A Three Round Mock to End All Mocks!
Round 3
I'm doing my mock well early this year because it's already an exercise in futility and it's not as fun when info gets leaked like two days before the start of the draft and you pretty much know who is drafting who in the top few picks. I did this with no trades, so it will be blown up within the first three selections. It's a futile exercise, but it is a good indication of what teams need and how they may approach the draft, as well as where players are expected to be picked. And it's fun. Enjoy.
33. Houston Texans
I'm doing my mock well early this year because it's already an exercise in futility and it's not as fun when info gets leaked like two days before the start of the draft and you pretty much know who is drafting who in the top few picks. I did this with no trades, so it will be blown up within the first three selections. It's a futile exercise, but it is a good indication of what teams need and how they may approach the draft, as well as where players are expected to be picked. And it's fun. Enjoy.
33. Houston Texans
Teddy Bridgewater –
QB, Louisville (Big Board #10)
Maybe I’m secretly a Texans fan, because I managed to slot
them my top pass rusher and top quarterback. Bridgewater is the most developed
of all the QBs in this draft and he’d give the Texans an immediate chance to
compete in the AFC, especially given the talent on the defensive side of the
ball.
34.
Washington Redskins
Morgan Moses – OT,
Virginia (Big Board #56)
Moses could sneak into the first round. He’s an athletic
tackle capable of manning either side. Rumor has it that the Redskins are
interested in him, and it makes sense given that they need to do everything
they can to keep RGIII upright.
35.
Cleveland Browns
Tre Mason – RB,
Auburn (Big Board #27)
Ben Tate is injury prone, and the Browns don’t really have
much talent behind him. Mason is capable of starting should Tate go down with
an injury, but he is also an ideal complement to the bigger, more powerful
Tate.
36.
Oakland Raiders
Ra’Shede Hageman –
DT, Minnesota (Big Board #36)
The Raiders need talent everywhere, but especially in the
trenches, where games are won and lost. Hageman is athletic enough to make an
immediate impact, versatile enough to man any spot along of the defensive line,
and has the potential to be a star down the road.
37.
Atlanta Falcons
Dee Ford – DE/OLB,
Auburn (Big Board #41)
The Falcons need to upgrade their pass rush. Ford would fit
well in the hybrid defense Mike Nolan runs in Atlanta.
38.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jordan Matthews – WR,
Vanderbilt (Big Board #38)
The Bucs nab a developed and capable No. 2 receiver. He’s
got a big frame and good hands, something Josh McCown used to great effect in
Chicago.
39.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Austin
Seferian-Jenkins – TE, Washington (Big Board #48)
The Jaguars grab a weapon for Johnny Football.
Seferian-Jenkins will be a valuable asset in the red zone and will pair with
Marcedes Lewis to give the developing Manziel two big targets in the middle of
field. Seferian-Jenkins might mimic some of what Manziel had in Mike Evans, a
big, athletic target to throw 50-50 balls to when the play breaks down.
40.
Minnesota Vikings
Xavier Su’a-Filo –
OG, UCLA (Big Board #26)
The Vikes have bigger needs than guard, but there aren’t any
linebackers available worthy of this pick, so they’ll swoop up a first round
talent who can help keep Bortles upright and open up running lanes for Adrian
Peterson.
41.
Buffalo Bills
Jace Amaro – TE,
Texas Tech (Big Board #55)
The Bills continue to add weapons around E.J. Manuel,
securing a big body and a reliable pair of hands to work the intermediate
middle of the field with.
42.
Tennessee Titans
Carlos Hyde – RB,
Ohio St. (Big Board #34)
The Titans let go of Chris Johnson, but replace him with a
big, bruising back capable of breaking off long gains. Between Hyde, Shonne
Greene and Dexter McCluster the Titans would have a dangerous three-headed
rushing attack.
43.
New York Giants
Scott Crichton – DE,
Oregon St. (Big Board #32)
Jerry Reese made a career of selecting defensive lineman
early and often. Crichton is the top available player at the position and will
play a part in replacing the departed Justin Tuck.
