1 Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State.
I love Mariota, but Winston fits the Bucs better. He's a pocket passer with above average mobility.
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| from: cbssports.com |
2 Titans: Leanord Williams, DE, USC. He played all over the USC defensive line, but he'll play a five technique end in the Titan's 3-4 defense. With Jurell Casey on the other end, and Derek Morgan and Brian Orakpo coming off the edges, they could be scary.
3 Jaguars: Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida.
This spot was Randy Gregory for the longest time for most people, but even if Gregory bulks up he might still be a tad small for the rushing end in the Jaguars 4-3. Oh, and he just admitted to testing positive for drugs. Fowler is much more of a complete player at this point and is a perfect size at 270.
4 Raiders: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia.
Amari Cooper has lost his spot as the top wideout. Cooper is still more polished, but White's jump ball ability plus his crazy speed at 6'3 and 210 pounds makes him nearly impossible to pass up for the pass catching starved Raiders.
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| from: sbnation.com |
5 Redskins: Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska.
They just lost Orakpo in free agency and need someone to start opposite Ryan Kerrigan. His failed drug test will actually probably drop him farther, but the Redskins draft him for his athletic ability and upside.
6 Jets: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon.
In my opinion Mariota can be good in any system, but if a team wants him to be good right away they will need to tool their offense to his current abilities. Since I'm not doing trades, I have the Jets taking Mariota here, but I really do think the Eagles will trade up to get him.
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| from: cbssports.com |
With the switch to a 3-4 defense, the Bears need a true nose tackle. Shelton will provide plenty of oomph in the middle for years to come.
8 Falcons: Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson.
This was kind of a tough one. The Falcons main need is a pass rush. Beasley is the best available in that aspect, but at 246 pounds, he may only be a situational pass rusher in the Falcons 4-3 defense led by former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Granted, they could shift newly acquired linebacker Brooks Reed to the middle and play Beasley like the Vikings did Barr. The Clemson product is athletic enough to transition to that role. He'd play a similar position to the one that Bruce Irvin plays for the Seahawks.
9 Giants: Brandon Scherff, T/G, Iowa.
With the top pass rushers off the board, I see the Giants going offensive line here. Scherff should be the first offensive lineman off the board, as he can be an above average left tackle, but a stellar guard or right tackle.
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| from: thesportsbank.net |
10 Rams: La'el Collins, T, LSU.
The Rams need help on the line, as they cut two starters a couple weeks ago. I think they'd like to have had Scherff, but he's not available for them in this mock.
11 Vikings: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville.
If the first ten picks role out the way I've listed, look for the Vikings to try and trade down here. The signing of Mike Wallace has taken some pressure off the need to find a wideout, in my opinion. If they can't find a partner to trade with, though, I think they take the highest ranked player on their board. Why Parker over Amari Cooper, you ask? Cooper is easily the most polished, and he'd make Bridgewater better, but we need something a bit more than polish to go with the receivers we currently have on the roster. We need the separation ability at the line against man coverage that Parker has, and the crazy ability he has to use his size to win in tight areas and when going after the jump ball.
Some may ask why we don't go corner here, as that is a bigger need, but I don't think Trae Waynes, the corner from Michigan State and the highest ranked at his position, is ranked higher than Cooper or DeVante Parker. I also believe Waynes is ranked too high, as he's good in man coverage, but not really anything else. And though he is 6'1, at about 185 or 190 pounds he'll get pushed all over in the NFL.
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| from: dynastynerds.com |
12 Browns: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama.
With Josh Gordon serving at least a one year suspension, the Browns need help at receiver, whether Manziel or McCown start at quarterback. The Browns could use a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball as well, but Cooper should be ranked higher than their options on defense. He'll also step in and be their number one receiver, providing a very reliable target for whoever is playing at quarterback.
13 Saints: Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri.
Ray would play the linebacker spot opposite Junior Galette, who was the only player with a decent sack number last year. I expect Cameron Jordan to play better this year, but having two great pass rushers on the outside edges of a 3-4 defense is very nice.
14 Dolphins: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State.
It can't hurt to pair the best corner in the draft with Brent Grimes. The Dolpins could use some help at linebacker and maybe wide receiver, but Waynes grades out much higher than any option at those other two positions.
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| from: chatsports.com |
15 49ers: Arik Armstead, DT/DE, Oregon.
They lost two starting caliber middle linebackers to retirement in the matter of a week, but I don't think there are any replacements in the draft worth a pick this high. Armstead can immediately line up opposite Darnell Dockett, or provide a large number of backup reps if Justin Smith decides to play another year.
