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FINAL Mock Draft (Roid Rage)
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Get it!
Get it!
Yes, only Version 2.0…we’re only 5+ hours from the draft, plenty of time for last-minute adjustments and/or inflammatory social media posts/pictures aimed at dropping prospect grades. So, for now…
I guess we’ll hold serve with Walker, the betting favorite, to be selected by the Jags. The Texans draft protection for Davis Mills and whomever the selected #1 in next years draft. I can’t buy the Thibodeaux slide. He’s a solid player/prospect at a premium position and fills an enormous need for Gang Green. I think the Panthers would love to trade down a few spots, grab a second round pick (they don’t have a second or third round pick this year…. there’s a reason bad teams stay bad) and still pick one of the QBs. If they thought Mayfield or Jimmy-G were an upgrade to Darnold they’d already have made the move. They should be able to find an upgrade to OL on Day 3 (but there definitely isn’t a plug and play QB available that late). Derrick Stingley is my top corner and I’m sticking to it!
Really wasn’t expecting a Charles Cross slide, as I think he could could make a ton of sense for the Giant or Panthers, but that’s just how the board fell. Saints get a gift.
There are a ton of quality WR’s in this draft. Given the market recent that occurred this offseason, it makes sense to get cost controlled help at the position. Dallas quietly has a ton of needs (OL, DL, WR)…gotta love watching Jerry drive that franchise into the ground. Crash and burn.
The Bills prepare for life after Jordan Poyer (and Rachel Bush!). I don’t buy the Breece Hall love. Cine will player a joker role on defense this year, while taking a starting safety job in 2023.
This entire draft will be wild, but picks 24-32 will be all over the place. The Lions take advantage of the 5th year option and potential draft the best QB in this class. Low risk, high reward at pick 32.
Believe me John, it’s good to be back! I took Ginger King’s advice to avoid the pre-free-agency-mock-draft-pitfall….might have taken it a bit too far. But honestly, has there ever been a better year to follow that advice?! The coaching carrousel has always been a thing, but now we’re seeing stud QB’s, WR1’s and First-Round draft picks being dealt like chips in a cheap poker game. It’s fantastic! And the crown jewel of the NFL offseason is less than a week away. Onto my first attempt at predicting the mayhem….
Aiden Hutchinson has long been a pick to kick-off the draft. But really, do we have faith in the brain trust that handed bags to Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to make the sound, logic choice here? The Lions have a tough choice, the stud defensive linemen from Michigan, or Malik Willis, the potential franchise QB. They really should grab Willis, redshirt him behind Goff, and have him take the reins in 2023. But Hutchinson “falling” in their laps is too tempting. They grab the local kid and re-evaluate their QB-strategy.
It feels like the Jets have been hot to trot after every pass-rusher and wide-receiver this year, but naturally nobody wants to play for them. At least the kids they draft can’t spurn them. Big Blue grabs a couple of blue-chip SEC players to add actual NFL talent to their roster.
Picks 9-12 feel like too natural of a fit between player and team: the Seahawks love play-making corners dripping with measurables; the Jets land a player they probably would have draft at #4 if not for his knee injury; the team in Washington desperately need a Commander on the defensive side of the ball; the Vikings were historically bad at stopping the run last year.
The Eagles and Saints seemingly have the similar needs at WR and OL, so it’ll be interesting to see how they jockey with picks 15/16 & 18/19.
Devin Lloyd to the Patriots is my take-it-to-the bank pick this year (assuming he lasts this long); there isn’t a more Bill Belichickian player in this year’s draft than Llyod. I think 3 QB’s go in the first round, but it’s hard to slot them in. Teams will likely move around (up) the board to grab their guy. In this scenario the Steelers step put and land a guy they hope is their future (but I think they’d rather draft an offensive linemen). I’m here for the passive-aggressive middle-finger the Packers GM gives Karen Rodgers as he doesn’t draft a WR at 22.
The board doesn’t fall great for the Bills, as they’d likely prefer McDuffie or Booth, but Daxton Hill is a hell of a consolation prize and versatile enough to be utilize in various defensive packages as a rookie. There’s a Green Bay WR! The Chiefs also begin life after Tyreek; George Pickens will thrive with Andy Reid and Mahomes (and be way over-drafted in fantasy this year). The Lions close out the first round by getting their QB. I think they’d sign-up for Hutchinson and Corral/Ridder.
