Rip It Up And Start Again: Double-Blockbuster Seven-Round Mock

I was working on turning that four-round mock into a seven-round mock… and then the Eagles trade broke yesterday. So, we have two blockbuster trades to the top, presumably for QBs; hence the “Double Blockbuster Mock.” And, as the title suggests… we’re going the whole way. Seven rounds. All seven and we’ll watch them fall! (RIP, Prince. Another star too bright for this world.)

I’ll write commentary as much as I can– for the first round, for sure, and selected picks thereafter. A mix of what I think, who I like, and needs. And I projected a handful of trades.

1. LA (from TEN) – Jared Goff, QB, California

I feel it’s about 3:1 the Rams take Goff over Wentz, and I like him better anyway.

2. PHI (from CLE) – Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State

Teams put out a lot of smoke this time of year, but the reports of the Eagles loving Wentz, followed by the fact of them trading up to #2, seems like a smoke with fire behind it.

TRADE: San Diego sends the 1.03 pick to Tampa Bay for the 1.09, 2.08, 4.10, and 2017 3rd.

3. TB (from SD) – Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss

Tampa Bay has enough holes that trading up might not be a great idea, but they also have a franchise quarterback going into his second year, and pairing him with the best left tackle prospect in a decade seems like a rock-solid foundation for a team to build on. Tunsil is the rare prospect I can see being worth the trade up here.

4. DAL – Jalen Ramsey, FS/CB, Florida State

The other elite prospect of the draft falls to a team that needs him. Dallas has to be thrilled to snap him up here.

5. JAX – Myles Jack, LB, UCLA

No real change here. A huge talent at a serious need.

6. BAL – Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State

They sit in place and get the best talent that falls to him. He’s my #3 prospect overall.

7. SF – DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon

Why, yes, I do think Trent Baalke will take a 5-tech in the first round two years in a row.

TRADE: Cleveland sends the 1.08 pick to Tennessee for the 1.15 and 2.12.

8. TEN (from CLE) – Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame

Rumors have Tennessee looking to trade back into the top ten, possibly for a tackle. Stanley will start from day one at right tackle.

9. SD (from TB) – Shaq Lawson, EDGE, Clemson

A little large for a 3-4 OLB, but he’s so talented I don’t think it matters. Wherever they play him, he might be their best pass rusher– and I don’t think too badly of Melvin Ingram and Jerry Attaochu.

10. NYG – Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State

They have a mishmash of backs ranging from the OK (Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen) to the bad (Andre Williams). Now they have a true featured guy who can play every down and do it all.

11. CHI – Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State

They let Jermon Bushrod go this year. I don’t know if Decker can play left tackle, but I’d rather take a chance on him than Charles Leno, Jr.

TRADE: New Orleans sends the 1.12 to Atlanta for the 1.17 and the 3.18.

12. ATL (from NO) – Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia

I projected this trade because I think Atlanta has shown strong interest in him but is worried the Dolphins will take a linebacker. So they make the move to get the guy they want. The Saints are more interested in trading out of the pick with Lawson off the board.

13. MIA (from PHI) – Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida

I think he’s great value here. Floyd or Darron Lee might also make sense, but I have Hargreaves as one of the best prospects in the draft. (But since he’s only 5’10”, he’s going to slide on draft boards. Teams never learn.)

14. OAK – Sheldon Rankins, DL, Louisville

They gotta love this addition. Rankins and Mack is a dynamite combination.

15. CLE (from LA via TEN) – Josh Doctson, WR, TCU

I think teams are starting to prefer Doctson as the top receiver, even though I don’t. Still, I have him #2, and now that Cleveland is in this position, they’ve decided it’s more important to get a top receiver for whoever their quarterback ends up being.

16. DET – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor

Detroit adds some serious speed to complement Golden Tate and Marvin Jones.

17. NO (from ATL) – Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss

Fine, he’s my favorite receiver in the draft. He’s a perfect fit for the Saints, too, whose biggest need in their crew is a guy who can be reliable on third downs and in the red zone.

18. IND – Noah Spence, EDGE, Eastern Kentucky

Well, they have a lot of needs, but I think they’re going to go with adding a pass rusher.

19. BUF – Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss

Rex Ryan has no fear of colorful personalities, and he’ll figure out the way to get the most out of the talented interior pass rusher. (Well, at least that’s the idea.)

