With most of free agency said and done with, all the big time players have with some minor moves yet to be made that can make a difference for a team in the middle rounds of May’s draft. Either way, here’s my post free agency mock draft. Enjoy!
1. Houston Texans – DE from South Carolina – Jadeveon Clowney – Not much has changed for me on this pick. With Teddy Bridgewater falling down my board, the Texans will have plenty to choose from in the second round for quarterbacks. Clowney is the best player on the board and in the draft, period.
2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington) – WR from Clemson – Sammy Watkins – With Saffold coming back, the Rams don’t have the need to take a tackle at this point in the draft. They have another pick and could easily trade up to take an offensive lineman or they can take one there at the 13th pick. Watkins is the best WR in the draft and his stock is extremely high from teams like Cleveland, Oakland and Detroit.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – QB from UCF – Blake Bortles – The best quarterback in the draft is Bortles and with Jacksonville improving their pass rush, they need to address their quarterback issue.
4. Cleveland Browns – QB from Texas A&M – Johnny Manziel – The Browns cleaned house at quarterback and I think it was a clear message that this is what position they’ll be drafting in May. Truly they’d want Bortles but they’ll take Manziel over any quarterback at this point.
5. Oakland Raiders – OT from Auburn – Greg Robinson – With the Saffold deal falling through, the Raiders need to address their offensive line. I think they’ll trade for Schaub and give him a year to try and figure it all out at quarterback. Bridgewater could be an option but his pro day wasn’t good so Robinson is the Raiders’ best bet.
6. Atlanta Falcons – OLB from Buffalo – Khalil Mack – Word on the street is that Atlanta is moving to a 3-4 defense. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mack is the pick here. He’s the best linebacker in the draft and fits any defense out there.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – OT from Texas A&M – Jake Matthews – Sure they added LT Anthony Collins and let LT Donald Penn go but they could still use a right tackle. Matthews is the best player on the board and would be a great fit in Tampa Bay.
8. Minnesota Vikings – OLB from UCLA – Anthony Barr – The Vikings without question need a weak-side linebacker and Barr fits that need. Taking a quarterback shouldn’t be on a new head coaches list at the 8th overall spot. Barr is the best player on the board.
9. Buffalo Bills – OT from Michigan – Taylor Lewan – Outside of Hasean Clinton-Dix, Lewan is the biggest need the Bills have on their team. They have the weapons and need to start protecting EJ Manuel before his career ends faster than planned. Lewan would be a great addition.
10. Detroit Lions – CB from Oklahoma State – Justin Gilbert – As much as I would like Dennard, Gilbert is faster than him and has been on the rise. The Lions need help in their secondary and could very well make a trade down to take a safety or even take a safety here at this spot but as of right now, they take Gilbert who’s been impressive for the last several weeks.
11. Tennessee Titans – CB from Michigan State – Darqueze Dennard – The biggest need for the Titans after Verner signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is now at cornerback. Dennard is the second best corner in the draft and for a while was on top of my board at the position. After hearing about his pro day being average and Gilbert’s being excellent, the two switch spots on my board. Either way, Dennard fits a need and will be ready for the Titans on day one.
12. New York Giants – WR from Texas A&M – Mike Evans – After losing Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Myers on offense, the Giants need another weapon for Eli Manning. Ebron is a tight end and could very well be on the top of the board for the Giants. Their general manger is smart and will either pick Ebron or Evans. I say Mike Evans.
13. St. Louis Rams – FS from Alabama – Hasean Clinton-Dix – With the tackles they have Saffold and Long, neither one are healthy enough to be considered safe bets at the position but there’s no tackle that’s worth taking at this spot. Take the next best thing in Clinton-Dix.
14. Chicago Bears – DT from Florida State – Timmy Jernigan – Despite losing Julius Peppers, the Bears replaced him with Willie Young and Lamar Houston. Henry Melton doesn’t look like he’ll be coming back so replacing him is next on their list. Jernigan is the best DT on the board and should be the first one taken.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers – ILB from Alabama – CJ Mosley – I’d think that their top 3 linebackers are Jason Worlids and Jarvis Jones on the outside with Lawrence Timmons in the middle. The Steelers still need another ILB and Mosley fits just that and should be considered a steal.
