The draft season is officially upon us. Time to start with semi regular mock drafts. First round for everybody, 4 rounds for Miami. Hope ya'll like it. Just a reminder, I don't mock trades. Too hard to do
1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Jameis Winston QB, Florida State Rumors are that the Bucs have been "All in" on Winston for months, and were prepared to trade up for him if they didn't get the first pick. Winston has obvious character concerns, and the lack of a big weapon this year factored into his turnovers going way up, but it's hard to argue against the pick.
2.Tennessee Titans-Marcus Mariota QB, Oregon Rumors are the Titans may be looking to go a different direction than QB, and I can believe those rumblings. But I also don't think that Mettenberger showed enough to be all in on him. I have a feeling that some team will trade up for the Heisman winner, but as I said, I don't mock trades.
3.Jacksonville Jaguars-Leonard Williams DE/DT, USC Easily the best player on the board. The Jags front 7 was surprisingly decent last year, but it still needs talent. In Gus Bradley's scheme, Williams could contend for rookie of the year.
4.Oakland Raiders- Amari Cooper WR, Alabama I had the Raiders drafting Cooper first overall back during the season, band while I think the Raiders could go a number of ways, I think the need for offensive firepower is too great. The Raiders also currently only have 3 WRs under contract for next year so that kind of has to be taken care of.
5.Washington Redskins-Andrus Peat OT, Stanford i went back and forth between OT and OLB. Reportedly the Redskins are content going into the offseason with Morgan Moses and Spencer Long as projected starters. With the new GM being a guy whose helped build two teams in the trenches, I think OT may be the better choice. Peat's still mostly potential, but he should be better long term.
6.New York Jets-Randy Gregory OLB/DE, Nebraska Jet fans would hate not going offense, but based on BPA, what other choice do they have? Gregory is arguably a steal as well. With Rex's blitz package gone, getting a dominant outside rusher is important for the Jets again.
7.Chicago Bears-Shane Ray DE/OLB, Mizzou Jared Allen started to show his age, and Lamar Houston is coming off a torn ACL being a dumbass. Ray is arguably the best pass rusher on the board so the Bears won't complain.
8.Atlanta Falcons-Dante Fowler, DE/OLB, Florida Atlanta needs a pass rusher so they take the best one on the board.
9.New York Giants-Ereck Flowers OT, Miami FL The Giants are reuniting with Spags as a DC, and could add defensive help, but they need to upgrade at LT over Will Beatty.
10.St Louis Rams-Shaq Thompson LB, Washington The obvious need to the Rams is WR, but the Rams also tend to be a team that likes to focus a lot on the defense. Thompson isn't exactly a need, but Fisher putting him on the same LB corp with Oggletree and Laurenitis has to be tempting.
11.Minnesota Vikings-DeVante Parker WR, Louisville Word on the street is that the Vikings are very disappointed with the lack of development Corderalle Patterson has made as a WR, what better way to help develop a young QB than get him a weapon that he's familiar with?
12.Cleveland Browns-Danny Shelton NT, Washington Browns need a WR, but they're one of many teams focusing on Shelton down in mobile. Could go a number of ways based on their free agents.
13.New Orleans Saints-Benardrick McKinney ILB, Mississippi State The Saints defense was beyond pathetic last year. Just getting someone that can tackle would be a step up.
14.Miami Dolphins- Kevin White WR, West Virginia I've made my position on getting a tall WR well known. If Danny Shelton fell to us, I think he'd be the pick, but as of right now I think you see us take the best WR available.
15.San Francisco 49ers-Trae Waynes CB, Michigan State WR is the popular pick especially with Michael Crabtree a free agent, but the talent there is serviceable. CB is about to become a glaring weakness for the 9ers as their top 3 corners are all free agents.
16.Houston Texans-Landon Collins S, Alabama Case of best player available. Upgrading safety wouldn't be a bad move either.
17.San Diego Chargers-Melvin Gordan RB, Wisconsin Ryan Matthews is constantly injured and a free agent, Donald Brown isn't very good, and after a hot debut, Brandon Oliver couldn't carry the load either. Pass rush upgrade is also possible.
18.Kansas City Chiefs-Sammie Coates WR, Auburn Brian Hartline had more TDs than the Kansas City WR corp combined. Coates is very raw still but KC is a place he could develop nicely.
