I know this isn't a blog post about the Royals, but in a way, it kind of is. The Royals have shattered my hopes and dreams this first two weeks, so I'm focused on the draft. I did a mock draft for fun, wanted to post it somewhere, so here it is. It'll be funny to see how far off I am.
"Thursday-Sunday is #OurTime." - Draft Prospects
1. Colts – Kellen Moore, Just Kidding
1. QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
Undoubtedly the best player available in this draft. Unique blend of physical tools and mental
capacity for the most important position in football.
2. Redskins – QB Robert Griffin III,
Baylor Cam Newton made me look like an idiot last year. I thought he had Akili Smith and Jamarcus
Russel written all over him, and he wound up carrying my fantasy team. Less worried about athletic, spread
quarterbacks now. Plus, I loved RG3 in
college. He’s more boom or bust than
Luck, but he has a chance to be elite.
3. Vikings – LT Matt Kalil, USC All
these smoke screens recently. Good
night. If Morris Clairborne or Justin
Blackmon is the pick here, I’d be stunned.
Kalil fills both need and best player available.
4. Browns – RB Trent Richardson
‘Bama Cleveland has already come out and said they need someone to help score
points. I had a gut feel it might be DB
Morris Clairborne up to that point.
5. Buccaneers – DB Morris Clairborne,
LSU This makes all the sense in the world.
Aqib Talib is on the way out, Ronde Barber is done, and former-LSU DB
coach Ron Cooper is in Tampa now. This
pick I would put money on.
6. Rams – WR Justin Blackmon,
Oklahoma State I think there’s big discrepancy between picks 3-6 and picks
7-15. Justin Blackmon is both the best
player available and a position of drastic need for St. Louis.
7. Jaguars – WR Michael Floyd, Notre
Dame I thought here that Melvin Ingram made the most sense. However, here’s a surprise pick, typical of
Jacksonville, with Floyd going here.
He’s flown back up the draft board around where he was right after last
year’s draft.
8. Dolphins – LB Luke Kuechly, BC I
know, I know, I know. I’m crazy. No
Tannehill? I just have a feeling that we’re going to see him fall past
Miami. Mike Sherman, Tannehill’s old
coach, is the new OC in Miami. The
Dolphins have whiffed on every QB they’ve pursued this year. The stars line up for him to be taking his
talents to South Beach. But why didn’t
Tannehill thrive in Sherman’s system last year? If Matt Barkley or Landry Jones
came out, Tannehill would look more like this year’s Colin Kaepernick than Jake
Locker. Also, I’m really high on Luke Kuechly. He has a chance to be a perennial
All-Pro. I think he’s a perfect
complement to the Dolphin’s pass rush, and should be able to play every down in
the multiple front defense Joe Philbin plans on using.
9. Panthers – DT Fletcher Cox,
Mississippi State Very good, athletic interior player. Fills a definite need in the middle of the
field for Carolina.
10. Bills – DE Quinton Coples, UNC I
know there are some red-flags on Coples, but he is an extremely talented player
worth the risk. Adding him to Marcel
Dareus and Mario Williams would form a scary front. Normally you don’t want too much of a premium
cost on your team’s cap, but when Tom Brady is playing against you twice a
year, you need to find ways to stop him.
11. TRADE: Browns trade 22nd
and 37th picks to Kansas City for this pick and a 4th. Browns – QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M I’m not sold on him, but this is the
perfect position to take him. Under the new CBA, the first ten pick’s 5th
year of their contract is essentially an average of the top 10 contracts at
their position. That changes team’s
mindset to trade into top ten. If
Tannehill goes past Miami, this a perfect place for someone to draft
Tannehill. The Chiefs value picks and
drafted their Rookie of the Year, OLB Justin Houston, with a selection they
acquired from Cleveland in a swap last year.
Tannehill makes sense for the Browns.
They have 13 selections in this year’s draft and a need for a QB.
12. Seahawks – OG David Decastro,
Stanford Decastro has been hyped as the best guard prospect in a long
time. I’ve heard/read from articles and radio shows his floor is multiple
Pro Bowls and his ceiling is Hall of Famer.
It’s not quite a positional value, but neither was Earl Thomas a few
years ago and look how that turned out. Matt
Flynn would appreciate the help. So
would Marshawn Lynch.
13. Cardinals – OT Riley Reiff, Iowa
This is a need for Arizona, and arguably the best player left on the
board. He’s very athletic for his size
and could play both tackle and guard at the next level.
