Cidusii's First Round Mock

Thought I'd give it a try for part of the first round so far. Tried to reason my way through each pick some. Haven't done one before, so probably hugely inaccurate. Threw in a few trades that made sense to me.

Round 1:

1. Kansas City Chiefs - OT Eric Fisher - From what I've read, him and Joeckel seem fairly interchangeable but Fisher has more upside. Makes more sense to take the upside guy.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars - OT Luke Joeckel - Eugene seems alright, but moving him to the right side with Joeckel solidifying the left could really strengthen their offensive line. Dee Milliner is an option, but if a premier tackle is sitting there when you don't have the best of lines, it's worth jumping on. The only reason a team trades up is if they don't think Lane Johnson is comparable, or if they're in love with Sharrif Floyd because of the Raiders likely taking them. I don't think anyone jumps up for Floyd, and I don't know if the ability is there to play mind games to get someone to jump for Joeckel

3. Arizona Cardinals (Traded from Oakland Raiders) - OT Lane Johnson - I think the Cardinals make this leap to secure the third OT. They know he won't survive past the Eagles (after all their OL troubles due to injury last year) AND the Lions (Jeff Backus gone, and an injury prone QB). The Raiders might play the Cardinals off with the Chargers and get added value. The Raiders get something like the 1st, 2nd, maybe a late round pick this year and a 2nd or 3rd next year to secure this trade. They get themselves a pick in the 2nd round this year which they didn't have before, and they still have a shot at a very good player dropping to them. The Cardinals finally have a tackle they can trust, and plug in from day 1.

4. Philadelphia Eagles - DT Sharrif Floyd - With the conversion from 4-3 to 3-4, the Eagles need a DE. Floyd looks like he could play the part, and really help this team out. I think they avoid picking a QB this early, as they do have Nick Foles, a fan favourite from what I saw last season, sitting behind Vick. Chip Kelly might want to consolidate other areas, and pick up some competition with a later pick or wait for next season if he finds the ones he has are not up to par.

5. Detroit Lions - DE Ziggy Ansah - With the top tackles gone, the Lions go to their second largest need and select DE. Dion Jordan is there, but Ziggy might translate into a better 4-3 DE prospect. Losing Cliff Avril skyrocketed this need, and Suh can only do so much if there aren't any other threats along that DL. Unless you can trade down, getting a guard here is a bit of a reach. Maybe someone aiming for Dee Milliner would trade, but there aren't any potential trade partners below the Browns who wouldn't force the Lions to lose out on both players.

6. Cleveland Browns - CB Dee Milliner - The option to pair this guy up with Joe Haden is too good an opportunity to pass up. The Browns may consider a pass rusher, but there are players in later rounds worth looking at, and they'll first want to see just how well their former 4-3 DE Jabaal Sheard does playing standing up. They also did bring in Kruger and Groves, so they have some depth there already.

7. Oakland Raiders (Traded from Arizona Cardinals) - DT Star Lotuleilei - The Raiders jump on their chance to get this monster of a DT. Fills an immediate need, and they still got a blue chip player while picking up a 2nd rounder.

8. Buffalo Bills - QB Ryan Nassib - And the first QB off the board isn't Geno Smith, but Ryan Nassib! He seems to be their QB of choice, and their GM might think the Jets would nab him if he fell past them. I remember last year someone pointing out the GM gives away who they want in the 1st round, and being spot on with Stephon Gilmore. Could the same happen this season?

9. New York Jets - OLB Dion Jordan - The Jets are in an interesting situation here. Dion Jordan is still on the board, two premier guards, Tavon Austin, and even Geno Smith. There is a good chance that the guards don't fall past the Chargers and Titans, so there might be a team willing to jump up for one of them. This team needs to fill a lot of holes, but ultimately I just can't find a viable trading partner for this slot. The Jets take the player they would love to have anyway: Dion Jordan.Jets fans rejoice.

10. Tennessee Titans - OG Jonathan Cooper - With Chris Johnson in the backfield, it makes sense to take the more athletic of the two guards at this stage. He also grades out as the best pass blocker, which is very useful for helping out Locker as well.

11. San Diego Chargers - OG Chance Warmack - The other OG available goes off the board here, and helps give Philip Rivers protection. This was a toughy, as I could also see them going for a WR, but protection takes priority for an OL that has gotten Rivers sacked 79 times over the past 2 seasons.

12. Miami Dolphins - CB Xavier Rhodes - This assumes the Dolphins do get Brandon Albert in a trade. They really need a CB. I was thinking the Falcons could be potential trade partners, as apparently they do like Rhodes, but the price might be too steep this early in the draft, especially for one with so much depth. Is Rhodes their missing piece? If they don't think so, they stay put. For this mock, they do. Dolphins get a solid CB to start alongside Brent Grimes.

13. St Louis Rams (Traded from New York Jets) - WR Tavon Austin - WR Tavon Austin is still on the board. Panthers in the way of them getting him. The Jets also hint at possibly taking him if a trade can't be struck, or look to the Vikings for a trade option. The Rams give up their 22nd pick and a 2nd rounder to move up for him. Rams finally get a playmaker for their offense while retaining their 16th pick, and the Jets stock up on picks. Win win.

14. Carolina Panthers - DT Sheldon Richardson - Options abound. D.J. Fluker's draft stock is temporarily damaged by the tweet, even if it was a hacking. Not enough time to truly look into it, and the risk knocks him down some. Panthers pass on him, especially with DT Sheldon Richardson still on the board. D.J. Hayden and Kenny Vaccaro are still there as well, but the Panthers decide on the interior defensive lineman.

