Kgreene829 Mock Draft 2.0

[kgreene829]

Alright let’s try this one more time Mock Draft 2.0 I will be doing a 2 round mock draft. A lot of the selections I made in 1.5 remain the same I apologize but with so little time passing my opinions haven’t changed on some picks and with the rosters the same with some teams I don’t have much more to add. After pick 19 this article will sound a lot less familiar. Because of that if a team owned a pick at the time of one of my past mocks I will include the player that I had them taking with it under the selection that way you can skim through picks that haven’t changed.

1-TEN: I wrote so much, read the explanation first, the pick is at the end.

We have a new team at #1 and there is a lot of excitement over who they could take. IRL and @Kwheeler the owner of Tennessee both say you only trade up to the #1 pick for one position and that's obvious QB but I can’t see that being the move. First they have 70 overall QB Wayne Reimer under contract for 2 more years and I don’t think it makes sense to move on from him yet. I also don’t think you trade 3 future 1st round picks to grab a guy and sit him for 2 years. The Titans also have QB David Paul 62 overall with A- potential in year 3 he might not be their franchise guy but why bring in someone else when he can still pan out. Lastly, like I keep saying the 2026 QB class is going to be amazing so for all 3 of those reasons I think we can rule out Maronde being the pick. So what do the Titans need? Well they could use a lot (I got burned for this last time this is relative to the rest of their team they are a great team and because of that their needs are more glaring than some other teams) and since I have not talked about the Titans in a mock yet this is going to be a long thorough response about their needs and what makes sense. I am going through the roster by position so first up is CB the Titans have an ok CB room but their best CB is on an expiring deal and then their next 2 CBs who are ok only have 2 years left. The Titans drafted CB Robert Canady last year at pick 25 he is a 61 overall with A potential and they also have Kendal Shaffer who is a 63 overall with B potential. I think they could use an upgrade but because of recent investment in the position in last year's draft they are unlikely to return to the well at least at this point in the draft. On top of that with a really good CB class with three A+ guys, two A guys, and six A- guys I don’t think they would have had to trade up this much to grab a CB which rules that out. Next is DE with a 65 and 64 overall starting at DE one of them only having 1 year left on his rookie contract and the other with two they could look to move on from the mediocrity they have at that position with Whit Wilson. This makes sense so I am not ruling it out but they do have something at the position so they may look to upgrade at a different position. Now DT could be a huge need depending on scheme with a 76 overall but nobody behind him if they want to run a formation that needs 2 DTs that's something they need to address now. With the Titans going after a 65 and a 63 in FA and not any of the better guys I feel confident in saying they are going to mostly be running formations with only 1 DT but with James Henze being 31 they may need to look for someone younger to take his place. I don’t think DT will be the pick here but they may look to grab someone later in the draft. ILB and OLB is a position that everyone needs and the Titans are no exception with an expiring vet and the backups being ok but nearing the end of their prime the Titans could look to grab a guy who can shut down the run game of division rival Houston by grabbing Kenny Daniel. OG is a position in a weird spot with a 72, a 75, and a 79 this is the strongest positions they have but with the 75 on an expiring deal and the 72 being 31 and the 79 being 28 this is an aging group so it's possibly they grab a young guy and to come in and flip their 72 and 75 overall to improve some of their other needs. OT is a position where they are good, not great. A young 61 and 3 guys in the mid 60’s who are right around their prime they could look to grab an OT to give them a blindside blocker they know they can rely on going forward. RB is a hole and with 2 top RBs in the draft that could be an appealing option for them and grabbing McGee would be a big boost but with 2 good FBs in 70 overall Danny Kipnis and 65 overall Philip Whitley they could move Kipnis to RB and fill the hole. I think them trading for Kipnis is more an indictment on Whitley being on the last year of his deal and can see them going RB and keeping the best young FB at his natural position. SS is a big need 65 overall Thomas Henderson is on the last year of his deal and doesn’t look good enough to warrant long term investment. This could lead to them taking my favorite prospect Garrett Smith with the 1st overall pick. The Titans have 29 year old FS Joshua Johnstone who is on the last year of his deal and 30th pick in last year's draft 64 overall FS Sergio Collins so you can argue that they will re-sign Johnstone and move him or Collins over to SS. While that move makes sense, the possibility of creating a safety tandem of Sergio Collins and Garrett Smith that they can keep together long term and not have to worry about for 7 seasons may be too appealing. TE is a need but that doesn’t matter since no good TEs exist in the draft class SUCK IT @Bundy. WR is the last need for the Titans and other than a 65 overall 27 year old all of their WRs are in their 2nd or 3rd season so it's a young group. I can see them wanting to improve this position because even after drafting Durham Simmons in the 2nd round last year and C.J. White in the 6th this is a group that could use some serious work.

Ok I would like to thank the Titans and @Kwheeler for trading up to the 1st overall pick because this is amazing the Titans have a lot of options. I think any of those positions are a possibility but in my mind the positions that make the most sense for the Titans to address are DE, ILB, OT, RB, SS, and WR. We did it, we cut out a whopping 5 positions with CB, DT, OG, OLB, and TE and only two of those are because the options aren’t good enough. I don’t think the Titans will go CB because the class is pretty deep. For DT it makes more sense to address other needs like positions that they don’t have a great player at already. OG because with 3 great players it doesn’t make sense to reset the clock now especially if they are trying to win a Super Bowl which is what I assume they are doing since they traded 3 1st round picks. Also the Titans aren’t drafting OLB or TE because nobody at those positions is good enough to think about taking this early again suck it @bundy. 

So now let’s look at the players they could be thinking of. DE Whit Wilson is a do it all guy coming off the edge he’s fast, agile, smart, strong, and can get to the QB or stuff the RB. Whit Wilson also had a great combine scoring a 32 on the wonderlic, tying with  12 people for the 31st highest score at the combine and tying with Ty Bogdanovic for the 2nd highest score among DEs. Wilson also put up the 9th highest run stop drill and 10th highest pass rush drill among DEs and he tied for the 4th fastest 40 time among DEs. Kenny Daniel is the guy if the Titans are going ILB he can hold his own in coverage but he really impresses with his physical attributes and his ability to stop the run. At the combine he put up the best score in the run stop drill beating the 2nd highest score by 0.32 points which is just 0.01 more than the gap between 2nd and 10th. Daniel also put up the 11th best LB coverage grade which is 8th among ILB so while it’s not a strength Daniel can hold his own in coverage. Daniel also tied for the 25th highest wonderlic score with a 33 which was 5th among ILBs and tied for 5th among all LBs. Daniel’s 4.41 40 time is the 2nd fastest ILB time and 5th fastest among all LBs and his 40 reps on the bench was the most by an ILB and 2nd most of all LBs. Daniel finished up his impressive combine with the highest vertical jump of all LBs. Wolters is a great OT and can be an asset in both the run and pass game but we’re not going over his combine because he did not look good. Clayton McGee is the consensus RB1 in the draft and it’s easy to see why with great agility and strength and with good speed he is a great 3 down back and can produce no matter how you plan to get him involved he had the highest score in the outside run drill at the combine and really showed off his ability to be used in any role. SS Garett Smith is a monster, he is great in man coverage and stopping the run but is one of if not the best zone coverage DB we have seen coming out of the draft. At the combine Smith scored a 10.55 on the zone coverage drill and tied for the 2nd highest grade on the wonderlic in the combine with a 42. Lastly Paul Canha is considered by some the best player in the class his elite speed is what really makes him special he ran a 4.30 40 at the combine which was tied for the fastest of all players. Canha also had the 5th highest catching drill score and the 7th highest route running score.

Did I do all of this and restart the mock draft just to keep Paul Canha as the 1st overall pick and have nothing in my top 19 change. Did I write 3 whole pages just to end up with the same thing. Is this god's way of punishing me for thinking I can make a mock draft that isn’t out of date a week after I release it. Maybe. But guess what god when it comes to mock drafts and spending all your time looking at spreadsheets and obsessing over where fake football players will get drafted I am god and that means whatever I say is law. I don’t care that Paul Canha looks to be the best pick for the Titans with the 1st overall pick. Nothing can make me put his name down if I don’t want to. Also J’Mon Wolters is not good enough to be picked #1 overall. With that being said this selection comes down to one of DE Whit Wilson, ILB Kenny Daniel, RB Clayton McGee, and SS Garrett Smith. I think this comes down to who the Titans think is the best player not just of these 4 but the Titans pick on draft day will be the player that they think is the best player in the draft class regardless of position. I think that all the players I have talked about are amazing players and will go on to have great careers but when I look at this class one player that sticks out to me as better than everyone else is RB Clayton McGee. For me it's just the culmination of everything the college stats, the good showing at the combine, the great grades, and the versatility that you can play him anywhere. At the end of the day though WR Paul Canha just makes more sense. The Titans have a FB they can use as a RB if they want to and a speed WR like Canha gives them more options for what scheme to run on offense 

 

1-TEN: WR Paul Canha, Alabama

I am interested on feedback with showing the pick after the explanation while it probably won’t look as good it might flow better because instead of knowing the pick before the explanation I can walk you through the thought process before the pick that way when I talk about other needs you don’t already know that’s not the direction I am going.

