All picks are the originals as it would have looked heading into the draft. Trades made during the draft are not included. Trades made in previous years are.
1) Carolina Panthers: Actual Pick: Cam Newton QB, the Panthers have made a lot of mistakes over the past decade and in the past four to five years but Newton isn't one of them. The bigger hindrance for the Panthers were bad contracts and inability to put weapons around Newton. To me this isn't even a conundrum. New Pick: Cam Newton QB
2) Denver Broncos: Actual Pick: Von Miller LB, Miller was suspended for PEDs last season and has had some injury problems but he has been what he was suppose to be and still ranks seventh in Pro-Football-Reference career approximate value with those missed games. New Pick: Von Miller LB
3) Buffalo Bills: Actual Pick: Marcell Dareus DT, Dareus has panned out well, he's played in every game of his career and is one of the best young tackles in the game. I don't think Buffalo regrets it one New Pick: Marcel Dareus DT
4) Cincinnati Bengals: Actual Pick: A.J. Green WR, Same for the Bengals. Green has been as good as advertised and has played 11 more games than Julio Jones to this part in their careers. New Pick: A.J. Green WR
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
2nd 2015 NFL Mock Draft
This is coming out after the first round of trades and free agency but keep in mind that it is more to look at the difference pre-combine and post. Below you will find another two-round mock set up just like the last one, no analysis only the picks. After that I will be highlighting those players that made significant moves, up/down or in/out from the last mock draft. As always let me know what you think about the style of the post, the picks or how much of an idiot you think I am.
Round 1
1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
2) Tennessee Titans: Leonard Williams, DT, USC
3) Jacksonville Jaguars: Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson
4) Oakland Raiders: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5) Washington Redskins: Dante Fowler Jr, Edge, Florida
6) New York Jets: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7) Chicago Bears: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
8) Atlanta Falcons: Randy Gregory, Edge, Nebraska
9) New York Giants: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
10) St. Louis Rams: Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
11) Minnesota Viking: La'el Collins, OT, LSU
12) Cleveland Browns: Devante Parker, WR, Louisville
13) New Orleans Saints: Danny Shelton, NT, Washington
14) Miami Dolphins: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
15) San Francisco 49ers: Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
16) Houston Texans: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL)
17) San Diego Chargers: Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri
18) Kansas City Chiefs: Bud Dupree, Edge, Kentucky
19) Cleveland Browns (Via Buffalo): Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
20) Philadelphia Eagles: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
21) Cincinnati Bengals: Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon
22) Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
23) Detroit Lions: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
24) Arizona Cardinals: Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
25) Carolina Panthers: D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26) Baltimore Ravens: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
27) Dallas Cowboys: Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
28) Denver Broncos: Eddie Goldman, DT, FSU
29) Indianapolis Colts: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
30) Green Bay Packers: Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
31) Seattle Seahawks: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri
32) New England Patriots: Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
Round 2
33) Tennessee Titans: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
34) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cameron Erving, OL, FSU
35) Oakland Raiders: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
36) Jacksonville Jaguars: Alex Carter, CB, Stanford
37) New York Jets: Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
38) Washington Redskins: Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
39) Chicago Bears: Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami (FL)
40) New York Giants: Eli Harold, DE, Virginia
41) St. Louis Rams: Ronald Darby, CB, FSU
42) Atlanta Falcons: Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon
43) Cleveland Browns: Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
44) New Orleans Saints: P.J. Williams, CB, FSU
45) Minnesota Vikings: Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
46) San Francisco 49ers: Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
47) Miami Dolphins: Laken Tomlinson, G, Duke
48) San Diego Chargers: Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State
49) Kansas City Chiefs: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami (FL)
50) Buffalo Bills: A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
51) Houston Texans: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
52) Philadelphia Eagles: Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
53) Cincinnati Bengals: Paul Dawson, LB, TCU
54) Detroit Lions: Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH)
55) Arizona Cardinals: Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State
56) Pittsburgh Steelers: Gerod Holliman, FS, Louisville
57) Carolina Panthers: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
58) Baltimore Ravens: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
59) Denver Broncos: Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington
60) Dallas Cowboys: Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
61) Indianapolis Colts: Mario Edwards Jr, DT, FSU
62) Green Bay Packers: Markus Golden, Edge, Missouri
63) Seattle Seahawks: Arie Kouandjio, OG, Alabama
64) New England Patriots: Byron Jones, CB, UCONN
Risers
Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson: Beasley was 19th in the last mock draft based on concerns about his size and athletic abilities. Beasley then showed up to the combine weighing a svelte 6'3" 246 and put together one of the more impressive combines from the edge players. Most importantly he was near the top of the vertical jump and the broad jump, which are both great indicators of explosiveness. Because of his showing at the combine, his weight game and tape that is very good Beasley is in good standings to be the top edge player selected in the 2015 draft.
