Recently I participated in a mock draft along with a lot of other guys, and I played the role as general manager of the Cardinals.
Before I describe the events I thought I would post a clip with the new linebacker coach, Billy Davis. Not to toot my own horn, but I have been saying that exact thing for years, but now people can hear an actual NFL coach tell it:
Anyway, the point is that I tried to do what Davis describes as it relates to the Cardinals.
My overall goal was to do everything in my power to help out Rosen, and thus strengthen the pass attack and blocking. I do think a lot of people are criticizing Rosen completely out of context, and that context being that he needs blocking and receivers who gets open – things he didn’t have last year.
The second goal was to choose solid players that I feel strongly will not be busts. There’s obviously no guarantee for that no matter how hard you try, but my point is that I would rather take players I deem to have high floors to their level than the perceived bigger potential, only with more bust risk as well. I wanted to elevate the team’s floor, you could say, so that their playing level would never fall lower than that. So that they wouldn’t get blown out in many games.
I do think there’s something to be said about simply trying to not screw up (at least in the first- and second round) as opposed to shooting for the jackpot. There’s a reason why you are picking first. You don’t have many solid players with high floors.
I also want to note that it’s obviously almost impossible to know how Kingsbury’s offense will actually look. I mean, we can look at his time at Texas Tech, but they don’t play in the NFL with those conditions that brings, so it’s not an accurate picture. So, I selected players that I think will fit the offense, but I could easily be very wrong.
First round
A couple of days before the start of the mock draft I told the other participants that I was open to selling the pick. Now, it has to be said that we were only allowed to use picks from this draft as payment, so in reality only the Raiders and the Giants could have payed my prize. I did get an offer from the Dolphins who offered their first-, second- and third round pick, but I didn’t think that was nearly enough.
I was really in doubt if I should take edge rusher Nick Bosa, edge rusher Josh Allen or defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. In the end I choose Bosa. Allen and Williams are great prospects. Absolute monsters. I just think Bosa is a half inch better. I once heard an analyst say that if pass rush was an art, Bosa would be Picasso, and he is correct. That said, some team will be very happy with Allen and Williams, and I think if those three were in separate draft classes, all three would be considered the top prospect that year.
First round pick – Nick Bosa, edge rusher, Ohio State
So, there were several reasons that I decided to take Bosa. The main reason were, as I mentioned above, that my overall goal with this draft was to find really solid players.
I think Bosa’s technique is highly advanced for a draft prospect, and I think that allows him to kind of fall back on that basic abilities if he doesn’t reach his full potential. Allen and Williams’ potential might even be bigger than Bosa’s, but as far as there is such thing as a safe draft prospect, I do think it would be Bosa.
Another reason was that I think he is the best player in the draft.
Other reasons was that I think Bosa is capable of being kicked inside to a 3-tech position on certain plays, and that Bosa is more different from Chandler Jones than Josh Allen is, and thus it might bring a more varied pass rush this way.
I rejected Williams by a hair’s breadth because he only played at Alabama for two years, and only at this high level for one. I understand that there are probably good reasons for that, but I thought it was enough to rate him below Bosa.
Second round
I quickly decided that I wanted to use the selection, so I didn’t try to trade it. The Jaguars offered me their #38 and #109 (fourth round) for my #33 and #174 (first sixth round), but I rejected.
On the board, I really liked players such as wide receiver Deboo Samuel, safety Darnell Savage and offensive lineman Eric McCoy, but in reality, this was an easy choice.
Second round pick – A. J. Brown, wide receiver, Ole Miss
A three year key player at a big SEC school, I have Brown ranked in 1B (the middle part of the first round) as my #1 wide receiver, and he was the last player on the board that I had ranked in the first round.
He has shown for several years that he is a great receiver that can be effective both as a safety blanket, as a deep threat and as anything in between, and if anyone had any doubt about his speed, he proved them wrong at the Scouting Combine.
He reminds me of a faster version of Anquan Boldin.
Third round
The Colts offered me their #89 and #109 (late third- and early fourth round pick), but I didn’t want to trade back that far, so I rejected.
Safety Johnathan Abram, defensive lineman Zach Allen and wide receiver Riley Ridley was in play.