 

2-MIA: DT Logan Lopez, Houston
1.5 Pick: DT Logan Lopez, Houston
1.0 Pick: ILB Kenny Daniel, Wake Forest

Miami has expressed a lot of interest in Canha so they certainly aren’t happy to see him off the board at 1. Miami's needs haven’t changed since my last mock. They could use DT, OLB, ILB, SS, OG, OT and TE with CB being a solid need but not as big as those other ones. I think OT, OG, and CB are deep enough that they can address those later in the draft if they want to and I think SS can wait a little more. I think that with this pick it comes down to DT, OLB, ILB, or TE and with no OLB or TE good enough to make sense drafting here it comes down to Logan Lopez or Kenny Daniel the top DT and ILB respectively. Lopez would be DT2 as soon as he is drafted and Kenny Daniel would probably be ILB2 as soon as he was drafted. ILB is a bigger need as Miami’s best ILB is worse than their best DT and expires after this season where the DT has one more year after this season. At the same time there are more top level ILB than DT in this draft class. I think this pick comes down to either Lopez or Daniel and either would be a good pick. I think Kenny Daniel is the better player but since I went him in my last mock and because DT has a weaker class I am giving Miami DT Logan Lopez and they can try and grab ILB with pick 26. 

3-CAR: ILB Kenny Daniel, Wake Forest
1.5 Pick: ILB Kenny Daniel, Wake Forest
1.0 Pick: RB Clayton McGee, FSU

The Panthers have options here they are trying to sign RB Joseph Cale in FA but the Jets are matching them for every penny so far. I can go over the Panthers needs but I think this comes down to RB Clayton McGee or ILB Kenny Daniel both amazing players and both big needs. I think ILB is a bigger need for the Panthers as the defense is lacking and getting a young player of Kenny Daniels caliber to be in the middle of that defense is a great way to turn it around. On top of Daniel being a bigger impact to the team and potentially a better player even without the Panthers getting Cale I think Daniel is the move because he would be the best ILB on the Panthers day one and while McGee might be the best RB on day 1 with them having James Ibach while RB is still a need they have a really solid option on the team already. I Wish I could go more in depth here but the Panthers biggest need is ILB and the top ILB is available. It's just a perfect fit.

4-NYG: RB Clayton McGee, FSU
1.5 Pick: RB Clayton McGee, FSU
1.0 Pick: DT Logan Lopez, Houston

The Giants are the first real tough pick. They could really use a lot, DE, DT, ILB, OLB, TE, RB and WR are all big needs and you can make a case for them needing to look at CB and in the future need to improve at OG. DE is a big need but they signed 31 year old 84 overall DE Jeremy Pruitt. While not a permanent solution Pruitt has A potential so he should regress slowly making DE not a huge need now. In my last mock I gave them Logan Lopez but with him off the board drafting DT here would be a reach same with ILB. OLB and TE don’t have anyone good enough to justify drafting here. I think it could make sense to go DE Whit Wilson here because even with Pruitt on the roster Wilson would be close to the 2nd best DE on the team. The other guys that make sense are WR Logan Njoku and RB Clayton McGee. The Giants only have 2 WRs on the roster right now and neither are really great and they don’t have any RBs on the roster. I think no matter who they draft here the Giants are getting a great player. All 3 players put up great numbers in college and while Whit Wilson is a great player who would be a nice fit I think it just makes more sense to raise the floor by addressing the other needs first. I think the best pick for the Giants is Clayton McGee. He's a great RB and he should be able to thrive with the Giants who have a great IOL and two good young OTs who look promising. The WRs available in FA are better than the RBs and we are always going to have great WRs coming out of college while RB might be harder to find a guy of McGee’s caliber. On top of that the rushing attack of McGee could really help open up the offense for young Wilfredo Joseph to use his legs. The Giants could be building the premier RPO offense here.

5-CAR: DE Whit Wilson, Oklahoma State
1.5 Pick: DE Whit Wilson, Oklahoma State
1.0 Pick: SS Garrett Smith, Baylor

Well RB Clayton McGee didn’t fall to them and I think if they draft McGee at 3 then Kenny Daniel goes at pick 4. With ILB being a bigger need and them potentially getting a RB in FA Daniel is more important than McGee. Now in my last mock I had them going SS Garrett Smith here and that is still a possibility. I think some other needs are OLB which again is not a smart pick here, DE they have a great DE and an ok one both in their prime but with expiring deals, CB they are ok at CB but not great so it could be a good fit, and OT they have a great OT in his prime on an expiring deal and a couple of ok OTs that they could want to improve on. I think the best move is drafting DE Whit Wilson. Wilson will come in and be around the same level as DE2 Eric Stephens who they could trade to upgrade other positions or grab some picks. I think with this pick Wilson would be a starter in his rookie year because I think the Panthers would trade Stephens or bench him to get Wilson some more snaps and with 80 overall DE Aaron Stokes 64 overall DT Caleb Suarez drafted at 5 last year and 79 overall Steven Kapfhammer the Panthers would have a great D-line that will continue to improve as Suarez and Wilson develop more and in 3 years when Stokes and Kapfhammer should be nearing the end of their primes they could have the top D-line in SimNFL. I can see the Panthers wanting to spread the talent around a bit but I don’t think any other players that make sense are as good and with 2 1st round picks next year they can focus on their other needs of OLB, WR, CB, and OT then.

6-NO: SS Garrett Smith, Baylor
1.5 Pick: QB Hiram Maronde, UCLA
1.0 Pick: CB Sam Voth, Illinois

In my last version I had the Saints going with Hiram Maronde but after thinking about it some more (I saw @jiret’s new mock) Maronde wouldn’t fit with the Saints roster. Also after taking a closer look at the Saints current QB Ben Rivera with 67 throw power and 72 throw accuracy he’s not a bad option. With that in mind they go with again my favorite player in the draft SS Garrett Smith. When it comes to playing zone coverage Garrett Smith is the best prospect we have seen in SimNFL. Getting a DB like Smith is huge but it’s even bigger in the NFC South where they have to play Gregory Taphorn, Dekoda Link, and Chris Frazier twice each and two of those QBs will be in the division for a long time. The Saints get a huge upgrade to a secondary that could really use the help.

7-HOU: QB Hiram Maronde, UCLA
1.5 Pick: OG Alex Hitchens, Arkansas
1.0 Pick: QB Andrew Moncrief, Auburn

In my 1st mock I gave the Texans a QB because it was a need but wasn’t super happy with that because the value wasn’t great, but with the best QB in the draft falling to them they waste no time sending in the pick. Maronde is a great scrambling QB and he ran the 3rd fastest 40 time of all QBs at the combine but at the combine he also showed he can do a lot more than run fast. Maronde had the 4th best score in both the accuracy and distance drill, really showing off the arm talent that solidified him as the best QB in the class. Maronde also tied for the 4th best score of all QBs on the Wonderlic with a 34 which is also tied for the 16th highest score at the combine showing that he should be able to adapt to the speed and make the right reads and decisions at the next level. The Texans grab their franchise QB and with young RBs Hue Khan and Eduardo Jackson on top of a young OG in Jacob Grant this is a team I can see having a very strong triple option offense in the future. 

8-ATL: OG Alex Hitchens, Arkansas
1.5 Pick: SS Garrett Smith, Baylor
1.0 Pick: OG Alex Hitchens, Arkansas

The Falcons have 4 positions they need to address: OG, FS, ILB, and DT and 3 of those positions have a top player in this class and while no FS prospect is that good a SS could easily be a substitute. In my past two mocks I had them address OG and SS I would have loved to talk about and mock ILB or DT to them but I just can’t see them falling this far and with SS Garrett Smith gone they take OG Alex Hitchens and fill one of their 4 needs. Alex Hitchens is the top OG in the draft and specializes in run blocking. While the Falcons would probably prefer a more balanced OG Hitchens is not only the best OG but the best player at a position of need for the Falcons on the board. This is not to take anything away from Hitchens, he is a great player who the Falcons are happy to grab here but I would be lying if I told you they wouldn’t rather a pass blocking or balanced OG of this caliber.

9-SEA: RB Richard Bianchi, Hawaii
1.5 Pick: RB Richard Bianchi, Hawaii
1.0 Pick: RB Richard Bianchi, Hawaii

@TuscanSota and his staff of birds are probably tired of it but once again I have them taking RB Richard Bianchi. Bianchi is just a great fit for the Seahawks as a receiving RB he can fit into the vertical with pocket QB Kemoko Allard, the two 70+ route running WRs they have, and their 73 overall receiving TE. Kemoko Allard gets another weapon, the Seahawks have a replacement for when John Woodward retires or gets told to pack his bags, and old man Woodward can sit on the bench and tell stories about the war or whatever old people do while he takes a break, truly a win for everyone. I am going to run through the rest of the Seahawks needs and my reason for not having them address them here to make up for the lack of discussion and new input they have been getting from me. WR is another position I feel they need to take a look at with 2 70+s its in a good spot but they are both getting old and on expiring deals but WR is a deep class and they will be able to get an A- or better in the 2nd round this is a position I feel they will hit hard in this draft but with a pick this high up you can’t afford to miss and I feel Bianchi is a better player for them. OT, a 2nd OG, TE, and C can use an upgrade but again I feel Bianchi is a better fit and player than what they can get at those positions. OT J’Mon Wolters is on the board but with Bianchi being able to effect the game both as a runner and as a receiver he will have a bigger impact on the offense than Wolters who I think is probably the 2nd most likely pick. Now looking at defense outside of DT Alejandro Rua, FS Godwin Johnson, and CBs Daniel Mendoza and Mike Hargreaves the defense doesn’t have a ton of good young players but I think it is more important and beneficial to build a young core of guys that can play together long term on offense than on defense. This goes back to what I was saying about Bianchi being able to take some of the load off of a great young QB and also being able to be not just a safety valve but a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield that can really help your offense especially if the opposing team has LBs covering him which he will usually be faster than.

