Pre Draft Mock

I wanted to do another mock before the draft took place especially as things have changed after the Cooks deal. So now we have an extra starting pick, obviously WR is a need now with Cooks deep threat going but I already had WR as a need from my last mock, so where does this extra pick go? Well the Cornerback position keeps popping up in my thoughts and the more I think about it, it makes more and more sense to look at this position. The thing to remember is that we are drafting for 21 not 20 (assuming there will be a 20, ok, lets not go there). Right now we are pretty comfortable at Cornerback but Troy Hill is only under contract till the end of 20. If he plays well, then we probably wont be able to afford him, if he doesn't then we need to replace him. I think David Long should be a good player and I think his limited role in 19 was part of the plan. Williams has looked good but he is hardly a known commodity and Corner is one of the most important positions on the D. I'm Not saying that we address it early but I would consider it in the mid rounds (3-4).

WR is now probably a bigger need and I think we do need to address this position this draft. The class is deep as we all know and again, in 20, we could loose Kupp (hope not) and Reynolds to free agency. Where to address it is the big question, do we take the best available receiver with our first pick? I do think one of the top WRs will be there around 52 but will the right one be there. To replace Cooks deep threat the obvious candidates are Reagor, Mims or Aiyuk. I personally think that Mims will go in the first and I wouldn't be surprised if all 3 go before 52. Higgins is unlikely to drop to us but its possible, more likely is that Shenault is the one who drops to us and I am not convinced that he is the right man for us, he has an injury history and is a bit of a wildcard, he can do a lot but there are too many question marks for me. The next group of receivers have some very interesting prospects, I have wanted Pitmann since before the combine and we are now in a position to get him, Chase Claypool is extremely athletic and a 6'4" is a great target, Bryan Edwards is also an interesting prospect. We could also wait bit longer and go for Duverney who could be a nice Cooks replacement.

Again, since we have an extra pick, we could address RB earlier, in my last mock, I took AJ Dillon at 126 but I think Zack Moss is a better option so maybe we could snag him, Moss would be another compliment to Henderson, at 5'9" he is smaller than I would like but he is violent when running and would be a great red zone threat. We could also address running back with one of our two 2nd round picks where we would probably get one of the big 5 but I think we get better value if we wait till the later rounds.

All the other needs remain the same, Edge is our biggest need, IOL could do with strengthening as Blythe only got a 1 year deal for a reason, Linebacker could be upgraded and safety depth could be addressed. One position that has change is kicker although I am not 100% convinced that the guys we have signed are our future and I remain convinced that Blankenship would create a big buzz for this franchise.

Trading back is still very much in my thoughts, there are several spots to be filled and we need to get some more of those rookie contracts in our 53. So with that said onto the picks.

52: There are few names that I would love to be there at 52 but I just can't see us being that lucky, Ruiz, Baun, Reagor or Mims are most likely gone, so I think a trade back makes sense here, I still think we can get a decent edge in the mid 70's and we still have 57 to address WR if we want to go that route. I take a trade with Miami getting their 56th pick in the 2nd, 141st pick in the 4th and their 246th pick in the 7th. Miami have a ridiculous 14 picks so I think they would be a willing trade partner.

56: Think this is the time to take a serious look at WR. WR is so difficult to predict this year because it is so deep, so teams who need a WR might pass on the early rounds because the class is so deep, likewise, some teams who do not need receivers might take them because they are too good to pass on. There is a chance that Reagor or Aiyuk are still on the board at 56 but I can't count on it. Reagor would be my preference but I am going to assume they are gone. Pittman and Claypool should both be available here though and I think both would be good value here. Claypool had an amazing combine and is still developing as a receiver, he could be a deep threat but I wouldn't say its his natural game, he is a big target and could be nice in the red zone. Pittman doesn't quite have the speed of Claypool and as such isn't really a deep threat but he has a great catch radius and is good in contested balls. Claypool has probably got a greater ceiling but I have been hot on Pittman from day one so I am going to make him my first pick.
56: Michael Pittman Jr. USC WR 6'4" 223 lbs

57: Think this is another spot where we should look to make another trade back and gather some more mid round picks so I take a trade with Denver for their 77th and 95th picks in the 3rd round.

77: Time to address our biggest need at edge. I have targeted Greenard or Anae since the start but I am now thinking that Uche might be worth consideration. My initial thoughts on Uche was that he is too small but he has versatility and can drop back into coverage or attack from the edge. I think Staley might like that versatility but I think I still prefer Greenard, he has the size and speed to deliver rush and set the edge.
77: Jonathan Greenard Florida EDGE 6'3" 263 lbs

95: Time for another trade back, this time it is with the Pats and we give them our 95th and our 7th round 246 for their 100th in the 3rd round, 195th and 204th in the 6th round.

