Hey Razzballers. Reid here going to give you a new mock draft since all the big-wigs are doing new ones as well. I’m going to try and project some Free Agent signings and some draft pick trades as well in this one.
Here are some of the Free Agent assumptions I’m making that will impact the way in which some teams will draft:
Kirk Cousins to the NYJ
A.J. McCarron to the Arizona Cardinals
Tyrod Taylor to the Denver Broncos
Case Keenum stays in Minnesota
- Cleveland – QB Sam Darnold (USC): John Dorsey doesn’t mess around with this selection and takes his top QB on the Browns’ Big Board. Dorsey has a lot of decisions to make in the next few months besides this pick: When to fire Hue Jackson for being an awful coach, Who to replace Hue Jackson as HC, and how soon he can get approval from ownership to remove Hue Jackson as head coach.
- Buffalo – QB Josh Rosen (UCLA): We have a trade! The Bills give up a high portion of the draft pick farm they have to acquire their guy in Rosen. I don’t want to hear about how him having an actual intellectual thought outside of the game of football is going to hurt his draft stock. Rosen has the talent to be socially woke and still be a franchise QB.
- Indianapolis – DE Bradley Chubb (NC State): Best defender in the draft. He’s a monster that Indy desperately needs. if one of the teams listed above doesn’t land their QB via free agency, I could see a trade at this pick as well.
- Cleveland – RB Saquon Barkley (Penn State): Again, Hue Jackson is just the worst. That being said, Barkley is the best player in this draft and Todd Haley gets his own Lc’Veon Bell to use. I can’t wait for this Cleveland roster to take off once Jackson is relieved of his duties.
- Denver – OG Quenton Nelson (Notre Dame): 2nd best player in the draft. Denver takes a run at a title with Tyrod at QB with the idea that he won’t turn the ball over and they believe they have an elite defense that will carry them. Nelson will be a top-10 guard in the NFL as soon as he gets drafted.
- NY Jets – DB Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama): Simple case of BPA here. An ideal world would have them trade down to get better value and grab a WR. This team is surely going to be grabbing a RB in round 2.
- Tampa Bay – DE Marcus Davenport (UTSA): Davenport is a freak of nature and Tampa really needs an edge rusher. The board hasn’t really gone the way they wanted to far either, but Davenport should be a stud with raw talent that Tampa can mismanage all on their own.
- Pittsburgh – QB Josh Allen (Wyoming): Another trade! The theme is that teams will be trading far up for the two QB’s that are sliding and I think this makes a lot of sense. Big Ben is coming back, but for maybe two more years at most. The Steelers move up to draft his successor and give him enough time to refine the footwork and mechanics to exploit his raw talent. Also, I hate that Allen did the trick shot throw from the 50 yard line. It has Kyle Boller written all over it.
- San Francisco – LB Tremaine Edmunds (Virginia Tech): Reuben Foster is going to be a large problem for the 49ers and they cannot rely on him being there this season. Edmunds is a load of talent and only 19 years old. He’ll have plenty of time to fill out his frame and be a monster. Jimmy GQ is really good looking.
- Oakland – LB Roquon Smith (Georgia): Monster production in college. Jon Gruden gets his own Derrick Brooks for the Black Hole.
- Miami – DB Denzel Ward (OSU): There are multiple people projecting a QB here and I just don’t get it. Ryan Tannehill was pretty good when he was healthy and should be 100% for the 2018 season. Ward helps solidify the secondary and gives the Miami front-7 extra time to rush the passer.
- Cincinnati – OT Connor Williams (Texas): They need help on the offensive line. Williams provides that. Pretty simple.
- NY Giants – QB Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma): This is an active draft day for the NYG front office. They loved Mayfield all along. They grab an extra 1st round pick in the process. The heir apparent to Eli will get to learn behind him for a year.
- Green Bay – WR Calvin Ridley (Alabama): The only reason I have this selection here is because I think they will move on from Jordy Nelson and need someone to fill the gap.
