2015 NFL Draft: Full NFC East Mock Draft
Only six more days. How crazy is that? Do I really need to tell you what comes in six days? It’s the reason you’re reading this page! The 2015 NFL draft begins Thursday at 8:00pm. As we enter the week of chaos, more and more mock drafts are going to come out.
I decided, why not take a different approach to mine today? How about instead of the typical types of predictions, and the typical list of 32 picks, we play a little game of pretend? For this edition, along with the ones that follow, I’m going to play a game of pretend. I am going to be the General Manager of each team in the league, and each edition I post will be simply a different division.
Since I am a die hard, born and raised Giants fan, I figured we would start with the NFC East and go from there. Sound good to you? Thought so. In the following days the rest of the divisions will come up. These picks are NOT what I necessarily think will happen, rather they are what I believe should happen. Without any further ado, let’s begin!
A general view the Washington Redskins logo on the field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
If I’m the GM of the Washington Redskins, I have quite a pickle on my hands. For the first time in 3 years we have a first round pick. Why is that? Well, we spend the farm on this guy Robert Griffin III, and so far it doesn’t seem to be worth it. The project is not quite dead, but it is definitely getting close.
This guy has trouble staying healthy, and his progress has been severely halted due to injuries. But this game is not about one player, it’s a team game. So how can the Redskins turn their poor fortunes around? Well, the 5th pick of the 2015 draft is a good start.
There are plenty of needs on this team, some more pressing than others. There is a need for a pass rusher, help in the secondary, offensive line, and extra receiver help. Luckily this draft is loaded with talent on pass rushers, so maybe we should take a shot on one of them. I think the best fit for this team is Dante Fowler, if he should still be on the board. Slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.
If he should be gone, a more realistic option to get at this spot is Vic Beasley from Clemson. He is one of my favorite overall players in this draft. This young man has managed to add nearly twenty pounds over this last year without sacrificing talent or speed. He has a relentless motor and one incredible work ethic.
This is a guy who can become a new face of the team and help reinvent the defense. Now how about our second round pick? By that point, things will probably have gotten pretty nuts, but there will most likely be some talented wide receivers on the board. I think there may be a chance that Nelson Agholor will be available, and he may be just the fit they are looking for opposite Pierre Garcon. A strong receiver with experience playing special teams as well, he can be an immediate impact type of rookie, giving this pick even more value.
Sep 27, 2014; Clemson, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams (12) is brought down by Clemson Tigers defensive end Vic Beasley (3) during the second quarter at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Even as a Giants fan, I won’t let my own bias get in the way for this particular article. Can’t promise that for other times, but this time I’ll be fair. I’m now in charge of the Dallas Cowboys, and coming off the type of season we just had, I should be excited right?
Well I just lost our incredible running back DeMarco Murray to our division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Our offense is pretty much set, although we could use a replacement running back at some point. At the 27th pick, this could be tricky. I don’t think either of the top 2 running backs will be available. We could potentially trade up to get one if either should start to slip. Or we could turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball.
Our defense was better last year, but not to a level that will make us real contenders. There should be some good corners available there, and maybe by a stroke of luck Byron Jones from UCONN will be there. This guy is so incredibly athletic he can play anywhere in the secondary. It would be great value if he is there and could even be a guy we move up to get. With our second round pick, I am hoping for great value in a defensive lineman. Anywhere on the defensive line.
There may be some pass rushers available, but how about a mix of pass rush and run defense? Preston Smith may be there, and he would be a huge asset to that defensive line. He has size, speed, and knowing we aren’t going to have Greg Hardy for the first 10 games can be an even bigger value. He is one of the better defensive ends when it comes to rush defense, and that was a big weakness of the Dallas defense last season. All in all, solid first two rounds for Dallas.
Feb 23, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Connecticut Huskies defensive back Byron Jones catches a pass in a workout drill during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Okay, I’m starting to not like this whole pretending to be my rivals thing. I’ll still do this right and fair, but saying “we” when talking about Dallas and Philadelphia makes me think I should wash my mouth out with soap, or I guess scrub my fingers? You know what I mean. Now, into character.
We are on the clock at pick 20, and Chip Kelly is running the show now. He has proven to be a loose cannon so far, and this draft can be a make or break event for Chip’s career as a whole. We just traded away our young talent in Nick Foles for the oft injured Sam Bradford. But thanks to Sam Bradford we managed to bring in DeMarco Murray… who played with Sam Bradford at Oklahoma….after trading away LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso…who played for Chip at Oregon.
Every rumor in the world says that we are going to move up in the draft for Marcus Mariota, the quarterback from Oregon. At this point, I don’t even know what Chip is doing, and maybe he’ll actually do that. However, I don’t think that he will, and at 20 there is no way we don’t take a secondary type of player. Our pass defense is just awful. We need corners and safeties. Bad. Like really bad.
Basically, we are just going to take the best defensive backfield player available. The preference is going to be Landon Collins if he is there. He is easily the best safety in this draft, and while his ball hawking skills aren’t the greatest, he is an incredible tackler who has a nose for the ball and where to be to stop a play. Our second round pick, how about we go a little crazy and take a wide receiver? Yes, the defense needs help. But we also just lost Jeremy Maclin to the Chiefs.
Didn’t I mention that before when listing crazy moves that have happened so far? Whoops, too many to count. To replace him, we can’t just sit back and wait for someone to drop. We are going to have to trade up, and the guy to move up and get is a trouble maker, but is totally worth the trouble. Yes, I am talking about Dorial Green-Beckham.
He has incredible size and speed, not to mention his talent. But bad decisions have made him slide in this draft, and we need to take advantage of that by trading up to get him. Now Beckham opposite our other young stud Jordan Matthews is a solid tandem that can help get Bradford and Murray some breathing room.
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Oh man, never thought I’d get to this part! My Giants. I can breathe easy now. Now I am going to be a little more biased. I keep seeing more and more that our biggest need is offensive line. Well, it isn’t wrong. We need help on our line, specifically we need a tackle that can move Justin Pugh to the interior line where he can be the mauler we all know he can be. But there is one problem: there are none worth tacking at the ninth pick!
So what do we do here? There is a guy in this draft who may have the most variant rankings of anyone. Alvin “Bud” Dupree. As a stand up pass rusher in a 3-4 defense, I’ve seen he can struggle at times even with his incredible athleticism. He has great size and even better speed for that size. So why not let it loose in a 4-3?
Stick his hand in the dirt and let the monster run wild! He has great instincts when getting in the backfield, and while at times he can tend to over pursue, he is a big time disruption to any backfield, especially opposite Jason Pierre-Paul. Even if Damontre Moore can live up to the hype, that only helps even more knowing we have Spagnuolo back again!
Now, for the second round pick. This is where we can play the game that says “best player available”. That can mean anything. If it is a lineman, so be it. If it is a safety, so be it. Best overall player on the board, take them. This draft happens to be loaded at positions we need, so take advantage of it by getting the best player you can.
Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Now that wasn’t so hard was it? Made it through the first two rounds pretending to be 4 teams. Yes, 3 of them are my rivals. But sometimes you need to step into your rival’s shoes in order to figure out just how good your own team is. I’m feeling pretty confident in the Giants this upcoming season, and it all starts on April 30. When it comes to draft night, find something fun to do! Enjoy it! Get some friends and go out to watch it, or just have a draft party at home. I’m going to be out shooting some darts in a Giants jersey. Keep an eye out for when the other 7 divisions get their turn!