One week out mock draft
With the trade of the top pick in the draft from Tennessee to the Rams, every mock done prior to that deal basically means nothing. Now that we know there will be quarterbacks taken with the top two picks, it changes a lot of the direction and jockeying that will go on after those two selections.
It’s a quarterback driven league, thus much of the movement around in this draft will be predicated on teams making deals to acquire a QB. And in a draft in which there isn’t a clear group of stars at the position, it will be a buy’s choice kind of deal.
Speaking of quarterbacks, I expect the Steelers to make a strong pitch to sign recently released Brian Hoyer. But that won’t happen until after the draft. Hoyer would be out of his mind to sign with any team until after the draft.
Teams that don’t get a quarterback in the draft might just be willing to take a run with him as the starter.
So, without any further ado, here’s the one-week-out mock.
1. Los Angeles Rams, Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State: Reports out of Los Angeles say the Rams moved up to get Wentz. I like Jared Goff better, but I’m not making the pick.
2. San Francisco, trade with Cleveland, Jared Goff, QB, California: The 49ers have dreck on their roster at quarterback. Keeping Goff in the Bay Area would be a good move. And the Browns seem willing to give Robert Griffin a chance.
3. San Diego Chargers, Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss: A blindside protector for Phil Rivers has been needed for years.
4. Dallas Cowboys, Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State: Ramsey can play corner or safety and gives a ton of flexibility.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars, Myles Jack, LB, UCLA: I’m not falling for all of the rumors about Jack’s knee possibility being a chronic issue. That smacks of smoke screen.
6. Baltimore Ravens, DeForest Buckner, DE Oregon: Like Haloti Ngata before him, Buckner played every defensive line spot on the line for the Ducks. He can line up anywhere in the NFL as well.
7. Cleveland Browns from San Francisco, Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State: The Cleveland fans would finally have a player they could rally around with the Ohio State star.
8. Philadelphia Eagles, Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State: Elliott is an every-down back. The Eagles are trying to rebuild Chip Kelly’s mess.
9. Tampa Bay Bucs, Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame: The Bucs invested in a franchise QB last season. Now, they have to protect him.
10. N.Y. Giants, Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State: Lee is cut from the same mold as Ryan Shazier. I don’t think he’s quite as explosive, but he’s close. The Giants need dynamic playmakers on defense.
11. Chicago Bears, Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida: The Bears are bad on the back end. And in a division that still has Aaron Rodgers and even Matthew Stafford and Teddy Bridgewater, that’s not good.
12. New Orleans, Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville: There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this pick and Rankins. In this case, I’ll believe it.
13. Miami Dolphins, Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State: The Dolphins need corner help almost as badly as the Steelers.
14. Oakland Raiders, Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama: An imposing hitter and defensive captain for the Raiders defense.
15. Tennessee Titans, Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State: Like Tampa Bay, the Titans need to protect their QB investment from 2015.
16. Detroit Lions, Leonard Floyd, DE, Georgia: Playing on the turf in Detroit, Floyd should provide a nice pass rush off the edge opposite Ziggy Ansah.
17. Atlanta Falcons, Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson: The Falcons haven’t had a pass rush in years. Lawson is the next piece in the puzzle.
18. Indianapolis, Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State: The Colts need to improve the protection in front of Andrew Luck.
19. Buffalo Bills, Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss: If there’s a coach who won’t care about Nkemdiche’s indiscretions, it will be Rex Ryan.
20. N.Y. Jets, Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis: Why not?
21. Washington Redskins, Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama: After losing Terrance Knighton, the Redskins need a replacement.
22. Houston Texans, Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame: The Texans want a speed receiver opposite DeAndre Hopkins, which is why they pass on Laquon Treadwell.
23. Minnesota Vikings, Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss: A mini-receiver run. Treadwell and Fuller will be compared for years to come.
24. Cincinnati Bengals, Josh Doctson, WR, TCU: OK, now Fuller, Treadwell and Doctson will be compared for years to come.
25. Denver Broncos, from Pittsburgh Steelers, Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State. The Broncos fear a team at the top of the second round jumping ahead of them to take Cook, the last of the top tier QBs in this draft. The Steelers get Denver’s third and fifth picks and send the Broncos their seventh.
26. Seattle Seahawks, Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State: The Seahawks slipped to just 37 sacks last season, which was why the pass defense wasn’t as good.
27. Green Bay Packers, Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor: The Packers, like the Steelers, need somebody on the nose.
28. Kansas City Chiefs, William Jackson, CB, Houston: The Chiefs let Sean Smith leave in free agency.
29. New England Patriots, forfeited pick
30. Arizona Cardinals, Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama: Would Bruce Arians spend a first-round pick on a center? Sure. He was in Pittsburgh when the Steelers took Maurkice Pouncey.
31. Carolina Panthers, Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana: The Panthers don’t have a ton of needs, but offensive tackle is one of them.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers, Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson: The Steelers have their choice of Alexander, A’Shawn Robinson, Kevin Dodd and Vernon Butler. I think they go corner, though maybe they wait and grab a guy such as Artie Burns, Jalen Mills or Xavien Howard in the second. Maybe they take one of those guys anyway. But this sets them up to go DT in the second round, with Kenny Clark or Javon Hargrave as a target.
Top remaining players: Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor; Noah Spence, DE/LB, Eastern Kentucky; Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson; A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama; Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech; Su’a Cravens, OLB/S, USC; Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama