Let the ridiculing begin. I mean mocking. 1. HOU- Jadeveon Clowney, DE South Carolina I thought about putting someone else here just for the heck of it but everything is pointing to Clowney going #1 overall. The Texans OLB's have been pretty underwhelming, and Crennell likes pass-rushing OLB's (He worked with Tamba Hali and Justin Houston in KC). Clowney is just too good to pass up. 2. STL- Sammy Watkins, WR Clemson With Jake long on the roster, LT isn't enough of a need to go OT with the #2, because if they miss on the 3 premier LT's they can get an RT later in the draft pretty easily. They've drafted a number of guys in the 2nd round and later over the past couple years, but none have made enough of a difference to be considered true threats on the outside. Sammy Watkins becomes Bradford's #1 immediately, and will force defenses to be honest and give Tavon Austin room to work. 3. JAC- Teddy Bridgewater, QB Louisville Bridgewater is the best QB, the most pro-ready. If there are any questions about his arm strength, they are softened by the fact that the Jags play 8+games in sunny FL, and 2 division games in domes. Bridgewater is a level headed QB, who is accurate and makes excellent choices with the football. He will only get bigger as he gets older, and has the best chance to succeed as an NFL QB for a long time. Like all rookies, expect growing pains. 4. CLE- Johnny Manziel, QB Texas A&M The Browns can't go into 2014 banking on Brian Hoyer to be a legitimate starter all season. Remember, the guy was terrible in Arizona, like really bad. Manziel gives the Browns a genuinely star powered player, something they haven't had in the last decade. A few fringe stars but nothing like Manziel. More importantly Manziel seems open to coaching, and has excellent instincts. His height won't be any more an issue than Drew Brees or Russell Wilson. His style of mobility is great for a Cleveland team, they play 8 games a year on a notoriously muddy field in generally crap weather. They also play 3 other division games in bad weather cities, and generally even more than that. They often play teams in Buffal, NY, NE, etc. Maziel's elusiveness could be a huge advantage in that regard. 5. STL (OAK)- Jake Matthews, OT Texas A&M Oakland would really like to move back, so they are willing to take less then they should in compensation, just as they did last year when trading down from #3 overall. They basically got trade-raped by the Dolphins last year. Mack or an OT are the best players available, but they are pretty well set at OT and Mack isn't a good enough fit with the lack of overall talent they have. St. Louis would like an OT to protect Bradford, and because I wouldn't be surprised if Long is a cap cut going into 2015. Matthews is a proven elite RT and LT, so putting him at RT for a year before moving him to LT should be no problem. 6. ATL- Greg Robinson, OT Auburn Atlanta certainly could use Khalil Mack, but they can't pass on the elite LT when the offensive line was such a problem last year. Matt Ryan needs to be protected, and Mack can't provide that. Robinson is the second best player in the draft, so his availability at 7 is just too much value to go with Mack. 7. TEN (TB)- Khalil Mack, OLB Buffalo The Titans' switch to a 3-4 defense leaves them with a void at pass-rushing OLB. The signing of Shaun Phillips gives them more of a run stopping presence at this point in his career. The Bucs really wanted an OT, but with the top two gone they trade back since Mack will draw trade suitors at 7. 8. MIN- Blake Bortles, QB UCF Minnesota needs a QB badly, and are excited that Jacksonville and Cleveland picked the two they did. Bortles is a big, strong armed guy that you need for the NFC North. The Vikings are going to play 8 games in an open stadium in Minneapolis, and 2 more division games in bad weather cities Green Bay and Chicago. Why do you think the NFC North have 3 of the biggest arms in the NFL, Matt Stafford, Jay Cutler, and Aaron Rodgers? A big arm is important for that division. Bortles is the least pro ready of the top 3, but Peterson will be a nice diversion for defenses to worry about. Mike Zimmer must be dead sick of having a weak arm QB (Dalton) hold his defense back in the playoffs. 9. BUF- Eric Ebron, TE North Carolina Scott Chandler is nice when you have no one else, but he is really more of a red zone threat than legitimate weapon. It's really Ebron or Clinton-Dix, and the weapon Ebron gives Manuel is just more valuable overall to the team than Clinton-Dix. 10. DET- Taylor Lewan, OT Michigan As much as they would love Mike Evans or Clinton-Dix, they are painfully empty at RT. They have to protect Matt Stafford, and they can pick up another WR in round 2 easily this year. Calvin Johnson makes the choice between Evans and Lewan clear. 