Now that the season has ended let's jump into early mock draft season. Not going to really speculate on trades; just going to assume every team stands pat (which we know isn't going to happen but oh well). And for the sake of this mock I'm going to assume the Jets land Kirk Cousins in free agency, which will be a major deciding factor in what some of these teams do at the top of the draft.
Browns- Josh Rosen- QB, UCLA: A lot of people have this pick as Sam Darnold, I personally see to much Blake Bortles in him with the elongated delivery and I think teams will see that as a major flaw once the combine and Pro Days roll around. Rosen on the other hand is your prototypical pocket passer; tall, quick release, good arm strength. He can be a bit of a head case but he's the most well rounded QB in the class and Cleveland needs to try to develop him as their franchise passer.
Giants- Mike McGlinchey- OT, Notre Dame: You'll probably say this is too high for McGlinchey and I agree. Which is why I think you will see the Giants trade down in the draft a few spots and grab him there and stock pile some other picks. I don't see them going QB here. I think the new front office shows a commitment to Eli and building around him while trying to groom their project QB Davis Webb behind him. The most glaring need last year was their OL and here they get a franchise LT.
Colts- Bradley Chubb- DE, NC State: This seems to be the consensus pick here. The Colts have a lot of holes that need to be filled might as well start with a franchise pass rusher. Chubb dominated in 2017 despite facing double teams constantly. He should test off the charts at the combine pushing his stock even higher. A trade down to draft an OL wouldn't surprise me either given their yearly struggles in that department.
Browns- Quenton Nelson- G, Notre Dame: They got their franchise passer with the first pick, now they give him some protection up front. Despite the 0-16 record, the Browns defense wasn't all that bad. They have a bunch of young talent on that side of the ball. I think if you're going to give Rosen a chance from day 1 you have to make sure he's protected. So I think the pick here will be the best OL available and most likely a trade down to get more picks and still take an OL.
Broncos- Mason Rudolph- QB, OK State: Bare with me here. I pointed out a major flaw with Darnold already and I don't think Elway is interested in a QB that he has work on a ton. Then there's Josh Allen, who I think will be a very good QB eventually, but is not going to be ready to play right away, which the Broncos may end up liking if they want to see what Lynch has this season. But I don't see it happening, I think Elway will be a little gun shy about drafting another project QB in round 1 after Lynch really hasn't panned out thus far. Elway knows this defense is still Super Bowl caliber, they need to get the offense going just enough to get them back in contention. So here he drafts the most Pro Ready QB in the draft after Rosen. I love Mason Rudolph. He has everything you look for; size, arm strength, accuracy in the deep game, and plenty of playing experience. Rudolph also has surprising mobility for a guy his size. He'll be ready to step in right away and will have some good offensive weapons around him to get the deep passing game going that the Broncos have missed so much. If Elway does indeed want to go this route look for them to trade down possibly with the Bills or Cardinals who may hit the panic button after they see Darnold dropping down the board.
Jets- Saquon Barkley- RB, Penn State: They sign Kirk Cousins in FA so here they give him a weapon he never really had during his time in Washington; a feature back. Yes they still have Forte and Powell but as seen last year it wasn't good enough and Forte is another year older. This pick could very well be the best defensive player available as they have some work to do on that side of the ball, but how do you pass up a once in a generation talent like Barkley if you don't have a stud RB?
Bucs- Derwin James- S, Florida State: James is a flat out playmaker. And that's what this Bucs' secondary needs desperately. They have the LB core and front 4 to be competitive on that side of the ball. But their secondary leaves something to be desired. If they really get sold on one of the remaining OL they could go that route too getting Jameis some protection. But a talent like James is too tantalizing to pass up at this point.
Bears- Minkah Fitzpatrick- CB, Alabama: I don't know if he falls this far or not. Maybe this is some wishful thinking on my part because my Bears team desperately needs a shut down corner that can also play the run like a LB. That's what Fitzpatrick is. Some are saying he's a a S at the next level. I'm not so sure. He's got great size and is a great athlete I think he'll be able to stick at corner in the NFL. He may possibly be the best CB prospect I've ever seen against the run as well. This guy just does not miss tackles. This Bears team could possibly be decimated at the position after FA hits. Yes they need a WR in the worst way but I am not high on any of the guys from this class. At least not worth drafting at #8. If they really want to go WR I hope they trade down and accumulate picks or wait until round 2 for a guy like Ateman from OK State.
