Tag: mock draft

2016 Mock NFL Draft

Carson Wentz

It’s that time of the year for another mock NFL Draft. Here are my guesses for how the draft shakes out tonight. I guarantee that at least five of these picks are within 25 picks of being correct.

1. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff – QB – Cal

2. Philadelphia Eagles: Carson Wentz – QB – North Dakota State

3. San Diego Chargers: DeForest Buckner – DE – Oregon

4. Dallas Cowboys: Jalen Ramsey – CB – Florida State

5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Joey Bosa – DE – Ohio State

6. Baltimore Ravens: Ronnie Stanley – OT – Notre Dame

7. San Francisco 49ers: Laremy Tunsil – OT – Ole Miss

8. Cleveland Browns: Josh Doctson – WR – TCU

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Leonard Floyd – OLB – Georgia

10. New York Giants: Jack Conklin – OT – Michigan State

11. Chicago Bears: Vernon Hargreaves – CB – Florida

12. New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Rankins – DT – Louisville

13. Miami Dolphins: Ezekiel Elliott – RB – Ohio State

14. Oakland Raiders: Mackensie Alexander – CB – Clemson

15. Tennessee Titans: Taylor Decker – OT – Ohio State

16. Detroit Lions: Ryan Kelly – C – Alabama

17. Atlanta Falcons: Darron Lee – LB – Ohio State

18. Indianapolis Colts: Shaq Lawson – DE – Clemson

19. Buffalo Bills: Jarran Lee – DT – Alabama

20. New York Jets: Paxton Lynch – QB – Memphis

21. Washington Redskins: A’Shawn Robinson – DT – Alabama

22. Houston Texans: Corey Coleman – WR – Baylor

23. Minnesota Vikings: Laquon Treadwell – WR – Ole Miss

24. Cincinnati Bengals: Will Fuller – WR – Notre Dame

25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Eli Apple – CB – Ohio State

26. Seattle Seahawks: Germain Ifedi – OG – Texas A&M

27. Green Bay Packers: Andrew Billings – DT – Baylor

28. Kansas City Chiefs: William Jackson III – CB – Houston

29. Arizona Cardinals: Robert Nkemdiche – DT – Ole Miss

30. Carolina Panthers: Artie Burns – CB – Miami

31. Denver Broncos: Karl Joseph – S – West Virginia

2015 Mock NFL Draft Results

The first round of the 2015 NFL Draft took place last night. It was a brisk one, starting at 8:00 p.m. and finishing at approximately 11:30 p.m. I posted a mock draft on Thursday morning just to see how I would stack up against Mel Kiper, Mike Mayock, etc. Unfortunately, I don’t have an ESPN Insider account, so I can’t see Kiper’s picks. For reference, here’s the draft tracker (LINK).

Scoring:

• 2 points for correct team and player
• 1 point for correct team
• 1 point for correct player

2015 Mock NFL Draft

Former Michigan commit Jake Fisher could go late in the first round

I won’t claim to be an NFL expert, but as a big college and pro football fan, I like to take my shot at an NFL mock draft and see how I stack up against Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, and the like. So here’s my 2015 mock NFL Draft. If any trades are announced before the beginning of the draft, I reserve the right to make some changes. Otherwise, I’m guessing roughly 27 of these picks will be 100% accurate.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Jameis Winston – QB – Florida State
I don’t like the idea of spending a #1 pick on someone with such character concerns, but it looks like that’s the direction the Bucs will go.

2. Tennessee:
Marcus Mariota – QB – Oregon
There seems to be a good chance that someone trades into this spot to take Mariota. I think it’s probably too high to take Mariota, but teams get desperate when looking for a quarterback.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 
Dante Fowler – OLB – Florida
Jacksonville went after a quarterback last year, so now it’s time to shore up the pass rush.

4. Oakland Raiders:
Amari Cooper – WR – Alabama
Oakland is in need of a receiving threat. When’s the last time they had a consistent wide receiver threat?

5. Washington Redskins:
Leonard Williams – DE – USC
Williams is a little bit inconsistent, so he would fit in well with the ‘Skins.

Hit the jump for picks 6-32.


