2015 NFL Paper Trail Mock Draft V1.0
To the victors come the vultures.
Super Bowl XLIX participants the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots were the best teams in their respective conferences. And they combined for a memorable championship game that came down to one play. But in any competition, one team must lose.
Come free agency, both teams can be losers in a big way. Opponents know one way to close the gap between themselves and the teams they’re chasing is to strip away quality players.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
New England lost both starting cornerbacks (Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner), starting defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, third-down back Shane Vereen and two reserve linebackers (Akeem Ayers and Jonathan Casillas).
The Seahawks made a bombshell trade on Day 1 of free agency, exchanging starting center Max Unger and their 2015 first-round pick for New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. While that gives quarterback Russell Wilson an elite offensive weapon, he lost vital protection.
Unger wasn’t the only bodyguard who departed Seattle. Left guard James Carpenter signed with the New York Jets to continue his employment. That’s 40 percent of Seattle’s starting offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, the Legion of Boom maybe lost some potency with Byron Maxwell changing his feathers and signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. The year before, CB Walter Thurmond exited for the New York Giants.
At the same time, complacency equals falling behind. New England won the championship but still had weaknesses. And Seattle’s vaunted, physical pass defense proved vulnerable to quickness. Both teams need to evolve in order to stay on top.
The Patriots let Browner walk and added three defensive backs so far. Seattle signed two defensive backs.
Division rivals are circling. Both teams took hits, but the hunted are reloading to fend off challengers to their conference crowns.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – QB Jameis Winston, Florida State
Winston won’t attend the draft and will instead celebrate with family and friends in Alabama. What he should do is congregate with his new Buccaneers family to show he’s serious about growing up and being the face of the franchise. That would get Winston’s career off to a great start.
2. Tennessee Titans – DT Leonard Williams, USC
The Titans are putting out more smokescreen than a double agent. First they believe in quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Or they may select QB Marcus Mariota. Translation: This pick is for sale. If an offer blows Tennessee away, it will move this pick. Otherwise, it will take the top-rated player.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – DE Dante Fowler Jr., Florida
There was nothing wrong with the Jaguars’ pass rush that had 45 sacks last year. The concern is the lack of a bookend to defensive end Chris Clemons, who is 33 years old.
4. Oakland Raiders – WR Kevin White, West Virginia
What more can be said besides the Raiders love speed? A difference of 0.07 of a second isn’t much, but it’s enough to sway Oakland to select White over Alabama’s Amari Cooper.
5. Washington Redskins – OLB Randy Gregory, Nebraska
How much will Gregory’s positive drug test result impact his draft stock? Very little, if at all. More players smoke marijuana than you’d want to believe. And don’t think the teams don’t know this already. Gregory’s honesty should mitigate most of the damage from the positive test result.
6. New York Jets – DE Shane Ray, Missouri
Wide receiver...check. Cornerbacks...check, check and check. Offensive line...check. Quarterback and running back aren’t very high on the Jets’ list, so they select the best player available and make a scary defense even more terrifying.
7. Chicago Bears – OLB Vic Beasley, Clemson
A possible switch to a 3-4 defense, as well as the expected departures of aging veterans Lance Briggs and D.J. Williams, creates a void that Beasley fits into nicely.
8. Atlanta Falcons – WR Amari Cooper, Alabama
The top pass-rush prospects went quickly, so the Falcons plan for the future on offense. Cooper will be groomed to replace the 33-year-old Roddy White when his contract expires in 2018.
9. New York Giants – DT Danny Shelton, Washington
Running backs ran through the Giants defenders as if they had an E-Z Pass under their shoulder pads. Shelton should get a badge to go with his jersey as he will be New York’s first line of defense to stop ball-carriers.
10. St. Louis Rams – QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon
The Rams can’t be serious about entering the 2015 season with Nick Foles as the undisputed starting quarterback. Head coach Jeff Fisher has experience grooming an athletic quarterback and did a fine job with Steve McNair. Fisher can do it again with Mariota.
11. Minnesota Vikings – OT La’el Collins, LSU
Minnesota’s front office has been trying to convince RB Adrian Peterson to return to the Vikings in 2015. Maybe a new O-lineman who's a fierce run-blocker will sway Peterson to come back.
12. Cleveland Browns – DT Malcom Brown, Texas
Home of the worst run defense in the NFL (141.6 yards per game), Cleveland’s D-line took an additional hit with defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin moving on in free agency. Signing DT Randy Starks helps, but he can’t fortify the defensive line by himself.
13. New Orleans Saints – CB Trae Waynes, Michigan State
The first step to rebuilding the Saints defense begins in the backfield. As much as New Orleans needs linebacker help, snagging the top-rated cornerback is necessary in the NFC South.
