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unclescurvy · 7 years

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2017 NFL MOCK DRAFT

April 23, 2017

This is a five-round mock draft with projected trades. This will be updated at least once more before the draft.

ROUND ONE

1. Cleveland – DE/OLB Myles Garrett, Texas A&M

This is becoming the surest of things. Myles Garrett is probably the best player in this draft, and the Browns happen to need his services badly. The rumors of a Trubisky pick here are laughable.

2. Cleveland (PROJ. TRADE W/SF) – QB Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina

What do you do when you covet two players in the first round and you’ve got loads and loads of ammunition? You unload and go get your guys. The Browns make a blockbuster deal with the Niners (# 12, 33, and 52 this year, plus a 2nd round selection in 2018) and go secure the quarterback they covet: hometown boy Mitchell Trubisky. Whether or not he deserves to be drafted here doesn’t matter. The Browns know the only way they can be sure to get him is by securing the first two picks.

3. Carolina (PROJ. TRADE W/CHI) – RB Leonard Fournette, LSU

The Panthers extended Jonathan Stewart’s contract by a year, but he’s never been someone the team can rely on to stay healthy for an entire season. Carolina has fallen in love with Fournette, and they have to get ahead of Jacksonville to secure him (Tom Coughlin has made multiple statements about improving the running game there). They trade next year’s first rounder as well as their top 2nd-round pick to move from 8 to 3.

4. Jacksonville – DE/OLB Solomon Thomas, Stanford

The Jags just barely miss out on Leonard Fournette, who would have been their choice, so they go back to the drawing board. Jacksonville was in the bottom half of the league in sacks for the second straight year. Solomon Thomas has the prototypical size and speed for the Jags’ defense, and he could make an immediate impact.

5. Tennessee (THRU LA RAMS) – SS Jamal Adams, LSU

Pure safeties just don’t get drafted higher than #5. Period. I don’t see Jamal Adams as the sort of once-in-a-lifetime athlete who would change that history. The Titans signed Jonathan Cyprien to play the strong side in free agency, but he could be moved to free safety to accommodate Jamal Adams. This guy has Rodney Harrison-like potential to be one of the very best safeties in the league for a long time… but I just don’t see him going any higher than this.

6. NY Jets – FS Malik Hooker, Ohio State +

If the Jets don’t fall in love with any of the quarterbacks, they will roll with Josh McCown, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg and select the promising ball-hawk Malik Hooker. He doesn’t have much to offer in the run game, but the Jets are more concerned with finding someone to stop Rob Gronkowski and the lesser Gronk clones that are cluttering the league. Hooker has a nose for the ball like few others, and he could lead the league in interceptions within the next few years. Or he could be the biggest bust of this year’s class.

7. LA Chargers – CB Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State +

The Chargers made a great free agent pickup last year in former-Packer Casey Hayward. He and Jason Verrett may form a strong partnership in 2017, but Verrett has had a lot of trouble staying healthy. And if the team opts to keep him in 2018, he’ll cost them around $8 million. It may be time for the first cornerback to come off the board here: Marshon Lattimore has spent the off-season separating himself from a fine, fine group of corners as the very best of the crop.

8. Chicago (PROJ. TRADE W/CAR) – DT Jonathan Allen, Alabama +

The Bears need defense more than anything, and one of this year’s best college defenders falls into their lap. Rumors of chronic shoulder injuries drop a man with top-three talent down to #8, but he’s certainly worth the risk here. Jonathan Allen is the sort of talent the entire city can rally around.

9. Cincinnati – DE Derek Barnett, Tennessee

The Bengals gave up on the Margus Hunt experiment, and they’re considering what life will look like without Michael Johnson, whose contract will expire next year. Barnett helps the team improve their defensive end rotation for this year and perhaps they’ve found their starter next to Carlos Dunlap next year.

10. Buffalo – TE O.J. Howard, Alabama

The Bills have almost no receiving talent beyond the oft-injured Sammy Watkins. He desperately needs help. Howard might be the most well-rounded tight end to come on the scene since Jason Witten. He’ll help in all aspects of the offense, but his receiving skills will be most needed.

11. New Orleans – RB/WR Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

This would be the sort of WTF? Moment that makes drafts interesting, wouldn’t it? The Saints need defense and they need it badly, but instead they bolster their offense with the obscene athleticism of Christian McCaffrey. Mark Ingram remains the lead back in 2017, but his contract is voidable next year. And there isn’t much talent behind him. This pick makes more sense than it does on first glance.

12. San Francisco (PROJ. TRADE W/CLE THRU PHI) – QB Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

The Niners trade down with Cleveland and select their quarterback of the future. Many, many teams are crushed that they couldn’t pull the trigger on Mahomes themselves. He’ll have to sit behind Brian Hoyer for at least half a season as the team breaks down Mahomes’ awful technique, and they’ll teach him how to be a pro. He seems willing and eager to learn. His natural gifts but unwieldy technique remind me of Brett Favre coming out of school. He needed time to develop too.

13. Houston (PROJ. TRADE W/ARZ) – QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson

Houston is SO CLOSE to making a serious run in the playoffs, they know they’re just a quarterback away. They can’t go into this season with Tom Savage as their uncontested signal caller, and they waited too long for the guy they really wanted, Pat Mahomes. They package their 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks to go up to Arizona’s spot and grab Deshaun Watson. What he lacks in pinpoint accuracy and arm strength, he makes up for in leadership and heart. He makes everyone around him better. That’s a rare quality.

14. Philadelphia (THRU MIN) – CB Tre’Davious White, LSU

The Eagles are said to covet a cornerback at this spot, and they’ll practically have their pick of the litter. Who knows if they’ll covet the speed of an Adoree Jackson or the size of a Kevin King. On my board, Tre’Davious White is the 2nd best CB available, so here he sits. He’s part of the great lineage of LSU cornerbacks, and he’s got the skills to play man or cover at an elite level.

15. Indianapolis – RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State *

The Colts cannot take the risk of going into another season with Frank Gore as their starter. He served admirably last year, but his days of greatness are long behind him. Dalvin Cook is said to have less-than-admirable athleticism despite his college numbers and some behavioral issues worthy of concern, but the Colts take a risk on him.

16. Baltimore - WR Corey Davis, Western Michigan

The Ravens lost Steve Smith to retirement and they are cautiously optimistic that a late-season surge from Breshad Perriman could signify improve play in 2017. However, wide receiver has been an anemic position for the team practically since they left Cleveland for Baltimore. Joe Flacco needs targets – especially scoring threats. Corey Davis is a touchdown magnet – a perfect addition to Flacco’s choice of targets.

17. Washington – CB Gareon Conley, Ohio State

The Redskins took quite a few blows this off-season, losing both key players and key coaches. They were also fairly quite in free agency. They need to draft carefully. They’ll take a flyer on speedy corner Gareon Conley to pair with Josh Norman. Bashaud Breeland got burned repeatedly last year and may have to transition to free safety, and Kendall Fuller is better off as a nickel.

18. Tennessee – WR Mike Williams, Clemson

The Titans took big risks with their receivers in 2016 by trading Dorial Green-Beckham to Philadelphia, cutting Justin Hunter and letting Andre Johnson retire mid-season. This became a team built on the run and the short passing game thanks largely to 32-year old tight end Delanie Walker. The team clearly needs another option in the passing game. Mike Williams may be the best deep-ball receiver in this year’s class. He’s got certain Dez Bryant qualities without the problem attitude.

19. Tampa Bay – OLB Haason Reddick, Temple

The Bucs made quite a few splashes in free agency this year, but they’ve neglected their linebacking group, which is thin at best. Lavonte David is as good as they come on the weak side, Kwon Alexander showed some promise in the middle, but the strong side is a gaping hole. Enter Combine darling Haason Reddick. His ascent has been staggering, and if he lands in the top 20, you’ll probably hear me cheering from wherever you happen to be watching the draft.

20. Denver – OT Garett Bolles, Utah

Right tackle Donald Stephenson graded out as the worst at his position among starters last year. And as of this moment, he’s slated to start again. That cannot happen. The Broncos must upgrade their o-line immediately, and Bolles might help. He’s only played top-tier college football for one year so he might completely flop in the pros, but his off-season workouts and prototypical body type for the position suggest he just might make it as an NFL tackle yet. He and a rejuvenated Ty Sambrailo will fight for the two starting spots.

21. Detroit – TE David Njoku, Miami

The Lions have made waves this off-season about upgrading their tight end position, and if Njoku falls to them, he will almost certainly be their pick. He’s an excellent receiver and a willing - if pedestrian - blocker. Detroit forgoes the option on Eric Ebron next year and hands the starting role to Njoku, but in the meantime they make a forbidding duo.

22. Miami – DE Charles Harris, Missouri

The Dolphins are a better team than most folks outside Miami know. But with the release of Mario Williams, they’re left with a question mark at defensive end. Andre Branch was re-signed in free agency, and William Hayes came over from the Rams (presumably to be closer to the mermaids). But Hayes will be 32 when camp starts, and he can’t be counted on beyond this year. Charles Harris might be a little small to take on the punishment of playing a 4-3 end in the NFL, but the trainers will work on bulking him up for the campaigns ahead.

23. NY Giants – OLB Jarrad Davis, Florida +

Word on the street is that Jarrad Davis is a hot name among scouts and GMs. He performed quite well at the Combine, and he’s been killing it at his individual meetings. If he lasts this long, the Giants will pounce on him; they may even be willing to trade up to get him. The team certainly needs linebacking help.

24. Oakland – CB Adoree’ Jackson, USC

Cornerback D.J. Hayden split in free agency this year and Travis Carrie will be up for it in 2018. And honestly no Raiders CB was especially great in 2017 despite the team’s record. Can you imagine the old Al Davis Raiders passing up a speedster like Adoree’ Jackson?

25. Arizona (PROJ. TRADE W/HOU) - QB Deshone Kizer, Notre Dame

The Cardinals trade back with the Texans and still get the developmental quarterback they were looking for. Kizer has the prototypical NFL build with a strong-enough arm, but his accuracy and footwork are a mess. A year or two behind Carson Palmer and learning from Bruce Arians will be a very good thing for him.

26. Seattle - CB Kevin King, Washington

The Seahawks need offensive line help desperately, so perhaps they’ll do the right thing and select Forrest Lamp or Garett Bolles here, but the rumor is they covet the hometown gargantuan cornerback Kevin King. He fits right in with Seattle’s tradition of playing massive corners to counteract the effects of big receivers, and King can do that. But if he gets matched up with a quick smaller wide out, his lack of fluidity will be exposed.

27. Kansas City - WR John Ross, Washington +

The Chiefs need receivers. This much is true. And John Ross has shown that he’s worthy of a first-round selection. But I’m having trouble imagining the diminutive Ross on the same team as the smaller-than-ideal Jeremy Maclin and Tyreek Hill. But I’m also having trouble seeing the Chiefs pass on him if he’s available. The Lollipop Guild may do wonders in K.C., who knows!

28. Dallas – DE DeMarcus Walker, Florida State

The Cowboys are rumored to be pretty committed to upgrading their defensive line this year. Walker would be a great player to fall to them. He was amazingly productive against top-level competition throughout his college career. He’s probably the most NFL-ready defensive end available this year, and his positive attitude may be the very thing that will turn around a guy like Randy Gregory.

29. Green Bay – SS Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

One of the biggest questions of the draft: Where will the celebrated Jabrill Peppers end up? He played practically every position on defense for Michigan (and some not on defense). Plenty of teams have a desire for a player who can fill more than one spot (the Pats, the Cardinals, the Rams, etc). The Packers lost Swiss army knife Micah Hyde to free agency, and Peppers might be the guy to replace him.

30. Pittsburgh – DE/OLB Takkarist McKinley, UCLA

When Pittsburgh re-signed James Harrison, it was yet another acknowledgement that they haven’t been able to replace him despite their many attempts. The Jarvis Jones experiment is over; time to start the Takkarist McKinley experiment. Takk is a raw lump of clay, but he’s natural gifts are significant. He’s just got a nose for the quarterback and the will to get there. Playing in a rotation with Harrison would be a great thing for him as he learns to control his body and bait his blockers.

31. Atlanta - DE/OLB Jordan Willis, Kansas State

Not many mock drafters have Willis going in the first round, but there are rumors that he may go as high as #23 to the Giants. It’s been quite a run on pass-rushers in the first round, so the Falcons feel lucky they can snag him here. Willis was a Senior Bowl standout, and when coaches went back to look at his tape after that, they finally noticed that he’s one of the hard-working, craftiest ends in the college game. His upside is tremendous as he’s constantly adding to his bag of tricks.

32. New England (PROJ. TRADE W/NO THRU NE) - OT Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin +

The Patriots dealt New Orleans this pick in the Brandin Cooks deal, and I predict they’ll get it right back when they deal CB Malcolm Butler to New Orleans on draft day. With the pick, the Pats bolster their offensive line. New England is scheduled to have tackles Nate Solder and LaAdrian Waddle hit free agency next year. With the cutting of Sebastian Vollmer, that leaves the team quite vulnerable at such a key position. They roll the dice on the one-year-wonder Ryan Ramczyk. They’ll give him a year of development to see if he can take over for Solder. Remember: Matt Light and Nate Solder were on the team together in 2011. The Pats do draft replacements early.

