Grading the Mocking the Draft 7 Round Mock A.F.C
Mocking the draft has a community based live 7 round mock draft with volunteer G.M’s for each team. I thought it would be fun to give them a taste of what real General Managers go through– instant second guessing and grades from a draftnik.
The entire results are located here , for the trades I wasn’t able to find (or too lazy to find, your call) all the trades so only the ones that were provided in the recap post I have the details for. The rest of the trades, the details are spreadout through the live draft threads over at mocking the draft.
I’m surprised how many B’s I gave out. Really just a lot of solid drafts out there, good work mocking the draft community. I took the picks from what was posted in the recap thread and then went through and found all of the other picks for teams that didn’t report them. If I missed a pick I’m sorry about that, and let me know.
I rarely ever knock late round picks. It’s silly. I’ll highlight late round picks I really like, but in general they are late round picks for a reason, so they’re all solid.
Indianapolis Colts
1. 1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford Cardinal
2. 34. Chase Minnifield, CB, Virignia
3. 91. Nicolas Jean Babtise, NT, Baylor (Trade with Saints)
4. 98 Ryan Bryoles, WR, Oklahoma Sooners
5. 129. Jordan White, WR, Western Michigan
5. 155 David Paulson, TE, Oregon (Trade with Saints)
6. 162. Joel Foreman, OL, Michigan State
7. 219. Mike Martin, DL, Michigan (trade with Saints)
Picks I like:
Come grading time everyone will gloss over the selection of Andrew Luck, but if he’s as good as everyone think he is the worst this grade could ever be is a B even if every other pick failed. Does anyone remember who else the Giants picked in 2004 after they traded for Eli Manning in the first round? Does it matter. The Giants have won two superbowls since he was drafted in 2004 and have gone to the playoffs 5 out of 7 years. If the Colts get that kind of return the rest of the draft is icing on the cake.
Chase Minnifield starts the move away from undersized Tampa 2 only cornerbacks, which I like. The value here is not terrific, but solid.
Ryan Broyles and Jordan White add some punch to the Colts WR corps, a group that could lose both Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon to free agency. Both players, however, have injury concerns which is why they were available when they were selected.
I love the Mike Martin pick. I’ll try not to over-use this word, but that pick in the 7th round is a steal.
Picks I question
Nicolas Jean Babtise screams reach here in the third round. If the Colts run more 34 bases, which they will they need a Nose tackle. Still a huge reach here. The Colts could have gone Dontari Poe at the top of round two I believe and then taken a cornerback in round three to great effect.
Picks that are solid
Neither great nor bad are the picks of Joel Forman and David Paulson. Paulson has a good bit of upside so an intriguing pick there.
Grade A-
Getting a Franchise QB is the most important thing in football. The Colts do that here, and add some nice options along the way as well. Good draft. Even if Luck is the easy pick, it’s still a Good pick.
Cleveland Browns
1. 4. Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
1. 22. Whitney Merciuls, DE, Illinois
2. 37. Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska
3. 68. Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
4. 94. Keenan Robinson, LB, Texas (from Pittsburgh through Carolina)
4. 119. Levy Addock, T, Oklahoma State
5. 132. Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State
6. 152. Eric Page, WR, Toledo
You’ll notice that from this draft the Browns are content on moving forward with Colt McCoy at quarterback which is not the right wrong decision. What I mean by that is I can buy the argument either way. Beef up the roster which it needs and then find the franchise QB or find the franchise QB and then fill out the roster.
Picks I like:
Morris Claiborne at 4th overall does not provide the greatest The positional value and that’s tough to swallow but as I have consistently said I do not like the top talent at this draft, so the Browns are in a tough spot here.
Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State
Really under-appreciated running back that presents good value at 132.
Eric Page, WR, Toledo
I think Page is one of the few small school “Slot” WR’s who also has ability to play on the outside. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go on day two, so getting him in the sixth round is impressive.
Picks that are solid
There are no picks that I don’t like in this draft, but I think the Mercilus, David, and Toon pick are solid. David is better on the field than he’ll test, but that’s still too early for me a bit. I’m not the biggest Whitney Mercilus fan, but understand the pick. I’d have gone in a different direction.
Keenan Robinson and Levy Addock
Addock didn’t get a combine invite which might be indicative that N.F.L. scouts don’t think as highly of him as draftniks do, but I like the value at the 199th overall pick and think he can play an effective RT in the N.F.L. The Browns need outside linebackers and Robinson has a really good chance to become a starter.