84: I am really keen to see what Kiser and Howard can do at ILB but it is probably a position that needs upgrading. I am still confident with what Kiser can do against the run but we need someone who is better at coverage. Willie Gay Jr. is still my top target here, outside of Queen and Murray, Gay is my highest rated LBer, he does have some red flags and has not played a lot of games, which does worry my slightly but his athletic ability is off the chart, second only to Isaiah Simmons, he is good in coverage, good in zone or man and against the run. In a couple of years, I think Gay has the potential to be as good as Littleton was, if not better. Brooks would be worth taking here but although I don't rate him as highly as Gay, I think there is more chance of Brooks being taken by 84.
84: Willie Gay Jr. Miss. State LB 6'1" 243 lbs

100: I think the OL get better in 20 even without any additions, there was big improvements towards the end of 19 and Whit, Blythe and Hav's were all carrying injuries at times. If everyone is injury free and with another years experience for the younger guys, I think this OLine starts to sneak back into the mid tier. That said, Blythe is only signed for 1 year so I think another centre is needed, someone we can sit in 20 with a view to starting in 21. Fredricks retiring does throw Dallas in to the mix for a centre, if a Centre is not available then we go for a guard, Corbett has the ability to play Centre as well. At 100 we should be looking at the likes of Hennessy or Biadasz or Muti or Bredeson. I think Hennessy is likely gone but Biadasz is probably still available.
100: Tyler Biadasz Wisconsin OL 6'4" 314 lbs

104: We could go a couple of ways here, RB or Corner. If Zack Moss is available at 104 then he needs to be considered. Moss is one of the best tackle breakers in college, he is very physical and ideal for short yard situations. More similar to Brown than Henderson but Brown is only under contract for 20 and has had injuries throughout so Moss makes sense in that respect. On the downside, he is not fast and has had injury concerns himself. I do think he is better than the likes of Dillon, Vaughn and Benjamin but I am not sure if he is going to be around at 100. If he is off the board then I would target the likes of Dillon et al with our next pick. So we then need to look at Corner. Ramsey will be extended but I doubt that Hill will be with us in 21. I think Long has the potential to be very good in the slot or outside, Williams is unproven and not the tallest of corners, I think taking someone here and developing them for CB3 in 21 would be a wise move. Amik Robertson would be a steel around here, he is very physical for his size and I think he would develop into a top slot corner but its unlikely that he will fall this far. Troy Pride should be there or there abouts at 104, he can play man but is better at zone coverage, he has good size and speed but will need time to develop.
104: Troy Pride Jr. Notre Dame CB 6'0" 193 lbs

126: 4th round is the sweet spot for a running back, I have already mentioned the main candidates here, Dillon, Benjamin, Vaughn, Perine and Evans. Dillon is a big back who will get you tough yards, I think he would be a great fit alongside Henderson. Benjamin is a smaller back but hes a better receiver than Dillon and does a decent job at blocking considering his size. Overall, I like the more physical option to go along with Hendersons home run speed.
126: AJ Dillon Boston College RB 6'0" 247 lbs

179: Time for a trade up, I give Dallas our 199th and 204th in the 6th round for their 179th pick in the 5th round. My target here is Kenny Robinson out of the XFL, I don't think that are much options at Free Safety in the lower rounds and it is really difficult to place Robinson, he was kicked out of college so there is a red flag that could see him drop, he chose to join the XFL rather than going through the transfer portal. He is not great against the run and has issues tackling but as a ball hawk FS he has real upside. He was being project as a 1st or 2nd round talent until he got kicked out of college. I think both Rapp and Johnson are better around the box so someone with Robinson's skill set would be a nice addition, he definitely is not the finished article but by 21 he could be a major plus. Its been reported that Robinson has talked to 10 different teams including the Rams, Lance Zierlein believes that Robinson will go in the 6th or 7th rounds and Kipers thinks 5th, 6th or 7th but I could also see him going higher. Geno Stone would be another nice option but I think he is probably gone by 179. McTelvin Agim and Benito Jones are two options for the DLine. I would also consider another Edge, WR or RB at this point, Hightower and Coulter would be 2 nice deep receiver options to develop and Trevis Gipson would be nice here but I am going with my man Robinson.
179: Kenny Robinson Jr. West Virginia S 6'2" 202 lbs

195: I still want Rodrigo Blankenship as another option for a kicker, I know that we signed a couple of kickers but I think Hot Rod would create a real buzz. I can see those Hot Rod T Shirts and Hats selling now (assuming that he makes some kicks for us). The latest NFL 7 round mock has Blankenship and Tyler Bass going in the 5th round to Indy and the Pats but I think that is too high, incidentally, the same mock has Ashtyn Davis and Duvernay going in the 6th round which I cannot believe.
195: Rodrigo Blankenship Georgia K 6'1" 190 lbs

56: Michael Pittman Jr. USC WR 6'4" 223 lbs
77: Jonathan Greenard Florida EDGE 6'3" 263 lbs
84: Willie Gay Jr. Miss. State LB 6'1" 243 lbs
100: Tyler Biadasz Wisconsin OL 6'4" 314 lbs
104: Troy Pride Jr. Notre Dame CB 6'0" 193 lbs
126: AJ Dillon Boston College RB 6'0" 247 lbs
179: Kenny Robinson Jr. West Virginia S 6'2" 202 lbs
195: Rodrigo Blankenship Georgia K 6'1" 190 lbs

Over to you Les!