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
99.     Cincinnati Bengals: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
110. Buffalo Bills: Mitch Trubisky, QB, UNC
111. New Orleans Saints: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
112. Cleveland Browns (via PHI): Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
113. Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
114. Philadelphia Eagles (via MIN): Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
115. Indianapolis Colts: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
116. Baltimore Ravens: Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
117. Washington: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
118. Tennessee Titans: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
119. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Njoku, TE, Miami (FL)
220. Denver Broncos: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
221. Detroit Lions: Charles Harris, EDGE, Missorui
222. Miami Dolphins: Quincy Wilson, CB, UF
223. New York Giants: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
224. Oakland Raiders: Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
225. Houston Texans: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
226. Seattle Seahawks: Kevin King, CB, Washington
227. Kansas City Chiefs: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma
228. Dallas Cowboys: Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC
229. Green Bay Packers: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado
330. Pittsburgh Steelers: John Ross, WR, Washington
331. Atlanta Falcons: Taco Charlton, EDGE, Michigan
332.  New Orleans Saints (via NE): Takkarist McKinnley, EDGE, UCLA

ROUND TWO
333. Cleveland Browns: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
334. San Francisco 49ers: Davis Webb, QB, California
335. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
336. Chicago Bears: Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
337. Los Angeles Rams: Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
338. Los Angeles Chargers: Budda Baker, S, Washington
339. New York Jets: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
440. Carolina Panthers: Evan Engam, TE, Ole Miss
441. Cincinnati Bengals: Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech
442. New Orleans Saints: Marcus Maye, S, UF
443. Philadelphia Eagles: Gareon Conley, CB Ohio State
444. Buffalo Bills: Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
445. Arizona Cardinals: Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
446. Indianapolis Colts: T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin
447. Baltimore Ravens: Jarrad Davis, LB, UF
448. Minnesota Vikings: Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
449. Washington: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
550. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dalvin Cook, RB, FSU
551. Denver Broncos: Dalvin Tomlinson, DL, Alabama
552. Cleveland Browns (via TEN): Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
553. Detroit Lions: Duke Riley, LB, LSU
554. Miami Dolphins: Tyus Bowser, EDGE, Houston
555. New York Giants: Alex Anzalone, LB, UF
556. Oakland Raiders: Ryan Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
557. Houston Texans: Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut
558. Seattle Seahawks: Montavius Adams, DL, Auburn
559. Kansas City Chiefs: Nathan Peterman, QB, Pittsburgh
660. Dallas Cowboys: Jordan Willis, EDGE, Kansas State
661. Green Bay Packers: D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
662. Pittsburgh Steelers: Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn
663. Atlanta Falcons: Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech
664. Carolina Panthers (via NE): Tarell Basham, EDGE, Ohio

