2015 NFL Mock Draft, Version 3.0

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2015 NFL Mock Draft, Version 3.0 

Post#1 » by RealGM Articles » Fri Dec 19, 2014 5:28 pm

The college football regular season is now over, and before the bowl season kicks off it’s time to update the mock draft. The previous version is as outdated as your mom’s Creed CD. This edition goes three rounds and is based on the current draft order leading into Week 16, with a couple of liberties on my part in projecting a handful of spots. Many underclassmen are included with no consideration for if they’re actually going to declare, but those who have said they are staying in school at some point (Connor Cook, Andrus Peat among them) are omitted.

These selections are a projection for what the given teams might do in the given situation. It does not represent the choices I would make in the same situation. I’m more about getting the proper pairing of player with slot than team with player, as there will be trades and free agency moves that impact team needs. No trades are included in this edition, though the QB market could create chances for Chicago or Washington to land some extra picks here.

First Round

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State. The off-field maturity issues are well-chronicled, as are his interception issues for the Seminoles this year, but Winston offers such a tantalizing blend of athleticism and natural quarterbacking savvy that he is going to be drafted high. The Buccaneers sorely need a franchise-changing protagonist, and Winston offers more high-end potential than Cam Newton or even Mariota in this draft. With great risk comes great potential reward.

2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. While rookie Zach Mettenberger has shown a little promise, he’s also been wildly inefficient and ends his second season in a row with a major injury. This team cannot get better without significantly upgrading the QB position, and that means Mariota heads to Nashville. He’s highly regarded by NFL scouts for his poise, his ability to win with both his arm and his legs, and his experience in an up-tempo offense surrounded by talent.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Williams, DT, USC. Williams is my No. 1-rated player in the entire draft, and the Jaguars would be fortunate to get him to anchor the middle of their defense. He has J.J. Watt potential, though he’s not as naturally strong. Williams can play the 3 or 5 technique and wreak havoc against both the run and pass. Edge rusher makes a lot of sense, but the depth at that spot allows them to wait a round.

4. Oakland Raiders: Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor. Oakman is a physical freak, a 6’8”, 280-pound bundle of abundant (as visible from his crop-top style jersey) fast-twitch muscle. He’s not always a very good football player, but NFL teams are going to see the flashes of Julius Peppers-in-his-prime dominance and salivate. Oakland has never shied away from the better-athlete-than-player types. Amari Cooper will be a tough pass here.

5. Washington Ethnic Slurs: Landon Collins, S, Alabama. Washington needs safety help like Kanye West and Miley Cyrus need attention. Through all their QB travails over the years, it has remained the biggest need on the team since Sean Taylor’s tragic passing seven years ago. Collins isn’t on that plane but he’s a playmaking safety with good awareness and physicality. I could see them going for a pass rusher or offensive tackle, too.

6. New York Jets: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama. By missing out on the only two QBs worthy of even a second-round pick, the Jets turn to get the best possible talent surrounding Geno Smith or (insert free agent QB du jour) and that player is Cooper. He’s got speed, hands, route running savvy and big-game ability. Cooper and Eric Dekcer with Jeremy Kerley in the slot makes a pretty solid receiving corps for the new offensive coordinator to build around. Now about that QB…

7. New York Giants: Randy Gregory, Edge, Nebraska. The top edge rushers in this draft all have very high ceilings but very real and legitimate questions about certain aspects of their games. For Gregory, who is perhaps the quickest and most explosive off the ball, it’s his downright abysmal production against better offensive tackles and his ponderous bouts of not being able to locate the ball. He’s going to test through the roof, and that will keep him in the top 10 in my opinion. This is where I offer the friendly reminder that the picks here do not necessarily reflect the choices I would make…

8. Atlanta Falcons: Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Edge, Kentucky. Dupree is the kind of player you want walking off the bus first, a shredded athlete with great power. He’s often an impact player against both the run and pass, though he needs to remember he’s a physical beast at times. He can play both end and outside linebacker, and a new coaching staff (?) in Atlanta will value that versatility. The Falcons have to bolster the league’s worst pass rush, perhaps with multiple early picks.

9. Chicago Bears: Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson. The Bears have to replace at least two LBs, both safeties and at least one CB right away, and also have to plan for Jared Allen’s inevitable departure and bolster a paper-thin front line too. In short, they need impact defensive talent. Beasley is best-suited to play 3-4 OLB but can fit in a 4-3 too. Hard to predict how a new regime (GM, coach) will handle the draft.

10. Carolina Panthers: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia. Back in October my good friends Justin Higdon, Bill Carroll and I sat at the Park Tavern in Rosemont IL watching White play. All three of us independently came up with a comparison of Larry Fitzgerald. Think Carolina could use a guy like that, even if White only winds up being 90% of that level? Hard to ignore their OL needs, but this WR class isn’t near as deep as last year’s and the tackle class is better.

