NFL Mock Draft

2015 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

Team	Player	Position	School
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State
Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams	DE	Southern California
Jacksonville Jaguars	Randy Gregory	DE	Nebraska
Oakland Raiders	Vic Beasley	OLB	Clemson
Washington Redskins	Landon Collins	S	Alabama
New York Jets	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State
Chicago Bears	Shane Ray	DE	Missouri
Atlanta Falcons	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	Florida
New York Giants	Brandon Scherff	OT	Iowa
St. Louis Rams	Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon
Minnesota Vikings	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
Cleveland Browns	Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama
New Orleans Saints	Marcus Peters	CB	Washington
Miami Dolphins	Shaq Thompson	OLB	Washington
San Francisco 49ers	Danny Shelton	DT	Washington
Houston Texans	DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville
San Diego Chargers	Eddie Goldman	DT	Florida State
Kansas City Chiefs	Kevin White	WR	West Virginia
Cleveland Browns	Bernardick Mckinney	LB	Ole Miss
Philadelphia Eagles	Gerod Holliman	S	Louisville
Cincinnati Bengals	Nate Orchard	DE	Utah
Pittsburgh Steelers	Bud Dupree	OLB	Kentucky
Detroit Lions	Arik Armstead	DT	Oregon
Arizona Cardinals	Denzel Perryman	LB	Miami (FL)
Carolina Panthers	Jalen Strong	WR	Arizona State
Baltimore Ravens	Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin
Dallas Cowboys	Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest
Denver Broncos	Devin Funchess	WR/TE	Michigan
Indianapolis Colts	La’el Collins	OT	LSU
Green Bay Packers	Eric Kendricks	LB	UCLA
Seattle Seahawks	Hau’oli Kikaha	OLB	Washington
New England Patriots	Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia

What Peyton Hillis does for the Bucs

Reports are in that veteran running back Peyton Hillis has been signed to the veteran minimum by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With second year running back Doug Martin already settled in to the starting job, where does Hillis fit in? Well with the recent departure of power back LeGarett Blount, there is a need for a goal line presence. On a fantasy term, Hillis has little to know impact and could be a bye week fill in at best. However on a NFL level, he brings experience and can be a great influence on Martin for his future.

Tim Tebow a Patriot

Tim Tebow. The Heisman trophy winner. The two time National Champion. The first round draft pick. The playoff winning Quarterback. And now he is the 3rd string (insert position here) for the New England Patriots. Will he battle Ryan Mallet for the backup QB role? No. So that leaves 3 options.

Option 1: Tim Tebow can be open to the idea of being a Tight End on a team that loves their Tight Ends. With the Back and Forearm injuries to Gronk, there is a massive hole at that postion and Tebow would not be the worst person to try and fill the void.

Option 2: Tebow could use is freakish body structure to be a full time Halfback/Fullback. Given the proper training and upgrade in padding from his QB pads, Tebow could be a poor mans Peyton Hillis. Will he run for 1000 yards and 10 td, probably not. However, Tebow will give you 100% effort every time he is on the field and will be able to get those tough yards on 3rd and 4th down.

Option 3: This is the most likely of the three options and is really the hardest to say as a Tebow supporter. Tebow will just be “another guy” in the Patriots organization. He wont be called on to do anything important, and most likely blocking for punts and kick-offs.

Tebow is a talented athlete and a person with great morals and work ethic and superb intangibles. However, in the sport of football, owners dont care what time of person you are on the outside, it only matters if you can win them games on Sunday.

Is Stephen Jackson the Answer?

News released just hours ago is that 10 year veteran running back Stephen Jackson has signed a contract with the NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons. Could he be the last piece needed to complete the Falcons run to the Super Bowl and compliment the receiving core of Julio Jones of Roddy White? Of course he is the missing piece. When the Falcons had a running game with Micheal Turner, they lacked in the passing attack. Then the roles were reversed during this past year as Turner slowed down tremendously and second year receiver Julio Jones blossomed into a top flight threat in the league. There was one glaring problem that Turner was suffering from and tht was his amount of body fat compared to muscle. Replacing him with the more in shape Jackson, along side Jones and Matty “Ice” Ryan still growing and developing, the Falcons should be in the same conversation as Seattle and San Francisco to represent the NFC this year. The schedule is very favorable to repeat as NFC South champions and gain home field advantage through the playoffs and with a little hope from my inner Falcon, they will be chilling in New Jersey in the beginning of 2014.