ROUND THREE
665. Cleveland Browns: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
666. San Francisco 49ers: Ar’Darius Stewart, WR, Alabama
667. Chicago Bears: Josh Jones, S, North Carolina State
668. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tim Williams, EDGE, Alabama
669. Los Angeles Rams: Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh
770. New York Jets: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State
771. Los Angeles Chargers: Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple
772. New England Patriots (via CAR): Derek Rivers, EDGE, Youngstown State
773. Cincinnati Bengals: Jalen “Teez” Tabor, CB, UF
774. Baltimore Ravens (via PHI): JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
775. Buffalo Bills: Ryan Switzer, WR, UNC
776. New Orleans Saints: Josh Reynolds, WR, TAMU
777. Arizona Cardinals: Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland
778. Baltimore Ravens: Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State
779. Minnesota Vikings: Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma
880. Indianapolis Colts: Taylor Moton, OT, Western Michigan
881. Washington: Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU
882. Denver Broncos: Vince Biegel, LB, Wisconsin
883. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Williams, S, Utah
884. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Desmond King, S, Iowa
885. Detroit Lions: Rasul Douglas, CB, WVU
886. Minnesota Vikings (via MIA): Ethan Pocic, C, LSU
887. New York Giants: Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo
888. Oakland Raiders: Josh Reynolds, WR, TAMU
889. Houston Texans: Larry Ogunjobi, DL, Charlotte
990. Seattle Seahawks: Demarcus Walker, EDGE, FSU
991. Kansas City Chiefs: Anthony Walker, LB, Northwestern
992. Dallas Cowboys: Jake Butt, TE, Michigan
993. Green Bay Packers: Joe Mathis, EDGE, Washington
994. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kendall Beckwith, LB, LSU
995. Atlanta Falcons: Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
996. New England Patriots: Caleb Brantley, DL, UF
997. Miami Dolphins: Tedric Thompson, S, Colorado
998. Carolina Panthers: Danny Isidora, OG, Miami (FL)
999. Philadelphia Eagles (via BAL): Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida
1100.   Tennessee Titans (via LAR): Chad Hansen, WR, California
1101.   Denver Broncos: Shaquill Griffin, CB, Central Florida
1102.   Seattle Seahawks: Roderick Johnson, OT, FSU
1103.   New Orleans Saints (via NE): Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami (FL)
1104.   Kansas City Chiefs: Isaac Asiata, OG, Utah
1105.   Pittsburgh Steelers: Brian Hill, RB, Wyoming
1106.  Seattle Seahawks: Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech
1107.  New York Jets: Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee

ROUND FOUR
1108.  Cleveland Browns: Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama
1109.  San Francisco 49ers: Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy
1110.  Jacksonville Jaguars: Davon Godchaux, DL, LSU
1111.  Chicago Bears: Josh Malone, WR, Tennessee
1112.  Los Angeles Rams: Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky
1113.  Los Angeles Chargers: James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
1114.  Washington (via NYJ): Zach Banner, OG, USC
1115.  Carolina Panthers: Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado
1116.  Cincinnati Bengals: Daeshon Hall, EDGE, TAMU
1117.  Chicago Bears (via BUF): Ejuan Price, EDGE, Pittsburgh
1118.   Philadelphia Eagles: Blair Brown, LB, Ohio
1119.  Arizona Cardinals: Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan
1120.  Minnesota Vikings: Jayon Brown, LB, UCLA
1121.  Indianapolis Colts: Jeremey McNichols, RB, Boise State
1122.  Baltimore Ravens: George Kittle, TE, Iowa
1123.  Washington: Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson
1124.  Tennessee Titans: Carlos Watkins, DL, Clemson
1125.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jaleel Johnson, DL, Iowa
1126.  Denver Broncos: Julie’n Davenport, OT, Bucknell
1127.  Detroit Lions: Jehu Chesson, WR, Michigan
1128.  Minnesota Vikings (via MIA): Tanoh Kpassagnon, DL, Villanova
1129.  Oakland Raiders: Elijah Qualls, DL, Washington
1130.  Houston Texans: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, Florida Atlantic
1131.  New England Patriots (via SEA): Nico Siragusa, OG, San Diego State
1132.  Kansas City Chiefs: Noah Brown, WR, Ohio State
1133.  Dallas Cowboys: Nazair Jones, DL, UNC
1134.  Green Bay Packers: Eddie Vanderdoes, DL, UCLA
1135.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
1136.  Atlanta Falcons: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee
1137.  Indianapolis Colts (via NE): Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State
1138.  Cincinnati Bengals: David Sharpe, OT, UF
1139.  Philadelphia Eagles (via CLE): Corn Elder, CB, Miami (FL)
1140.  New York Giants: John Johnson, S, Boston College
1141.  Los Angeles Rams: Dawuane Smoot, EDGE, Illinois
1142.  Houston Texans (via CLE): Marquez White, CB, FSU
1143.  San Francisco 49ers: Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas State

1144.  Indianapolis Colts: D.J. Jones, DL, Ole Miss


- One last time so the people in the back can hear: Brad Kaaya is QB1 on my board. Just because I don’t have him mocked until the end of round three doesn’t mean I don’t like him. It means teams don’t value him as much as I do.