Easter Sunday Cards Mock

[Cbus cardsfan]

First off, Happy Easter to everyone. I've been hitting the holidays for my mocks and this will be my last mock until the next holiday, April 26, the 1st round of the draft. I'm going to do 2 mocks, one with the Cards trading back and another with them standing pat. Both are based on Melvin Ingram being available at 13.

Scenario 1: Trade with NY Jets. Jets receive the 13th pick. The Cardinals receive the 16th and 77th picks.

Cards picks:
Round 1(16): Cordy Glenn, the big RT likely starts and fills a glaring hole on the OL as there no starting caliber RT's on the roster. It was hard to trade the rights to Ingram but the RT severely needs addressed. Plus the Card pick up an additional 3rd rounder.

Round 3(77): Ronnel Lewis, OLB. OLB is another postions that needs to eb addressed in the worst way. Lewis has a non-stop motor and is very sure, hard-hitting tackler. He should be able to contribute quickly.

Round 3(80): Bruce Irvin, OLB. The Cards bring another OLB and complement Lewis's thunder with Irvin's lightning. He can provide a speed rushing threat and rotate with Schoefield to bring a needed outside rush presence to the Cards. He does has some off-field concerns though.

Round 4(112): Josh Norman, CB: The small school prospect has had a big post season. He has good size (6'0 197), is a playmaker (13 ints), and has good, not blazing, speed at 4.56. He could possibly transition to FS.

Round 5(151): Derek Wolfe, DE: This guy is a non-stop motor, over-achiever type. He was the Big East defensive player of the year and the led the nation in tackles for loss from the interior DL position. A Brett Kiesel type of player. I was tempted to take a WR here but, unless the Cards take one round 1, I think they'll pass on the position. They have devlopmental guys in Sampson and Williams and it will be hard for a late round pick to be much of an upgrade.

Round 6(177): Ryan Miller, OT/OG: At 6'7, he's a big prospect but has very good feet. He's avery good athlete and probably should dominate more than he does. He could eventually be a candidate to start at RT and provides the versatility the Cards like in their OL.

Round 6(185): Donta Paige-Moss, OLB: Strictly a gamble pick. He's as talented as any OLB in the draft but is a head case(think Vontaze Burfict of the OLB's) and currently injured. He's worth the risk at this point in the draft.

Round 7(221) Sean Richardson, SS: He put up good numbers at the combine, 6'2 216, and a 4.47 and was a 3 year starter at Vandy. He's a sure tackler and the only real knock on him are his ball skills as evidenced by his 1 INT in 3 years of starting. Still he was the defensive team leader and could eventually be AW's replacement.

Scenario 2: No trade

Round 1(13): Melvin Ingram, OLB: Pass rushing demon in the mode of LaMarr Woodley. He was probably the best defensive player I saw in college last year. He would be a great pick and fill a need.

Round 3(80): Bobby Massie, OT: Huge RT that will be counted on to contribute immediately. He came out as a junior, is creeping up the draft boards, and may be lucky to be there at 80. For now, I'm keeping him at 80. He has long arms and big hands and is a very powerful run blocker.

Round 4(112): Brandon Brooks, OG: He's a nice prospect and have a great pro day. He could posiibly transition to RT. Some mock have him going in round 2 but that's being over zealous and a reaction to his sub 5.00 40. He wasn't even all MAC. That being said, he shows the athleticism and strength to be a possible starter. NOTE: He wasn't invited to the combine and last year the first non-combine invitee to be drafted was in round 4.

Round 5(151): Brandon Taylor, S: He had a productive career at LSU and could eventually step in for either Rhodes or AW. My concern is that he was surrounded by a bunch of talent at LSU which could hide some of his flaws.

Round 6(177) Miles Burris, OLB: He's a nice pass rushing option and will bring it every play. He led SD State in tackles and sacks. He had a nice pro day by runing 4.67 and completed the 3 cone drill in sub 7 seconds. He probably needs to add some weight(236lbs) to be effective.

Round 6(185) Jerry Franklin, ILB: He was kind of a do-it-all LB at Arkansas. He started 50 games for them and is very good tackling run stuffer. He's also a guy that could benefit from gaining a little weight and becoming stronger at the point of attack.

Round 7(221) Vontaze Burfict, ILB: Total wild card pick. Local kid who is worth taking a shot at this late. If he'd ever get his act together, he could become a pretty good LB.

 

[juza76]

good job..it looks like u know a lot of good prospects..i like each of your 2 mock draft

 

[pinetopred]

If we had the players in your trade down mock I would love it. Like the Lewis and Wolfe picks especially.

