Took me a few days to finish this bastard. I wanted to just figure out a Jets mock, but I couldn't do a trade unless I actually worked out all the picks, then I just went to the 3rd. I included trades just to make it interesting. Round 1 1. St. Louis- QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma - No choice here, Bradford is the QB, they took the tackle, and the coach gets to extend his time for turning things around by a season or two. 2. Detroit- OT Russ Okung, Oklahoma State - A close call over one of the defensive tackles, protecting Matt Stafford is the top priority. If you think for a second this might not be the pick, they actually plan to include Stafford in the decision-making for the draft. 3. Tampa Bay- DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska - They’ve loved Suh forever, and are probably doing backflips to get him at this spot. The Bucs defense is traditionally built inside out, and he’ll be a great addition. 4. Washington- OT Bryan Bulaga, Iowa - No point to trading for McNabb without finding someone to protect him. Bulaga would be a good fit in Shanahan’s offense with the zone blocking scheme. 5. Kansas City- S Eric Berry, Tennessee - McNabb in Washington is the worst thing that could happen to the Chiefs, because it means that two top OTs are likely to be gone by their pick. Still, they get a player that I'm sure many would consider the best player in the draft if positional values didn't factor in. 6. Seattle- DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma - No tackles, no quarterbacks, but McCoy is a nice surprise. He’s a playmaking tackle and will add a lot to a defense that could not get to the quarterback at all in 2009. 7. Cleveland- QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame - I don’t buy the smokescreens coming from Mike Holmgren, they flat out do not have a competitive NFL starting quarterback on the roster. Clausen will develop with the young team, and already has a top 3 NFL left tackle to protect him. Also, acquiring Sheldon Brown was very Jets-like, eliminating a need for the short term. 8. Oakland- DE Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech - They need a passrusher, and even though he didn’t run a 4.18, Morgan would be a huge pickup for the Raiders. They have Kamerion Wimbley but he's never been, nor will ever be a premier player. A. TRADE: The Buffalo Bills send #9 overall to the San Francisco 49ers for #13 overall, the 49ers 3rd round selection (#79 overall), and their 7th round pick. 9. San Francisco- CB Joe Haden, Florida - Haden is just a special football player, and will give the 49ers a potential shut down cornerback to begin the process of rebuilding that secondary. Nate Clements’ best days are behind him, and may be better off at safety next year. They make the deal because of rumblings about some teams in the late teens trying to move up for Haden if he fell out of the top ten. 10. Jacksonville- WR Dez Bryant, OK State - The Jags have some good players, but only one great one. They need to get players that can take over games like their counterparts in the suddenly overpowered AFC South have. Bryant has issues, but is a game-changer, and would give them a dynamic young duo at receiver. B. TRADE: Denver trades #11 overall to the Atlanta Falcons for #19 overall, a 3rd round pick (#83 overall), and a fifth round pick next season. 11. Atlanta- DE Jason Pierre-Paul, USF - The Falcons added Dunta Robinson which left their most glaring hole at defensive end. John Abraham is old, and while they have young guys, they don’t really have a promising future starter. JPP would have been gone within the next five picks, perhaps to Miami. 12. Miami- LB Sergio Kindle, Texas - Ohh, Parcells with the bluff. Smokescreens about JPP force a trade up for a team that covets him, leaving Sergio to fall to the Fish. Experience at LB puts him at a premium for Parcells. 13. Buffalo (A)- DT Dan Williams, Tennessee - The Bills traded down because they didn’t value any tackle help that high, and instead have the NT of the future for their new 34 scheme fall into their lap. 14. Seattle- OT Charles Brown, USC - Played for Carroll at USC and fits exactly what Alex Gibbs looks for in a left tackle. May be a bit of a reach to some, but his value lies in his system oriented skills. 15. NY Giants- LB Rolando McClain, Alabama - One huge need for the GMen, and one huge force of nature to fill it. McClain is a lot better player than this spot in the draft would suggest, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants made a move to lock him up. C. TRADE: The Tennessee Titans deal #16 overall and their fourth round pick to the New England Patriots for #22 overall and their 2nd round pick, #53 overall. 