March Madness is over, now it’s time for APRIL CRAZINESS!!! If you’ve ever read Travis’ mock draft you’ll know why it’s called April Craziness. I mean he’s literally probably going to compare some player to a rhino and use a reference that no one understands but will use it more times than is necessary. It seems that ESPN, Fox, and NFL Network don’t appreciate the genius of our mock drafts and have dodged being a part of APRIL CRAZINESS so far so this year we’re hoping PBS will soon call realizing our genius and want to get into the NFL Draft coverage game. So by next year we should be the host for PBS NFL Draft coverage and hopefully they won’t think we’re talking about some falcon rescue organization or something.
Anyways it’s almost time for James’ Mock Draft 29. Why mock draft 29? That’s because it’s the number of Press Awards the members of the Piedmont Pick’em Show won this year and I feel like that’s something worth celebrating. So without further nonsense, because Travis will have five more paragraphs of that for you, here is the 2019 James Mock Draft 29: 1. Cardinals – Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma Why does this make sense? I don’t really know but did hiring Kliff Kingsbury as a NFL head coach make sense at the time they hired him? I think most people would say no but the Cardinals do what they want, they don’t answer to anyone!! Well, not unless this whole thing doesn’t work out and fans quit buying tickets. Anyways, I think Murray has a lot of talent with a great arm and amazing speed. He has the talent to play in the league and I think the only question will be his size against other NFL players. That question is something that can only be answered a few years from now and we will see along with all of the Cardinals fans. 2. 49ers – Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio St Bosa seems to be the person most people believe in the best talent in this draft and the 49ers have to feel lucky that he falls to them at number two in the draft. Yep, that’s about it. 3. Jets – Josh Allen, DE, Kentucky The Jets have done pretty well over the last few years drafting defensive linemen and here they get to choose the best edge rusher in the draft behind Bosa. After focusing on solidifying their quarterback position in last year’s draft the Jets go back to what they know best, drafting defensive linemen. 4. Raiders – Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio St Am I the only one that misses Jon Gruden’s quarterback show before the draft? I have to feel like Gruden misses it too and will have every quarterback in just to relive his old days at ESPN and will decide at some point he needs another quarterback to run the show with the Raiders despite Derek Carr having pretty good success. Haskins will be the face of the Las Vegas Raiders after one more year of Carr in Oakland. 5. Tampa Bay – Quiennen Williams, DL Alabama With quarterback whisperer Bruce Arians now running the show in Tampa Bay, he hasn’t found a quarterback he doesn’t think he can make great and he will try to work that magic on Jameis Winston. With that being said, what’s the best way to help your offense? It’s to have a strong defense and the Buccaneers help that side of the ball by drafting one of the best defensive lineman in the draft. Williams who was talked about as a possible number one pick is too good of a value to pass up here for Tampa Bay. 6. Giants – Jonah Willams, OT, Alabama As a Panthers fan for years I have learned one thing, David Gettleman is all about investing in the offensive line. A coincidence that the Giants really need some help at that position and Williams is just sitting here waiting for his name to be called. The Giants will wait for next year or later on in the draft to find Eli’s eventual replacement unless they can work out a trade for Rosen but this year they’ll find someone who can at least protect Eli and his replacements blindside for the next few years. 7. Jaguars – Devin White, LB, LSU The Jaguars hope they have found their franchise quarterback by getting Nick Foles and that hopefully fixes their biggest problem on the team now it’s time to help strengthen the best part of their team, the defense. Adding a linebacker with the skills and football knowledge like Devin White can only make the Jaguars defense that much better. 8. Lions – Ed Oliver, DT, Houston The Lions could use some help on the defensive line and with Matt Patricia in his second year with Detroit needs to show Lions fans why he was hired and adding a talent like Oliver on the defensive line should help show that. The Lions offense is in good hands with Matt Stafford, now it’s time to add a dominant defensive lineman like they used to have with Suh years ago. 9. Bills – Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson Buffalo needs help on the interior of the defensive line and they are well known for drafting Clemson players in the first round of the draft. Lawrence will give the Bills a player that can be disruptive along their defensive line for years to come and should flourish in a Sean McDermott led defense. 