FINAL MOCK DRAFT!!!
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Can’t make it to Ginger King’s Draft Day Party? Well, that sucks for you. But have no fear: we got your back. “How can I make the Draft better?”, you ask yourself in amazement. By playing The Big Red Sports Machine’s Draft Day Drinking Game. It’s fun, it’s easy, guaranteed to impress the ladies, and you can play at home or at your favorite watering hole. Here are the rules:
1. Draft catchphrases. There are certain phrases you only hear during the Draft. Why? We don’t know, but we love them. For this reason alone, we give ESPN the slight lean over the NFL Network for your Draft Day coverage. That, and, Kiper. Duh, winning!
The following phrases are worth of a shot of beer (Note: You’re going to hear these phrases about 40 times per round. Trust me, a swig of beer per phrase is enough, unless you want to be asleep by pick 13):
2. Videos/references. Each of these are beer-finishing worthy:
3. On the Clock Chug. When your team is on the clock, you have to do a shot of Jim Beam of chug a full beer before the pick is called. Note (and this is important): if your team trades down, they’re on the clock twice, meaning two beamers/beers. Cowboy up, it’s the Draft!
Basically, if it doesn’t look like this:
Or this:
you’re doing it wrong!
Take your Draft day experience to the max! Good luck.
Alright, alright, alright. We’re two days away from the Big Show! This is our penultimate mock (for Cowboys fans that means second to last). Let’s get to the action.
I’m pretty convinced on the Top 4 staying that way come Thursday, assuming no trades. The real movement starts at 5. The Chargers could definitely use OL help, but Nabers’ talent may be too hard to pass up. Giants “settle” with Rome Odunze. His numbers are great but he didn’t face consistently good competition (cue: east coast bias). When he finally played a big boy school (Michigan) he was absolutely man-handled and created zero separation. Elsewhere, Byron Murphy is making a late push to be the first defensive player taken.
Welcome to the first round, Michael Penix, Jr. There are some strong rumors that the Raiders are in love with Penix. Unless they find a way to trade back into the first round, if you’re that convinced he’s your guy, take him at lucky number 13.
Offensive should rule the first half to two-thirds of the draft. That means a lot of good defensive guys should be around at the end of the first. If you’re Buffalo, and someone like Jared Verse, Kool-Aid McKinstry (top 5 name), or Jer’Zhan Newton are there, would you forget about your receiver needs and draft the best player available? I think the biggest beneficiaries of the offensive-heavy draft are the Lions and the 49ers.
Two more days! I really like how this draft is shaping up. Stay tuned for our final mock, plus our fan favorite Draft Day Drinking Game!
We’re back with an updated mock. Lots of changes to discuss. Let’s dig in.
Big changes in the Top 10. With Nabers off the board, the Giants switch gears and grab J.J. McCarthy. There are some Giants fans (cough, me) who feel Daniel Jones should get another shot, that his 2023 campaign should be thrown out the window (6 games, 30 sacks), and that his 2022 season (leading the Giants to their first playoff win in a decade) is more reflective of who he is and who he can be. However, even yours truly can’t ignore the (every increasing) injury history, and Joe Schoen and co. may want to go full rebuild and draft their quarterback for the future (note: you never go full rebuild). Elsewhere, the Bears load up on offense and grab stud receiver Rome Odunze to pair with Caleb Williams.
I think Brock Bowers floor is to the Saints at 14. Also, you can bet a mortgage payment the Bengals, Rams, and Steelers go OT, DL, WR, each filling major positions of need. J.C. Latham would be a steal at 18.
Speaking of betting, you can bet a kidney the Bills will go receiver. The real question is: will they move up to get one? If they stay put at 28, Worthy seems like a worthy pick (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Ladd McConkey seems to fit the Chiefs mold for a gadget receiver.
Check back later this week as we focus on the teams most likely to trade up in Round 1.
It’s go time. We are locked in and ready to dissect the draft. Loyal fans of Big Red Sports Machine know that our number 1 pet peeve (besides clapping when the plane lands – did you think it was going to crash?) is pre-free agency mock drafts. You get more reliable information from a glue-sniffing teenager. Seriously, we’ve been saying this for years, like, before Covid.
Now that we got the PSA out of the way, let’s dig in to our first mock. We’ll be updating this frequently (ok, maybe weekly) so check back in for the latest updates. As always, thanks to the boys at NFL Mock Draft Data Base. Now on to the Mock.
