Here's the draft order:
1. Houston Texans -
Khalil Mack LB
In 2006 The Texans went against the "safe pick", Reggie Bush. Crennel wants fast and built options on his defense to keep up with these high powered offenses. While Clowney is a physical freak Mack is a more traditional 3-4 OLB and can make an immediate impact. This selection allows them to move Brooks Reed inside next to Cushing where he can be a run stuffing thumper. Mack will play on the same side as JJ Watt which will force offenses to severly overload on side and allows Mercilus and Swearinger, playing box safety, to get free runs at the QB.
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2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins) -
Greg Robinson OT
If Texans drafted Mack, STL would take Clowney in 2 seconds. For purposes here I will just assume Mack=Clowney and let whichever team below that was targeting Mack grab Clowney.
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3. Jacksonville Jaguars -
Jadaveon Clowney DE
Jaguars will not be in this spot most likely(they'll trade down), but Jaguars select Jadeveon Clowney as the best pure defensive athlete in the draft. Gus Bradley knows how to motivate and how to coach up talent, so working with Clowney might be a dream. Plenty of vets on defense to keep pushing him and Clowney will devour poor little Locker and Luck. We'll get a QB in round 2.
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4. Cleveland Browns -
Blake Bortles QB
With all the Qbs on the board i believe the Browns will take Blake Bortles. this is a who we think our team will take, not who we want to draft mock. Browns shouldn't play games with the QB position and hope one falls or waits for one, take the guy you like the most at 4 most, Remember what playing games with the qb position got you in WeedOn and Quinn. All the talk of no qb is worth a top pick is a little overblown. The qb position shouldn't be looked at as what can he do for us now, but what can he be for us in the long term. Finding a qb is hard, and you would hope your team isn't in a position to be picking this high in following years. take advantage of the high pick you have now. The teams ready to compete now, we just need a trigger man. and the young qb will hopefully be able to sit behind Hoyer.
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5. Oakland Raiders -
Teddy Bridgewater QB
After passing on Rivers, Cutler and Rodgers in drafts over the past 10 years, and giving up a 1st, two 2nds, a 5th and a 6th in addition to using a 4th on Tyler Wilson over the last 4 years the new Reggie McKenzie led Raiders have said "fuck this" and decided to do the right thing and get their franchise QB of the future in the 1st round rather than wasting another pick on a scrub in the mid rounds who can't even beat out Matt fucking McGloin.
In Bridgewater, the Raiders get the hardest working, most accurate and intelligent QB in the draft. He will not be thrown into the fire right away and will be allowed to sit for at least one year while he puts on some weight, refines his deep ball and increases his throwing power before leading the Oakland Raiders to 3 Super Bowl victories over the next 10 years. BOOM!!!
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6. Atlanta Falcons -
Jake Matthews OT
With the #6 pick, the Atlanta Falcons take Texas A&M Offensive Tackle Jake Matthews. Both Thomas Dmitroff and Mike Smith has promised over the offseason to focus on improving toughness across both trenches, and I fully expect the Falcons to take BLA (best lineman available), regardless of what side of the ball the player fits. I fully expect the top four of the team's draft board to be: Clowney, Mack, Robinson, Matthews.
Last season, the lack of depth on the Atlanta offensive line brought the team to its knees as raw Lamar Holmes, undrafted Ryan Schraeder, and Buccaneer castoff Jeremy Trueblood played musical chairs at left and right tackle after Sam Baker went down with his annual injury. It wasn't just the bookends that were at fault, as the interior of the line crumbled with Peter Konz being pulled in and out of the lineup, and the season coming to an ignominious and symbolic end with a botched snap.
As a result, Matt Ryan was beaten up and battered all season long, taking 44 sacks, the most in his career (the previous high being 28).
The Falcons let a weak position go largely unimproved since Ryan's rookie year, relying on improving castoffs like Harvey Dahl and Tyson Clabo over the years. Unsurprisingly, the Falcons are on their third offensive line coach in four years as noted high school girl creeper Mike Tice joins the staff to replace the west coast's favorite asshole Pat Hill.
The Falcons have lacked a franchise tackle for well over a decade - with Bob Whitfield the last to really deserve any accolade (Todd Weiner was okay.). Matthews immediately improves the line by plugging in at RT and inevitably taking over Baker's spot at LT. Most importantly, he shores up depth across the board.