Third round pick – Kaden Smith, tight end, Stanford
I probably have higher thoughts about Smith than most, but I see him as a second round value, and he somewhat reminds me of Stanford’s former tight end, Zach Ertz. Smith has exceptional body control, and he wins many contested catches. He is very good at finding the soft spots against zone coverages, and he is usually a reliable safety blanket. Blocking is not his strength, but he can do it averagely.
I have hopes for Ricky Seals-Jones in Kingsbury’s offense, but he is basically only a big wide receiver and not a real tight end, and behind him there is almost no quality depth.
Fourth round
The Raiders wanted this pick, and they offered me their #112 and #228 (fourth- and seventh round pick), but I knew who I wanted, so I rejected.
There were other players I found interesting, but I thought I might be able to get them later.
Fourth round pick – Terronne Prescod, offensive guard, N.C. State
I have Prescod ranked in 2C.
So, if I am willing to pick Prescod in the second round, why didn’t I take him with the first pick in the third round? Well, for two reason with the one being that I thought a tight end was more important, and the other (and probably most important) being that I didn’t know him by then. The thing with a mock draft like this is that it takes place over several weeks, so there’s a lot of time between the picks to do more research on more players.
Prescod is a very strong guy who rarely gets pushed backwards and is a force in the run game. He also has good technique. I don’t understand why he flies so much under the radar with most people, but I think it might be because people are looking at center Garrett Bradbury right next to him.
I obviously know they just signed Max Garcia, but if the last couple of seasons has taught us anything it is that you can never have too much depth at the offensive line.
Fifth round
When it was about time for my pick, I really thought I would get Darius Slayton, the wide receiver out of Auburn. I think he is underrated, and his extreme speed could make him a big asset in an offense that lacks a true deep threat. He was picked one spot ahead of me, so even though I immediately tried to trade back, it was too late.
Fifth round pick – Iman Lewis-Marshall, defensive back, USC
So, in the end I picked the guy I would have picked a bit later, if I had managed to trade back.
A four year starter at a major school, and a guy who consistently has become better for each year. He is not the fastest guy, but he makes up for it with good technique. It is, for example, very rare to see a cornerback backpedal that long before he turns and run with the receiver, because he are reading the quarterback in an attempt to react faster than others.
His speed might become an issue, but I definitely believe he could thrive in a safety-role with his skillset if needed.
I would personally want them to bring back Tre Boston, but even if they do that, they need more defensive backs. This pick was made before they signed Brock, but I don’t think he is a lock to make the final roster at all.
Sixth round
I tried like crazy to trade back into the fifth round, because I was sure my guy was going to get picked before it was my turn.
1st sixth round pick – Hunter Renfrow, wide receiver, Clemson
I was lucky enough that he fell to me. He is probably my favorite player in the entire draft, and it does not have much to do with him being a great prospect. In fact, he is not fast, he is not tall, and he is not strong.
Renfrow was a walk-on at Clemsom, yet threw his four years at the school, he ended up playing the most game of any wide receiver in school history – and that’s even though they have had studs like DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams only to name some in recent years. Renfrow is extremely well-liked, and actually, he was voted permanent captain with the team.
They call him a third down machine because he very often make clutch catches to convert third downs. He has glue on his hands, and he runs very good routes.
I would definitely not bet against this guy becoming productive in the NFL.
2nd sixth round pick – Terry Beckner, defensive tackle, Missouri
It came down to Beckner or wide receiver Gary Jennings out of West Virginia, but I don’t like the lack of quality depth at the defensive line.
Beckner was very highly recruited out of high school, but has never quite lived up to it, largely because of two season ending injuries as a freshman and a sophomore. Since then he has showed flashes of pure brilliancy, but there are way too far between those moments.
Still, a four year key player at an SEC school who are very strong and athletic, and who can play defensive tackle in nickel defense, and defensive end in base defense, seems like a good sixth round pick to me.
Seventh round
This is obviously a “developmental round”, but I do want to note that players are now – and has been for a number of years - that well-educated, both academically and athletically, from schools that these picks are not just like throwing darts. They have always mattered, but nowadays you can have legitimate expectations that the selected players can contribute to your team.