11. Minnesota Vikings: T.J. Clemmings, T, Pittsburgh. Most former basketball players move to defensive end, but Clemmings opted to protect the passer instead of attacking them. Good move. He’s got outstanding balance and movement skills but also excellent power for the position. He might not be most people’s top tackle yet, but wait until he tears up the workout season. Minnesota must replace Matt Kalil, who has the yips in pass protection like Steve Sax throwing to first base.

12. Cleveland Browns: Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri. The Browns have a lot of quality depth along the defensive front but not a lot of impact. Ray offers the potential to be an impact pass rusher, and he has positional versatility as well. Scouts I’ve talked with are divided on him, but those who like him like him higher than this slot.

13. St. Louis Rams: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State. Long, fast and blessed with a braggadocio that often serves top corners well, Waynes is quite likely to be the first CB taken. He’s naturally sticky and instinctive in coverage, though he must stop staring at the QB at the next level. The Rams need to bolster the back end of their defense, which isn’t near the level of the front. They are a potential trade partner for any team looking to shop a QB, too.

14. Miami Dolphins: La’el Collins, T, LSU. The Dolphins luck into Collins, an emerging talent who could go as high as #5 overall with a strong Senior Bowl week. Big, country-strong guys with feet like his don’t grow on trees…which is good because those trees would be downright scary. I suspect Miami will look for a WR early, too.

15. Cleveland Browns (from BUF): Devante Parker, WR, Louisville. Parker is another player who divides scouting opinions. One AFC South scout I trust very much told me he thinks Parker is the best WR in the draft, but an NFC North counterpart told me he turned in a 4th-round evaluation on Louisville’s speedy, acrobatic wideout. The Browns sure could use his size and ranginess down the field to either complement or replace Josh Gordon.

16. Houston Texans: Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA. Just because most folks won’t rate a QB anywhere near a first-round talent doesn’t mean they won’t go high. Look at E.J. Manuel or Blaine Gabbert or Tim Tebow. Hundley greatly improved his accuracy and has athleticism to wow, but lacks vision and presence and should be considered a long-term project. With Ryan Mallett or perhaps Tom Savage as a bridge, the Texans might be the right team to roll the dice with Head Coach Bill O’Brien’s track record of QB success.

17. San Francisco 49ers: Shaq Thompson, LB/S, Washington. Thompson is an intriguing talent, an outstanding athlete who happens to be the best RB for the Huskies as well as their top player at the second level of the defense. He fits in the nickel LB/third safety-as-LB role that is emerging, and he’s got enough size to handle playing WOLB in a 4-3 if the Niners new coach--and they’ll have a new coach--opts to make that schematic transition. He’s a real wild card in the slotting process; I could see a team taking a chance on him in the 8-12 range but also see his lack of a defined position causing him to fall into the 40-50 range.

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn. A team that hasn’t thrown a TD pass to a wideout in over a calendar year gets a receiver who doesn’t do a lot other than make big plays. He averages nearly 24 yards per reception and has great size, speed and strength down the field. Convincing Alex Smith and Andy Reid to actually try and target him on those vertical routes is another problem entirely.

19. San Diego Chargers: Brandon Scherff, T, Iowa. You’ll find Scherff in the top 10 in most mock drafts, I suspect. I think he falls. Why? He’s a right tackle or left guard in the NFL more than he is a left tackle. No matter that he’ll be great at either of those spots; teams unconsciously downgrade players like that. It happened to Riley Reiff and Joel Bitonio (among others) and those guys proved they were worth it. So will Scherff, and the Chargers will be happy for it too.

20. Dallas Cowboys: Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas. This probably seems high for a player most have pegged in the middle of the second round, but consider this: the disruptive Brown played his best game against UCLA in Jerry World, and Mr. Jones is noted for not wavering from strong initial impressions. Plus he fits a need as an interior pass rusher.

21. New Orleans Saints: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State: Strong is an ideal replacement for Marques Colston as the supersized wideout in the offense. He’s fantastic with the ball in the air--ask USC. The Saints continue to reload the offensive weapons here, though they desperately need cornerback and LB help. That will come in the next few rounds.

22. Baltimore Ravens: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia. The torn up knee certainly clouds Gurley’s draft stock, but the good news for the stud RB is that it’s his first knee injury. I suspect someone will take a flier on his powerful running style and excellent, decisive vision early on. It might as well be Baltimore, where Justin Forsett could shoulder the load until Gurley is truly ready.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington. Big, active and able to run down plays outside the tackle box, Shelton often looks like a premium pick. He also can get lost on the field and takes himself out of plays, and that will cast enough doubt he could fall into the second round. I think he levels off here for the Steelers, who can use him to replace Steve McClendon and give the front a young and talented threesome.