44.
St. Louis Rams
Cyrus Kouandjio – OT,
Alabama (Big Board #60)
This pick actually makes as little sense as it does a lot of
sense (much like this sentence). The Rams need talent and depth at offensive
tackle, largely because Jake Long is a huge injury risk. So it only makes sense
to pick Kouandjio who is…also an injury risk? Still, he’s got first round
talent and this is probably the range he will be picked in.
45.
Detroit Lions
Davante Adams – WR,
Fresno St. (Big Board #42)
Even with the signing of Golden Tate the Lions have been
very active scouting wide receivers. They are definitely looking to add another
talented pass catcher across from Calvin Johnson. Adams is the top player at
the position at this juncture, and actually pairs perfectly with Megatron and
Tate, providing a strong handed possession receiver that can move the chains
and take advantage of single coverage on the outside.
46.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Stephon Tuitt –
DE/DT, Notre Dame (Big Board #37)
The Steelers get a talented 5-technique to get younger along
the defensive front and help replace the departed Ziggy Hood.
47.
Dallas Cowboys
Deone Bucannon – S,
Washington St. (Big Board #54)
Bucannon will give the Cowboys a rangy defender on the
back end and a fiery competitor who will help upgrade the defense’s overall
physicality. Bucannon can help change the culture and identity of a weak
Cowboys defense.
48.
Baltimore Ravens
Jarvis Landry – WR,
LSU (Big Board #62)
This almost makes too much sense to happen. Joe Flacco and
the Ravens’ offense struggled mightily without Anquan Boldin. Landry has been
compared to Boldin for good reason, and he’d give Flacco a dependable, chain
moving target and pair perfectly with Torrey Smith.
49.
New York Jets
Gabe Jackson – OG,
Mississippi St. (Big Board #45)
The Jets take a huge, physical run blocker to help open up
lanes for the Chrisses. This pick fits in with what Rex Ryan believes in:
physical power football.
50.
Miami Dolphins
David Yankey – OG,
Stanford (Big Board #44)
The Dolphins select another versatile, high character
offensive lineman. They need a lot of help along the offensive line. Double
dipping makes a ton of sense.
51.
Chicago Bears
Marcus Roberson – CB,
Florida (Big Board #52)
The Bears need to get younger at cornerback. Roberson is
developed enough to contribute early on and talented enough to start for years
to come.
52.
Arizona Cardinals
Troy Niklas – TE,
Notre Dame (Big Board #68)
The Cardinals don’t have much going for them at tight end.
Rob Housler is serviceable, but not good enough to exclude Arizona from going
tight end in the early rounds. Carson Palmer has utilized the tight end a lot
throughout his career (remember when he made Brandon Meyers relevant?). Niklas
would give him a talented option at the position.
53.
Green Bay Packers
Weston Richburg – C,
Colorado St. (Big Board #51)
The Packers let Evan Dietrich-Smith get away in free agency,
which didn’t particularly please Aaron Rodgers. Ted Thompson needs to make the
best quarterback in football happy again, and it could start with drafting the
top center in this class. Richburg should start right away without any issue.
54.
Philadelphia Eagles
Cody Latimer – WR,
Indiana (Big Board #70)
For all the talk of the Eagles drafting a speed receiver to
replace DeSean Jackson, it’s more likely they’ll look to draft a big, athletic
receiver like Latimer. Kelly’s offenses at Oregon generally utilized bigger
bodies on the outside, and Latimer would give Kelly two of those along with
Riley Cooper. They’ll have plenty of speed left over with McCoy, Maclin and
Sproles.
55.
Cincinnati Bengals
Keith McGill – CB,
Utah (Big Board #59)
The Bengals need cornerbacks. Leon Hall got injured again.
Dre Kirkpatrick is one more ineffective season away from full-on bust status.
Pacman Jones and Terrence Newman are both up there in age. McGill would give Cincinnati
a talented body on the outside who can compete for a starting role.
