THIS is it, the final SBF mock draft. I can’t wait for everyone to read my predictions then have them go horribly wrong on draft night. Plenty of buzz and rumours are flying around as Thursday night draws closer and teams have run out of time to evaluate the potential future stars. Who will go number 1? How many QB’s will be taken in 1st round? Who will trade up/down to snag the talent they so desperately need? Working with the idea that there is no pick swapping, here’s a complete wrap of the 1st round picks by each team.
Version 1 – here, Version 2 – here, Version 3 – here
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Pick #1 Cleveland Browns – Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
I made my case as to why the Browns should take Garrett over a potential quarterback last week. Don’t fail me Cleveland.
Pick #2 San Francisco – Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
AFTER tons of doubt surrounding whether to go offense, defense or trade the pick the 49ers take Solomon Thomas who offers a HUGE ceiling.
Image from texashsfootball.com
Pick #3 Chicago Bears – Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
CHICAGO takes a playmaking corner to spearhead their defense. Squaring off against Rodgers, Stafford and Bridgewater/Bradford twice a year just got a whole lot easier.
Pick #4 Jacksonville Jaguars – Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
PRESSURE is taken off Blake Bortles by taking LSU workhorse Fournette. Pairing a young stellar defense with a stud RB gives the Jags a bright future.
Pick #5 Tennessee Titans – O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
THINGS start to get interesting now. Many mock draft have a defensive pick here, but O.J. Howard is the best tight end prospect we have seen in years.
Pick #6 New York Jets – Jamal Adams, S, LSU
QUARTERBACK is so god damn tempting here for the Jets. But with little O-line talent and pass catchers, wasting this early pick is a mistake. Welcome to the Jets, Adams!
Pick #7 Los Angeles Chargers – Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
JOEY Bosa, Casey Hayward, Melvin Ingram, Denzel Perrymen and now Malik Hooker? Mark my words, this LA Chargers defense is going to cause some serious issues.
Image from redskins.com
Pick #8 Carolina Panthers – Jonathan Allen, DE/DT, Alabama
CAROLINA will be tempted to go RB here if Fournette slides, or they opt for McCaffrey to solve their playmaking issues. Instead they strengthen the defense with an all-purpose defensive end in Allen.
Pick #9 Cincinnati Bengals – Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
IT’S tough to see Barnett sliding much further. The elite pass rusher from Tennessee gives the Bengals a dynamic play maker to shape their defense.
Pick #10 Buffalo Bills – Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
PERSONALLY I think Tyrod Taylor is a good QB, but the Bills may disagree and draft one here. If they don’t, giving him another weapon in Mike Williams is a great choice.
Pick #11 New Orleans Saints – Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
THE Saints could use every one of their picks on defense and still have needs after the draft. Starting at cornerback by taking Conley goes a long way to fixing their achilles heel.
Pick #12 Cleveland Browns – Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
I have a hunch Trubisky won’t be here on the real draft night, but if he is the Browns don’t think twice with this pick. The Browns could very well trade up into the top 5 using their assets to snag Trubisky if necessary.
Image from dawgpounddaily.com
Pick #13 Arizona Cardinals –Rueben Foster, ILB, Alabama
AN ageing Carson Palmer could tempt the Cards into taking Kizer, Trubisky, Mahomes or Watson here. Instead they avoid the character concerns around Foster and draft an explosive linebacker.
Pick #14 Philadelphia Eagles – Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
THE NFC East is full of big bodied wide receivers. The Eagles avoid making the sexier pick in McCaffrey and instead draft Humphrey to fast forward their rebuild.
Pick #15 Indianapolis Colts –Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple
THE Colts have been long linked to a RB, but to fix their talent poor defense they draft a game changing guy flying up mock drafts in Reddick.
Pick #16 Baltimore Ravens – Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
DEFENSE is a strength of the Ravens, so they need to look at RB and WR options to jumpstart their offense. They opt for Davis over Dalvin Cook and John Ross to build on their passing game.