I hoped the cornerback from South Dakota State, Jordan Brown, cornerback Saivion Smith from Alabama or the linebacker Bobby Okereke from Stanford would be available, but I knew it was a very long shot, and sure enough they were all picked in the sixth round – and in Brown’s case, only a few picks after my selection of Beckner. Anyway, I still knew which three players I wanted, so I didn’t try to trade up to target someone.
1st seventh round pick – Alex Wesley, wide receiver, Northern Colorado
I am fascinated by Wesley. He can really, really move, but he is more than just a deep threat. I wouldn’t call him a possession receiver, but he does have some of that short- to intermediate over-the-middle-traits.
2nd seventh round pick – Kyle Phillips, defensive lineman, Tennessee
Phillips came to Tennessee as a highly rated recruit out of high school, but for several reasons he never got his big breakthrough there. He ended up being used as both an edge rusher and a defensive tackle, and I actually thought he was good at both. I think he can be a very good 5-technique – which is a defensive end in an odd front – but one that doesn’t has to leave the field when they go to their nickel defense.
3rd seventh round pick – Devon Johnson, offensive tackle, Ferris State
With the Mr. Irrelevant-pick I choose what I think is a great developmental project. Johnson is a huge, huge man, and since he played at a low level in college, his sheer size was enough to win his matchups – I don’t know how many pancake blocks he made, but it was a lot. I watched the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, and there he showed that he’s not just a big man, but that he can actually move and use his enormous wingspan.
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I was happy when the game was over. I know it is debatable if it was a smart thing to draft four receivers, two offensive linemen and three defensive linemen, but I think those spots are easily the most exposed, both in terms of level and quality depth. That said, I didn’t plan to do it that way. It was just how the board fell.
Looking back, if there was one thing I could do otherwise, it would probably be to draft linebacker Bobby Okereke or cornerback Jordan Brown over defensive tackle Terry Beckner, but then again, I do think Beckner can be really, really good if he puts it all together, and like I said, I have him ranked higher than both Okereke and Brown, who I was hoping would be available in the seventh round. I also made the pick before they re-signed Gunter, but I don’t think it changes much. 1, they still don’t have much of any competition in the unit. 2, I would think this is Nkemdiche’s last chance (though I have said that before). 3, Gunter is on a one year contract.
What do you guys think?
Before I describe the events I thought I would post a clip with the new linebacker coach, Billy Davis. Not to toot my own horn, but I have been saying that exact thing for years, but now people can hear an actual NFL coach tell it:
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
Anyway, the point is that I tried to do what Davis describes as it relates to the Cardinals.
My overall goal was to do everything in my power to help out Rosen, and thus strengthen the pass attack and blocking. I do think a lot of people are criticizing Rosen completely out of context, and that context being that he needs blocking and receivers who gets open – things he didn’t have last year.
The second goal was to choose solid players that I feel strongly will not be busts. There’s obviously no guarantee for that no matter how hard you try, but my point is that I would rather take players I deem to have high floors to their level than the perceived bigger potential, only with more bust risk as well. I wanted to elevate the team’s floor, you could say, so that their playing level would never fall lower than that. So that they wouldn’t get blown out in many games.
I do think there’s something to be said about simply trying to not screw up (at least in the first- and second round) as opposed to shooting for the jackpot. There’s a reason why you are picking first. You don’t have many solid players with high floors.
I also want to note that it’s obviously almost impossible to know how Kingsbury’s offense will actually look. I mean, we can look at his time at Texas Tech, but they don’t play in the NFL with those conditions that brings, so it’s not an accurate picture. So, I selected players that I think will fit the offense, but I could easily be very wrong.
First round
A couple of days before the start of the mock draft I told the other participants that I was open to selling the pick. Now, it has to be said that we were only allowed to use picks from this draft as payment, so in reality only the Raiders and the Giants could have payed my prize. I did get an offer from the Dolphins who offered their first-, second- and third round pick, but I didn’t think that was nearly enough.
I was really in doubt if I should take edge rusher Nick Bosa, edge rusher Josh Allen or defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. In the end I choose Bosa. Allen and Williams are great prospects. Absolute monsters. I just think Bosa is a half inch better. I once heard an analyst say that if pass rush was an art, Bosa would be Picasso, and he is correct. That said, some team will be very happy with Allen and Williams, and I think if those three were in separate draft classes, all three would be considered the top prospect that year.