6. New York Jets:
Vic Beasley – OLB – Clemson
Beasley might go a little bit sooner. If he’s available, it’s tough to look past his production – 33 sacks over the past three seasons.

7. Chicago Bears:
Kevin White – WR – West Virginia
Jay Cutler isn’t a franchise quarterback, and he’s not even close without Brandon Marshall. Cutler needs some receiving help.

8. Atlanta Falcons:
Bud Dupree – DE – Kentucky
I thought Shane Ray would be a possibility, but he did some dumb things recently and probably dropped down in the draft a little bit.

9. New York Giants:
Brandon Scherff – OT – Iowa
The Giants’ best years have come when they can win in the trenches, so I think it’s either Scherff or defensive tackle Danny Shelton.

10. St. Louis Rams:
Andrus Peat – OT – Stanford
The Rams have taken a lot of hits with players getting injured or leaving in recent years, so they need to refresh up front.

11. Minnesota Vikings:
Devante Parker – WR – Louisville
The Vikings could potentially give Teddy Bridgewater a very strong receiving corps if they get a receiver like Parker.

12. Cleveland Browns:
Danny Shelton – DT – Washington
Cleveland might trade up to try to get in on Mariota, so this is a tough pick to choose. If they stay at #12, I think Shelton makes sense to help against the run.

13. New Orleans Saints:
Trae Waynes – CB – Michigan State
Waynes appears to be the top-rated cornerback in the draft, and the Saints need someone who can cover.

14. Miami Dolphins:
La’El Collins – OT – LSU
Every year I think that Miami needs to improve their offensive line, so here’s my plea once again, on behalf of a good friend who’s a suffering Dolphins fan.

15. San Francisco 49ers:
Arik Armstead – DE – Oregon
The 49ers need a lot of pieces, including defensive ends and cornerbacks. I think cornerback makes the most sense, which is why the 49ers will go for a defensive lineman.

16. Houston Texans:
Ereck Flowers – OG – Miami
Houston could possibly go in a few different directions – running back, wide receiver – but I think Flowers jumps up somewhere around here.

17. San Diego Chargers:
Todd Gurley – RB – Georgia
He’s coming off of a torn ACL, but the Chargers are in desperate need of a good running back, and Gurley was pretty darn good when he wasn’t injured.

18. Kansas City Chiefs:
Malcolm Brown – DT – Texas
There are a couple potential defensive tackles the Chiefs could take here.

19. Cleveland Browns:
D.J. Humphries – OT – Florida
If the Browns don’t use this pick to move up in the draft for Mariota, they should probably help out their offensive line here after shoring up the defensive line with the #12 pick.

20. Philadelphia Eagles:
Nelson Agholor – WR – USC
If Agholor is still available, I think Chip Kelly might continue his line of USC imports to get some more speed among the receivers.

21. Cincinnati Bengals:
Landon Collins – S – Alabama
The Bengals could go in several directions, but I think this is too early for a couple of the wide receivers and corners available.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers:
Kevin Johnson – CB – Wake Forest
The Steelers are in desperate need of help in the defensive backfield, and Johnson is one of a few corners who could go here.

23. Detroit Lions:
Eddie Goldman – DT – Florida State
The Lions made it out of the doldrums by putting together an elite defensive line, so with Ndamukong Suh gone to the Dolphins, they need a replacement in the middle. (I also have hopes for Melvin Gordon here if the defensive tackle thing doesn’t work out.)

24. Arizona Cardinals:
Melvin Gordon – RB – Wisconsin
It’s been a while since the Cardinals had a great running back, and Gordon could be a good pickup here.

25. Carolina Panthers:
Cedric Ogbuehi – OT – Texas A&M
The Panthers need to rebuild on the offensive line a little bit.

26. Baltimore Ravens:
Phillip Dorsett – WR – Miami
The Ravens need a wide receiver or two. With Baltimore love of former Hurricane Ray Lewis, I’ll give the edge to Dorsett over Breshad Perriman.

27. Dallas Cowboys:
Byron Jones – CB – Connecticut
The workout warrior earns his way into the first round for a team that doesn’t get much production from its corners.

