This is my 32 team one-round mock draft. The wonderful thing about doing these is that they’re going to be wrong, you know that going in. But you get asked to do one and you take your best shot. The second there is one trade, it’s done. The team at number two signs a free agent quarterback for big money, it’s done. So with that in in mind, here is my 32 team post-combine, pre-free agency mock draft.
Tennessee Titans:
Laremy Tunsil, Offensive Tackle, Ole Miss
The best offensive Tackle in the Draft, meets the biggest need of the team. This is a fairly easy choice for the Titans as their quarterback needs a protector and Tunsil looks like the real deal.
Cleveland Browns:
Carson Wentz, Quarterback, North Dakota St.
Cleveland picks the wrong quarterback every second year, but this time they buck the trend and let their new head coach work his magic on a physically perfect QB specimen. Wentz is the best prospect at the position, and the Browns just HAVE GOT to get this right.
San Diego Chargers:
DeForest Buckner, Defensive End, Oregon
This is another case of the best player to fill a need actually being there to fill that need. Buckner is the best player in the draft, and fits the DE spot in the Chargers 3-4 scheme as well as any human being ever has. He will be their J.J. Watt for the next decade.
Dallas Cowboys:
Robert Nkemdiche, Defensive Tackle, Ole Miss
Jerry Jones is a crazy old man that does not care what you or I think about him, and this is the player that has the potential to help his team the most right now. A properly motivated Nkemdiche would be an immediate force in a defense that sorely needs some pass rush help.It’s probably a mistake, but nobody stops Jerry from drafting talent, particularly talent with issues.
Jacksonville Jaguars:
Jalen Ramsey, Defensive Back, FSU
Whether you want him to be a corner or a safety, Ramsey is one of the best players available in this draft. The Jaguars need both, so he fits well however they see him. Personally I see a corner, who will move to free safety in the closing years of a hall of fame career.
Baltimore Ravens:
Ronnie Stanley, Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame
The Ravens are letting the man who closed their season at left tackle go in free agency and saying they’ll be perfectly happy with Eugene Monroe manning that spot………. STUPID LIKE A FOX! That’s exactly what I would say if I were trying to convince teams that they didn’t need to leapfrog me in the draft to get a left tackle. I’m on to you, you sly devil.
San Francisco 49ers:
Jared Goff, Quarterback, California
This guy is a good fit for the QB spot in their new offensive system. If Chip Kelly is going to be successful, he is going to need someone to run his offense. Goff’s athletic ability and accuracy are just what the doctor ordered in San Francisco, and will be a welcome relief for a receiver corps likely tired of the errant fast-balls Kaepernick was giving them.
Miami Dolphins:
Vernon Hargreaves, Cornerback, Florida
Brent Grimes is a really good player, but he has size deficiencies that he’s been making up for with phenomenal athletic ability and a keen mind for the game. Vernon Hargreaves is a great replacement to go with last year’s second round draft pick Jamar Taylor and lock the position down for the Dolphins for years to come.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Joey Bosa, Defensive End, Ohio St.
The Buccaneers need some pass rush from their defensive end position. Personally I don’t think that Bosa is going to translate to the NFL with anywhere near the impact he had at the college level. In the three games I watched he was single blocked by a college right tackle more than 50% of the time. Not that this is the scale for success at the NFL level but can you imagine Jadeveon Clowney getting that treatment from anyone? Madness; and the comparisons I’ve been reading online between the two are insane. In part Bosa goes to Tampa because I have faith in their ability to draft the wrong player. If you’re looking for something to come after me for in a year, this is it. I don’t think Joey Bosa is anywhere near as good as people are making him out to be. Historically that meant he was going to play for the Lions.
New York Giants:
Laquon Treadwell, Wide Receiver, Ole Miss
The Giants are letting Rueben Randle walk for some reason, and even if Cruz does come back, after an injury that causes a layoff like this, he is probably never going to be the same player he was. Treadwell gives them a legitimate and completely different kind of receiver to pair with Odell Beckham Jr.