Come to Boston Ed Reed

Now entering into day two of NFL free agency, it is time for the quieter teams around the league to step up and start making moves. One of those quiet teams are the New England Patriots, who never make a big splash in free agency. However this year has the chance to be different with the glaring hole in the New England secondary. Safety Ed Reed is one of the best in the league today and quite possibly one of the best safeties of all time. With the current depletion of the Ravens, and Bill Belichick’s great off the field relationship with Reed, it is a perfect match. Ed Reed brings great leadership to a young and inexperienced defense. His ball hawking abilities, although slowed down still allow Reed to bring in 4-5 ints and can still be a solid tackler.

Playoff Bound Dolphins?

Yes thats right folks. Let the debate begin over the possibility of the Miami Dolphins making the playoffs and challenging the Patriots for top of the AFC East. With the addition of Mike Wallace to a team that had a total of 3, yes 3 TD catches last year, the Dolphins will be better. However they will not be ready for the playoffs this year. Ryan Tannehill is a great young QB that will continue to improve and get better, but has yet to play 30 games at the quarterback position in his career. Losing tackle Jake Long will be a huge loss in protecting Tannehill but the Dolphins can find a replacement in this years draft. Having a passing attack that includes Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline is only great if you have a running game to complement it. Lamar Miller will most likely win the competition for the starting job, but did not show the signs last year of being able to be an every down back. The defense is above average and will be able to keep them in a majority of games and allow the Dolphins to improve their record. Signing Brian Hartline to such a big contract is a major risk after only seeing one productive season. Give the Dolphins three years to keep building and develop, they will be a solid contender to make the playoffs every year.

NFL Draft, The Best of the Rest

With as many great players as there are in college football today, there are only 32 of them that can go in the first round of the NFL draft. Some are big name and some are players from big school and others have had one outstanding game but not much else. These are some big name prospects and my idea of when the will be drafted.

Matt Barkley (QB USC) 

Barkley is another southern californian QB that will be a hot commodity in the NFL. Like Mark Sanchez and Matt Leinart before him, he also is lacking the elite arm strength of other prospects like Geno Smith. However, there is one thing that Barkley has in his favor and that is he has started almost every game for the Trojans over the past 4 years. Barkley is only 1-1 in bowl games due to USC’s bowl ban but the time allowed him to mold his leadership skills and get his team moving in the right direction. In the right system, I can see Barkley being a solid NFL Starter.  Drafted 2nd round by Buffalo Bills

Mike Glennon (QB NC State)

Glennon is everything that you want in a young QB. He is big at 6’6 218, cannon of an arm and true leadership skills. He plays in the weaker ACC, and did not put up stats that are seen as outstanding. However, with the minute talent at NC State, Glennon led the Wolfpack to back-to-back bowl games and has a skill set that translate very well to the pros. In a system with solid receivers and a running game, Glennon has potential to be a pro bowler down the road.    Drafted 2nd round by Jacksonville Jaguars

Robert Woods (WR USC) 

Robert Woods played very well two seasons ago as a relatively unknown sophomore. Woods finished in the top 10 in both receiving yards and touchdowns while being Matt Barkley’s got to guy. Last year, Woods was over shadowed by super stud Marquies Lee but still got respectable numbers on the year. The thing people seem to forget is that although the numbers were not the same, his size, speed and catching ability are all still there and getting better every practice.    Drafted 2nd round by San Diego Chargers

Tyrann Mathieu (DB LSU) 

During his sophomore season at LSU, Mathieu, or The Honey Badger was the best in the game. He would rome the field take what ever he wanted literally. With only 1 interception, MAthieu made amends by causing 7 fumbles and recovering 5 of them while adding a couple of sacks to his total. Although he did not play this season, Mathieu was able to stay in shape and is as fast as ever. With his added ability to return punts with the best of them, Mathieu will find himself drafted.    Drafted 3rd round by New England Patriots

Denard Robinson (WR Michigan)