ROUND TWO

33. San Francisco (PROJ. TRADE W/CLE) - FS Budda Baker, Washington

34. San Francisco - SS Obi Melifonwu, Connecticut

35. Jacksonville – G Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky

36. Chicago – CB Chidobe Awuzie, Colorado

37. LA Rams – DE Taco Charlton, Michigan

38. LA Chargers – QB Davis Webb, California

39. NY Jets – TE Evan Engram, Ole Miss

40. Chicago (PROJ. TRADE W/CAR) – OT Cam Robinson, Alabama

41. Cincinnati – ILB Reuben Foster, Alabama +*

42. New Orleans – CB Marlon Humphrey, Alabama

43. Philadelphia – RB Alvin Kamara, Tennessee

44. Buffalo – CB Quincy Wilson, Florida

45. Arizona – ILB Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt

46. Indianapolis – OLB T.J. Watt, Wisconsin

47. Baltimore – RB Joe Mixon, Oklahoma *

48. Minnesota – OLB Ryan Anderson, Alabama

49. Washington – DT/NT Caleb Brantley, Florida

50. Tampa Bay – WR Zay Jones, East Carolina

51. Denver – ILB Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State

52. San Francisco (PROJ. TRADE W/CLE THRU TEN) – CB Sidney Jones, Washington +

53. Detroit – OLB Tyus Bowser, Houston

54. Miami – DT Carlos Watkins, Clemson

55. NY Giants – DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova

56. Oakland – DT Malik McDowell, Michigan State

57. Arizona (PROJ. TRADE W/HOU) – CB Fabian Moreau, UCLA +

58. Seattle – OT Dion Dawkins, Temple

59. Kansas City – G Dan Feeney, Indiana

60. Dallas – SS Justin Evans, Texas A&M

61. Green Bay – OLB Tim Williams, Alabama *

62. Pittsburgh – CB Teez Tabor, Florida

63. Atlanta – DT Dalvin Tomlinson, Alabama

64. Carolina (THRU NE) - DE Carl Lawson, Auburn +

ROUND THREE

65. Cleveland – WR Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington

66. San Francisco – WR Chris Godwin, Penn State

67. Chicago – WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC

68. Jacksonville – TE Jake Butt, Michigan +

69. LA Rams – WR Curtis Samuel, Ohio State

70. NY Jets – WR DeDe Westbrook, Oklahoma

71. LA Chargers – FS Marcus Williams, Utah

72. New England (THRU CAR) – CB Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson

73. Cincinnati – RB D’Onta Foreman, Texas

74. Baltimore (THRU PHI) – C Ethan Pocic, LSU

75. Buffalo – DE Trey Hendrickson, Florida Atlantic

76. New Orleans – DE/OLB Dawuane Smoot, Illinois

77. Arizona – G Dorian Johnson, Pittsburgh

78. Baltimore – CB Jourdan Lewis, Michigan

79. Minnesota – RB Brian Hill, Wyoming

80. Indianapolis – OT Antonio Garcia, Troy

81. Washington – RB Samaje Perine, Oklahoma

82. Denver – RB Jeremy McNichols, Boise State

83. Tennessee – CB Ahkello Witherspoon, Colorado

84. Tampa Bay – FS Desmond King, Iowa

85. Detroit – DT Chris Wormley, Michigan

86. Minnesota (THRU MIA) – OT Taylor Moton, Western Michigan

87. NY Giants – RB Kareem Hunt, Toledo

88. Oakland – DT Larry Ogunjobi, North Carolina-Charlotte

89. Arizona (PROJ. TRADE W/HOU) – ILB Anthony Walker, Northwestern

90. Seattle – SS Eddie Jackson, Alabama +

91. Kansas City – ILB Kendell Beckwith, LSU +

92. Dallas – DT Montravius Adams, Auburn

93. Green Bay – G Isaac Asiata, Utah

94. Pittsburgh – TE Adam Shaheen, Ashland

95. Atlanta – OT Roderick Johnson, Florida State

96. New England – DE/OLB Tarell Basham, Ohio

97. Miami (COMP. PICK) – CB Damontae Kazee, San Diego State

98. Carolina (COMP. PICK) – G Nico Siragusa, San Diego State

99. Philadelphia (COMP. PICK THRU BAL) – C Pat Elflein, Ohio State

100. Tennessee (COMP. PICK THRU LA RAMS) – DT Elijah Qualls, Washington

101. Denver (COMP. PICK) – LB Alex Anzalone, Florida +

102. Seattle (COMP. PICK) – QB Brad Kaaya, Miami

103. New England (COMP. PICK THRU CLE) – LB Duke Riley, LSU

104. Kansas City (COMP. PICK) – OT Jermaine Eluemunor, Texas A&M

105. Pittsburgh (COMP. PICK) – QB Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh

106. Seattle (COMP. PICK) - DT Charles Walker, Oklahoma

107. NY Jets (COMP. PICK) - OT Adam Bisnowaty, Pittsburgh

ROUND FOUR

108. Cleveland – DT Jarron Jones, Notre Dame

109. San Francisco – CB Jalen Myrick, Minnesota

110. Jacksonville – C Tyler Orlosky, West Virginia

111. Chicago – SS Josh Jones, NC State

112. LA Rams – WR Amara Darboh, Michigan

113. LA Chargers – WR Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M

114. Washington (THRU NYJ) – DT Jaleel Johnson, Iowa

115. Carolina – SS Josh Harvey-Clemons, Louisville *

116. Cincinnati – DT Eddie Vanderdoes, UCLA +

117. Chicago (THRU BUF) – WR Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech

New England (THRU NO) selection forfeited

118. Philadelphia – DT Davon Godchaux, LSU

119. Arizona – WR Jehu Chesson, Michigan

120. Minnesota – SS Xavier Woods, Louisiana Tech

121. Indianapolis – OT Conor McDermott, UCLA

122. Baltimore – DE/OLB Carroll Phillips, Illinois

123. Washington – WR ArDarius Stewart, Alabama

124. Tennessee – CB Howard Wilson, Houston

125. Tampa Bay – RB Marlon Mack, South Florida

126. Denver – TE Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech

127. Detroit – WR Chad Hansen, California

128. Minnesota (THRU MIA) – OT Chad Wheeler, USC

NY Giants pick moved to end of 4th round

129. Oakland – DE Deatrich Wise, Jr., Arkansas +

130. Houston – SS Montae Nicholson, Michigan State

131. New England (THRU SEA) – CB Rasul Douglas, West Virginia

132. Kansas City – CB Corn Elder, Miami

133. Dallas – FS Marcus Maye, Florida +

134. Green Bay – RB Wayne Gallman, Clemson

135. Pittsburgh – RB James Conner, Pittsburgh +

136. Atlanta – QB Josh Dobbs, Tennessee

137. Indianapolis (THRU NE) – G Aviante Collins, TCU

138. Cincinnati (COMP. PICK) – WR Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky

139. Philadelphia (COMP. PICK THRU CLE) – OLB Vince Biegel, Wisconsin

140. NY Giants – TE Jordan Leggett, Clemson

141. LA Rams (COMP. PICK) – WR Noah Brown, Ohio State

142. Houston (COMP. PICK THRU CLE) – TE Gerald Everett, South Alabama

143. San Francisco (COMP. PICK) - RB Jamaal Williams, BYU

144. Indianapolis (COMP. PICK) – DT Vincent Taylor, Oklahoma State

ROUND FIVE

145. Cleveland – WR Kenny Golladay, Northern Illinois

146. San Francisco – OT Will Holden, Vanderbilt

147. Chicago – CB Cameron Sutton, Tennessee

148. Jacksonville – DE Derek Rivers, Youngstown State

149. LA Rams – DE/OLB Daeshon Hall, Texas A&M

150. NY Jets – CB Shaquil Griffin, Central Florida

151. LA Chargers – OT David Sharpe, Florida

152. Carolina – WR K.D. Cannon, Baylor

153. Cincinnati – G Danny Isidora, Florida

154. Washington (THRU NO) – ILB Richie Brown, Mississippi State

155. Philadelphia – CB Brian Allen, Utah

156. Buffalo – WR Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech

157. Arizona – C Kyle Fuller, Baylor

158. Indianapolis – ILB Blair Brown, Ohio

159. Baltimore – DT Nazair Jones, North Carolina

160. Minnesota – WR Travan Dural, LSU

161. San Francisco (THRU WAS) – WR Ryan Switzer, North Carolina

162. Tampa Bay – TE Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas

163. New England (THRU DEN) – FS Delano Hill, Michigan

164. Tennessee – WR Malachi Dupree, LSU

165. Detroit – RB T.J. Logan, North Carolina

166. Miami – ILB Connor Harris, Lindenwood

167. NY Giants – K Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State

168. Oakland – FS John Johnson, Boston College

169. Houston – OT Julie’n Davenport, Bucknell

Seattle’s selection forfeited

170. Kansas City – G Zach Banner, USC

171. Buffalo (THRU DAL) – CB Marquez White, Florida State

172. Green Bay – ILB Jayon Brown, UCLA

173. Pittsburgh – ILB Ben Gedeon, Michigan

174. Atlanta – SS Tedric Thompson, Colorado

175. Cleveland (THRU NE) – OT Dan Skipper, Arkansas

176. Cincinnati (COMP. PICK) – OLB Devonte Fields, Louisville

177. Denver (COMP. PICK) – DT Ryan Glasgow, Michigan

178. Miami (COMP. PICK) – OLB Javancy Jones, Jackson State

179. Arizona (COMP. PICK) – G Damien Mama, USC

180. Kansas City (COMP. PICK) – RB Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State

181. Cleveland (COMP. PICK) – FS Jordan Sterns, Oklahoma State

182. Green Bay (COMP. PICK) – WR Fred Ross, Mississippi State

183. New England (COMP. PICK) – C Jon Toth, Kentucky

184. Miami (COMP. PICK) – TE George Kittle, Iowa

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sneakyhomunculous · 5 years

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Last PT Report PT 2

Day 2: After day 1 we went to a nice dinner, 5 of us somehow spent 600$ [it may have had something to do with Rocky ordering 3 Apps a Salad a Soup 2 Entrees 3 Sides multiple glasses of wine and dessert) and we ended up staying pretty late. Continuing my hot run I got to pay for the whole thing! I didn’t get to bed until 12ish and unfortunately woke up around 4:30 to some obscene snoring. By around 5 it calmed down and I was able to sleep until 7:30. I woke up OK, but not fresh like the previous day. I went through the same routine as before and managed to catch the shuttle at the last second with Wily Edel and fellow Embercleavers. Draft 2, Pod 1 Featured Pod I was excited going into this draft because what I percieved as the toughest players Eli Brad and Hauck all drafted non blue decks day 1. In fact in all the drafts I did with Brad over the years he was basically never blue! He’s allergic to non green cards. I sat down to find the seating. Hauck was on my left and Brad and Eli were sort of across the table. Max Mick was feeding me, and I knew very little about him. Hauck and Brad’s drafts were both covered and you can watch them on the VOD. Unfortunately there is no draft viewer. They recorded every pick from every player, but unlike the old days they don’t really post the draft viewers anymore. It’s hard to do these draft caps off memory but I will do my best. The draft starts with a high, as I see many blue backgrounds on the magic cards in my first pack. Charmed Sleep, SecretKeeper, Didn’t Say Plz, Apprentice, and Vantress Gargoyle. I like Gargoyle more than most (I always have at least 4 cards in my hand) so I take it hoping one of the 3 good cards will wheel. There was a RW knightlord and not much else in other colors so a bit worrysome of a signal to send (and in fact Hauck 2nd picked the Charmed Sleep) Pack 2 was one of the worst packs I’ve ever laid eyes on. There was a steelclaw Lance and a B and G Paladin, and luckily a Frogify as the clear best card (Frogify isn’t very good). I take the Frogify Pack 3 is interesting; outmuscle improbable alliance tome raider covetous urge. It’s not that interesting, covetous Urge is completely busted. Alliance is a bit overrated and just fine, I do always have lots of opts and tome raiders so I like them I have it, but I know I will never play less than 11-12 blue sources and Urge is just so good. 4th pick Opt!!! This is the only blue card in the pack that otherwise really stinks. It was the last card I looked at and a huge sigh of relief for me. 5th pick didn’t say please and sage of the falls, a good sign. This is somewhat of a close pick but I value hard counters very highly and sage is just a much worse draw 3 scry 3. Take the counter 6th pick only one blue card tome raider, there is a henge walker as well but otherwise a weak pack. I take the raider as it sends a better signal and I don’t see myself being particularly aggressive after this start. I honestly don’t recall the rest of this pack but I know none of the 3 good cards tabled. I think maybe the overwhelming apprentice did but I don’t find that much of a playable magic card. I got a few playable like wishful merfolk and a forever young etc but nothing exciting. Pack 2 is where we make our living. Now I don’t want to go divulge off into a long theory piece, as this is supposed to be a silly fun report that is already bound to go absurdly long. But I have to say this. (and boy is it going to be fucking long. I just came back up to add this disclaimer. I am about to go on a massive rant about throne of eldraine limited. About how good Blue is. About how good unexplained visions is. About the theory of everything, and how Ben Stark is sometimes even wrong. If you don’t care about it you can skip past it. But you do care. That’s why you clicked this. Read it. You’ll laugh. You’ll learn something too; I think.) Rant on Drafting and Eldraine and Theory- Shoutout to Ben Stark the 🐐, and all the lovers of booster draft out there. Ben is great and much better than me. Shoutout to Marshall and Eduardo. They are both great players and great commentators as well, and they definitely understand limited and booster draft on a deep level. That being said... Ben Stark may tweet PT trophy records and shoutout his piece on “drafting the hard way”. Eduardo and Marshall may mention it multiple times during every draft. [See almost any draft ever, or specifically see Haucks draft on day 2 where he is completely handcuffed on my direct left “staying open” while ending up with a really embarrassing collection of cards after pack 1.] Multiple times throughout his draft Eduardo mentions how he and other good players and great drafters like to “stay open” by taking the “best card” in every pack. Well you see what Eduardo didn’t tell you and what Ben stark didn’t say in his trophy tweets or his piece on drafting the hard way is that... EVERY DRAFT FORMAT IS EXTREMELY UNIQUE [bolded and italicized for effect, but idk how] (Again Ben, Marshall, Eduardo, Riley, and Paul are all great. Commentating is absurdly hard and they do an unreal job. This stuff I’m talking about is way too deep for live on air stuff, and I can tell you that all 5 of them know most all of what I’m about to say already. “Drafting the hard way” is a great lesson for drafters, even experienced good drafters can learn a ton and will do well to remember it.) Throne of eldraine happens to be very dynamic. There are a TON of viable color pairs and options and “decks” but the thing is, some of them fucking suck. Shoutout again to Marshall for letting everyone know that RG was not really a thing when Brad was taking red and Green cards. Now we just need to admit that all the non U color pairs are not things either! The other thing is, a ton of the decks are really reliant on very specific cards. And of course the decks all have varying degrees of malleability. The fact of the matter is, 2 color decks just almost do not work at all. GB food is not a deck. Shoutout to Collin for somehow drafting it every time GW adventures isn’t a deck. RB and RW and BW knights are not decks. GR grumgullies isn’t a thing. UR draw 2 isn’t a deck. They are all complete traps and most people sort of understand this, but they don’t seem to know what to do about it. What you need to do is focus on the good decks, and then develop a draft strategy that gives you the best chance to end up with a “good version” of one of the [playable at all] decks. Now I’m not going to sit here and pretend like it’s easy. A magic the gathering 8 man booster draft with 3 of the same large set packs is one of the purest art forms to ever exist in our universe. Eldraine draft is mostly dead, but I’ll give you the [short; for how much I could write about this format] rundown anyway. It may help you develop a strategy in future formats. I can only hope R&D continues to make formats even close to as good as this one or Khans or Ravnica City of Guilds. Rule number 1: Blue is so much better than every other color. It would honestly make the format super awkward/Interesting if everyone was aware of this, but what I gathered before the PT and certainly during it, was that most people are not aware of this. And that’s despite the arena bots being so bad they force everyone into being blue every draft, and all the spreading of that info and complaining on Twitter still led to no1 really figuring it out. Rule Number 2: The color pairs are traps, fixing is very scarce and also very good, many cards look good but are TRAPS as early picks because the completely pigeonhole you into only 1 or maybe 2 playable decks/archetypes whatever you want to call it. If you watch theHamTV draft you’ll see him say it all the time. He first picks a card, and then by pick 2 or 3 he’s already tilting off because he says “I am never going to play these 2 cards in the same deck” this is not standard for a draft format by any means, but Throne is its own animal. Searing Barrage isn’t good unless you are Mono Red. That isn’t intuitive at first glance. Red white or Red Black are just not playable as color pairs. Same for Red Green or Green Black or Green White. You can obviously always splash, but the mana requirements are too heavy and the incentives to staying mostly one color are so high. This means you cannot afford to first pick Bake 2nd pick Charmed Sleep and then decide to take like Outmuscle over decent artifacts and U or b cards, and then decide to take Lochtwain Paladin over other blue cards and artifacts. The Paladin and to a lesser extent Bake are only good in mono black exactly (Bake is fine in UB). If this is the way the packs break that’s fine, what can you do? But Christian had a few better options I believe, and then soon I think he takes a red card. And then a malevelont Noble, And then another green card and then maybe a white card!? And look, I feel for him. The packs were weak overall and Throne of Eldraine is hard. He was also on my left, with Max on my right. Max and I both drafted Mono U. Christians draft is a perfect example of what many poor players drafts would look like if everyone realizes how good blue is. We probably don’t have time for it all here. But I’ll give you the short rundown. Exhaustive list of playable decks in throne of eldraine limited. Uxxxx Unexplained Visions Bury Their So Tiny Asses Alive I try to force this every single draft, but I do it in a delicate manner making sure to keep myself open to any of the other 10 or so good decks. After all we may not open any Vision, and they may not get passed to me. I sure as hell wont pass one. This deck is a malleable machine. It is so good because you can just take whatever nobody else is taking. If you get late pixies, you go green, if u get late mad ratter or alliance, u play those, if u get late Wicked guardians or a 6th pick lochmere Serpent or u open epic downfall and Bakes, you play those. If you get danse and have artifacts, you go dansing in the wind. If u get secretkeepers and counters you go mill. If you get stuck with Fae vandal and henge walkers and Vantress paladins you can even salvage with some runnaway together and tempo them out with fliers (I don’t recommend this tempo plan, but some drafts 5-6 people are blue and u gotta make it happen anyway. Your deck will still be better than the average deck in other colors) But ultimately all this deck truly needs is 2-4 visions/into the story (visions strongly preferred. Story only great if u have 3+ secretkeepers and or didn’t say please type stuff) You also would like some number of opts and witching wells (not necessary though). I’d play 6 opts at least and usually 2-3 wells. The less visions and into the stories you have the more wells I’d play. But even with 3 visions I’d play 4 Opt and a well or two. Any cheap magic cards that preferably block really well or gain more advantage in themselves like opt witching well clockwork servant wicked guardian etc etc, and then stuff like secretkeeper so tiny Charmed Sleep 1/4s and 3/2s for 2. and finally some good way to end the game (this doesn’t need to be a traditional big flier. It’s nice to have lochmere serpent or something absurd and easy to kill with, but a few secretkeepers and didn’t say pleases and mystic sanctuaries also works just fine, or some weird danse kill, or ratter/alliance army (watchout for revenge of the ravens!)) The real beauty of this deck is getting absurdly mileage out of other players dregs. Lochtwain Gargoyle is just actually a good card in this deck usually. Crashing drawbridge type stuff is not ideal, but totally serviceable. Corridor monitor and wishful merfolk can both be fine to actively good. You can see quickly how easy it is to consistently end up with this deck when you can play 5-8 cards nobody else would ever even take and other people are passing visions and playing non blue decks. Just wait until you hear what BEN STARK thinks about Unexplained Vision Ux Mill This is usually splashing black, sometimes mono. You know the deck. The arena bots give it away. In real life it doesn’t actually happen, a pipe dream. Sometimes my Visions Bury em decks end up winning via mill, bc secret keeper is just a fine to good card if u have drown in the Loch/into the story/ lots of visions and need 1-2 drops/the combo didn’t say pleases and no good finishers. But sure if no1 takes any secretkeepers and u get lucky clover or Folio and lots of didn’t say pleases this can be a great deck that’s hard to beat. Ug This is usually splashing for some very specific cards like maraleaf pixie, trail of crumbs, some rares I’m not thinking of, maybe Edgewall inkeeper/maraleaf rider and some eggs and some weird 3 color thing. I’ve had some wonky decks like this. It doesn’t come together often but I’ve had at least 3 drafts where I get multiple maraleaf pixies for free bc no1 can ever take them, and you can see how having an early trail of crumbs/outmuscle can lead to some weird mono u splash these cards shell Uw This deck has multiple different routes, you never want to shinechaser really, but you certainly always want owl. I think the best versions play a few plains for things like all that glitters and trapped in the tower or Danse of the manse type stuff. It’s silly but realm cloaked giant or that archon are other good reasons to end up this deck. Emry and eggs and witching wells any cheap artifacts you know what I’m saying. Ub This is mostly just an extension of the bury em visions deck. One note almost all of these decks want 11+ blue sources. Mystic sanctuary is busted in all of these decks. Clockwork servant type stuff is busted. Blue is completely busted! Now I know all these decks I just mentioned are sort of the same thing. But they really aren’t. And the big takeaway is that blue has all the best cards, and is also the deepest color by a lot, while also being able to support 3-4 different types of strategies in a single draft. It’s a crazy revelation when you realize it. Blues 8th best common is better than the 2nd best common in all of the other colors. Syr Elenora Urge Loch dragon Owl Snapper Vandal all great, so many more I’m leaving out basically every blue card in the set is a dreamboat. Tier 2 decks Mono Red aggro Searing barrage and embreth Paladin are not good in any other deck, but great here. Same goes for weaselback redcap and oftentimes even fling. The issue is lots of people don’t know that about searing barrage, so u may not get them for free. This deck just wants to curve out but have some serious burst potential with the haste Paladin/fling/barrage and then just fill in with any of the henge walker/joustin dummy type stuff and play redcap raiders/barge in/scorching dragonfires etc. I find it’s hard to get enough early creatures so prioritize them when you can. Mono G aggro This is a spicy deck that lots of people considered the best and so it’s well known and out there how to draft it. Go to Hamtv on twitch to watch Kyle play it all the time. Green has some good cards that no1 else wants like wildwooftracker the halberd gingerbrute maraleaf rider garenbrig Paladin etc. and while people do want outmuscle and Witchstalker, those are really strong. You can splash here, but you would almost always prefer to not have to. Henge walker etc can help you avoid having to. Mono W or Wx aggro. Tactician and cheap plays. White has no shortage of 1-2 drops and good value pump spells like guidemother and the squire. Flutterfox with some things to turn it on happens often, I think Banner and Wheel are just always great but they shine here in the flutterfox versions of this deck. Fliers/evasion is massive to get around my pesky corridor monitors and wishful merfolk and sectretkeepers. You can certainly have a knights theme and even splash black or red for some knights or removal/good cards. But you really want to prioritize actually being able to play your cards and being able to pick up Hybrid WWWWxxxx uncommons and cast henge walkers and ritual and Paladin and stuff with adamant. Same goes for all the mono color aggro decks, you really have to do your best to stay as mono as possible throughout the draft, and ultimately you don’t ever want to end up with a 10-7 or 9-8 manabase. It will obviously happen and with fine to great decks sometimes, but it’s super rare and you should actively be trying to avoid it. Some players have success with Knight strategies. I believe they need lots of uncommons and rares and then to get lucky to end up with a distribution that lets them play 11-6 to have good mana. I’ve 3-0ed with quite a few mostly white knight decks that splash the drain guy, epic downfall, reave soul, maybe some black rare idk. Things like that are fine. But taking the RW Knight uncommon 2/2 or the steelclaw Lance are recipes for disaster. I didn’t see Eli’s Draft, but see our round 10 match for an example of a steelclaw Lance deck. Mono B value/midrange I haven’t drafted this much but it’s mostly self explanatory. Usually it comes about by first picking bake into a pie or getting passed an ayara in a weak pack and just having black be wide open. You play the Lochtwain Paladin and the reave souls and bakes and whatever Hybrid Uncommons u can find and usually some rares and fill in with dummies and henge walkers as needed. Can splash for things like garruk or serpent obviously, and this comes up quite a bit, this is another good reason to try and stay mono going into packs 2 and 3. That is the end of the playable throne of eldraine draft decks list. Every other deck is a pipe dream. They do exist, but rely heavily on exact uncommons/rares like troll king or savy hunter in BG food. And even if u get them you will still lose to an average U deck with 3 unexplained visions. Avoid like the plague. Ok yeah, rule number 3 time I promise this is the last rule. Draft as though you know what the good decks are and you know how the format works. Stop acting like everything is a vacuum and Throne of Eldraine limited is just another Magic the Gathering Set that can be easily mastered by following the guidelines outlined in Ben Starks Timeless Piece “Drafting the Hard Way”. Taking random ass cards in different colors throughout pack 1 bc they are powerful is a recipe for absolute disaster in this format. It is true that Ben is right about draft theory in general terms, and in most formats drafting by taking the “best cards” you see in the first few packs is a sound strategy. Because you wait for a “signal” and then u move into what deck you are “supposed” to be in for your seat. Losing a few early picks is nothing when you end up in the perfect color pair that neither of the 2 players on your right or even the player on are touching at all. Right??? Yes it’s right, but not in throne of eldraine. Throne rewards cutthroat discipline of sticking to the blue cards and artifacts. You want to leave yourself open to being able to draft blue as long as possible, while at the same time not forcing it in case it just isn’t there. It’s very delicate and not easy, but some sample picks could probably illustrate my point better. Maybe review my 2 drafts from the PT and checkout my decks. I’ll try and post the pics again underneath the tweet linking these. Im exaggerating blue (a very small amount, it’s the best by miles), but sticking to cards that are good in multiple decks is huge. Youthful knight and flutterfox and tactician and guidemother and any other fine white card are fine white cards. There is only one deck that wants fine white cards. Mono white aggro. If this deck is not 100% wide open and you are taking these cards you will train wreck. I have drafted mono white 5+ times, but it was always because I started with a blue card, an egg, a banner or spinning wheel, a henge walker or dummy, and then started seeing late trapped in the tower or tacticians and the flutterfoxes or other white commons tabled. So this being said if you are faced with the decision of outmuscle or Tactician or Scorching Dragonfire or Even Reave Soul/Bake VS golden egg or banner/spinning wheel/Fabled Passage/clockwork servant always take the latter card. In their respective mono color decks the top cards are a bit stronger than the bottom cards. The problem is this isn’t a normal format. When you take a tactician in a normal format u can play it in 5-6 different decks. Any white deck. There is only one white deck here but 15 other decks. Don’t take tactician until it’s clear u are the only white drafter. Take opt. Or take run away together. Or if you’re lucky take spinning wheel. If you’re the luckiest person alive take Unexplained Vision The player on my direct right was Mono U in this day 2 draft. I drafted Mono U right behind them and 3-0ed with a great deck. It isn’t because I got lucky. The pack distributions were kind of ugly, and many players were blue or taking blue cards. None of my cards tabled. But it doesn’t matter. I stayed strong and took artifacts and fixing high, and I never let a good blue card go by. It’s a simple strategy really, but certainly hard to execute perfectly Some weeks before the PT, shortly after I had come to the realization that blue in throne of eldraine was approaching mandatory force levels; I saw Ben the 🐐 Stark first pick Emry Lurcher of the Loch and then 2nd pick a BOG NAUGHTY over a DRAW 3 SCRY 3! The best limited player of all time!! I certainly believe Ben is unbelievable and a very strong player and incredible mind. His willingness to search for the truth above all else is what I believe really makes him special. But Bog Naughty is not remotely pickable in any early pack 1 scenario. You have to be mono black and also have some food? It’s just not reasonable. GB food again isn’t a thing, and even if it is it’s likely heavy green. If it’s heavy black sure u can use the naughty to some good fun magic. But even if you do it’s like a slightly better card than what a filler card like henge walker or tempting witch? Don’t take Bog Naughty if you want to win your matches. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything so I asked him about it. I said “Yo Ben, you passed the literal dreamboat card for a Vantress Paladin that cost 5 mana double black after first picking one of the most busted rares in the set that is guaranteed to make your deck after first picking it, being as it is in the best color and it’s now so easy to prioritize artifacts in the draft.” What gives??? His response: “Not a big fan of vision. Especially when you already have Emry milling 4 giving you a source of end ess card advantage. I’ll play 1-2 copies of vision in my deck if I don’t have other card advantage, but it’s near unplayable vs mill and aggro and I don’t draft it highly.” Now I always look to give someone like Ben the benefit of the doubt. And this is twitter where nuance is obviously lost easily as we are limited to a few sentences. But breaking down what he said; he starts with saying he’s not a fan of visions, later saying it’s near unplayable vs mill and aggro and that he doesn’t draft it highly. This is when I realized I made a mistake asking him about it. The PT is still 3 weeks away and I don’t want him to realize he’s wrong and teach all of his friends. It is true that Visions have diminishing returns. Most decks can not afford to play the 5th, or even 4th copy. A lot of decks may end up not really wanting a 3rd either, but I think that is extremely rare. This is such a minor thing though, and it’s the literal most important card in over half the blue decks. You don’t say “oh I’m not going to take the best card ever because I can’t play more than 3 of them”. Like imagine a 5 mana card that said draw 10 cards. Sure you cant fill your deck with 8 of them. But now you want to fucking pass it because of that? No you fucking slam it to guarantee you have it. And if you get more, you slam those too and you play those too. And yes, once u get your 4th or 5th copy you can chill out, or you can bear down and play those too while figuring out a way to find some cheap shit to stay alive until you cast your first draw 10 and win by default . But the fact that you have this card, combined with the mere fact that it exists and you value it highly (properly) means you can now literally draft whatever u want, so long as you draft a sufficient number of cheap/defensive cards. More about his statement. Just because you have 1 Emry doesn’t mean you can’t take more card advantage??? He says Emry is an endless source. Yes it’s a 1/2 that needs an artifact stream and you also have to draw it and have it live. I would prefer to have 10 Emry type cards in every deck. If you’re tired of reading about this I’m truly sorry, but not really sorry because there’s no fucking way anyone is still here this deep in and not absolutely loving it. “It’s near unplayable vs aggro and Mill”. While the card is usually somewhat weak against mill (it actually ends up being the best card against mill a bunch of the time. I say this because I have a ton of experience with visions against busted mill decks in the arena streets. If you have 2-3 visions and you play against mill; There will obviously be games where visions is awful and you cannot even realistically cast it. But in the other games, the games you actually have good chances to win; you usually do so by burying your opponent in cards and killing them by default before they can mill you. No slow blue deck is going to aggro through a secretkeeper deck. You beat it by hoping they draw too many secretkeepers/defensive weak cards and don’t draw the counterspells. Mill vs U Visions control literally comes down to who resolves the visions! (I will concede that drafting like this means you are absurdly soft to Folio of the fancies/didn’t say please/Mystical Dispute and any really fast milling. But this is why I prioritize the counterspells very highly myself, along with cards like covetous Urge and cards that can kill efficiently thru walls of defense and kill alone like Syr Elenora/ratter/alliance and sB options like Vantress Paladin/steelhaze griffins or forever young, and also sbing in 8 more islands and 6 more blue cards if I need to.) But saying it’s “bad vs aggro and mill” is just silly. On its “bad vs aggro”- “Aggro” is a weird concept in limited. You really want to avoid being pidgeonholed into “aggro” at all costs. Being aggro means you are relying on having a strong opening hand with a good curve while also relying on your opponents to not have sufficient defenses against your onslaught. In theory this sounds like a fine strategy when executed properly. You fill your deck with powerful 2 and 3 drops with high power or menace or flying or haste or first strike, maybe even some one drops. Cheap burn and plays that help removal blockers/push through damage. And then u top it off with whatever powerful finishers you can find. In reality this is an inferior draft strategy to taking cheap/defensive cards, card advantage, and busted magic cards like the RARE MYTHIC RARE and UNCOMMON type cards. The reason is twofold, the draft portion + the games portion. In the draft, ending up with a great aggro deck is hard. You have to be in the exact right color for your seat, get the necessary amount of aggressive 2-3 drops, the right pump/cheap removal/burn/reach and the right mana base to be able to function well. In the games you have to avoid mulliganing, avoid stumbling on lands, and avoid drawing your 2 drops on turn 10 when you need your few finishers. Meanwhile you have to also avoid your opponent having any of the Stonewall Jackson type cards you dread facing. Like say Corridor Monitor into Clockwork Servant into Wicked Guardian. But this is the beauty of drafting. In a perfect world, we’d sit down for an 8 man where most of the players agree that being “aggro” is inherently bad, and we all lean towards being defensive and open to whatever the best ways to gain incremental advantage we can come up with in the draft. In this world the player(s) who recognize what’s going on and moves into the aggro lane will be rewarded and end up with a completely busted deck that has the highest win expectancy at the table. In many formats, this is actually exactly what happens. Aggro is [slightly] worse than just drafting a good defensive curve removal busted cards and card advantage. So if no one is drafting aggro you will end up with a broken deck that should crush everyone. That hidden factor is that you still have to avoid mulliganing and or flooding/stumbling/drawing weak cards in the mid game/overcoming stonewall Jackson so despite maybe having a slightly higher winrate than decent defensive decks, you still have to run well in your games and the medium deck can still stonewall you. You’re often prone to flooding as well. Look, I’m not saying aggro is unplayable. But I am saying you should do everything in your power to not draft it. Now back to the point. I would argue that visions is the BEST possible common you could ever have against aggro. (I wouldn’t actually argue that, I’d prefer wrath of god and moat and shit... but it is a very sound and good strategy of playing defense and then burying them with one broken draw spell. And this card is really really good, even vs aggro) Ben has this notion that in limited magic, card draw is often cheapened because of the low value of extra lands. I challenge this proposition in most scenarios, as finding a use for extra lands is easy when you are drawing tons of cards. And “getting past the lands” to find your specific answers/good cards is often very useful. But that is not super relevant here anyway. Visions isn’t just a draw 3... You then scry 3!! It’s a fucking common!!! Personal wheel of fortune!!!! End Rant Recap I have Hauck now feeding me for pack 2 My picks so far are Vantress Gargoyle Frogify Covetous Urge Opt Didn’t say please Tome raider Forever young Wishful merfolk Some dregs I forget Pack 2 I think I opened Fae of Wishes and 1-2 other decent cards. Fae is Busted so I slammed it. I am passed a pack lacking in good cards. It has a pixie, a queen of ice (not a good card, like the 10th best or worse U common) a Corridor Monitor (a good card, but obviously not happy to take early) and luckily a Fabled Passage that I slam! 3rd pick is full of busted stuff. Charmed Sleep So Tiny Danse of the Manse Trail of Crumbs Pixie (have to consider the other pixie tabling now) Ultimately I settle on charmed Sleep. I like So Tiny more in some decks, but you need multiple visions and preferably some mill stuff before I start taking my first So tiny over my first Charmed Sleep. 4th pick Covetous Urge number 2 over Opt and Mystic Sanctuary Urge is completely busted 5th Charmed Sleep over So tiny and Egg 6th pick So Tiny! Over wishful merfolk (Sorry Max) 7th pick Loch Dragon! Over So Tiny (You’re Welcome Max) 8th Pick Castle Vantress over nothing (Truly Sorry Max) 9th Pick Skullknacker Ogre over nothing (I boarded this in vs Brad who was Gr with no pump spells no removal. He had 2 Syr faren a few merchant of the vales and a bunch of Fierced witchstalkers a henge walker etc. I drew it and played it t4 and won bc of it!) 10th Pick the pixie tables but I’m Worried about my cheap creatures and plays and feel it’s unlikely I play G at this Point. I honestly may be confusing a pick in the draft and may have already had a mad ratter or improbable alliance bc I somewhat confidently took queen of ice over this pixie (2 Urge and Loch dragon mana requirements also weighed on my mind) 11th pick the other Pixie tables too. And I am on massive tilt bc I just pulled up the viewer to check this pack thru Christians eyes. There was a so Tiny in this pack he hate drafted here 😂😩😬 12th Pick he hate drafts Opt 🤦🏻‍♂️ But there is a mystic sanctuary anyway! He hates a Runaway Together with 3 cards in the pack and I don’t get anything Pack 3 I open a weak pack but it has a secretkeeper and an Into the Story. I timebanked this pick to the max and wasn’t confident. I really need early plays but also really need some more ways to draw extras. Bc of my two urges giving me some advantage in long games I decide to take the secretkeeper and pray I’ll see an Unexplained Vision Pick 2 Max does me a favor and passes me Syr Elenora. There is like a slaying fire and Yorvo as notables. But Syr Elenora is preeeeemium. Pick 3 I think I take either Mad Ratter or Improbable Alliance over Animating Fae and Nothing. Pick 4 Mystical Dispute over Moonlit scavengers Pick 5 Tome Raider over Queen of Ice Pick 6 Either Improbable Alliance or Mad Ratter (I ended with 1 of each, forgot which was which pick they are the same card in my brain) over Merchant of the Veil no Blue cards Pick 7 Opt over nothing Pick 8 Run away Together over nothing Pick 9 Into the Story Tables!!!! I end up deciding it’s my best Fae of wish Target and I only have 1 secretkeeper one Didn’t say please to mill, my removal is 2 Charmed Sleep So Tiny, so I figure the Into the Story being in my sideboard makes a lot of sense. I end up wishing for it 3-4 times and it was gas. Final deck is 12 islands 1 Mystic Sanctuary 1 Castle Vantress 1 Fabled Passage 2 Mountain 2 Opt 1 So Tiny 1 Merfolk SecretKeeper 1 Vantress Gargoyle 1 Fae of Wishes 1 Wishful Merfolk 1 Queen of Ice 1 Improbable Alliance 1 Run Away Together 1 Frogify 2 Tome Raider 2 Charmed Sleep 1 Didn’t Say Please 1 Mystical Dispute 2 Covetous Urge 1 Loch Dragon 1 Mad Ratter 1 Syr Elenora 1 Steelhaze Griffin (23rd card and I was torn on this. Card is whatever not good at all, but it can block and it can attack) R9 Dylan Lerch (The only White Drafter) Because we were the feature pod, we exchange pools. We don’t have decklists, but pools of all 42 cards drafted. Quickly I see that Dylan has a completely busted mono white deck, well likely splashing red. Dylan was two on my left. I figured Hauck was probably white, but since he wasn’t it all got to Dylan. Dylan was certainly the only white drafter. I am trying to imagine my gameplan for beating this deck, and I’m failing to come up with scenarios where I win any games. 4 Fairie Guidemother 2 Giant Killer 1 Worthy Knight 2 Youthful Knight 1 Inspiring Veteran 1 Shepard of the Flock 1 Glass Casket 1 Ardenvale Tactician 1 Clockwork Servant 1 Linden the Steadfast Queen 1 Brimstone Trubuchet 1 Slaying Fire 1 Outlaws Merriment 1 Archon of Absolution 1 Resolute Rider 1 Oakhame Ranger 2 Fireborn Knight 13 Plains 4 Mountain I know I clown aggro, but this deck is no joke. My wishful merfolk is downright embarrassing vs this. My queen of ice too. My charmed sleeps aren’t very good vs 1/1 fliers. As a matter of fact without Fae of Wishes I don’t see how I stop this onslaught. Game 1 starts off about the only way I could ever imagine for a game that I’ll win. I play turn 2 Fae of Wishes after Dylan played a turn 1 Fae Guidemother. Soon after he plays out a giant killer, and then some 2 power thing. He starts tapping my Fae and Building a force, but I find some tome raider chain into some real cards I can’t remember exactly, but I know I stabilize and then bounce my Fae with Run away Together and then Granted for Into the Story. I draw 4 then covetous Urge him a little bit behind now and at around 8. He still doesn’t have a mountain, so his Outlaws Merriment is stranded and I kill him with it over a few turns after I stabilize around 5 life. I feel I got very lucky that game with his draws being poor and being able to steal his merriment. G2 he plays 1 drop 2 drop turn 3 2 drop plus giant killer and turn 4 I am left conceding with no outs. Disgusted while shuffling for G3 I wonder where it all went wrong. How is Dylan’s deck so good? Why am I paired vs him now? I know I can beat the other 6 decks! I have a decent hand but slow, luckily he makes no play turn 1. He plays a few creatures over the next few turns and misses his 4th land drop. I have a singleton medium blocker I forget what it was but it’s getting tapped bc It’s facing down vs his now worthy knight giant killer Fae guidemother and I think Youthful Knight plus 1/1 as i cast my Covetous Urge, assuming I am just dead with no outs. Dylan is stuck on 3 plains and reveals his hand of fireborn Knight Outlaws Merriment another 2 drop anddddddddddddddddddddddd Archon of Absolution hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa I go ahead and take that. He doesn’t draw a land and makes some attacks putting me to 12 and plays another 2 drop. I untap and casually place his protection from white ghostly prison into play hahahhahahahahahah he has 7 creatures and 3 plains and draws land, but it’s plains. So all he can muster is fireborn Knight. He plays it then lines up attacks and there is under 10min in the round and a big crowd is watching. After a bit more of him thinking about who to attack with I just finally say you cannot attack they all cost a mana and he realizes it and shakes his head and passes. I untap and covetous Urge him again and take Merriment! His only out from here is mountain then slaying fire, but he doesn’t find them. I actually cast didn’t say please the next turn after playing Merriment and he mills a mountain and the slaying fire! Turns out Archon of Absolution is good against Mono White aggro 1 drops and tokens!! 8-1 and ecstatic to steal one. Round 10 Vs Eli Kassis on RB ~18 Playables??? Eli and I are featured as the backup match and a few parts of our games ended up on camera. When we exchanged pools we have 1 minute. I scan through and see he’s clearly black. He has rankle malevelont noble and some random assortment of ok black cards. He has Covetous Urge and Memory Theft. He also has like 5 red cards and a Steelclaw Lance. A crashing Drawbridge and maybe one other artifact. But overall if he plays every single black card artifact and red card that I deem playable it wasn’t even 20 cards. I ran out of time confused how he built his deck. It seemed that he was in fact just red black so maybe I miscounted or missed something. The games are somewhat interesting. Game 1 I kind of flood and awkward covetous Urge his hand of covetous Urge and weak cards, and he already has some 4 power attacker and shortly produced another. I had to urge his urge and I eventually get to Urge again to play something OK but I am just a little to much behind and can’t get a foot on the game before I’m forced to chump and then die. I’m still confident as his deck seems weak. Games two and 3 are pretty straightforward. He keeps drawing crashing drawbridge and steelclaw Lance and I’m Able to deal with his actual cards one at a time while producing a board of stupid little fliers. I did get lucky g3 on camera. His t2 crashing drawbridge I t2 Vantress Gargoyle He t3 memory theft and my hand is 6 spells no land. But it’s wishful merfolk Fae of Wishes charmed Sleep Run away Together tome raider and something else cheapish. So I don’t really need lands too badly and I also don’t have anything that broken. I think he takes my Fae or maybe a diff good card, but I immediately peel a land and tome Raider. I draw into another raider. He t4 covetous Urge off quad swamp and takes my Charmed Sleep and uses it on my Gargoyle the next turn. I’ve been milling with Gargoyle and I play tome raider 4th land go. From there I don’t miss lands for a few more turns and end up burying him beneath fliers once i draw Loch dragon and he only has some anemic beats with a solo rimrock Knight. 9-1 2-0 in the draft At this point I know Brad is playing vs Max Mick and I’m really hoping Brad wins. Max was on my right and I know he’s mono U with Folio gadwick. Unfortunately he won. But the good news is Brad Started 8-0 so he’s also 9-1, and we get paired!!! R11 Mike Sigrist on Gr Monsters His deck is a steaming pile of large creatures and bad mana. I kept going over the list looking for a spell and all I could find was a crystal slipper, 3 Fell of the pheasant, a Sundering Stroke and a Thrill of possibility. He’s mostly Green with 2 Syr Faren 2 Fierce Witchstalker 3 Garenbrig Paladin. He has a henge walker and a rosethorn acolyte, and then like multiple merchant of the Veils and Ogre Errants. I don’t even see how he has 23 cards either, he must be playing all these pheasant plummets (he is) We are main feature match. The whole thing was on camera. Brad won the die roll and mulligans to 5. I have 3 lands perfects with like a tome raider charmed Sleep counterspell and some 2 drop. I sort of draw only lands for the first lot of turns but Brad has a mono green deck and starts mountain mountain mountain henge walker. I charmed Sleep it. My plan was to save those for paladins, but with his mull to 5 and triple mountain start I figure I can race easily. He does put up some fight but I just take it slow and have Dispute and didn’t say plz and eventually find like an Urge and or a Loch dragon to close the game in short order. Game 2 is really interesting as I have to let him filter 10 times with merchant over the game but I maneuver my way to a winning position eventually on the back of both my Covetous Urges. 3-0 GG Y0 10-1 I know it’s way too late for subway or anything as the lines will all be unreal. So I pack up and find a message from Collin that he is grabbing convention center pizza. He grabs me a slice and it’s so terrible I can’t take more than a few bites. I’ve been staying really well hydrated and eating a decent breakfast at least, but these no lunches are brutal. Luckily I’m riding the adrenaline today and feel completely fine. R12 Vs Josh Utter Leyton on UG food Josh has 4 Growth Spiral instead of paradise Druid and is playing 2 Kraul harpooner I think. He has 25 lands but is on a pretty normal list otherwise. No Mass Manipulation or anything. Game 1 he’s on the play I think but starts tapped land tapped land goose. He has a turn 3 Oko I think but I have a decent hand with vraska and grasp and I think I end up vraskaing his Oko and Grasping a nissa and winning with my Own eventually. G2 is blurry but I think he mulliganed and or had a bad hand. I do remember having to take a big risk though. I could use my vraska and make a big attack to guarantee his nissa died, and he had no hand, but I would leave myself dead to a topdecked nissa Oko or aether gust. I decided to go for it anyway as I didn’t see any other way to guarantee nissa dying. He drew a kraul harpooner which was not good enough and I got to untap and put the game out of reach with a krasis or something. 11-1 I know that one more win should lock top 8, and I have at least 3 rounds to find it, maybe even 4. No pressure. I honestly didn’t it feel much. I’ve been here before after starting 8-0 in a PT a few years back. That time I went 1-1-1 in the draft and started 2-2 in constructed so I had a win and in the last round, and lost it in rather unfortunate fashion. But I didn’t really feel too nervous that day either. I think it gets to me more when my back is against the wall. When I’m just winning every round, I just keep going! R13 Mack Smith Bant Food He is playing Stock Bant from the European GP. 3 Maindeck Mass Manipulation Growth spirals etc. G1 I get ahead and I think I am fading mass manipulation in the later turns (nothing I can do about it) but he doesn’t have it and I win. G2 I feel ahead but have no answer to manipulation and the turn I thought he would play it he didn’t so I got excited, but he played it the following turn and I died. G3 i play t1 goose he t1 goose. I play Druid t2 and he just untap and says go. I go for t3 Nissa but he has a Negate to counter, down to just goose forest no food though. I think I have to spend a turn doing not much because I may be missing land as well, and he actually discards to hand size and then I wolf his goose. I win that one a couple turns later 12-1 and locked with 1 more match point. I feel like I would have been more excited if it were a few years ago. My first PT Top 8! But honestly it felt all a bit weird. The PT is moving to the Players Tour, and so much history is fading away. This PT top 8 literally means nothing if I don’t win first place. Just 2 years ago a PT top 8 would mean almost all the points you need for gold and over half of the way to platinum. Getting 2nd in a PT would all but assure you could make Platinum if you played some magic. Plus everyone was around and into it, the hall of fame talks etc etc. Now with the MPL and the PT going away everything is a bit cheapened and everyone is sort of automatically Jaded and unsure of the future. I was still feeling good; I just expected to feel more. I also know I still have to find a draw. My instinct says even if I lose r14 I’ll get the draw R15 with another X-2 though. R14 Andrew Cuneo on GW adventures This match was main feature and all on camera. Cuneo is great and we have some banter before the game about die rolling procedures. He also tilts off when I mulligan and say I’m going to keep before putting a card back. That’s not actually how that works he says. What does work is noxious grasp maindeck against GW little kid. I play multiple and Andrew draws plenty of lands and dies. In game 2 I keep a very sketchy hand of Wolf Massacre Girl Krasis 4 lands on the draw. I only have 1 Massacre Girl, He mulliganed, I’m locked for top 8, what the fucking hell could go wrong K3333pp! He puts a card to the bottom and announces keep. OUAT finds inkeeper, forest inkeeper. I draw land 5 and say to myself u are the dumbest fucking shit in the 7 kingdoms for keeping this. Land go; He untaps, aggressively pushes his inkeeper up at me and I right the 1 life, he shuffles his hand briefly and says GO. Wait what? He took inkeeper with OUAT and then didn’t play a 2nd land turn 2. How unlucky can this guy be??? I continue to draw only lands and he does hit a land next turn, but it’s a forest and no play. He eventually does find plains and puts up a fight. Eventually marching for 5 or 6 and convoking loxodon with a card still back. I have tons of Mana at this point, still have Massacre girl and can cast it + wolf to wrath everything. But I drew legions end the turn before and realize there is no reason to kill my own 6/6 krasis, just legions end the tokens and I’m ahead on board anyway. He dies shortly after. 13-1 R15 ID with Louis Deltour! 13-1-1 1 Seed Locked up R16 vs Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa Right before the match I had been talking with Tom Ross and I see the pairing and he says you should dream crush no? He won’t make it if you beat him. I honestly hadn’t even looked at the standings and wasn’t considering playing before talking with Tom. But then I started thinking. This last Pro Tour Ever here... it is so Top Heavy. True winner take all scenario. What do I have to lose by playing and trying to knock out the best player in the room? Well for starters I like Paulo. He’s just really likeable, and has always been friendly with me. I know he will be upset, and it will cause some drama as this type of situation is rare and they have probably already considered him in after seeing pairings. But the more I think about it the more it makes so much sense to play. I don’t owe Paulo anything, and this old mentality on the etiquette of IDs/Scoops makes a lot of sense in the old Pro Points/Level System. Or when PT top 8s really meant something. But what the hell does letting Paulo in the Top 8 actually do? Make it that much more unlikely I win the tournament is about all I can think. Greg Kowalski and his non green deck will be in if I beat Paulo. If I draw with him Paulo and his perfect mass manipulation gadwick list will be in. So anyway, I tell Paulo I want to play. He is obviously a bit surprised. And a huge crowd is forming. Shahar is behind Paulo and giving me the absolute stare of death throughout the whole thing. I tell Paulo the truth. I think he is great, and a random player making t8 would be very beneficial for me. I said this tournament is winner take all for me. If I go on to get 2nd not one person will care. In 6 months no1 will remember my name. They won’t know I got 2nd. I’ll get my 42 Mythic points and they will be worth nothing. I’ll be qualified for the next PT only and that is it. 20k and a fuck you have a nice day. But if I manage to win? 50k an invite to worlds (62,500$ in equity). All the clout, the trophy. There is an Arena PT in a month I’m Not qued for. Odds I get invited if I win? Not as high as Ondrej’s odds since he won (100%) but pretty high. You get the point. Winning first matter a lot. I told Paulo this. I said 3 years ago we would high five he’d say yay PT t8 number whatever triple digit number. I’d be happy I’m locked gold tons of pro points everyone cheers everyone happy. But we ESports baby. T8s don’t mean shit. So I ask to see his list and of course, it’s great. I told him this isn’t looking good for you. U got mass manipulations no shitty colorless land only 2 temples this shit is perfect. Let’s play. But I was not in it. I felt a slight bit of pain for Paulo in the moment, and I also was just tired. LSU was beating up on Alabama and I had planned on watching the 4th quarter before Tom mentioned I should play. But at this point I felt I had to at least go through with a game or two. I may just write ID on the slip even if I win, we will see. He beats me in a game 1 where I play ok, but not great. It’s a short game and I go to put my Sb Into my deck. As I’m shuffling through trying to find cards to cut I realize I forgot his SB. And I also can’t even think and don’t care anymore, so I offer him the draw and of course he happily accepts. I tell him I just couldn’t do it to him, sorry I made him sweat! 13-1-2 1 Seed going into Sunday. Paired vs 8 Seed Sebastian Pozzo on stock UG food, Paulo V Cuneo are the other match on my side. I will write about day 3 and the T8 games in another post. This one is a LOT of words and it’s unreal if anyone read this whole thing straight through with no breaks. I’ve been typing this all day, and I don’t feel like proofreading. Thanks for reading; GG Yo

