Def Pen’s 2015 NFL Mock Draft Version 2.0
The annual NFL draft is fastly approaching. While the pro days are wrapping up teams are starting to gather their final scouting reports and draft boards set in stone. Teams have also filled a number of needs during free agency. The first round of the draft will take place on April 30th. In this version I will attempt to select the player without trading in the process. For those interested in seeing my first mock draft click here.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston QB (Florida State)
This picks a lock baring any future legal issues. Winston will be able to remain in the State of Florida, where he won a national championship just one year ago. Lovie Smith will finally have his franchise quarterback after years of dealing with Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Jay Cutler, and Josh McCown.
2. Tennessee Titans: Leonard Williams DE (USC)
The Titans have a decision on their hands here. Do they select the best available quarterback or go with the best defensive player? Before the hiring of defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau I would have mocked Marcus Mariota to the Titans. Now I believe the old defensive wizard will convince the Titans brass to make the smart pick. Williams is the safest and best player in this years draft. After adding Brian Orakpo in free agency, it seems unlikely the team goes with an edge rusher here.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dante Fowler Jr OLB (Florida)
Having already invested a first round pick in Blake Bortles just one year ago, the pick of Mariota makes little sense. Therefore I project the Jags to make the pick their franchise normally does. Back in 2008 head coach Jack Del Rio needed a pass rusher. He got his wish trading up to select Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey. Harvey then turned into a complete failure, and is already out of the league. Fast forward 7 years later, head coach Gus Bradley needs a pass rusher. It just so happens anther Florida Gator with numerous red flags is just staring them in the face. Uh Oh!
4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper WR (Alabama)
The old regime under Al Davis no doubt would have take Kevin White because of his 40 time. The new management under Reggie McKenzie operates much differently selecting the safest player. Last year Oakland used a similar philosophy to take stud Khalil Mack. This could also be a trade spot for teams targeting Marcus Mariota. Washington, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and the New York Jets are known teams to be interested. Cooper is the best wide out prospect in the entire draft reminding me of the great Torrey Holt of the St. Louis Rams.
5. Washington Redskins: Marcus Mariota QB (Oregon)
The first shocker of the draft occurs when the Redskins select Marcus Mariota. Remember Jay Gruden was not apart of the team when the Skins traded the farm for Robert Griffin III. Gruden wants his guy plain and simple. Gruden and RG3 simply haven’t gotten along. My guess is the Redskins can trade Griffin for a 5th-6th round pick and get their new franchise quarterback. The fit could also work for Mariota. Gruden had extreme success with Andy Dalton in Cincinnati with excellent play calling before departing for Washington. While the Skins get their quarterback in this mock draft the team could also select pass rusher Randy Gregory if they choose to go defense. My best guess is the team that ultimately lands Mariota trades up with the Raiders to get him.
6. New York Jets: Randy Gregory OLB (Nebraska)
The Jets upgraded the secondary with the additions of Darrelle Revis, Buster Skrine, Marcus Gilchrist, and Antonio Cromartie. New head coach Todd Bowles will now look for the pass rusher. With the Gregory selection the team will look to have one of the best defenses in 2015. Gregory reminds me of draft bust Dion Jordan but then again you never know.
7. Chicago Bears: Danny Shelton DT (Washington)
The Bears get their giant nose tackle at pick number seven. The addition of Pernell McPhee upgrades the pass rush. Now the team needs a nose for the new 3-4 defense. With Shelton in the middle and Ego Ferguson and Lamar Huston on the ends the Bear defense is becoming a bit scarier.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Shane Ray OLB (Missouri)
If the Falcons don’t get a pass rusher the city will riot. Atlanta could not get after the quarterback last season if the offensive line consistent of a bunch of senior citizens. The Falcons ranked 31st in the league in sacks with only 22. Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston had 22 by himself last season. New head coach Dan Quinn will attempt to make Ray his version of Bruce Irvin.
9. New York Giants: Andrus Peat OT (Stanford)
Let’s give Eli some protection. The Giants have to focus on keeping Eli Manning up right for the team to have any chance of returning to prominence. Peat’s father Todd, played for the Giants during his playing day. Peat is the consensuses first overall tackle by most experts. While I am not the biggest fan of his game the family ties will likely make Peat a Giant come April 30th.