14. Cowboys – S Mark Barron, ‘Bama
There has been buzz about Barron to the Cowboys for some time. Jerry Jones isn’t shy about his picks or
plans either. Last year, it was a
certainty that Tyron Smith was headed to Dallas. I expect the same for Mark Barron.
15. Eagles – DT Michael Brockers, LSU
His versatility is the key with this pick.
He can play interior in both an even and odd front. He’s a solid athlete, and should free up some
space for the wide-nine techniques that Philly uses in their pass rush.
16. Jets –OLB Nick Perry, USC Talented
pass rusher that could bolster the Jets’ front.
Tested well, and should be able to step in from day one and make an
impact
17. Bengals – CB Stephon Gilmore,
South Carolina I am so tempted to put Melvin Ingram here. But I went with his teammate, Stephon
Gilmore. Don’t be surprised if he’s off
the board earlier, but I see him winding up in Cincinatti.
18. Chargers – OLB Courtney Upshaw,
‘Bama Talented, athletic linebacker that could start immediately for San
Diego. He’s a stud and should make an
impact as a rookie.
19. Bears- CB Dre Kirpatrick, ‘Bama
Some red flags have been waived (pun intended) with drug charges being
dropped. Physical, athletic corner that could do well in the Bears’ Tampa 2 system.
20. Titans – DE Melvin Ingram, South
Carolina This pick, to me, would be a steal if he’s still on the board. I think
Melvin Ingram is an outstanding football player, with good pass rush skills and
playmaking ability. Titans will be giddy
if he’s on the board at 20.
21. Bengals – WR Kendal Wright, Baylor
Cincinatti needs to go receiver with an early pick. They lost Jerome Simpson, and they need to
maintain or improve the weapons surrounding Andy Dalton. They have a salty defense as it is as
well. Wright would be a good complement
to AJ Green, and I think he’s the third best receiver.
22.Chiefs – NT Dontari Poe, Memphis
This isn’t me being optimistic that my favorite team will draft him. I’m not even convinced or necessarily want
the Chiefs will take Poe here. However,
the Chiefs brought in potential first round prospects Michael Brocker, Poe,
Chandler Jones, and Ryan Tannehill for visits.
All of Pioli’s first round picks have come in for visits in previous
years. I thought about Chandler “Bones’
Bro” Jones, but Poe makes more sense.
I’m not sold on Poe. He’s the
ultimate boom or bust. However, I think
he would still step in right away and start at nose for the Chiefs and be
better than anyone they have on the roster or in free agency. He could be this team’s Vince Wilfork or he
could turn out to be a miserable pick.
23. Lions – CB Janoris Jenkins, North
Alabama It’s almost a certainty the Lions go corner. Here’s the next best one. Would fit into the new attitude of the Lions’
defense with all of his character concerns.
24. Steelers – ILB Dont’a Hightower,
‘Bama He’s a good football player with a nose for the ball. Physically imposing inside backer that should
do well in that defense.
25. Broncos – DT Jerel Worthy, MSU
Best player available that should help the Denver front. I don’t see them going receiver but rather
take whoever they have highest on their board.
26. Texans – WR Stephen Hill, Georgia
Tech Adding another receiver to this team would make this team all the more
scary. Outside of Andre Johnson, their
receiving core is not that great. Hill
can learn from Johnson and add even more vertical dimension to the
offense. He’s raw, but he’s got a lot of
potential.
27. Patriots – OLB Chandler Jones,
Syracuse Bolstering the pass rush should be one of the top priorities for New
England. Just happens that one of the
best player’s available is there in Jones.
28. Packers – OLB Shea McLellin, Boise
State Very comparable to Brooks Reed last year.
He tested better than anticipated at the combine. He’s talented and is noted as a hard
worker. Good fit for Green Bay’s front
seven.
29. Ravens – C Peter Konz, Wisconsin A
slight reach, but he’s a very good interior lineman. Will start right away for Baltimore.
30. 49ers – TE Coby Fleener, Stanford
I’m big on multiple TE’s right now. How
scary would Vernon Davis and Fleener be for NFC teams? Adding weapons for Alex Smith is never a bad idea either.
31. Patriots – OLB Whitney Mercilus Top
pass rushing backers in the first round for one team? Why not? Belichick has done crazier on draft
day. It’s that big of a need.