Jalen Collins, CB, LSU: Collins is the next in a long line of wonderful LSU defensive backs to be drafted in the first round. A big bodied defensive back at 6'1" 203 pounds, he's bigger than most in this draft class with good speed and terrific change of direction skills he and Eric Rowe should at least give Trae Waynes a run for his money as the top corner off the board in late April. Collins went from 40th Pre-Combine to 15th post.
Dante Fowler Jr, Edge, Florida: Fowler has always been highly regarded in this draft but after blowing up the combine he placed himself and his plethora of talents in a place to be a top five pick. An athlete with good bend and enough power to be effective, Fowler improved his stock by showing a elite level speed for his size (6'3" 261 lbs). Th eonly concern would be if you're looking to convert him to 3-4 OLB where he showed a below average change of direction in the 3 cone drill. Fowler moved from 13 to 5 in the latest mock.
D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida: One of the biggest movers over the past month Humphries was an under the radar target of many draftniks that I follow. He moved up, from n/a to pick 25, less because of his combine and more because there was a greater appreciation for his tape last season. Humphries is a lean tackle with average athleticism but he anchors well and showed solid tape against a litany of the best athletes that the SEC has to offer which make him attractive to many teams.
Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: This one will look a little strange to some but White moved from 10 to 4. He did so by showing top of the class speed, well above average for his weight and height combine metrics. This was something that wasn't completely evident in his tape at West Virginia. I personally still prefer Cooper who had a nice combine showing as well but I have less questions about White Post-Combine.
La'el Collins, OT, LSU: Collins was 22nd before the combine and much like the cream, edge players and LTs will rise to the top. That isn't to say that Collins isn't worth a top 15 pick, he's an above average athlete with room to fill out some more. Collins should stay in this area with some fluctuation as we completely figure out the order of the tackles in the 2015 draft.
Fallers
Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State: McKinney is a athletically limited inside linebacker with solid insticts and stiff hips. He's a good player, at a position where you can plug and play. Unfortunately for Benardrick if you're not elite at the position you're gonna slide down the board a little bit. McKinney slipped from 24 to 38 around the combine.
Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn: Coates may climb back up draft boards and mock drafts as the process winds to a close in late April in Chicago but for now he's sliding. A deep ball master, with inconsistent hands and a inability to properly high point the ball is going to be picked apart, but if Kelvin Benjamin can succeed in the NFL then Coates can as well. I expect him to climb back up towards the end of round 1, but it will be interesting to see with whom he is linked. Coates went from 31 in the pre-Combine mock to 51 in this iteration.
Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State: Bennett is a player that I think will go and should go more near his position in mock 1 (36) than where he is in mock 2 (60). Bennett is undersized, but stout with good enough agility but he will need to work on consistency and his pass rush at the 3-tech. He's under-the-radar but he should be a high round 2 pick at work.
Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia: Gurley is the best back in the draft on pure skill set. Yes, better than Gordon, Coleman, Johnson, Abdullah and Ajayi. The thing that will drop Gurley some is his knee and the recovery of it. If Gurley is progressing well he's a first round pick, if not, he should still be no worse than a mid-2nd. Gurley dropped because of circumstances at the Combine but I'm not sure they're lasting effects. Gurley dropped from 17 to 29.
Nate Orchard, Edge, Utah: Orchard was once thought of as a first round type edge rusher in this draft, but before the Combine the community started to sour. His Combine highlighted the fears of talent evaluators, at 6'3" 251 he was below average in all the drills and lacked any elite traits to really hang his hat on. That led to his drop from 38 to out of the top two rounds this time around.
Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri: Ray dropped from top 10 to top 20 during combine weak and it was really a myriad of issues that are plauging him right now. Ray is a bit undersized for 4-3 DE and will need to transition to an upright 3-4 OLB position most likely. Ray has good skills but many aren't sure if he's explosive enough to win off the edge consistently or powerful enough to bully tackles when he needs to offset an edge threat. Overall I think Ray is good but, I agree he may not be that talent you take in the top 10.
Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan: Funchess is an interesting prospect in this draft. He played mostly TE at Michigan but body size and type lend themselves more to being a possession receiver at the NFL level. Funchess has nice moves in short spaces but needs to show consistent catch abilities and a better propensity to high point the ball. With a muddle of second tier receivers Funchess got shuffled from 26th pick to out of the top two rounds.