10. St. Louis Rams: La’el Collins
The Rams are virtually one offensive play-maker to becoming serious contenders. The Rams sport an already scary defense. With new quarterback Nick Foles it’s time to build the offense. The Rams need to upgrade the offense line regardless with the lack of receiving help. Collins versatility to play guard and tackle makes him a obvious fit for St. Louis.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Melvin Gordon HB (Wisconsin)
Adrian Peterson who? The Vikings don’t care about the first round runningback trend. They decide to go with the top back Melvin Gordon. The hope has to be an offense with Teddy Bridgewater, Gordon, Kyle Rudolph, Cordarelle Paterson, and Charles Johnson has a chance to be successful. Norv Turner will make sure of it. With the Trade for Mike Wallace a receiver also seems out of the realm of possibility. Todd Gurley could also be the pick but the uncertainty of his knee makes Gordon the guy for the Vikings.
12. Cleveland Browns: Kevin White WR (West Virginia)
The first of the Browns two first round picks are used to upgrade the receiver position. The Josh Gordon fiasco and failure to land one of the great rookie wide outs last season makes White the pick. The Browns have a history of messing up on draft picks so look no further than to take the one year wonder from West Virginia.
13. New Orleans Saints: Ereck Flowers OT (Miami)
Let’s give Drew Brees some protection. The Saints had one of the worst offensive lines this past season. The team also traded all pro guard Ben Grubbs to Kansas City. The giant 6’7″ tackle makes perfect sense for the Saints at 13.
14. Miami Dolphins: Trae Waynes CB (Michigan State)
The Dolphins look to upgrade the secondary after Waynes falls to them at pick 14. With Brent Grimes on one side, Waynes would be a perfect compliment. The Dolphins have been aggressive to create a dominant defense to combat Tom Brady’s New England Patriots. Waynes will only help that cause.
15. San Francisco 49ners: Devante Parker WR (Louisville)
Mr. known it all Trent Baalke has to be thinking offensive. After all if the 9ner offense struggles this year he will look like a complete fool for letting Jim Harbaugh go. Devante Parker from Louisville gives them the best chance to replace Michael Crabtree who is unlikely to return. Even with the addition of Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin does not have much left in the tank.
16. Houston Texans: Jaelen Strong WR (Arizona State)
Strong will look to fill the Texan receiving void left by the departure of Andre Johnson. Strong’s week 5 performance vs. USC really put him on the map. Jaelen is a strong physical target very similar to Andre Johnson. He could make a great compliment to DeAndre Hopkins.
17. San Diego Chargers: Todd Gurley HB (Georgia)
Make no mistake about it Gurley is a top 5 talent. The thing that dropped him was a devastating knee injury. It was not to long ago that I called Gurley the best college football player on the planet. Having said all of that the Chargers could really use a half back with star potential. This has been a dire need ever since Ladainian Tomlinson left the team. With the upgrade of Orlando Franklin along the offensive line, Gurley could be the man for San Diego.
18. Kansas City Chiefs: T.J. Clemmings OT (Pitt)
The Chiefs acquired Jeremy Maclin this offseason so the receiver position can be addressed later in the draft. The Chiefs could use offensive line help as much as anyone right now. Rodney Hudson has moved on to Oakland and Eric Fisher has not panned out as expected. Clemmings is raw but can kick inside to guard for now.
19. Cleveland Browns: Malcom Brown DT (Texas)
Head Coach Mike Pettine absolutely wants to add depth to his defensive line. With the shaky health of Phil Taylor, Malcom Brown will add insurance to the Cleveland D line. The offense of side of the ball looks to be taken care of after the Kevin White selection.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: Arik Armstead DE (Oregon)
Chip Kelly loves Pac 12 guys, better yet Chip Kelly loves Oregon guys. Armstead could provide valuable depth along the defensive line along side Fletcher Cox. This pick could be used to trade up for Marcus Mariota, but for all intensive purposes lets stick with Armstead. He compares favorably to Calias Campbell from a measurable standpoint.