16. New England- RB C.J. Spiller, Clemson - The Pats saw what happens when they don’t have their full complement of weapons last year, and need to plan for a season without Wes Welker. Spiller is a versatile, and potentially dominant weapon that can be fully utilized in an offense like New England. 17. San Francisco- OT Anthony Davis, Rutgers - A risky pick, but Mike Singletary is the kind of coach that turns attitude problems around and makes those players into stars. Davis can play Right Tackle or guard, they need help at all these spots. 18. Pittsburgh- CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State - May even go higher after his stellar senior year and workouts. An instant starter opposite Ike Taylor. 19. Denver (B)- DE Jared Odrick, Penn State - People love giving them Dan Williams at #11, but this is where they have their biggest defensive need. They’re solid at NT, Jamal Williams is old but capable, Ronnie Fields will be a great backup as he was a solid starter, and they are developing Chris Baker. On the other hand, Peterson/Holliday need to be replaced. 20. Houston- DT Brian Price, UCLA - No Spiller, no Wilson, no worries for the Texans. Price is a beast, and he will finally be the complimentary player inside to what Mario Williams does on the edge. 21. Cincinnati- S Earl Thomas, Texas - Cinci gets a lot of value in Thomas, who dropped a bit with no teams really putting the safety as a priority. His presence could make the Bengals DBs the best in all of football in a year or two. 22. Tennessee (C)- DE Brandon Graham, Michigan - The Titans traded down and still found themselves a capable starting defensive end. Graham is a hard worker that should be able to step into Vanden Bosch’s leadership role as well. The trade down gets them better value and they got back into Rd 2. 23. Green Bay- OT Bruce Campbell, Maryland - A great physical talent, Campbell needs a lot of work to reach his peak potential. Still, they can’t ignore the position and he can be among the best in the league down the line. 24. Philadelphia- OG Mike Iupati, Idaho - One Andrews is gone, and the other was hurt and mediocre. They need to find an offensive guard that can play right away, and are lucky to see Iupati available. DE can wait. 25. Baltimore- CB Devin McCourty, Rutgers - Rutgers has been kind to the Ravens, and McCourty has displayed the speed and tenacity to play in a man scheme for Baltimore. Plus, his tackling ability lets the safeties have a little bit more freedom. 26. Arizona- LB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri - Not a perfect fit any old 34, but Weatherspoon is a tenacious LB that can step into Karlos Dansby’s role and make plays. 27. Dallas- OT Trent Williams, Oklahoma - I don’t think he’s a Left Tackle, but some people do. If there’s a team desperate enough to give him a shot, it’s the Cowboys. At the very least he’s got experience and should be able to play right away. 28. San Diego- RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State - Instant starter at Running Back, and a great compliment to Darren Sproles. He’s the type of tough runner that they’ll need when their passing game isn’t clicking. D. TRADE- The New York Jets trade #29 overall to the Cleveland Browns for #38 overall, the Browns 4th round pick (#105) and 5th round pick (#146). 29. Cleveland- WR Golden Tate, Notre Dame - The Browns knew Tate was a lock to one of the first three teams in the second round, and are committed to making Jimmy Clausen into a top NFL QB. Teaming him up with his former stud playmaker will shorten up that learning curve. They drafted a bunch of Wrs over the past few years, but none are the threat that Tate is. 30. Minnesota- CB Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest - The Vikings are in serious need of help at the cornerback spot, and the speedy Ghee is the perfect player to develop in that secondary. Winfield probably only has a year left at corner before he hits the last wall in his solid career. 31. Indianapolis- C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida - Jeff Saturday can't play forever, and they're going to need to develop a center that can lead like he's done for so long. Pouncey has the skills to play at guard at a high level, but is no question destined for the middle of that line. 32. New Orleans- S Nate Allen, USF - The Saints are going to need to find a replacement for Darren Sharper, and even if he returns he's getting towards the end of his career. Nate Allen can play either safety spot at a high level.