Denard “Shoelace” Robinson may not show speed at the combine but is sure as hell football fast. When you get him in the open field, there are not many people that have the ability to catch him. With his added ability to throw the football, and in a time of spread options and wildcat offenses, Robinson will be a multi demential asset. If his hands and body holds up to the weekly NFL pounding, Shoelace should be a fixture in the league for a long time.                                     Drafted 3rd round by Pittsburgh Steelers

There are other household names that will be drafted on days 2 and 3 of this years draft. revivers like Ryan Swope and Stedman Bailey will work well as slot receivers for NFL teams. Being a Penn Stater I cannot over look the well rounded linebackers Gerald Hodges and Mike Mauti. They come from linebacker U and are NFL ready after there tough season in 2012. After coming in for the injured Sam Bradford in 2009,  Landry Jones never really blossomed to his full potential. He still has the opportunity to reach his full potential and become a starter in the NFL.

NFL Mock Draft Picks 21-32

21) Cincinnati Bengals: Justin Hunter (WR Tennessee)

There are plenty of solid receivers in the free agent market, but most will require a higher salary than Hunter. Hunter will supply a great second weapon across from superstar AJ Green. Hunter has great hands and size, but also brings along some speed to help on screen plays. If Hunter can steal just a little attention from the defense the Bengals could look to have another outstanding season.

22) St. Louis Rams: Menelik Watson (OT Florida State)

With this being the second pick for the Rams of the first round, it is necessary that they address the second weakness on offense. A bit older than the typical NFL rookie, and a slight lack of experience are the only two outstanding downsides. With the right coaching and training, Watson will do a greatly above average job protecting Bradford.

23) Minnesota Vikings: Kevin Minter (MLB LSU)

What more is there to say about Minter other than he is a straight tackling machine! In a little over 2 years at LSU, Minter accumulated over 220 tackles and 5 sacks. With help being needed along the defensive line, and not great talent currently available  having a player like Minter to clean up messes will be ideal.

24) NY Jets (Trade from Indy): Ryan Nassib (QB Syracuse) 

Now I know this sounds like a reach a hell it probably is, but I feel that with the Jets need for a QB not from USC and the Colts need of a corner its the perfect deal. The Colts might have to give up a little more but the Jets would be receiving the best intangible QB in the draft. Nassib doesn’t have the size or arm strength of a Geno Smith, but the leadership and thought process is top notch. For a team that has not had much QB leadership, it will be a good change of pace.

25) Seattle Seahawks: Keenan Allen (WR California) 

Sidney Rice is a solid receiver and Golden Tate would be a great slot receiver but not a second outside one. Allen is a tall receiver with excellent hands that will catch anything thrown his way. He did not produce outstanding stats at Cal due to sub par play from the QB and defenses double and even triple teaming him during games.

26) Green Bay Packers: Damontre Moore (DE Texas A&M)

A great pass rusher that registered 12.5 sacks this year in the toughest conference in football against a lot of top prospects. With his athleticism and quickness, Moore should quickly become a great pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme and hopefully take away some pressure from the star linebacker Clay Mathews.

27) Houston Texans: Sylvester Williams (DT North Carolina)

Not only is Williams the best player available in this scenario, but he would be a great complement to stud defensive end J.J Watt. Williams is quick off the ball and provides a solid force in the middle of the line and allows Watt more freedom from inside to outside. With no good receivers available defensive is the way to go.

28) Denver Broncos: Eddie Lacy (RB Alabama)

With Willis McGahee coming of a second season ending injury over the past 2 seasons, and Ronnie Hillman not ready to be an every down back I expect the Broncos to look towards the backfield. Hillman is a great change of pace guy but does not have the power behind his pads.  If Lacy can show he can catch the ball out of the back field, then he will be a solid pick up for a Peyton Manning offense.

29) New England Patriots: Matt Elam (S Florida)

My home team. My pride and joy the 3 time super bowl champion New England Patriots!!!! Back to business. I would love for Tavon Austin to fall to replace Wes Welker but I dont see that happening. With a glaring hole in the secondary, and the slim chance the Patriots sign either Ed Reed or Charles Woodson drafting a sure tackler is all that is left. A speedy tackling machine that can cover tight ends and control running backs and slot receivers and can help the sub par corners on the outside.

