Wednesday, March 15, 2017

2017 NFL Mock Draft 8.0: Post Free Agency Frenzy Edition

Already throwing out last week’s mock draft and updating it. Good thing I love this stuff! We all knew going into last week’s mock that free agency would shake things up and boy did they. We will dive into all of that in the quick hits following the mock. Since it’s only been a week since my last mock, this one is only a single round mock (sorry Minnesota and New England fans). Let’s get to it:

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

- The biggest shakeup of all free agency had to be the Patriots shipping their 2017 first and third round picks in exchange for former Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks and the Saints fourth round pick. Talk about a steal for New England… Back to the draft world, the Saints now have two first round picks. What should they do with them? DEFENSE. DEFENSE. DEFENSE. With a deep EDGE and CB class, New Orleans has no excuse not to land some premier talent and help turn that defense around.

- More big free agency news: The Bears signed quarterback Mike Glennon to a three year $45 million contract. How does this affect the draft? More than likely this indicates that the Bears will pass on a quarterback with the third pick. Then again, they could take one of the quarterbacks with the third pick and bring them into the game slowly. This would be ideal IF they draft a quarterback, as none of these quarterbacks are ready to be day one starters. If I’m the Bears, I would go with a defensive playmaker to come in and make an instant difference.

- Does the Eagles signing of wide receivers Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith via free agency change their need for a wide receiver? It COULD. Jeffrey and Smith join a receiving core with big names such as Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham. However, Jeffrey and Smith both signed one-year contracts and Matthews enters the final year of his rookie deal, which means all three of them could wind up leaving via free agency in 2018. Add in the fact that Agholor and DGB have not lived up to their draft status and wide receiver is still a need, regardless of the log jam they have at the position. It may not be a round one need, but it certainly should be addressed in the top four rounds.

- What’s up with Mike Williams dropping you ask? Why don’t you ask teams and sources throughout the league. To clarify, I don’t have my own sources; I just report what I hear from media members. Williams is apparently dropping down boards because of his lack of elite speed. My take? You don’t need to have elite speed to be a dominant receiver (see Hopkins, DeAndre). Williams is a top five talent on my board. Any team will benefit should he have a draft day slide, but he won’t fall past a needy Baltimore Ravens’ wide receiving corps at 16.

- Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR running backs in round one. Let’s go through them…
Leonard Fournette: My top prospect for 2017. A freak athlete with size and speed that is rare to see at his position. Should be a lock for a top ten pick and could see himself go as high as no.2 overall to San Francisco.
Joe Mixon: All the talent with one giant question mark. Mixon has hints of Le’veon Bell to his game and freakish athletic skills. His vision and hands combined with his elite size (6’1” 227lbs) makes him a very attractive prospect. However, with his past demons, we have no clue how high he is truly valued by NFL teams.
Christian McCaffrey: Let’s cut the crap. The white running back is not only a stupid stereotype, but it is slightly racist. That’s another topic for another time. McCaffrey is a weapon with the ball in his hands. Hand the ball off to him, throw it to him out of the backfield, split him out as a wide receiver, even put him out for punt/kickoff returns. Get the ball in his hands and let him do his thing.
Dalvin Cook: Another talented running back with some off-field question marks. Cook has a few things going against him. Shoulder surgeries, fumbling issues, and a slew of run-ins with the law puts a giant question mark on his draft stock. Take all of that away, and he’s a top 15 talent who can be an instant starter and electric game changer for any team willing to take a chance on him.

- What are we to do about Joe Mixon? As mentioned above, Mixon possesses top 15 talent and a horrific incident off-the-field. Where will he get drafted? My bet is the first round. I could see him as high as 12 to Cleveland, but I can’t see him fall past Oakland at 24. Teams seem to be signing off on his incident, seeing it as a one-time offense. Mixon served community service and has apologized to numerous people to try and leave his demons in the past.

- Where do I stand with Mixon? It should be well-documented by now that I have a no tolerance policy when it comes to domestic violence. So, while he has all the talent in the world, I still wouldn’t sign off on drafting him. I am all for second chances, and I hope that he can learn from his mistakes and be successful. For me, I don’t want that mark by my name if he slips up again. No prospect with that kind of off-field, one incident or multiple, is worth my job as a scout, general manager, etc.