Round 2 1. St. Louis- WR Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech - Stud wideout down the line, it's a good idea to take him to develop chemistry with Bradford from the very start. 2. Detroit- RB Jahvid Best, California - Kevin Smith has injury issues here and there, but overall just isn't going to be a top level NFL running back. A good idea then is to add a kid like Best to the mix to give the Lions more offensive options. 3. Tampa Bay- WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois - The Bucs haven't had a front line receiver in a while, and Benn has the potential to be that guy. 4. Kansas City- LB Ricky Sapp, Clemson - A great fit for certain 34 defenses, Sapp would be an ideal replacement for Mike Vrabel as the multipurpose OLB. 5. Philadelphia- LB Daryl Washington, TCU - Solid football athlete, gets overlooked by some because of his teammate Jerry Hughes, but he's one of the best pure Lbs in this draft. 6. NY Jets- DT Cam Thomas, North Carolina - On the end for the short term, and inside to play the nose when Big Jenx can't hold up any more. Big, strong, perfect fit for a 34 defense. 7. S Taylor Mays, USC - Mays could be a really special player, but really needs to be left to himself. Perfect Raiders player, and they're lucky to get a guy with his potential in round 2. 8. San Diego- DT Terrence Cody, Alabama - Replacing Jamal Williams' fatness with an equal level of massiveness. They need a plug to make their D work. 9. Buffalo- OT Jared Veldheer, Hillside - They have nothing at Left Tackle, and Veldheer should be in his prime about the next time the Bills will be good... I'm guessing 7 or 8 years. 10. Tampa Bay- DE Carlos Dunlap, Florida - The Bucs have to be excited to get a player of his caliber at this point, should be a real nice tandem with Big Suh. 11. Miami- WR Damian Williams, USC - A lot of people have him falling, but he could be a very solid, and consistent addition to a frustratingly inconsistent receiving corps. 12. New England- LB Jerry Hughes, TCU - They need a few things, but a young OLB has been near the top of the list for a while. 13. Denver- TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma - Gresham fell because of the injury and a simple lack of need for tight ends. Good for the Broncos. 14. NY Giants- DT Geno Atkins, Georgia - They needed to spend this off-season improving the defense from the inside out, Atkins can be a disruptive interior presence. 15. New England- TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida - Great fit as an Hback or as a true TE, Hernandez should be able to get involved in the offense right away. 16. Carolina- WR Carlton Mitchell, USF - Mitchell is a big wideout with deep speed, and should be able to take a lot of pressure off of Steve Smith when he develops. 17. San Francisco- LB Everson Griffin, USC - Mark this up as another project for Mike Singletary. Huge physical potential as a rush linebacker. 18. Kansas City- OT Roger Saffold, Indiana - Finally get a tackle prospect, let's them slide Brandon Albert over to guard. 19. Houston- RB Montario Hardesty, Tennessee - Hardesty is a stud back, the only reason he falls is the injury history. 20. Pittsburgh- OG Vlad Ducasse, Umass - Can play a number of different positions on the offensive line, should be a good addition to a unit that needs youth badly. 21. Tennessee (C)- LB Donald Butler, Washington - Quality LB prospect that could play inside or out. Will be needed to replace Keith Bulluck. 22. Cincinnati- TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona - Still recovering from a host of injuries, but if he checks out he's an instant player at the position. 23. Philadelphia- CB Perrish Cox, OK State - Bad workouts dropped him a bit, but Cox is a man corner that can make plays. 24. Green Bay- CB Kareem Jackson, Alabama - They'd like to address a few other positions early, but he's too good of value to pass up. 25. Baltimore- DT Linval Joseph, East Carolina - It might be the Ravens plan to slide Ngata to Gregg's spot when he's done, but Joseph can be the future at either end or nose. 26. Arizona- OT Selvish Capers, West Virginia - A true LT prospect, allows the team to keep Levi Brown at RT, a much better fit for his skills. 27. Dallas- S Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech - A safety with coverage skills? In Dallas??? Oh man, alert the media. 28. Seattle- RB Ben Tate, Auburn - Great skills and an even better fit in a zone blocking scheme. 29. NY Jets- OG John Jerry, Ole Miss - Good fit as a road grating guard, and the potential to kick out to Right Tackle. 30. Minnesota- S Chris Cook, Virginia - They found a corner in the first, and a safety in the 2nd. Easiest way to rebuild a secondary right there. 31. Indianapolis- DT Tyson Alualu, California - Speedy attacking tackle perfect for the Colts defensive system. 32. New Orleans- LB Navorro Bowman, Penn State - They need a linebacker badly, and the talented/troubled Bowman has the skill to start early. Round 3 1. St. Louis- DE Corey Wootton, Northwestern - Not his biggest fan, but should compliment Chris Long well. 2. Detroit- DT LaMarr Houston, Texas - Waited on a tackle and lucked into a good one in the 3rd, his penetrating should go well with Corey Williams inside. 3. Tampa Bay- CB Jerome Murphy, USF - Gets to stay in Tampa and learn from Ronde Barber. 