14. Miami Dolphins – WR DeVante Parker, Louisville
Miami will complete its overhaul of the receiver position by selecting Parker. The Dolphins have exchanged five receivers this offseason and replaced their top tight end as well. QB Ryan Tannehill has a lot of chemistry to foster come minicamps.
15. San Francisco 49ers – DE/DT Arik Armstead, Oregon
Retirements and free agency have been brutal by the Bay. But before giving up and just playing nickel all season long, the 49ers try to save their crumbling defensive front seven.
16. Houston Texans – CB Jalen Collins, LSU
While the defense was good last season, Houston is trying to catch the Indianapolis Colts and can’t do so without secondary depth. The Texans allowed 28 touchdown passes last year.
17. San Diego Chargers – OT Andrus Peat, Stanford
San Diego says it wants QB Philip Rivers to retire as a Charger. With proper protection, his retirement will be later instead of sooner. As much as the Chargers need a running back, what good is one if the O-line can’t open holes?
18. Kansas City Chiefs – DT Eddie Goldman, Florida State
While selecting a wide receiver to ensure the receivers don’t go another season without a touchdown reception is tempting, it’s wiser to address the 28th-ranked run defense now.
19. Cleveland Browns – RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Cleveland won’t admit buyer’s remorse by selecting a quarterback this early, but it should happen at some point. For now, the Browns need a workhorse. Gordon has been that for the Badgers and will be a much-needed lead back for the Browns.
20. Philadelphia Eagles – S Landon Collins, Alabama
The Eagles complete the secondary makeover (after signing Walter Thurmond and Byron Maxwell) by adding the top safety in the draft. This ends the speculation that head coach Chip Kelly wants an all erstwhile Ducks team in Philadelphia.
21. Cincinnati Bengals – DE Alvin Dupree, Kentucky
After DT Domata Peko’s three sacks, no one on the Bengals had more than 1.5 sacks. They finished 2015 with a league-low 20 sacks. The ball-hawking secondary (20 interceptions) carried the defense. The pass rush has to carry its weight next year.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers – CB Marcus Peters, Washington
Peters’ character concerns will scary some organizations, but not the Steelers. Head coach Mike Tomlin’s no-nonsense approach and the leadership in the locker room provide the kind of atmosphere that Peters needs to mature.
23. Detroit Lions – RB Todd Gurley, Georgia
The Lions want to run like a Gurl. The 28th-ranked rush offense moved on from Reggie Bush, while Joique Bell, with an average of 3.86 yards per carry, isn’t the full-time answer. While there’s concern about Gurley’s recovery from ACL surgery, his talent is worth the risk.
24. Arizona Cardinals – LB Eli Harold, Virginia
Missing out on a quarterback and running back leads the Cardinals to fortify the defense. Even after signing linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, Harold’s ability to rush the passer would be valuable to a team that had 35 sacks last year.
25. Carolina Panthers – CB P.J. Williams, Florida State
It will be tempting to select a receiver to pair with last year’s first-round selection, WR Kelvin Benjamin, but a defense that had just 14 interceptions needs more depth to cover division rivals.
26. Baltimore Ravens – WR Jaelen Strong, Arizona State
The Ravens arguably had the toughest 12 months of any franchise with players getting in trouble and free agency stripping Baltimore of talent. The player selected by the Ravens must be Saint Boy Scout to pass the character standard.
27. Dallas Cowboys – WR Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma
Taking chances on players with questionable character has really paid off for the Cowboys of late. Why stop now? Green-Beckham is a talented receiver who could be productive with WR Dez Bryant drawing extra attention.
28. Denver Broncos – OT T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh
It was apparent by the end of the season that QB Peyton Manning can’t carry the Broncos offense all the time. Selecting the best run-blocker to open holes for the running backs is a great way to ease Manning’s burden.
29. Indianapolis Colts – DT Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma
If championships really are built in the offseason, then the Colts could be favorites to reach Super Bowl 50. They complement a great free agency with Phillips, because Indianapolis won’t make it to San Francisco in February if it can’t stop the run in the playoffs.
30. Green Bay Packers – LB Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Using LB Clay Matthews outside and inside was creative and productive, but excessive use could lead to him losing his hair. A full-time inside linebacker will preserve Matthews’ golden mane and solidify the Packers defense.
31. New Orleans Saints – DE/OLB Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA
After selecting a corner and signing CB Brandon Browner, New Orleans can turn its attention to the front seven. Odighizuwa’s versatility will benefit both the run and pass defense.
32. New England Patriots – DT Carl Davis, Iowa
The champions won’t panic after losing their starting corners in free agency. With Revis and Browner both out of town, the Patriots focus on improving the front seven to take pressure off the secondary.
Questions? Comments? Send to randolphc82@comcast.net.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