10. Denver – Drew Lock, QB, Missouri John Elway learned his lesson about not having a replacement behind Peyton Manning when he retired. With Flacco hopefully taking on the role Manning had a few years ago he also adds a strong armed quarterback that he hopes can learn from Flacco and be ready to take over when Flacco’s days in Denver are over. 11. Bengals – Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida Cincinnati needs some help on their offensive line and with Taylor they get that help. Taylor will immediately be able to help protect Andy Dalton and add a strong presence at the right tackle position to help with the running game. 12. Packers – TJ Hockenson, TE, Iowa The Packers are always looking for more weapons to help Aaron Rodgers and with Hockenson they get the best catching tight end in the draft who is used to making catches in frigid temperatures that are similar to the ones that they see at Lambeau Field. With Hockenson, the Packers offense will be that much more lethal and will be an even bigger nightmare for the NFC North defenses 13. Dolphins – Greedy Williams, CB, LSU Miami is a team with a new head coach that could really go any direction with this pick but with Flores coming over from New England I’m pretty sure he knows well they’ll need to be able to stop the Patriots passing game at some point and the first way to do that is by drafting the best corner on the board. Plus with a team that may struggle some this year how much fun will the marketing team for the Dolphins have with a defensive back named Greedy. 14. Falcons – Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson The Falcons have a need for help on the defensive line and Wilkins will not only bring that but a great leadership to the team. Wilkins was known for his great leadership skills with Clemson and I think that will be just as big of bonus as his abilities on the field. 15. Washington – DK Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss Washington loss two quarterbacks last season to injury and while most people think they’ll draft a quarterback I just don’t see one here that’s a lot better than they could get in the second or third round. With that being said whoever quarterbacks the Redskins this year will need targets to throw to and with the numbers that Metcalf put up at the NFL Combine the Redskins get hopefully their number one wide receiver for the next ten years. 16. Panthers – Garrett Bradbury, C, NC State As a Panthers fan I feel like the team could really use a pass rusher here but I feel like they could find that in the second round. A talent like Bradbury could be a staple on the Panthers offensive line for years to come though and he has experience in blocking in an offense similar to Carolina’s offense. Bradbury also had a great showing at the NFL Combine. 17. Giants (from Cleveland) – Daniel Jones, QB, Duke The Giants were planning on waiting until next year for their replacement for Eli but Jones just fell perfectly to them in this mock draft. With Williams taking over at LT with the fourth pick the Giants can now use this pick to get Jones and allow him a year to sit under Manning before taking over the reins of the New York offense next season. 18. Vikings – DeAndre Baker, CB, Georgia Minnesota could use a running back here to team with Dalvin Cook after he has struggled with injuries early in his career but there isn’t a running back to take at this spot. So the Vikings will turn to another need and add to their defensive backfield by adding a keystone of Georgia’s defense the last few years with Baker. He should help solidify a Vikings secondary that has to face the Green Bay and Detroit offenses twice a year. 19. Titans – Noah Fant, TE, Iowa It’s rare to see two players from the same position from the same school be drafted in the first round but Iowa had the two best tight ends in the country play for them last year. The Titans could really use another weapon for Marcus Mariotta and Fant could be that weapon. Fant will give Mariotta a go to target similar to Greg Olsen for Cam Newton in Carolina or how Gronk has been for Brady in New England. 20. Steelers – Devin Bush, LB, Michigan The Steelers have to feel great that a player like Bush falls to them this far down in the draft and fills a need for the team. Pittsburgh for years was known for their defense but recently has counted more on their offense to win games. With this pick the Steelers bring their focus back to the defensive side of the ball. 21. Seahawks – Montez Sweat, DE, Miss St Sweat put up huge numbers at the combine but has had some red flags that I believe will cause him to fall this far in the draft. The Seahawks need some help on their defensive line and if Sweat can produce like he did at Mississippi St then he could be the start of the rebuild of that once impressive Seahawks defense. 22. Ravens – Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson Ferrell was a part of one of the best defensive lines in college football history and while he falls a little further in the draft than he may want, he may end up in one of the best situations. Ferrell leaves a Clemson team that hung its hat on defense and joins a NFL team that takes the same approach. If you’re a defensive player you have to be happy if you end up with the Ravens. 