As always, we won’t predict any trades in our mocks, but there should be plenty, especially in the first half of Round 1. Arizona and LA are prime targets to move back, as rumors are flying that this is a race to the first 4 qbs. However, I do not believe the Giants are one of those teams (you heard it hear first). Malik Nabers would give New York a true WR1, something they haven’t had since OBJ, which seems like a million years ago
I think Chicago goes Offense/Offense with it’s two top picks. The Bears have made some savvy free agent additions on offense, bringing in D’Andre Swift and the ageless Keenan Allen, but the best thing they can do is surround Caleb Williams with as many weapons as possible. Elsewhere, Minnesota would sprint to the podium if JJ was there at 11. If they really want him, it’s likely going to cost them their two first round picks (and more).
The middle third of Round 1 should see a run on OL and CB. Both position groups are stacked, and with the exception of Alt, there is no clear cut number one. The Jags fill the void from Calvin Ridley’s departure with Brian Thomas, Jr. Thomas got a bit overlooked in LSU, with most of the attention on Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers, but he won’t be overlooked for long in the NFL.
This might be the deepest WR class in recent history. The result of that means there are some good players that are going to slide down the board. Bills fans rejoice (read: get drunk and set shit on fire) and draft Adonai Mitchell, who (easily) replaces Gabe Davis and gives them another weapon for Josh Allen to use so they can lose to Kansas City in the playoffs for the 14th time in a row. Speaking of your Super Bowl Champs, their WR core is a collection of misfit toys (I’m looking at you, Kadarius). Keon Coleman would provide some much needed stability to that group.
Can’t make it to The Machine’s Draft Day Party? Well, that sucks for you. But have no fear: we got your back. “How can I make the Draft better?”, you ask yourself in amazement. By playing The Big Red Sports Machine’s Draft Day Drinking Game. It’s fun, it’s easy, guaranteed to impress the ladies, and you can play at home or at your favorite watering hole. Here are the rules:
1. Draft catchphrases. There are certain phrases you only hear during the Draft. Why? We don’t know, but we love them. For this reason alone, we give ESPN the slight lean over the NFL Network for your Draft Day coverage. That, and, Kiper. Duh, winning!
The following phrases are worth a shot of beer:
2. Videos/references. Each of these are beer-finishing worthy:
3. On the Clock Chug. When your team is on the clock, you have to finish a full beer before the pick is called (shot of Jim Beam also acceptable). Note: if your team trades down, they’re on the clock twice, meaning two full beers/beamers. Cowboy up, it’s the Draft!
Basically, if it doesn’t look like this, you’re doing it wrong.
Or this:
Happy Draft Eve! Our penultimate mock. Check back tomorrow for our final mock and our Draft Day Drinking Game, the perfect complement to your Draft night experience. Anyway, there are have been some big moves on the draft board, and big trades (welcome Mr. Rodgers to the Jets). Aaron, straight out of his darkness chamber, should have no problem relating to the average Jets fan (an overweight, beer-soaked guy from Long Island who’s perpetually pissed off). Good luck!
And the QB slide begins. There’s always misdirection and smokescreens with the Draft and player analysis. I think some of the time people are tired of writing the same thing, and are looking for ways to spice things up. Or teams will put out information hoping that it will cause a player to fall to them. That could be the case with C.J. Stroud, or people are staring to realize he played quarterback for Ohio St. Quick: name me a successful QB in the NFL from Ohio St. Ever. Terrelle Pryor? Troy Smith? Dwayne Haskins (RIP)? Bobby Hoying? Justin Fields may be the best, and the jury is still very much out on him. Truth is: Ohio St. sucks at producing quarterbacks that can play in the NFL. Perhaps more damning is the release of his S2 Cognition Test score, which was, putting it mildly, underwhelming. That could have teams nervous to invest a high pick. If Indy doesn’t take him at 4, I think he could fall out of the Top 10. Stay tuned.
Some noteworthy changes here. I’m hearing that New England is the floor for Bijan Robinson, especially if JSN is off the board. Also, I think the floor for Anthony Richardson is Seattle. That would be quite the first round for Seattle: restarting the Legion of Boom with Devon Weatherspoon, and drafting the quarterback who I think has the most upside in the Draft.
