NFL Mock Draft 1.0

With the NFL draft only 24 days away, rumors are beginning to fly every direction and with every report of possible “interest” towards a play by one team, there is a report that says the same team has “concerns” about the player.  No one, except maybe the general managers of these teams truly know what they are thinking – and even that is questionable in some organizations. 

The following is my first stab at predicting the 1^st round of the draft on May 8^th.  As a rule, I select as if no draft day trades occur and will only pick players based on the need of the team picking, not the best location for the player.

I would like to pretend that I would predict that a majority of my predictions, at least by my final mock draft on May 8^th, would come true but truthfully, if I can get 10 of the 32 on the correct team, I will be more than excited. Here we go:

Houston Texans: Blake Bortles, QB UCF

-          New head coach Bill O’Brien can’t forget when Bortles threw for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns while beating O’Brien’s Nittany Lions last season on the road.

St. Louis Rams: Sammy Watkins, WR Clemson

-          Jeff Fisher FINALLY gets Sam Bradford a true number 1 receiver to throw too. Rams quickly becoming a very good football team.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Jadeveon Clowney, DE South Carolina

-          Best player in the draft and instant playmaker. Buyer Beware.

Cleveland Browns: Khalil Mack, OLB Buffalo

-          Not a coincidence head coach Mike Pettine only attended one pro day.

Oakland Raiders: Johnny Manziel, QB Texas A&M

-          Manziel can excel playing the nice weather of California and will bring excitement back to the bay area.

Atlanta Falcons: CJ Mosley, LB Alabama

-          Falcons recognize last season as enigma and select the best up the middle defender in the draft.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR Texas A&M

-          Paired with Vincent Jackson could instantly become the best wide receiver duo in the game and remember it was Lovie Smith who wanted Alshon Jeffrey paired with Brandon Marshall.

Minnesota Vikings: Greg Robinson, OT Auburn

-          Mike Zimmer’s first pick as a head coach is a lot like him. Not flashy but impactful and will get the job done.

Buffalo Bills: Darqueze Dennard, CB Michigan St.

-          Bills draft a shutdown corner to face Tom Brady two times a year

Detroit Lions: Jake Matthews, OT Texas A&M

-          Matthew Stafford has to stay upright to stay healthy and he must stay healthy to be effective. This pick helps

Tennessee Titans: Aaron Donald, DT Pittsburgh

-          Titans get a BIG playmaker along their defensive line

New York Giants: Taylor Lewan, OT Michigan

-          ABSOLUTE STEAL. Giants will be ecstatic is Lewan, and his criminal issues, fall to 12.

St. Louis Rams: Ha Ha Clinton Dix, S Alabama

-          Shores up secondary for team that could be very good for a while.

Chicago Bears: Justin Gilbert, CB Oklahoma St.

-          The Bears secondary is getting old and Gilbert will bring new life and ability to the backend of the Chicago defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Morgan Moses, OT Virginia

-          Adding Moses = Less hits on Big Ben.

Dallas Cowboys: Calvin Pryor, S Lousiville

-          Pryor will be tasked to trying to turn around a secondary that let anyone and everyone throw all over them last season.

Baltimore Ravens: Zack Martin, OT Notre Dame

-          Perhaps Ray Rice can turn back into Ray Rice with an improved line.

New York Jets: Brandin Cooks, WR Oregon St.

-          Geno needs some playmakers. Cooks is a highlight reel waiting to happen.

Miami Dolphins: Timmy Jerrigan, DT Florida St.

-          Instant help for the 24^th ranked run defense last season.

Arizona Cardinals: Teddy Bridgewater, QB Louisville

-          Quarterback of the future but will have ability to sit behind Carson Palmer for a season before taking over. Palmer knows a thing or two about sitting for a year and being groomed so he will be a great influence.

Green Bay Packers: Bradley Roby, CB Ohio State

-          25^th ranked pass defense gains a top notch corner. The Packers learned last season that they can not just try to outscore everyone.

Philadelphia Eagles: Odell Beckham Jr, WR LSU

-          Goodbye DeSean Jackson. Hello DeSean Jackson replacement.

Kansas City Chiefs: Louis Nix III, DT Notre Dame

-          Improves the defensive line for a team that defensively slowed down dramatically at the end of the season last year.

Cincinnati Bengals: Kyle Fuller, CB Virginia Tech

-          Fills one of the very few holes that this Bengals team currently has.

San Diego Chargers: Jason Verrett, CB TCU

-          The back to back selection of cornerbacks breaks the hearts of all Browns front office and fans who thought either Fuller or Verrett would fall to them with the next pick.

Cleveland Browns: Stan Jean-Baptiste, CB Nebraska

-          Cleveland falls victim to the run on corners and were forced to reach for Jean-Baptiste. Using both 1^st round picks on defensive players may surprise quite a few people.

New Orleans Saints: Anthony Barr, MLB UCLA

-          Early draft projections had him in the top 5, too good for New Orleans to let slip passed.

Carolina Panthers: Marquise Lee, WR USC

-          Cam Newton has to have someone to throw the ball, right?

New England Patriots: Eric Ebron, TE UNC

-          Ebron brings two things to the Patriots, protection against Gronk injuries and will allow Brady to run the 2 tight end offense he excelled in with Gronk and Hernandez

San Francisco 49ers: Kony Ealy, DE Missouri

-          The need for a DE become much more prevalent when Aldon Smith thought pretending to have a bomb in an airport was a good idea.

Denver Broncos: Ryan Shazier, MLB Ohio State

-       Adds athleticism and youth to the Broncos defensive side of the ball. Not many holes on this roster.

Seattle Seahawks: Ra’Shede Haseman, DT Minnesota

And the rich get richer…

Only 24 more days! Look for Mock Draft 2.0 on April 21^st!