It’s that time of year again: the birds are singing, the weather is getting warmer and of course James and Travis are releasing their infamous mock drafts. Since we’re professional mock drafters like Kiper and McShay, as in Travis is some old guy that yells at you about why his opinions are right and I’m just the other guy, we have to name our mock drafts something creative to show you how much work we’ve put into them. I’m naming mine Mock Draft 12:24 as in, I decided to start working on this at 12:24 AM because I couldn’t sleep and we’re supposed to have them done in like five days, pretty creative huh? Also we’re still waiting on that call from ESPN about being their new draft insiders but no luck yet. Anyways without further ado I bring to you, the waiting masses, the JAMES MOCK DRAFT 12:24!!!
1) Cleveland Browns – Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M Is there really anything else to say about this pick that hasn’t already been said? Garrett really impressed at the combine, he seems like the obvious choice to be the number one pick and the only thing that could change that is a dysfunctional front offi……….ummmm well for our friend Jed’s sake let’s hope this is the pick. 2) San Francisco 49ers – Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson Everything I keep hearing is that the 49ers are going to wait for Cousins to be a free agent next year but can you really keep putting off having a franchise quarterback or having your hunt for a franchise quarterback be determined by what the Redskins front office is going to do? I think Brian Hoyer is a capable fill in quarterback and will be the perfect option to buy Watson some time before he is ready to take over the starting role. Watson will be the perfect quarterback for a new regime in San Francisco and will soon be a fan favorite in the Bay area. I also wouldn’t rule out seeing this pick traded to the Redskins in return for Cousins but I believe in that scenario it would just be Watson heading to the Nation’s Capital instead of the west coast. 3) Chicago Bears – Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio St If there is one thing I know about watching a John Fox coached team, he’ll take all the quality defensive players he can get. The Bears could really use some help in their secondary and the best way to fix that is to draft the best secondary player in the draft and a shutdown corner. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them draft a receiver to replace Alshon Jeffery but I imagine that will be a little later in the draft. 4) Jacksonville Jaguars – Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State The Jaguars are in need of a running back that can help take the pressure off of Bortles. With the Jaguars tendency recently of drafting players from local colleges and their need for a running back it only seems logical that they’ll draft Cook. Now granted the Jaguars have almost become like watching the Raiders draft in the past, you never know what they’ll do come draft day. There are some that will argue that Cook may be the best running back in this draft, I’m not sure that’s true but I think he will be able to really help the Jaguars offense. 5) Tennessee Titans (from LA Rams) – Jamal Adams, S, LSU The Titans really have two areas that they need to address: the secondary and wide receiver positions. With Jamal Adams sitting here it’s going to be tough for the Titans to pass up drafting him. The Titans will have a chance to draft their wide receiver at pick eighteen but with arguably the top safety in the draft sitting here it could be a pick that will shore up their secondary for the next decade. 6) New York Jets – Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford The Jets have a very quality defensive line but when a talent like Thomas falls to them here they have to make this the pick. In all honesty I think Thomas falling this far down the draft board really saves the Jets from themselves. It gives them a player that can be a star of their defensive line and keeps them from drafting a quarterback out of desperation. I’m not sure how Jets fans will react to this pick but they have to be happy to not be drafting another quarterback right? 7) Los Angeles Chargers – Mike Williams, WR, Clemson The Chargers have survived for many years on Phillip Rivers’ ability to make wide receivers look better than they may really be at times. Last year alone he lost pretty much his whole first string of wide receivers. Mike Williams is a bigger and faster version of DeAndre Hopkins in Houston and when you pair him up with Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, Melvin Gordon, and the always reliable Antonio Gates the Chargers are going to have quite an array of offensive weapons. It’s also the first year in LA, let’s hope they take more time on this draft pick than they did that first attempt at a new logo. 8) Carolina Panthers – Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU The Panthers drafting a running back at number eight can make some fans a little worrisome because the last time it happened they skipped over a guy named Eddie George for Tshimanga Biakabutuka. I can still remember my uncle calling me after that pick and saying, “We passed up on Eddie George for who?” The good thing for the Panthers this time is that the best running back in the draft has fallen into their laps again at number eight and they can make it up to a lot of their life long fans this time. The combination of Fournette, Jonathan Stewart and Cam Newton in the same backfield will keep a lot of defensive coordinators in the NFC South up late at nights as they’re going to have to find a scheme to stop what could be a dominant rushing attack. Also, it’s going to take a lot of pressure off of Cam Newton having to be the main rushing option so often. 9) Cincinnati Bengals – Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama The Bengals have to be happy that a guy who was projected as a possible top two pick falls to them at the ninth spot. The Bengals could use a little help with the pass rush and the fact that Allen is here just makes too much sense for them not to draft. They could use some help at the tackle spot on the offensive line but there’s no value at tackle that they can use the ninth pick on. Also wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade down to find that tackle their looking for though. 