19.Cleveland Browns-Brandon Scherff OT/OG, Iowa The Browns want to move Geoff Schwartz inside, and away from the RT spot. TJ Cummings is also a possiblity, but Scherff is too good to pass up at this point.
20.Philadelpha Eagles- PJ Williams CB, Florida State Eagles could look at pass rush here, but the corner crew is not very good at all.
21.Cincinatti Bengals-Alvin Dupree DE, Kentucky Carlos Dunlap never became the pass rusher the Bengals hoped he would be and Margus Hunt is still very raw. While the defense is still good, the lack of a pass rush continues to hurt the team.
22.Pittsburgh Steelers- Marcus Peters CB, Washington If Peters didn't get himself kicked off the Huskies football team he's a higher pick. Ike Taylor is ancient by NFL CB standards (and starting to get injured a lot), and the Cortez Allen extension just looks awful. Unless Pittburgh wants to rely on Brice McCain at CB, an upgrade is needed.
23.Detroit Lions-Eddie Goldman DT, Florida State Suh is a free agent as everybody knows... but so are Nick Fairly and CJ Mosely their 2nd and 3rd DTs. Goldman could go a lot higher, but if he falls to 23 I can't see the Lions passing.
24.Arizona Cardinals-Vic Beasley DE/OLB, Clemson Get a compliment to Sam Acho. I've heard rumblings that it would not be shocking to see the Cards gamble on a Brett Hundley or Garrett Grayson though.
25.Carolina Panthers-TJ Cummings OT, Pittsburgh The Panthers lost Jordan Gross to retirement before the season, his replacement (Byron Bell who was a serviceable LT) his a free agent. Cummings was a stud RT this past season for Pitt, and while he struggled at times in Mobile, he does have LT potential. Hopefully he turns out better than the last OT from Pitt the Panthers drafted.
26.Baltimore Ravens- Kevin Johnson CB, Wake Forrest Jimmy Smith was developing into a great corner but suffered a serious injury. Ladarius Webb has been in and out of the lineup with injuries. The rest of the crew is nothing to write home about.
27.Dallas Cowboys-Carl Davis DT, Iowa Despite the numbers looking better, Dallas's defense still needs improvements up front. Davis was arguably just as dominant as Danny Shelton was down in mobile though he reportedly did not impress teams during interviews. Still, he's a great fit for Rod Marinelli's scheme.
28.Denver Broncos-Cameron Irving OL, Florida State Irving looked like a first round LT last year, then he was moved around a lot this year including finishing up at center. Denver's OL had some issues at times during the year and with Orlando Franklin a FA, and switching back to a ZBS, a guy of Irving's athletic ability will be high on Denver's wishlist.
29.Indianapolis Colts- Markus Golden DE/OLB, Mizzou Robert Mathis is coming back but isn't getting any younger, Bjorn Werner has yet to impress, and Erik Walden is not a great pass rusher. Golden would be a steal this late.
30.Green Bay Packers- Erik Kendricks ILB, UCLA NT is an option with BJ Raji a free agent, but the defense should be a focus. While the unit improved once Clay Matthews moved to ILB, word is they want him back at OLB, and either way AJ Hawk and Brad Jones aren't exactly world beaters.
31.New England Patriots-Jalen Strong WR, Arizona State The Pats offense has been tough to stop, but they still lack size (especially with Aaron Dobson sucking)
32.Seattle Seahawks-Devin Smith WR, Ohio State not a lot of needs, but it can be argued the Seahawks need more of a consistent deep threat. If there is a better deep threat than Smith in the draft, I don't know who it is.
Rest for Miami.
2.Michael Bennett DT, Ohio State I wasn't a fan during the season of Bennett but he finished strong. We need to upgrade the middle of the defense especially if we lose Odrick.
3.Laken Tomlinson OG, Duke Tomlinson is a name that popped up quite a bit in a positive light during Senior Bowl week. We saw the OL struggle down the stretch this year, and adding someone like Tomlinson to compete with Billy Turner, Shelly Smith, and (in theory) either Samson Satele and/or Dallas Thomas for 2 starting spots should help the line. Worse case scenario, he's a backup for the year, best case, we have a starting guard. Surprisingly athletic for a big guy.
4.Tyler Lockett WR, Kansas State I think doubling down at WR early is realistic. We don't know what's going on with Mike Wallace, but I also think it's realistic that Gibson, Hartline, and Matthews are all gone as well. Even if we keep Wallace we need more than just him and Landry
Have fun hating or agreeing boys and girls.