That’s a wrap! Head on over to nflmockdraftdatabase.com to start piecing together a mock of your own! Or don’t and just wait for my Mock 2.0 to drop!
Cleveland rocks!……………….
Four QB’s in the Top-10 (with Mac Jones slipping in the draft – someone will!). Value meets (desperate) need as the Cowboys take 3 second to phone in their pick. I’ve had Big Blue taking Waddle and Slater, but both were off the board, so they grab an Edge defender.
I love the player-team pairings for picks 13-17. Washington is a sneaky team to trade into the Top-10 for a QB. The cupboard is awfully bare after AJ Brown, Moore gives the Titans offense some juice.
While the Steelers will be tempted with Najee Harris staring them in the face, their offensive line is a wreak, they need to walk away with two OL starters this weekend. Hard to believe the Ravens don’t burn one of their first round picks on a WR, but there are plenty of Day 2 options available for them; Greg Newsome this late was too hard to pass up. Welp, I was going to give Aaron Rodgers a new toy, but Draft Day rumors have it that A-Rod might not be long for GB. Get your popcorn ready, indeed! Well Bills Mafia, I gave us an edge rusher. Oweh can play in sub-packages this year and (hopefully) put some pressure on the QB, and who knows, maybe even get a sack! The plan would be to develop him into a starter for next year when Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison hit free agency.
It’s mock draft Monday! And not just any Monday, Draft Week Monday! The Ravens now hold two first round picks after their trade with the Chiefs. Speaking of trades, pick No. 7 is an ideal spot for a team looking to trade up to grab the fourth QB off the board. Even though the Falcons would love to move back and draft defenders, teams know the Bengals and Dolphins are no threat to draft a quarterback, so a jump to 7 (in front the Broncos) is the play. Of course, the Broncos know this too, and they haven’t exactly been quiet in their pursuit of a QB this offseason. So I’ve got the Broncos and Lions swapping picks. With that, here is my final mock draft before my final mock draft…..
I think we’ll get a little clarity (like an hour before the draft) on the Niners preference. There is so much smoke, I just can’t buy the Mac Jones hype. Missing out on Chase & Pitts can’t be what the Dolphins envisioned when they moved back up to 6 (moving down was great; but blindly moving back to 6 was dumb). At least they snag a familar playmaker for Tua.
If Gettlemen trades back I’ll drink Ginger Kings beamers the rest of the night! Not. Going. To. Happen. Slater is versatile enough to play multiple positions along the line. I think the range for Devonta Smith is 12 – 16, which is ironically exactly the range of weight he needs to gain to survive in the league. I’m really liking the Vikings-Phillips pairing.
I know I said it in my previous mock, but JOK & Zaven Collins are really fun linebackers to watch as they fly around, cover, and blitz. Modern day LBs. Parsons, whom is a no question top-10 talent, stumbles due to off the field concerns and questions around his work ethic. I’m sold on the Steelers taking OL and this pick could have easily been Dickerson’s line mate, Alex Leatherwood.
GB please please please draft Elijah Moore! I’m really close to mocking Travis Etienne to the Bills. Both of these guys would add some serious juice to those offense and make them even more of a nightmare to defend. But the Bills really need someone that can create pressure (didn’t say sacks) off the edge. Oweh has all the physical tools. Joe Tryon is a first round pick.
We are officially single digit days until the draft! I lost count with how many variations I mocked with Mock Draft Simulator, but I really liked how this 2.0 version is shaping up. I’m close to locking in the top-10 and the second half of the first round is coming into more clarity….
The only change from my first mock in the top-8 is the Lions grabbing Surtain in lieu of Parsons. Part of me feels like Dan Campbell is going to pound the table to draft only linemen and linebackers, but grabbing the last blue-chip prospect on the board is the smart play. I’m not sure why the Dolphins were so eager to jump back into the top-10 pre-draft, but there must be someone they’ve got their eye on and Chase is a bonafide WR1.
I can’t get off Big Blue adding Waddle to that offense. Golladay, Shepard, Engram, Waddle and Barkley. Danny Dimes or bust! Feels like Parsons could slip a bit due to being a scumbag off the field, but likely gets scooped up by one of the teams picking 14-16. This is also the range I have Mac Jones (he made it!) and Devonta Smith slipping too. Dude, Devonta can be both tough as nails and tiny. This ain’t the SEC folks, you want to spend a premium pick to bet that a 170-lbs WR holds up in the NFL?! Be my guest.