49ers- Tremaine Edmunds- LB, VA Tech: I personally think Roquan Smith is the better all around prospect of the two, but Edmunds is coming in with a lot of hype and is most likely going to set the combine on fire. The Niners are in a nice position to just take the best player available here. They made significant improvements to the defense in the draft last season and I think they continue that here. I think they'll try and get Jimmy G some better weapons in FA and later in the draft but don't look for it to be a priority at 9 because they've seen what he can do with a mediocre at best receiving core.
Raiders- Da'Ron Payne- DT, Alabama: I'm seeing a lot of traction for them taking a LB here, but I think they're pretty deep at that position. Where they lack however, is a run stuffing NT for their 3-4 scheme. There are 2 guys that fit that bill pretty well here. Vita Vea and Payne. Payne probably has the more upside of the two.
Dolphins- Roquan Smith- LB, Georgia: Best player available that isn't a QB. Adam Gase seems to be pretty confident in Tannehill so I don't see them going QB in the first round when there are more glaring needs on this team. The top DBs just got scooped, their DL is still pretty solid, the OL while it's under-performed has some good talent. Really one of the only things they're missing is someone to lock down the middle of the field. Smith is a monster, as sure a tackler as you'll ever find and solid in pass coverage. A franchise MLB is something that may be able to put this team over the hump as long as Tannehill doesn't degress.
Bengals- Orlando Brown- OT, Oklahoma: I was real tempted to put Darnold here. Had the Bengals moved on from Marvin Lewis like they should have I could really see them moving on from Andy Dalton as well. But I don't see Marvin making the change. Instead they increase his protection with the giant OL from Oklahoma.
Redskins- Arden Key- DE/OLB, LSU: He comes with risk for sure, but the talent is undeniable. Dan Snyder is also a guy that really doesn't care about risk too much and just wants to make a splash. That's what he can do here with Key. Coming into the season he was one of the highest ranked players let alone pass rushers. Immense talent, he can really help the Skins get after the QB if he stays healthy and keeps his head on.
Packers- Josh Jackson- CB, Iowa: Nothing fancy here. Just a solid cover corner that fills a real big need for the Pack.
Cardinals- Sam Darnold- QB, USC: Is there any way Darnold makes it to 15? Probably not. If he starts falling, either the Bills or Cardinals are likely to trade up to snag him. But here the Cardinals are ecstatic he dropped this far. With no trades, this is a real possibility with a lot of the teams ahead of them being pretty set at QB. Again, I'm not high on Darnold but this is a good spot for him. There are plenty of weapons in that offense barring a Larry Fitzgerald retirement.
Ravens- Vita Vea- DT, Washington: While the Ravens defense is still pretty stout, something they've been missing a real run stuffer on the line since Ngata got old and then subsequently got traded. I think they still like Perriman at WR though I'm not sure why, so even if they let Mike Wallace go I think they may be content with Maclin and Perriman going into the season.
Chargers- Will Hernandez- G, UTEP: Every year it feels like I'm always seeing Rivers throwing off his back foot and being rushed almost every down. At this point, I don't know if it's just his style of play or the Chargers just can't get the most out of their OL. Either way, they were somewhat contenders last year and with a solid defense they should be again. Get Rivers a little more help up front and hope it takes this time around.
Seahawks- Marcus Davenport- DE, UTSA: The guy that's flying up draft boards. Super talented and this would be a great spot for him to go to. The Seahawks may lose a few players on the line so replacing them with a talent like Davenport is a must. They could go DB here since they were decimated last year but none of the remaining first round talents fit the type of guy they look for. OL is a possibility too as it always is but Davenport is too talented to pass up.