10) Buffalo Bills – Malik Hooker, S, Ohio St With Sean McDermott taking over the reins of the Bills, it only makes sense that with him being a defensive guy that he would want to make sure to solidify his defense. The secondary for the Bills could use some work especially with the departure of Gilmore and with Hooker still being available it shouldn’t take the Bills long to turn their card in on draft day. With Hooker the Bills also get a player that is used to playing in the weather that Buffalo deals with on a yearly basis being from Ohio State. 11) New Orleans Saints – OJ Howard, TE, Alabama After trading Brandin Cooks to the Patriots the Saints need to refill the cupboard for Drew Brees. The Saints have made a lot of signings this offseason to help their defense and it’s time to help out the offense. New Orleans and Brees were almost unstoppable when Jimmy Graham was lining up at tight end and that has been a weakness for them since he was traded to the Seahawks. They fix that problem by drafting the best tight end in this draft. 12) Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia) – Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina The Cleveland Browns drafted the best player in the draft with their first overall pick, it was an obvious pick. It’s these type picks that drive my good friend and beloved Browns fan Jed crazy though, the one where there are all kinds of options. The Browns can’t help themselves sometimes when they pick and seeing an Ohio kid that could possibly be their franchise quarterback is going to be something they just can’t pass up on. The last time it didn’t work out for them but for the sake of all the loyal Browns fans out there I hope it works out for them this time. 13) Arizona Cardinals – Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama I know that everyone thinks that the Cardinals have to be desperate to find a future replacement for Palmer but I don’t think Arizona is as desperate to find that replacement as people believe. With the fact that they could really use an inside linebacker and Foster falls to thirteen it just seems to be a perfect match. Also it will put their worries about finding a possible Palmer replacement on the back burner for now, at least until the second round starts. 14) Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota) – Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan The Eagles signed Alshon Jeffery in the offseason but they’re not done putting talented wide receivers around their franchise quarterback Carson Wentz. If Cooks or Fournette had fell to this spot I believe they would be the pick. Since they didn’t though, adding a 6’3” wide receiver to help your young quarterback isn’t a bad consolation prize. 15) Indianapolis Colts – Christian McCaffery, RB, Stanford The Colts have to find a way to keep from having Luck getting sacked so often and having a solid running game is a good way to keep that from happening. Frank Gore had a good season for the Colts this year but it’s time to find a long term solution to what has become a long term problem. McCaffery is a solid running back that tends to always get positive yards. The ability of McCaffery to always get positive yardage should open up a lot of passing lanes for Luck and Hilton. 16) Baltimore Ravens – Takkarist McKinnely, DE, UCLA The Ravens need to find an outside pass rusher and McKinnely fits that bill. The Ravens tend to find diamonds in the rough and make everyone else feel dumb for not seeing what they saw. This may be a little high for McKinnely especially being projected ahead of Barnett but it just feels like something the Ravens will do and make us all wonder why we didn’t realize it too, four years from now. 17) Washington Redskins – Jabril Peppers, S, Michigan Travis is a diehard Redskins fan and all offseason he has told me how badly the Redskins need a defensive lineman. Since the Redskins never seem to consult Travis prior to the draft I decided to mock the one position Travis says isn’t a necessity because that’s usually how the Redskins draft. It’s going to drive Travis mad on draft day but I think the Redskins are picking up a very versatile defender who could play safety or linebacker and with the way defenses are having to match up against offenses nowadays it’s great to have a player like that. I feel like this could be a steal for the Redskins. 18) Tennessee Titans – John Ross, WR, Washington The Titans finally pick up their wide receiver. They had to be sweating it out thinking that the Redskins or Ravens might draft a wide receiver but when both of them pass they get their deep threat with their second pick of the first round. Ross really impressed at the combine with his speed and should really help out Marcus Mariotta. The Titans finish their first round picks really bolstering two areas of weakness, the secondary and wide receiving corp. 19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee The Buccaneers really need to find someone to help with their pass rush and have to feel really lucky that a player that passed Reggie White on any kind of sacks list is available at the nineteenth pick. Barnett was very disruptive off the edge for the Volunteers registering 33 sacks and the Buccaneers will hope that he can replicate that type of success at the next level. 20) Denver Broncos –Ryan Ramcyzk, OT, Wisconsin The Broncos are in need of a left tackle. An offensive tackle from one of the best blocking schools in the country is available. Being a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback John Elway understands that a quarterback can only be successful if he has a good offensive line in front of him and he’s going to do his best to make that happen, whoever the quarterback will be next year. 21) Detroit Lions – Taco Charleton, DE, Michigan The Lions are very similar to the Buccaneers in that they really could some help in the pass rushing area and with those type players starting to really come off the board they take a gamble on the next available, Taco Charleton. I’m not sure what kind of player he will be for the Lions but I think they will have one of the best promotional opportunities available. ‘If Taco registers a sack, bring your ticket stub from the game to your local Taco Bell location to receive a free Dorito shell taco while supplies last.’ Yep, it’s genius. 