10-LAC: OT J’Mon Wolters, Utah
1.5 Pick: OT J’Mon Wolters, Utah
1.0 Pick: DE Whit Wilson, Oklahoma State

I am going to be honest in the last mock when I said “While they could use some CB depth the CB class is loaded with a lot of really talented guys so they could kick that can down the road and draft a CB in the 2nd round.” I have no clue what I was talking about. Outside of their top 2 CBs they have several young CBs that could be good depth options so it's definitely not something they would be considering addressing in the 1st. With that out of the way, OT J'Mon Wolters remains the pick for the Chargers Owner @Dean and new scout @Viselli. Again I know they drafted Jeimer Valera in the 1st last year and OT Austin Iglesias could still be a good starter in the league but Wolters would be an upgrade over Iglesias. The Chargers need to look at grabbing a WR3 but that’s something they can do later in the draft.

11-JAX: CB Sam Voth, Illinois
1.5 Pick: CB Sam Voth, Illinois
1.0 Pick: CB Rashard Hilliard, Georgia State

The Jaguars really need to upgrade at CB and why not do it at 11 with the best CB in the draft. The Jaguars have a defense that has a lot of potential, outside of CB, DT, and a 2nd ILB the defense looks real good and with them about to grab a DT in FA they take a CB that scout team QB Matt Howard is sure to hate. Voth would join the Jaguars and take over as the CB1 and will have no problem fitting in with a secondary that loves to play man coverage.

12-DET: CB Jonathan Parks, Ohio
1.0 Pick: WR Logan Njoku, Kentucky

In version 1.0 the Lions grabbed WR Logan Njoku and in 1.5 they traded the pick. In this mock I am going to have them keep the pick just because I keep going back and forth on if anyone would be willing to move up to this spot and because of that they might have trouble trading back. I am also going to agree with @jiret here about CB being a bigger need than WR now. While OLB remains their biggest need at pick 12 an OLB is still a reach. While the Lions CB room outside of Robert Smith and Christopher Salgado who are both probably gone soon doesn’t have the overall of a great group they have two CBs with 80+ zone coverage and a 3rd with 79. This group is sneaky good but Michael Frizzell and Luis Garcia both being 27 and Luis Garcia only having 2 years left on his contract the Lions look to add a CB which can give them the option to move on from Luis Garcia when his contract expires to save cap. Worst case scenario they have four good CBs in 2 years and can flip one to address other needs. The Lions opt for CB Jonathan Parks over Rashard Hilliard because they probably prefer a ball hawk CB over a man coverage one despite them having similar zone coverage skills the ability to make plays on the ball is more appealing to them than the ability to play man which doesn’t interest them at all.

13-NYG: WR Logan Njoku, Kentucky

3rd mock draft 3rd different team picking at 13. The Giants trade up with in-state rivals the Jets and move up 10 spots. I gave the Giants RB Clayton McGee with the 4th pick in the draft so the positions with players I can justify taking at this pick are WR, and ILB. This is tough because with an A+ WR available the Giants can get a great WR here but ILB is the bigger need. It’s always hard to decide between going with the better player or the bigger need but since the Giants are not a great team and are in no rush to compete they should prioritize getting playmakers and guys who can make an impact with every pick. The Giants are going to grab the 2nd A+ WR Logan Njoku and figure out how to make everything work later. With this pick the Giants give their entire offense a facelift QBs Lamar Johnson and Wilfredo Joseph (He is hoping the Giants are ready to move on from Johnson and name him the starter) couldn’t be happier. With the Giants offensive line having a 76 overall C, a 75 overall OT, and 82 overall OG, a 87 overall OG, 1st round pick last year 64 overall OT Richard Plutko, and 3rd year 62 overall Bruce Allen by adding a 2nd A+ skill position player the Giants offense is exciting and fans are calling to renew their season tickets as we speak. The Giants still have a lot of work to do improving this team but you can never go wrong with two explosive 1st round picks like this.

14-GB: CB Rashard Hilliard, Georgia State
1.5 Pick: CB Rashard Hilliard, Georgia State
1.0 Pick: CB Jonathan Parks, Ohio

I like @jiret’s thinking about the Packers going C but with them targeting 74 overall C Richard Campos in FA I think they might look at other positions. While the Pack are also targeting 69 overall CB Michael Rebecca with Lee Kiser’s contract expiring after this year they look to grab a CB and it’s the last A+ CB Rashard Hilliard. Hilliards stock is hurt by a pretty average senior season but at the end of the day he’s a great player and even though he is best in man coverage he has shown an eagerness to improve his zone coverage. At the end of the day this is a BPA pick and while he may not fit the team at some point you just have to grab a great player and find a way to make it work. I think the Packers may end up trading this pick but not sure who so in this they stay put and grab the player that I think a team would move up for.

Please keep reading I promise we’re going to get to some new picks soon

15-CLE: DE Vince Gresham, Oregon State
1.5 Pick: DE Vince Gresham, Oregon State
1.0 Pick: DE Ty Bogdanovic, Indiana

After having the Browns go DE in both of my previous mocks I really wanted to give them something else but DE is one of their biggest needs and I don’t know if they can justify going for a different direction. Gresham is a great DE that can both stop the run and rush the passer. His great versatility, speed, and football IQ is what makes him a top 4 DE in my eyes. The reason I have him as the 2nd DE off the board is not just because of his talent but because he can be used in any defensive scheme. The future of the Browns defense is very much in question with only 1 ILB, 1 OLB, 1 DT, and 2 DEs(neither of which are good enough to build a defense around) under contract past this season it's hard to point in any direction and say that's what they want to do. Because of this grabbing a DE that you know won’t get a malus for scheme fit no matter what you do gives you more flexibility in what to do because you don’t want to take a player this early and then realize he isn’t a good scheme fit.

16-BAL: OT Francisco Smith, Washington
1.5 Pick: OT Francisco Smith, Washington
1.0 Pick: OT J’Mon Wolters, Utah

Again I wanted to mock something new but Smith is just the best option on the board. So the Ravens grab one of the three A OTs in this class and continue to build the trenches which they started in the 2nd and 3rd round of last year's draft by drafting a pair of OGs. Smith is great in the run game which is great for scrambling QB David Chop and RBs Stanley Piper, James Taylor, and Dietrich Smith but the Ravens still have some work to do if they want to get out of football purgatory.

17-NE: OT Brad Adams, San Diego State
1.5 Pick: OT Brad Adams, San Diego State
1.0 Pick: DE Vince Gresham, Oregon State

Roosevelt Penn is in the last year of his contract and while the Patriots probably re-sign him they could use some help on the O-line to help protect Rashaan Lyons. Since the Patriots run game is non-existent any O-lineman they draft would have to be a pass blocker. While it makes sense to upgrade OG or C before OT none of the top OG or C are great pass blockers. So the Patriots grab the best A- or better pass blocker in the draft with Brad Adams. Adams is a really underrated OT who gets overlooked because of the bigger names but if you're looking for a pass blocker he’s one of the best options scoring the 6th best pass block grade at the combine.

18-BUF: OG Corey Cabrera, San Jose State
1.0 Pick: OG Corey Cabrera, San Jose State

With Jonathan Parks off the board the Panthers are no longer interested in moving up and with none of the top players falling, nobody else is willing to give up what it would take to acquire the 18th pick. The Bills have not made many changes since version 1.0 so they would want to address OG or OLB with DE also being a position they are considering but not as much as the other two. I think it is still early to grab an OLB so the Bills take OG Corey Cabrera. They can’t go wrong with either Cabrera or OG Felix Rodriguez. They are both great players but I see Cabrera as a slightly better player because of what he showed in college so the Bills opt for him. 

19-TB: DE Ty Bogdanovic, Indiana
1.5 Pick: C Ruben Shazier, Alabama
1.0 Pick: C Ruben Shazier, Alabama

Ok I love the fit of Ruben Shazier to the Bucs but wanted to switch things up here because everyone knows by now how great of a fit that would be. I have them taking DE Ty Bogdanovic to improve the D-line. With DE Brian Yokum, DT Howard Phillips, and DT Matthew Zimmer getting older and Yokum and Phillips on expiring deals, the Bucs really have to start thinking about the future of that D-line and Ty Bogdanovic is a great way to kick off the retool that should be coming soon.

OK we have gotten to pick 20 which means it's been a while since I mocked these so we should be getting some new stuff here.