28. Denver Broncos:
Cameron Erving – C – Florida State
This is around the time when a good center comes off the board, late in the first round.

29. Indianapolis Colts:
Jake Fisher – OT – Oregon
Three Oregon Ducks in the first round? Sure. There’s not a good match between glaring need and value here, in my opinion, so go ahead with a solid lineman.

30. Green Bay Packers:
Eric Kendricks – LB – UCLA
The Packers seem to be trying to make their system work with one consistent linebacker (Clay Matthews), so adding a second could be a difference-maker.

31. New Orleans Saints:
T.J. Clemmings – OT – Pitt
The Saints got a cornerback at #13 and I have them taking Devin Funchess at #44 (LINK), so Clemmings fills another need. They could also go for a disgrace pass rusher, like Randy Gregory or Shane Ray.

32. New England Patriots:
Jordan Phillips – NT – Oklahoma
The Patriots let Vince Wilfork go to the Houston Texans, so they need a replacement on the defensive line.

What do you think? Where did I go wrong? And what do the Lions do at #23?

2014 Mock NFL Draft

Taylor Lewan

I won’t claim to be an NFL expert, but as a big college and pro football fan, I like to take my shot at an NFL mock draft and see how I stack up against Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, and the like. So here’s my 2014 mock NFL Draft. If any trades are announced before the beginning of the draft, I reserve the right to make some changes. Otherwise, I’m guessing roughly 29 of these picks will be 100% accurate.

1. Houston Texans:
Jadeveon Clowney – DE – South Carolina
It seems like all the top prospects come with some baggage, and Clowney is no exception with his occasional loafing and numerous traffic violations. However, he has the freak athleticism to warrant being the top pick.


2. St. Louis Rams:
Greg Robinson – OT – Auburn
Jake Long has been injury prone and former tackle Rodger Saffold has moved inside, so Robinson could slide in to start immediately.


3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 
Sammy Watkins – WR – Clemson
The Jaguars need a dynamic receiver, and Watkins could be that guy.


4. Cleveland Browns
Johnny Manziel – QB – Texas A&M
I’m not a fan of Manziel and this pick wouldn’t make sense to me, but it’s the Browns, so I expect them to make a poor choice at quarterback.


5. Oakland Raiders
Khalil Mack – OLB – Buffalo
Mack is top five talent who might come off the board earlier than this, but nobody really seems to project him to go much lower. Pass rushers are premium players and don’t seem to drop on draft day.


6. Atlanta Falcons
Jake Matthews – OT – Texas A&M
I want to believe that Taylor Lewan is the better pro prospect, but that might be the homer in me. I will resist the temptation to believe he’ll be the second tackle taken.


7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans – WR – Texas A&M
This is the third Aggie to go in the first seven picks (if these selections hold up). I never thought I would see that. Evans would make it very difficult to cover Tampa Bay’s outside receivers.


8. Minnesota Vikings
Blake Bortles – QB – Central Florida
I’m tempted to go with Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley here, but the Vikings reached on a quarterback a few years ago when they took Christian Ponder. With Manziel already off the board, they might feel the pressure to get a QB now instead of waiting until the second round.


9. Buffalo Bills
Taylor Lewan – OT – Michigan
I had a tough time not picking North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron here, but young quarterback E.J. Manuel needs an offensive line more than a tight end.


10. Detroit Lions
Darqueze Dennard – CB – Michigan State
As much as I hate to root for a former Spartan, Dennard seems to fit what defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will want to do.

Hit the jump for picks 11-32.

11. Tennessee Titans
C.J. Mosley – LB – Alabama
The Titans could use some help at inside linebacker and Mosley looks like the best of the crop.


12. New York Giants
Zack Martin – OG – Notre Dame
There are some higher profile players to potentially take here, but the Giants have more success when they can run the ball, which they struggled to do last year.


13. St. Louis Rams
Calvin Pryor – FS – Louisville
Pryor fills a huge need for St. Louis at the safety position.


14. Chicago Bears
Aaron Donald – DT – Pittsburgh
Donald becomes a disruptive tackle for the Bears, who have been lacking a disruptive force in the middle for a while.