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7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -
Sammy Watkins WR
With the seventh pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers select Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
Though the Bucs are in the market for a young QB since human/giraffe hybrid Mike Glennon, who did perform fairly well in his rookie year last season, is the product of the old regime, and one who Smith and Jeff Tedford don't seem to think is the guy going forward, after finishing dead last in offense last year and losing WRs Mike Williams and Tiquan Underwood, the Bucs clearly need more offensive firepower. And they add it by getting the bar none best receiver in one of the best classes for WRs ever. Putting him opposite Vincent Jackson, already coming off two very productive years with the Bucs, the Bucs shall officially make total bitches out of NFC South secondaries for the foreseeable future.
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8. Minnesota Vikings -
Anthony Barr LB
The Vikings have not had a great linebacking core in a very long time and they need both an inside and outside linebacker. Yes they need other positions as well, most notably Cornerback, but this is a deep draft and I am a proponent of selecting the best possible player that fits into your needs. And yes I realize that the Vikings need a QB. I also realize that there isnt much of a difference between the "Top" QB's in this draft and 2nd round guys like McCarron and Garrapolo.
Barr will be able to fill a few different roles during his first year as a player. He will fit into Zimmers desire to rotate Defensive linemen and Linebackers with the ultimate goal of making Barr into a full time three down outside linebacker.
The guy is a great athlete and a fantastic playmaker. Something our defense is sorely missing. My hope is that with a pick like this and a handful more on the defensive side of the ball the Vikings will make a huge leap forward.
Lets not forget that the Vikings blew FIVE leads last year in the final minutes of games due to complete defensive collapses. Hopefully this will be a step toward fixing that problem.
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9. Buffalo Bills -
Eric Ebron TE
With the 9th selection in the 2014 Draft, the Buffalo Bills select, TE Eric Ebron from UNC. This mock has always been about who the team will most likely take and not who the individual(s) making the selection would take. Given that, I see the Bills going Ebron. This org has played up the BIG/TALL WR in the past, and they've done shit about it. Year after year they talk about a physical receiver who's open when covered, year after year they ignore size.
In today's NFL, you win up the seam. TE is always a QBs best friend. They need to get EJ weapons, Ebron can take advantage of the middle of the field, an area of the field where young QBs do best.
I think they'd take ODB before Evans to be honest, they stressed separation and route running, two thing ODB does in spades. IF anyone can sneak into the top ten it's ODB to Buffalo, because they want shifty guys who can run routes.
With regards to OL, it's your typical OL Coach/HC scenario, where the HC thinks he can coach up lower round picks. Just look at the LG situation going into 2013, complete scrubs. Typical we'll coach em up situation, think they'll patch it up with middle round guys, Glenn's legit as the LT.
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10. Detroit Lions -
Mike Evans WR
Detroit runs to the podium to take Evans if he's there at #10. As one of the most sure-handed receivers in the draft, he'll fit right in alongside Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate as a solid downfield option for Matt Just Let Me Finish This Bucket of Chicken and I'll Be Right With You Stafford. Detroit needs another receiver to replace Nate Burleson, while the injury-prone Ryan Broyles has yet to prove himself as reliable. This pick would keep Detroit's offense near the top of the leaguehopefully high enough to make up for the terrible secondary.
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11. Tennessee Titans -
Justin Gilbert CB
The Titans take the best CB on the board to make up for the departure of Alterraun Verner whom they lost in free agency. In Justin Gilbert they are getting an athletic cornerback with with patience, a willingness to tackle and the acceleration/fluidity to develop into an excellent NFL corner.
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12. New York Giants -
Aaron Donald DT
With Mike Evans and Eric Ebron off the board (both the top two picks amongst Giants-Gaf), the options presented included going Safety with Will Hill all but being released after another upcoming drug suspension and the fact that this is Antrel Rolle's last year with the team. Haha Clinton-Dix was the most often mentioned named.
However, the name that appeared above him more consistently is Pitt's Aaron Donald. With the loss of Linval Joseph, the Giants are looking to Hankins to fill in the role of the run stopping space eater and will need to find an eventual replacement for the more pass rush oriented Cullen Jenkins who is reaching the finale of his career.
Donald's biggest knock is his size. Some view him as more of a 3-4 end in the NFL but I think he's too explosive, has too good a motor and is just too much of a monster for the Giants to pass up on him even if they use him in a situational rotation capacity in year 1. This guy is just damned disruptive and for a team that struggled to rush the passer and will be looking for an impact player along the defensive line after losing Justin Tuck - there's just no one else right now that provides the value and fills a NEED like Aaron Donald does.