- Arizona – QB Lamar Jackson (Louisville): I’m going to write quite a bit here because the critique of Jackson is so god damn fucking stupid by some people at a certain network that is located at channel 206 on DirecTV. First, one “analyst” stated that Jackson is too short to be a QB and should be a WR at the NFL level. He’s 6’3″. That’s not short. Another genius at that same network said that his accuracy is a problem, yet has Josh Allen (who had a MUCH lower completion %) going 1st overall and said “stats are for losers”. That type of convolution of data and dismissal of statistics you don’t like, yet using the same statistic to prove a point with another player is just absurd. Lamar Jackson is the ultimate risk/reward prospect this year. If he gets into the right system, he could really just dominate. I think McCarron ends up being Mike Glennon 2.0 and loses the starting gig 1/4 of the way into the season.
- Baltimore – WR Courtland Sutton (SMU): They couldn’t throw the ball because Joe Flacco stinks. But he is paid a lot of money to suck and they can’t just get a new QB, so look for them to put more weapons around before the feeling of inevitability finally suffocates the Baltimore front office and forces them to no longer be #Whacko4Flacco.
- LA Chargers – S Derwin James (FSU): He’s slid this far. He makes the Chargers close to impossible to throw on. Great value pick here.
- Seattle – CB Joshua Jackson (Iowa): I’m not convinced the secondary on this team will be that good next year. They need to acquire Jackson so they have some youth that gets burned by Jimmy GQ and Jared Goff in years to come (kidding, kinda).
- Dallas – WR James Washington (Ok State): The Dez Bryant contract situation I believe will be more heated than currently advertised. Adding a burner on the outside like Washington opens up so many more options for the Dallas offense.
- Detroit – DT Maurice Hurst (Michigan): An absolute beast and new toy for newly shaven Matt Patricia to utilize.
- NY Giants – RB Derrius Guice (LSU): This is a name to keep in mind. He’s going to be a really good running back in this league. The Giants solve two of the biggest problems surrounding their roster in just the first round.
- Washington – CB Isaiah Oliver (Colorado): Congrats on getting Alex Smith… And now you don’t have Kendall Fuller in your secondary that is less than stellar. Oliver is the pick to help replenish the talent pool in the secondary.
- LA Rams – DT Da’Ron Payne (Alabama): You can never have too many monsters on your defensive line. Payne allows for the Rams to run a scary rotation on defense in the trenches.
- Carolina – OG/C Billy Price (Ohio State): Price will slide in nicely to provide even more protection for Cam Newton.
- Tennessee – OG Will Hernandez (UTEP): I still can’t believe how dominant he was at the Senior Bowl. Just wait until he shows off at the combine. Tennessee needs to improve the interior of their OL and Hernandez fits that bill.
- Atlanta – DT Vita Vea (Washington): Atlanta gets one of the best value picks on the board here. He will be a favorite of HC Dan Quinn and should make an impact right away.
- New Orleans – LB/DE Harold Landry (Boston College): They just need to sure up a couple things on defense to be a favorite to win the NFC. Landry sliding is not because of his talent, but rather team needs higher on the draft order.
- Chicago – OT Mike McGlinchey (Notre Dame): Chicago is getting an extra 3rd round pick this year and a first round pick next year while also addressing a major need in OT. McGlinchey fits the need here.
- Jacksonville – OT Orlando Brown (Oklahoma): I think they roll with Blake Bortles one more year to see if he’s really the answer and Brown should help the coaching staff with that evaluation.
- Minnesota – DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwa (Oklahoma): Getting younger at the D-line position and more athletic will help out the Purple People Eaters in the long run.
- New England – RB Ronald Jones II (USC): The Pats find away to get a really talented offensive weapon for TB12. I originally had “Fountain of Youth” slotted here to help Brady play another 10 years, but he didn’t declare.
- Philadelphia – LB Malik Jefferson (Texas): Just a hunch. Philly has some questions regarding the LB corps coming back (Nigel Bradham is a UFA). I also think this is a very interesting spot for a team like Denver to trade back into the first round to secure someone like Mike White out of Western Kentucky.
That’s all for this edition folks. Please leave any comments or criticisms in the comments section below and I’ll be sure to answer them promptly.