15. Pittsburgh Steelers
Odell Beckham – WR – LSU
Beckham gives Ben Roethlisberger another weapon on the outside, something the Steelers have been lacking.


16. Dallas Cowboys
Anthony Barr – OLB – UCLA
The Cowboys lost DeMarcus Ware to the Denver Broncos this off-season, so Barr would appear to be a good fit as a replacement. This seems too good to be true, though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody else trades up to get Barr before he can fall to the Cowboys.


17. Baltimore Ravens
Eric Ebron – TE – North Carolina
Some people have Ebron projected to go a lot higher, so I think the Ravens could afford to grab him here even though tight end isn’t a huge need.


18. New York Jets
Kyle Fuller – CB – Virginia Tech
Fuller, again, could be a real catch here for the Jets. Rex Ryan likes to draft defense, and they’ve lost a couple good corners in the past couple seasons.

19. Miami Dolphins
Cyrus Kouandjio – OT – Alabama
Kouandjio could help out an offensive line that has taken some big hits over the past couple years.

20. Arizona Cardinals
Dee Ford – DE – Auburn
Of the guys available at this spot, the one who seems to fit a need is Ford.


21. Green Bay Packers
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix – S – Alabama
If Clinton-Dix falls this far, I think the Packers would snap him up in an instant. I’m not sold on Clinton-Dix as a dynamic playmaker, but they need a safety and he’s a solid prospect.

22. Philadelphia Eagles
Brandin Cooks – WR – Oregon State
Chip Kelly dips into the Pac-12 talent pool once again for a receiver to replace DeSean Jackson


23. Kansas City Chiefs
Justin Gilbert – CB – Oklahoma State
The Chiefs shore up their defensive backfield with Gilbert, who some have projected as a top-10 pick.


24. Cincinnati Bengals
Ryan Shazier – LB – Ohio State
Shazier stays quarantined in the terrible state of Ohio.


25. San Diego Chargers
Marqise Lee – WR – USC
Lee heads down the road to San Diego where he can be a playmaker for Phillip Rivers.


26. Cleveland Browns
Kelvin Benjamin – WR – Florida State
The Browns pick up a receiving target for their quarterback of the future.


27. New Orleans Saints
Stanley Jean-Baptiste – CB – Nebraska
I think Jean-Baptiste might be a little bit of a reach here, but the Saints need help at cornerback and I’m not sold on Roby. Jean-Baptiste is a big guy who could be an attempt to replicate what Richard Sherman does in Seattle.


28. Carolina Panthers
Morgan Moses – OT – Virginia
Jordan Gross retired, so say hello to Cam Newton’s new blind side protector.


29. New England Patriots
Stephon Tuitt – DE – Notre Dame
I’ve seen Ra’Shede Hageman projected to the Patriots quite a bit, but I’m going against the grain because I think the Patriots have gambled too much with their picks. Tuitt seems like more of a sure bet, although he doesn’t have the same upside.


30. San Francisco 49ers
Jason Verrett – CB – TCU
The 49ers have needed a good cover corner for a while despite having solid defenses.


31. Denver Broncos
Teddy Bridgewater – QB – Louisville
I actually hope this doesn’t happen because I really like Peyton Manning and I hope that guy can play forever. I just love watching him play. But something crazy happens in every draft, and maybe this is it. The Broncos can’t count on Manning being around forever.


32. Seattle Seahawks
Joel Bitonio – OT – Nevada
There are a couple directions the Seahawks could go with this pick, but it’s probably the choice between a couple offensive linemen.

What do you think? Where did I go wrong? And what do the Lions do at #10?

Review of 2013 Mock NFL Draft

I’m going to compare my mock draft with that of SI.com writer Don Banks, who filled out his 2013 NFL Mock Draft 7.0 shortly before the draft.  Here’s the way I’m awarding points: 2 points for correct team and draft slot, 1 point for correct team or slot, and .5 points for correct position.  Let’s see how it goes.

