Getting Closer to Draft Weekend Mock

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by painekiller

Upfront I want to apologize on the All Caps on the mock, I'm to lazy to retype the names.

This is an OnTheClock mock

23: R1P23 TE TJ HOCKENSON IOWA
All the OT and CB were gone with 1st round talent in the Mock. This kid is supposed to be a blocking beast, a plus route runner. Top rated TE in the draft at 23.

54: R2P22 CB JOEJUAN WILLIAMS VANDERBILT
6'4" CB, not a supper fast guy, but he has played against elite talent. Is a press coverage guy, very disruptive at all levels. Needs work, should be a solid #2 CB. Very Smart.

55: R2P23 OT GREG LITTLE OLE MISS
Lance Zierlein compared him to Duane Brown coming out. Started all 3 season he was at Mississippi. Junior tackle, played against elite talent, will learn from play to play. Smart guy.

86: R3P22 OT MAX SCHARPING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
6'6" monster of a man. Can handle bull rush, but needs to improve his feet. Right Tackle prospect. Team player, went back for senior season to win MAC championship and they did. Ivy league recruited him hard, so another smart guy. Once he adjust to NFL, should start a long time. played both sides in games, so could swing if needed.

143: R5P5 RB BRYCE LOVE STANFORD
Gave up 2020 4th round pick, to trade with the Giants to grab Love. Like Bob I really like this kid. Is projected to be ready for training camp, but I gave a future pick for a future player.

161: R5P23 WR HUNTER RENFROW CLEMSON
Again Bob and I like the same player. Renfrow has good chemistry with D4, and why not have another Clemson player here. Quicker than fast, and would be good insurance for Coutee.

195: R6P22 CB JIMMY MORELAND JAMES MADISON
Small CB, but will play in the hip pocket. needs works to adjust, but willing to take a chance, and when he picks the ball off he is trying to score. Also has some character flags, so Texans may not go here.

220: R7P6 G DEION CALHOUN MISS. STATE
Smallish height wise, but with long arms. determined blocker. Another SEC guy in the trench.

LT is the teams single biggest need so if you think Greg Little is your long-term solution to protect Watsons blind side then why not just take him at 23 in the first round and not try to get cute with it when somebody else could grab him well before you had the opportunity to use your second round pick.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

LT is the teams single biggest need so if you think Greg Little is your long-term solution to protect Watsons blind side then why not just take him at 23 in the first round and not try to get cute with it when somebody else could grab him well before you had the opportunity to use your second round pick.

Fair point. In this mock I was trying to go best player available based on needs. The TE was off the chart the BPA, similar to Reed last season. According to the list I was using Little was a reach where I took him. Some of the guys making these lists have no clue about a lot of these guys.

And I will admit to it today, I liked Duane Brown as a 3rd or 4th round pick. I was not happy when they took him in the 1st, and I admit I was wrong. He might of been the best OT in his class in hind sight.

And lastly how I look at the mocks, can I take a not OLT or CB at 23, and still get talent later. I like to hear the guys that are here and their different opinions on the player. Don't think I love every player I select in these mocks, especially late in the draft.

As to what I want the team to do is get the middle OL strong, so D4 can step up, and I think Bob's mock does that best.

[HPF Bob]

Duane Brown was the Kaleb McGary of this year's draft. There were (iirc) five OTs taken before Brown and he was expected to be a mid-to-low second-rounder but when it got to Houston's pick, he was the best OT left on the board and the only one they thought could handle the LT position in the WCO. So they "reached" and, thank goodness, he panned out.

McGary was regarded as a mid-round pick but he graded out well at the combine and now gets taken in the early second and sometimes low first in the mocks I see. It's not unusual to "overpay" for QBs, LTs and CBs in the draft. Sometimes you reach and get Duane Brown. Sometimes you reach and get Paxton Lynch. Sometimes you reach and get Kevin Johnson.

[HPF Bob]

I was set to draft Cody Ford at 1/23 when I was hit with a trade offer by the Evil Patriots. It was too good to pass up:

TRADE PARTNER:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
SENT:
ROUND: 1 PICK: 23

RECEIVED:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 24
ROUND: 2 PICK: 32
ROUND: 3 PICK: 33
ROUND: 3 PICK: 37

That gave me no first but four seconds and three thirds. So I traded back up to get the best OT on the board.

TRADE PARTNER:
ARIZONA CARDINALS
SENT:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 22
ROUND: 2 PICK: 32

RECEIVED:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 1

and then I did my standard deal with Dallas to pick up a fourth.