20. NYJ – Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

Their QB of the future. I still have some hope in Chan Gailey as a creative offensive mind.

21. WAS – Andrew Billings, DL, Baylor

Same as last time.

22. HOU – Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame

Coleman is gone, but they still want to add speed. I wouldn’t make this pick here, but I think they would.

23. MIN – Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State

The big-bodied, reliable receiver Teddy Bridgewater needs.

24. CIN – Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State

Their linebacker crew suffered from a serious lack of athleticism. Lee can certainly fix that.

25. PIT – Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama

I see him as a pretty ideal fit as an ILB in their 3-4.

26. SEA – Jonathan Bullard, DL, Florida

As I said last time, a player who can fill the Michael Bennett role for them.

27. GB – Jarran Reed, DL, Alabama

Same as last time. Get those B.J. Raji snaps.

28. KC – Chris Jones, DL, Mississippi State

Same as last time– interior pressure.

29. NE – Pick forfeited

I have nothing new to say about the Sentient Potato.

29. ARI – Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama

Increasing buzz that Kelly is going in the first round, and Arizona cut Lyle Sendlein last off-season before re-signing him right before the season started, so they’re clearly not happy with what they’ve got there.

30. CAR – Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana

Badly need an offensive tackle. If all goes well, Spriggs and Daryl Williams should be the starters for the long term.

31. DEN – Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State

See the last mock draft for more.

ROUND 2

CLE Cardale Jones QB Ohio State
TEN Eli Apple CB Ohio State
DAL Sterling Shepard WR Oklahoma
SD Kenny Clark DL UCLA
BAL Mackensie Alexander CB Clemson
SF Cody Whitehair G Kansas State
JAX Emmanuel Ogbah EDGE Oklahoma State
SD (from TB) Karl Joseph FS West Virginia
NYG Kevin Dodd EDGE Clemson
CHI Kenneth Dixon RB Louisiana Tech
MIA Su’a Cravens LB/S USC
CLE (from PHI via LA then TEN) Jack Conklin OT Michigan State
OAK William Jackson CB Houston
TEN (from LA) Javon Hargrave DL South Carolina State
DET Vernon Butler DL Louisiana Tech
NO Joshua Garnett G Stanford
IND Germain Ifedi OT Texas A&M
BUF Deion Jones LB LSU
ATL Keanu Neal FS Florida
NYJ Kendall Fuller CB Virginia Tech
HOU Jerald Hawkins OT LSU
WAS Nick Martin C/G Notre Dame
MIN Vonn Bell SS Ohio State
CIN Leonte Carroo WR Rutgers
SEA Shon Coleman OT Auburn
GB Shilique Calhoun EDGE Michigan State
PIT Will Redmond CB Mississippi State
KC Artie Burns CB Miami-FL
NE Derrick Henry RB Alabama
NE (from ARI) A’Shawn Robinson DL Alabama
CAR Braxton Miller WR Ohio State
DEN Hunter Henry TE Arkansas

Notes: I hope most of these picks were self-explanatory. Cardale Jones is the most talented QB on the board remaining by some measure, and Cleveland would be an ideal spot to develop him. Jeremy Langford had poor receiving metrics last year, so the Bears grab a guy who’s better suited to that role (and is better suited to being a featured back, in my opinion). Everyone else, I think, is a pretty good marriage of talent and fit.

One interesting detail is Eli Apple going ahead of Mackensie Alexander. Though I rate Alexander more highly, it seems (as with Hargreaves) teams are concerned about his size. So I’m projecting Apple ahead of Alexander because I expect that to happen.