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frowncod73-blog · 5 years

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The Linc - ESPN predicts Nick Foles will end up on the Jaguars

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Ten bold NFL predictions for 2019 season: Landing spots for Le’Veon, Foles - ESPN 1. The Jaguars will acquire Nick Foles, somehow, but still miss the playoffs. This is not to diminish the talents of Mr. Foles, and woe unto the rest of the AFC South if those teams let him hang in contention until mid-December. But the Jaguars team we predict Foles to be joining is not of the same caliber as the Eagles teams for which he performed his late-season and postseason magic the past two years. I believe the Eagles will work with Foles and allow him to have some say in where he ends up. I also believe they’re wary of him ending up in the NFC East with Washington or the Giants, and directing him to a faraway AFC destination like Jacksonville will be more appealing to Howie Roseman & Co. Jacksonville’s hiring of former Eagles QBs coach John DeFilippo as offensive coordinator could make the Jags appealing to Foles as well.

What the Eagles should do at linebacker - BGN If the Eagles don’t retain Hicks, they’ll need a new starting linebacker alongside Bradham. One free agent with a connection to the Eagles is Bradham’s former teammate, Preston Brown. Jim Schwartz trusted Brown enough to have the rookie start 14 games at linebacker for the Bills in 2014. He remained as a full-time in Buffalo before joining the Bengals as a free agent on a one-year, $5 million deal worth $2 million guaranteed in 2018. Cincinnati placed Brown on injured reserve in late November due to a knee injury. With the Bengals bringing in a new coaching staff, the 26-year-old Brown could be looking for a new home that offers familiarity. The Eagles might be able to get him on a one-year, “prove it” deal.

The Kist & Solak Show #76: The Sort of Super Bowl Recap - BGN Radio Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak kind of recap the Super Bowl, touching on the play of Jared Goff and the defensive gameplan from the Patriots, plus a bunch of draft talk because it’s officially the offseason! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Previewing the Eagles’ next calendar year, in stick figure form - PhillyVoice Let’s see if we can get back in the win column this year.

Carson Confirms He’s Human - Iggles Blitz I think Carson handled this situation wisely. He addressed this in a timely fashion. He wasn’t defensive. He didn’t come off as holier than thou. The next year is going to be really interesting for Carson Wentz. He’s going to have a lot of pressure on him to play well and carry the team. He needs to show he can stay healthy and actually make it to the postseason. Carson also will be under a microscope when it comes to incidents. If he is seen looking frustrated at a teammate, that will lead to speculation. If he gives a coach a funny look, some will question that. If Carson and the Eagles have a terrific season in 2019, all of this nonsense will go away.

Carson Wentz opens up about controversial article, relationship with Eagles teammates - The Athletic As for his on-field performance, Wentz was the 12th-ranked quarterback in the league in the all-encompassing metrics like QBR, DVOA and ANY/A. As we’ve pointed out previously, his numbers were strikingly similar to Foles’. Wentz’s accuracy was actually better than it was in 2017, but the improvisational plays he’s accustomed to making outside of the structure of the offense were not available to him. During the interview, Wentz acknowledged that he never felt quite like himself in 2018. “It’s a process,” Wentz said. “As far as injury prevention, I felt great. I didn’t feel – I felt confident, all those things – but as far as being explosive and all those things, I never quite, and I’m not going to use it as an excuse by any means, but I watched the tape from two years ago, you watch last year, you can say I wasn’t quite there as far as mobility stuff. And that’s something I’ll keep working through. And everyone says it’s an 18-month, two-year thing to get really feeling strong again and back to normal. It’s getting better. It’s going to keep getting better. And I don’t think we’ll worry about hopefully either of these injuries going forward.”

Complete transcript of Carson Wentz’s conversation with select media - NBCSP “I heard it that morning. John (Gonoude from Eagles PR) actually sent it over to me and I was, like, I just read it and I was a little confused, I guess. It’s never obviously fun to read your name being thrown around like that, but at the end of the day, try not to stress about it too much and let the media or the perception of others dictate who I am. I know who I am, first of all. I know how I carry myself, I know I’m not perfect, I know I have flaws. So I’m not going to sit here and say it was inaccurate and completely made up, I’m not going to do that. But at the end of the day, I will say our locker room is really close. If there were guys that had issues, in hindsight, I wish we could have just talked about them. But, again, I don’t know how that all happened and everything with that. Again, it’s never fun to read, but to extent, you look at it and be like, ‘well, if someone did have this perception of me, why? What have I done wrong? What can I get better at? I realize I have my shortcomings. Yes, I can be selfish. I think we all have selfishness inside of us. There’s human elements to that, that I really look at and say, ‘well, I can get better.’ I always say I can be better on the field, off the field, how I carry myself. But I didn’t want to make it bigger than … I think everyone probably ran with it different ways and I just kind of said, ‘look, I’m just going to live my life out here and I’m going to let that kind of shape out how it may.’ Honestly, I haven’t really read what’s been happening since. Again, it’s not fun to read, but you try to take what you can from it and be better, I guess.”

