Post season 2016 Mock Draft V3.0

[hn68wb4]

I don’t project trades; I think we will make at least one trade on draft day but I don’t want my mock to hinge on a trade that in all likelihood won’t happen. For this mock I am assuming KO leaves in free agency, I think it’s entirely realistic that he still stays here but he could just as easily get paid a ton now that everyone knows he can play LT, and play it very well, he definitely increased his price tag. Comps are: 4 for McPhee, 4 for Torrey, and 5 for Daniels, Tyrod Taylor may sneak us a 7^th but his contract was so tiny that we probably won’t get anything for him.

 

Round 1: Ronnie Stanley – Notre Dame –  OT

As I said before: in this scenario Osemele signs somewhere else. In my opinion Stanley is a tiny bit of a reach at #6, a very tiny reach. He’s good at pass blocking but needs work in run blocking (which is why I see him as a bit of a reach so high…). He’ll get to sit behind Monroe year 1, assuming of course he doesn’t get injured, which may be too much to ask, and develop. He can take over next year so we can let Monroe go and save a bit of cap. He has the size, 6’6”, 315 lbs, and footwork to be a LT in the NFL.

Round 2: Tyler Boyd –  Pittsburgh – WR

Boyd may still be my favorite WR in the draft. He’s got great hands, quick release, and runs good routes, so he can be a contributor right away. Also I believe, after Smith Sr. retires, he will compliment Perriman’s speed very well being a possession receiver. He’s got good size at 6’2”, 200 lbs, and underrated speed, and he can provide return services if we want him to.

Round 3: Maliek Collins –  Nebraska – DT/DE

We get our tumbling prospect. I love Collins’ pass rush ability as a Dlineman and I think he can move to DE in the 3-4, although he does project better as a DT. A Dline of Collins – Williams – Jernigan sounds great and there’s ton of potential. He was hurt by the loss of Gregory and got double teamed a lot this year. He’s 6’2” 300 lbs but has deceptive quickness and gets some of the easiest pressure of any Dlineman in this class.

Round 4: Maurice Canady – Virginia –  CB

Canady has a great size (6’2”, 185 lbs)/speed combination, he can take on tall receivers and he has very good recovery speed if he slips up. Also like that he is solid against the run and is willing to stick his nose in there and make the hit. I would have liked to take a CB earlier that can make an immediate impact since Webb is moving to FS but I don’t know how one fits into our earlier spots. I suspect we’ll sign a FA for depth anyway and with an improved pass rush with Suggs back and Smith with a year of experience might be able to cover some of those losses in the secondary.

Round 4: Kyle Murphy – Stanford – OT

“Why double up on tackles?” you may say – here’s why….I hated every guard that would be available here…not joking. I do really like Murphy and would like us to grab him if he’s available here even if KO sticks around. We do need depth on the right side of the line, after Wagner all we can do is scoot Yanda over to RT and insert Urschel at RG, which I don’t believe is a good thing. I love Murphy’s ability and I think he can be BPA here and provide good backup and situational roles behind Wagner.

Round 4 (Comp): Artie Burns – Miami – CB/S

Doubling up on corners to help out our secondary. I didn’t know much about Burns until that story came out about him declaring early because of his family. Now I’ve done some research and I like what I see, kid has some good potential. He played at safety sometimes at Miami but I think CB is position #1 for him at the next level. He’s got solid size at 6’0”, 197 lbs and has good recovery speed. He isn’t a day 1 starter of course but I think he’ll be solid depth right away.

Round 4 (Comp): Ronald Blair – Appalachian State – OLB/DE

I’m very high on Blair…in our defense he’ll be an outside linebacker at 6’4”, 280 lbs. He’s very quick and uses his hands well, even against Clemson he was able to get into the backfield on multiple occasions and got a couple sacks. He’ll have a limited role year one but give him a year of experience and I think he could legit be a starter, a very good starter. He already does a solid job setting the edge and he showed very good strength playing all over the Dline at App St.

Round 5 (Comp): Malcolm Mitchell – Georgia – WR

I really do like Mitchell as a prospect and I think he can be a very good slot guy. After all of our “stacked” talk about our WR corps before the season came back to bite us on the you-know-what, we should really look at re-tooling in a way. Out of all of our receivers there aren’t many that I’d say are definitely going to be kept, SSS, Perriman, and Aiken are the only “safe” guys in my mind, Butler and Matthews are borderline that I’d like to have back, Brown should be gone, Givens should test free agency, Camp is on the thinnest ice imaginable, Waller will probably stay because of his potential, and Clay is a return specialist that I don’t think even saw an offensive snap. That’s only 4 or 5 guys that I would like back, leaving only 1 or 2 open spot, bringing in some extra competition will do us good and I think Mitchell has the potential to be a very solid pick. High character, good speed, runs fine routes, good hands, and potential to be better, he’s got what you want from a mid/late round pick. Early in his career he played literally everywhere for the bulldogs but he had a couple knee injuries that set him back.