Round 1
1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
2) Tennessee Titans: Leonard Williams, DT, USC
3) Jacksonville Jaguars: Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson
4) Oakland Raiders: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5) Washington Redskins: Dante Fowler Jr, Edge, Florida
6) New York Jets: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7) Chicago Bears: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
8) Atlanta Falcons: Randy Gregory, Edge, Nebraska
9) New York Giants: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
10) St. Louis Rams: Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
11) Minnesota Viking: La'el Collins, OT, LSU
12) Cleveland Browns: Devante Parker, WR, Louisville
13) New Orleans Saints: Danny Shelton, NT, Washington
14) Miami Dolphins: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
15) San Francisco 49ers: Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
16) Houston Texans: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL)
17) San Diego Chargers: Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri
18) Kansas City Chiefs: Bud Dupree, Edge, Kentucky
19) Cleveland Browns (Via Buffalo): Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
20) Philadelphia Eagles: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
21) Cincinnati Bengals: Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon
22) Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
23) Detroit Lions: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
24) Arizona Cardinals: Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
25) Carolina Panthers: D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26) Baltimore Ravens: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
27) Dallas Cowboys: Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
28) Denver Broncos: Eddie Goldman, DT, FSU
29) Indianapolis Colts: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
30) Green Bay Packers: Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
31) Seattle Seahawks: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri
32) New England Patriots: Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
Round 2
33) Tennessee Titans: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
34) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cameron Erving, OL, FSU
35) Oakland Raiders: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
36) Jacksonville Jaguars: Alex Carter, CB, Stanford
37) New York Jets: Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
38) Washington Redskins: Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
39) Chicago Bears: Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami (FL)
40) New York Giants: Eli Harold, DE, Virginia
41) St. Louis Rams: Ronald Darby, CB, FSU
42) Atlanta Falcons: Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon
43) Cleveland Browns: Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
44) New Orleans Saints: P.J. Williams, CB, FSU
45) Minnesota Vikings: Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
46) San Francisco 49ers: Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
47) Miami Dolphins: Laken Tomlinson, G, Duke
48) San Diego Chargers: Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State
49) Kansas City Chiefs: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami (FL)
50) Buffalo Bills: A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
51) Houston Texans: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
52) Philadelphia Eagles: Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
53) Cincinnati Bengals: Paul Dawson, LB, TCU
54) Detroit Lions: Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH)
55) Arizona Cardinals: Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State
56) Pittsburgh Steelers: Gerod Holliman, FS, Louisville
57) Carolina Panthers: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
58) Baltimore Ravens: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
59) Denver Broncos: Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington
60) Dallas Cowboys: Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
61) Indianapolis Colts: Mario Edwards Jr, DT, FSU
62) Green Bay Packers: Markus Golden, Edge, Missouri
63) Seattle Seahawks: Arie Kouandjio, OG, Alabama
64) New England Patriots: Byron Jones, CB, UCONN
Risers
Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson: Beasley was 19th in the last mock draft based on concerns about his size and athletic abilities. Beasley then showed up to the combine weighing a svelte 6'3" 246 and put together one of the more impressive combines from the edge players. Most importantly he was near the top of the vertical jump and the broad jump, which are both great indicators of explosiveness. Because of his showing at the combine, his weight game and tape that is very good Beasley is in good standings to be the top edge player selected in the 2015 draft.
Jalen Collins, CB, LSU: Collins is the next in a long line of wonderful LSU defensive backs to be drafted in the first round. A big bodied defensive back at 6'1" 203 pounds, he's bigger than most in this draft class with good speed and terrific change of direction skills he and Eric Rowe should at least give Trae Waynes a run for his money as the top corner off the board in late April. Collins went from 40th Pre-Combine to 15th post.
Dante Fowler Jr, Edge, Florida: Fowler has always been highly regarded in this draft but after blowing up the combine he placed himself and his plethora of talents in a place to be a top five pick. An athlete with good bend and enough power to be effective, Fowler improved his stock by showing a elite level speed for his size (6'3" 261 lbs). Th eonly concern would be if you're looking to convert him to 3-4 OLB where he showed a below average change of direction in the 3 cone drill. Fowler moved from 13 to 5 in the latest mock.
D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida: One of the biggest movers over the past month Humphries was an under the radar target of many draftniks that I follow. He moved up, from n/a to pick 25, less because of his combine and more because there was a greater appreciation for his tape last season. Humphries is a lean tackle with average athleticism but he anchors well and showed solid tape against a litany of the best athletes that the SEC has to offer which make him attractive to many teams.
Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: This one will look a little strange to some but White moved from 10 to 4. He did so by showing top of the class speed, well above average for his weight and height combine metrics. This was something that wasn't completely evident in his tape at West Virginia. I personally still prefer Cooper who had a nice combine showing as well but I have less questions about White Post-Combine.