The Raiders and Redskins (sue me) both desperately need linebackers; Koramoah and Collins are ballers. These two LBs push for DROY in my book. I’m off the Bears taking a WR, the need at CB is greater and Newsome has the makings of a great boundary corner. The Colts go back to the Notre Dame well of offensive linemen as it worked out for them last time.
Barmore and the Jags makes too much sense. Someone is going to medically clear Farley, and if they are patient and let him heal they’ll have a hell of a corner on their hands. The Ravens, Saints and Packers all inject some much needed life into their receiving corps. The Bills have an edge rusher fall into their lap (actually have their pick between Ojulari and Rousseau. The Georgia Bulldog is a bit more polished). The Chiefs draft board consists of only Offensive Tackles.
Late to the game?! More like now the party can start! Question: How are all your pre-free agency mock drafts looking now? Answer: Hot garbage. Ginger King already covered why we hold back the urge to post mocks until after the first few waves of free agency. Not only that, scouting is more of a bitch than ever this year…no combine, skewed pro day results…thanks COVID! Anyways, after you’ve taken a peak at the wreckage below make sure to check out NFLMockDraftDatabase to craft your own mock. Onward….
I just can’t see 5 QB’s going in the Top 10 this year, somebody inevitably takes the Aaron Rodgers – Lamar Jackson tumble and my money is overwhelmingly unspectacular Mac Jones (and spoiler alert he isn’t even in the first round of my mock! That kind of feels like a mistake, as he’ll probably get scooped up later in the first, but I’m not projecting trades here).
The one reason I keep coming back to Justin Fields to the Niners: he’s really fucking good. Like, the Jets should take him at #2 good. Kyle Pitts is a mismatch nightmare and in play anywhere from 4-10. The Dolphins are quietly building a powerhouse (I just threw up a bit in my mouth), but it’s all for naught if Tua busts.
Feels like the Raiders backed themselves into a corner and have to rebuild the OL in this draft. Two of my personal favorite fits are Bateman to the Bears and Cosmi to the Colts. Nice alliterations too! Washington not selecting a team name is such a Dan Synder move; self-entitled whinny bitch!
A worse-case scenario for the Bills, as the top Edge rushers get snatched up before their pick. Dickerson is solid C/G depth and the not too distant replacement for Mitch Morse.
And with that Mock 1.0 is in the books! Check back often as the Machine is just getting started!
We made it! Draft Day is here and this is my final wildass educated guess to make sense of it all…..
Round 1 | Team | Pick | |
1 | Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow (LSU) | QB |
2 | Washington Redskins | Chase Young (OSU) | DE |
3 | Detroit Lions | Derrick Brown (Auburn) | DL |
4 | New York Giants | Jedrick Wills (Alabama) | OL |
5 | Miami Dolphins | Justin Herbert (Oregon) | QB |
6 | Los Angeles Chargers | Jeff Okudah (OSU) | CB |
7 | Carolina Panthers | CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma) | WR |
8 | Arizona Cardinals | Andrew Thomas (Georgia) | OL |
9 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) | QB |
10 | Cleveland Browns | Isaiah Simmons (Clemson) | LB |
11 | New York Jets | Tristan Wirfs (Iowa) | OL |
12 | Las Vegas Raiders | Henry Ruggs III (Alabama) | WR |
13 | San Francisco 49ers | K’Lavon Chaisson (LSU) | LB |
14 | Tampa Bay Bucs | Mekhi Becton (Louisville) | OL |
15 | Denver Broncos | Jerry Jeudy (Alabama) | WR |
16 | Atlanta Falcons | Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina) | DL |
17 | Dallas Cowboys | Xavier McKinney (Alabama) | S |
18 | Miami Dolphins | Joshua Jones (Houston) | OL |
19 | Las Vegas Raiders | C.J. Henderson (Florida) | CB |
20 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Ross Blacklock (TCU) | DL |
21 | Philadelphia Eagles | Justin Jefferson (LSU) | WR |
22 | Minnesota Vikings | Jaylon Johnson (Utah) | CB |
23 | New England Patriots | Patrick Queen (LSU) | LB |
24 | New Orleans Saints | Jeff Gladney (TCU) | CB |
25 | Minnesota Vikings | Denzel Mims (Baylor) | WR |
26 | Miami Dolphins | AJ Epensea (Iowa) | DL |
27 | Seattle Seahawks | Zack Baun (Wisconsin) | LB |