Chicago Bears:
Emanuel Ogbah, Defensive End, Oklahoma
Ogbah has some college tape that looks phenomenal, and some that looks not exactly spectacular. My take is that he’s a guy that’s going to play better in a 3-4 as an outside linebacker than a 4-3 defensive end role. His Combine numbers show that he’s athletic enough to make the transition and will give the Lions fits off the edge for years to come. Sigh.
New Orleans Saints:
A’Shawn Robinson, Defensive Tackle, Alabama
The perceived depth of the defensive tackle class will cause the teams at the top of the draft to correctly believe that there will be some great options for their second and possibly even third round picks. They’ll grab positions that are less deep. A’Shawn Robinson is a top ten prospect who slips just outside that range as a result. The Saints just need to take the best defensive player available for this entire draft and figure it out at the end. This defense was horrendous.
Philadelphia Eagles:
Jack Conklin, Offensive Tackle, Michigan St.
Sam Bradford just made the QB spot a non-starter for the Eagles in round one, and with his injury history it might be a good idea to do a better job of protecting him. Jason Peters is 34 years old, and probably gets cut the day after the draft. Conklin is a solid tackle from day one.
Oakland Raiders:
Reggie Ragland, Linebacker, Alabama
Fellow Alabama alum. Curtis Lofton got benched mid-season last year and the Raiders need to improve the interior of their defense. Ragland looks like a solid inside linebacker on tape and put up good enough Combine numbers to indicate that he can likely be a three down linebacker until his first lower body injury at least.
Los Angeles Rams:
Paxton Lynch, Quarterback, Memphis
The Rams owe Nick Foles six million dollars if he’s on the roster in March. I’m going to go ahead and say that I don’t believe that’s happening, and even if it does, he will be the backup in Los Angeles by mid-season and cut early in the 2017 off-season.
Detroit Lions:
Eli Apple, Cornerback, Ohio St.
The Lions have Darius Slay on one side of the field, and a bunch of guys that are either untested, or have shown more aptitude for the inside corner position. Apple doesn’t have a huge number of games under his belt at the college level, and other than being on Ohio State’s roster and thus being in games that were being watched, was likely not really on a lot of online draft gurus’ radars prior to declaring himself eligible for the draft. He’s my pick as the under-classman that helped himself most at the Combine and he is a big corner who tested well. When you actually watch him play he’s one of those rare corners who is at his absolute best in press man coverage. It’s his physicality at the line of scrimmage that sets him apart from the field in my opinion; he disrupts his receiver’s pattern at the line, and at the college level that’s a rare trait. The pre-Combine analysis is that numbers 10-40 in this draft are pretty much interchangeable, and I think Apple has put himself in the conversation for the Lions first round pick.
Yes…. I know this is not a Tackle of either the Offensive or Defensive variety. No, I have not lost my mind. Yes, I fully expect to get grief over that, but when you look at my seven round Lions mock, it will make more sense.
Atlanta Falcons:
Shaq Lawson, Pass Rusher, Clemson
One of the most Scheme diverse players in the draft, he has been playing as a five technique defensive end, but put up combine numbers like a 3-4 OLB. that is pretty much a lock that a guy would fit nicely as a 4-3 DE. Scheme-proof players are hard to come by and the Falcons need help up front.
Indianapolis Colts:
Miles Jack, Linebacker, UCLA
Excellent coverage linebacker to slide in beside D’Qwell Jackson. He is a guy that can easily fill the Rey Lewis role in the defense being run by the Colts, based on the Ravens’ scheme. If you keep blockers off this kid he can go sideline to sideline and tackle everything.
Buffalo Bills:
Shaq Calhoun, Pass Rusher, Michigan St.
Calhoun didn’t run well at the Combine, but jumped out of his shoes straight up, and nailed the agility drills. After ditching Mario Williams due to a lack of scheme fit, the Bills bring in an immediate replacement.