20-PHI: ILB Davis Covey, Charlotte 
1.0 Pick: WR Trevor Wood, USC

@jiret beat me to this one Davis Covey is the best player that makes sense for the Eagles and with them telling us they are going BPA it looks like that will be the pick. Covey, a coverage ILB will reunite with former teammate and Eagles 1st round pick last year coverage ILB Christian Palardy. The Eagles should be working the phones to try and move down a couple spots to 23 for a true throwback to last year when they drafted a coverage ILB out of Charlotte with pick 23 of the first round.

21-CHI: FS Kyle Reimold, Central Michigan
1.0 Pick: FS Kyle Reimold, Central Michigan

The Bears still need a FS for next year and they can get it with the best FS in the draft. They could use a DT but I don’t love the DT class and I think grabbing one here would be a reach. Reimold can sit for a year while Jerzy Redding has his farewell tour and then step into the starting job the next year. Reimold is a run stopping FS who also had the 2nd highest grade on the man coverage drill of all FSs (5th of all safeties). Reimold also was able to back up his claim from before the combine of being one of the strongest DBs in the class when he tied for the 4th most reps on the bench press with 28 reps. 

My only concern with Kyle Reimold was when I went out to scout him personally he came up to me and said “Duuuuuuuuuude waaaasssssup” I taken aback by such informal and frankly disrespectful conduct said “nothin much how bout you” at which point he responded with one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard in my professional career so I apologize for putting this down but I feel it would be a disservice to the mock to leave it out. He said “Braaah after this game ima go catch some waves its looking gnarly, you wanna take a drag?” he must have noticed I was offended because next he said “don’t be so butthurt braaah anyway i'll catch you on the flip side me and my bromies that's bro and homie by the way are going to post up at Kyle’s it’s going to be drap that’s a new word I came up with it’s both rad and dope im super amped anyway catch ya on the flip side.” and then he tried to do a kickflip except he didn’t have a skateboard and just face planted onto the ground. Also to clarify he knew another dude named Kyle because all of his friends are named Kyle. I don't know who any of those Kyle’s are but I think I was only invited because my name is also Kyle. Anyway he’s the pick here based on talent alone but I need to make sure to never interact with Californians again.

22-SF: QB Andrew Solano, TCU
1.0 Pick: C Ryan Wiggins, California

It’s rebuild time in San Francisco with Russell Latimer out and they need a new QB. I kept going back and forth on if they would take a QB with this pick and obviously they would love to run the ball after grabbing Rubby Stewart last year but with no great RBs that makes it hard. I don’t think they are going to move on from the run game long term but until they can get a good RB that won’t be their offense. After drafting Fernando Thomas last year with pick 13 it’s pretty clear what the 49ers move is going forward. The 49ers have to get the ball into the hands of their brightest young skill player and Solano is the perfect guy to do it. As a balanced QB they can run the pistol offense and with being a balanced QB Solano won’t be a bad fit in most schemes only locking you out of vertical and air raid, neither of which are schemes that fit Fernando Thomas. Fernando Thomas has amazing hands so why not pair him with one of the most accurate QBs in the class.

23-NYJ: WR Trevor Wood, USC

The bane of my existence @spoof is picking at 23 but he should be done with his trades for a while. With his franchise QB in hand and a bunch of future draft picks the Jets made sure to get their fast past for The Rebuild SimNFLs least profitable ride. They have their QB, they have a great TE, they are about to sign two good OTs, and they are fighting for a RB. The last piece of the offense is a WR and they get that with Trevor Wood. Wood being a possession WR is great for the Jets because with Trahan being a scrambler 2 of the 3 schemes Trahan fits also fit possession WR meaning that these two could be linking up for years. Also with a young QB you can never go wrong with a WR who scored the 3rd highest in the catching drill at the combine.

24-ATL: OG Felix Rodriguez, Temple
1.0 Pick: ILB Joe Yanda, Utah State

The Falcons need ILB, FS, and DT. However I think the best move would be to draft OG Felix Rodriguez. With Kyle Schneider off to Minnesota, it makes sense for the Falcons to double dip at OG and they end up with 2 of the top 3 OGs in the class. ILB and DT don’t have the strongest class as far as 1st round talent and we will get to it but with 4 picks in the next 2 rounds they will get a chance to improve on other positions.

25-DAL: OT Tony Varvaro,  Northern Illinois 
1.0 Pick: ILB Carlos Blacknall, North Carolina

The Cowboys signed ILB Steven Othon so now the focus is on offense where they need an OT. OT Tony Varvaro will be a great fit as Neil Hankins is on an expiring contract and might not be coming back. Varvaro is a great run blocker and despite getting into football a little later than most 1st round picks he is only slightly behind the other top OTs in this draft class when it comes to his football IQ and feel for the game.

26-MIA: TE Hakeem Judd, Texas State
1.0 Pick: DT Phillip Bell, Bowling Green

The Dolphins grabbed their DT with the 2nd pick in this mock so don’t have to worry about reaching a bit here like I had them do last time. A lot of conversation is being had about what the Dolphins are going to do after this year with Dean Hammonds contract up but I don’t think they are worried about QB because if I was in their position I wouldn’t be. Also to peel back the curtain I stopped in the middle of writing this and came back the next day to a trade so let's start with that. The Dolphins got an OG and ILB in return for a FS so while ILB isn’t in the greatest spot still they don’t need to make that pick and while they could still use an OG it’s not a must get anymore. With this new trade I have their needs as OG, OLB, OT, and TE with SS as a position that needs to be addressed next year. They could also go QB with Dean Hammonds on an expiring deal but I don’t actually hate QB Korey Gonzalez as a bridge QB. Picked in the 7th round of last year with A- potential Gonzalez a pocket QB has a nice arm and accuracy so while he might not be a permanent solution I think he’s good enough that they won’t need to draft a QB until they decide if they want to move on from Hammonds at the end of his contract. I think the Dolphins grab TE Hakeem Judd as TE is a need and Judd jumped up my board when I started looking at TEs at the combine. Judd consistently placed near the top of each category among TEs with the 2nd best run blocking and pass blocking scores of all TEs, the 3rd best catching drill score among TEs, the 4th best route running drill score among TEs, and the 4th fastest 40 time among TEs. Judd is labeled as a receiving TE so he is a scheme fit in 2 of the 3 schemes that fit pocket QBs and isn’t a bad fit in the last one and on top of that he showed at the combine no matter what you're looking for your TE to do he is one of the best in the class at it.

27-KC: WR Matt Zavala, Oregon State
1.0 Pick: WR Matt Zavala, Oregon State

The Chiefs really need WR like I said in version 1.0 and while they could use OT it looks like they will be signing one in FA leaving WR as the biggest hole on the roster despite their plans to sign a 67 and 65 overall WR a good young WR that they can trust would be a great addition to this team. Now the question comes down to which WR should they go at this point of the draft, 3 WRs are off the board already leaving 3 A WRs and 5 A- WRs. My opinion hasn’t changed, I think Matt Zavala is their guy. One of the best WRs in the draft class when it comes to catching the ball and his sure hands will ensure he becomes good friends with whoever is starting at QB for the Chiefs this season.

28-ARI: ILB Joe Yanda, Utah State    
1.0 Pick: ILB Tyler Bradley, Ohio State

Big news for the Cardinals since the last mock they have added 2 players bringing their grand total of rostered players up to 30. The Cardinals brought in a FS and ILB that are solid for now but still don’t have a OT or TE on the roster. They will be very active in the post draft FA market but for now this is a BPA pick outside of their recent draft picks they don’t have any promising young talent but the little they have is good 2022 1st round pick OG Angel Loe is one of the premier young OGs in the league, last years 1st round pick CB Adam Germen is a good zone coverage guy and Kendall Dunn a DE picked in the 2nd last year has good potential. Also they have one of my favorite late round picks from last year OLB Xavier Gipson picked in the 5th round. While only a 54 overall with B potential he will continue to develop but he excels as a pass rush specialist with 73 pass rush. I would give Arizona an OT but with 4 off the board already I think it would be too much of a reach and with the state of their roster they can’t afford to miss. A WR would be nice because despite the overalls with a 34 year old as your WR2 and 3 you're not in a great spot but I feel like with the holes on the roster they shouldn’t be going after a position they have 3 70+ overalls at even if 2 of them are counting down the days to retirement. The Cardinals are in a tough spot and I have them drafting ILB Joe Yanda. I feel like ILB can be one of the more impactful positions on defense because they are in the center of everything and can help out in any way and with the Cardinals needing almost everything they grab a guy who can do almost everything. Yanda isn’t the smartest so he may struggle at the NFL level when it comes to making the right plays but he’s a great all around LB so he can fit into whatever role you end up needing him in down the line and can improve every aspect of your defense which is a great thing to get at this point of the draft.

