Thursday, April 30, 2015

2015 Mock NFL Draft

Former Michigan commit Jake Fisher could go late in the first round
I won't claim to be an NFL expert, but as a big college and pro football fan, I like to take my shot at an NFL mock draft and see how I stack up against Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, and the like. So here's my 2015 mock NFL Draft. If any trades are announced before the beginning of the draft, I reserve the right to make some changes. Otherwise, I'm guessing roughly 27 of these picks will be 100% accurate.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Jameis Winston - QB - Florida State
I don't like the idea of spending a #1 pick on someone with such character concerns, but it looks like that's the direction the Bucs will go.

2. Tennessee:
Marcus Mariota - QB - Oregon
There seems to be a good chance that someone trades into this spot to take Mariota. I think it's probably too high to take Mariota, but teams get desperate when looking for a quarterback.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: 
Dante Fowler - OLB - Florida
Jacksonville went after a quarterback last year, so now it's time to shore up the pass rush.

4. Oakland Raiders:
Amari Cooper - WR - Alabama
Oakland is in need of a receiving threat. When's the last time they had a consistent wide receiver threat?

5. Washington Redskins:
Leonard Williams - DE - USC
Williams is a little bit inconsistent, so he would fit in well with the 'Skins.

Hit the jump for picks 6-32.


6. New York Jets:
Vic Beasley - OLB - Clemson
Beasley might go a little bit sooner. If he's available, it's tough to look past his production - 33 sacks over the past three seasons.

7. Chicago Bears:
Kevin White - WR - West Virginia
Jay Cutler isn't a franchise quarterback, and he's not even close without Brandon Marshall. Cutler needs some receiving help.

8. Atlanta Falcons:
Bud Dupree - DE - Kentucky
I thought Shane Ray would be a possibility, but he did some dumb things recently and probably dropped down in the draft a little bit.

9. New York Giants:
Brandon Scherff - OT - Iowa
The Giants' best years have come when they can win in the trenches, so I think it's either Scherff or defensive tackle Danny Shelton.

10. St. Louis Rams:
Andrus Peat - OT - Stanford
The Rams have taken a lot of hits with players getting injured or leaving in recent years, so they need to refresh up front.

11. Minnesota Vikings:
Devante Parker - WR - Louisville
The Vikings could potentially give Teddy Bridgewater a very strong receiving corps if they get a receiver like Parker.

12. Cleveland Browns:
Danny Shelton - DT - Washington
Cleveland might trade up to try to get in on Mariota, so this is a tough pick to choose. If they stay at #12, I think Shelton makes sense to help against the run.

13. New Orleans Saints:
Trae Waynes - CB - Michigan State
Waynes appears to be the top-rated cornerback in the draft, and the Saints need someone who can cover.

14. Miami Dolphins:
La'El Collins - OT - LSU
Every year I think that Miami needs to improve their offensive line, so here's my plea once again, on behalf of a good friend who's a suffering Dolphins fan.

15. San Francisco 49ers:
Arik Armstead - DE - Oregon
The 49ers need a lot of pieces, including defensive ends and cornerbacks. I think cornerback makes the most sense, which is why the 49ers will go for a defensive lineman.

16. Houston Texans:
Ereck Flowers - OG - Miami
Houston could possibly go in a few different directions - running back, wide receiver - but I think Flowers jumps up somewhere around here.

17. San Diego Chargers:
Todd Gurley - RB - Georgia

He's coming off of a torn ACL, but the Chargers are in desperate need of a good running back, and Gurley was pretty darn good when he wasn't injured.

18. Kansas City Chiefs:
Malcolm Brown - DT - Texas

There are a couple potential defensive tackles the Chiefs could take here.

19. Cleveland Browns:
D.J. Humphries - OT - Florida

If the Browns don't use this pick to move up in the draft for Mariota, they should probably help out their offensive line here after shoring up the defensive line with the #12 pick.

20. Philadelphia Eagles:
Nelson Agholor - WR - USC
If Agholor is still available, I think Chip Kelly might continue his line of USC imports to get some more speed among the receivers.

21. Cincinnati Bengals:
Landon Collins - S - Alabama

The Bengals could go in several directions, but I think this is too early for a couple of the wide receivers and corners available.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers:
Kevin Johnson - CB - Wake Forest
The Steelers are in desperate need of help in the defensive backfield, and Johnson is one of a few corners who could go here.

23. Detroit Lions:
Eddie Goldman - DT - Florida State
The Lions made it out of the doldrums by putting together an elite defensive line, so with Ndamukong Suh gone to the Dolphins, they need a replacement in the middle. (I also have hopes for Melvin Gordon here if the defensive tackle thing doesn't work out.)

24. Arizona Cardinals:
Melvin Gordon - RB - Wisconsin

It's been a while since the Cardinals had a great running back, and Gordon could be a good pickup here.

25. Carolina Panthers:
Cedric Ogbuehi - OT - Texas A&M
The Panthers need to rebuild on the offensive line a little bit.

26. Baltimore Ravens:
Phillip Dorsett - WR - Miami

The Ravens need a wide receiver or two. With Baltimore love of former Hurricane Ray Lewis, I'll give the edge to Dorsett over Breshad Perriman.

27. Dallas Cowboys:
Byron Jones - CB - Connecticut
The workout warrior earns his way into the first round for a team that doesn't get much production from its corners.

28. Denver Broncos:
Cameron Erving - C - Florida State
This is around the time when a good center comes off the board, late in the first round.

29. Indianapolis Colts:
Jake Fisher - OT - Oregon

Three Oregon Ducks in the first round? Sure. There's not a good match between glaring need and value here, in my opinion, so go ahead with a solid lineman.

30. Green Bay Packers:
Eric Kendricks - LB - UCLA
The Packers seem to be trying to make their system work with one consistent linebacker (Clay Matthews), so adding a second could be a difference-maker.

31. New Orleans Saints:
T.J. Clemmings - OT - Pitt
The Saints got a cornerback at #13 and I have them taking Devin Funchess at #44 (LINK), so Clemmings fills another need. They could also go for a disgrace pass rusher, like Randy Gregory or Shane Ray.

32. New England Patriots:
Jordan Phillips - NT - Oklahoma
The Patriots let Vince Wilfork go to the Houston Texans, so they need a replacement on the defensive line.

What do you think? Where did I go wrong? And what do the Lions do at #23?

2 comments:

  1. I'd be pretty happy with Eddie Golman. I think I like him a little better than I do Malcom Brown for the Lions.

    Then lets get a couple guards in the second and the third round, I don't need a CB or a RB, I'm tired of watching Stafford getting knocked down. Everybody talks about how Brady doesn't like pressure up the middle and that an aspect of his greatness is the fact that New England blocks the middle of your defensive line. I have two points within that conversation, 1. Nobody likes pressure up the middle, or from the edge either for that matter and 2. DUH!!!

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  2. Cool Waynes can play two positions.

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