 

[Garthshort]

I like the 1st scenario.

 

[football karma]

In the first scenario, swap Juron Criner, WR, Arizona for Lewis in the 3rd and its a winner

In general, while I know OLB is a need, I don't see the Cards taking more than one. They want Haggans back, and taking more than 1 means you have a roster issue. I also think Bradley sees some time at the SOLB spot as well.

 

[kerouac9]

I think that if the Cards get two third round picks, they'd trade up into the 2nd to get a better option at OLB. Someone like Shea McClellin. I don't expect Irvin or Lewis to be available at 77th overall. The Huddle Report has them going in the low 60s.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

I think that if the Cards get two third round picks, they'd trade up into the 2nd to get a better option at OLB. Someone like Shea McClellin. I don't expect Irvin or Lewis to be available at 77th overall. The Huddle Report has them going in the low 60s.

With the 'buzz" around McClellin on the NFL Network, I wondering if he'll sneak into the tail end of the first round?

 

[kerouac9]

With the 'buzz" around McClellin on the NFL Network, I wondering if he'll sneak into the tail end of the first round?

Maybe. Probably. The Huddle Report only has 4 defensive ends among the top 35 picks.

The Cards may be in a situation where the cupboard is bare when it comes to pass rushers at 80th overall. More of an argument to take Melvin Ingram, if he's available. The class is much deeper at OL than it is at pass rusher.

We could end up getting the 2012 version of Cody Brown. I really hope not.

 

[Bodha]

Vontaze is a waste of a pick. Not onyl will he not contribute to the team, he'll cause major problems in the locker room.


That guys plutonium, hell no.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I think that if the Cards get two third round picks, they'd trade up into the 2nd to get a better option at OLB. Someone like Shea McClellin. I don't expect Irvin or Lewis to be available at 77th overall. The Huddle Report has them going in the low 60s.

I know you like the Huddle Report, and they could very well be right, but I don't think it's too much of a stretch that a guy ranked, by any site, in the 60's to fall into the 70's, or even 80's -90's. Irvin was just arrested a couple weeks ago so that may affect his draft status.

My classic example of a guy not getting drafted where projected by all the sites is Elton Brown. He was considered a round 1 player, mid round 2 at worst, and the Cards got him in round 4.

I've been listening to Gil Brandt quite a bit on NFL radio lately and he's pretty good at laying out what teams look for, how they work, and the whole draft process. There's just a ton of stuff out there that draft sites and fans don't have access to that really affects a player's draft status, both good and bad. One thing he said to watch on how a team may draft is to track where the HC travels to see workouts in person. He used the example of Jim Schwartz traveling to Oregon to watch LaMichael James. He mentioned that through the years he's been tracking the travel, that a cross country trip is a very good, probably the best, indicator of how a team is thinking and that HC's aren't going to make long trips for appearances only.

 

[kerouac9]

I know you like the Huddle Report, and they could very well be right, but I don't think it's too much of a stretch that a guy ranked, by any site, in the 60's to fall into the 70's, or even 80's -90's. Irvin was just arrested a couple weeks ago so that may affect his draft status.

My classic example of a guy not getting drafted where projected by all the sites is Elton Brown. He was considered a round 1 player, mid round 2 at worst, and the Cards got him in round 4.

I've been listening to Gil Brandt quite a bit on NFL radio lately and he's pretty good at laying out what teams look for, how they work, and the whole draft process. There's just a ton of stuff out there that draft sites and fans don't have access to that really affects a player's draft status, both good and bad. One thing he said to watch on how a team may draft is to track where the HC travels to see workouts in person. He used the example of Jim Schwartz traveling to Oregon to watch LaMichael James. He mentioned that through the years he's been tracking the travel, that a cross country trip is a very good, probably the best, indicator of how a team is thinking and that HC's aren't going to make long trips for appearances only.

Two things on this: THR's Value Board has been accurate enough for long enough that I'm tempted to trust it. W/R/T your Gil Brandt comments, I don't think for these purposes it really matters WHY a player is going to be over/under drafted than that he is. THR's been good at locating the top 50 players in the first 50 picks, etc.

The other reason I expect that some picks are over/under drafted has to do with positional value. Defensive ends, quarterbacks, and cornerbacks tend to be overdrafted because they're hard to find and there are so few good ones. Offensive guards, middle linebackers, and running backs tend to be underdrafted because the consensus opinion is that you can get good value on similar players much, much later in the draft.

