Editor's Note: Feel free to tear this up. I added some trades I see happening on draft day in what should be one of the more interesting in recent years.
1. Houston, Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Houston. It's looking pretty settled that the Texans are taking Clowney or trading the pick to somebody else who will take him.
2. Cleveland (from St. Louis), Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson. The Browns could probably stick at 4 and get Watkins. But they fear somebody else jumping ahead of them.
3. Jacksonville, Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo. Despite the fact the Jags don't expect Justin Blackmon to play this season, they go for a pass rushing linebacker who might be the best player in the draft.
4. St. Louis (from Cleveland), Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn. The Rams pick up some extra selections and still get the player they really want.
5. Oakland, Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M. What's this? A safe Raiders pick? Sure, why not?
6. Atlanta, Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan. In this scenario, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Falcons try to slide down a few picks in a trade with a team looking for a QB.
7. Tampa Bay, Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M. Go figure, two Aggies picked and not one of them is Johnny Manziel.
8. Dallas (from Minnesota), Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt. The Cowboys are said to be hot and bothered about moving up to get Donald.
9. Buffalo, Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina. A big tight end is a young quarterback's best friend.
10. Detroit, Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State. The Lions don't often get things right, but they do here, keeping Dennard in the state.
11. Tennessee, Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M. Surprise QB pick here. The new Titans' brass isn't in love with Jake Locker, who can't stay healthy.
12. N.Y. Giants, Zack Martin, G, Notre Dame. Tom Coughlin likes to build in the trenches.
13. St. Louis, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama. The Rams will reap a bounty of picks in this draft and are off to a good start with Robinson and now Clinton-Dix.
14. Chicago, Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville. The Bears would have preferred Donald here and could go for a corner. But safety is also a need and the corner class is deeper.
15. N.Y. Jets (from Pittsburgh), Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State. The Jets are a mess in the secondary. They get a dynamic return man to boot and the Steelers pick up an extra third-round pick.
16. Minnesota (from Dallas), Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida. Low and behold, the Vikings get their quarterback.
17. Baltimore, Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU. Yes, the Ravens signed Steve Smith in the offseason. But that's a Band-Aid.
18. Pittsburgh (from N.Y. Jets) Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech. Fuller will be a special teams stud right away and be the likely starter at nickel corner.
19. Miami, C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama. The Dolphins would have loved an offensive lineman here, but it's too high to get into the second tier of linemen.
20. Arizona, Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State. Carson Palmer is not the long-term answer at QB for the Cardinals.
21. Green Bay, Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA. The Packers have long looked for a complimentary pass rusher to pair with Clay Matthews. Barr is raw, but he can get after it. A good value pick at this point, and Mike Neal is not the answer.
22. Philadelphia, Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State. Chip Kelly got to see plenty of Cooks in college and he's a perfect fit in the slot in Kelly's spread offense.
23. Kansas City, Xavier Su'a-Filo, G, UCLA. The Chiefs lost three lineman to free agency and have to others set to be unrestricted after the 2014 season.
24. Cincinnati, Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State. Another run-and-tackle linebacker for the Bengals. Could Teddy Bridgewater be a possibility here as well?
25. San Diego, Louis Nix, NT, Notre Dame. This pick hasn't changed in any of my mocks. It just makes too much sense.
26. Cleveland, Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville. The Browns get their quarterback.
27. New Orleans, Marqise Lee, WR, USC. The Saints dumped Lance Moore and Darren Sproles in free agency and Marques Colston isn't getting any younger. Hey, Marqise and Marques, a merchandiser could probably do something with that.
28. Carolina, Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia. The Panthers have some holes, but replacing Jordan Gross at LT might be the biggest one.
29. New England, RaShede Hageman, DE/DT, Minnesota. A classic Belichick pick, a defensive lineman who can play inside or outside.
30. San Francisco, Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri. The 49ers get Aldon Smith insurance in Smith's former college teammate.
31. Denver, Joel Bitonio, G, Nevada. The Broncos have an immediate need at guard and are in a win-now mode.
32. Seattle, Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State. Jernigan reportedly tested positive for marijuana at the combine. That won't bother Pete Carroll, who gets a top-20 talent at 32.
Something about Manziel and Tennessee seems to fit and i've no idea why. Good call!
ReplyDeleteI love how the mock drafts always come out so the Steelers' pick is one of the preferred choices of whoever is doing the mock.
ReplyDeleteBoo.
ReplyDeleteI'm calling it that Fuller will be an average player. Not saying he'll be a bust but no way he makes a pro bowl.
If they have the chance to take Gilbert and pass they are making a mistake.
don't see why browns would trade up for Watkins. if he is gone, they can take evans instead and not lose any picks in the process. only way browns trade up is if they covet manziel and fear someone else may grab him.
ReplyDeletemaybe more likely browns hold their ground at 1.4 and use their glut of picks to move higher up in the first round from 1.26.
I am completely in favor of the steelers trading back (if possible obviously) if fuller is their guy at 1.15. he will still be around at 1.18 and probably 1.22 as well. why not stash an extra pick if possible?
can't wait to see how it shakes out.
I'd love to see that trade with the Jets to get a 3rd rounder, and then pick Fuller a few spots down. No way I see that happening, but it would be nice. If the Jets really want a CB, they're going to trade up with someone ahead of the Steelers.
ReplyDeleteThe Browns are supposedly 90% (according to Mort, Kiper, etc) sure to pick that douche Manziel at #4. Which means they probably won't, but I hope they do. He's going to be a bust (I envision Pitt, Balt, and Cinci defenders breaking him like a twig), so it makes sense he would be a Brownie.
REALLY don't want to see the Ravens take Beckham.