24. Detroit Lions: Ronnie Stanley, T, Notre Dame. Every indication I have gotten from South Bend (where I’ve seen two games in person this year) has consistently been the skilled Stanley will be there another year, but if he does declare he figures to be in high demand around this point. Detroit would install him at left tackle, kick Riley Reiff to left guard or right tackle and hope the moves solidify a disappointing OL from 2014. Keep in mind both the starting C and LG will not be back next year.

25. Indianapolis Colts: Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan. The Colts sorely need a sizeable wideout to play opposite TY Hilton and flanking Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. Funchess is a converted TE who improved his route running and blocking while moving outside in 2014, though his hands are a legit question.

26. Cincinnati Bengals: Dante Fowler, Edge, Florida. The dynamic Fowler offers more sizzle than anyone Cincinnati has off the edge right now, and it seems to be Marvin Lewis’ style to accumulate talent up front. He could be long gone by this point, and the Bengals might consider OL or CB help here too.

27. Arizona Cardinals: Benardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State. McKinney is a body-rocker of a presence, an excellent downhill force when crashing between the tackles. He doesn’t have great lateral range, but in Arizona’s current scheme they can deploy him at his best role, an interior attack dog. Boom/bust prospect.

28. Seattle Seahawks: Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana. Every draft has some surprises, and the Seahawks often deliver them. Bruce Irvin and Justin Britt, anyone? In this case, they replace Marshawn Lynch with the underrated Coleman, a blazer with great cutting ability at full speed and outstanding balance.

29. Philadelphia Eagles: Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville. He’s always around the ball and knows how to play it, witness his 14 INTs. Few players are that preternaturally instinctive towards the ball. The knock on him--and it’s 100% legit--is that the junior safety might be the weakest tackler to hit the draft in years. The Eagles could deploy him as a center fielder and hope he makes more plays than he allows.

30. Denver Broncos: Cameron Erving, T/C, Florida State. His stock as a tackle was consistently falling, but Erving found a surprising home in the pivot. His poor lateral range and balance are mitigated inside, and his quick feet are more of an asset. Hard to forecast what direction the Broncos look as they try to milk one or two more years out of Peyton Manning.

31. Green Bay Packers: P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State. Six-foot+ tall corner who can turn and run are catnip for Packers GM Ted Thompson, and the fact Williams hits like a safety helps too. I suspect many folks will pencil in another defensive linemen or edge rusher, but I think the Packers bolster the back end prominently in this draft at this point.

32. New England Patriots: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington. Incredibly skilled cover man with a litany of off-field issues that got him booted from the program at Washington, Peters is a tough prospect to forecast. He could thrive in an environment with a strong leadership presence and mentor. New England offers that, and he could make a very good defense into a dominant one.

Second Round

33. Tennessee Titans: Shilique Calhoun, Edge, Michigan State

34. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ty Sambrailo, T, Colorado State

35. Jacksonville Jaguars: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin

36. New York Jets: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest

37. Washington Ethnic Slurs: Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA

38. Oakland Raiders: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State

39. New York Giants: Eric Rowe, CB, Utah

40. Chicago Bears: Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon

41. Carolina Panthers: Cedric Ogbuehi, T, Texas A&M

42. New Orleans Saints: Nate Orchard, Edge, Utah

43. Minnesota Vikings: Denzel Perryman, LB, Miami FL

44. Cleveland Browns: Ty Montgomery, WR/RS, Stanford

45. St. Louis Rams: A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina

46. Buffalo Bills: Alex Carter, CB, Stanford

47. Houston Texans: Markus Golden, DL, Missouri

48. San Francisco 49ers: Nelson Agholor, WR, USC

49. Miami Dolphins: T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama

50. Kansas City Chiefs: Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State

51. San Diego Chargers: D’Joun Smith, CB, Florida Atlantic

52. Dallas Cowboys: Hau’oli Kikaha, Edge, Washington

53. Atlanta Falcons: Anthony Harris, S, Virginia

54. Baltimore Ravens: Ellis McCarthy, DT, UCLA

55. Pittsburgh Steelers: Eli Harold, Edge, Virginia

56. Detroit Lions: Quentin Rollins, CB, Miami OH

57. Indianapolis Colts: Jake Fisher, T, Oregon

58. Cincinnati Bengals: Kurtis Drummond, S, Michigan State

59. Arizona Cardinals: Josue Matias, G, Florida State

60. Seattle Seahawks: Ben Koyack, TE, Notre Dame

61. Philadelphia Eagles: Chi Chi Ariguzo, LB, Northwestern

62. Denver Broncos: Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State

63. Green Bay Packers: Spencer Drango, T, Baylor

64. New England Patriots: Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State

Third Round

65. Tennessee Titans: Jalen Collins, CB, LSU

66. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Owamagbe Odighizua, DE, UCLA

67. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Floyd, Edge, Georgia

68. New York Jets: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon

69. Washington Ethnic Slurs: Charles Gaines, CB, Louisville

70. Oakland Raiders: Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State

71. New York Giants: Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor

72. Chicago Bears: Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas

73. Carolina Panthers: Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina

74. New Orleans Saints: Gabe Wright, DE, Auburn

75. Minnesota Vikings: David Cobb, RB, Minnesota

76. Cleveland Browns: Eric Striker, LB, Oklahoma

77. St. Louis Rams: Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State

78. Buffalo Bills: Nick O’Leary, TE, Florida State

79. Houston Texans: Austin Hill, WR, Arizona

80. San Francisco 49ers: Trey Flowers, Edge, Arkansas

81. Miami Dolphins: Derron Smith, S, Fresno State

82. Kansas City Chiefs: Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State

83. San Diego Chargers: Duke Johnson, RB, Miami FL

84. Dallas Cowboys: Lorenzo Doss, CB, Tulane

85. Atlanta Falcons: Lorenzo Maudlin, Edge, Louisville

86. Baltimore Ravens: Corey Robinson, T, South Carolina

87. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cody Prewitt, S, Ole Miss

88. Detroit Lions: Carl Davis, DT, Iowa

89. Indianapolis Colts: Christian Covington, DT, Rice

90. Cincinnati Bengals: Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State

91. Arizona Cardinals: Bronson Kaufusi, Edge, BYU

92. Seattle Seahawks: Tyrus Thompson, T, Oklahoma

93. Philadelphia Eagles: Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson

94. Denver Broncos: Senquez Golson, CB, Ole Miss

95. Green Bay Packers: Durell Eskridge, S, Syracuse

96. New England Patriots: Deontay Greenberry, WR, Houston

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Re: 2015 NFL Mock Draft, Version 3.0 

Post#2 » by greenNgold » Fri Dec 26, 2014 9:24 am

I was just curious. You don't have Green Bay taking an ILB in the 1st 3 rounds. How are you suggesting Green Bay goes about solving their issues at ILB if they're not drafting one in the 1st 3 rounds?? And Thompson don't use FA so that's out the question. You mention edge rusher or DL but if Raji and Guion are resigned and Peppers restructure, we don't have a need for an edge rusher or DL. I like CB but it's not a need with Shields, Hayward and Hyde all available in 2015 and who knows what happens with Tramon and House. Plus we have a developmental player Demetri Goodson they've carried on the 53 all year. There's no answers at ILB. Clay has moved there quite a bit over the last month or 2 and it's really help improve the defense, especially the run game. Green Bay hasn't allowed but 1 team go get over 113 yards since week 4, and Green Bay has made it clear that Clay at ILB isn't a full time thing, that he's an OLB. So with Hawk almost completely phased out the defense, he's a likely cap cut at the end of the year. Barrington has taken his place but he's barely an above average player, he's not a long term solution. Behind him Lattimore is no better than him and he's a FA. Brad Jones is a joke and barely better than Hawk and a possible cap casualty himself. And you didn't even mention ILB as a potential pick in the 1st, like you've completely overlooked the position and don't feel it's a need. It's our BIGGEST and most DESPERATE NEED. If Green Bay is gonna seriously look to improve the defense, ILB has to be at the top of the list. They can't pass up a chance at a guy like Kendricks or Perryman if they're picking anywhere in the last 4 picks. What was your thoughts with our 1st 3 picks and no ILB??
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Re: 2015 NFL Mock Draft, Version 3.0 

Post#3 » by Manster7588 » Fri Dec 26, 2014 6:31 pm

I'm curious why you have a non-playoff team drafting 29th.
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Re: 2015 NFL Mock Draft, Version 3.0 

Post#4 » by Boneman2 » Fri Jan 9, 2015 5:05 am

Where is Dorial Green-Beckham? Replace Funchess in the 1st with him and I like it for the Colts. We already have a TE/Wr hybrid in Fleener, ironically his snags are questionable too. One is enough.

I'd also consider going defense in the first or OL. The Colts need to protect Luck above all else, but they also need more thumpers on D. I guess if Grigson goes bpa that'll suffice. Although I can see why you had him going receiver since Nicks and Wayne are set to expire.

You addressed the Colts' needs in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Nice mock.
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