30) Atlanta Falcons: Tyler Eifert (TE Notre Dame)

The two top TE’s could easily swap teams that draft them and still be productive. I feel Eifert is a better fit in Atlanta due to his ability to catch and Matty Ice‘s ability to spread the field out and sling the football. With the pending loss of future HOF Tony Gonzalez, Ryan will need a new safety blanket that can make the tough catches which is what Eifert has done through his years at ND.

31) San Francisco 49ers: Kawann Short (DT Purdue)

An absolute beast in the middle of the defensive line. Stuffing runners like there is no tomorrow and sacking the QB like they are standing still.  Being in the B10 I have seen him play first hand and it is scary. We all saw how Aldon Smith’s production plummeted after Justin Smith was injured. With the possibility of Smith not returning or becoming injured again, having a back up and a future stud will be important.

32) Baltimore Ravens: Manti Te’o (ILB Notre Dame)

This pick will cause some controversy, but what hasn’t these days around Te’o. Yet I dont know there is something about the departure of Ray Lewis and then a player like Te’o coming along that just seems to perfect. He could easily go early in the draft based on his performance last year. However his all around game does not scream top ten player. Drafted here, Te’o will get a year or two to learn the ways of defense in Baltimore and become one of the top middle linebackers in the game down the road.

NFL Mock Draft Picks 11-20

11) San Diego Chargers: Sharrif Floyd (DT Florida)

I would not be shocked if Floyd was taken a lot earlier by a team somewhere in the top 5, but the Chargers could make great use of him. Offensive line help could also be a possibility but with running backs in the AFC west, they need a stuffer in the middle of the line. Floyd can also play all 3 downs which increases in versatility ten fold.

12) Miami Dolphins: Lane Johnson (OT Oklahoma)

With the departure of pro bowl tackle jake Long, the Dolphins will need to look at replacing him to protect their your QB. Johnson is a slight work in progress but has all of the tools need to be a top tackle in this league. With the possibility of the Dolphins signing a top receiver the more Tannehill spends on his feet the better.

13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chance Warmack (OT Alabama)

A great down hill run blocker that will make draft day feel like christmas day to Doug Martin. Warmack is not the fastest or most agile or most athletic, but when you are in his way he will move you away from your destination. Warmack will also provide extra protection for the up and coming Josh Freeman.

14) Carolina Panthers Tavon Austin (WR West Virginia)

This is a reach but Austin is such a high impact player that can help out a non existant running game. Now you ask how can a WR help out a running game? Not only can Austin move into the backfield and receive hand offs, but the screen and short passing game works just as well. Tavon is quick and shifty and can be a great security blanket for Cam Newton.

15) New Orleans Saints: Barkevious Mingo (OLB LSU)

Barkevious, the name in itself sounds terrifying, but his on field play is even beter. This is a defense with Lofton and Vilma in the middle with Sedrick Ellis and Jordan on the line. Mingo will help get additional pressure on the QB and take pressure of the depleted secondary.

16) St. Louis Rams: Cordelle Paterson (WR Tennessee)

A raw talent that is a pure freak athletically. when telling him to run in a straight line there are few people that can keep up with him. With the probable chance of losing Danny Amendola, the Rams need help for Sam Bradford and nothing is better than knowing you have an athlete that can go up and catch almost anything.

17) Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Vaccaro (S Texas)

The Steelers need more help on the outside at corner but I feel Vaccaro can transition out from safety. He would also be a great back up to Polamalu who has been dealing with several injuries over the past 2 seasons. Polamalu could also be winding down in number of years left and Vaccaro could fill in seamlessly.

18) Dallas Cowboys: Sheldon Richardson (DT Missouri)

I can see Richardson going earlier in the draft but he fits best here in the middle rounds. Very athletic, very quick and can make plays on the interior line. In a conference with athletic QB’s RGIII and Vick, having a defensive line that can move side to side quickly is very important and effective.

19) New York Giants: Zach Ertz (TE Stanford)

This is a real toss up between the two top TE prospects, but i feel that Ertz is a better fit for the Giants due to his ability to pass protect as well as catching passes all over the field. With receivers Cruz and Nicks on the outside, Ertz will be able to take on linebackers and safeties one and one and make them look like complete fools.