23. Texans – Andre Dillard, OT, Washington St Houston has their quarterback of the future and now it’s time to find his blindside blocker for the next decade. While Dillard may need some work at run blocking he comes from a school that has him quite skilled at pass blocking and that’s exactly what the Texans need. 24. Oakland (from Chicago) – Jeffrey Simmons, DT, Miss St After drafting his franchise quarterback of the future Gruden uses his pick for Khalil Mack to address his defensive line and get Jeffrey Simmons to solidify the middle of the Raiders defensive line. 25. Eagles – Byron Murphy, CB, Washington The Eagles need help in the secondary and Murphy is the best cornerback still on the board. Jim Schwartz is one of the best defensive coordinators in the game and this just adds him another weapon to help get the Eagles back to the Super Bowl. 26. Colts – Rashan Gary, Edge, Michigan For years many mock drafts said that the Colts should draft a pass rusher despite their offensive line having more holes than a poorly built dam but now that they have addressed that in the last few drafts they can now address their pass rush. Gary was a huge recruit coming out of high school and had a good career at Michigan despite some people believing he was playing out of position. With his natural talent the Colts take a chance that they’re getting a steal here at this pick that can help their pass rush for many years to come. 27. Oakland (from Dallas) – JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Stanford The Raiders addressed their defensive line with the pick they got for Mack and will now address their wide receiver spot with the pick they got for Amari Cooper. With Whiteside the Raiders get a big physical wide receiver with good speed that can block and out jump most defensive backs for the football. He will automatically become a scoring threat for whoever lines up at quarterback for the Raiders next year and years to come. 28. Chargers – Dre’Mont Jones, DL, Ohio St The San Diego, I mean Los Angeles, Chargers offense is still the best part of the team as Phillip Rivers and his band of wide receivers put up big numbers once again last year. If the Chargers are going to get to the Super Bowl though they will need to address their defense and they do that here by drafting Jones to hopefully add a piece that will help against a tough AFC West. 29. Chiefs – Brian Burns, Edge, Florida St Kansas City has their franchise quarterback and many offensive weapons but this offseason have loss some important players on the defensive side of the ball. The Chiefs will look to restock their pass rush depth by drafting Burns whose stock has fallen only because of the lack of success his Seminoles teams have experienced in recent years. In the AFC West with lots of quality quarterbacks the Chiefs will need a pass rusher who can disrupt some of those passers. 30. Packers (from New Orleans) – David Montgomery, RB, Iowa St The Packers have pieced together their running back position for many years and it’s time for them to address that need in the draft. Montgomery is a tough runner between the tackles and can also catch the ball coming out of the backfield. Green Bay has for years counted on Aaron Rodgers making players better, now it’s time to give him some weapons to make his job a little easier. 31. Rams – Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma Before I even start this pick it’s hard to find a glaring weakness on this Rams team and when you’re in a case like that you tend to have to look for something really hard. With the high powered Rams offense being kept in check during the Super Bowl it can never hurt to add another weapon to your offense so the Rams add Kyler Murray’s favorite target Marquise Brown and hope he becomes Goff’s favorite target. 32. Patriots – Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina Another year and the Patriots have won another Super Bowl but this year they’ll be coming into a season without Gronkowski as Brady’s go to target. In fact this year the Patriots will have to find that target this season and Samuel could be that player. He was hurt at South Carolina a lot but when he was healthy he was dangerous including on kickoff returns which would be an added bonus for the Patriots. When you’ve been as good as New England lately you can take a chance like this and hope it really pays off. Well there you have it, the 2019 James Mock Draft 29. Did I have NFL Insiders I talked to about this? Sure, why not? I mean I asked Siri to call “NFL General Managers” but I think she misunderstood because I got a list of pizza restaurants. If you hate who I picked for your team don’t worry, you won’t be alone. Anyways, that’s it for this year’s mock draft and I hope you all will be around friends or family enjoying the draft whether it’s making fun of your friend’s team for making terrible draft picks (we really hate that Jed’s Cleveland Browns have started doing things that make sense) or cursing and cheering your own team’s picks. We’ll see you here next year or hopefully on the PBS coverage of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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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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