 

[Chopper0080]

Two things on this: THR's Value Board has been accurate enough for long enough that I'm tempted to trust it. W/R/T your Gil Brandt comments, I don't think for these purposes it really matters WHY a player is going to be over/under drafted than that he is. THR's been good at locating the top 50 players in the first 50 picks, etc.

The other reason I expect that some picks are over/under drafted has to do with positional value. Defensive ends, quarterbacks, and cornerbacks tend to be overdrafted because they're hard to find and there are so few good ones. Offensive guards, middle linebackers, and running backs tend to be underdrafted because the consensus opinion is that you can get good value on similar players much, much later in the draft.

In my experience with the draft, players tend to get drafted closer to where they were projected in Jan rather then where they end up being projected in March. I'm not a Huddle Report advocate (never have subscribed) but any site that moves players more than a round is normally off in the end (I will re-state that I have no idea if the Huddle Report does this and it is more for draft sites in general). Therefore, if a player was projected as a 3rd/4th round pick in Jan (ala Amini Silatolu), he probably goes 2nd or 3rd if he is a player that is moving up. K9 is 100% correct in his statement that pass rushers, coverage men, and QBs are generally drafted over their tape, because those positions are in such demand. Also, you have to consider that guys coming off injury or have character issues are hard to guage. Teams really hate taking these risk guys early, which is why you will see them drop, sometimes multiple rounds.

Great job on this CBUS.

 

[overseascardfan]

Scenario 2: No trade

Round 1(13): Melvin Ingram, OLB: Pass rushing demon in the mode of LaMarr Woodley. He was probably the best defensive player I saw in college last year. He would be a great pick and fill a need.

Round 3(80): Bobby Massie, OT: Huge RT that will be counted on to contribute immediately. He came out as a junior, is creeping up the draft boards, and may be lucky to be there at 80. For now, I'm keeping him at 80. He has long arms and big hands and is a very powerful run blocker.

Round 4(112): Brandon Brooks, OG: He's a nice prospect and have a great pro day. He could posiibly transition to RT. Some mock have him going in round 2 but that's being over zealous and a reaction to his sub 5.00 40. He wasn't even all MAC. That being said, he shows the athleticism and strength to be a possible starter. NOTE: He wasn't invited to the combine and last year the first non-combine invitee to be drafted was in round 4.

Round 5(151): Brandon Taylor, S: He had a productive career at LSU and could eventually step in for either Rhodes or AW. My concern is that he was surrounded by a bunch of talent at LSU which could hide some of his flaws.

Round 6(177) Miles Burris, OLB: He's a nice pass rushing option and will bring it every play. He led SD State in tackles and sacks. He had a nice pro day by runing 4.67 and completed the 3 cone drill in sub 7 seconds. He probably needs to add some weight(236lbs) to be effective.

Round 6(185) Jerry Franklin, ILB: He was kind of a do-it-all LB at Arkansas. He started 50 games for them and is very good tackling run stuffer. He's also a guy that could benefit from gaining a little weight and becoming stronger at the point of attack.

Round 7(221) Vontaze Burfict, ILB: Total wild card pick. Local kid who is worth taking a shot at this late. If he'd ever get his act together, he could become a pretty good LB.

I am just going to mock without a trade because it is impossible to predict which player will drop and motivate teams to call about #13. So....

Round 1 (13) -Melvin Ingram, OLB - We need a pass rusher opposite Acho and Melvin is that. A true impact player at #13, I would also be for Nick Perry who looked good in LB drills on his pro day from scouts feedback.

Round 3 (80) - Tank Carder, ILB - Very athletic, playmaker who can go sideline to sideline. Re-unites with former teammate Daryl Washington to form a nice ILB duo.

Round 4 (112) - Nate Potter, OT - Can slide and mirror very well, knock is that he is a little small and won't generate push in the run game, enter John Lott. Did a nice job keeping Kellen Moore upright for 4 years.

Round 5 (151) - Levi Adcock, OT - Adcock will facilitate moving Levi inside where he will make a much better OG IMO. Prototypical RT due to size. Nice blend of pass / run blocking skills.

Round 6 (177) - Don Barclay OG - Versatile, agile interior lineman who anchored the OL of WVU's high octane offense.

Round 6 (185) - Cliff Harris, CB - Small risk, huge reward guy. A knucklehead off the field but a true playmaker on. Would have been a 1st rounder if not for legal issues. Could probably start opposite PP21 right now.

Round 7 (221) - Derek Moye, WR - Did not have a good pro day but highly productive at the collegiate level. Big target at 6'4. Will have to work hard to break into WR rotation.