4. Kansas City- WR Andre Roberts, Citadel - Need a reliable, speedy wideout to go with the wide array of troubled guys on the roster. 5. Oakland- QB Tim Tebow, Florida - Could you imagine? Russell and Tebow on the same team? I can, the Raiders. 6. Philadelphia-DE Alex Carrington, Arkansas State - They need another starting caliber end, and he'd be a great compliment to Trent Cole. 7. Cleveland- RB Toby Gerhart, Stanford* - Big, strong runner will make a great tandem with Jerome Harrison. 8. Buffalo- QB Colt McCoy, Texas - McCoy has been sharp in workouts, but lack of top physical ability still means a drop. 9. Miami- DT Torrell Troup, UCF - The Fish need a nose to develop behind the ancient Jason Ferguson. 10. Jacksonville- QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan - The Jags need something to build for the future, and they lucked out that Tebow was taken already. LeFeavour has great intangibles and real quality skills. 11. Chicago- WR Brandon LaFell, LSU - The Bears need to find a big time wideout for Jay Cutler, and LaFell can be a #1 wideout to go with the roster full of #2s they have. 12. NY Giants- CB Javier Arenas, Alabama - Their corners have had a lot of health issues, and Arenas can also have an impact as a return man. 13. Tennessee- S Major Wright, Florida - Wright can provide some pop from the position, and showed better athletic ability than expected in workouts. 14. Carolina- DE Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech - He's not going to replace Julius Peppers, but it's a start. 15. Buffalo (A)- RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech - Something tells me Marshawn Lynch won't play another down for the Bills, and Jackson may not be a true #1. 16. Denver- LB Brandon Spikes, Florida - Needs to be in a 34 to have success, severely limited athletically, but can play. 17. Houston- CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana (PA) - They lost a lot at the corner spot this offseason, and he's the perfect developmental prospect. 18. Pittsburgh- RB Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State - Big thumper back to go along with Mendenhall. 19. Denver (B)- C Matt Tennant, Boston College - The need to bring in a center is apparent, and they reach a bit to make sure they get the 2nd best one in the draft. 20. Cincinnati- OG Mike Johnson, Alabama - The Bengals have a good line, but need to develop some future starters. 21. Cleveland- S Darrell Stuckey, Kansas - Versatile safety prospect, Stuckey can be a leader for that defense. 22. Green Bay- RB Joe McKnight, USC - McKnight would give the Packers something their offense needs, a 2nd RB that can catch. 23. Philadelphia- S Chad Jones, LSU - Jones is a quality developmental prospect who fell after some shaky workouts. 24. Arizona- TE Dennis Pitta, BYU - May be a little short, but a solid receiving option for a team who lost a great possession wideout. 25. Arizona- DT Jeff Owens, Georgia - They haven't had a great nose tackle since they made the switch to the 34, and Owens will be a better pro than college player. 26. Dallas- LB Sean Lee, Penn State - A bit undersized, but a smart player that should learn a lot playing behind Keith Brooking. 27. San Diego- CB Ameri Spievey, Iowa* - If Antoine Cason isn't what he's expected to be, the Chargers will be in trouble. 28. Cleveland- LB Koa Misi, Utah - Solid OLB prospect, but not much potential as a rusher. 29. Minnesota- RB Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss - Yet another weapon for a loaded offense. 30. Indianapolis- CB Patrick Robinson, Florida State - Undersized and speedy seems to fit the Colts bill for corners. 31. New Orleans- DE Greg Hardy, Ole Miss - Potetial-lade player, the Saints can afford to take a risk. 32. Cincinnati- DT Arthur Jones, Syracuse - Depth on the D Line has been a big issue. 33. Tennessee- WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati - A WR to develop behind guys like Nate Washington, and also a immediate impact guy as a returner. 34. Atlanta- OG Mitch Petrus, Arkansas - Has played a number of spots at Arkansas, but in Atlanta he'd be a center.
Jets Mock Rd 2- 38. DT Cam Thomas, North Carolina - On the end for the short term, and inside to play the nose when Big Jenx can't hold up any more. Big, strong, perfect fit for a 34 defense. Rd 2- 61. OG John Jerry, Ole Miss - Good fit as a road grating guard, and the potential to kick out to Right Tackle. Rd 4- 105. WR Emmanuel Sanders, SMU - Speedy wideout has been rising up the boards quickly, would be an ideal pick for a slot receiver. Rd 4- 124. LB Jermaine Cunningham, Florida - Talented pure passrusher often overshadowed on the Gator defense. Rd 5- 146. S Robert Johnson, Utah - Rangy Free Safety could do well to sit back and learn for a year, but would be an insurance policy on Brodney Pool. Rd 5- 155. CB AJ Jefferson, Fresno State - Leaves a lot to be desired in coverage, but he ca excel as a returner and can't be as bad as Drew Coleman. Rd 6- 198. LB Micah Johnson, Kentucky -Super talent LB that's scared off teams because of an injury history. Still, an ideal developmental 34 ILB prospect with Harris' future up in the air. Rd 7- 236. RB Andre Anderson, Tulane -Good, tough runner that can fill any potential hole behind Greene and Tomlinson.