11. TB (TEN)- Mike Evans, WR Texas A&M Tampa really was hoping to get one of the top 3 tackles, but they can't complain that they were able to trade back and still get Mike Evans. Evans gives McCown another big jump ball master to pair with Vincent Jackson, just as he had two big guys in Chicago with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey. They will have to settle with an OT in round 2 or 3. 12. PIT (NYG)- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, FS Alabama The Giants were really hoping Evans or Ebron, and really don't want to leave the first round without a pass catcher. They give the Steelers a call, and say hey we know you need a young safety, and it won't take much for us to drop to 15. Pitt says lets do it and get the last player before the drop off in talent and the next staple of the Pittsburgh defense. 13. OAK (STL)- Justin Gilbert, CB Oklahoma State Oakland was hoping Clinton-Dix would drop to them, but they will settle for Gilbert. Carlos Rodgers is an easy cut, as almost all of his salary will go back in Oakland's pocket. Terrell Brown will be a nice security option if either of their young CB's struggle or get hurt. They are happy to have Woodson mentoring their young guys Hayden and Gilbert before his eventual retirement. 14. CHI- Aaron Donald, DT Pittsburgh Chicago has a clear need here, and Donald is the most disruptive DT on the board. Aaron Donald is exceptional vs the run, and has the disruptive ability to develop as an every down DT. Donald is the only DT available without major questions, so Chicago wastes no time in scooping him up. 15. NYG (PIT)- Odell Beckham Jr, WR LSU The Giants like Rueben Randle, but they can't go into the season with Randle and Cruz as their only threatening pass catchers, it just doesn't work for Eli's strengths. Since Ebron and Evans are both gone by their pick, they drop back few spots and grab the best pass catcher available. Beckham also gives them a kick returner who doesn't have a penchant for fumbling (David Wilson). Cruz does his damage from the slot, and Randle is a good red zone target, but they need a guy who can catch 80 balls and do it from anywhere on the field. 16. DAL- Anthony Barr, OLB UCLA The Cowboys are looking at Pryor here and probably Marqise Lee as well, but they know that the best way to mask secondary issues is to get a pass rush going. They really don't have anyone on their team that has unique pass rush ability, and Barr is too tempting to pass up. They would love to be able to address all of the needs they have, but they will have to settle for their biggest need, which is an outside pass rush.
17. BAL- Zach Martin, OT/OG Notre Dame The Ravens got their LT in Monroe, but they have a 2nd year 5th rounder penciled in at RT. Martin gives them much needed flexibility which is ideal for Baltimore considering how whacky their line has been the last two years. They are probably considering Pryor or Lee here as well, but they are set at starters for WR, and taking 1st round safety two years running just isn't a great move. Better to get a WR later and protect Joe Flacco. The 5th year option they used on CB Jimmy Smith makes it unlikely they go CB in round 1 either. 18. NYJ- Darqueze Dennard, CB Michigan State The Jets get lucky that the Steelers decide to grab an available Clinton-Dix, as Dennard was a logical choice for the Steelers' system. Clinton-Dix represents a player on another tier, and so when the opportunity presented itself they jumped. The Jets get their press man CB, a physical, smart corner who attacks the run as aggressively as he dominates WR's. Beckham's absence makes Dennard the easy choice. 19. SF (MIA)- Brandin Cooks, WR Oregon State The Dolphins were targeting versatile offensive lineman Zach Martin, but no other top players available fit into the way their roster was built. San Francisco is loaded with draft picks, and have no concern about moving up to get their speedy WR to put in between Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin. I'd be looking forward to seeing some read option work with Kaepernick and Cooks. 20. ARI- Calvin Pryor, S Louisville Arizona's safety situation basically consists of Tyrann Matthieu, a Nickel CB FS hybrid and he's coming off injury at that. Calvin Pryor is the best or second best player remaining, and he fits well as a hard hitting, run stopping safety with the speed to play FS should Matthieu not be 100% or become injured again. 21. GB- C.J. Mosley, ILB Alabama Green bay is the first team to have dire need at ILB, and Mosley is probably the best available prospect on the board. Fitting him in next to AJ Hawk will instantly give the Pack a viable starter at one of their few needy positions. 