La'el Collins, OT, LSU: Collins was 22nd before the combine and much like the cream, edge players and LTs will rise to the top. That isn't to say that Collins isn't worth a top 15 pick, he's an above average athlete with room to fill out some more. Collins should stay in this area with some fluctuation as we completely figure out the order of the tackles in the 2015 draft.
Fallers
Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State: McKinney is a athletically limited inside linebacker with solid insticts and stiff hips. He's a good player, at a position where you can plug and play. Unfortunately for Benardrick if you're not elite at the position you're gonna slide down the board a little bit. McKinney slipped from 24 to 38 around the combine.
Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn: Coates may climb back up draft boards and mock drafts as the process winds to a close in late April in Chicago but for now he's sliding. A deep ball master, with inconsistent hands and a inability to properly high point the ball is going to be picked apart, but if Kelvin Benjamin can succeed in the NFL then Coates can as well. I expect him to climb back up towards the end of round 1, but it will be interesting to see with whom he is linked. Coates went from 31 in the pre-Combine mock to 51 in this iteration.
Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State: Bennett is a player that I think will go and should go more near his position in mock 1 (36) than where he is in mock 2 (60). Bennett is undersized, but stout with good enough agility but he will need to work on consistency and his pass rush at the 3-tech. He's under-the-radar but he should be a high round 2 pick at work.
Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia: Gurley is the best back in the draft on pure skill set. Yes, better than Gordon, Coleman, Johnson, Abdullah and Ajayi. The thing that will drop Gurley some is his knee and the recovery of it. If Gurley is progressing well he's a first round pick, if not, he should still be no worse than a mid-2nd. Gurley dropped because of circumstances at the Combine but I'm not sure they're lasting effects. Gurley dropped from 17 to 29.
Nate Orchard, Edge, Utah: Orchard was once thought of as a first round type edge rusher in this draft, but before the Combine the community started to sour. His Combine highlighted the fears of talent evaluators, at 6'3" 251 he was below average in all the drills and lacked any elite traits to really hang his hat on. That led to his drop from 38 to out of the top two rounds this time around.
Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri: Ray dropped from top 10 to top 20 during combine weak and it was really a myriad of issues that are plauging him right now. Ray is a bit undersized for 4-3 DE and will need to transition to an upright 3-4 OLB position most likely. Ray has good skills but many aren't sure if he's explosive enough to win off the edge consistently or powerful enough to bully tackles when he needs to offset an edge threat. Overall I think Ray is good but, I agree he may not be that talent you take in the top 10.
Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan: Funchess is an interesting prospect in this draft. He played mostly TE at Michigan but body size and type lend themselves more to being a possession receiver at the NFL level. Funchess has nice moves in short spaces but needs to show consistent catch abilities and a better propensity to high point the ball. With a muddle of second tier receivers Funchess got shuffled from 26th pick to out of the top two rounds.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
1st Mock Draft
Well the Super Bowl and Senior Bowl are behind us, the Combine and free angency are just on the horizon and that means that we are squarely inside of draft season. In this lull in the sporting calendar we all need something to keep our attention and my sports drug of choice is the NFL Draft and the niche of mock drafts which are fascinating and utterly pointless. They are good content and they are great thought exercises and should be taken as such. If you disagree leave a comment and start a discussion. Now onto the picks... (Had this all written up and it didn't save so this original mock is presented without comment)
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Way Too Early 2015 Fantasy Football Rankings
These are just a preliminary set of rankings and only starters at each position. Any specific questions about players let me know but I'm not going to write up comments on the rankings yet.
1) Jamaal Charles, Kansas City
2) Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh
3) Matt Forte, Chicago
4) Marshawn Lynch, FA
5) Eddie Lacy, Green Bay
6) LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia
7) DeMarco Murray, FA
8) Arian Foster, Houston
Monday, February 2, 2015
Ramblings Fantasy Football Post-Season Review
Another season in the bank and as always it was a lot of fun. Hope everyone had great years in fantasy and a lot of success. I wanted to take a look at how my rankings did and recap them just a bit. Each positions starters at years end are ranked along with my previous ranks and value over first replacement player along with end of year rankings. (Original, June, Final, Value over replacement) The end of year ranks are based off of scoring for a league I'm in in which INTs/FUMs are not counted and you get a point for every ten yards rush/rec and 30 passing, as well as 3 pts for pass TDs and 4 for rush/rec/def. I feel these points pull out some of the variance that comes along with INTs/FUMs/TDs from year to year.
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