22) Miami Dolphins – Dan Feeny, OG, Indiana The Dolphins need help on their offensive line especially up the middle. This is the part of the draft where you don’t always see the biggest named player getting drafted but you see players that could be one of the most valuable for a team for many years to come. The Dolphins need a guard and Mr. Feeny is the best one available. If this doesn’t work out he could always be a high school teacher in Philly. 23) New York Giants – Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami Eli Manning is still an elite quarterback but he’s getting older. If you calculate how long Peyton played, Eli should have about three or so more years left. It’s time for the Giants to start looking at what their plans will be after Eli and while Kaaya hasn’t always been the greatest quarterback, he has shown flashes of greatness. If Kaaya can sit behind Eli for a few years and learn the NFL game from a Super Bowl winning quarterback, the Giants may find themselves in a perfect position whenever Eli hangs up his cleats and joins Peyton as a spokesperson for Papa John’s pizza. 24) Oakland Raiders – Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan St With Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin bringing a pass rush that the mere thought of can make NFL offensive coordinators invest a lot of stock in Tums, it’s time that the Raiders invest in shoring up the interior of their defensive line. Malik McDowell is considered by many as the best defensive tackle in this draft and would be a perfect fit with the Raiders. 25) Houston Texans – Deshone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame The Texans invested a lot of money into a guy named Brock around this time last year. That didn’t work out so well and he, as of the time I’m typing this, is now Cleveland’s problem (Yay for Jed). Bill O’Brien never seemed thrilled with the idea of Brock in Houston but that still means they’re in need of a quarterback. Depending on what you read Deshone Kizer could end up just about anywhere in this draft depending on whatever unnamed scout has been quoted this week. The Texans need a quarterback and this is going to be their guy. The connection he already has with current Texans receiver Will Fuller should help in his transition to the NFL. 26) Seattle Seahawks – Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama If you watched a Seahawks game last year you know one thing: their offensive line struggled. Usually when an Alabama kid is being drafted teams seem to fall all over themselves to draft them but Robinson just hasn’t had quite that buzz. While Robinson may not be a star, he will be a quality NFL lineman and it’s time for the Seahawks to invest in some offensive line help for Russell Wilson and put to rest the ideas of converting defensive tackles into offensive lineman. 27) Kansas City Chiefs – Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt The Chiefs need some help at linebacker and should feel really good that Cunningham is still available for them at the twenty-seventh pick. Cunningham is a very athletic player that could play either the middle or outside linebacker positions. Cunningham is used to playing quality opponents each week in the SEC and should be able to step in and help the Chiefs defense from day one. 28) Dallas Cowboys – Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama Dallas plays in a division that has a lot of quality quarterbacks and they’re a team in need of some secondary help. Some people have Humphrey ranked as high as the second best corner in this draft and Dallas has to feel great about their luck of having him fall to them here. Humphrey was a key player on Alabama’s defense last year and is used to having high expectations. That will bode well for him as the expectations of Cowboys fans are very similar to those of Alabama fans, they expect to win. 29) Green Bay Packers – Teez Tabor, CB, Florida With all the first round level running backs drafted the Packers will look to fill another need and fill a whole in their secondary. When Humphrey goes to the Cowboys, the Packers will draft the next best cornerback on their board and Tabor is that guy. As poorly as the Packers cornerbacks performed last year they will be happy to be adding a possible shutdown corner to their secondary. 30) Pittsburgh Steelers – TJ Watt, OLB, Wisconsin The Steelers have made a living on having really good defenses and they’ll look to help add to that reputation by adding JJ Watt’s little brother. With James Harrison getting older it’s only a matter of time that the Steelers will need to start finding a replacement and they’ll start that search here. While Watt will be compared to his older brother, if Watt can give the Steelers just half of what JJ has given to the Texans it may be TJ being the first brother with a Super Bowl ring. 31) Atlanta Falcons – Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky We all know about the Super Bowl 51 collapse and it could be easy to say they need a defensive player here. If you remember though it was the lack of being able to run the ball and sacks of Ryan that gave New England the opportunity to win that game. The Falcons are in need of some help on the offensive line and take the best lineman on the board. 32) New Orleans Saints (from New England) – Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech With their first pick the Saints found some help for Drew Brees but with the second pick they find the possible replacement for Brees. NFL scouts are amazed by the arm strength of Mahomes but it’s the technical things that he struggles with and going to New Orleans could be the perfect arrangement for him as Sean Payton is said to be a quarterback guru. It must be true because he wears a visor and all quarterback gurus wear visors right? Well there you have it, MOCK DRAFT 12:24!!! Is it the most educated mock draft? No. Is it the most informative mock draft? No. Is it the funniest mock draft ever? Probably not, but is it the only mock draft in 2017 done by James? You’re damn right it is. I hope you all had fun reading my yearly mock draft and if you haven’t read Travis’ yet go ahead and give it a read. You never know, next year you may have to be an insider to read such great material.
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JamesBoiling Springs native, lover of sports and food. 15x SC Press Association Award Winner. I do some sports writing and radio every now and then. Archives
April 2020
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