1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Jameis Winston QB, Florida State Rumors are that the Bucs have been "All in" on Winston for months, and were prepared to trade up for him if they didn't get the first pick. Winston has obvious character concerns, and the lack of a big weapon this year factored into his turnovers going way up, but it's hard to argue against the pick.
2.Tennessee Titans-Marcus Mariota QB, Oregon Rumors are the Titans may be looking to go a different direction than QB, and I can believe those rumblings. But I also don't think that Mettenberger showed enough to be all in on him. I have a feeling that some team will trade up for the Heisman winner, but as I said, I don't mock trades.
3.Jacksonville Jaguars-Leonard Williams DE/DT, USC Easily the best player on the board. The Jags front 7 was surprisingly decent last year, but it still needs talent. In Gus Bradley's scheme, Williams could contend for rookie of the year.
4.Oakland Raiders- Amari Cooper WR, Alabama I had the Raiders drafting Cooper first overall back during the season, band while I think the Raiders could go a number of ways, I think the need for offensive firepower is too great. The Raiders also currently only have 3 WRs under contract for next year so that kind of has to be taken care of.
5.Washington Redskins-Andrus Peat OT, Stanford i went back and forth between OT and OLB. Reportedly the Redskins are content going into the offseason with Morgan Moses and Spencer Long as projected starters. With the new GM being a guy whose helped build two teams in the trenches, I think OT may be the better choice. Peat's still mostly potential, but he should be better long term.
6.New York Jets-Randy Gregory OLB/DE, Nebraska Jet fans would hate not going offense, but based on BPA, what other choice do they have? Gregory is arguably a steal as well. With Rex's blitz package gone, getting a dominant outside rusher is important for the Jets again.
7.Chicago Bears-Shane Ray DE/OLB, Mizzou Jared Allen started to show his age, and Lamar Houston is coming off a torn ACL being a dumbass. Ray is arguably the best pass rusher on the board so the Bears won't complain.
8.Atlanta Falcons-Dante Fowler, DE/OLB, Florida Atlanta needs a pass rusher so they take the best one on the board.
9.New York Giants-Ereck Flowers OT, Miami FL The Giants are reuniting with Spags as a DC, and could add defensive help, but they need to upgrade at LT over Will Beatty.
10.St Louis Rams-Shaq Thompson LB, Washington The obvious need to the Rams is WR, but the Rams also tend to be a team that likes to focus a lot on the defense. Thompson isn't exactly a need, but Fisher putting him on the same LB corp with Oggletree and Laurenitis has to be tempting.
11.Minnesota Vikings-DeVante Parker WR, Louisville Word on the street is that the Vikings are very disappointed with the lack of development Corderalle Patterson has made as a WR, what better way to help develop a young QB than get him a weapon that he's familiar with?
12.Cleveland Browns-Danny Shelton NT, Washington Browns need a WR, but they're one of many teams focusing on Shelton down in mobile. Could go a number of ways based on their free agents.
13.New Orleans Saints-Benardrick McKinney ILB, Mississippi State The Saints defense was beyond pathetic last year. Just getting someone that can tackle would be a step up.
14.Miami Dolphins- Kevin White WR, West Virginia I've made my position on getting a tall WR well known. If Danny Shelton fell to us, I think he'd be the pick, but as of right now I think you see us take the best WR available.
15.San Francisco 49ers-Trae Waynes CB, Michigan State WR is the popular pick especially with Michael Crabtree a free agent, but the talent there is serviceable. CB is about to become a glaring weakness for the 9ers as their top 3 corners are all free agents.
16.Houston Texans-Landon Collins S, Alabama Case of best player available. Upgrading safety wouldn't be a bad move either.
17.San Diego Chargers-Melvin Gordan RB, Wisconsin Ryan Matthews is constantly injured and a free agent, Donald Brown isn't very good, and after a hot debut, Brandon Oliver couldn't carry the load either. Pass rush upgrade is also possible.
18.Kansas City Chiefs-Sammie Coates WR, Auburn Brian Hartline had more TDs than the Kansas City WR corp combined. Coates is very raw still but KC is a place he could develop nicely.
19.Cleveland Browns-Brandon Scherff OT/OG, Iowa The Browns want to move Geoff Schwartz inside, and away from the RT spot. TJ Cummings is also a possiblity, but Scherff is too good to pass up at this point.