21. Cincinatti Bengals: Brandon Scherff G (Iowa)
For all intensive purposes the Bengals are the NFL’s most irrelevant team as long as the red headed devil Andy Dalton remains the quarterback. Since I have no control of the quarterback position and can’t fix their win less playoff streak, Cincinnati likely gives Dalton more help. Scherff could be the top guard in the draft. Let’s hope for their standpoint he turns into Zack Martin.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Landon Collins SS (Alabama)
Troy Polamalu has played his last game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Having said that the secondary desperately needs to be taken care of. With needs at safety and corner we give them the top safety in the draft Landon Collins. Collins fits the Steeler mold, a tough hard hitting safety from Alabama. Collins is a strong safety better in run support much different from Haha Clinton-Dix from last year. Pittsburgh is a smart organization, they will pick the best available player here.
23. Detroit Lions: Jalen Collins CB (LSU)
The Lions need secondary help regardless of the departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairly. The Trade for Haloti Ngata likely makes cornerback the pick here for Detroit. Collins is a talented corner from LSU, a school who produces corners every year.
24. Arizona Cardinals: Vic Beasley OLB (Clemson)
The Cardinals brass is jumping up and down after Beasley falls to there lap. The beast from Clemson forms the perfect pass rushing threat the Cardinals have been desperately searching for. Cornerback could also be the selection after Antonio Cromartie bolted for the Jets.
25. Carolina Panthers: Breshad Perriman WR (Central Florida)
Perriman is a big riser. Kelvin Benjamen needs a compliment so why no Perriman. I don’t think Carolina is foolish enough to take Devin Smith so they go Perriman who has some NFL pedigree. His father played in the league. Greg Jennings is also set to visit Carolina making the receiving core more respectable.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Marcus Peters CB (Washington)
If the board shakes out this way the Ravens will absolutely trade down. Peters projects as more of a second round corner due to the off the field problems. In a way Marcus Peters reminds me of Jimmy Smith who was a troubled corner from Colorado with top ten talent. Then again if Jimmy Smith is healthy last season Baltimore beats the Patriots in the Divisional round after horrible secondary play. A secondary with Smith, Peters, and Lardarius Webb in the slot all of the sudden this secondary looks a lot better. Look for Baltimore to also look heavily at receiver and tight end.
27. Dallas Cowboys: Eric Kendricks MLB (UCLA)
Dallas desperately wanted Ryan Shazier last year. Now they finally get a linebacker. There is a ton of questions with the Dallas line backing core. Sean Lee may or may not be healthy, Rolando McClain may or may not be back, Bruce Carter may or may not be good, and Anthony Hitchens should have definitely been flagged during the Lions playoff game. Something has to give. All I know is Kendricks is a heck of a football player.
28. Denver Broncos: Jordan Phillips DT (Oklahoma)
Pot roast Terrence Knighten is off to Washington and Wade Phillips needs a new nose tackle. Phillips can be the nose that Von Miller and Demarcus Ware need.
29. Indianapolis Colts: Jake Fisher OT (Oregon)
If Andrew Luck got some protection last season there would be no doubt who the best quarterback in the league is. Fisher is an extremely athletic tackle that Mr. Luck desperately needs. Also don’t forget Mr. Grigson you need a runningback, Boom Herron isn’t cutting it. I won’t even bring up you know who (cough Trent Richardson).
30. Green Bay Packers: Maxx Williams TE (Minnesota)
Maxx Williams is regarded as the lone first round tight end in this years draft. Although I prefer Miami’s Clive Walford, Tedd Thompson may be thinking he needs to take Maxx before all the tight ends get picked before he’s up again. A tight end target would be a nice luxury for Mr. Discount Double Check. We all know what happened to Brandon Bostick after the muffed onside kick……(Bostick was released after costing Green Bay the playoff game vs. Seattle).
31. New Orleans Saints: Bud Dupree OLB (Kentucky)
This pick was traded to New Orleans for Jimmy Graham. The Jimmy Graham pick gets used to upgrade the defensive side of the ball. The Saints defense is a complete dumpster fire so anything will help here. Dupree is the best pass rusher available in regards to most experts opinion. Personally I wouldn’t take Dupree based off the fact there is games here completely does not show up. Eli Harold is the other player under consideration here.
32. New England Patriots: Kevin Johnson CB (Wake Forest)
This will be a trade down if Bill Belichick does not like any of the players here. Having said that Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner are gone. Johnson is a crafty corner who fits that Patriot mold.