Pick #17 Washington Redskins –Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
NOT only does Dalvin Cook fill a need for the Redskins, it gives them a player to rely on offensively should QB Cousins find his way to another team.
Image from mlive.com
Pick #18 Tennessee Titans – John Ross, WR, Washington
A CB could tempt the Titans here, but expect them to take the a WR for Mariota to throw to. Williams, Ross and Davis are all viable picks, but a record breaking speedster in Ross is probably the last of the three left.
Pick #19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
THERE is plenty of chatter surrounding McCaffrey heading into the draft and he probably won’t be available here on Thurs. If he is though he will become a Buccaneer.
Pick #20 Denver Broncos –Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
WITH their elite defense set, Broncos need to address their O-line. Lamp, Ramczyk, Robinson, Bolles, take your pick. My monies on the Badgers 300 pounder.
Pick #21 Detroit Lions – Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
PAIRING Ziggy Ansah with another pass rushing pal is likely what the Lions will do at 21. They may opt for Charles Harris, but I think McKinley suits their structure more than Harris.
Pick #22 Miami Dolphins – Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
AFTER free agency offensive line is a position of desperate need for the Dolphins. Enter Forrest Lamp.
Pick #23 New York Giants – Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
Back to back offensive linemen go off the board with the Giants taking Bolles. Reports say that they rate Bolles as the best O-lineman in the draft, so taking him gives Eli more time to throw to all his weapons.
Image from draftwire.usatoday.com
Pick #24 Oakland Raiders – Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
DAVIS is exactly what Jack Del Rio’s team needs from a defensive perspective. A physical athlete, expect Davis to make difference in Oakland.
Pick #25 Houston Texans – DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson
DRAFTING a quarterback is probably the only thing holding the Texans back from being elite in 2017. Watson has proved himself as a big game player and in my eyes is the best QB in this draft.
Pick #26 Seattle Seahawks – Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
MANY experts believe that Cam Robinson is the best offensive lineman in the draft. Regardless of who else is available the Seahawks need to get Russell Wilson protection.
Pick #27 Kansas City Chiefs – Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
KANSAS City opt to steal Harris this late in the draft. They have one of the most star studded defenses in the league and adding Harris to the mix is a nightmare for foes.
Image from withthefirstpick.com
Pick #28 Dallas Cowboys –Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
SIMILAR to the Chiefs, the Cowboys can’t led Taco Charlton slide any further. They have a dominant offense, it’s time to build a dominant defense.
Pick #29 Green Bay Packers – T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin
A popular pick with fans sees J.J’s younger brother stay in his hometown state, while making a difference for the Packers on the defensive side of the ball.
Pick # 30 Pittsburgh Steelers – David Njoku, TE, Miami
ORIGINALLY I had Jabrill Peppers slotted here, however after news of a dilated test sample broke, his draft stock will probably slide. Instead the Steelers take one of my favourite players in the draft in Njoku.
Pick #31 Atlanta Falcons – Malik McDowell, DE/DT, Michigan State
MALIK McDowell address a good need for the Falcons with Chris Chester retiring in the off-season. The disruptive force of nature can play both inside or outside offering the Falcons with plenty of potential on the defensive line.
Pick #32 New Orleans Saints – Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
TAKING a corner with #11 means it’s unlikely that the Saints take another one here. Instead they get their QB of the future in Patrick Mahomes, who can develop behind one of the games all-time greats.
THE NEXT 10
FOR whatever reason these players are on the cusp of the 1st round. Should some picks fall other ways and certain players be available at certain spots, these guys could all be 1st rounders. In no particular order here are the next 10 guys who could find their way into the 1st round or will be drafted shortly thereafter in the 2nd.
Image from sportingnews.com
Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
Budda Baker, S, Washington
Obi Melifonwu, S, Conneticut
DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC
Kevin King, CB, Washington
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