Grade: Solid B/B+
Pretty good job overall. Filled some needs and got solid value with all of their picks. No reaches, but the only player I’m sure about is Morris Claiborne. I like what they did here on “day 3”
Jacksonville Jaguars
I traded my 1st and 4th for the Bengals 1,2,4,5
1-Kendall Wright WR Baylor
2-Vinny Curry DE Marshall
2-Josh Norman CB Coastal Carolina
3-Zebrie Sanders OT FSU
4-Chris Givens WR Wake Forest
5-Tyrone Crawford DE Boise St
5-Eddie Whitley DB Virginia Tech
6-Chris Rainey RB Florida
Picks I like
Zebrie Sanders, T, Florida State
Sanders was considered a late 1st round prior to the Senior Bowl. He struggled and his stock fell, but in the third round that’s terrific value for a guy who has a shot at being a good N.F.L. LT.
Chris Givens WR, Wake Forest
I wouldn’t say I love this pick, but Givens is better than people think and I expect he will impress at the combine. A good athlete, for a team that needs more talent at the WR position.
Chris Rainey, RB, Florida
In the 6th round taking a guy with that much natural athleticism is a smart decision.
Picks I don’t like
Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
Am I the only one who doesn’t love Wright? I Think so. I’ll stand on the island on this one for now. I’m really curious to see A) how big Wright really is at the combine and B) How fast he actually runs.
Picks that are solid:
Vinny Curry, Josh Norman, Tyrone Crawford, Eddie Whitley. All seem a little need based to me, but they are all solid value. And I could definitely see the Jaguars taking this kind of route in the draft.
Grade: B-
Miami Dolphins
1.8. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
2. 42. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
3. 73. Aaron Henry, S, Wisconsin
4. 96. Ladarius Green, TE, Louisiana Lafeytte
5. 138. Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
6. 187. Micah Perellein, CB, Hampton
7. 200. Brett Roy, OLB, Nevada
Picks I like:
Justin Blackmon is not a top five player, but if you get Blackmon at 8th overall good work. Pairing him with Marshall and Bess is pretty nice. They still lack a really good deep threat I think, but that’s more than enough to have a plus passing offense.
Ladarius Green, TE, Louisiana Lafeytte
An intriguing TE prospect with a lot of natural pass catching ability. He’s not a guy that will stay in line and block in the Dolphins run game, but if they end up with Peyton Manning (which is my gut feeling as of today) he could be an intriguing weapon.
Mitchell Schwart, OT, California
A late riser who keeps climbing boards. Good pick.
Picks I don’t like
I’m not the biggest Noles fan, but I understand the pick and it makes sense. Draft a developmental quarterback and stash him on the bench this year behind Peyton or Matt Moore. You always have to reach a bit for quarterbacks and this is no exception.
Picks that are solid:
Aaron Henry has a lot of natural physical ability and I expect him to test well. In a weak safety class he’s one of the few I think can start eventually.
Micah Perrelin and Brett Roy are two players maybe not everyone is familiar with but are find value picks who can come in and play special teams and develop.
Draft Grade:
B
Blackmon is the prize of this class. Schwartz and Green are guys who could surprise, just solid picks all around and a plausible scenario.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills made a trade with the Jets in the second round to move up and select Ryan Tannehill
10. Quentin Coples, DL, North Carolina
41. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A and M
47. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford Cardinal
140. Shaun Prater, CB, Iowa
168. Josh Kaddu, LB, Oregon
202. Damien Jackson, S, Mississippi
Picks I like:
Quentin Coples, DL, UNC
I don’t like every team drafting Coples, but the Bills biggest fundamental problem is that they lack playmakers on both sides of the football. Coples can be a special play maker and that’s important for the Bills.
Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A and M
Now, they had to trade up to select Tannehill in this mock draft but the fact that he was still available and the Bills traded up Ahead of Miami to select Tannehill (forcing the Dolphins to take Foles) made it even better. Tannehill could go as high as #6 to the Redskins (I don’t think he will, but I can entertain the idea). Fitzpatrick is an ok N.F.L. quarterback not a franchise signal caller. Tannehill can develop behind Fitzpatrick this year and take over starting next year.
Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
The Bills got a productive season out of Scott Chandler, but they still need offensive weapons, especially if Steve Johnson leaves via free agency.
Solid picks:
Shaun Prater, Josh Kaddu, and Damien Jackson are all players that can come in and play special teams for the Bills while providing solid value and depth at positions that are lacking.
Grade:
B+/A-
Bills have a riskier out of the box draft here, one I find unlikely to happen in the real draft, but one I like. The Bills are just a mediocre team that lacks punch at many positions. Besides Kyle Williams and Marcel Dareus who is at the top of their positions in the NFL?