New York Jets:
Mackensie Alexander, Cornerback, Clemson
The Jets brought in a lot of cornerbacks last season, and not all of them worked out. Todd Bowles likes to run a lot of defensive backs through his secondary, and Alexander is a solid cover corner, which is the entire basis of how his scheme is run in the secondary.
Washington Football Team:
Jarran Reed, Defensive Tackle, Alabama
Replaces the about to be departed Terrance Knighton, Reed is a great run stuffer and eats blockers like I eat cheeseburgers. That’s a good thing. Well, the eating of blockers; I should probably lay off the cheeseburgers.
Houston Texans:
Connor Cook, Quarterback, Michigan State
The Houston Texans become a Super Bowl contender with steady quarterback play. They have every other ingredient, a solid run game, a stout defense, it’s virtually the same situation that Ben Roethlisberger walked into in Pittsburgh, and Joe Flacco walked in to with the Ravens. They have the perfect environment to bring a Quarterback in to.
Minnesota Vikings:
Taylor Decker, Offensive tackle, Ohio State
Ryan Kalil, meet your replacement: Taylor. Kalil has a massive cap hit this year and has played poorly, he likely would find himself looking for work days after this pick was made.
Cincinnati Bengals:
Andrew Billings, Defensive Tackle, Baylor
An incredibly powerful anchor to the Bengals defensive line. Geno Atkins continues to be Geno Atkins, but I guarantee within two years it’s Billings that’s drawing the double teams vs. the run.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Noah Spence, Pass Rusher, Ea. Kentucky
The Steelers don’t care if a guy playing outside linebacker has straight line speed, they need him to be powerful and explosive. Nobody runs 40 yards in the NFL but receivers and defensive backs, this guy strikes me more as a legitimate feelgood story of redemption than a horrible human being.
Seattle Seahawks:
Ezekiel Elliot, Running Back, Ohio St.
Sure, running backs are devalued, and sure Rawls looked like he had potential, but when a hole opens in your Super Bowl caliber team, and you get the chance to directly fill it without a hitch, you take that chance and carry on. And I’m reasonably sure that most of you stopped reading at 16, if not sooner.
Green Bay Packers:
Darron Lee, Linebacker, Ohio St.
The Packers need to get some help at linebacker so they can get Clay Matthews back to doing what he does best. Lee fits in this scheme in the spot that the team had been using Matthews, Lee needs to put on some weight and get stronger to carry his skill set over to the Packers, but that is true no matter the team that drafts him.
Kansas City Chiefs:
Josh Doctson, Wide Receiver, TCU
He’s an extremely agile receiver with good height and great ability to high point the ball. With Alex Smith at QB, Doctson could be incredibly effective in the red zone.
Arizona Cardinals:
Sheldon Rankins, Defensive Tackle, Louisville
He’s a 300lb man who put up Combine numbers better than some linebackers. He’s a stout and powerful player with the quickness to make life very difficult for his opponents.
Carolina:
Jason Spriggs, Offensive Tackle, Indiana
You could say that the Broncos might have exposed the true weakness of the Carolina Panthers offensive line. Spriggs is the last available left tackle in my opinion, with the rest of the field needing to move to right tackle or guard at the NFL level.
Denver Broncos:
Jonathan Bullard, defensive Tackle, Florida
Bullard is one of the better run defenders in the draft and has had success as an interior pass rusher as well. He has the size and athleticism to slide right in to the spot being vacated shortly by Malik Jackson. Perfect fit for a team that has a tendency to draft perfect fits.
New England Patriots:
nobody AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
And the rest of the Draft for Detroit can be found in the next installment of Ash’s mock draft. Unless they tell me to stop writing draft articles because I picked a guy from Ohio State. Complaints can be filed on Reddit to /u/a5hcrack, and to some guy on twitter @a5hcrack who spends way too much time thinking about this stuff.