Hearing a lot of people speculate the Steelers taking another LB first. Not to say that it wouldn't be the right pick based on who is there, but that's too high for ILB IMO, and after picking Jones in the 1st last year, and transition tagging Worild's (and possibly signing him long term), I'd be like WTF if they take an OLB in the 1st two years in a row. I hated the Jarvis Jones pick last year (I hope he proves me wrong this year) - I don't remember who was available when they rushed up to make the pick (extremely arrogant not to see what anyone would have offered to trade down), but I do remember wanting Cordarelle Patterson at least, warts and all, over Jones. I'd take Patterson over Jones in a heartbeat at this point, and possibly take the best 3-4 OLB on the board this year. Then take a CB in the second, and a luxury WR in the 3rd or 4th, since we'd already have a tall WR.
Like most everyone else outside the Steelers org, I'd also have resigned Keenan Lewis and cut bait with Ike before last season, but what do I know...
Kyle Fuller reminds me of Deshea Townshend.
ReplyDeleteIf Kyle Fuller reminds of Deshea Townsend, you haven't watched much of his tape. He's a physical, physical player.
ReplyDeleteThe Browns already have an Evans. He's almost the same player as Josh Gordon
Dale, I've been suggesting for weeks that the Jets, with 12 draft picks, are a good bet to trade up in this draft and particularly with the Steelers, since the team wouldn't have to give up the farm to move up 3 slots. However, the player I think that they'd take at #15 is WR Odell Beckham from LSU. At least I hope so. I don't want him going to the Ravens and having to face him twice a year (Ugggghhhh).
ReplyDeleteAnd shouldn't the Steelers receive more than a 3rd round pick for moving down 3 slots? I'm thinking a 3rd & a 6th (or 7th round) pick for moving down 3 slots.
I've made one change to my mock with the Steelers taking a flyer on a potential LT from Canada:
1 – CB K. Fuller, Va. Tech
2 – DT, S. Tuitt, Notre Dame
3 – WR D. Moncrief, Mississippi
3 – OLB J. Attaochu, Ga. Tech
4 – OT A. Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff, McGill (Canada)
5 – ILB, J. Zumalt, UCLA
5 – CB W. Aikens, Liberty
6 – WR J. Brown, Pittsburgh State
6 – OLB L. Webster, Bloomsburg
6 – TE C. Gilmore, Colorado State
7 – NT R. Carrethers, Arkansas State
(Steelers pick up extra 3rd & 6th rd picks for trade down in 1st round with N.Y. Jets)
Dave,
ReplyDeleteYou can't resign someone that doesn't want to stay. He wanted to go home.
dale,
ReplyDeletewould that be problem to have Gordon/evans on the same team? no defense could match up with that (assuming evans is legit).
the browns got their slot guy from the bengals in free agency and their TE is an above average receiving TE, not much of a blocker. they would have a great receiving corp with the addition of evans.
marc,
ReplyDeleteWell while Evans and Gordon would be good. They are essentially the same guy, as Dale said. Nearly identical speed and size.
With Watkins, you get a game breaker with decent size and outstanding speed that is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. Having a guy like that paired with Josh Gordon and the other weapons is a great combination. And Cleveland has the ammo to move up.
well, I'm guessing you guys did not see as much of Gordon as I did this past season (living outside Cleveland that's all that is on tv on sundays).
ReplyDeletehe is a legit game breaker. flat out runs away from most DB's. last year he had 30 catches of 20+ yards out of 87 total receptions. considering the pathetic nature of the brown's QB's, that is utterly amazing.
Gordon can take it the distance from anywhere on the field. his longest reception last season being 95 yards.
and once again, why would having two large, fast and extremely athletic receivers be a problem?
I am not advocating the browns need to draft evans, just that he would be an excellent addition to their offense and an instant matchup nightmare for most defenses.
I saw plenty of Gordon last season. I don't think Cleveland has Evans rated nearly as high as Watkins.
ReplyDeleteAs for Fuller, he's now the top-rated corner on Mayock's board. Glad to see Mike made it to the party.
I have Dennard, Fuller, Gilbert, Verrett and then Roby as my top five, with McGill from Utah right on the outside of that group.
What are your thoughts on Roosevelt Nix as a rd 7 or UDFA? The comparisons to James Harrison are there. I think the Steelers can develop him into a special player, he just gets to the ball on every down.
ReplyDeleteDale, my final stab with the Steelers trading down with the Jets from no. 15 to no. 18:
ReplyDelete1 – CB K. Fuller, Va. Tech
2 – DT, S. Tuitt, Notre Dame
3 – WR D. Moncrief, Mississippi
3 – OLB J. Attaochu, Ga. Tech
4 – OT A. Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff, McGill (Canada)
5 – ILB, J. Zumalt, UCLA
5 – CB W. Aikens, Liberty
6 – WR J. Brown, Pittsburgh State
6 – OLB L. Webster, Bloomsburg
7 – NT R. Carrethers, Arkansas State
(Steelers pick up extra 3rd & 6th rd picks for trade down in 1st round)
Nix would be a seventh rounder or priority free agent
ReplyDeleteI guess my question is, is he on the Steelers radar? I would think/hope so, just not sure if anyone has heard anything. I know the Steelers were at the Kent pro day, and I know the Chargers and Bengals have both told him the will pick him up after the draft, but I am hoping the Steelers give him a call if he goes undrafted. I would not mind seeing him taken in Rd 7.
ReplyDeletethe steelers should be sitting pretty at 1.15. WR/CB both positions of need and there will be quality players available in each area. the main question will then be, should/can they trade back a bit and still get who they want.
ReplyDeleteI think it's most likely that will occur, but if they stay at 1.15 then I think they'll be taking dennard/gilbert/fuller/beckham. if they trade back, I think mosley/barr enter the picture.
I'm partial to gilbert at this point.