28 | Baltimore Ravens | Cesar Ruiz (Michigan) | OL |
29 | Tennessee Titans | Jordan Love (Utah State) | QB |
30 | Green Bay Packers | A.J. Terrell (Clemson) | CB |
31 | San Francisco 49ers | D’Andre Swift (Georgia) | RB |
32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ezra Cleveland (Boise State) | OT |
I love the NFL Draft, every bit of it. The film, the workouts, the combine, the prospects, the backstories, the pro days. The annual smokescreens and anonymous scouts that have concerns over such and such prospect’s work ethic. The unethical leaking of medical data, failed drug tests and Wonderlic scores. I consume mock drafts, and assemble my own while trying to sift through the hype, hyperbole, stats and lies. I love the draft almost as much as my Buffalo Bills. So while it pains me that the Bills don’t have a first round pick, I’m more than happy and stoked with adding Stephan Diggs into the fold. Was the trade worth it? Hell yeah. The additional picks the Bills threw in only amount to enough draft capital to move up 4 to 5 spots in the first round. That would have got them to No. 17-18. The top three wideouts (Jeudy, Ruggs and Lamb) are all likely to be gone….(they were in mine and GK’s latest mocks). Plus, while those guys (and others in the draft) may be great, Diggs IS great. There’s no praying and hoping. The dude is a legit BEAST.
But alas, I can’t let the mocking season go by without making a few fake selections for the hometown team. So here is my 7-round mock (courtesy of the Draft Networks Draft Simulator). I selected for the Bills (no trades) and the sim (TDNs predictive board) picked the rest. To the picks….
#54 Trevon Diggs, CB Alabama
Ya Digg? The Bills don’t go on the clock until late Friday evening. As Tom Petty (RIP) says, The Waiting is the Hardest Part. But there are plenty of prospect to choose from, and I ranked them (for the Bills) in this order: Ross Blacklock (DT, TCU), Kyle Dugger (S, Lenior-Rhyne), Tee Higgins (WR, Clemson), Laviska Shenault Jr. (WR, Colorado), Jalen Reagor (WR, TCU), Curtis Weaver (DE, Boise State).
The pairing of Blacklock and Ed Oliver is tempting to say the least. Dugger could fill the role of “big nickel” that the Bills have been trying to develop since Sean McDermott’s arrival. But in the end, it was too hard to add a productive CB that should develop alongside Tre White for years to come. The secondary was a strength that just got stronger. Who’s ready for an all Diggs training camp?!
#86 Bryan Edwards, WR South Carolina
The debate for this selection was between Edwards and Darrell Taylor (EDGE, Tennessee). The Bills don’t have many (any?) long term options at defensive end. Getting some pressure of the edge would take this defense to another level….and pass rushers are hard to find beyond this point in the draft. But this season, and this team will be defined by Josh Allen. Edwards gives the Bills something they don’t have much of at receiver: size (6’3”, 215 lbs.) and physicality. The Bills have the luxury of developing and bringing him along slowly while at the same time having a physical weapon to deploy in the redzone. Yes please!
#128 Kenny Willekes, DE Michigan State
I just said it’s hard to find push rushers later in the draft, so when Kenny Willekes was available in the 4-round I pounced. Probably a better run defender (edge-setter) than pure pass-rusher, but that should remind Bills fans of Shaq Lawson. Similar production at a fraction of the cost = smart team-building.
#167 Geno Stone, S Iowa
I passed up Kyle Dugger in the 2nd round, so take Stone here as a developmental safety/big-nickel defender. At 5’10”, 210 lbs. he lacks the length the Bills covet in their DBs, but he is a excellent zone defender who can contribute on special teams.
#188 Patrick Taylor Jr., RB Memphis
I’m not convinced the Bills are settled with their backfield; seems like they’ll add someone to compliment Singletary. Not thrilled with Taylor Jr. as a prospect, but he is a load at 6’3”, 227 lbs. and should be able to carve out a short yardage role.
#207 Brandon Mann, P Texas A&M
Dude, I can’t take another year of Corey Bojorquez….
#239 Kendall Coleman, EDGE Syracuse
Taking a chance on the SU product and his relentless motor. Also considered another dart throw at WR or OT.