ROUND 3

TEN Charles Tapper DL/ED Oklahoma
CLE Rashard Higgins WR Colorado State
SD Austin Hooper TE Stanford
DAL Joshua Perry LB Ohio State
SF Xavien Howard CB Baylor
JAX Jack Allen C Michigan State
BAL John Theus OT Georgia
NYG Tyler Boyd WR Pittsburgh
CHI Jalen Mills CB/S LSU
MIA Landon Turner G North Carolina
TB Yannick Ngakoue EDGE Maryland
OAK Malcolm Mitchell WR Georgia
TEN (from LA) Darian Thompson FS Boise State
CLE (from DET via PHI) Kamalei Correa LB/ED Boise State
NO Maliek Collins DL Nebraska
PHI Christian Westerman G Arizona State
BUF Carl Nassib DE Penn State
NO (from ATL) Bronson Kaufusi DL/ED BYU
IND Devontae Booker RB Utah
NYJ Le’Raven Clark OT Texas Tech
WAS Kentrell Brothers LB Missouri
HOU Nick Vannett TE Ohio State
MIN Willie Henry DL Michigan
CIN Jordan Payton WR UCLA
GB Alex Collins RB Arkansas
PIT Austin Johnson DL Penn State
SEA Hassan Ridgeway DL Texas
(KC)
NE Mike Thomas WR Southern Miss
ARI Maurice Canady CB Virginia
CAR Vadal Alexander G/T LSU
DEN Spencer Drango G/T Baylor
DET Jordan Howard RB Indiana
NE Peyton Barber RB Auburn
SEA Jeremy Cash SS Duke
DEN Joel Heath DL Michigan State

(Italics indicate compensatory picks.)

Notes: Again, I don’t think this round is particularly wild. I wanted to give New England another back who was a better receiver than Henry, given the uncertainty of Dion Lewis’ performance level after returning from injury. Detroit also takes a power back who can complement Ameer Abdullah. San Diego takes Austin Hooper to replace Ladarius Green and eventually Antonio Gates– but he can block, too.

I don’t know exactly where Bronson Kaufusi will play in the Saints’ defense, but he’s 285 pounds and Cameron Jordan plays at 287– so if he ends up being at all similar, that’s great. (A 4-3 with Kaufusi and Jordan at the ends, or a 3-4 with Hau’oli Kikaha and Davis Tull outside of them rushing the passer as well, both work fine for me.)

ROUND 4

CLE Sheldon Day DL Notre Dame
CLE (from TEN via PHI) Keith Marshall RB Georgia
DAL Paul Perkins RB UCLA
SD C.J. Prosise RB Notre Dame
JAX T.J. Green FS Clemson
BAL Sean Davis FS Maryland
SF Keivarae Russell CB Notre Dame
CHI Dominique Alexander LB Oklahoma
MIA Kyler Fackrell EDGE Utah State
SD (from TB) Denver Kirkland G Arkansas
NYG Travis Feeney LB Washington
LA Charone Peake WR Clemson
DET Miles Killebrew SS Southern Utah
NO Tavon Young CB Temple
LA (from PHI via TEN) Cyrus Jones CB Alabama
OAK Brandon Wilds RB South Carolina
ATL Kyle Murphy OT Stanford
IND Jihad Ward DL Illinois
BUF Vernon Adams QB Oregon
NYJ Jonathan Williams RB Arkansas
HOU Max Tuerk C USC
WAS Jonathan Jones CB Auburn
MIN Connor McGovern G Missouri
CIN DeAndre Elliott CB Colorado State
PIT Sebastian Tretola G Arkansas
SEA Connor Wujciak DL Boston College
GB Mitch Mathews WR BYU
KC Tajae Sharpe WR Massachusetts
CHI (from NE) Kenny Lawler WR California
ARI Trevone Boykin QB TCU
CAR Rashard Robinson CB LSU
BAL (from DEN) Isaac Seumalo G Oregon State
GB Joe Haeg OT North Dakota State
BAL Nick Vigil ILB Utah State
SF Avery Young OT Auburn
BAL Tyrone Holmes EDGE Montana
DAL Jacoby Brissett QB North Carolina State
DEN Jordan Jenkins EDGE Georgia
GB Jatavis Brown LB/S Akron
CLE Jason Fanaika EDGE Utah
BUF Devon Cajuste WR/TE Stanford

Notes: Dallas intrigues me the most here. Paul Perkins gives the team a pass-catching back, which Alfred Morris decidedly isn’t and which Lance Dunbar may never be again, depending on the severity of his knee injury. And Jacoby Brissett, with work, could be good enough to take over when Tony Romo hangs it up / breaks down for good.

Some QBs besides Brissett are drafted: Vernon Adams and Trevone Boykin won’t go this highly in the real draft, but I like both their talent levels and fit here (Adams for his similarities to Tyrod Taylor, Boykin for his deep ball).