16. Dallas Cowboys – DE/OLB from Missouri – Kony Ealy – The biggest splash the Cowboys have made in free agency is letting DeMarcus Ware go, signing Brandon Weeden and have talks with Jared Allen. It’s tough not being smart and not having money. The Cowboys are going to lose Anthony Spencer off the edge as well and are absolutely desperate. I would be surprised if Ealy wasn’t the pick here.
17. Baltimore Ravens – OT from Notre Dame – Zack Martin – Adding Steve Smith took the need of WR off the board (at least this early). However with the departure of Michael Oher the need of a RT now takes top priority for the Ravens.
18. New York Jets – TE from North Carolina – Eric Ebron – The Jets added Eric Decker but shouldn’t stop there. They need a tight end and Ebron is a first rounder without question.
19. Miami Dolphins – WR from LSU – Odell Beckham Jr. – It seems like the Dolphins have filled every need outside of finding a starting left guard but adding another offensive weapon would be a smart idea. ODJ is the third ranked receiver on my board and would be a great fit in Miami.
20. Arizona Cardinals – DT from Pittsburgh – Aaron Donald – Donald was probably a second round guy before the combine and now he’s a top 20 pick. I like Jernigan over Donald for the size factor but Donald is going to be a good pro football player. The Cardinals’ fans are going to be loud when this one is announced.
21. Green Bay Packers – FS from Louisville – Calvin Pryor – M.D. Jennings left the Packers to go to the Bears and now they need a new starting FS. Pryor is a great fit for the Packers and will be starting day one.
22. Philadelphia Eagles – WR from USC – Marqise Lee – Riley Cooper, Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin is a nice trio but adding Lee would allow the Eagles to have a back-up plan if Maclin leaves after his one-year deal that was just signed or if the trade rumors for Desean Jackson are true. Another option is a starting NT but Bennie Logan looked good last year.
23. Kansas City Chiefs – WR from Oregon State – Brandin Cooks – Nobody knew who Cooks was before the combine but his combine was so good, he’s become a first rounder. The Chiefs need help all over the place as Cooks is going to be their guy with his speed and hands.
24. Cincinnati Bengals – DE from Auburn – Dee Ford – After the departure of Michael Johnson at DE, the Bengals need to look to upgrade. Dee Ford makes the most sense and could make an impact right away.
25. San Diego Chargers – DT from Notre Dame – Louis Nix III – After losing Cam Thomas to Pittsburgh, the Chargers need help in the middle of their defensive line. Nix is low on the board because of his injuries but it shouldn’t force him out of the first round. Great value for the Chargers this far down in the draft.
26. Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis) – CB from Virginia Tech – Kyle Fuller – The Browns still have an early selection in the second round to upgrade their receivers and offensive line, I think they’ll go with Fuller for their secondary to hopefully find a corner to pair up with Joe Haden.
27. New Orleans Saints – OLB from Ohio State – Ryan Shazier – The Saints don’t have an OLB worth naming and found ways to upgrade their secondary this free agency. Ryan Shazier should be on the Saints board, especially since he’s been climbing up mine.
28. Carolina Panthers – WR from Florida State – Kelvin Benjamin – The Panthers have a couple receivers on their roster who aren’t worth naming for the simple fact that with all of them combined only have 2 career receptions. It’s scary to even think about. The Panthers need to help Super Cam out before he wants out.
29. New England Patriots – DT from Minnesota – RaShede Hagerman – With Vince Wilfork wanting out, the Patriots don’t have a choice, do they? Hagerman is the best defensive tackle on the board at this point and would be an upgrade as far as depth goes. He has to learn how to be more consistent but that shouldn’t be a problem in New England.
30. San Francisco 49ers – WR from Penn State – Allen Robinson – Finding an upgrade to replace Mario Manningham should be taken into consideration for the 49ers. Robinson is a sleeper with great size of 6’2 and soft hands. I think he would fit well next to Boldin and Crabtree.
31. Denver Broncos – OG from UCLA – Xavier Su’a-Filo – Zane Beadley wasn’t even looked at to be re-signed as the Broncos spent it all on defense. No way can they neglect their offensive line any longer. The best guard in the draft finds a home with Peyton Manning.
32. Seattle Seahawks – DE from Oregon State – Scott Crichton – The Seahawks will look deep into the corners this year as they lost Walter Thurmond and Brandon Browner but first, they’ll do what they’ve been doing the last couple of seasons and that’s address the pass rush. Crichton is a workhorse and is drawing similarities to Jared Allen.