29-PIT: ILB Carlos Blacknall, North Carolina
1.0 Pick: CB Giannis Wright, Air Force

Most of the Steelers WRs and ILBs are on expiring deals so I was going to give them one of those two positions with this pick. The WR class being better than the ILB, the WRs on expiring deals being better than the ILBs on expiring deals, and the two WRs that are almost guaranteed to be on the team next year being younger than the ILBs makes me want to get them an ILB first. With Joe Yanda going off the board with the last pick the Steelers grab Carlos Blacknall who I think fits them better. All but 2 of the Steelers 6 ILBs are run stoppers so I am assuming that's the archetype they want their ILBs to be makes Blacknall appealing and him putting up the 3rd best run stop drill score (2nd among LBs) makes him even more appealing.

30-JAX: ILB Tyler Bradley, Ohio State
1.0 Pick: OLB Beau Martin, Alabama

The Jaguars are losing ILB David Powers to retirement soon and will be losing a smart field general ILB who is above average in coverage and can hold his own in run support and rushing the QB. I think Tyler Bradley would be a good fit, he is a smart field general ILB who is above average in coverage for ILBs in this draft class and he can hold his own in run support and pass rush. Bradley is a similar type of player to Powers, just worse but this late in the 1st round he’s the best ILB available. The main difference is Bradley isn’t as good against the run and isn’t as strong but other than that I think Tyler Bradley looks a lot like what a rookie David Powers would have looked like. The Jaguars grab a guy to fill the role that is being left open and have a year of overlap for Bradley to develop a little and learn under someone who plays the position in a very similar way.

31-JAX: OLB Beau Martin, Alabama
1.0 Pick: WR Arden Ejiofor, Louisiana

With the Jaguars up again at pick 31 I am giving them OLB Beau Martin. With 2 OLBs on expiring deals and one under contract for 2 more years and all of them starting to get to the end of their primes, a young OLB would be a good way to not only improve the position but also save money. Just like with the Tyler Bradley pick this selection also is a very similar player to the guy he would be replacing. OLB Kirk Ridley might get a contract extension because he’s so good but I can’t see the Jaguars bringing back Todd Eggers. Eggers a run stopping OLB with good strength, decent speed, and decent tackling ability is 29 and on the last year of his deal at only 62 overall so Beau Martin can come in and replace Eggers as OLB 3 and in 2 years when OLB Phillip Giffen’s contract is up could be the OLB 1 or 2 depending on if Kirk Ridley is still with the team.

32-CAR: OLB Rasheed Downs, Notre Dame
1.0 Pick: CB Chandler McKay, Western Michigan

After grabbing an ILB and DE with picks 3 and 5 the Panthers continue to beef up their defense with OLB Rasheed Downs. The Panthers could use CB but being the only team bidding on 2 CBs and in a battle for a 3rd I don’t think they focus on CB anymore at least not until the 3rd round. OT is a position the Panthers might be interested in upgrading but I don’t think anyone at this point of the draft would make them want to risk missing out on grabbing an OLB. Rasheed Downs might be the best OLB in the draft(it's close though) but fell with the Jaguars opting to grab a scheme fit. Downs being a coverage OLB also fits the only OLB currently on the Panthers roster. Despite being a coverage OLB, Downs showed in the combine that he is also a good run stopper putting up the 2nd highest score of all coverage LBs on the run stop drill (1st among coverage OLBs). 

OK it’s been a while SimNFL might be suspended for a week. I don't think that would change the date of the draft and I am a scout so all this talk that’s going on is way above my paygrade (wait am I supposed to be getting paid?) Anyway I am kinda dumb and I tried to keep up with all that talk but it just gave me a big headache so I probably deserve a bunch of draft picks as compensation for that. Whatever we’re on to the 2nd round.

33-IND: DE James McKinnon, Miami(OH)

The Colts are up and with no 1st round pick they have been active in FA to fill their holes. So the Colts are looking for one of DE, ILB, OG, and OLB as their main needs. Since the defense doesn’t have any stars or promising young guys to build around right now scheme fit won’t be brought up because I feel that the Colts would be willing to change their defensive scheme if it meant not missing out on a player they see as better. So after a quick refresher on who has been selected already the best players available for the Colts are DE James McKinnon a big run stopper on the edge who put up the 2nd best run stopping score among DEs at the combine(5th best of all players) who while not being a great pass rusher still put up 6.5 sacks in college which was 43.33% of his teams total sacks. ILB is a position that the Colts would also love to address but with no A- or better ILBs available but ILB Jarrod Young doesn't look too bad. Young put up the 5th best LB coverage grade score at the combine (5th among all combine participants) and while not an amazing score still did solid enough in the run stop drill not to lower his stock. The problem with Young is with a slow 40, 20 yard shuttle, and 3 cone time along with a 12 on the Wonderlic combined with the rest of his drills being nothing of note he fell down my board but if you're just looking for someone to sit back in coverage he could be a solid option. OG Logan Travis put up the 4th best pass block score among OGs at the combine (14th best of everyone at the combine) but the rest of his combine didn’t go so well only putting up 36 reps on the bench press and a real bad showing in the run block drill his stock isn’t that high and in my opinion would be a reach here. Like ILB, OLB doesn’t have any players above an A- still on the board and nobody stuck out to me as someone worth noting at this point of the draft. I think that while C and WR could be considered the Colts are going to go with one of the players already listed and they take the best overall guy DE James McKinnon. McKinnon is a great player and had one of if not the best season of all the top DEs in this class his slower speed and lackluster pass rush grade leads to him falling a bit but the Colts get not just a great DE but a great player to build their defense around.

34-SF: CB Giannis Wright, Air Force

With pick 22 the 49ers got their QB of the future I think the biggest needs for them are C, CB, FS. This is because OT and OG two other big needs are being looked at in FA. With no centers off the board they have their pick of the lot and despite 3 CBs already being taken the available CBs are still real good. FS is not as great but I would be lying if I said Maikel Infante isn’t a player that the 49ers would be happy to have. I think the 49ers don’t take a center here because even though they are great with them (at least based on how it looks now) pivoting to a more pass heavy offense the centers wouldn’t be a great fit. I think the 49ers go CB here this would give them a young CB3 for sure but more likely a CB2. Looking for a zone coverage CB they would take one of Giannis Wright, Chandler McKay, or Whitney Robinson who scored 3rd, 5th, and 7th best on the zone coverage drill at the combine respectively(2nd, 4th, and 5th among CBs). The scores for the 3 were Giannis Wright with a 9.69, Chandler McKay with a 9.17, and Whitney Robinson with a 9.05. Giannis Wright is the selection here not just because of how much better he is in zone coverage but also because of a higher Wonderlic score and a better season last year.

@bundy is not allowed to read the next pick so please skip this and the same goes for pick 44

35-MIN: SS Justin Ramirez, LSU

Minnesota is up for the first time and with me wanting to do a 3 round mock with my next mock I better get used to talking about them as they have 2 2nd round and 4 3rd round picks. The Vikings are in a pretty good spot, a solid team with a lot of good young players in important positions. Obviously @bundy is always a threat to draft a TE but I think they are looking for OG(not as much though because they are getting another young guy in FA), RB, SS, WR, and yes K. Let's get the fun one out of the way 1st with the Vikings in such a good spot they can afford to take a chance and draft the final A+ K Ronald Baker with an 8.84 on the FG drill, the best in the class. While they do have a kicker with 78 accuracy on the roster now Baker with a 7.33 on the kickoff drill may have more than his 52 power so even though he might be less accurate it is worth considering. As fun as Ronald Baker would be I don’t know if they would do it and since I am trying to be as helpful as possible with these mocks as much as I would love to, I am not going to mock kickers or punters. So I already talked about OG Logan Travis but if you skipped around first of all I hate you second of all please consider reading the other picks because it could give you some fun and new insight on players. I am not going to repeat myself from early on Logan Travis so if you missed it read what I wrote for pick 33. Instead let me tell you a little bit more about Logan Travis. Logan Travis born in Michigan got his start working on his dad’s farm in Ferndale Michigan. He wasn’t liked because he was a bit of a trickster and was known to fill random kids lockers with manure and scatter various farm animals around his highschool. While we are unsure if he has grown out of this habit if you draft him and one day find a bunch of cows and pigs in your office or think someone got chocolate pudding everywhere first of all DON’T EAT IT and second of all I think you might be able to figure out who did it. RBs Lorenzo Carr and Nick Pounders could be good options. Pounders, a receiving RB graded better on the outside run drill, route running drill, Wonderlic (by a lot), broad and vertical jump, and 40 yard dash. However Carr was able to come on top in the inside run drill, bench press, 3 cone, and 20 yard shuttle drills and they tied in the catching drill. I think between the two it mostly depends on what you want to do but I give Nick Pounders a slight edge because despite tying with Carr on the catching drill he is the better pass catcher. Carr is the better runner but I think Pounders ability to catch passes out of the backfield and give you that additional aspect is more valuable than the edge Carr has in the running game. SS really depends on what the Vikings want to do Andrew Zagunis and Keibert House aren’t great in pass coverage but are great run stoppers, Justin Ramirez is a great coverage guy (best man coverage of all safeties at the combine) who is better in man coverage than zone which is what the Vikings look to value more, and Shaq Ryan is a ball hawk who is good in zone coverage and ok in man. I have a hard time figuring out who the Vikings would rather but if I had to choose just one I think they would take Justin Ramirez because of his great man coverage and he is still a great run stopper. Last we have WR and with a great WR class I think they might wait to grab a WR with a later pick because of the 3 A and 4 A- WRs still on the board. I think this comes down to RB or SS and while SS isn’t a need for this year with Daniel Ortiz on an expiring deal and being they need to be thinking of a replacement. The Vikings are also signing a RB but with him being 27 it’s not a long term solution. I think the Vikings can really go any of the guys I mentioned and be happy but I am giving them SS Justin Ramirez. I think that while not being a long term solution Milton Evans gives the Vikings more time before they need to draft a RB and with so many good WRs available they know that they can afford to wait 9 more picks and still get a great WR. Justin Ramirez is a guy that they can sit his first year but they know can step in next year be their starting SS and fit into the defense that they have now. 

