1. Houston - Khalil Mack - LB - Buffalo - Houston goes with the versatile linebacker over Clowney and Bortles. He must seem like a safer pick than Clowney, but not what I'd do.
2. St. Louis - Greg Robinson - OT - Auburn - The Rams are terrible and Jeff Fisher is a jerk. Robinson is a great run blocker who needs to learn how to pass protect. This may be a spot for Atlanta to trade up for Clowney.
3. Jacksonville - Jadeveon Clowney - DE - South Carolina - The Jags have to be doing backflips. Clowney is awesome.
4. Cleveland - Johnny MFing Football - QB - Texas A&M - I know what Jay Glazer said but I refuse to believe the Browns are going to pass on a QB again in the top 10. I just refuse.
5. Oakland - Mike Evans - WR - Texas A&M - Watkins makes sense, a quarterback makes sense, the Raiders rarely make sense but they get it right here.
6. Atlanta - Jake Matthews - OT - Texas A&M - Matthews is really good, I expect Atlanta to try and move up for Clowney.
7. Tampa Bay - Blake Bortles - QB - UCF - Tampa goes for upside and will have patience with the local guy.
8. Minnesota - Aaron Donald - DT - Pitt - Mike Zimmer is a defensive guy, and the Vikes need help up front. This makes sense to me.
9. Buffalo - Sammy Watkins - WR - Clemson - Buffalo has to be pretty pumped.
10. Detroit - Justin Gilbert - CB - Oklahoma State - I think I mock a cornerback to Detroit every year. One year I'll be right.
11. Tennessee - Anthony Barr - OLB - UCLA - Barr is a pure pass rusher and a stud. He may take a year or two to develop but he'll be worth the wait.
12. New York Giants - Taylor Lewan - OT - Michigan - Lewan is good but he's a total scumbag. Giants go o-line for the second year in a row.
13. St Louis - Ha Ha Clinton Dix - S - Alabama - The Rams have a good defense but Jeff Fisher sucks.
14. Chicago - CJ Mosely - LB - Alabama - Mosely is a three down player and will be called upon to lead a new look Bears defense.
15. Pittsburgh - Zack Martin - OL - Notre Dame - Martin is really really good and I hope this doesn't happen. He can play almost anywhere on the line and should stabilize Pittsburgh's offensive line.
16. Dallas - Calvin Pryor - S - Louisville - Dallas has some big needs on defense but safety is one of the biggest. They fill it here.
17. Baltimore - Eric Ebron - TE - UNC - Again something I hope doesn't happen. Ebron is big and fast and talented. He should go higher than this.
18. New York Jets - Odell Beckham Jr - LSU - I'm a big fan. The Jets offense could be scary.
19. Miami - JuWuan James - OT - Tennessee - Big and nimble O-lineman should start right away for the Dolphins.
20. Arizona - Derek Carr - QB - Fresno State - Carson Palmer is old and awful. I'm not a huge Carr fan.
21. Green Bay - Ryan Shazier - LB - Ohio State - Packers defense could be really nasty. Shazier is fast and hits a ton, but will require some patience as he's not the most disciplined linebacker.
22. Philadelphia - Marqise Lee - WR - USC - Lee is a great fit for Chip Kelly and should step in and replace Mesean Jackson.
23. Kansas City - Teddy Bridgewater - QB - Louisville - Alex Smith has one year left on his deal, and Bridgewater would be a perfect fit for Andy Reid. He can learn behind Smith and develop. I think he's got what it takes to be pretty good. This would be a great spot for him.
24. Cincinnati - Darqueze Dennard - CB - Michigan State - Cincy doesn't have too many holes, but they could stand to get younger in the secondary. Dennard would be a great fit.
25. San Diego - Bradley Roby - CB - Ohio State - Roby wanted to leave last year and played like he had a foot out the door for the Buckeyes. He was a stud as a sophomore though and should be a pretty good pro.
26. Cleveland - Kyle Fuller - CB - Virginia Tech - Fuller is a big, man to man corner and he would be a great great fit for what Mike Pettine wants to do on defense. If he's here, I'd expect the Browns to sprint up to the podium. I wouldn't be surprised to see them trade up or down with this pick, as there's a lot of different ways they can go.
27. New Orleans - Jason Verrett - CB - TCU - the run on corners continues with Verrett, a scrappy man cover player who can learn in the slot and take over for the recently signed Champ Bailey in a year.
28. Carolina - Cody Latimer - WR - Indiana - the Panthers have to draft a wideout early, right? Latimer is big, he's a good blocker, and he should help Cam with his reliable hands.
29. New England - RaShede Hageman - DL - Minnesota - Hageman is a mountain of a man with good athleticism for his size. To me he just seems like a Belichick pick due to his versitility, he can play in multiple fronts. His motor has been questioned.
30. San Francisco - Brandin Cooks - WR - Oregon State - I'd think San Fran would be jumping up and down if Cooks made it to them. He's a great complement to Crabtree.
31. Denver - Xavier Su'a-Filo - OG - UCLA - Denver needs corners, but they may have to move up to get one. Here they get a guard to replace Zane Beadles who left in free agency.
32. Seattle - Kony Ealy - DE - Missouri - Seattle takes a pass rusher, which just seems like something that they'd do. Ealy could go earlier, Dee Ford could go here as well.