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz says his personality ‘ain’t going to change,’ and it shouldn’t - Inquirer The QB has already proven he has what it takes to thrive. Are there minor modifications he can make? Absolutely. But authenticity matters most in an NFL locker room.

Fans Encouraged To Support Second Annual Carson Wentz Softball Game - PE.com The 2nd Annual AO1 Charity Softball Game benefiting The Carson Wentz AO1 Foundation takes place on May 31 at Citizens Bank Park. Tickets go on sale through the website AO1Foundation.org on February 7. The family-friendly event begins with a home run derby at 6:30 p.m. followed by a game between members of the Eagles playing on opposing teams at 7:30 p.m.

Jay Ajayi updates progress on ACL rehab - CBS Sports Jay Ajayi is just four months removed from ACL surgery, which ended his season with the Philadelphia Eagles and hindered his opportunity for a big payday on the free agent market. Ajayi will be forced to sign a “prove it” deal in order to restore his value in 2019, a year which he likely won’t be 100 percent until October (but still should be ready for the start of the season). Spotrac has started to project market values for all the free agents out there, which Ajayi comes in at $3.6 million per season. Needless to say, Ajayi is working towards getting that contract. The Eagles running back updated his progress in his ACL rehab, jumping up on a step...three days shy of four months to the day he tore his ACL.

February All-Sleeper Team - The Draft Network RB: Elijah Holyfield, Georgia: I just got eyes on Holyfield a couple of days ago — boy, am I glad I did! Holyfield has gotten sparse attention in Draft circles that see him as the blip on the radar between Georgia’s two stud backs of the 2018 cycle — Nick Chubb and Super Bowl champion Sony Michel — and their rising junior star in D’Andre Swift. But Holyfield is a strong runner in his own right — and in this class, that’s enough to vault him to my RB2 slot, which ruffled more than a few feathers when I publicized the ranking. He carries a mid/late second-round grade off of his film, and is a fringe Top-50 player, but he offers the only bellcow profile I’ve seen in this class besides Alabama’s Josh Jacobs. He just never saw that opportunity in the Bulldog backfield. Holyfield wins with sweet feet, as he remains tethered to the ground through sharp and explosive cuts. He can string together moves, load his lower half to deliver a powerful shot, or pick up steam in a hurry when attacking the outside. His meager pass-catching usage is harrowing, but there’s no reason to believe he can’t handle more targets and catches — and for teams that don’t heavily feature their backs in the passing game, or already have a strong pass-catching back — Holyfield makes sense as the “thunder” in a 2-part backfield.

Choiceology: Season 2 Episode 7 - Schwab Seeing as it’s Super Bowl season, it seemed like a good time to revisit last year’s contest as a case study in decision making. The 2018 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles played incredibly well against the formidable New England Patriots. The game could have gone either way, but the Eagles had a secret weapon that gave them an advantage. We speak with Michael Kist from Bleeding Green Nation on the Eagles’ integration of computer models for decision making both on and off the field. You’ll hear the story of how those models were temporarily abandoned and the team struggled before re-embracing them.

Bengals hiring James Casey and Ben Martin, per report - Cincy Jungle Zac Taylor is wasting no time in finding who will be on his staff with the Bengals. Not long after Taylor was hired as the team’s next coach, Field Yates of ESPN reported that Houston Cougars tight ends coach James Casey was joining Taylor’s staff. The team is also hiring Ben Martin, an offensive line coach from Bryant University. Casey is someone you may be familiar with, as he enjoyed a productive career with the Houston Texans from 2009-12, then with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-14. He ended his career following a one-year stint with the Denver Broncos in 2015.

Connor Barwin release made official by Giants - Big Blue View The Giants made the release of Connor Barwin official on Monday. Barwin had said last week via social media that he would not be a Giant in 2019. Releasing the 32-year-old saves the Giants $1.5 million against the 2019 salary cap. The 10-year veteran had a career-low one sack in 2018.

The Rams Went All In to Beat the Patriots—and It Still Wasn’t Enough - The Ringer Sean McVay’s team exemplified the tenets of modern team building in their run to Super Bowl LIII. They just learned the lesson that’s defined this decade in the NFL.

It’s okay to admit that the Super Bowl wasn’t a good game - SB Nation There are those who want you to believe that Super Bowl LIII was a good game. But... was it? Or are we putting lipstick on a pig for a game that had all the drama of a Week 4 Jets-Dolphins game on a Thursday night? The praise is coming from everywhere, sources both credible in their knowledge of the game of football and not.

...

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Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/2/5/18211776/eagles-news-espn-predicts-nick-foles-jaguars-jacksonville-trade-free-agency-quarterback-rumors-wentz

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racingtoaredlight · 4 years

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RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 7 Extravapalooza

With the way the COVID-19 situation in America (and lots of other places around the world) is rapidly heading in the wrong direction, I’m beginning to genuinely wonder if the NFL is going to have to pause the season for a few weeks as some states potentially decide that the gatherings that come with staging a football game are less than necessary.

Once the league decided to start the season as scheduled, I figured there was no way they’d stop the train once it began lurching forward, even if some unlucky teams were forced to start someone like Brian Hoyer at QB instead of their normal guy. Ahem. But, I also didn’t think things would deteriorate virus-spread wise quite to this degree. I was really giving us as a society way too much credit, it would appear. Given the resistance to the first round of shutdown measures, I think there’s a real possibility that shit could hit the fan in a way few of us have seen before if another batch were implemented, but it seems like the only option going forward for some places if they don’t get their shit together. Our choices in the very near future appear to be: court massive civil unrest spurred on by the very worst among us, or do nothing and let many of those same people carry disease to every corner of the country as hospitals become overwhelmed and people die alone and miserable. Hooray for letting the dumbest assholes dictate the courses of everyone else’s lives.

Now for some football picks!!!

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today.

EARLY GAMES

Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons (-2)

Ah, a team who recently fired their terrible head coach against a team who desperately needs to. I’m glad it finally appears to be dawning on Detroit’s offensive braintrust that D’Andre Swift is the best RB on the team and thus should get the bulk of the touches. You could even say he deserves the LION’S SHARE. Sorry.

I was ready to declare Matt Ryan officially washed heading into last week’s games, but then he went out and threw for 371 and 4 TDs against the (admittedly trash-ass) Vikings defense, and now I just don’t know. Does having Julio Jones in the lineup really make that much of a difference for him? Maybe! This game should be enjoyable slop and I don’t have any strong leanings one way or another. I’ll pick the Falcons just because a Lions loss gets them one step closer to freedom from their dipshit Goomba-from-Mario-Bros-lookin’ motherfucker of a head coach.

Cleveland Browns (-3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

I like to make fun of the Browns just like everyone else, but I’d prefer to see less digital ink spilled on QB Baker Mayfield’s crappy play and more celebration of DE Myles Garrett instead. Garrett is AWESOME. Through 6 games he has 7 sacks (2nd in the NFL) and 3 forced fumbles (also 2nd in the league), and those numbers don’t fully capture how disruptive and nightmarish he is for opposing offenses most weeks. Sure, he maybe tried to kill a guy with his helmet last year, but c’mon. That was just a harmless little goof. No reason to hold it against him, in my opinion. Like, have you seen what Mason Rudolph looks like? He had it coming.

I feel bad every time I pick against Joe Burrow because I want he and I to be friends, but *points to previous paragraph about how Myles Garrett swallows planets whole*.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans (-1.5)

Last week I wrote a whole big thing (with stats to back it up!) in the Titans blurb about how Derrick Henry wasn’t playing well and was potentially wearing down, and then he proceeded to rush for over 200 yards and 2 TDs, including an unreal 94-yarder. I concede that I may have been misguided, and that attempting to use research is for lameass nerds. That said, I HIGHLY doubt he’ll have a huge day against the Steelers defense, but the combo of Henry and the Ryan Tannehill-led passing game should be able to put up enough points to win.

These teams are both very good and very evenly matched, but I don’t want to pick Pittsburgh because I actively dislike them. You won’t find that kind of analysis on Football Outsiders, friends.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-7)

New Orleans will be without WRs Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders for this one, and I think QB Drew Brees is too far over-the-hill to make chicken salad out of the chicken shit that remains in their group of pass catchers. RB Alvin Kamara is great, but he can’t do it by himself. Oh, and speaking of Michael Thomas, a report came out yesterday that the Saints are open to dealing him. This report came from Mike Florio, so grain of salt and all, but it did lead to me reading a rumor that Thomas’ teammates hate him and secretly call him “Can’t Stand Mike,” a play on his “Can’t Guard Mike” Twitter handle. I found this hilarious and very much want it to be true.

Let’s raise a glass to Panthers backup RB and fantasy football savior Mike Davis, as his gravy train likely comes to a halt after today with the impending return of Christian McCaffery. The New Orleans rush defense is very good, so I don’t see him going out in a blaze of glory, but his out-of-nowhere statistical bonanza deserves to be celebrated.

Buffalo Bills (-10) at New York Jets

LOL Jets Head Coach Adam Gase still hasn’t been fired despite losing 24-0 to Miami last week. What’s it gonna take, I wonder? A second consecutive shutout may do it, but the Bills defense has been terrible, so it’ll take a real commitment to ineptitude for the Jets to put up their second squadoosh in a row. NY QB Sam Darnold is returning to the lineup, but he’s going to be without his best weapon, WR Jamison Crowder. I honestly feel terrible for poor Sam, as he was drafted into the worst situation I can remember. At least David Carr was hit enough that he likely doesn’t remember ALL of the bad stuff.

Nearly all of the Bills’ TEs are in the COVID-19 protocol, so I’m not sure how they’re gonna address that. BRING BACK JAY RIEMERSMA!

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team (-1)

The Cowboys being underdogs against Washington is hilarious, even more so because it’s justified. I thought QB Andy Dalton would do a decent job leading the Cowboys offense last week against Arizona, and I was very, very wrong. I still think he can get his shit together somewhat, but the ceiling for this team has been lowered to “Darren Sproles might have to duck a bit” height. I can only condone watching this game for schadenfreude purposes, but even that’s stretching it. Any more than a quarter is just straight-up masochism.

Green Bay Packers (-3.5) at Houston Texans

I’m simultaneously excited to watch this game and struggling to come up with anything novel to say about it. I’m interested to see how Green Bay deploys their awesome CB Jaire Alexander, as whichever Texans WR avoids him is likely to be peppered with targets. Shoutout to Will Fuller’s hamstrings for holding up so far and allowing him to kick ass.

As of right now it looks like Green Bay will be without studly RB Aaron Jones and sexy touchdown beast TE Robert Tonyan, which isn’t great. But, if there’s one opponent where you should still be ok using a backup RB, it’s the Houston Texans and their atrocious rush defense. Wait, why am I picking Houston? Whatever, fuck it, the heart wants what the heart wants.

LATE GAMES

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5) at Las Vegas Raiders

A couple of days ago, it looked like the entire Las Vegas offensive line might miss this game due to being placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list. As of this writing, all those beefy boys are cleared to play, which is good news since they’re going against Tampa Bay’s top-shelf defense (ranked #1 in defensive DVOA). Even with their full compliment of offensive personnel, I still predict many hilarious angry and frustrated faces from Jon Gruden.

Tampa Bay has decided to sign WR Antonio Brown, despite already having two Pro Bowl-caliber receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. It’s pretty clear this signing was done entirely because QB Tom Brady wanted it, as Brady has been pushing for his team to sign Brown going back to last year in New England. It’s so weird, Tom Brady doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would advocate for an emotionally unstable and supremely narcissistic accused rapist who’s left multiple organizations in disarray upon his unceremonious departure.

Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5) at Denver Broncos

Fuck yeah, our first potential snow game of the year! The gametime forecast as of right now calls for 5-degree windchill temps with a 35-40 percent chance of flakes throughout. That sounds horrible to play in, but glorious to watch. If we don’t get at least one shot of steam rising off of an offensive lineman’s head I’m gonna be pissed. I’m curious to see what Kansas City does with newly acquired RB Le’Veon Bell in this game. He’s definitely played in more winter-weather games than my boy Clyde Edwards-Helaire, so do they give him more carries this week than they would normally? I hope not, but I can definitely see the argument for it.

San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots (-3)

I’m a little shaken (relatively, I’m not a complete lunatic) by how shitty New England, and Cam Newton in particular, looked against Denver last week. The lack of practice time due to multiple COVID-related outbreaks is a valid reason for it, but still. I think the Niners are the much better team when healthy, but they’re gonna be missing their best RB Raheem Mostert for this game (and the next few), which does impede their power-run game somewhat. Backup Jerick McKinnon is still very good, he just has a different, less-demoralizing style. Handsome Jimmy will have to make some plays, and I think he can do just enough. The overall talent gap will be too much for NE to overcome, I fear.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers (-7.5)

The Jags have lost five straight games coming into this one, while the Chargers have dropped four in a row. Something’s gotta give! I will say that the Jacksonville losses seem more depressing (3 of them were by double-digits), while even though L.A. is losing, they at least feel exciting. A shiny rookie QB who looks decent will do that, I guess. Still, I’m riding with my man Minshew to cover one last time here. If he fails, well, I think it’ll be time for us to go our separate ways. “Separate Ways” by Journey is also what plays in Gardiner Minshew’s helmet speaker instead of play calls, coincidentally.

SNF: Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Seattle’s already abysmal secondary is going to be down Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams for this one, so Cards QB Kyler Murray should be able to sling it around with relative ease. His best weapon, WR Deandre Hopkins is Questionable with a lingering ankle injury, but he’s been playing through it so far and it hasn’t seemed to slow him much. I think this is the week the magic runs out for the Seahawks, and they take their first L of the season. Russell Wilson can’t bail them out EVERY time. Probably. This game is likely to be the stylistic opposite of the Monday nighter, because...

MNF: Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams (-6)

...all signs point to this being a butt-ugly game. I like good defense, don’t get me wrong, but nobody should purposely watch Nick Foles and Jared Goff play QB against competent defenses. I suppose I can see some entertainment value in getting to see both Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack torment quarterbacks in the same game, but I think I’m gonna pass for the same reason that I don’t really like to watch animals get eaten in nature shows. I get that it’s the way things are meant to happen, but damn. I’m a real wimp, by the way.

Last Week’s Record: 7-7

Season Record: 44-38-4

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medproish · 6 years

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Mock draft season drives me nuts. The NFL Draft evaluation process allows a lot of very smart football people to talk themselves in and out of the professional potential of 20-somethings. Not being close enough to the war room, it’s difficult to know if it’s a case of too many cooks in the kitchen or just overthinking, but for the draft-eligible players who played high-level college football, I think the argument can (and in some cases should) be based on what happened in those games.

Avoiding the seduction of how a player looks in workouts or is measured in underwear and focusing solely on college performance, I’ve ranked the top 32 prospects in this year’s NFL Draft. With those parameters put in place, Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen does not make the list.

Allen could be a very good NFL quarterback, but the fact that he “looks a quarterback” — or at least what a good amount of evaluators think a quarterback should look like — should not, in my opinion, overshadow a two-year run at Wyoming as a 50-55 percent passer. Allen looked like a future pro, but to me, a first-round pick should be able to provide value in the present.

Here’s how I see the top of the 2018 NFL Draft class:

1. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State: Arguably one of the best all-purpose football talents of the decade in college football, Barkley is instant value added to whatever teams decides to pick him up near the top of the draft. His versatility is well-documented in a league that is continuing to explore unique ways to use skill position players I think he can dominate.

2. Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State: Chubb hasn’t always been the top-of-the-bill headliner that he’s become over the last six months or so. Just a three-star prospect coming out of Powder Springs, Georgia, Chubb put in a lot of work on his body and his craft as a defensive lineman at NC State, developing into one of the best pass-rushers in all of college football.

3. Derwin James, DB, Florida State: You didn’t need to know James’ number when you watch Florida State film. When healthy, he flashes in a way that few can in a sport with 22 players on the field at once. James has an instinctive ability to know where to be and the athleticism and make a big play anywhere on the field. He continued the line of success that goes through Jalen Ramsey and on back to Lamarcus Joyner in Tallahassee, and if he can stay healthy he’ll be a Pro Bowler soon.

4. Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia: Smith has the closing speed of a jungle cat. No linebacker in college football could and read-and-react like Smith, and he was honored appropriately after the regular season with a Aaron Donald-type run of cleaning up all the major defensive awards. NFL teams might be knocking him down their board because of size, but I’m confident he will figure out a way to dominate like he did with the Bulldogs.

5. Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State: One day we’re going to look back at the Ohio State secondary room from the last couple seasons and be amazed at all the NFL talent that Urban Meyer had at once in Columbus. Put Ward on the early watch list to follow in the footsteps of Marshon Lattimore and contend for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. He’s a stud, an absolute warrior on the edge and as pro-ready as they get at the position.

6. Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame: It’s a thin year for the biggest boys at the top of the draft, but Nelson is the one can’t-miss offensive lineman. Nelson’s college tape is going to be taught for decades, and I feel sorry for everyone he’s embarrassed and will continue to as we rewatch his clips.

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7. Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA: The noise around the NFL Draft and the hysteria that comes with being one of the top quarterbacks is nothing new for Rosen. Before Rosen even played a game as a freshman, Jim Mora infamously berated him in front of reporters during a media viewing session of a late-August practice — a “you’re not in high school anymore” type rant, which reportedly included a “the anointed one!” jab. The highest expectations imaginable have always been there, so I like Rosen of all the quarterbacks to be the most ready to make the jump and provide immediate value as a starting quarterback.

8. Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama: One underrated aspect of Fitzpatrick’s pro potential is his understanding of the game. The defensive backfield at Alabama has seen tremendous amounts of talent come through during the Nick Saban era, but Fitzpatrick might be the best of them all. Saban and the defensive coaches relied on Fitzpatrick at multiple positions and even when he was slowed by minor injuries needed him on the field to help the defense get lined up. Fitzpatrick “gets it” when it comes to defensive concepts, which paired with his athleticism and ball skills makes for a very enticing potential career in the NFL.

9. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: Don’t focus on the Mayfield’s dashcam footage, the taunting of Kansas‘ players or even the incredible highlight reel put together across three consecutive Big 12 title runs. Think about what Mayfield built for himself during the 2014 regular season, sitting out as a transfer from Texas Tech to Oklahoma. Mayfield is a football lifer to who is going to make any quarterback room better with his competitive fire. I don’t know if he’s going to be a star or even a starter, but you’re not to be a worse football team with him on the roster, that’s a guarantee.

10. Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama: Ridley is the best route-runner in the class. He’s got the kind of precision that allows players of any size or speed to find those elusive windows of separation at the next level. The Alabama offense hasn’t always catered to him in a way that produced dominant statistics, but Ridley’s work is exquisite.

11. James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State: Wide receiver is another position where NFL teams can be seduced by size and speed in the evaluation process. Just because a player looks like a freak doesn’t guarantee freaky-good performance on Sundays. Washington is undersized, but he’s fast as hell and will find ways to get open. Don’t overthink it with Ridley or Washington, they will both be in the league for a long time.

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12. Vita Vea, DT, Washington: In terms of interior defensive linemen, Vea was the best in college football last year. He’s a mauler that can swallow up offensive lineman and allow linebackers to step up and make plays. When I look at Vea, I see a player who can not only command attention put push the pocket back from the interior like Timmy Jernigan did at Florida State.

13. Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama: The embarrassment of riches at linebacker over the last few years at Alabama kept Evans as a rotation player until he had matured into a grown-ass man. Evans can be seen speeding downfield like a hammerhead shark and heaven help you if you’re the ball-carrier. His physicality and tenacity sets the tone, but there’s also a ton to like about his versatility playing inside or outside.

14. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville: Don’t overthink it. Jackson isn’t perfect, but he has been one of the most prolific offensive talents to ever come through college football.

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15. Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia: Wynn moved all around the offensive line at Georgia, played through injuries and finished his career as one of the most dominant run blockers in the SEC.

16. Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa: We’re not perfect when it comes to awarded greatness at individual positions in college football. It’s really tough to actually watch every play from all 130 FBS teams every Saturday, so our All-America teams tend to be a little messy and lean on the numbers to help tell the story. Josh Jackson’s 2017 campaign was highlighted by a two-game run with five interceptions (three in an upset of Ohio State, two in a loss to Wisconsin), but his ball skills were on display all season and his game backs up his argument as a future pro.

17. Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma: You can’t coach the type of size that swallows up entire humans. Brown has always been big, but in 2017 he started to back up the measurements with some really strong play on the edge.

18. Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU: Sutton was a lightly recruited safety and tight end prospect coming out of high school, but he’s improved every year at SMU and finished his career as one of the top wide receivers in program history. He’s probably not a No. 1 coming right out, but given his trajectory and improvement every year, the signs are good that he could be one day.

19. Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan: There’s a versatility that’s coveted with modern interior defenders, and Hurst has that ability to both stop the run and rush the passer from the defensive tackle position. If you’re focusing on size and moving Hurst down the draft board, he’s going to end up in your favorite quarterback’s face next fall.

20. Justin Reid, DB, Stanford: A student from the Duane Akina school of defensive backs with NFL talent already in the family, Reid’s pedigree is impeccable. Stanford’s entire secondary was a little bit overlooked last year, and Reid was the star of the group.

21. Will Hernandez, G, UTEP: When a player like the 6-foot-2, 348-pound Hernandez shows up at UTEP, he’s going to be used almost immediately. After redshirting his freshman year, he was immediately thrown into the rotation; after 49 career starts, Hernandez leaves the Miners as one of the best players in program history.

22. Sony Michel, RB, Georgia: This is your Alvin Kamara pick for 2018. With the right fit, Michel could end up having a Rookie of the Year-caliber debut at the pro level. While he was usually the No. 2 to Nick Chubb, Georgia’s 2017-18 postseason revealed Michel as arguably the most irreplaceable piece of that offense.

23. Sam Darnold, QB, USC: Barton Simmons, my co-host on the 247Sports College Football Podcast, has been big on Darnold’s potential. It’s important to remember that, of all the quarterbacks in this class, Darnold is the youngest and least experienced. A former linebacker at the start of his high school career, Darnold’s ceiling may be the highest of all. He showed flashes at USC but not enough for me to feel confident putting him ahead of Rosen, Mayfield and/or Jackson.

24. Lorenzo Carter, LB, Georgia: Carter leads the way for me in this next crop of linebackers. While listed as an edge defender, Carter is dynamic making plays at the second level and did a good job stepping up and taking on blocks when the play was funneled his way.

25. Derrius Guice, RB, LSU: With a little bit more shake and shimmy than Fournette, Guice had high expectations coming into 2017 as the team’s new starter in the backfield. While some of that wasn’t realized because of injuries and other issues, a change of scenery could help Guice with this next stage of his career.

26. Connor Williams, OL, Texas: Williams is a beast. His film at Texas wasn’t perfect, but some of my less-than-overwhelmed reactions during his college career are admittedly shaded by disappointment in Texas’ offense as a whole. Very excited to see how he plays at the next level.

27. Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama: When the motor is on, Payne is a top-10 talent. Even B-plus effort from him is probably good enough to see the field on Sundays, but if he can replicate some of 2017 outside of Tuscaloosa, Payne could be a star.

28. Jaire Alexander, DB, Louisville: It might take a year or two before Alexander has totally transitioned, but he’s got all the skills to be a shutdown corner in the NFL. He was a little banged up at times during 2017, but when healthy he was easily identified as the best player on Louisville’s defense.

30. Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech: Just an absolute freak of a player straight out of the Bud Foster school of tough-as-nails defense. This part of the rankings is defined by consistency, and while I don’t know if Edmunds will be a superstar, I feel confident saying that can play in the NFL for as long as he wants. Everyone wants a Tremaine Edmunds on the roster.

31. Dante Pettis, WR, Washington: Getting Pettis adds instant value because you’re also getting one of the best return specialists we’ve seen recently in college football. Pettis was a solid receiver at Washignton, but his skills in the open field are going to win him plenty of opportunities to contribute immediately in the NFL on special teams.

32. Braden Smith, G, Auburn: While no one is mistaking Gus Malzahn for being a “pro-style” offensive coach, I think Smith’s experience at Auburn will make him a quick learn as the NFL continues to adopt aspects of the college game. Smith was a stud run blocker for the Tigers and got to face off against future pros every Saturday during their 2017 SEC West title run.

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thedenfantasyleague · 5 years

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The Den Fantasy League Recap: Draft Day 2019

Fellas,

We’re back. Some would say it’s the most wonderful time of the year and I may just agree with them on that. As we get into all things fall (tailgating, crisp air, bonfires, etc.) there’s something that coincides that is beautiful: football season. As excited as I am, there’s one thing that really gets the juices flowing: NFL RedZone channel. Scott Hanson, on the screen, in all his glory. I’m ready for another Fantasy year with you all and I’m looking forward to going into glory and claiming my championship. Below is the draft recap:

PVO

Dylan had the luxury of having the #1 pick of this year’s draft. In year’s past, it’s no secret that Dylan has had his struggles in year’s past. The one thing we do know is that year after year, he has dominated Rob. With his first pick, Dylan took Saquon, this year’s #1 player. From there, he continued to fill out his roster with guys like Fournette and Amari. Dylan went on a limb with a couple players: reaching for his Browns players (Baker and Jarvis) and putting some hope in the recently hopeless Colts (TY and Marlon). Can this be the year Dylan turns it around?

Debbie Rowe

Jake followed suit in taking the #2 overall player with the #2 pick in Christian McCaffrey. As it looks, Jake’s squad is made up of a lot of fringe guys: players who find themselves with opportunities to go off this year, but with a lot of question marks. Can Deshaun stay healthy? Will Aaron Jones be on a running back by committee? Can Njoku thrive with so many weapons around him? Can Cooper bounce back? His sneaky pick though could come up big or be worthless in the coming weeks: Tony Pollard. Gabe was rattle when Jake stole Tony from his queue as he is the backup of one Zeke Elliot. If Zeke holds out, this could be a big pick.

Fire Jarn

Well look who it is: Mr. Loves to Complain About His Draft Pick. Rob continued the trend of taking the order of the pick as he selected his old pal Kamara with his first-round pick. Rob filled out his roster with some interesting players. You like Kerryon for a sophomore continuation and Tyler to fill in for AJ for the first few weeks. My questions: Chris Godwin providing anything, Devonta is always questionable, Rob loves Vance, and he reached for his D. I’m excited for the excuses to start flying for Rob. Also, is Aaron Rodgers a locker room cancer? I’m not one to say, I’m just asking the question.

Mr. Magorium

Gabe had a conundrum: to draft or not to draft Zeke. The last time Zeke had a question mark next to his name on draft night, he was supposed to be suspended but E took a risk and rode him all the way to his first championship in our inaugural season. Gabe continued to round out his team with a good set of RBs in Chubb and Carson but some would say his question marks come with his receiving core. A couple of Chargers and a Ram, all three of which have crowded pass-catcher rooms. If those don’t pay off, Gabe has a couple of risks he can take on his bench in Flash Gordon and Albert Wilson, both who can make a splash.

Team Timshel

To me, this team has a lot of question marks. Let’s start at the beginning. Mike went for Gurley round one. Gurley has had some rumors flying around his knee health and may still not b fully recovered from last year. To no one’s surprise, Mike took Kennan Allen and also has some interesting players filling out his team. He was able to get guys like AJ Green and Melvin Gordon but they both come with issues: AJ out for a few weeks and Melvin threating to hold out. He then got a great kicker in Tucker but went for him a little earlier than I would have. However, at the end of the day, Mike likely has a plan in place so only he knows what his team will look like in the grind of the season.

Virginia Kuppcakes

I’m ‘truly disappointed in this team: Al sat there with the ability to draft Cooper Kupp, his team’s namesake, and chose not to. I’m not saying his team is cursed, but… ya never know. His team on paper does look good: good backs in DJ and Mixon (sorry Mixon It Up) and a good receiving core in Thielen and Cooks (both did wonders for me last year). He also added Sloppy and has Mitchell as his backup which could get him into trouble.

Mr. 305 saw his Canes go down last night but had to bounce back and get his Fantasy hat on. He started his action by taking Hopkins with his first pick, an unsurprising play. Al continued to take WRs who, perhaps last year, would all be star-studded but now come with their own issues: AB may not play; can Alshon sync up with Carson Wentz, unlike last year? Damien has a lot on his shoulders with the departure of Kareem and Kenyan has a good back behind him. Either way, we all knew Vinny was going to a Dolphin.

Wilmore Cinderella

Cabana Boy himself. JP was a good sport during the day with his tux but how did his team matchup? He started off his draft by taking Mike Thomas and then added guys like Conner, Ertz, Lindsay, and Diggs. There’s a lot of talent on this team but their success is going to be found in repeating what they did last year. JP was worried throughout the draft as players were stolen from him right before he picked. Like an actual team, good quarterback play is important, and Cam is in a walking boot and on a subpar team, can he produce? Will JP bounce back to championship form or return to his Cabana Boy ways?

Kalabar’s Revenge

G’s team was full of surprises. With his first two picks, he took Le’Veon and Juju with his first two picks and then kind of splashed around throughout the draft. He picked up guys like Sammy, Royce, and Kittle and then took three positions earlier than most. G took Mahomes, his D, and Greg the Leg earlier than their projected draft location but he knew what he wanted. We’ll see if that pays off and we’re getting into Spooky Season.

Hank Mardukas

I’ll say this: this doesn’t look like the Scott of old. Scott is led by his three horsemen of running backs: Dalvin, Jacobs, and Guice. Scott did a good job of taking guys right before me, which was beyond frustrating. He did take guys like Davante (yuck), Golladay (looking to continue his success from last year), and Engram (looking to fill the role OBJ left without getting hurt again). We’re all interested to see if these guys perform as they should or, because their on Scott’s team, they’ll perform like some schmucks.

El Commish

I’ll say what we’re all thinking: I hate my team. With my first two picks, I’m very content (Julio and Kelce). I’ll die on the Travis Kelce Hill before I stop drafting him. I really need Henry and Tevin to really step it up for me this year. I know what I’m getting with Julian but there are still plenty of questions with my current lineup.

The Perfect Ten

E got the spot he wanted. He wanted that bookend pick and made some interesting picks with it. Starting off with guys like OBJ and Tyreek, E got his WRs taken care of early. He then went with Mark Ingram and Sony in his backfield, two guys who have potential but often finding themselves in a crowded backfield. E does have a lot of talent on his bench that, if they can produce, will move into his weekly lineup.

Good luck gentlemen and may your seasons be fruitful. Your beloved Commissioner, Jared R. Mosqueda

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wiersema1 · 7 years

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Those that know me best know that college football is truly my favorite sport. You know what gets me pumped for college football season? I absolutely L-O-V-E ESPN’s countdown of their Top 25 Games of last season. They do this every year in July and August as they prep for the upcoming season on the gridiron. When they started their countdown, I happened to catch the 23rd best game of 2016, #23 Florida St. at #10 Miami from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL.

By the way, have you seen the revamped Hard Rock Stadium? Hard Rock Stadium might confuse you, but this is the place that used to be known under the following seven names: Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Land Shark Stadium, and Sun Life Stadium. For the first time, it is finally a great looking park. They added a partial roof which must help against that scorching Florida sun. Anyway, it looks like a place I’d enjoy checking out a game.

Someday. But for now, I’m driving my son to closer stadiums. This Autumn…..Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana where we’ll see the beloved Huskers of Nebraska at Purdue on October 28.

I know……..not too exciting but it’s all part of seeing each and every B1G stadium. So far I’ve been to games at Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and of course Nebraska and Illinois. I’ve also been to Minnesota and Indiana on non-game days. So that leaves us with Ohio St., Penn St., Maryland, Michigan St., Rutgers, and of course, Purdue.

So here is the list of ESPN’s Top 25 games of 2016:

#25 – Florida St. 45 vs Ole Miss 34 – An offensive explosion. The QB’s in this one, Deondre Francois for FSU and Chad Kelly for Ole Miss inspired both teams to dream of the National Championship. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, Kelly was injured in his 9th game. They went 4-5 in his 9 starts but the offense wasn’t the problem for the Rebels. Their defense allowed 34.0 ppg! As for Francois, he played like a freshman at times, but a wonderfully talented freshman. Going into ’17, Francois is a Heisman contender and FSU is a National Championship contender, starting the season ranked #3.

#24 – Toledo 53 at BYU 55 – Brigham Young’s RB Jamaal Williams ran for 286 yards and 5 TD in this crazy 55-53 victory. This brought back shades of the ‘Wild Wild WAC’ days of yesteryear.

#23 – Pittsburgh 36 at North Carolina 37 – Both Pitt and UNC played in plenty of tight games in ’16. This one was no different.

#22 – Alabama 10 at LSU 0 – I don’t remember watching this one last year (or this year). Maybe I’m just all “Bama’d” out. Does this ten to nothing shutout surprise you? This was a typical SEC slobberknocker, I’m guessing.

#21 – N.C. State 17 at Clemson 24 (OT) – How many tight games did Clemson win in 2016? They won seven games by 7 points or less. They lost one. Spoiler alert! They finished as National Champions with a 14-1 record. That makes tight victories like this all the more important. When the Wolfpack took them to Overtime last October, it improved a shaky Clemson team to 7-0 with 4 tight wins. Most people were wondering what in the world was going on with them. I’ll tell you what was going on. They were forging bonds during tough, hard-fought wins that ultimately propelled them to legends.

#20 Central Michigan 30 at Oklahoma St. 27 – Games like this are what makes college football a special game. Remember this one? CMU threw a Hail Mary after Okie St. was penalized for throwing the ball out-of-bounds on a 4th down as time ran out. The refs wrongly gave CMU one un-timed down because of the Cowboys intentional grounding. So what do you think was gonna happen? Central Michigan caught the Hail Mary, the WR ran it all the way into the end zone after catching it in play and making an incredible run. CMU won! As for Oklahoma State?…….Talk about getting hosed!!!! They finished 11-2……I mean 10-3 doh! The NCAA referees acknowledged their mistake after the game but to no avail. You can’t open up Pandora’s box afterwards.

PS: A similar play happened here in Illinois in the IHSA high school state playoffs between Fenwick and Plainfield North. I know! What is wrong with these referees! If you don’t know for sure, get out the rulebook and consult with IHSA officials or Athletic Directors or somebody before you end up forcing a judge to sit through a courtroom case brought about by a lawsuit. In this case, Fenwick got hosed, losing 18-17 in OT! I can’t believe this really happened twice within a couple of months! Who got screwed more? I vote for Fenwick. They lost a playoff game whereas Oklahoma St. only lost a non-conference game that luckily, ultimately, didn’t derail their championship hopes. As for Fenwick, I’ll be cheering for them this Autumn.

#19 LSU 13 at Auburn 18 – Oh my God! Reliving these fantastic games is wonderful. Remember this one? In what turned out to be Coach Les “The Hat” Miles’ last game as LSU head coach, the Tigers (which one?) thought they threw a game-ending 15 yard TD pass. But wait! The officials reviewed it and determined that the snap on the last play was too late. The game clock had indeed just barely run out before the Tigers’ (which one?) center snapped the ball prior to the miraculous game winner. So who won? The Tigers……naturally. (ICYMI, Auburn’s ‘War Eagle’ won……naturally rather than the LSU “Geaux” Tigers. People wonder why our youth are so confused. I’m confused both reading AND writing this column. Whatever man, “This is the SEC!” I could probably delve into a whole sub-article here about academics in the B1G (Big Ten) vs the SEC but I’ll spare you.) Thanks Dutch!

