Rounds 2 and 3 won’t have as much detail, because, good Lord, I’m not trying to write a 7,500-word column. I’ll try to include a brief explanation of each pick, though.
ROUND 2
- Tennessee Titans – Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
Still need DB help, and Collins is a tremendous athlete with first-round potential. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Cameron Erving, C, Florida State
Tampa’s offensive line flatly sucks. This is in part because they never use high picks on linemen. What better way to fix that problem, and to aid Jameis Winston’s transition to the NFL, than by drafting his center? - Oakland Raiders – Paul Dawson, LB, TCU
Some character-concerns (which make him a natural-born Raider) but Dawson is a great playmaker, and he and Khalil Mack will amplify each other’s abilities. - Jacksonville Jaguars – Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
Marcedes Lewis has been with the team since, seemingly, George Bush was in office (that is, George H.W. Bush), but even his time must come to an end soon. Williams is a fantastic athlete for the position who will give Blake Bortles another dynamic receiver and help build on the tremendous young crew Jacksonville found from last year’s rookies. - New York Jets – Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE/OLB, UCLA
The Jets have seemingly needed edge-rusher help for the entirety of the Rex Ryan era, and Odighizuwa is the kind of guy they could use, even if he’s more of a 4-3 DE. - Washington – Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
More help in the trenches for a team that needs it. Davis crushed the Senior Bowl and displays terrific movement and pass-rush ability for his size. - Chicago Bears – Gerod Holliman, FS, Louisville
Chicago’s safeties were terrible. Holliman (14 INT in 2014) is the kind of ball-hawk the Bears could use covering the back end. - New York Giants – T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
The Giants seem to be perpetually in need of offensive line help, and Clemmings is popular among scouts for his athleticism (even though he had a poor Senior Bowl). - St. Louis Rams – Laken Tomlinson, G, Duke
Even if Jake Long never plays another down for the Rams, they still have Greg Robinson at left tackle, and a hole at one guard position. Tomlinson is the best guard in the draft. - Atlanta Falcons – Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami-FL
I have concerns about Flowers’ ability to play left tackle in the NFL, but I think he could fill in in a pinch, and more importantly can be a quite good right tackle. (Check out his film against Virginia, where he basically stonewalls Eli Harold.) Atlanta has their LT of the future, but they need a right tackle, with Sam Baker’s injury history making him unreliable for the future. - Cleveland Browns – Hau’oli Kikaha, DE/OLB, Washington
For all the resources the Browns have spent on edge rushing, they haven’t gotten much production as a result. Kikaha falls because of his injury history, but his hand technique and athletic upside are up there with the best in this draft. - New Orleans Saints – Daryl Williams, OT, Oklahoma
Zach Strief is a journeyman right tackle who basically ended up with the job because Charles Brown couldn’t hack it. Strief is better suited to playing the sixth man; Williams should start at RT right away. - Minnesota Vikings – Ty Sambrailo, OT, Colorado State
Minnesota’s entire offensive line was a mess last year. Wherever Sambrailo slots in, he’ll be an upgrade. - San Francisco 49ers – P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
They don’t have much talent at this position. Now they have a little more. - Miami Dolphins – Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
The big man offers some insurance in case they can’t keep one of their interior guys, and is a steal this late to boot. - San Diego Chargers – Arik Armstead, DE/DT, Oregon
Raw but athletic, Armstead would slot right in at 3-4 DE for the Chargers and hopefully provide some push. - Kansas City Chiefs – Chris Hackett, S, TCU
Sadly, Eric Berry’s lymphoma diagnosis leaves the Chiefs looking for a safety here. Hackett is a nice fit to replace Berry at strong safety. - Buffalo Bills – Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
Fred Jackson is nearing the end of the line. C.J. Spiller is a free agent. Gordon provides answers to both questions. - Houston Texans – Bernardick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State
Brian Cushing hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and this is the film on Houston’s other ILB. McKinney fills a bad need on defense. - Philadelphia Eagles – Nate Orchard, DE/OLB, Utah
Marcus Smith didn’t really work out last year. Connor Barwin probably won’t get 15 sacks next season. Trent Cole is nearing the end of the line. The Eagles give pass rushing another shot. - Cincinnati Bengals – Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami-OH
Rollins has been a riser of late, and the Bengals are constantly reloading at this position. - Detroit Lions – Duke Johnson, RB, Miami-FL
I think he’s one of the more complete backs in the draft, but the team also has Joique Bell on hand to spell Johnson and keep him from taking too many hits. - Arizona Cardinals – Danielle Hunter, DE/OLB, LSU
Arizona can’t continue relying on John Abraham and Larry Foote, so LSU West gets another member. - Pittsburgh Steelers – A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina
David DeCastro has been great at one guard spot, but the other is very much a question. - Carolina Panthers – Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon
I have a hard time not seeing Carolina taking an OT in the first two rounds. Fisher’s athleticism has some talking of him as a first-round pick. Whichever tackle position he plays for Carolina, he’s an upgrade. - Baltimore Ravens – Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
Justin Forsett likely isn’t coming back. Abdullah’s receiving ability gives him an immediate and important role in this backfield, with Lorenzo Taliaferro handling the grunt work. - Denver Broncos – Donovan Smith, OT, Penn State
Denver needs to find a right tackle so they can move Louis Vasquez back to guard. Smith’s athleticism has some teams drooling, but he’s a project. - Dallas Cowboys – T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama
Happy trails, DeMarco Murray. - Indianapolis Colts – David Cobb, RB, Minnesota
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass while you stand around doing spin moves in the doorway, Trent Richardson. - Green Bay Packers – Alex Carter, CB, Stanford
Green Bay’s always looking for more depth here. - Seattle Seahawks – Preston Smith, DT, Mississippi State
An aggressive pass-rusher who can play multiple positions along a front: An ideal fit for the Seahawks. - New England Patriots – Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
Another attempt to add a big-play element to the Pats offense. Let’s hope Coates sorts out his hands well enough to stay out of Belichick’s doghouse.