36-NYG: CB Stansly Alvarez, LSU

The Giants have really overhauled their offense by grabbing 2 great offensive weapons with their first two picks so while TE is a need I think the focus for them with this pick would be defense. CB is a position where they have 2 great players but with William Owens on an expiring deal and being 29 years old and Brian Rowland having 2 years on his contract and being 32 they need to think of the future. They are signing an 80 overall CB in Richard Lupo but with him being 33 and me not knowing how long the contract is this is still a need. With that being said the Giants have other holes where they don’t have anyone right now the Giants have no ILB or OLB above a 60 overall and while they are trying to sign 26 year old 74 overall OLB Rodney Labell the 49ers are the leading offer and they have more cap space so they might not even get him. The Giants also don’t have any DTs on the roster as of now. Some positive news is with the signing of 84 overall DE Jeremy Pruitt DE isn’t a huge need now but with him being 31 on a 3 year deal they don’t have a long term solution for that position. The best fit would be for the Giants to draft DT, ILB, or OLB with them not having another pick until the start of the 3rd at 68 and then after a pick at the end of the 3rd at pick 96 they don’t pick again till the compensatory picks in the 6th and 7th. However with where the Giants are now I think the main focus is getting great players to build your team around and with CB Stansly Alvarez falling to them I just can’t imagine the Giants passing that up. They still get a player at a position that they need although it is one for the future. As things stand Alvarez would be CB4 but they can trade CB William Owens who is on an expiring contract to help build out their team more and have him be CB3 and can also trade CB Brian Rowland if they want and make Alvarez CB2. This allows them to get probably the best player still on the board and a ton of draft picks or players. I think trading at least one of their older CBs combined with drafting McGee, Njoku, and Alvarez is an amazing draft for them because they get amazing players on top of whatever they get in the trade which combined with 1st round pick last year OT Richard Plutko and 2nd round pick last year QB Wilfredo Joseph gives them a great young core to build around especially when it comes to offense.

37-CAR: RB Nick Pounders, North Carolina

Ok this is the Panthers 4th and final pick in my mock and after drafting ILB, OLB, and DE they have really focused on improving a defense that before this was not as promising as their offense. The Panthers biggest needs now are CB, OT, RB, and WR and unfortunately that means we won’t see 3 LSU players drafted in a row. Like I said before with the Panthers really going after CBs in FA I don’t think they draft one at least not this high. So at OT they could extend 81 overall Peter Smith who is 28 years old with a lot of cap space this isn’t something that would be crazy for them to do but they could still use another OT. With no great RB as of now I don’t think it would make sense for the Panthers to draft a run blocking OT which the majority of the best available OTs are the only OT that I think makes sense for them is Mike Penny who is a pass blocking OT but still had a good run blocking grade. At RB Lorenzo Carr and Nick Pounders are still available and at WR they have tons of good options. With the Panthers looking like they are going to run the vertical scheme on offense Nick Pounders being a scheme fit is the RB that makes more sense. Keeping with that thinking the WRs that fit this scheme are Jordan Suter, Arden Ejiofor, and Gregory Donnal all of them being route running WRs. Ranking them Donnal and Ejiofor are tied for the 2nd best route running score at the combine with 9.72 and then Suter who has the 10th best route running with 8.25. Next Ejiofor scored 7.10 on the catching drill, Donnal scored 7.01, and Suter scored 6.52. I can continue to go through the drills comparing them but Ejiofor scored better on all of them except for tying with Donnal with 25 bench press reps. This pick for Carolina would come down to who they like more between Nick Pounders and Arden Ejiofor but it gets a little tougher mocking this because of the Panthers bidding on RB Joseph Cale. If the Panthers sign Cale then out of these two they obviously draft Ejiofor. Since the Jets currently have a lead on Cale and because they have more cap space I am going to assume that Cale signs with the Jets. Now with that being said and the Panthers top RB being James Ibach, the Panthers drafting WR Marco Thompson with the 32 pick in last year's draft, and being able to do more with a RB than a WR on offense especially Pounders since he is a receiving back I am going to give them Nick Pounders.

38-MIA: OLB Michael Bell, Charlotte

Ok no point in delaying this with an intro OG is one of the top needs for the Dolphins with Donnell Burns likely gone after this season but they are probably going to sign OG Arthur Mejia and while that doesn’t make their OGs amazing going forward it’s good enough that they don’t need to use a draft pick on it. OLB is a big need though with only 2 on the roster and one of them being a 59. With 71 overall OT Michael Johnson being 33 and on an expiring contract with only one other 60+ on the roster OT is another position that makes a lot of sense with this pick. SS is a similar story they have a good SS but with him on an expiring deal and being old he’s likely to retire meaning they need to find a replacement. It looks like the Dolphins are looking to pass more than run so with that in mind I don’t think it makes sense to give them one of the run blocking OTs. I think the Dolphins are still trying to compete so I am going to give them an OLB to improve their team this year instead of a SS that won’t. OLB Michael Bell is a speed OLB with solid coverage and run stop ability on top of the 4th fastest 40 time among all LBs. Bell is a versatile OLB that can impact the game in many different ways and the Dolphins fill another hole.

39-HOU: OT Trevon Ingram, Buffalo

The Texans drafted their franchise QB at 7 and the clock has started for them to put a team around him. The Texans still need DT, ILB, OT, and WR but the rest of the team isn’t too bad. The Texans really hit last year in the draft with CB Austin Bledsoe in the 1st, FS Ramon Fry and OG Jacob Grant in the 2nd, and even OT Luis Hernandez in the 5th was a solid pick with two 2nds in this draft if they can hit like that the Texans could be a playoff team in 2 years. You already know my opinion on WRs with such a deep draft class and I think the Texans grab another player for that O-line. OT Trevon Ingram is the 4th best rated OT in the draft but has fallen a bit because of his bad pass blocking but with the Texans not having good WRs and their best TE being a blocking TE they would be willing to grab an O-lineman that isn’t great in the passing game. This can really help out young star RB Hue Khan who while being a receiving back is still great at running to the outside.

40-ATL: DT Chris Crawford, Southern Miss

The Falcons are up and they are taking a 3rd OG. Ok not really but I kinda wanted to give them one. The Falcons need DT, FS, and ILB and while they need a TE to replace Jin Zhong next year I think they focus on one of the first 3 needs first but with 2 picks in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd they can address all 3. The Falcons are going to sign a DT and FS in free agency but with the DT being balanced they would still need another DT. While the FS they are signing isn’t a permanent solution he will be fine for the duration of his contract. Also while the Falcons WRs aren’t amazing right now and could use a WR2 with 3 of them being in their 2nd season that's not a position they really have to worry about. Chris Crawford is a DT out of Southern Miss with the Falcons signing DT Paul Mchenry who is not a nose tackle they still need another guy. I really think that Phillip Bell and Dante Gates are overrated. I have the Falcons going Crawford over the other balanced DTs because he scored the best of the B+ or better DTs available in both the pass rush and run stop drill. By drafting Crawford they can line him up next to Mchenry and while ILB Bryan Thompson still isn’t an amazing ILB he can be their starting ILB and they don’t have to worry about getting a 2nd ILB.

41-SEA: WR Arden Ejiofor, Louisiana-Lafayette

Well looks like the various warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (/ˈeɪviːz/), characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton of the Seahawks are up again. I hope you guys are excited because I know I am happy to talk about the rest of this team and their needs. Now the Seahawks can upgrade at several positions but I feel like they are going to be going with the position I keep pushing back. In my opinion the value of WRs is low because of how much talent is in this draft with 10 A- or better players and so many guys in the B’s they have been falling but even with the Seahawks getting a WR 3 by signing Ronald Geda with Terrence Hoffman being 30 and on the last year of his deal and Eric Palkovich being 35 with 2 years left grabbing a WR would be huge for them. With 3 A WRs and 4 A- WRs on the board the Seahawks have a lot of options but with a pocket QB and the receiving RB they took in the first round they are going to be running the vertical scheme on offense so they are looking for route running or speed WRs. I could dance around this but I have them taking WR Arden Ejiofor with a 4.35 time on the 40 he tied with Devon Alford for the fastest of the 5 available WRs that fit the scheme he tied for 2nd most reps on the bench press with 25 and tied with Gregory Donnal for best score on the route running drill. Other than those 3 drills he scored the best of the group in every category. Ejiofor is a great WR who only dropped this far because of the way I value positions and the Seahawks would love to grab him.