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13. St. Louis Rams -
Haha Clinton-Dix S
With the 13th pick the Rams put the final pieces in place for an elite D with Ha Ha Clinton Dix. Paired with the hard hitting MacDonald, and 3rd year players Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson entering breakout years, the Rams secondary will finally be robust enough to hold their own during Gregg Williams' agressive, blitz-heavy playcalling.
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14. Chicago Bears -
Calvin Pryor S
The Bears cringe a bit as Donald and Haha go right before, but with their pick DA Bears select Calvin Pryor, safety. Last season Chicago fielded one of the worst defenses in history with some of the worst safety play ever witnessed thanks to Conte and Major Wright. Wright is off the team, Conte is recovering from surgery and will not be back until August. That leaves the current healthy Bears "starting" safeties being M.D. Jennings and Ryan Mundy. Pryor is a hard hitting safety who can bring back some of the classic Bears defense.
In retrospective though Emery will choose someone who graded out to be a mid 2nd to third round pick like his past two drafts.
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15. Pittsburgh Steelers -
Taylor Lewan OT
So it comes down to BPA, really. The choices here are Dennard (CB), Beckham (WR) or Lewan (OT). Lewan is BPA. His stock has fallen, and the Steelers won't like his off the field issues. However, they signed Plax last year and that guy is a walking issue. Ben is still on the team, with issues well documented. The Steelers have bent at times and made allowances, and I believe that if the draft goes this way, they will make one again. They promised Ben they'd do something on the offensive side of the ball. There's worse things you could do than protect his blind side with a 6'7", 300+ pound hulk.
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16. Dallas Cowboys -
Kony Ealy DE
With the 16th pick the Dallas Cowboys select Kony Ealy out of Missouri. Ealy has good size at 64 and 273 lbs, long arms at 34.5 inches, and great athleticism. The most important trait I think Ealy exhibits is his quick twitch and ability to get off at the snap. Ealy has a range of pass rushing moves and has also shown the ability to dip his shoulders to get around tackles without losing speed and close with explosiveness. A con that can attributed to Ealy is that he is prone to being too upright at the snap of the ball and he is not as strong as traditional ends. Poor technique at the snap of the ball can be coached out, and Marinelli prefers speed over strength. Ealy may be a bit of a reach, but Will McClay (Assistant director of player personnel, also handling The Cowboys board) is a fan of Ealy. Ealy will be a great addition to the Cowboys and will be a step in the right direction to help rebuild the defensive line.
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17. Baltimore Ravens -
Zach Martin OT
Yea Yea not a flashy pick but it is an Ozzie pick. After seeing the HORRID OL play last year and seeing Flacco on his back more than a ($120 mil) hooker. We finish upgrading our OL. Martin is a solid Technician with good feet and balance but has short arms. With this upgrade we have effectively have a starting RT ,back up G and LT. We could have possible the best oline we have had in years. Now if the the WRs can separate, get yac and can keep the D rested we maybe be seeing the playoffs for a good long while
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18. New York Jets -
Marquise Lee WR
Much like the Jets organization, even this selection was half-assed.
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19. Miami Dolphins -
CJ Mosely LB
While most people think the dolphins try to get Zack Martin to improve the right side of the oline, after giving up a record 58 sacks last season as a unit the Linebackers were by far the most disappointing going by salary paid. The Dolphins can finish improving the oline with someone like Joel Bitonio in the 3rd. After the genius that is Ireland traded two solid starters for Ellerbe and Wheeler to a combined 27 million in guarantees only to produce a combined 8 tackles for a loss. Miami could have made it into the playoffs if they had managed to do one of two things, stop the run or pass protect and they failed spectacularly in both of those areas. Having signed Albert to cover the left side, Martin would be a reach at 19 for a RT/RG with such a deep OL draft so having said that
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Miami will take CJ Mosley, MLB Alabama with the 19th pick in the draft. Mosley is an instinctive run-stopper that can cover sideline to sideline which will help cover RB/TEs, a giant weakness for the Dolphins last year. Mosley is an instant improvement in both run-stopping and coverage which makes it a no-brainer.