56. San Francisco 49ers (via
Kansas City)
Lamarcus Joyner – DB,
Florida St. (Big Board #24)
I don’t think Baalke will draft Joyner in the first round
due to his size, but if he last until this pick (which is more likely than my
overall ranking would suggest) I think he will pull the trigger. Joyner would
give the 49ers the nickelback they currently lack and could potentially play
some safety across from Eric Reid in the future. He’s too talented to fall out
of the second round, and he’d give the 49ers another high character individual
on the defensive side of the ball, something they sorely need considering the
shit Aldon and Cully have pulled this offseason.
57.
San Diego Chargers
Cameron Fleming – OT,
Stanford (Big Board #53)
I have Fleming rated higher than most draftniks, but I truly
believe he is one of the top tackles in this class. He is versatile enough to
play either guard or tackle position, which any team—especially the Chargers
who could use upgrades at multiple spots—will value.
58.
New Orleans Saints
Donte Moncrief – WR,
Ole Miss (Big Board #77)
The Saints lost Lance Moore in free agency and while the
cupboard certainly isn’t bare at receiver it is more talent deficient than at
any time I can remember during the Drew Brees era. Moncrief would be a good
third receiver to pair with Marques Colston and Kenny Stills, and could develop
into an effective starter across from the smaller, speedier Stills in the
future.
59.
Indianapolis Colts
Antonio Richardson –
OT, Tennessee (Big Board #93)
This is just the kind of pick the Colts would make, a fairly
big reach for a player at a position of need. The Colts need to upgrade Luck’s
protection, and Richardson can man either right tackle across from Anthony
Castonzo or move inside and play guard.
60.
Carolina Panthers
Allen Robinson – WR,
Penn St. (Big Board #78)
In 2011 the Panthers were one of the worst run defenses in
the entire league. In the 2012 draft they double dipped at DT in the first two
rounds with Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short, immediately turning the front
seven into one of the best in football. They are so talent deficient at
receiver they could opt for a similar strategy in this draft, and they can only
hope it turns out as well as last year. Allen Robinson would give the Panthers
a big bodied outside receiver to pair with their earlier pick, Brandin Cooks.
61. San Francisco 49ers
Marcus Smith –
DE/OLB, Louisville (Big Board #58)
Aldon Smith is going to miss some games this year, and he
might not be around San Francisco much longer. The possibility is one the 49ers
need to prepare for. Marcus Smith is a very talented outside rusher that fits
our scheme perfectly. You can never have enough pass rushers.
62.
New England Patriots
Jimmy Ward – S,
Northern Illinois (Big Board #80)
I feel like the Patriots draft a small-school safety in
every single draft. They shocked the world by selecting Tavon Wilson in Round 2
a couple years ago. I think this pick would be met with much less head scratching
though.
63.
Denver Broncos
Kareem Martin – DE,
North Carolina (Big Board #81)
The Broncos are going to be ahead in a lot of games and they
are going to be able to send a lot rushers at the quarterback. It would make a
lot of sense to add a natural 4-3 end to their arsenal, especially with the departure
of Shaun Phillips to the Titans and the impending age-based decline of Demarcus Ware. Martin can contribute as a
situational rusher right away and develop into a starter down the road. He has
the size to line up inside in a four man front which gives him added value as a
pass rusher.
64.
Seattle Seahawks
Martavis Bryant – WR,
Clemson (Big Board #86)
Bryant is a project receiver, but he has the potential to really make an impact at the next level. The Seahawks just resigned Sidney Rice, but it was to a short term deal and he is incredibly injury prone, so they will probably look to add a lengthy outside receiver to eventually replace him. Bryant fits the bill.
Bryant is a project receiver, but he has the potential to really make an impact at the next level. The Seahawks just resigned Sidney Rice, but it was to a short term deal and he is incredibly injury prone, so they will probably look to add a lengthy outside receiver to eventually replace him. Bryant fits the bill.
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