Coples is a bit risky, but a wise risk. And Tannehill at 41st overall is terrific value, even if it’s not great value based on our big board it’s good value for what he will actually be drafted.
Kansas City Chiefs
1. Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
1. Mike Adams, T, Ohio State
3. Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska
4. Vick Ballard, RB, Mississippi State
5. Evan Rodriguez, TE, Temple
6. B.J Coleman, QB, Tennessee Chatanooga
7. Chris Galippo, LB, USC
Picks I like:
Mike Adams, T, Ohio State
The Chiefs had to trade back into the first round to get Adams but it was well worth it late in the first round.
Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska
Crick was a potential first rounder before he lost this past season to injury, but third round is excellent value for Crick and he also helps add some punch to the Chiefs defensive line.
Solid picks:
Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
An instant on the field leader who is a good tackler and very instinctive. Kuechly rounds out the Chiefs linebacker corps and with the addition of Crick two rounds later gives them a pretty talented overall defense with a terrific secondary (if they can retain Carr). The value here is not overwhelming though.
Ballard is the definition of solid pick. That’s right where he might be drafted in the draft and he is a complement back for the speedy Charles.
Evan Rodriguez is a little under-appreciated as a versatile Tight End for Temple.
B.J. Coleman
Coleman has had an impressive pre-draft process and has upside. He can clearly be better than Tyler Palko was this year.
Grade: B
I’ve been handing out a lot of grades in the B range, but really all the drafts have been pretty solid so far, which makes it a little less fun for me. Hopefully there’s one I don’t like much coming up soon.
New York Jets
traded our 2nd round pick to the bills for a 3rd , 2 4ths and a 5th
traded the jets 3rd and 4th round picks to the 49ers for their 2nd
1st Nick Perry OLB
2nd Bruce Irvin OLB
3rd Chris Polk RB
4th Stephen Hill WR
4th Jerry Franklin ILB
5th Andrew Dalko RT
5th Winston Guy Jr FS
6th Hebron Fangupo NT
7th Frank Alexander OLB
7th Jermaine Kerse WR
Picks I like:
All of them.
Seriously I like this draft a lot. They added a few draft picks through trades. They grabbed two terrific athletes who can solve their pass rush problems. They got a few of my “guys I love” like Chris Polk, Stephen Hill, Andrew Datko, and Winston Guy Jr. Guys I all think can exceed their expected draft slotting.
I’m not a huge Frank Alexander fan, but in the 7th round? Come on. And Jermaine Kearse is a very talented player who just hasn’t put it together.
I have to watch more Hebron Fangupo, however.
Grade A
I understand the Perry pick and he has a lot of upside, but he’s also one of the more likely candidates to be a bust. I have full confidence in Irvin to be a pass rushing specialists and thinks he fits what the Jets want to do on defense very well. Stephen Hill and Jermaine Kearse gives the Jets two big targets who have enough raw ability to play consistently on the outside. Andrew Datko won’t solve the Jets running woes, but he has starter ability. Winston Guy Jr. is a guy I’m really interested in seeing how he tests because he impressed me on the field this season.
Cincinnati Bengals
moved up to #7
gave up 21st+2nd+4th+5th+2013 3rd for Jags 1st+4th round
1) David DeCastro OG
1) Janoris Jenkins DB
3) Isaiah Pead RB
4) DeQuan Menzie DB
5) DeVier Posey WR
6) AJ Jenkins WR
7) Markus Zusevics OT/OG
Picks I like:
Isaiah Pead, RB
I’m not sure Pead is the bell-cow the Bengals are looking for but he’s talented.
Devier Posey, WR
Posey does a lot of things well and he could have been a higher pick without the Ohio State scandal stuff which hurt his production on the field.
Picks I don’t like:
DeQuan Menzie-that’s much too high for Menzie for me.
David DeCastro-
Moving up that high to select DeCastro is a mistake to me. Gave up a lot of picks to move into the top 10 to take an interior offensive linemen.
Solid picks:
A.J. Jenkins, Markus Zusevics, and Janoris Jenkins are all solid picks.
The book is out on Jenkins. Talented, but comes with baggage. The value is fine for all of those picks. I’m not sure if I would have gone back to back with wide receiver there, though it doesn’t bother me. After the fourth round just take players you think can make a N.F.L roster because most won’t last very long.
Grade C+
I think they gave up too much for DeCastro. Jenkins is a risk, on a team that may have one too many risk type players on their roster. Do they have the leadership to reign in Jenkins? Posey and Pead also comes with some character issues. Not my favorite draft
This is getting long, the rest is continued on page two.