20.Philadelpha Eagles- PJ Williams CB, Florida State Eagles could look at pass rush here, but the corner crew is not very good at all.
21.Cincinatti Bengals-Alvin Dupree DE, Kentucky Carlos Dunlap never became the pass rusher the Bengals hoped he would be and Margus Hunt is still very raw. While the defense is still good, the lack of a pass rush continues to hurt the team.
22.Pittsburgh Steelers- Marcus Peters CB, Washington If Peters didn't get himself kicked off the Huskies football team he's a higher pick. Ike Taylor is ancient by NFL CB standards (and starting to get injured a lot), and the Cortez Allen extension just looks awful. Unless Pittburgh wants to rely on Brice McCain at CB, an upgrade is needed.
23.Detroit Lions-Eddie Goldman DT, Florida State Suh is a free agent as everybody knows... but so are Nick Fairly and CJ Mosely their 2nd and 3rd DTs. Goldman could go a lot higher, but if he falls to 23 I can't see the Lions passing.
24.Arizona Cardinals-Vic Beasley DE/OLB, Clemson Get a compliment to Sam Acho. I've heard rumblings that it would not be shocking to see the Cards gamble on a Brett Hundley or Garrett Grayson though.
25.Carolina Panthers-TJ Cummings OT, Pittsburgh The Panthers lost Jordan Gross to retirement before the season, his replacement (Byron Bell who was a serviceable LT) his a free agent. Cummings was a stud RT this past season for Pitt, and while he struggled at times in Mobile, he does have LT potential. Hopefully he turns out better than the last OT from Pitt the Panthers drafted.
26.Baltimore Ravens- Kevin Johnson CB, Wake Forrest Jimmy Smith was developing into a great corner but suffered a serious injury. Ladarius Webb has been in and out of the lineup with injuries. The rest of the crew is nothing to write home about.
27.Dallas Cowboys-Carl Davis DT, Iowa Despite the numbers looking better, Dallas's defense still needs improvements up front. Davis was arguably just as dominant as Danny Shelton was down in mobile though he reportedly did not impress teams during interviews. Still, he's a great fit for Rod Marinelli's scheme.
28.Denver Broncos-Cameron Irving OL, Florida State Irving looked like a first round LT last year, then he was moved around a lot this year including finishing up at center. Denver's OL had some issues at times during the year and with Orlando Franklin a FA, and switching back to a ZBS, a guy of Irving's athletic ability will be high on Denver's wishlist.
29.Indianapolis Colts- Markus Golden DE/OLB, Mizzou Robert Mathis is coming back but isn't getting any younger, Bjorn Werner has yet to impress, and Erik Walden is not a great pass rusher. Golden would be a steal this late.
30.Green Bay Packers- Erik Kendricks ILB, UCLA NT is an option with BJ Raji a free agent, but the defense should be a focus. While the unit improved once Clay Matthews moved to ILB, word is they want him back at OLB, and either way AJ Hawk and Brad Jones aren't exactly world beaters.
31.New England Patriots-Jalen Strong WR, Arizona State The Pats offense has been tough to stop, but they still lack size (especially with Aaron Dobson sucking)
32.Seattle Seahawks-Devin Smith WR, Ohio State not a lot of needs, but it can be argued the Seahawks need more of a consistent deep threat. If there is a better deep threat than Smith in the draft, I don't know who it is.
Rest for Miami.
2.Michael Bennett DT, Ohio State I wasn't a fan during the season of Bennett but he finished strong. We need to upgrade the middle of the defense especially if we lose Odrick.
3.Laken Tomlinson OG, Duke Tomlinson is a name that popped up quite a bit in a positive light during Senior Bowl week. We saw the OL struggle down the stretch this year, and adding someone like Tomlinson to compete with Billy Turner, Shelly Smith, and (in theory) either Samson Satele and/or Dallas Thomas for 2 starting spots should help the line. Worse case scenario, he's a backup for the year, best case, we have a starting guard. Surprisingly athletic for a big guy.
4.Tyler Lockett WR, Kansas State I think doubling down at WR early is realistic. We don't know what's going on with Mike Wallace, but I also think it's realistic that Gibson, Hartline, and Matthews are all gone as well. Even if we keep Wallace we need more than just him and Landry
Have fun hating or agreeing boys and girls.
