Much like blasting Saliva and Disturbed at ridiculous volumes on a silver Sony boombox while playing Jak and Daxter (#throwbacks amirite?), this hobby grew stale in my later years, but unlike angsty pop-metal and video games, I never really shook the habit.
Mocks are useless.
They're an exercise for beat writers and bloggers to discuss prospects and team needs in a brief and passing manner, a way to throw in some surface level analysis for the casual fan. For the more hardcore among us, they're just something to scroll through while you're sitting on the john at work.
So, without further ado, here's my one and only mock of the draft season. Happy pushin' lads.
(Apologies for the bare bones visuals.)
What I think could happen, not what I hope would happen, not what I would do. No trades.
1. Cleveland Browns - Josh Allen, QB Wyoming
- Gross.
2. New York Giants - Sam Darnold, QB USC
- QB has been a less and less popular pick among prognosticators here, but I point to the Jets trade with the Colts as reason enough to believe the Giants intend to take a signal caller here. If Gettelman really believes he can win with Eli for two or three more years, there's a 0% chance he'd pass up on three second rounders to go down to no. 6. And there's no way the Jets didn't try to go as high as possible with that trade package.
3. New York Jets - Baker Mayfield, QB Oklahoma
- The Jets get exactly the guy they need to give the Pats a run for their money in the AFC East in the coming years. Broadway Baker becomes a thing.
4. Cleveland Browns - Saquon Barkley, RB Penn St.
- Best player rewarded with an all expense paid trip to hell.
5. Denver Broncos - Josh Rosen, QB UCLA
- If three QBs really do go top three in this draft I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Browns trade out and a team like the Bills or Cardinals make it four for four, but in this mock I have Elway taking Rosen, a guy I think he'll be more comfortable with than other executives in the league. After all, if anyone can relate to a spoiled prodigy with a big head coming out of college, it's John Elway.
6. Indianapolis Colts - Bradley Chubb, EDGE N.C. State
- Tempted to give them Nelson given Luck's injury history, but edge rushers of Chubb's pedigree are hard to come by.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Quenton Nelson, OG Notre Dame
- Best player available helps an offense that severely underperformed last season.
8. Chicago Bears - Roquan Smith, LB Georgia
- Niners fans groan. Vic Fangio, benefactor of the Willis-Bowman tandem (and Dome Patrol), gets a premier LB to plug into the middle of his 3-4 alignment.
9. San Francisco 49ers - Derwin James, S Florida St.
- We're positioned so well in this draft, any one of like 5 guys (not even including Barkley, Chubb and Nelson) would be an exciting pick. I love Derwin James, so the bias is strong with this selection, but I think he's an ideal fit as well. I know we have three starting caliber safeties, but Ward and Tartt are free agents after this season, and neither is the impact player James projects to be. I know Reuben may be out for four-six games/indefinitely/forever and we need a LB...but there's more than one way to replace Reuben. Keep in mind 60-70% of defensive snaps are nickel packages. Check this out:
- In base we play Tartt at FS and James at SS, giving us two highly athletic and speedy defenders capable of stacking the box or running down receivers in the open field.
- Our nickel package becomes a big dime - we take out Coyle/Toomer/rookie for FS Adrian Colbert. Malcom Smith plays as the sole true LB in this package. James drops into the box to become the "second linebacker." Tartt slides over to SS. Ward becomes the nickel corner (sorry K'Waun, you take a seat in this dream scenario). That's an insanely fast, highly versatile, and hard hitting group of safeties roaming the middle of the field. It's a fascinating and - I believe - highly effective lineup.
- Let's not forget John Lynch played SS and Adam Peters was part of the brain trust that brought in T.J. Ward on a big free agent contract to create the "no fly zone" in Denver.
- James, unlike Minkah Fitzpatrick, is an elite athlete. That gives him the edge on draft day.
10. Oakland Raiders - Vita Vea, DT Washington
- No stop run, no win game.
11. Miami Dolphins - Tremaine Edmunds, LB Virginia Tech
- Edmunds is a little bit of a project, but he's a steal here.
12. Buffalo Bills - Mike McGlinchey, OT Notre Dame
- The Bills get frozen out of the QB market in this mock, settling for the top offensive tackle in a year that they said goodbye to Eric Wood, Richie Incognito and Cordy Glenn.
13. Washington Redskins - Denzel Ward, CB Ohio St.
- Redskins luck out and nab the top CB in the class to pair with Josh Norman and replace Kendall Fuller.
14. Green Bay Packers - Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB Alabama
- Minkah becomes the new Charles Woodson/Micah Hyde of the Packers. An impact jack-of-all-trades on the back end.
15. Arizona Cardinals - Calvin Ridley, WR Alabama
- Fitz can tutor Ridley until he reties in 8 or 11 years (Ridley, not Fitz. Fitz is playing forever).
16. Baltimore Ravens - Marcus Davenport, EDGE UTSA
- There will be temptation to help the offense, but then there's Joe Flacco, so the Ravens do what they always do, bolster the front seven and try to win with defense.
17. San Diego Chargers - Da'Ron Payne, DT Alabama
- The best interior pass rusher in this class pairs with Liuget, Ingram and Bosa to make life even easier on Casey Hayward. Chargers fans start thinking of trendy nickname like "Legion of Boom" or "Teal Curtain."
18. Seattle Seahawks - Taven Bryan, DT Florida
- Highly athletic interior pass rusher. He fits the explosive profile that Schneider looks for and helps limit the damage of losing Michael Bennett and Sheldon Richardson in one offseason.
19. Dallas Cowboys - Courtland Sutton, WR SMU
- Dez leaves, Sutton comes in. Is this connecting the dots too easy?
20. Detroit Lions - Derrius Guice, RB LSU
- The Lions have needed a talented grinder at RB for as long as I've been conscious.
21. Cincinnati Bengals - James Daniels, C Iowa
- The Bengals draft pretty well and they don't let this future all-pro slip any farther.
22. Buffalo Bills - Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville
- The Bills take their shot.
23. New England Patriots - Will Hernandez, OG UTEP
- Operation Timeless Tom commence.
24. Carolina Panthers - Josh Jackson, CB Iowa
- Hello Need, meet Value.
25. Tennessee Titans - Harold Landry, EDGE Boston College
- This is when I just decide to get drunk and stop hoping the Niners trade up for Landry.
26. Atlanta Falcons - Maurice Hurst, DT Michigan
- I called Payne the best interior rusher in the class, but really that title should belong to Hurst. If he had a completely clean bill of health he'd be borderline top 10. Undersized as a DT, but elite quickness. I remember Aaron Donald getting a similar scouting report.
27. New Orleans Saints - Isaiah Wynn, OG Georgia
- His athleticism and ability to make blocks in space will allow Payton to get real creative unleashing Alvin. This also helps keep Brees clean in the pocket. Great pick.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers - Rashaan Evans, LB Alabama
- Big, versatile, hard nosed linebacker who will be a tone setter for the Steelers. Would fit in really well next to Shazier when he comes back (get well soon).
29. Jacksonville Jaguars - D.J. Moore, WR Maryland
- Good receiver for Blake Bortles to waste.
30. Minnesota Vikings - Mike Hughes, CB UCF
- Tough, competitive, instinctive corner gets to learn from a similar player in Terrence Newman,
31. New England Patriots - Kolton Miller, OT UCLA
- Operation Timeless Tom commence, part 2.
32. Philadelphia Eagles - Sony Michel, RB Georgia.
- What do you get the team who has everything (except a secondary that doesn't allow 500 passing yards in the Super Bowl)? An electric playmaker at RB.
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