Cowboys- Calvin Ridley- WR, Alabama: A lot of people think they'll go James Washington because of the Dez connection and all that. Washington is another one route kinda guy. They don't need that. They need a guy who is a good route runner and can create separation in the intermediate routes not just downfield. I'm not real high on Ridley but he's the most polished WR of this class and the Cowboys really need to get Dak some guys to throw to.
Lions- Derrius Guice- RB, LSU: The Lions have a pretty good roster. Regardless of what you think about Stafford, the defense is vastly improved with young talent, they have a good WR corp and a decent OL. The one thing they're missing is a RB to lean on to close out games and when Stafford is off. They haven't had a 100 yard rusher in over 4 years. That's crazy when you think about it. In 4 years you think one guy would hit that mark by just pure dumb luck alone. Who knows if Patricia devalues the RB position like Belichick or not but the Lions can't keep having a revolving door at the position and Guice is a very good talent here.
Bills- Josh Allen- QB, Wyoming: While Tyrod is a capable QB, you're not going to win with him. Allen is a good prospect for them because they can keep playing Tyrod until he's ready and not completely fall off the face of the earth. Allen has some things to work on, mainly his ability to simply complete his passes, his college completion % is abysmal. Playing at Wyoming may have something to do with that but still. He's got all the talent in the world; rocket arm, decent mobility, good footwork and mechanics. He's going to take awhile to progress but at the end of the day he should be a very solid starting QB. The Bills are in the best spot to trade up, with 2 picks back to back here they could easy package that to jump up and snag someone earlier if any of the top 2 guys begin to fall.
Bills- Billy Price- C, Ohio St: The Eric Wood retirement creates a big hole on the line.
Rams- Denzel Ward- CB, Ohio St: You can never really have enough good CBs can you? While the position isn't a glaring need for the Rams, they could stand to add some depth.
Panthers- Connor Williams- OT, Texas: Matt Kalil has been trending downward in recent years. The Panthers draft Williams here to be his eventual replacement. In the meantime you can slide one of the over to G to solidify the line.
Titans- Harold Landry- DE, Boston College: After Orakpo and Derrick Morgan the pass rushing depth chart leaves something to be desired. And considering Orakpo's age and Morgan's pending contract explosion the Titans could stand to add another pass rusher here.
Falcons- Isaiah Wynn- G, Georgia: Matt Ryan just wasn't the same guy this year. A different offense is partially to blame along with a run game that just didn't produce at the same level as a season before. Add another solid big talented body to that line and hope the offense can regain its spark.
Saints- Ogbonnia Okoronkwo- LB, Oklahoma: Many see him as just a pass rusher at the next level, but I see him being more than that. He has sideline to sideline speed and I think he can play a hybrid role for the Saints and just wreak havoc with his talent all over the field. The Saints continue to bolster an improving defense.
Steelers- Malik Jefferson- LB, Texas: Oozing with talent, comes with some baggage and question marks but the talent cannot be denied. With the future of Ryan Shazier cloudy, the Steelers grab another fast LB to fill the void. Can you imagine those two playing together should Shazier come back? Scary.
Jaguars- Ronnie Harrison- S, Alabama: While the secondary isn't really a need for the Jags, one would have to expect some drop off from Barry Church right? Harrison brings with him the pedigree of being an Alabama DB and great size for the position. The rich get richer for the Jags defense.
Vikings- Taven Bryan- DT, Florida: Plug him and play him. The Vikings are a team that really don't have many need spots. They don't stand to lose any of their key pieces to FA (you have to assume they're keeping Keenum). He's not your prototypical 4-3 DT but he can be disruptive so just throw him out there and let him work.
Patriots- Donte Jackson- CB, LSU: Does this pick really need any explanation? They got torched in the Super Bowl in the secondary and they stand to lose Malcom Butler. This is probably a little high for Jackson but they need a solid body in the secondary in the worst way.
Eagles- Armani Watts- S, Texas A&M: Malcom Jenkins may be nearing the end of his run. Watts doesn't bring the size Jenkins has but he's a ball hawk and can be groomed for the position.
I'll probably do a few updates up until draft time. But for now go head and discuss let me know what you think.
Browns newd to take mayfield #1
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