ROUND 3
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Lorenzo Mauldin, DE/OLB, Louisville
The Bucs have made a mess of their edge rushing, letting Michael Bennett go while overpaying the disappointing Michael Johnson and clinging to busts Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. Mauldin is another attempt to fix this problem. - Tennessee Titans – Tre Jackson, G, Florida State
The Andy Levitre signing has not worked out. - Jacksonville Jaguars – Jeremiah Poutasi, OT, Utah
Luke Joeckel and Brandon Linder (and maybe Luke Bowanko) are the only long-term parts of this OL, so this is another case of “Wherever he plays, it’s an upgrade.” - Oakland Raiders – Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State
A steal here for a team that hasn’t gotten what it hoped out of D.J. Hayden and has little else at the position. - Washington – Denzel Perryman, LB, Miami-FL
A playmaker at another position Washington needs them. - New York Jets – Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
A speedy, big-play complement to Chris Ivory. - Chicago Bears – Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
Coming back to school significantly hurt his stock, but he should still fit in at slot CB once he recovers from his injury. - St. Louis Rams – Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
E.J. Gaines outperformed his draft position, but Janoris Jenkins has been inconsistent since a promising rookie year, and the rest of the corners on roster are crap. - Atlanta Falcons – Jay Ayaji, RB, Boise State
I look forward to watching an Ayaji-Devonta Freeman rotation on Sundays. - New York Giants – Markus Golden, DE/OLB, Missouri
True to form, New York reloads their edge rushing with another day-two pick. - New Orleans Saints – Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State
A steal here, especially for a team whose wide receiver crew has quietly become very suspect. - Minnesota Vikings – Mike Davis, RB, South Carolina
Goodbye, Adrian Peterson. Davis and Jerick McKinnon will take it from here. - Cleveland Browns – Reese Dismukes, C, Auburn
Alex Mack is probably gone after 2015, either because he exercises his opt-out or he fails to recover sufficiently from his injury. Either way, Cleveland needs to prepare for it. - Miami Dolphins – Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State
Miami’s receiving crew needs more help than just Greene, but he’s a start. - San Francisco 49ers – Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami-FL
A true burner to take advantage of Kaep’s monster arm. Could line up opposite Anquan Boldin on opening day if the 49ers let Michael Crabtree walk. - Kansas City Chiefs – Jamison Crowder, WR, Duke
The kind of speedy waterbug player Andy Reid loves. He will find a way to run a personnel grouping of Jamaal Charles / Knile Davis / De’Anthony Thomas / Travis Kelce / Crowder frequently in 2015. - Buffalo Bills – Arie Kouandijo, G, Alabama
The interior line needs shoring up beyond Richie Incognito, and now the Kouandijo brothers are reunited. - Houston Texans – D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
An athletic project who could develop into a starting tackle. The team has some questions on the line, especially since #33 overall pick Xavier Su’a-Filo barely got on the field last year. - San Diego Chargers – Jacoby Glenn, CB, UCF
They still need cornerback help beyond Jason Verrett, especially since he’s more suited to playing inside. - Philadelphia Eagles – Cody Prewitt, FS, Ole Miss
Pretty self-explanatory. - Cincinnati Bengals – Nick O’Leary, TE, Florida State
Jermaine Gresham is a free agent, and he’s probably gone. O’Leary should fill his role well. - Arizona Cardinals – Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon
They need some upgrades on their line and could move on from Lyle Sendlein soon. - Pittsburgh Steelers – Trey Flowers, DE/OLB, Arkansas
Their last few swings at finding edge rushing haven’t worked out as well as they hoped. Here’s another. - Detroit Lions – Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
The son of longtime Herman Moore second banana Brett Perriman walks into an ideal situation, as the third receiver for a team that badly needs one. - Carolina Panthers – Shaq Mason, G, Georgia Tech
Between Fisher, Mason, and last year’s third-round pick, Trai Turner, Carolina’s offensive line has been significantly improved (if still one player short of legitimate). - Baltimore Ravens – D’Joun Smith, CB, Florida Atlantic
Injury questions surround Baltimore’s most talented guys, so depth here always helps. - Dallas Cowboys – Jaquiski Tartt, S, Samford
Dallas needs safety help, and I for one can see Jerry Jones saying “Hot damn! I love that name!” - Denver Broncos – Kevin White, CB, TCU
Like the inverse of the Detroit pick, White walks into a scenario where the team has two strong cornerbacks already and he can slide in behind them. - Indianapolis Colts – Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State
Reggie Wayne is at the end of the line and Hakeem Nicks didn’t work out. The Colts need more receiver depth than just T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. - Green Bay Packers – Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn
A big body to prepare them for the possible loss of B.J. Raji. - Seattle Seahawks – Josue Matias, G, Florida State
Seattle’s offensive line is relatively weak outside of its top two players. This is an attempt to solve that problem. - New England Patriots – Clive Walford, TE, Miami-FL
A second tight end with some athleticism and receiving skills who the Pats can use in the ways they hoped to use Aaron Hernandez.
Leave all complaints in comments.
1 comment on Our first (wildly inaccurate and ill-informed) Mock Draft, Part 2