#18 Ohio St. 30 at Wisconsin 23 (OT) – This was a solid B1G game. This column is getting too long so I’ll refrain from commenting on this one. Oh wait. I have a question for you: Is “Jump Around” a tradition? I mean, this tradition started based on a lousy 90s rap/crap/hip-hop song from 1992? Is that a tradition? Maybe the B1G is dumber, and closer to the SEC, than I thought. I know what you’re thinking……all my Wisky friends are enraged and throwing a fit right now, and possibly “unfollowing” the Dutch Lion concurrently.

#17 Florida St. 20 at Miami 19 – This one brought back memories of earlier games in this once national series but 2016’s edition was not a truly fantastic matchup. It’s good clean hate but it lacks the buildup of what it once was…..one of the greatest meaningful rivalries that the entire nation watched with eyes wide open. Did someone say “wide”, as in “Wide Right!”?

#16 Michigan 13 at Iowa 14 – Great game! Michigan had a perfect 9-0 record, ranked #2 going into Iowa City. Iowa was #1 (you’re dreaming again, of 1985!) In 2016 Iowa was unranked but primed for an upset of Jim Harbaugh. Is Iowa Jim Harbaugh’s kryptonite? Nonetheless, outside of the Hawkeyes current struggles, it was “Shades of 1985!” Seriously, it was eerie. Here’s a column I wrote last Autumn, detailing one of my all-time favorite college games that made me love the sport forever:

“How weird is it that Iowa beat Michigan 14-13 in almost the same way with almost the same score as when they beat Michigan 12-10 in 1985????

My favorite upset of the day was definitely Iowa over Michigan because it brought back so many memories of the epic 1985 #1 vs #2 matchup in Iowa City. It was October 19, 1985. I remember that day well for being 31 years ago. It’s like “Back to the Future”. I was a 10-year-old raking leaves on a cloudy, overcast, rainy October day in the Midwest.

The weather in Iowa City, IA was pretty much the same as Lake Zurich, IL on that day. You had CBS, you had Brent Musburger, you had Chuck Long quarterbacking one team while Jim Harbaugh QB’d the other. Boy, Chuck Long had an arm, huh! You could hear the pads popping the way they did in that era, especially when you had a wet field. For some reason, the pads “popped” differently back then.

You had Ronnie Harmon and Larry Station. I mean seriously, how GOOD was Ronnie Harmon! You had Jamie Morris. You had Bo Schembechler vs Hayden Fry! You had NO instant replay and Iowa’s #87 Scott Helverson got HOSED in the back of the end zone.

You had Rob Houghtlin, making 4 of 5 FG’s including the game winner for Iowa to win 12-10. He was allowed to use the tee. Do you guys remember that placekickers were allowed to use tees? I know, right?

You had that weird moment in time in which the QB could “complain” to the refs about crowd noise and the ref would actually STOP the game and tell the crowd to be quiet so that the QB could communicate with his teammates. I KNOW, RIGHT! Can you believe this actually was a rule for a brief moment in time?!? (I need to look into that further. Did the NFL impose that rule? For how many years? How subjective was it?) Harbaugh was complaining to the refs for parts of that game that made it drag. It was SUPER DUMB! What were the refs supposed to do? Do they penalize Iowa for….the fans being too loud? I want an ESPN 30 for 30 short about this strange story.

Nonetheless, don’t let that ruin your experience. It ended up being such a great day for the Big Ten, for College Football on CBS, for Ara Parseghian (God bless his soul as he just recently passed away) as the “color” man next to Brent. It was great for our Nation’s Heartland. Remember the struggles of the farming community in the mid-80s? Iowa’s farmers actually had an “ANF” logo on the Iowa helmets…..”America Needs Farmers”. I know, right!

Add it all up and it almost makes you want to become an Iowa fan……well, it wasn’t THAT cool 😉 I’m just kidding. It was really, really cool and near the top of my list of cool 80s college football memories.”

(For some reason, footage of this great game is hard to find. Stephen Barnett has most of the old great games posted as FULL games on Youtube.) Thank you Stephen. You’re a video God.)

1985 looks about the same as….

Iowa 14 Michigan 13 in 2016.

#15 North Carolina 37 at Florida St. 35 – I don’t think I watched this one live, unlike most of the games on this list. Now that the Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky, I have extra interest. Check it out and scout #10 in powder blue!

#14 Arkansas 41 at TCU 38 (2OT)

#13 Army 21 vs Navy 17 – This rivalry is so special. Lately, Navy wins almost every year. Not last year. Army broke a long, 14 game losing streak, winning 21-17. I watch it just to see the passion of the cadets and the midshipmen. Who cares who wins? Well, Army and Navy vets do. My buddy Bush is an Army guy. “Go Army, Beat Navy!” My buddy Thomas Sullivan Magnum, P.I. is a Navy guy. “Go Navy, Beat Army!”

#12 Tennessee 38 at Texas A&M 45 (2OT) – Another nutty game. Go watch it. You’ll see.

#11 Orange Bowl: Florida St. 33 vs Michigan 32 – I remember Michigan DE Taco Charlton ripping guys heads off. FSU won on Francois’s game-winning TD pass with 36 seconds left.

#10 Clemson 37 at Florida St. 34 – Fantastic game! The Tigers and Seminoles have such a long-lasting rivalry and it continues to play out better than ever the last few years. Both are National Title contenders as of late and they always seem to play tight ballgames. This is one of the newest great rivalries that isn’t getting enough hype. The winner of this game has won the ACC Atlantic Division Championship how many years in a row? The answer is 8. Every year since 2009. Each team has won 4 times. It’s probably gonna happen again in 2017, this time in Death Valley, South Carolina on November 11. Look for this year’s version to make next year’s Top 25……again.

#9 Alabama 48 at Ole Miss 43 – The Ole Miss Rebels seem to be the only team that can hang with the Crimson Tide the last few years. Last year, Ole Miss had a huge 24-3 lead, but then what happened? Oh, you know!

#8 Ohio St. 21 at Penn St. 24 – I was all geared up for this one. Good game in the 3rd quarter. Then all of a sudden the Chicago Cubs won the NL for the first time since 1945. All the local stations including ABC-7 (the only station showing OSU at PSU) decided they had to show the bozos celebrating in the streets. Ok. I’ll watch that for a minute or two. But ruin the entire, amazing 4th quarter comeback by PSU in Happy Valley? Call me furious! What a shame. Thanks for ruining an electric game atmosphere by showing people looting and pouring beers all over their idiot friends because their lovable losers finally won a league for the first time in 72 years. PSU! More like P-U. You stink!

#7 Notre Dame 47 at Texas 50 (2OT) – Good opening weekend capper on Labor Day weekend. Who is better, Malik Zaire or DeShone Kizer? Hmmmmm. Kizer threw for 5 TD. Zaire……he stunk more than Cubs fans. Who stunk more than Zaire? Head Coach Brian Kelly! If he had just declared Kizer the starter prior to the game, they may have avoided not only this loss but 7 others throughout that disastrous 2016 season. Coaches have off years too. Kelly admits he did a poor job in ’16. Another bad year soon and as the Hawk says, “He Gone!”

#6 Tennessee 34 at Georgia 31 – I’ve seen the end a billion times, but I’m still dying to watch the entire game that led up to that crazy ending. I have it saved on the DVR. Both teams’ fans were dumbstruck in the last minute. Spoiler alert…..not one but two Hail Mary’s!!!

#5 Louisville 36 at Clemson 42 – This game had one of the greatest buildups I’ve ever seen on television! Did you watch this? It was an ABC Saturday Night classic. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit were there and ABC showed the traditional Clemson run down the hill and touching Howard’s Rock. What made this one unique was ABC had cameras outside in the street showing the bus that drove the players and Coach Dabo Swinney to the entrance gates above Howard’s Rock. Incredible intensity! (start watching at about 10 minutes in until at least the end of Louisville’s 1st series at about 21 minutes in) I felt like I was there. Honestly, the crowd and atmosphere brewed up one of the top experiences I’ve ever seen on TV. I had it saved preciously on my AT&T U-Verse DVR until those AT&T bozos screwed up and lost all my recordings earlier this Summer. Thanks AT&T! Rather, thank god for Youtube. I NEED to attend a Clemson night game someday to experience this in person. Nonetheless, this game at #5 on the countdown, will live in my memory, hopefully forever.

#4 Pittsburgh 43 at Clemson 42 – How many times was Clemson on this Top 25 list? The answer is five, with four in the top 10! That’s insane and hard to believe. That’s what makes them all the more important, knowing that they won the Championship. When DeShaun Watson threw a late interception on a bad pass into the end zone, I recall thinking, “DeShaun will just not be a good pro QB”. Then as the NFL Draft approached, I desperately wanted the Chicago Bears to take Watson 3rd overall. As it turned out, I’m really happy the Bears selected North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky. Meanwhile, Houston drafted Watson and the whole time since, I keep thinking about that Pitt interception.

#3 Michigan 27 at Ohio St. 30 (2OT) – Wow! This was a really great game. Double Overtime!! Incredibly tough defense throughout most of the game as regulation ended with a 17-17 tie. Ohio St. won 30-27 with some controversial measurements, penalty calls, LACK of penalty calls. Everyone was talking about Coach Jim Harbaugh’s ranting on the sidelines. Well, he’s a Bo Schembechler guy and after some of these referees calls, Jimmy is http://widgets.boxxspring.com/MjA1NSw0MDUzNzM1OA” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>bitter…..bitter!

I don’t blame Harbaugh. I would’ve been stretched to my limits if I was a Michigan man too. We’re already beginning to see shades of the “Ten Year War”! Depending on the length of the Harbaugh/Meyer Era, we have just embarked on what will likely go down as the “Ten Year War: Part 2”. So far, Urban Meyer leads 2-0. When will Harbaugh “put one on the board”? I’m betting on ’17. The game is in Ann Arbor on November 25.

#2 Rose Bowl: Penn St. 49 vs USC 52 – This could’ve been the best game of the year. Every time I watch and re-watch I’m just amazed by this nutty game. Ultimately, Trace McSorley was a little too aggressive, throwing 3 interceptions and showing his sophomore inexperience as PSU’s first time starting quarterback as they were outscored 17-0 in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, over on the other sideline USC sophomore QB Sam Darnold was proving why he’s a top option for next year’s NFL Draft. He threw for 453 yards and 5 TD in one of the all-time greatest Rose Bowls.

#1 National Championship: Clemson 35 vs Alabama 31 – ‘Bama hardly ever loses. But when they do, it’s so much fun to enjoy! Hunter Renfrow’s game-winner with 1 second left was the stuff dreams are made of. Congratulations to Watson, Renfrow, Dabo Swinney, and all of the Clemson Tigers fans who have waited since 1981 to experience that National Championship feeling all over again.

So there you have it. Another amazing season. What does 2017 have for us? It all starts this week. Pumped much?

A Summer Tradition: ESPN’s Top 25 College Football Games from last season! Those that know me best know that college football is truly my favorite sport. You know what gets me pumped for college football season?

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packernet · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.packernet.com/blog/2017/04/27/full-7-round-mock-draft-with-trades/

Full 7 Round Mock Draft With Trades

Round 1

1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garret, EDGE, Texas A&M Not the biggest need but the biggest talent. Let’s call it what it is.

2. San Francisco 49ers: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama Edge rusher is a serious need but I’m not a fan of spending a #2 on one of them. Besides, interior is a need as well.

3. Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina I said in my last mock they need to avoid this pick. I also said they are a team on the rise and, without a quarterback, they don’t have much higher they can go. Glennon will never win you a Super Bowl. Swing away.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU Thanks to some free agent acquisitions, the Jags have a pretty solid defense they can rely on. They could use a pass rusher but their offense is so horrific something has to be done. With a tough defense let’s go the ground and pound route with a giant bruising back.

5. Tennessee Titans from LA Rams: Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama The Titans are close. They have a pretty good team and are climbing the ranks fast. One of the areas that could use improvement is at the ILB position. Foster has off the field issues but is he really going to slide that far cause he was overhydrated and got frustrated while waiting in line?

I guess the question is, do the Titans want a Super Bowl ring or not?

6. TRADE: Carolina Panthers from Jets: Ryan Ramczyk, OL, Wisconsin The Jets need a lot of things, the biggest being quarterback. Because QB’s drop and the Jets need more picks, they accept a trade from the Panthers.

The Panthers jump the Chargers because they really need a tackle. The Chargers do to. It makes sense.

Panthers get Jets 1st round pick (6) and 3rd round compensatory pick (107) Jets get Panthers 1st round pick (8) and 2nd round pick (64)

7. LA Chargers: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State The Chargers are understandably furious about the Panthers trade. Ryan Ramczyk was so close they could smell him and just like that, stolen. Although O-line is still the biggest need by far the talent level at DB is too good to pass up at this point in the draft

8. New York Jets from Carolina Panthers: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama The Jets desperately need a QB but word on the street is that the Jets aren’t looking to reach. Taking one here is a reach. They were able to acquire additional picks with the trade and now have the ability to upgrade their tight end position. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins simply won’t do.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida St. A seemingly strange pick, the Bengals do need to do better running the ball. Word is, the Bengals are interested in Fournette if he were to fall. He didn’t but Cook is there and I can’t see what the objection would be.

10. Buffalo Bills: Jamal Adams, S, LSU Micah Hyde was a big acquisition and is no doubt expected to start day 1. Still, the adding of Adams should put the Bills in a good position in terms of DB, especially if they grab a corner later on. They also are probably grabbing the best player available.

11. New Orleans Saints: Solomon Thomas, EDGE, Stanford The Saints seem determined to find an edge rusher. Although I can’t really see why they want that over a corner, I’m anticipating they grab the best edge rusher available. I believe that man is Solomon Thomas

12. Cleveland Browns from Philadelphia Eagles: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State By taking the top talent available, the Browns now have two instant impact players on the defense. Lattimore will get paired with Jamar Taylor to create a pretty solid corner duo.

13. Arizona Cardinals: David Njoku, TE, Miami The Cardinals still have a good team. The wheels haven’t come off just yet. If they can get a few more pieces they will be right back in the playoffs in 2017.

Of the holes that need filling, none are more serious than tight end. They effectively don’t have one. David Njoku provides a massive upgrade to an already scary offense.

14. Philadelphia Eagles from Minnesota Vikings: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama The Eagles are in a really bad way in the corner position. The pick seems too easy.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky The Colts offensive line has been the punch line to a lot of jokes but they’ve actually improved a good amount. Adding Lamp gives them at least 4 good lineman. Left tackle would be the last question mark.

16. Baltimore Ravens: Taco Charlton, EDGE, Michigan All due respect to Terrell Suggs, the man is going to be 35 this year. You can’t have a 35 year old guy as your only true edge presence.

17. Washington Redskins: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State Josh Norman was a good grab. Unfortunately you need more than 1 corner. The Redskins don’t have more than that.

18. Tennessee Titans: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson Fortunately for the Titans, receivers aren’t expected to go very quickly in 2017. By adding Williams the Titans add some talent opposite Rishard Matthews and fill one of their few pressing needs. Williams seems to have the Titans eye which is why I chose him over one of the other guys.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Derek Barnett, EDGE, Tennessee The Buccs need to get Ayers a little help because he’s it. If Barnett can perform, the Buccs should have a stout front.

20. Denver: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford It seems insane not to go offensive line but there are some factors. First, they really need a running back and McCaffrey is not only the best available but the Broncos really like him. Second, there are a few other rounds. Third, they seem to have their sights set on Julie’n Davenport in the later rounds.

21. TRADE: Seattle Seahawks from Detroit Lions: Cam Robinson, OL, Alabama The Seahawks are beyond desperate for an offensive lineman and rumor has it they have their eye on Robinson. The Lions needs don’t really fit anything here so the trade makes sense.

Seahawks get Lions 1st round (21) Lions get Seahawks 1st (26), 3rd round comp (106), 6th (210)

22. Miami Dolphins: Zach Cunningham, ILB, Vanderbilt The Dolphins really like him. He’s available. The value isn’t fantastic but it’s not horrible, and he fills a huge need.

23. New York Giants: Deshone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame Eli is getting older and he isn’t getting any better. The Giants have a young group of talented receivers and need to find the quarterback of the future before it’s too late.

24. Oakland Raiders: Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan St. Cam Robinson would have been my pick here if not for the Seahawks trade. The Raiders are 1 tackle away from a dominant offensive line. That said, they boys need help on defense. Specifically, they need interior lineman or linebackers. Linebackers aren’t really a value here but there is this guy named Malik. He’s an absolute force up the middle and will give quarterbacks fits.

25. Houston Texans: Patrick Mahomes II, QB, Texas Tech Tom Savage simply will not do. Unless they plan to make a trade of some kind they need to find a quarterback or the season is over already.

26. Detroit Lions from Seattle Seahawks: Caleb Brantley, DL, Florida Caleb Brantley got himself in a bit of trouble. As the details become more clear, Brantley could drop and drop far. As of right now I have the Lions filling a huge need with a great player but don’t be surprised if he falls to the middle rounds or later.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan Jeremy Maclin was a good attempt at fixing a problem but it fell short. They need more help in that department. Corey Davis should do just fine.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Charles Harris, EDGE, Missouri The Cowboys are in a great position right now with an incredible amount of young talent. The one area they could use some help is edge rusher. Harris should help.

29. Green Bay Packers: Teez Tabor, CB, Florida It’s hard to get around it. The Packers need a corner probably more than any other team. There are a lot of them so there’s no excuse not to make improvements. Tabor is seen has a low floor but a high ceiling.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin Similar to the Ravens, the Steelers have 1 edge rush threat and he’s 900 years old. They need to make a move.