Lots of running backs besides Perkins as well. San Diego tries to recapture the Darren Sproles magic with C.J. Prosise. Cleveland adds another back to the rotation who will allow them to use Duke Johnson in space more and more. Oakland tries to find a better-receiving complement to Latavius Murray. And the Jets try to replace Chris Ivory’s role in their offense.

Connor Wujciak was the most athletic defensive lineman at the combine according to SPARQ, so of course, he’ll be playing interior offensive line for the Seahawks in two years.

ROUND 5

TEN Scooby Wright III LB Arizona
CLE Eric Murray CB Minnesota
SF (from SD) Dak Prescott QB Mississippi State
OAK (from DAL) Keyaris Garrett WR Tulsa
DEN (from BAL) Evan Boehm C Missouri
SF Daniel Braverman WR Western Michigan
JAX Harlan Miller CB Southeastern Louisiana
MIA Jerell Adams TE South Carolina
TB Adolphus Washington DT Ohio State
NYG Graham Glasgow G Michigan
CHI Ben Braunecker TE Harvard
DET James Cowser DE Southern Utah
NO DeAndre Houston-Carson FS William & Mary
PHI Rashawn Scott WR Miami-FL
OAK Nick Kwiatkowski LB West Virginia
(LA)
IND Tyler Matakevich LB Temple
BUF Fahn Cooper OT Ole Miss
(ATL)
DEN (from NYJ) Daniel Lasco RB California
WAS Kevin Hogan QB Stanford
HOU Joe Schobert LB Wisconsin
MIN Eric Striker LB/ED Oklahoma
CIN D.J. Reader DL Clemson
KC (from SEA) Willie Beavers OT Central Michigan
GB Bryce Williams TE East Carolina
PHI (from PIT) Kevon Seymour CB USC
KC Dadi Lhomme Nicolas OLB Virginia Tech
HOU (from NE) Mike Bercovici QB Arizona State
ARI Vincent Valentine DL Nebraska
CAR Matt Judon DE Grand Valley State
DET (from DEN) Brandon Shell OT South Carolina
ARI K.J. Dillon SS West Virginia
SEA DeAndre Washington RB Texas Tech
CLE Jaylon Smith LB Notre Dame
CLE Rees Odhiambo G Boise State
SF Dwayne Washington RB Washington
SD D.J. White CB Georgia Tech

Notes: Here come the developmental guys. Prescott behind Kaepernick makes sense to me. I feel like Hogan fits in behind Kirk Cousins well; if Cousins eventually wants more money than Washington wants to pay him, maybe Hogan can take over at that point. Bercovici I like more than most, and granted, that work is influenced by better draft writers than I, but .

This is also the round where Jaylon Smith is finally drafted– and in the place I’d expect, to a team with so many picks that leaving him on IR or NFI is not an issue.

Last pick to mention– the DeAndre Washington pick is to give Seattle a receiving complement to the presumably Thomas Rawls-led current backfield.

ROUND 6

CLE James Bradberry CB Samford
LA (from TEN) Stephen Weatherly EDGE Vanderbilt
SF (from DAL) Alex McAlister EDGE Florida
SD Jalin Marshall WR Ohio State
MIN (from SF) Joe Walker LB Oregon
JAX Dean Lowry DL Northwestern
BAL Kenyan Drake RB Alabama
TB Justin Simmons FS Boston College
NYG Matt Ioanndis DL Boston College
CHI Anthony Zettel DL Penn State
MIA Cole Toner OT Harvard
WAS (from NO) Tyvis Powell FS Ohio State
PHI Joe Thuney G North Carolina State
DAL (from OAK) Ronald Blair DE Appalachian State
LA Pharoh Cooper WR South Carolina
DET Jake Rudock QB Michigan
BUF Deiondre’ Hall FS Northern Iowa
TEN (from ATL) Nile Lawrence-Stample DL Florida State
OAK (from IND) Jayron Kearse SS Clemson
HOU (from NYJ) Justin Zimmer DL Ferris State
NE (from HOU) Trent Corney EDGE Virginia
TB (from WAS) Ken Crawley CB Colorado
SD (from MIN) Tom Hackett P Utah
CIN Dan Vitale FB Northwestern
GB Anthony Brown CB Purdue
JAX (from PIT) Blake Martinez LB Stanford
DET (from SEA) Henry Krieger-Coble TE Iowa
KC Nate Sudfeld QB Indiana
NE (from NE via CHI) Briean Boddy-Calhoun CB Minnesota
ARI Marquez North WR Tennessee
CHI (via CAR) Brandon Doughty QB Western Kentucky
SF (from DEN) Mortiz Boehringer WR [Germany]
NE Thomas Duarte WR/TE UCLA
BAL Roger Lewis WR Bowling Green
DET Roberto Aguayo K Florida State
SF Adam Gostis DL Georgia Tech
DAL Demarcus Robinson WR Florida
SF Glenn Gronkowski FB Kansas State
NE Alex Lewis OT Nebraska
SEA Austin Blythe C Iowa
DAL Daryl Worley CB West Virginia
DAL Lawrence Thomas DL Michigan State
BUF Halapoulivaati Vaitai OT TCU
DEN Jared Norris LB Utah
PIT Kevin Byard SS Middle Tennessee St.
NE Antwaun Woods DL USC