Rest of the Browns draft
35. Cleveland - Allen Robinson - WR - Penn St - The Browns take Robinson, the big wideout from Penn State. He's got enough speed, good hands, and he can go up and get the ball. He's going to be a good pro in my opinion, and would be a great player opposite Josh Gordon.
71. Cleveland - Jordan Zumwalt - LB - UCLA - I'm sticking with Zumwalt in the third. I love the guy, I think he plays the will linebacker in the 3-4 next to Dansby and becomes a pretty good pro. If nothing else he's going to smash people on special teams.
83. Cleveland - Jared Abbrederis - WR - Wisconsin - I know they just took Robinson but this is my mock draft and I love what Abbrederis brings to the table. He's a reliable target who may round out the receiving corp as a chain mover.
106. Cleveland - Chris Watt - OG - Notre Dame - Watt may be gone but I think he can come in and compete for a job. Should be athletic enough to play in Shannahan's zone blocking scheme.
127. Cleveland - James Hurst - OT - UNC - Hurst may be looking at a redshirt rookie season after badly breaking his leg in the bowl game. He's worth a shot here.
145. Cleveland - Bruce Gaston - DL - Purdue - Rubin makes too much money for what he provides a defense. Gaston looked better as a junior but has enough size and quickness to make a rotation.
180. Cleveland - Ty Zimmerman - S - Kansas State - Zimmerman will make it hard for a coach to cut him. I think he's going to make a team and carve out a nice career as a backup safety.
218. Cleveland - Kapri Bibbs - RB - Colorado State - Bibbs seems like a good fit as a one-cut runner in the Browns new scheme. Throwing darts at this point.
Is this Ashley fox?
ReplyDeleteHi Eric,
ReplyDeleteIf there were any justice at all, Manziel will wind up on the Jets roster.
Anywhich, as you prob'ly already know, I'm not sold on JFF, at least as a top 5 or 10 pick. Of course neither is Charley Casserly, which ought to make me change my mind. It is, after all, part present value and quite a bit future potential. And a WHOLE LOT of marketing.
That part ought to be scarey to Browns fans as much as anything. The organization has been as disfunctional as any in recent memory, and self-sabotage has been almost their motto. The temptation of course, would be to make the splash pick instead of the most logical, not saying that other than offering 'food for thought.' Scarey too: Haslam apparently has made it known that he ultimately will sign off on any draft picks - after all, he's done such a great job in the past. I digress- as usual.
This is a funny year, isn't it- the top two guys all the talking heads want to gush over are Clowney, and Manziel. Neither is a 'sure fire.' Here's a few concerns I have about Manziel.
He's been compared alot to Brees & Wilson, but truthfully neither really compares to JFF in anything besides a tape measure. Wilson is a game manager in a run oriented, time of possession offense. Brees is a pocket passer and has one of the quickest releases in the league. When pressured he tends to step up past the pressure while looking through his progressions.
That's not the way JFF plays: he's not that confident in staying in the pocket, relying instead on mobility & instinct to buy time, or gaining yardage running on/toward the sidelines. In short, his game is something you don't really scheme for - improvization - something that opposing defenses in the NFL will surely figure an antidote.
His drop off in production against really good defenses ought to be cause for alarm. In his two games against LSU, A&M lost both games and he combined went 45 of 97 for 500 yards, 1 TD and 5 INTS. One final concern before I wrap this up- he was dismal in his final 2 regular season games, both played in cold weather. If you possess a cold weather aversion, the shores of Lake Erie may not be for you.
Can he continue to improvise at the next level, of course the answer is yes, and maybe that's the 50 million dollar question. Whoever picks Manziel will probably have to also design scheme and personnel to suit his talents. Will it work? Maybe. Plenty risky- if it doesn't work out, you're going to be starting completely over. Oh, and Farmer and Pettine will have new addresses.
UC
ps, I look for Houston to trade out of the top pick, but what do I know?
Hey UC -
DeleteI know there are a few factors that you can knock Manziel on but when I look at him I see a guy who completed a higher percentage of his passes than any other top qb in this draft. I see something instinctive about the way he avoids rushers, and that can't be taught.
The LSU game was bad, but he's only 21 and will be able to learn from Hoyer for at least a year or two. I believe in him more than the other top qbs, and I believe (maybe blindly) that the Browns won't be in a position to take a quarterback of his caliber in the coming seasons. I honestly don't think they'll take him, but I think they should and think it will be a mistake if they pass. Maybe all the glitter has me blinded. I went in liking Bridgewater the best though, and Manziel took that spot in my eyes. But what the hell do I know?!? Probably not much......
Houston is really throwing a wrench into the draft this year, I have a hard time believe they're passing on Clowney but who knows. Should be interesting anyway!!! Take care
Hi Eric,
DeleteYeah Houston is throwing a wrench into things a bit, but this is a little like hi-stakes poker: why expose your hand before you have to?
No one really *knows* how Manziel does at the next level. He has quickness more than speed, faster than college DL & LB's and all but the most elite CB's. That's one of the reasons he had no success against LSU in either game-LSU has a properly deployed defense, especially in the Tiger's secondary. Ok, you say he did well against Alabama and that's true- except that Saban really didn't have the scheme or personnel to thwart JF. I'll point out that Saban never got the memo about Trevor Knight and the Sooners, either. The next level will have secondaries that can match his speed. Oh, and he won't be carrying the ball like a loaf of bread long, either. If the Browns understand that and it's considerable risks, then! Carry on. See you this summer, and take care!
UC