while i like the jets getting Big Jenks possible replacement with there first pick... i gotta belive with at least one of our first 3 picks we are taking a prototypical 3-4 DE and/or 3-4 OLB. just my 2 cents
There's no such thing as a maximum size for 34 ends, and Cam Thomas would spend much of his first year playing over at End, or spelling Big Jenks and sliding Pouha over to DE. As long as they have some semblance of athletic ability to go with their strength and size, a lot of 34 nose players can slide over to end, though it's more of an early in the career thing, because the tackles are a lot more valuable. Also, the depth at 34 OLB allows for the team to wait on finding a passrusher (and it was the 4th pick, not too far off).
A beautiful thing, even though I don't know much about a lot of these guys. At least positionally, you filled a lot of what I think are the needs for this team for the next two years. And I like the project high-upside pick in round 6; this is the kind of thing a solid roster allows for. In this situation, if everything works out, next we need one more potential starting-quality OL, a DE, and a receiver if we don't resign BE (my guess is we do resign him anyway). At that point, we might be in an absurdly good position. By the way, I recommend faxing this to the Jets FO along with a resume. What's the worst thing that could happen?
There are some pretty good prospects still in the third round would you consider trading up into it??
I love Cam Thomas and think he's a beats, but ahead of Cody? Its not completely out of the realm of possibility but is a bit of a strange one. Very original as well. Not sure AJ jefferson will last to the late 5th. Despite his coverage problems hr had wonderful workouts which lead me to belive some head strong coach is goign to take a bit of a flyer on his raw physical talents a bit earlier than that. If draft day falls out like that for us I'd be very happy.
Would of actually had the Jets getting a OLineman with the Early 2nd and Alualu with the Late 2nd, he would be more fitting in our 34 but still love this draft for us.
I'd prefer getting Chris Cook instead of Jerry just so we would have a more proven playmaker in the secondary and finding a OG/RT in the 4th but all-in-all I think it's a great mock and would pretty much cover any slight holes the Jets may have going into next season. Nice job.
B. TRADE: Denver trades #11 overall to the Atlanta Falcons for #19 overall, a 3rd round pick (#83 overall), and a fifth round pick next season. 11. Atlanta- DE Jason Pierre-Paul, USF - The Falcons added Dunta Robinson which left their most glaring hole at defensive end. John Abraham is old, and while they have young guys, they don’t really have a promising future starter. JPP would have been gone within the next five picks, perhaps to Miami. Sorry I just don't see this happening. They might make a trade for Derrick Morgan.
Love the trade down, OK with the picks, and why is Harris' future up in the air? And that 3rd round looks enticing, I hope we end up in it on draft day.
Good stuff. Love the trade for the Jets. Don't know much about Cam Thomas but I fear he is being pushed up because he is one of the few with true NT size. Is this Rick Terry all over again? I don't think they will go O-line until later. Would like to see a CB/S/WR in the 2nd.
GH i really do want your opinion on this one, who is better Cam Thomas or Linval Joseph? Your reasoning behind taking joseph at 61 for the Jets in the 7 round mock, has me convinced and this is one of the guys I really hope ends up in Green and White. So since you traded back and took Thomas here, is that because you prefer Thomas? Or because he is better value at 38 than Joseph? Also as nuts as it sounds, I almost would like to see us move down again from 38 into the mid 40's and picking up another couple of picks.
While I agree we need an OG to groom as Faneca's replacement, I think our win now mentality will force us to address the O-line as a depth position in the later rounds, and focus on it earlier in the draft next year. I can see a DT or DE going in Rd.1, and either a WR or a CB/S in Rd.2....
Very interesting mock, good job! When I first read "trade" in the OP, I was actually expecting a signature Tanny trade-up for someone like Thomas or Graham. Still, I like the move down, and love Thomas' size. Not sure I agree with going O-line instead of grabbing a safety (Chad Jones?) or OLB (Misi?), though.
I really like this mock all in all. Some creativity with some of the picks and it really stood out from a lot of others. The only thing I don't see is the Falcons trading up for Jason Pierre-Paul. IMO he'll be there at 19 and if not, Brandon Graham or Derrick Morgan will. But the Jets draft looks solid too. We build the lines well and get a receiver who definitely fits what we need. I'd be satisfied.