- No one got more screwed by offseason workouts than Washington’s Sidney Jones. Jones was my no.2 corner before injury and a top 15 talent on my board prior to his Achilles tear. Where will he land in the draft? My bet is mid-to-late day two. His talent is too much to let slide into day three and the average recovery time for an Achilles tear is roughly six months. He could come back late in the season for a contender. At worst, he takes a red-shirt year like what the Cowboys did with Jaylon Smith last year.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

2017 NFL Mock Draft 7.0: Post Combine Edition

With the combine all wrapped up, now seemed like a fitting time to update my mock draft. Even with free agency right around the corner and bound to shake things up in terms of team needs, the combine is one of the more major events in the draft process. Following the underwear Olympics, plenty of players have seen their draft stock soar up boards (see Melifonwu, Obi) and some have a slight dip in their draft stock (see Foster, Reuben). Let’s dive in to it.

(Draft order via nfl.com)

ROUND ONE:
11. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, EDGE, TAMU
22. San Francisco 49ers: Solomon Thomas, EDGE, Stanford
33. Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
44. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
55. Tennessee Titans (via LAR): Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
66. New York Jets: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
77. Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
88. Carolina Panthers: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
99. Cincinnati Bengals: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
110.  Buffalo Bills: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
111.  New Orleans Saints: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
112.  Cleveland Browns (via Philadelphia): Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
113.  Arizona Cardinals: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
114.  Philadelphia Eagles (via Minnesota): John Ross, WR, Washington
115.  Indianapolis Colts: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
116.  Baltimore Ravens: Derek Barnett, EDGE, Tennessee
117.  Washington: Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
118.  Tennessee Titans: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
119.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Njoku, TE, Miami
220.  Denver Broncos: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
221.  Detroit Lions: Taco Charlton, EDGE, Michigan
222.  Miami Dolphins: Charles Harris, EDGE, Missouri
223.  New York Giants: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
224.  Oakland Raiders: Dalvin Cook, RB, FSU
225.  Houston Texans: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
226.  Seattle Seahawks: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
227.  Kansas City Chiefs: Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
228.  Dallas Cowboys: Obi Melifonwu, S, UConn
229.  Green Bay Packers: Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
330.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Ryan Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
331.  Atlanta Falcons: Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
332.  New England Patriots: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan

ROUND TWO:
333.  Cleveland Browns: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
334.  San Francisco 49ers: Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
335.  Jacksonville Jaguars: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
336.  Chicago Bears: Budda Baker, S, Washington
337.  Los Angeles Rams: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
338.  Los Angeles Chargers: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
339.  New York Jets: Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
440.  Carolina Panthers: Jalen Tabor, CB, Florida
441.  Cincinnati Bengals: Takkarist McKinnley, EDGE, UCLA
442.  New Orleans Saints: Davis Webb, QB, California
443.  Philadelphia Eagles: Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
444.  Buffalo Bills: Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC
445.  Arizona Cardinals: Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
446.  Indianapolis Colts: T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin
447.  Baltimore Ravens: Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
448.  Minnesota Vikings: Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple
449.  Washington: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma
550.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Marcus Williams, S, Utah
551.  Denver Broncos: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
552.  Cleveland Browns (via Tennessee): Montravius Adams, DL, Auburn
553.  Detroit Lions: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
554.  Miami Dolphins: Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
555.  New York Giants: Caleb Brantley, DL, Florida
556.  Oakland Raiders: Tim Williams, EDGE, Alabama
557.  Houston Texans: Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy
558.  Seattle Seahawks: Roederick Johnson, OT, FSU
559.  Kansas City Chiefs: D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
660.  Dallas Cowboys: Dawuane Smoot, EDGE, Illinois
661.  Green Bay Packers: Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson
662.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Justin Evans, S, TAMU
663.  Atlanta Falcons: Carlos Watkins, DL, Clemson
664.  New England Patriots: Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech

ROUND THREE:
665.  Cleveland Browns: Desmond King, S, Iowa
666.  San Francisco 49ers: Nathan Peterman, QB, Pittsburgh
667.  Chicago Bears: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
668.  Jacksonville Jaguars: Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State
669.  Los Angeles Rams: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
770.  New York Jets: Joe Mathis, EDGE, Washington
771.  Los Angeles Chargers: Eddie Jackson, S, Alabama
772.  Carolina Panthers: Marcus Maye, S, Florida
773.  Cincinnati Bengals: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State
774.  Philadelphia Eagles: Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh
775.  Buffalo Bills: Tyus Bowser, EDGE, Houston
776.  New Orleans Saints: Demarcus Walker, EDGE, FSU
777.  Arizona Cardinals: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee
778.  Baltimore Ravens: Kevin King, CB, Washington
779.  Minnesota Vikings: Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma
880.  Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Walker, LB, Northwestern
881.  Washington: Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
882.  Denver Broncos: Vince Biegel, LB, Wisconsin
883.  Tennessee Titans: Curtis Samuel, WR, Ohio State
884.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson
885.  Detroit Lions: Daeshon Hall, EDGE, TAMU
886.  Minnesota Vikings (via Miami): Duke Riley, LB, LSU
887.  New York Giants: Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU
888.  Oakland Raiders: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado
889.  Houston Texans: Elijah Qualls, DL, Washington
990.  Seattle Seahawks: Josh Reynolds, WR, TAMU
991.  Kansas City Chiefs: Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
992.  Dallas Cowboys: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
993.  Green Bay Packers: Ethan Pocic, C, LSU
994.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech
995.  Atlanta Falcons: Corn Elder, CB, Miami
996.  New England Patriots: Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
997.  Miami Dolphins: Howard Wilson, CB, Houston
998.  Carolina Panthers: Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech
999.  Baltimore Ravens: Dalvin Tomlinson, DL, Alabama
1100. Tennessee Titans (via LAR): Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU
1101. Denver Broncos: Paul Maglorie, LB, Arizona
1102. Seattle Seahawks: Eddie Vanderdoes, DL, UCLA
1103. New England Patriots (via Cleveland): Jaleel Johnson, DL, Iowa
1104. Kansas City Chiefs: Ryan Switzer, WR, North Carolina
1105. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tedric Thompson, S, Colorado
1106. Seattle Seahawks: Larry Ogunjobi, DL, Charlotte
1107. New York Jets: Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland

- Will the Cleveland Browns once again overthink their draft selections and reach for a quarterback rather than take the best player available? Unfortunately, this COULD be another reality for Browns fans. If Sashi Brown knows what he’s doing, he’ll wait and let the board depict when he takes a quarterback. Don’t overthink pick number one, Sashi. Write Myles Garrett’s name on the card now and don’t over think it.

- The newest name on the block is Obi Melifonwu. Melifonwu played his college days at the University of Connecticut and racked up eight interceptions in four years. Measuring at 6’4” 224 lbs, Melifonwu had a combine performance to remember, running a 4.40 40-yard dash, a 44” vertical and a 141” broad jump. Melifonwu is a freak athlete with ball skills and height that NFL teams crave. Don’t be shocked to hear his name called on day one.

- Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster got kicked out of the combine following an argument with the medical staff in Indianapolis. What does this do to his draft stock? Probably nothing major, but an outburst like this shows some immaturity. Expect him to remain a top 15 pick at worst. His talent and his lack of incidents prior to the combine is enough to warrant a top ten selection.

- Why is my top quarterback, Brad Kaaya, so low in my mock? Teams simply don’t value him towards the top because of his rawness and lack of elite arm strength. If I am an NFL team, I would use this to my advantage and take him as late as I can and maximize my draft board. Kaaya will likely remain my top quarterback and I challenge you to find somebody else outside of the state of Florida who feels the same.

- If I were a GM where would I take Kaaya? Top ten. Kaaya has poise and toughness that you can’t just teach a guy. His ball placement can be inconsistent at times but he is very coachable. To me, he is raw but has the highest floor of any quarterback in the draft. I easily see him as a ten-year starter with the ability to perform well throughout his career.

- Looking for some freak athletes for your team to target? This classhas plenty of those kinds of players. Here is a short list: Jabrill Peppers, Obi Melifonwu, Malik McDowell, and Chris Wormley area few of my favorite athletes in this class that have some tremendous upside.

- Washington’s John Ross broke Chris Johnson’s 40-yard dash record of 4.24 seconds, running an inhuman 4.22 seconds. Ross will see a significant boost in his draft stock and could be taken within the top 20 picks. Lock him up as a sure-fire first round pick now, after having a fluctuating draft stock prior to the combine.