First round pick – Nick Bosa, edge rusher, Ohio State
So, there were several reasons that I decided to take Bosa. The main reason were, as I mentioned above, that my overall goal with this draft was to find really solid players.
I think Bosa’s technique is highly advanced for a draft prospect, and I think that allows him to kind of fall back on that basic abilities if he doesn’t reach his full potential. Allen and Williams’ potential might even be bigger than Bosa’s, but as far as there is such thing as a safe draft prospect, I do think it would be Bosa.
Another reason was that I think he is the best player in the draft.
Other reasons was that I think Bosa is capable of being kicked inside to a 3-tech position on certain plays, and that Bosa is more different from Chandler Jones than Josh Allen is, and thus it might bring a more varied pass rush this way.
I rejected Williams by a hair’s breadth because he only played at Alabama for two years, and only at this high level for one. I understand that there are probably good reasons for that, but I thought it was enough to rate him below Bosa.
Second round
I quickly decided that I wanted to use the selection, so I didn’t try to trade it. The Jaguars offered me their #38 and #109 (fourth round) for my #33 and #174 (first sixth round), but I rejected.
On the board, I really liked players such as wide receiver Deboo Samuel, safety Darnell Savage and offensive lineman Eric McCoy, but in reality, this was an easy choice.
Second round pick – A. J. Brown, wide receiver, Ole Miss
A three year key player at a big SEC school, I have Brown ranked in 1B (the middle part of the first round) as my #1 wide receiver, and he was the last player on the board that I had ranked in the first round.
He has shown for several years that he is a great receiver that can be effective both as a safety blanket, as a deep threat and as anything in between, and if anyone had any doubt about his speed, he proved them wrong at the Scouting Combine.
He reminds me of a faster version of Anquan Boldin.
Third round
The Colts offered me their #89 and #109 (late third- and early fourth round pick), but I didn’t want to trade back that far, so I rejected.
Safety Johnathan Abram, defensive lineman Zach Allen and wide receiver Riley Ridley was in play.
Third round pick – Kaden Smith, tight end, Stanford
I probably have higher thoughts about Smith than most, but I see him as a second round value, and he somewhat reminds me of Stanford’s former tight end, Zach Ertz. Smith has exceptional body control, and he wins many contested catches. He is very good at finding the soft spots against zone coverages, and he is usually a reliable safety blanket. Blocking is not his strength, but he can do it averagely.
I have hopes for Ricky Seals-Jones in Kingsbury’s offense, but he is basically only a big wide receiver and not a real tight end, and behind him there is almost no quality depth.
Fourth round
The Raiders wanted this pick, and they offered me their #112 and #228 (fourth- and seventh round pick), but I knew who I wanted, so I rejected.
There were other players I found interesting, but I thought I might be able to get them later.
Fourth round pick – Terronne Prescod, offensive guard, N.C. State
I have Prescod ranked in 2C.
So, if I am willing to pick Prescod in the second round, why didn’t I take him with the first pick in the third round? Well, for two reason with the one being that I thought a tight end was more important, and the other (and probably most important) being that I didn’t know him by then. The thing with a mock draft like this is that it takes place over several weeks, so there’s a lot of time between the picks to do more research on more players.
Prescod is a very strong guy who rarely gets pushed backwards and is a force in the run game. He also has good technique. I don’t understand why he flies so much under the radar with most people, but I think it might be because people are looking at center Garrett Bradbury right next to him.
I obviously know they just signed Max Garcia, but if the last couple of seasons has taught us anything it is that you can never have too much depth at the offensive line.
Fifth round
When it was about time for my pick, I really thought I would get Darius Slayton, the wide receiver out of Auburn. I think he is underrated, and his extreme speed could make him a big asset in an offense that lacks a true deep threat. He was picked one spot ahead of me, so even though I immediately tried to trade back, it was too late.
Fifth round pick – Iman Lewis-Marshall, defensive back, USC
So, in the end I picked the guy I would have picked a bit later, if I had managed to trade back.
A four year starter at a major school, and a guy who consistently has become better for each year. He is not the fastest guy, but he makes up for it with good technique. It is, for example, very rare to see a cornerback backpedal that long before he turns and run with the receiver, because he are reading the quarterback in an attempt to react faster than others.