42-LAC: DT Cesar Whitehead, Michigan State

The Chargers need a depth WR, and OLB but if they are looking to avoid a malus to their both their best DT and ILB they would need to run a formation on defense with 2 DTs. I personally recommend 4-man front spread stopper zone to get a pass rush bonus for their best DT and it allows them to little to no OLBs which is another one of their needs or Speed Man which gets a bonus for their best DT and ILB but OLBs need to be played. With that in mind I have updated their needs to WR, OLB, DT, and SS. This is because both formations require 2 DTs and while speed man only does it in one formation if they choose 4-man front spread stopper zone they need a 2nd SS. Since I don’t know which one they will do, I included the SS they would need to play without an OLB and the OLB they would need if they don’t want to use formations without them to their needs. Since the defense is dependent on a 2nd DT no matter what along with OLB and SS having better options available in free agency I am going to give them a DT. I have Cesar Whitehead as my DT3 who just like Chris Crawford really moved up my draft board after a great combine performance but with a bad score on the Wonderlic being the difference I still have him behind Crawford.

43-JAX: DT Javy Axelrod, Ohio State

Jaguars are up for the 4th of 5 appearances in this mock and the 1st time in the 2nd round after committing heavily to revamping their defense by drafting a CB, ILB, and OLB. The Jaguars don’t have many holes which I usually define as a position with nobody above 62 overall with their last hole being DT. After drafting an ILB the schemes they can run on defense are limited. old school front 7 Man is appealing because not only do they get bonuses for all of their LBs, the low amount of CBs used is great for the Jaguars who have a pretty weak CB room. The downside of this is one of their best players on defense is a SS who is not used as much in this scheme but he can be moved to FS. I am going to be honest here. I was not paying attention to defensive formation when drafting for the Jaguars and was going after the best players at positions of need. 2-Gap Zone is the other scheme that could make sense; it allows them to have both of their ILBs and OLBs on the field while also having a SS and FS and they can have anywhere from 2-4 CBs. Since 2-Gap Zone is best with a nose tackle and since both Kirk Ridley with his 73 pass rush and even Beau Martin who while having a C- pass rush had the 2nd most sacks of all C+ or better OLBs in this draft class are good in the pass rush I am going to give them a nose tackle that is proficient in the run game. Javy Axelrod, a DT out of THE Ohio State put up the best run stop drill score of all DTs at the combine and gives them a real big body to add on to the great run defense they already have.

44-MIN: RB Lorenzo Carr, Appalachian State

The Vikings could use a WR but again I am going to kick that can down the road with so many good WRs they can afford to wait a bit longer on it but RB being a weaker class they don’t want to wait on a hole they tried to fill twice in last year's draft. Lorenzo Carr has fallen into their lap and being a scheme fit along with a great senior season at App State the Vikings get a guy who can do it all. This should set up the Vikings nicely to get a WR, CB, P, K, OLB, ILB, and DT to fill some more holes in the rest of the draft but since this mock ends after round 2 that's on them.

45-ATL: FS Maikel Infante, Kansas State

Ok the Falcons are up again and after grabbing a DT and for the time dealing with ILB with their last pick they look to grab a FS. I don’t have much to say here, sometimes it’s just simple. Maikel Infante is the 2nd best FS in the draft and with him available at 45 after addressing OG, DT, and ILB the Falcons grab a guy who will be their starting FS next year. Going forward for the rest of the draft with 2 3rds the Falcons should really try to draft an ILB because while they don’t need one for this next season after making the moves in this mock you can do better than Bryan Thompson and TE to give them the option to move on from Jin Zhong after this season.

46-GB: OLB Derrick Vasquez, Northwestern

With the Packers they are pretty set in terms of where their current team is but with expiring contracts at ILB and OLB and the players being old it’s probably time to look for guys that can replace them. Northwestern OLB Derrick Vasquez is a perfect fit with James Stewart and Benjamin Hanbury getting older and getting close to the end of their contracts. Vasquez is a pass rusher just like both Stweart and Hanbury and while he didn’t get a lot of playing time at Northwestern he looked good at the combine. I am sorry I don’t have much else to say here. I just think he’s a good fit.

47-CLE: ILB Jarrod Young, San Jose State

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOUR WHOLE TEAM IS LEAVING IN FREE AGENCY NEXT YEAR RAVENS RUN THE AFC NORTH. Sorry as the Ravens scout I need to take a victory lap against the only team in our division we finished over. The sad reality is the Browns are getting older and the majority of the defense is on an expiring contract and capwise the Browns aren’t in a great situation. All signs point to a rebuild coming soon and because of that I think the best strategy going into this draft is BPA with every pick. I gave them a position they needed in the 1st round just in case they wanted to try and go for a championship this year. BPA here is a CB which unfortunately for the Browns is one of the few positions that looks good for the future(the Browns CB room is really good if they can get a CB1). I would give them a QB but with the way things look now they will be in a good position to draft one of the top QBs next year or in 2 years when the QB class should be amazing. I would also give a RB but while I said they should rebuild I can’t rationalize having a team with an 81 overall RB on a 5 year contract draft one. The Browns should really be looking to grab FS, ILB, and OLB because those are the biggest positions they are set to lose after this year. I don’t think they have great options but ILB Damien Chachere, a field general, fits the mold of their 2nd best ILB. ILB Jarrod Young a coverage ILB is a pretty strong deviation is a solid run defender and great coverage guy but his low football IQ goes against everything the Browns currently have at the LB spot. I think despite the low football IQ the best move is to draft Jarrod Young as he is the more skilled player and when he does make the right decision is a better player than Chachere.

48-BAL: SS Shaq Ryan, Colorado

Oh it’s my team yay. After going OT in the 1st round there is a clear need for SS with ILB and OLB also being needed but not as much as SS. With Shaq Ryan as my SS3 the Ravens grab him. Ryan is a ball hawk with great hands, is good in zone coverage, and looks to be a solid run stopper. The problem with Ryan is his low football IQ scoring a 15 on the Wonderlic at the combine and scoring below average on the majority of the measurable drills at the combine. This has led to questions about his ability to play at the next level and lead to his draft stock taking a hit. At 48 the Ravens need a SS and with no great options as of now they are willing to take the risk on his potential upside.

49-PHI: RB Jeff Holley, Rutgers

The Eagles are very good and after going ILB in the 1st round they don’t have any glaring holes. They could use a better more established CB2 but with all the youth in that room including a guy with A- potential and a guy with A+ potential they might not look to draft someone at that position. DE is weak but with young guys at the position they don’t really have to worry about it as they are serviceable. I think the best move for the Eagles is to draft someone that they think can take on a big burden in the future. A DT, OT, RB, or WR would make sense. The Eagles have talented players at all of those positions but each of them have the top guy (for WR top 2 guys) on the last year of their deal. All of those players are also 29 except for the RB who is 31 so they might now want to bring them back. I think I would list the importance of the 4 positions as DT, RB, WR, OT. DT is the most important with no backup on the roster. RB is next with 2 other RBs, they have something but none of them are good enough to be a lead back. WR has a lot of young guys and if the Eagles needed a WR2-5 they would be good but losing an 84 and 77 leaves them with no good #1 option for the future. OT is not amazing going forward with the other 70+ only having 2 years left on his deal and probably retiring after that but with 2 young low 60’s they have a replacement option and at least for 1 more year have a great player at the position but need a 2nd OT for next year. The Eagles currently use a nose tackle which limits their options and because the only nose tackle I liked in the class is gone they will have to find a DT outside of this draft. RB is a great position to go because not only is it a solution for next year, a good RB2 allows the Eagles to run triple options if they want to. The Eagles grab a RB that jumped up a lot of draft boards after the combine RB Jeff Holley. Holley is a speed back with a good mix of both strength and agility to get to the 2nd level. Also as a speed back he fits into the scheme I expect the Eagles to run spread option. This is a balanced offense that leans slightly more pass heavy and gives a bonus for Pool being a scrambling QB. This scheme has only 2 maluses that don’t affect anyone on the Eagles roster, all formations are shotgun formations which gives Aaron Pool a bonus, and gives them 2 formations with 1 TE on the field so they can use Matthew Lee along with 2 formations that allow them to have 2 RBs on the field so they can run triple options with Aaron Pool, Gregg Lemay, and Jeff Holley if they want. I Options was the other scheme I thought they could go but with only 2 formations that don’t require a FB or 2 TEs and only one of those being a shotgun formation I didn’t think it would fit the team as well as spread option.

50-MIA: OT Mike Penny, Texas

The Dolphins would love to try and continue to upgrade their roster to try and push for a Super Bowl this year but I don’t think it’s in their best interest. Instead they grab OT Mike Penny, a pass blocking OT that can step in next year with Michael Johnson likely to retire. Penny impressed at the combine with a 32 on the Wonderlic and 41 reps on the bench press showing off both brains and brawn. Penny, who put up the 7th highest score on the pass block drill in the combine, stood out in a O-line class where most of the top prospects are run blockers. Despite being a better pass blocker Penny still is a good run blocker and is someone you should be able to rely on in the run game too.