15. New Orleans Saints - DE/OLB Barkevious Mingo - The Saints don't have a 2nd rounder, so trading down is an option for them, even if trading up isn't. However, finding a trade partner becomes difficult in this environment. Kenny Vaccaro is still there, but he isn't worth trading up over with a reasonably deep safety class it seems. I wonder if Rob Ryan likes Mingo as much as Rex, and pushes for him here. The Saints get a pass rusher opposite Cameron Jordan, and we get to see if he can play standing up. It comes down to the flexibility of the other Ryan's scheme.

16. St Louis Rams - S Kenny Vaccaro - The Rams traded up with their other pick to get a weapon for their young QB. With their other pick, they go defense and get the best safety on the board.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers - OLB Jarvis Jones - His slide stops here. Fits the bill for what the Steelers usually want from these sorts of players, as someone pointed out on this board a bit ago. May move into ILB and be a dangerous pass rushing threat from there as well.

18. Dallas Cowboys - OT D.J. Fluker - The Cowboys need a right tackle. Fluker provides that long term. Jerry Jones will probably risk it despite the tweet debacle, which could just be nothing. He'll aid in giving Romo the protection needed to make plays. As good as Romo is at extending plays, he's getting older and has been injured quite often the past few seasons.

19. New York Giants - DE Margus Hunt - General thought is that the Giants will go towards ILB. However, the options there seem to have question marks off the field, and that could spell disaster in New York. Might be worth looking for options in later rounds. The Giants are also notorious for stocking up on pass rusher, and Margus Hunt is one of those athletes worth targetting. Lets Justin Tuck move inside sometimes and really maintain their pass rushing force.

20. Chicago Bears - ILB Manti Te'o - The Bears take the chance for a player of this calibre, especially with how big their need is.

21. Cincinnati Bengals - FS Eric Reid - Fits their need, and is a good player.

22. New York Jets (Traded from St Louis Rams) - CB D.J. Hayden - It's a tough position here. You could argue for taking one of the QBs that the Jets like at this point. Geno Smith is still there. The risk of taking a CB with this pick is they might still be compared to Revis, but it's worth it for a player like Hayden. Eifert is another option, but the depth is still untouched there. Another trade down would serve the Jets well as well, but finding decent trade value would be tough.

Not sure who would go next from here. I might fill it out later tonight.

 

Pick 23 onwards. I worry about Patterson coming to the Jets because of the potential head case factor. Eifert vs. hoping for Ertz or Kelce later on probably isn't worth it unless the Jets can trade down further in the draft.

23. Minnesota Vikings - WR Cordarrelle Patterson - The Vikings pull the trigger on one of the better athletic talents out there, even with the concerns of being a project in terms of learning an NFL level playbook. The Vikings could be a good fit for this though, as they are very run-centric, and they have Greg Jennings to rely on as a number 1 receiver, removing some of the pressure for Patterson to perform from day 1. I was wondering whether the Vikings might decide on a different WR at this pick who is a bit less of a risk, but with two picks they can take the chance a bit more.

24. Indianapolis Colts - DE Damontre Moore - The Colts need pass rushers with Freeney gone. Moore has played 3-4 before, and is a solid prospect for the position. Draft stock hurt by questions of his work ethic, but the fall stops here. Werner is tempting, but doesn't have the 3-4 experience to make the same early impact.

25. Minnesota Vikings - ILB Alec Ogletree - Second ILB off the board. The Vikings have a need here, and he's probably BPA at this point for this pick. They get someone who can start for them between Greenway and Henderson, and make an impact.

26. Green Bay Packers - DT Johnathan Hankins - Packers need help stopping the run, and Hankins provides this. He's a big man, and would play NT for them for the most part. With B.J. Raji proving to be a rotational player, and Hankins potentially wearing down a bit in games, he may rotate in and out more in his first year and then take the starting job the next year with proper NFL conditioning.

27. Houston Texans - WR Keenan Allen - The Texans really lack a solid #2 receiver with potential #1 ability opposite Andre Johnson, or any receiver depth really. The window is closing there, and they need to hit this pick. Keenan Allen fits the bill. He's a player that can become a legitimate number 1 receiver while he learns behind Andre Johnson.

28. Denver Broncos - DE Bjeorn Werner - Broncos need a pass rusher after losing Dumervil. Werner falls to them and they happily take him.

29. New England Patriots - WR Robert Woods - The Patriots usually like to trade down in the draft and stock up on draft picks. Last season as a buck from this trend, and indicates that they know the Tom Brady window is shrinking year by year, so I don't think they trade down unless the offer is too good to be true. The only reason that would be is if someone wants Geno Smith badly enough to trade back into the 1st round, or if the 49ers covet a player they think the Patriots or Falcons want themselves. Woods seems like a good fit for the Patriots. He excels in short and intermediate patterns, and has the ability to be a decent deep threat as well.

30. Atlanta Falcons - CB Desmond Trufant - Good player to start alongside Asante Samuel with Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson gone. Asante Samuel would be a good player for him to learn from, and strengthen the Falcons defense now that the offense is so strong. Eifert is an option here, but with Tony Gonzalez back, they can afford to wait for a 2nd or 3rd round prospect to fall to them at the position.

31. San Fransisco 49ers - S John Cyprien - In comes a replacement for Dashon Goldson. This guy is one of the better safeties in the draft. It was between him and Matt Elam off the board next, but Elam doesn't have the same physical attributes as this guy.

32. Baltimore Ravens - WR Justin Hunter - Solid WR, gives them a big WR on the outside to replace Boldin.

 

Thanks . If they traded down to 22, it would all depend on who they had higher on their board at the time. Just, with 2 2nd rounders in this scenario, they should be able to snag a decent tight end then. But Eifert would definitely be in the picture if he's still there at 22. Another option could be to consider Damontre Moore, and end up with both OLB positions solidified in the 1st round.