22. PHI- Stephon Tuitt, DT Notre Dame Chip Kelly was hoping to get Brandin Cooks, but he is happy to pick up the versatile D-lineman his 3-4 defense has been needing. Tuitt has the potential to develop into a Muhammad Wilkerson type of player, and Kelly will be able to find a nice slot WR later in this draft. 23. KC- Marqise Lee, WR USC The Chiefs are dying for a playmaker take the pressure off Jamaal Charles, because as soon as Dwayne Bowe signed that big contract, he turned into a possession receiver at best. Lee can come right in and make plays lining up anywhere. 24. CIN- Derek Carr, QB Fresno State Marvin Lewis has made the playoffs 3 straight years, only to lose out relatively quickly each year with most of the blame on the limitations of Andy Dalton. Jay Gruden, the offensive coordinator who pushed for Dalton is now HC in Washington, and Hue Jackson likes a bigger arm (hence the terrible Carson Palmer trade). Carr's beautiful touch on the deep ball is going to let AJ Green, Marvin Jones, and Tyler Eifert soar to new heights now that they don't have to come back for under thrown balls. Carr and Dalton will compete for the job, and Cincy won't get forced into extending Dalton at the end of the year just because they have no other options. 25. SD- Louis Nix III, NT Notre Dame San Diego could very much use corner help, but teams aren't going to throw the ball if the can run it down their throat. Nix fits right into a needy position and gives them an immediate boost vs the run. The Chargers will hope to find a good CB prospect early in the draft, but if they don't, they'll be searching the scrap heap after the draft. 26. CLE- Ryan Shazier, ILB Ohio State The Browns need a young ILB to come in along side Karlos Dansby. Shazier is a fast, play making ILB who will benefit from a year or two of Dansby's tutelage, and Mike Pettine happens to specialize in LB's. Shazier will be a lynchpin of Pettine's defense for years to come. 27. NO- Kelvin Benjamin, WR Florida State Most people think New Orleans are going for defense, but they surprise everyone, especially the Panthers, by taking Benjamin. No one can use a mismatch better than Drew Brees, and that's exactly what Benjamin is. Colston is slowing down every year, and the Saints really need some receiver insurance in case they can't make a Graham extension work. Kenny Stills was a nice surprise for them, but he is not a #1 type of guy, and Colston still has a year left in him at least, but Benjamin is just too enticing of a mismatch to be passed over. 28. CAR- Jason Verrett, CB TCU Carolina would be frustrated by how close they were to grabbing Benjamin, but now that he's off the board they go with another need. Verrett is small but very feisty, and is definitely a playmaker. He should be in line for some picks curtesy of the intimidating front 7 of the Panthers. The Panthers will just have to wait until day 2 to get a WR. 29. NE- Timmy Jernigan, DT Florida State The Patriots need a disruptive player on the line, and Jernigan gives Belichick a movable guy who can play DE in a 3-4, NT, or DT in a 4-3. He is not huge like traditional Belichick DT's but he is very quick and can do a lot of different things. A good defensive mind like Belichick will be able to put him in positions to succeed. 30. MIA (SF)- Xavier Su'a-Filo, OG UCLA The Dolphins are in a frustrating position after Baltimore takes their guy. They have locked themselves into a number of free agent contracts making very few of the remaining top talents a logical pick. The offensive line is the teams biggest weak spot, especially guard, so they shop around their pick. San Francisco has Cooks on the brain, knowing they need offensive speed. They are so loaded with picks ( 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 7, 7,) trading up is no problem. The Dolphins are able to make something good come out of missing out on Martin; They get the next best guard and pick up a few picks in the process. 31. DEN- Kony Ealy, DE Missouri The Broncos are going to score a lot of points again in 2014, and they missed Elvis Dummervil a lot, they missed Derrick Wolfe and Von Miller when they were hurt, and Von when he was suspended. They can't risk putting everything on Demarcus Ware again, so they bring in Ealy to help the pass rush rotation. Forcing teams to play catchup and getting after the QB is going to help mask their secondary weaknesses. 32. SEA- Cyrus Kouandjio, OT Alabama The departure of Breno Giacomini leaves the Seahawks without a real option at RT, and Kouandjio is a certified power run blocking RT. He is probably even a bit of an upgrade over Giacomini, and when you're as talent rich as the Seahawks you can reach just a little bit to fill a hole.