20) Chicago Bears: Alec Ogletree (MLB Georgia)

Manti Teo could also be taken here but I still believe teams do not want to take a first round risk with him this early. This pick is also based upon the fact that veteran Brian Urlacher doesn’t resign with the Bears. Yet I would like this pick even if the Bears resigned him to groom and mold Ogletree into a replacement in the near future.

NFL Mock Draft Picks 1-10

Its that time of year again with NFL pro days and watching the top college prospects prepare for there future in the pros. There is still time for things to shake up, but this is how I see it today.

1) Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Joeckel (OT Texas A&M)

It is easy to say that after franchising OT Branden Albert the Chiefs should go defensive with the first pick in the draft. However with the recent acquisition of QB Alex Smith, it should be the top priority to keep Smith on both feet so he can complete passes to his solid receivers in Dwayne Bowe and Doug Baldwin.  

2) Jacksonville Jaguars: Jarvis Jones (OLB Georgia) 

Where to start with the Jaguars. They need help at almost every position out side of running back and wide receiver. However they finished last in the league in sacks with only 20. Jones might be one of the most rare prospects in the draft, but the celling is incredible. Jones was a sack machine this year in the top conference in the country and facing the top prospects in the nation.

3) Oakland Raiders: Star Letulelei (DT Utah) 

The Raiders have a solid offense that they can work around this yea with Palmer and McFadden. yet on defense, they need to rebuild the whole line up starting up front replacing the all pro Richard Seymour. Letulelei is not an outside pass rusher but in a division with Jamal Charles, Ryan Mathews and Willis Mcgahee, Letulelei will help slow down the oppositions rushing attack.

4) Philadelphia Eagles: Dion Jordan (OLB Oregon) 

With coach Andy Reid now in Kansas City and new rookie head coach Chip Kelly in town, he will be looking for familiarity at this time. Cornerback Dee Millner could be a nice choice, but with second year player Brandon Boykin they can afford to look up front on defense. Jordan was a player at Oregon with Kelly and in a tremendous improvement over other linebackers and defensive ends. In the NFC East, being quick and powerful is a must to handle the top QB’s.

5) Detroit Lions: Dee Millner (CB Alabama)

The Detroit Lions have an outstanding offense but need as much help as the can get on defense. the defensive front line anchored by the controversial Ndamukong Suh but have had struggles in the secondary. Dee Millner bring extreme speed and size to cover almost any receiver in the league. The Lions could look defensive end to add depth but I can not see them passing up on such a quality corner.

6) Cleveland Browns: Bjoern Werner (DE Florida State)

This is a reach at 6 overall with the offensive line talent available. Yet I believe that Werner can greatly improve an almost non existant pass rush in Cleveland. Joe Haden is sold in coverage and  the Browns have a respectable linebacking core. Werner might not have an instant impact but will be a solid defensive presence during his career.

7) Arizona Cardinals: Geno Smith (QB West Virginia) 

Everyone that has looked at and thought about this NFL draft is split into two sides. I am on the side that believes if the cards are played right that Geno Smith should be drafted early. If the Cardinals are able to come out of there shell and spend a little money on Jake Long, I feel that a young QB like Geno can thrive with the running game and the absolute beast at wideout Larry Fitzgerald.

8) Buffalo Bills: Eric Fisher (OT Central Michigan) 

Fisher is a highly ranked tackle that jumped right off the pages at the NFL combine. it is possible that he could be taken as early as number one and the Bills should be salivating if he is still available at 8. With a two headed dragon at running back with Spiller and Jackson, and a solid receiver in Stevie Johnson the Bills need protection for a probably drafting a QB later in this draft.

9) NY Jets: Ezekiel Ansah (DE BYU)

The Jets could go with Barkley here to replace the HORRENDOUS Mark Sanchez. they do need to draft a receiver in the second round if they dont take one here. A couple of outside linebackers could fit the mold. In a way the Jets need help everywhere but offensive line and cornerback. Ansah is a solid prospect with good speed and can contain the outside edges.

10) Tennessee Titans: Jonathan Cooper (OG North Carolina)

The book on Cooper is that he is solid in a zone blocking sceme due to his insane athleticism. The Titans utilize there freak at running back Chris Johnson behind a zone blocking sceme due to his small stature. Cooper could be passed over for other offensive linemen such as Lane Johnson or Chance Warmack.