Round 6: Jatavis Brown – Akron – S/LB/ST

Brown has great speed and hits with authority, he’s decent in coverage and has great instincts, so why is he all the way in the 6^th? Well…he doesn’t really have a good fit position in the NFL. He plays ILB for Akron but he’s only 5’11” (and that’s his listed height so who knows if that’s accurate at all…) and 218 lbs so he fits better at safety but I don’t think he’s THAT good in coverage, so he’s a bit of a tweener. The bright side here is that I suspect he’ll be an absolute ace on special teams and he can take Trawick’s spot there while providing some potential as a defensive contributor because of those instincts of his. Getting a good special teams player late is a smart move in my opinion and it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve done it.

 

Notes:

***I really wanted to take a guard at some point to help ease the loss of Osemele but good god I hated every single one after the second round. I think this is a very weak class of guards so I think we may look to add a vet in FA instead.

***No safety (well no real safety anyway – I’m looking at you Burns and Brown), I don’t know where a safety would fit into our roster. Also I’m not in love with any in this class particularly. Webb is moving to FS, Lewis is still under contract, Elam is coming back, Brooks is still developing, Levine and Trawick....are here I guess (even though I'm actively trying to get rid of Trawick with Brown), Hill has the SS spot locked down, I don’t see where we can take another.

***No CB ready to start…sorry I guess. One just didn’t come up when I was doing this. I think if we are trading back in the first (which I think may be our best option unless someone falls to us) then VHIII or McKensie are possibilities or Fuller in the second but in this scenario specifically OT far outweighed CB and Boyd was just too good to pass up in the second. If KO stays then it definitely changes things completely. But I think a roster of J. Smith – Wright – Arrington – Walker – W. Davis – Canady – Burns may be more than enough, sure we don’t have a #2 superstar but Wright shows some ability and so did Davis before he got injured, not to mention we’ll have an improved pass rush with Suggs back, Z. Smith having a year of experience, and Collins + Blair being drafted.

***This'll be my last mock for quite  some time, I have a lot of work this semester so I probably won't be taking the time to make another one of these until spring break in March.

***No Alabama players – I’m willing to make a public apology.

Edited January 23, 2016 by hn68wb4

[January J]

I like the first 3 rounds but I think we could do much better. But alot of that depends on moving up the boards in some spots and ofcourse you didn't take that into account. Overall I think it's pretty solid. Definitely knocks out cb, wr, and tackle.

Edited January 23, 2016 by January J

[Wildabeast88]

Nice mock I have been a big fan of Boyd. Stanley is a cover our butt pick hopefully we keep KO with Joe talking extension watched Canady he has potential needs some refining but to be expected in the 4th and I like the Burns pick as well as Murphy I would be happy with this obviously would love not to go Stanley and keep KO but that is good really nailed that 4th round

[Mad Puppy]

I'd be disappointed if we take a Tackle @#6....

If only we could keep a drafted player past their rookie deal, wouldn't have to waste picks to replace starters.....

[ALI624]

I'd be disappointed if we take a Tackle @#6....

If only we could keep a drafted player past their rookie deal, wouldn't have to waste picks to replace starters.....

 

I agree we really need to improve our secondary, pass rushing and wide receiver core first. I understand OL is important but if we take a OT at 6 I think we are in for another long season, call me crazy if you want, but that's the way I feel.

[RaineV1]

I'm all for focusing on the o-line. A great line makes for a very good offense. Look at how things were when Kubiak had that line playing their butts off. Stanley is probably one of the best players that'd be available, and it'd be nice to see the Ravens have a franchise LT again.

[52liveforever]

I would love Stanley, but I am convinced the Jags are going to take him. Blake Bortles was the most sacked QB in the league this year. For a team building around their young quarterback not addressing that just doesn't sound likely.

[RavensDieHard21]

Stanley isn't a sexy pick, but a valuable one long-term if we can't resign KO.

[PurpleCity5]

If K.O leaves and we don't find a replacement then I'm all in for Stanley.

[52liveforever]

_{I like the Murphy pick as well. Doesn't make us feel like we have to resign Wagner or desperately try to replace him in FA or in the draft that year. I think tackle is definitely a likely pick in the fourth.}

 

_{Even with me being skeptical that Stanley will be there this is probably one of my favorite mocks}

Edited January 25, 2016 by 52liveforever