Notes: Once upon a time… a team whose starting quarterback was a cannon-armed golden boy selected #1 overall seven years ago… took a lightly-regarded quarterback out of Michigan in the sixth round… and the rest, as they say, is history. Hey, it could happen.

Moritz Boehringer, apparently, played for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns.

ROUND 7

TEN David Morgan TE UTSA
CLE Hunter Sharp WR Utah State
SD Brandon Allen QB Arkansas
SEA (from DAL) Tyler Higbee TE Western Kentucky
JAX Kelvin Taylor RB Florida
MIA (from BAL) De’Runnya Wilson WR Mississippi State
DEN (from SF) Nelson Spruce WR Colorado
PIT (from NYG) Stephen Anderson WR/TE California
CHI LeShaun Sims CB Southern Utah
MIA Joel Stave QB Wisconsin
WAS (from TB) Ian Wells CB Ohio
PHI Tyler Ervin RB San Jose State
OAK Pearce Slater OT San Diego State
NYJ (from LA via HOU then DEN) Antonio Morrison LB Florida
DET Morgan Burns CB Kansas State
NO Temarrick Hemingway TE South Carolina State
ATL Beau Sandland TE Montana State
IND Kavon Frazier FS Central Michigan
MiN (from BUF) Shiro Davis EDGE Texas
NYJ Parker Ehringer G Cincinnati
WAS Romeo Okwara DE Notre Dame
NE (from HOU) Elijah Shumate SS Notre Dame
MIN Aaron Green RB TCU
CIN Jeff Driskel QB Florida
PIT D.J. Foster RB Arizona State
SEA Aaron Burbridge WR Michigan State
GB Kyle Friend G Temple
KC Jalen Richard RB Southern Miss
NE Keenan Reynolds / Navy
PHI (from ARI) D.J. Pettway DE Alabama
CAR Mike Matthews C Texas A&M
DEN Aziz Shittu DL Stanford

I used this round to draft pass-catching and potential special-teams running backs for quite a few teams.

I designated Keenan Reynolds as a “slash” because I have no idea how New England was going to use him. (Shoutout to Pats fan, longtime friend, and Inside the Pylon contributor Dave for suggesting this pick.)

I don’t know who Shiro Davis is, but I do know that he was the most athletic edge prospect remaining on the board, and the Vikings are fond of those guys.

The last of our drafted QBs go, where they’ll compete for backup roles with a remote chance to start one day. Not drafted: Christian Hackenberg, who is just too damn inaccurate. (He will be drafted. Sean Mannion was drafted, and he’s even worse. But I have him low on my board, and couldn’t find a team that would want to take him.)

Also not drafted: Shawn Oakman. His arrest on sexual assault charges makes him untouchable by itself, but I don’t think he would have gone ahead of the sixth round even if that hadn’t happened. His athleticism is wildly overrated– he’s a long guy but without quickness or lower-body strength.

Last but not least, I still get a little thrown off– and fascinated– by the fact that there are no seventh-round compensatory selections this year.

So, have at it. I probably won’t get to write up another mock draft before this, though I might poke around with the first round if any more major trades go down between now and then.

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