Welcome Hendon Hooker to the Show! While some qbs are sliding, Hendon is soaring. If Hooker didn’t tear his ACL last year, he would be in the conversation for first overall. We think he’s the most NFL ready quarterback in the Draft. Given the 5th year team option for first round picks, someone should take him at the end of the first round. It makes sense if that someone is Minnesota. He could sit for a year, which would allow him to fully heal from his injury, and allow Kirk Cousins to collapse in the post-season again. Elsewhere, if the Bills don’t pull off a trade for Hopkins, look for them to draft Zay Flowers, a speedy, slot receiver that will finally shut up free up space for Stefon Diggs.
Get some sleep. Big day tomorrow, kids.
We’re inside one week. Time to get serious. We’ve drank a lot of beer and scrolled Twitter done a lot of research over the past few weeks getting ready for the big show. We’ll be posting updated mocks daily (fingers crossed) so check back to see the latest action.
The Panthers are dialed in on Bryce Young, who has seemed to distanced himself as the number one quarterback in the Draft, despite no games having been played. I think this just comes down to who’s the most NFL ready. I’ll take the guy who plays in the most NFL-style offense. #RollTide. In other news, Houston is screwed. They have to take a quarterback at 2. They cannot wait until 12 and hope one of the top 4 will fall.
Biggest mover is Bijan Robinson. He is soaring up Draft boards. I’m told he will be drafted in the top half of the first round.
Unless they decide to trade up, Tennessee will be biting their fingernails hoping a qb will fall to them at 11. I think the Jets will go back to the OL well. It won’t matter who plays quarterback if there’s no pocket to throw in. I’ve heard a lot of chatter that Detroit is in love with Calijah Kancey. I think the Lions will use both of their picks on defense. Prepare for a lot of kneecaps to be bitten.
Folks are starting to shade the receiving class…I still think 4 will go in the first round. And when you pair that with Michael Mayer and Dalton Kincaid (two pass-catching tight ends) the receiving class is not as bad as people make it out to be. If the Giants miss out on a receiver, their consolation prize should be Emmanuel Forbes, an absolute ball hawk who has speed (4.35/40) and size (6’1″), both of which are lacking in the Giants secondary. If rumors out of Buffalo are true (no, not the baby mama rumors) Buffalo will be set at receiver. I think they will go back to practical football 101, and look to improve the line. Here, it’s the defensive line with Bryan Bresee out of Clemson.
Alright friends. It’s finally time. The adults are ready to sit at the Draft table. If you recall, our number one pet peeve (besides people clapping when the plane lands – FFS just stop – were you expecting the plane to crash??) is pre-free agency mock drafts. We’ve been saying it for YEARS.
Plain and simple: free agency shapes the draft. You think the Raiders are looking for a qb now that they got Jimmy Dreamboat? (sidenote: we’re still waiting for our free sex for life offer). Teams will first plug holes with existing talent, and then turn to the draft. Anyway, we’ll step off our soapbox and get right to the good stuff.
Four, yes four, qbs will go in the Top 10. Seattle could be in the market for a qb, but adding Christian Gonzalez to that secondary will go a long way to re-establishing the legion of boom. Chicago really lucks out…trading down 8 spots and still getting the guy the would’ve taken #1 overall. Ryan Poles and co. are looking smart. They got an assist from poor driving skills, but they are approaching this draft the right way.
If Paris Johnson falls out of the Top 11, he should not last past the Titans, who need to rebuild that line. Speaking of rebuilding the line, the Jets will take their turn (again) at another first round lineman. After trading away T.J. Hockenson last year, the Lions reload with Michael Mayer, the Draft’s best tight end (and Gronk clone).
The bottom third of the first round is where we’re going to see a run on receivers. There is no clear cut #1 in this year’s draft. That, and the qb run, will push the receivers down some. The Giants would do cartwheels if (and it’s a big if) Quentin Johnston is there at 25. What the Giants need is big-bodied receiver, especially after Kenny Golladay decided he didn’t like to catch anymore. But wait, didn’t the Giants sign a bunch of free agent receivers? Yes, but don’t be fooled…the Giants only have 2 receivers (Wan-Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton) that are signed for more than 2 years. Everyone else is a one year rental.
O’Cyrus Torrence may be our favorite player in the Draft. Seriously, go watch some game tape. He’s an absolute mauler. Loves to initiate contact. Physical and nasty…just like Bills Mafia. He’ll fit right in.
Bijan Robinson may be the toughest one to predict. He could go as high as 8. I don’t think Philly would pass at him at 30, especially after losing Miles Sanders.