His speed might become an issue, but I definitely believe he could thrive in a safety-role with his skillset if needed.
I would personally want them to bring back Tre Boston, but even if they do that, they need more defensive backs. This pick was made before they signed Brock, but I don’t think he is a lock to make the final roster at all.
Sixth round
I tried like crazy to trade back into the fifth round, because I was sure my guy was going to get picked before it was my turn.
1st sixth round pick – Hunter Renfrow, wide receiver, Clemson
I was lucky enough that he fell to me. He is probably my favorite player in the entire draft, and it does not have much to do with him being a great prospect. In fact, he is not fast, he is not tall, and he is not strong.
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
Renfrow was a walk-on at Clemsom, yet threw his four years at the school, he ended up playing the most game of any wide receiver in school history – and that’s even though they have had studs like DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams only to name some in recent years. Renfrow is extremely well-liked, and actually, he was voted permanent captain with the team.
They call him a third down machine because he very often make clutch catches to convert third downs. He has glue on his hands, and he runs very good routes.
I would definitely not bet against this guy becoming productive in the NFL.
2nd sixth round pick – Terry Beckner, defensive tackle, Missouri
It came down to Beckner or wide receiver Gary Jennings out of West Virginia, but I don’t like the lack of quality depth at the defensive line.
Beckner was very highly recruited out of high school, but has never quite lived up to it, largely because of two season ending injuries as a freshman and a sophomore. Since then he has showed flashes of pure brilliancy, but there are way too far between those moments.
Still, a four year key player at an SEC school who are very strong and athletic, and who can play defensive tackle in nickel defense, and defensive end in base defense, seems like a good sixth round pick to me.
Seventh round
This is obviously a “developmental round”, but I do want to note that players are now – and has been for a number of years - that well-educated, both academically and athletically, from schools that these picks are not just like throwing darts. They have always mattered, but nowadays you can have legitimate expectations that the selected players can contribute to your team.
I hoped the cornerback from South Dakota State, Jordan Brown, cornerback Saivion Smith from Alabama or the linebacker Bobby Okereke from Stanford would be available, but I knew it was a very long shot, and sure enough they were all picked in the sixth round – and in Brown’s case, only a few picks after my selection of Beckner. Anyway, I still knew which three players I wanted, so I didn’t try to trade up to target someone.
1st seventh round pick – Alex Wesley, wide receiver, Northern Colorado
I am fascinated by Wesley. He can really, really move, but he is more than just a deep threat. I wouldn’t call him a possession receiver, but he does have some of that short- to intermediate over-the-middle-traits.
2nd seventh round pick – Kyle Phillips, defensive lineman, Tennessee
Phillips came to Tennessee as a highly rated recruit out of high school, but for several reasons he never got his big breakthrough there. He ended up being used as both an edge rusher and a defensive tackle, and I actually thought he was good at both. I think he can be a very good 5-technique – which is a defensive end in an odd front – but one that doesn’t has to leave the field when they go to their nickel defense.
3rd seventh round pick – Devon Johnson, offensive tackle, Ferris State
With the Mr. Irrelevant-pick I choose what I think is a great developmental project. Johnson is a huge, huge man, and since he played at a low level in college, his sheer size was enough to win his matchups – I don’t know how many pancake blocks he made, but it was a lot. I watched the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, and there he showed that he’s not just a big man, but that he can actually move and use his enormous wingspan.
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I was happy when the game was over. I know it is debatable if it was a smart thing to draft four receivers, two offensive linemen and three defensive linemen, but I think those spots are easily the most exposed, both in terms of level and quality depth. That said, I didn’t plan to do it that way. It was just how the board fell.
Looking back, if there was one thing I could do otherwise, it would probably be to draft linebacker Bobby Okereke or cornerback Jordan Brown over defensive tackle Terry Beckner, but then again, I do think Beckner can be really, really good if he puts it all together, and like I said, I have him ranked higher than both Okereke and Brown, who I was hoping would be available in the seventh round. I also made the pick before they re-signed Gunter, but I don’t think it changes much. 1, they still don’t have much of any competition in the unit. 2, I would think this is Nkemdiche’s last chance (though I have said that before). 3, Gunter is on a one year contract.
What do you guys think?