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20. Arizona Cardinals -
Ryan Shazier LB
In this scenario, with JFF AND Carr available, it's a complete and utter certainty we'd trade back but for the purpose of this mock:
The Arizona Cardinals draft Ryan Shazier out of Ohio State. The Cardinals have an already elite defense and are just a few pieces away from making it an unstoppable juggernaut. The Achilles heel of the Cards D last year was covering Tight Ends but with the top safeties off the board and the loss of Dansby's coverage skills in the off season along with the impending suspension of Washington, this pick a no brainer. Shazier is a freak athlete with blazing speed and great lateral movement skills making him an ideal candidate for both ILB and OLB duties. He has great instincts and tackling technique, recording over 300 in college. Shazier will be able to step right in to fill Dansby's shoes with pass coverage but with his elite speed and lateral movement, will be moved around and able to cover tight ends unlike the former player. With Peterson, Cromartie, and Honey Badger locking down the back field, Shazier will also have opportunities to use his speed for pass rushing off the edge in packages. The combination of Washington and Shazier will be a nightmare for offensive coordinators to work around.
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21. Green Bay Packers -
Louis Nix III DT
With the 21st pick in the 2014 NFL-GAF drunk draft, the Green Bay Packers select:
Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame
Blah blah blah, nose tackle, you can't seriously expect me to make this an entertaining write up, right? blah blah blah.
The most important part of this pick is that it gives the Packers a nose tackle for the future, which frees up BJ Raji to be not on the team (possibly on a rocket going towards the sun) next year.
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22. Philadelphia Eagles -
Johnny Manziel QB
With the 22nd Overall pick of the 2014 NFL Entry Draft, The Philadelphia Eagles are proud to select QB Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M. Manziel will be a perfect complement to Nick Foles. He will serve as a key component to Chip Kelly's innovative dual QB system. Manziel will also improve the Eagles' ability to recruit the fairest off-the-field talent this side of the Mississippi.
The Philadelphia Eagles organization is proud to integrate a playmaker of Manziel's caliber into the Eagles' already explosive offense. Kelly and his staff are excited to work with Manziel and can't wait to unleash him on the rest of the NFC East.
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23. Kansas City Chiefs -
Brandin Cooks WR
With the 23rd overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chefs are proud to select WR Brandin Cooks of Oregon State. Kool-Aid Reid recognizes gaps in the O-line and secondary that must be addressed, but the anemic Chiefs passing game is the top priority. Alex Smith opened his game up more and more as the season progressed, playing his best in the Wild Card round. But it's clear the team lacks deep threats or possession style receivers, as illustrated by Jamaal Charles leading them in receptions.
Cooks brings outstanding speed, hands, and elusiveness to a team that lacks all three in their receiving corps. The departure of Dexter McCluster makes this the obvious choice.
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24. Cincinnati Bengals -
Darqueze Dennard CB
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25. San Diego Chargers -
Timmy Jernigan DT
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26. Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis Colts) -
Kyle Fuller CB
Browns Land a number 2 corner in Fuller with quickness and size. Allowing Buster Skrine to move to a better suited nickel position. Fuller comes from a school that's produced plenty of talent at the corner position, and has the upside to be a number 1 corner in the league.
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27. New Orleans Saints -
Odell Beckham Jr. WR
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28. Carolina Panthers -
Cyrus Kouandjio OT
Dave Gettleman has a big people fetish. On several occasions, hes established that he thinks the game of football simply comes down to which team has more big people (what he colloquially calls hog mollies). In Kouandjio, the Panthers get not so much a big man, but a massive 67 330 pound wall who possesses an NFL ready body and the pure strength to anchor the right side of a line that has been decimated by injury and retirement. Kouandjio has the talent to step in and be a major contributor, especially as a run blocker, on Day 1. Kouandjio is not nearly as refined as Robinson or Matthews however. On multiple occasions, sloppy footwork, shoddy pad level, and an inconsistent motor, have led him to be beaten by the elite pass rushers at the college level. Indeed, his 2013 (junior) campaign was disappointingly short of the standard set by his sophomore year. Additionally, injury concerns revealed at the Combine may scare off teams who had him higher on their draft boards. But for me (and I think for the Panthers FO), his size and overall talent will be too great to ignore. In this scenario, I see the Panthers going OT, WR, WR/CB, WR/CB (whichever one they didnt pick in the third round) with the first four picks.
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29. New England Patriots -
Dominique Easley DT
Despite his injury history, Easley has very high potential and will be a versatile player on the defensive line with the ability to play virtually anywhere.
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30. San Francisco 49ers -
Bradley Roby CB
With the 30th pick San Francisco 49ers select cb Bradley Roby
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31. Denver Broncos -
Xavier Su'a Filo OG
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32. Seattle Seahawks -
ON THE CLOCK
Hawks have until 3:20PM EST to get their pick in and the mock draft is complete.
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