1. Kansas City Chiefs
My pick: Eric Fisher +2
Banks: Fisher +2
Actual: Fisher

2. Jacksonville Jaguars
My pick: Luke Joeckel +2
Banks: Joeckel +2
Actual: Joeckel

3. Oakland Raiders Miami Dolphins
My pick: Sharrif Floyd
Banks: Floyd
Actual: Dion Jordan

4. Philadelphia Eagles
My pick: Lane Johnson +2
Banks: Star Lotulelei
Actual: Lane Johnson

5. Detroit Lions
My pick: Ziggy Ansah +2
Banks: Lane Johnson
Actual: Ziggy Ansah

6. Cleveland Browns
My pick: Dee Milliner
Banks: Geno Smith
Actual: Barkevious Mingo

7. Arizona Cardinals
My pick: Geno Smith
Banks: Ziggy Ansah
Actual: Jonathan Cooper

8. Buffalo Bills St. Louis Rams
My pick: Chance Warmack
Banks: Tavon Austin +1
Actual: Austin

9. New York Jets
My pick: Dion Jordan
Banks: Dee Milliner +2
Actual: Milliner

10. Tennessee Titans
My pick: Tavon Austin
Banks: Dion Jordan
Actual: Chance Warmack

11. San Diego Chargers
My pick: Jonathan Cooper
Banks: Jonathan Cooper
Actual: D.J. Fluker

12. Miami Dolphins Oakland Raiders
My pick: D.J. Fluker
Banks: Tyler Eifert
Actual: D.J. Hayden

13. New York Jets
My pick: Tyler Eifert
Banks: Barkevious Mingo
Actual: Sheldon Richardson

14. Carolina Panthers
My pick: Sheldon Richardson +.5
Banks: Sheldon Richardson +.5
Actual: Star Lotulelei

15. New Orleans Saints
My pick: Barkevious Mingo
Banks: Kenny Vaccaro +2
Actual: Vaccaro

16. St. Louis Rams Buffalo Bills
My pick: Kenny Vaccaro
Banks: Chance Warmack
Actual: E.J. Manuel

17. Jarvis Jones
My pick: Jarvis Jones +2
Banks: Jones +2
Actual: Jones

18. Dallas Cowboys San Francisco 49ers
My pick: Manti Te’o
Banks: D.J. Fluker
Actual: Eric Reid

19. New York Giants
My pick: Bjoern Werner
Banks: Tank Carradine
Actual: Justin Pugh

20. Chicago Bears
My pick: Johnathan Cyprien
Banks: Manti Te’o
Actual: Kyle Long

21. Cincinnati Bengals
My pick: Eddie Lacy
Banks: Eric Reid
Actual: Tyler Eifert

22. St. Louis Rams Atlanta Falcons
My pick: DeAndre Hopkins
Banks: Bjoern Werner
Actual: Desmond Trufant

23. Minnesota Vikings
My pick: Sylvester Williams +.5
Banks: Cordarrelle Patterson +1
Actual: Sharrif Floyd

24. Indianapolis Colts
My pick: Xavier Rhodes
Banks: Sylvester Williams
Actual: Bjoern Werner

25. Minnesota Vikings
My pick: Cordarrelle Patterson +1
Banks: Matt Barkley
Actual: Xavier Rhodes

26. Green Bay Packers
My pick: Desmond Trufant
Banks: Justin Pugh
Actual: Datone Jones

27. Houston Texans
My pick: Keenan Allen +.5
Banks: Justin Hunter +.5
Actual: DeAndre Hopkins

28. Denver Broncos
My pick: Eric Reid
Banks: Xavier Rhodes
Actual: Sylvester Williams

29. New England Patriots Minnesota Vikings
My pick: D.J. Hayden
Banks: D.J. Hayden
Actual: Cordarrelle Patterson

30. Atlanta Falcons St. Louis Rams
My pick: Star Lotulelei
Banks: Johnathan Cyprien
Actual: Alec Ogletree

31. San Francisco 49ers Dallas Cowboys
My pick: Matt Elam
Banks: Desmond Trufant
Actual: Travis Frederick

32. Baltimore Ravens
My pick: Alec Ogletree
Banks: Alec Ogletree
Actual: Matt Elam

FINAL SCORE
Don Banks – 13
Thunder – 12.5

Damn.