51-TB: C Ruben Shazier, Alabama

Well not many people are looking for centers and that works out great for the Bucs who go DE in the 1st round and still get their choice of the lot at center. Realistically I think 1 or 2 centers go before this point in the draft just because of the skill but most teams have bigger holes to fill and because of that in this mock they kept falling. Ruben Shazier is a 1st round talent and I expect him to go in the late 1st or early 2nd but like I said with nobody really needing a center he fell. Because of this the Bucs don’t hesitate to draft the best run blocker in the draft and give their great scrambling QB and RB a chance to actually produce at the level their talent suggests they should. 

52-PHI: WR Marvin Thomas, LSU

Philly is back on the board and after grabbing a RB it’s down to WR or OT for them. Here they grab a WR with so many good options available they can’t pass up the chance to grab a future WR1 and it gives them a better WR3 to use in the spread option scheme. The Eagles have tried to hit on a WR a lot the past 2 years but haven’t gotten anyone great so while I think value can be found further down the board I don’t know if they would be willing to reach down there since they desperately need to hit on someone who can at the very least be a WR2 next year. I think  WR Gregory Donnal could be ok. Donnal is one of the best pure route runners in the class and while his hands aren’t the best they are good enough that it shouldn’t be a problem. His low Wonderlic score on top of just ok board and vertical jump score hurt his draft stock for me. Standing at only 5’ 9” you would want him to be able to get more lift to be able to make catches over defenders or a little smarter to find holes in coverage but with how crisp his route running is that isn’t always needed for him to get open. Ideally Donnal would be going to a team with a more accurate QB no shade to Aaron Pool but because of the concerns I have about him Donnal a QB with 80+ throw accuracy is probably better for him I just don’t think the fit is right. In terms of overall it is a bit of a reach but I have the Eagles going WR Marvin Thomas. While only a B Thomas is a route runner which is a scheme fit has great football IQ and route running mixed with great catching. Thomas put up the 5th highest score on the route running drill while also tying for the 8th highest score on the catching drill. Scoring a 33 on the Wonderlic and outperforming Donnal in everything but the route running drill making him look like a better option despite the big drop in overall grade. I think he would be a great fit for the Eagles.

53-CHI: FB Michael Elias, Oklahoma State

Like I said last time I was looking at the Bears I don’t really like this DT class and I don’t think any of the guys available are worth drafting here. I think 3rd round pick last year Pat Flexen can be a good RB2 but I don’t think he will ever be good enough to be the lead back and 3rd year RB Ryan Wilson is good but they are missing a running back that they can use on inside runs which is where their best run blockers are. I know it isn’t a great scheme fit but I think a rushing FB could help out Chicago. It would add an option in the running game that can be good in short yardage and inside runs while also adding a bit of blocking. FB Michael Elias put up the best score at the combine on the inside run drill and had good scores on the outside run, run block, and pass block drills. While labeled as a rushing FB Elias is a great all around guy who can do it all and would be a big help to the Bears offense no matter how he’s used.

54-NYJ: K Ronald Baker, Notre Dame

The Jets can go a couple of different directions right here and they take the best player still available. Yeah I said I wasn’t going to mock punters and kickers but I changed my mind sue me (please don’t). I didn't think it made sense for any team to draft a kicker but with the Jets on the clock and no kicker on their roster and with them not targeting any they pull the trigger.

55-HOU: WR Ronald Cimber, Miami

The Texans drafted their franchise QB and a blindside blocker for him and because I hate the DT class and ILB has been gobbled up so far let’s go get him a weapon. This one was tough, I wanted to get them a possession WR for a scheme fit with the scrambling QB but the top possession WRs have all been taken. I thought about Jordan Cross but his bad Wonderlic score and college season scared me off. It came down to possession WR Tim McRae, his amazing hands made him a great option as babies first offensive weapon, just throw the ball in his direction and let him make the catch. However his subpar measurables will tank his overall and production and lead to minimal YAC. The other option is route runner Ronald Cimber, Cimber can’t compare to McRae when it comes to catching the ball but he does everything else better. Scoring a 9.89 on the route running drill, the best at the combine, the 5’ 8” WR from Miami stood out to me with his speed, agility, and jumping ability. Cimber strikes me as a WR that can make an impact with his intelligence and route running he can get open, and his speed and agility allow him to make things happen after the catch. Added bonus the two midgets (Maronde and Cimber) can bond over how short they are (I am 7’ 9” BTW).

56-JAX: CB Zac McCutchen, Missouri

The Jaguars have loaded up this defense drafting 3 defenders in the 1st round and 4 inside the top 45. Let's keep going. The Jaguars CB room is not great and after grabbing a CB early in the draft with the 56th pick they grab another one. The Jaguars love their man coverage CBs so why not grab the guy who put up the best man coverage score at the combine. McCutchen was on my radar because of his monster season in college having 10 pass deflections which accounted for 58.82% of his entire teams pass deflections. I don’t have much more to say, I love McCutchen as a prospect and the Jaguars get a monster late in the 2nd.

57-DAL: ILB Ali Sandoval, Minnesota

Ok now nobody knows what Rocket Jones is cooking up in Rocketland so that always makes the Cowboys tough but after going OT in the 1st I think they are looking to grab an ILB next. Looking at their defense it’s clear they want a speed ILB for the scheme fit and it really hurts me but I might have to play a part in helping the Cowboys get someone to start over Tulane alum ILB Khalid Bolt. I think the best option is Ali Sandoval, a speed ILB with good run stopping and coverage ability. Sandoval put up the fastest 40 time among all LBs at the combine and solidified himself as a solid LB that you can rely on.

58-MIA: SS Ben Lombardozzi, Eastern Michigan

The Dolphins have done a good job preparing for the mass exodus of players next season but they aren’t done but they aren’t done yet. Next up is SS and this is another pick I don’t have much to say about. Lombardozzi is the best SS available and they get a guy who can play man or zone coverage at a high level.

59-KC: DT T.Y. Hubbard, Syracuse

I apologize for these getting shorter and shorter but I am nearing the end and I am getting excited to post this. Anyway KC is up and after grabbing a WR the Chiefs are good. This is a solid roster all the way through with only two glaring holes so I have to pick it. A 2nd OT and DT are the only things the Chiefs need and they are currently in a bidding war on 2 OTs with the Commies so despite my disgust for this DT class I will try to find someone I like. I was hoping to keep this guy under the radar but enough teams needed DT and since the Ravens don’t need DT here’s a gem I found in the DT class. Only 1 team, the Buffalo Bills brought this guy in for focus scouting and he’s a C+ but don’t let that sway you. Hubbard is one of the best pass rushers in the draft class so he will pair up nicely with Jose Sola but he’s also a great run stopper. Hubbard is obviously strong and can bully OTs but what really impressed me was his agility and the ballet classes he does in his spare time are clearly paying off.

60-NYJ: FB Adam Anderson, Nevada

with no FB and with them not targeting any in free agency I think that's what they look for here. The Jets don’t have him yet but it looks like they might be getting 81 overall RB Joseph Cale so they would probably want a FB that can block over one that can run. FBs are actually great when you don’t have a GM in your ear telling you how low the positional value is and other stupid things. The Jets get the best blocking FB in the draft with Adam Anderson, brother of Ravens OT Robert Anderson. On top of his blocking ability Anderson is a decent receiver out of the backfield and can be effective on inside runs from time to time.

61-PIT: DE Brandon Rasmussen, Appalachian State

It’s WR time in Pittsburgh time for them to find their next Antonio Brown is what I would say if they didn’t have a huge hole at DE. Brandon Rasmussen put up the 2nd best run stop drill score at the combine (best of any D-lineman) that on top of just all around being a good player makes him a perfect fit in Pittsburgh.

62-SF: C Jorge Jacobs, Wake Forest

I want to give the 49ers a center. I have one I really like but he's a run block guy which goes against what the 49ers offense is built for. With that being said he had the 2nd best run block grade at the combine and his pass block score was passable so I have the 49ers draft C Jorge Jacobs. Also with Jacobs he has A- pass block so there is a chance that he is a better pass blocker than he showed at the combine.

63-BAL: ILB Gonzalez Tyson, Louisiana Tech

After grabbing OT and SS the Ravens go ILB as they continue to try and improve their defense. The Ravens grab Gonzalez Tyson to add another strong run stopper to their defense. Tyson had the 4th best run stop grab among all ILBs at the combine and while not having a high football IQ he scored a 32 on the Wonderlic. Not too much else to say the Ravens need ILB and get a guy that will be a force in the run game.

64-NYJ: SS Andrew Zagunis, Virginia Tech

The Jets are up last and their 35 year old SS is going to die on the field this year. To help in this process the Jets are going to take a SS at the end of the 2nd round. Since the Jets have a run stopper at SS now I am going to give them another one which actually lets them take the best SS available. Andrew Zagunis is the Jets guy and why not who doesn’t love a SS that goes to the combine and casually does 30 reps on the bench press. 

AND WE ARE DONE THIS TOOK ME WAY TOO LONG BECAUSE I AM LAZY AND I PROCRASTINATED BUT WHO CARES MOCK DRAFT 3.0 COMING IN 5 YEARS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

Please discus especially the 2nd round I am not super confident in my evaluations of guys since I was learning about a lot of the 2nd round guys on the fly.

Edited January 30 by kgreene829