TRADE PARTNER:
DALLAS COWBOYS
SENT:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 23

RECEIVED:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 26
ROUND: 4 PICK: 26

Now I have three picks in the second, three in the third and one in every round afterward. With this, I had the luxury of reaching for some players I wanted earlier than I think they'll fall. The results:

33: R2P1 OT KALEB MCGARY, WASHINGTON

Yodny Cajuste was also available but McGary seems to have passed him.

56: R2P24 CB TRAYVON MULLEN, CLEMSON

His stock seems to be sliding but I still think he's just below the first tier.

58: R2P26 G MICHAEL DEITER, WISCONSIN

Between McGary and Deiter, the OL gets a big boost.

86: R3P22 TE JACE STERNBERGER, TEXAS A&M

Could be better as a pro than he was at A&M.

97: R3P33 CB ISAIAH JOHNSON, HOUSTON

Local kid who will give us, along with Mullen, two chances to find an eventual replacement for JJo.

101: R3P37 RB BENNY SNELL, KENTUCKY

Can be a three-down back in the pros. Blew me away with his bowl game.

128: R4P26 WR HUNTER RENFROW, CLEMSON

No need to explain this again.

161: R5P23 DL GREG GAINES, WASHINGTON

I missed out on Daylon Mack but Gaines is another run-plugger for the d-line.

195: R6P22 LB GARY JOHNSON, TEXAS

Smallish LB but very active and packs a punch.

220: R7P6 S ANDREW WINGARD, WYOMING

Typically doesn't fall this far in mocks. We have Hal, Reid and Gipson so safety isn't the priority it was earlier.

Thoughts? Was the trade down out of the first worth it?

[chuck]

Andre Hal retired suddenly this week so that may affect the team's perception of need.

[HPF Bob]

It certainly changes mine. Shame. He was a good one.

[HPF Bob]

I made one major difference. I normally choose the "classic" difficulty setting but, today, I used the "difficult" setting. What it says is that good players don't fall as far and trades will be harder to make. Well, we'll see. I could not do my normal swap of 2-23 to the Cowboys for 2-26 and 4-26 but I was still able to craft a deal with the Evil Patriots:

TRADE PARTNER:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
SENT:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 23

RECEIVED:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 32
ROUND: 4 PICK: 32

I still got the guy I wanted at 2-23 and added a pick in the fourth.

When it was time for my third-round pick, I wasn't fond of the options and Atlanta showed up with a nice offer:

TRADE PARTNER:
ATLANTA FALCONS
SENT:
ROUND: 3 PICK: 22

RECEIVED:
ROUND: 4 PICK: 15
ROUND: 4 PICK: 35
ROUND: 5 PICK: 14
ROUND: 7 PICK: 16

Now I had an abundance of fourth-round picks so I traded back up. I started at 4-1 and kept going until the computer accepted the offer:

TRADE PARTNER:
CINCINNATI BENGALS
SENT:
ROUND: 4 PICK: 15
ROUND: 5 PICK: 14

RECEIVED:
ROUND: 4 PICK: 8

So this left me with a first, two seconds, no thirds, three fourths, a fifth, a sixth and two sevenths. Here's who I selected:

23: R1P23 OT ANDRE DILLARD, WASHINGTON ST.

Considered the best pure LT in the draft. Still needs work on technique.

54: R2P22 G MICHAEL DEITER, WISCONSIN

G/T guy who will fill in the side that Rankin doesn't.

64: R2P32 CB TRAYVON MULLEN, CLEMSON

Should be a great addition.

110: R4P8 DL DAYLON MACK, TEXAS A&M

I love this wide-body to anchor the middle.

134: R4P32 RB BENNY SNELL, KENTUCKY

As mentioned before, three-down feature back at Kentucky.

137: R4P35 WR HUNTER RENFROW, CLEMSON

As mentioned before, has chemistry with Watson from college days.

161: R5P23 S MARVELL TELL III, USC

Not a ballhawk but a thumper.

195: R6P22 EDGE LANDIS DURHAM, TEXAS A&M

Pass-rushing OLB who lost most of last season to injury.

220: R7P6 LB GARY JOHNSON, TEXAS

As previously discussed, smallish ILB who is a big hitter.

230: R7P16 QB BRETT RYPIEN, BOISE ST.

After signing McCarron and Webb, I figure we don't need another QB but when this guy is still around in the seventh, he needed to be taken. Son of former Redskins QB with big arm who can be developed.

So, it looks like the difficult setting wasn't as difficult as I thought.