16 Texans: Andrus Peat, T, Stanford.
Before they signed Cecil Shorts, I would have put a receiver here. Now I think that signing allows them to take the best player available. Peat can take over the starting job as the right tackle right away.
17 Chargers: Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas.
From what little I know of the Chargers, they are pretty solid in all areas. A lot of mocks have the Chargers taking Melvin Gordon, but I don't see a running back going this early yet. Brown upgrades the defensive line, where he could play all three spots, but could compete for the starting nose tackle job right away.
18 Chiefs: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma.
They could really use an offensive lineman or three, but Green-Beckham's talent level is bounds beyond the others in his class. The offensive line pool doesn't have a discrepancy like that, so even with the past character flaws, Green-Beckham will almost guarantee that a Chiefs wideout catches a touchdown pass this season. I put a picture of him from Missouri below because he never actually played a game for Oklahoma. You know, those character concern things.
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| from: saturdayblitz.com |
19 Browns: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State.
The Browns didn't get a lot of help from their line last year. At least, not from what I've read. At 336 pounds, Goldman should at the very least eat up a couple blockers at a time to free up linebackers.
20 Eagles: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State.
They couldn't keep Maclin, so a new addition at the wide receiver spot becomes necessary. A tag team of Jordan Matthews and Jaelen Strong would look pretty good, especially if Sam Bradford can stay healthy.
21 Bengals: Ereck Flowers, T, Miami.
This could be any number of the great offensive line prospects remaining, but I went with Flowers as he is the highest ranked on ESPN's draft list. He could play guard or tackle.
22 Steelers: Landon Collins, S, Alabama.
Strange to see Collins slide this far, but it's great news for the Steelers. The loss of Peyton Manning only to land Andrew Luck is similar to the loss of Troy Polomolu only to land Landon Collins. Without the year interval, however.
| from: tuscaloosanews.con |
23 Lions: TJ Clemmings, T, Pittsburgh.
They'd like to land a defensive tackle here, but I think the offensive tackles remaining are rated higher than the defensive tackles available. The Lions go with Clemmings, who should compete for a starting job somewhere along the line.
24 Cardinals: Owamagbe Odiguzuwa, DE/OLB, UCLA.
The Cardinals main need is at pass rush. Odiguzuwa can do that from an upright position on regular downs, and can also play with a hand on the ground on obvious passing downs.
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| from: bleacherreport.com |
25 Panthers: DJ Humphries, T, Florida.
Is there a team that needs a left tackle more than the Panthers? Humphries is actually more of a jack of all the line positions, but he's the best offensive lineman available, so the Panthers have to pull the trigger.
26 Ravens: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin.
They re-signed Justin Forsett, which helps, but Gordon has more potential, at least at this point in his career. He's also an every down back, and they can then use Forsett to rest him for 15 or so snaps a game.
27 Cowboys: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington.
Morris Claiborne has dropped way, way down on the depth chart. Marcus Peters comes with some character flaws, but he has the talent to take a bit of the sting from the Claiborne pick.
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| from: withthefirstpick.com |
28 Broncos: Cameron Irving, C, Florida State.
The Broncos lost Orlando Franklin at guard and can use as much line talent as possible to protect Manning for what should probably be his last year.
29 Colts: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest.
I think the Colts would like to go offensive line here, but I've already mocked all the lineman that deserve to go in the first. Some drafts I've read think Johnson should be the second corner to go, and what team can't use another great corner?
30 Packers: Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA.
Without Brad Jones and AJ Hawk, the Packers need help on the inside. Clay Matthews played very well taking over the inside duties last year, but his best spot is the left outside linebacker, holding the edge and rushing the passer. With Kendricks playing the middle, Matthews can move back to the outside. Well, as long as someone else takes over the second spot in the middle.
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| from: sbnation.com |
31 Saints: Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota.
This is probably a stretch. Probably. Williams isn't a first round talent, but I think the Saints reach for a position of need. He won't replace Jimmy Graham, but it sounds like the Saints want to focus more on the run, so he won't need to be a replacement.
32 Patriots: Carl Davis, DT, Iowa.
Davis could play a few different positions along the defensive line for the Patriots. He can play either tackle spot when they line up in a 4-3, and can play the nose or left end spot when they line up in a 3-4. Granted, he may be able to play the right end spot in their 3-4, but it seems like they keep Chandler Jones in, even though he's a bit small to play a traditional 3-4 end. The Patriots will get the best out of Davis, who I believe could be better than all the other tackles in this class.
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| from: patspub.patsfan.com |