I'm not happy about it but have resigned myself to the fact that we are probably drafting another CB high.
Definitely feel the sentiment, but Dennard's hard to pass by. He's among the best talent CB in the draft, if not the best (one could also argue the BPA at 18, as well), and based upon the tape, it seems like he'd be a smooth a fit for the Jets' defense. Certainly, it would be nice to grab some weapons in the first, but according to this mock, offensive skill players such as Amaro, ASJ, and a good deal of WR talent survive into the later rounds.
This is the best mock I've seen IMO. The justification/value equation on the picks is top notch. Unless one of the really big names fall, Dennard seems to just make too much sense to pass up. You couldn't ask for a better scheme fit, and if it breaks down like this the only real picks you could make a case for are Lee and Cooks. Great job!
Dennard's faced the better competition and went toe to toe with WRs like Abberderis and Robinson in years prior and did a really good job on em. One can argue that Verrett will be the better pro but not even close is kinda pushing it.
As long as we address some other needs (I.e. WR and TE) later I guess it won't be the end of the world.
looks like a good detailed mock. always hard to predict picks, and even harder to try and predict trades with picks. If the Jets end up with Dennard I'd be pumped. great selection for them. If Beckham, Dennard, and Barr were all still on the board at 15, i'd be sweating my ass off that all 3 would be taken before 18 (which easily couldve happened in your mock should Balt go for Dennard).. Lets hope 3 QB's go in the top 10 like you mocked. That's what will kick a top tier guy down to us..
Much appreciated, I worked quite hard. I went back and changed a lot throughout the process because I wanted the trades to be realistic, and there were a lot of times I'd get to a team and be like there's no way they'd pass by an opportunity to trade up and get this guys so I'd have to change a lot. Perfect example is the MIA SF trade, when I got to SF, and saw how many picks they have, it just seemed so obvious. They have to get in front of PHI and the move makes sense for MIA. I was trying to think of who they could trade back with but I couldn't think of a good team, so I had them stay until the 49ers hit me.
Verrett is a good player, but he's only 5'9". He is just going to be destroyed in press man coverage versus these 6'3"+ WR's in the league. He's a good player that's just limited by his god-given size.
Size is his only limitation, he is just as physical as dennard and covers much better. He has quick feet and great instincts, Brandon Flowers is 5'9 and he's fine.
He's not going to come in ready for the guys that big, he's ideally suited to a slot or zone cover position starting out. He may be a good player for someone but his size limitations area a concern, whereas with Darqueze Dennard you know exactly what you're getting. He's a risk that will possibly pay off for someone not picking at 18.
The Jets will indeed draft BPA...and I fully feel that Dennard is rated as a top 10 pick according to the Jets brass. Yes grabbing a WR, TE, OG are priorities but WR is deep, OG you can grab a solid one later in the draft and getting a blocking/solid receiving TE you can get in later rounds.
Unbelievable job here Max. Are you not scout or asst to a GM? Sometimes I wonder how this board has so many savvy FB people. What I like is how you played out various scenarios so Jets fill a need.
There's something about the way you said that where I can't tell if you're serious or sarcastic... lol
He will definitely be ready, long arms to break up passes and the speed/quickness to cover any route you can name. Dennard on the other hand is slow footed as fuck and we have quick twitch receivers in our division.
I just blatantly disagree with your assessment here. Verrett isn't ready for a press man outside starting role based on his tape. He is ideal for a zone cover scheme or slot man coverage. When Brandon Flowers came into the league he was a second round pick and the Chiefs were a 4-3 zone defense. He was much better then, and it's why they brought in a big CB (Sean Smith) to handle bigger WR's. Flowers has developed the strength to play press man outside over time.
We have multiple slot CB's in Wilson, Patterson, and Lankster, and don't need to spend the 18th overall on another. Dennard is not as slow footed as you're making it seem, and will match up fine against AFC East WR's with his aggressive style. Milliner will take on Wallace, and Dennard would play on Hartline in MIA, and in NE all of their quick twitch guys are in the slot and will be covered by our slot CB's. I just flat out disagree I guess.
No ,really you sound like someone who does this full time or doesn't watch TV shows at night. Go apply to Jets personnel!