31. Atlanta Falcons: Adoree Jackson, CB, USC Corner isn’t a huge need but the Falcons really like Jackson. Considering he may be the best talent available it’s a relatively easy pick.

32. New Orleans Saints from New England Patriots: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson The Saints love Watson and need to look for a successor to Brees at some point. Drafting him in the beginning of the first is a stretch but snagging him before the start of the second makes a lot of sense.

Round 2

1 (33). Cleveland Browns: John Ross, WR, Washington The Browns have added the top edge rusher, the top corner, and now they add the new 40 yard dash record holder. All three are positions of need as well as best available players. Not a bad start.

2 (34). San Francisco 49ers: Takkarist McKinnley, EDGE, UCLA The 49ers got a huge boost in the middle of the defense with Allen but desperately need someone to put pressure on the QB. Takkarist is arguable the best available option.

3 (35). Jacksonville Jaguars: Haason Reddick, EDGE, Temple The Jaguars got a big boost on offense with Fournette but need a pass rusher. Reddick is probably the only other rusher considered a potential 1st round pick. It’s now or never.

4 (36). Chicago Bears: Sydney Jones, CB, Washington The Bears GM mentioned a desire to upgrade their corners. They currently have three that grade out as average so it isn’t a dire need. With that they grab a guy that is considered one of the best corners in the draft that fell due to an injury that will hold him out year one. Starting in 2018 the Bears have a top corner.

5 (37). Los Angeles Rams: Dan Feeney, OL, Indiana The Rams really want an offensive lineman. Feeney is a fantastic guard that should be an instant starter. Hopefully it will help get Gurley going.

6 (38). Los Angeles Chargers: Garett Bolles, OL, Utah Mahomes was certainly the plan at 38 but if you can’t replace him, why not try to protect him. The Chargers line is an issue every year. It’s time to fix it.

7 (39). New York Jets: Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn The pick largely has to do with value. Lawson is a first round talent that fits the mold of a Jets 3-4 outside linebacker.

8 (40). Carolina Panthers: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee Panthers GM David Gettleman made it clear the Panthers will be looking to add a running back in the draft. Kamara is a fantastic addition.

9 (41). Cincinnati Bengals: Dawuane Smoot, EDGE, Illinois Offensive line is a huge need but it will have to wait. The Bengals need help on the edge and Smoot is a monster.

10 (42). New Orleans Saints: Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan The Saints continue to build up the defense this time grabbing a players whos name has very quietly snuck up the draft boards.

11 (43). Philadelphia Eagles: Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut The Eagles really like Melifonwu and he’s a great value here. It may seem odd with 2 solid safeties but Malcolm Jenkins will be 30 this year.ad

12 (44). Buffalo Bills: Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida The Bills added Micah Hyde in the offseason, Jamal Adams in the first, and now Quincy Wilson in the 2nd. If the Bills don’t have the best seconday in the NFL in 2017 it will be a disappointment.

13 (45). Arizona Cardinals: Jarrad Davis, ILB, Florida Davis is a monster in the middle of the field. The Cardinals have two linebackers that are serviceable but they need help.

14 (46). Indianapolis Colts: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan The Colts need a safety and one of the most electrifying players, one who happens to be a safety, is quietly waiting to hear his name called. Fortunately for the Colts, his “dilute” drug test caused him to fall a little.

If he doesn’t pan out, he can help with their thin linebacker group. They could also make him a receiver… or running back… or coach.

15 (47). Baltimore Ravens: Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU The Ravens have quite a few aging corners but a few young guys to be optimistic about. If they hit on White here they might be good at the position for a long time.

16 (48). Minnesota Vikings: Pat Elflein, OL, Ohio State The Vikings offense needs help. Specifically they need to be able to run the ball. By adding Elflein as a center, Berger and Boon can play guard and help solidify the center of the line. Still short a couple tackles, it’s a good start.

17 (49). Washington Redskins: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss Reed is a freak but he plays 30 seconds per year. Vernon Davis is 400 years old. Hyperbole aside, Engram is a solid tight end.

18 (50). Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma The Buccaneers are expected to go heavy offense in rounds 1 and 2. In 1 I have them taking a stud pass rusher. In 2 they grab possibly the best back in the country.

He has issues off the field but so did Jameis. The Buccs feel confident they can bank on rolling the dice once again.

19 (51). Denver Broncos: Larry Ogunjobi, DL, Charlotte The need for defensive line is almost as pressing as their need for offensive line. Ogunjobi is the better value.

20 (52). Cleveland Browns from Tennessee Titans: Tim Williams, EDGE, Alabama The Browns are having an impressive draft. Williams slipped pretty far down the board and right into the lap of the Browns who would love to have his services. 21 (53). Detroit Lions: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado There are quite a few talented corners that are available. The Lions are the first to strike in the second round providing needed depth behind Slay and Lawson. 22 (54). Miami Dolphins: Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson The rush is on now. Similar to the Lions, there are several needs but corner talent is too good to pass up. Tankersley will bring some needed depth.

23 (55). New York Giants: Desmond King, DB, Iowa The Giants secondary was fantastic last year but they need depth and they need youth. Desmond King is another fantastic corner/safety in the 2017 draft class. 24 (56). Oakland Raiders: Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State The Raiders desperately needed help on the defensive line and at linebacker. They got two great picks in rounds 1 and 2. 25 (57). Houston Texans: Dion Dawkins, OL, Temple The Texans are another team in need of some O-line help. The guards in particular are lacking in the skill department. Dion Dawkins should provide an instant boost. 26 (58). Seattle Seahawks: Taylor Moton, OL, Western Michigan Seahawks go back to back offensive line. Moton is a tackle that is thought to be a better guard in the NFL. Fortunately it doesn’t matter for the Seahawks because they need both.

27 (59). Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan If the Chiefs expect to get their defenses back on top they had better plan to add some bodies to the defensive line. Wormley is a good start. Might need another though.

28 (60). Dallas Cowboys: Kevin King, CB, Washington The Dallas offense is a terrifying thing. So far in the draft the Cowboys are looking to make their defense equally as terrifying adding much needed depth.

29 (61). TRADE: San Francisco 49ers from Green Bay Packers: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA Moreau is considered by some to be a first round talent. If a team agrees it makes sense to grab him as he falls to the end of the second.

The 49ers need help all over and corner is no exception.

49ers get Packers 2nd round (61) Packers get 49ers 3rd round (66) and 5th (146)

30 (62). Pittsburgh Steelers: Gerald Everett, TE, Ashland The Steelers need a tight end. A good thing since Everett is possibly the top player available. 31 (63). Atlanta Falcons: Adam Shaheen, TE, South Alabama It’s more of a value pick than a need pick but Austin Hooper isn’t exactly Gronk. If Shaheen is even half as good in the pros as he was in college he will somehow make the best offense in the NFL even better. 32 (64). New York Jets from Carolina Panthers: Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado The Jets could use the depth at corner and reportedly really like Witherspoon. He could possibly fall to them in the third but if the Jets think he’s a good value at 64 they won’t risk it.

Round 3

1 (65). Cleveland Browns: Budda Baker, S, Washington This is the Browns 5th pick and the 3rd round just started. So far they’ve added two amazing pass rushers, the top corner, the new 40 time record holder at WR, and now a top safety. I know it’s the Browns but wow… if you were ever going to be optimistic about their season it would be 2017.

2 (66). Green Bay Packers from San Francisco 49ers: Tyus Bowser, EDGE, Alabama The Packers added a pick and probably didn’t lose their target. Anderson will make a great addition to the Packers thin OLB group.

3 (67). Chicago Bears: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC When a team drafts a quarterback of the future they always want to go out and get him a shiny new WR. The Bears waited a whole 2 rounds to find Trubisky his toy.

JuJu may not be the best available but there also seems to be a trend with getting new quarterbacks big physical receivers. JuJu certainly is that type of player.

4 (68.) Jacksonville Jaguars: Dorian Johnson, OL, Pittsburgh The Jaguars build a strong defense in the offseason. The offense, however, is a mess. They added a RB which should help but they need an offensive line or it will all be for not. Dorian will help fortify the guard position.

5 (69). Los Angeles Rams: Curtis Samuel, WR, Ohio State The Rams are expected to look to WR in round 2. Samuel is a great value and also doubles as a RB which has to be a little tempting to the Rams considering their struggles in that phase of their game. 6 (70). TRADE: Arizona Cardinals from New York Jets: Davis Webb, QB, California The Cardinals have met with a slew of quarterbacks and seem hell bent on finding the next signal caller in Arizona. The last player left to draft that they met with (twice, once was a private meeting in AZ) is Davis Webb. With the Chargers up next it’s now or never.

Cardinals get Jets 3rd (70) Jets get Chargers 3rd (77), 5th (157), and 6th (197) 7 (71). Los Angeles Chargers: Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington For the second time in three rounds a team trades up for the sole purpose of stealing from the Chargers. If they can’t replace Rivers, they’ll at least try to make his last year his best year.

8 (72). New England Patriots from Carolina Panthers: Demarcus Walker, EDGE, The Patriots make their first pick in the 2017 NFL draft and they immediately attack one of their few weak points. Although players like Tyus Bowser are more well known, Walker fits the prototypical Patriots DE mold.

9 (73). Cincinnati Bengals: Tarell Basham, EDGE, Ohio The Bengals have Carlos Dunlap but nothing else on the edge. Going back to back isn’t a shock. The Bengals love Basham, he’s available, let’s do it!

10 (74). Baltimore Ravens from Philidelphia Eagles: Ethan Pocic, OL, LSU The Ravens need line help and the top guy fell quite a bit because he’s a center (or so I presume). The Ravens need help at the position and actually met with Pocic at the Senior Bowl. It’s a good match.

11 (75). Buffalo Bills: Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma The Bills have focused on defense and will still need work but there are quite a few good options at WR available. Considering their only real WR threat wasn’t much of a threat last year, they need to get Taylor some help. 12 (76). New Orleans Saints: Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo The Saints had a meeting with Hunt at his pro day. They need help in a lot of areas but RB makes sense here. 13 (77). New York Jets: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State One of the perks of needing help everywhere is the ability to draft for value and need at with every pick. Godwin is largely seen as a 2nd round pick so he’s a great value at 77. He also has a shot at being the top receiver for the Jets… By default mostly but still.

14 (78). Baltimore Ravens: Josh Jones, S, NC State The Ravens met with Jones and he fell right in their lap in the third round. They already have a solid duo but Weddle is 32 years old. 15 (79). Minnesota Vikings: Antonio Garcia, OL, Troy The Vikings have only made 2 picks so far and both are offensive line. Garcia will fill 1 of the two tackle spots but they still have work to do. 16 (80). Indianapolis Colts: Jordan Willis, EDGE, Kansas State Willis will be the true test of Pro Football Focus. They have Willis as the number 5 edge rusher and number 19 overall. If he plays like a 1st round pick, they deserve a lot of credit and the Colts will have the steal of the draft. If not they may need to tweak their formula. 17 (81). Washington Redskins: ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama The Redskins lost some talent at WR and will need to reload. 18 (82). Denver Broncos: Julie’n Davenport, OL, Bucknell Davenport is a boom or bust player. Some teams see him as a great tackle in the NFL, others don’t think he’ll be able to play at all at an NFL level. The Broncos aparently really like him.

19 (83). Tennessee Titans: Marcus Williams, S, Utah As I mentioned, the Titans are on a pretty solid footing. There might be picks that would better fit a need but why reach? It’s what failing teams do. You’re team is pretty good now. Time to start acting like it. Williams is the top guy. Take him. 20 (84). Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina It feels weird to say this but DeSean Jackson is 30 years old. I’m sure he’ll infuse some life into the offense but this is a team built for the future. Behind Jackson is Adam Humphries. They need a guy like Zay. 21 (85). Detroit Lions: Montravius Adams, DL, Auburn The Lions already grabbed a stud in Caleb Brantley but even if he’s a great tackle, he’s the only one. Adams makes a pair. 22 (86). Minnesota Vikings from Miami Dolphins: Marcus Maye, S, Florida Sendejo had his best year last year but that really isn’t a huge compliment. He’s okay but they can do better.

23 (87). New York Giants: Jaleel Johnson, DL, Iowa Damon Harrison is 29 and is all the Giants really have to brag about along the defensive line.

24 (88). Oakland Raiders: D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas Foreman blew people away with his 40 time, despite being over 230 pounds. Still, Foreman slipped to the third which works out great for the Raiders who lost Latavius Murray. 25 (89). Houston Texans: Isaac Asiata, OL, Utah Back to back guards seems strange on the surface but there is method to the madness. First, the Texans have to have the worst guard duo in the NFL so both need a replacement. They just drafted a quarterback so protecting him is paramount, and two guards will certainly help in the run game, which struggled far more than it should have. 26 (90). Seattle Seahawks: Dalvin Tomlinson, DL, Alabama Jarran Reed wasn’t a very good selection. So let’s try again with an Alabama defensive lineman. 27 (91). Kansas City Chiefs: Elijah Qualls, DL, Washington The Chiefs added Wormley at defensive end but need an upgrade at the nose tackle position. Qualls is a big enough man to handle it. 28 (92). Dallas Cowboys: Jake Butt, TE, Michigan Yes Witten got an extension but he’s 34 and is a shell of his former self. Butt is a good enough talent to play week 1. 29 (93). Green Bay Packers: Alex Anzalone, LB, Florida Anzolone is a gifted player but has some injury issues that caused him to fall. The Packers need to be better at linebacker and Anzolone’s upside is too good to pass up. 30 (94). Pittsburgh Steelers: Malachi Dupri, WR, LSU Antonio Brown is the man. Nobody is doubting that. What they don’t have is a solid number two. There are a few different options available at pick 94 but Dupri is a big body receiver at 6’3. Sort of a ying to Brown’s 5’10 yang.

31 (95). Atlanta Falcons: Ryan Anderson, EDGE, Villanova The Falcons have done a lot to improve their front. They’ve made strides but aren’t quite there yet. 32 (96). New England Patriots: Cam Sutton, CB, Tennessee Malcolm Butler is solid, Rowe and Gilmore are par at best. Cam Sutton is a great pick at the end of the third. 33 (97.) Miami Dolphins (compensatory): Carlos Watkins, DL, Clemson Ndamukong is paying off but Jordan Phillips is no help whatsoever. They need a big man next to Suh. 34 (98). Carolina Panthers (Compensatory): Chad Hensen, WR, California The Panthers haven’t really done a great job with wide receivers in the draft. Benjamin and Funchess were exciting prospects but neither really every became elite targets. They need to find a guy. 35 (99). Philadelphia Eagles from Baltimore Ravens (Compensatory): Jeremy McNichols, RB, Boise State The Mathews/Sproles duo simply isn’t cutting it. McNichols is a versatile back that plays all over the offense. He’s an elusive weapon that played along side Jay Ajayi. 36 (100). Tennessee Titans from LA Rams (Compensatory): Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech Delanie Walker is a solid tight end but he’s 32 years old. Hodges is a big athletic target that can be paired with Mariota for a long time. 37 (101). Denver Broncos (Compensatory): Justin Evans, S, Texas A&M Unfortunately for the Broncos, most of their needs to meet any available value. That is with the exception of quarterback. Still, the Broncos just drafted Lynch and claim they love Siemian… Value pick it is.

38 (102). Seattle Seahawks (Compensatory): Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia The Legion of Boom is still a lethal entity but behind Sherman there is a noticeable drop off. There is also a lot of talk of a trade and by the time this is published he may not even be with the team. They need to reload. 39 (103). New Orleans Saints from Patriots from Browns (Compensatory): Kendell Beckwith, LB, LSU Making their 5th selection in 3 rounds, the Saints are still in need of a lot of talent. Maybe their biggest need is slightly alleviated with the selection of Beckwith to linebacker. 40 (104). Kansas City Chiefs (Compensatory): Carlos Henderson, WR, LA Tech The Chiefs already added a wide receiver but they started with no real exceptional players at the position. Drafting 2 isn’t really the worst idea. 41 (105). Pittsburgh Steelers (Compensatory): Duke Riley, LB, LSU Shazier is their best linebacker and although he had his first not horrible year, he still isn’t what you would call spectacular. The Steelers need help. 42 (106). TRADE: LA Chargers from Detroit Lions from Seattle Seahawks (Compensatory): Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami Enough is enough. After being robbed twice in the draft, the Chargers decide to make a move to ensure they get their quarterback. Kaaya has fallen far enough.

Chargers get Lions 3rd (106) Lions get Chargers 4th (113), 6th (190)

43 (107). Carolina Panthers from New York Jets (Compensatory): Eddie Vanderdoes, DL, UCLA Star Latulelei was a force in the middle at one point in his career but the last couple years he’s nothing short of a liability. Vanderdoes should be an instant starter.

Round 4

1 (108). Cleveland Browns: Nathan Peterman, QB, Pittsburgh To add to the greatest draft of all time, the Browns now have a quarterback. Peterman is up in the air in terms of talent but if his play at Pitt is a better indication of his talent than his play at Tennessee, he’s going to be a steal in the 4th.

2 (109). San Francisco 49ers: Roderick Johnson, OL, Florida State The 49ers have exactly two lineman that aren’t terrible. Last I checked they need to trot out 5 of them. If they don’t start adding talent by round 4 they are in trouble. 3 (110). Jacksonville Jaguars: Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson I’m not sure what the plan is for 2017 but if it involves tight end they’re going to need to look to the draft. 4 (111). Chicago Bears: Daeshon Hall, EDGE, Texas A&M The Bears don’t have a bad roster but they lack in key positions. They drafted a quarterback and now they have an edge rusher. It’s not likely to make them Super Bowl contenders but if those two picks alone turn out well this will be a new team in 2017… Or whenever they wise up and bench Glennon. 5 (112). Los Angeles Rams: Derek Rivers, EDGE, Youngstown State It’s strange to think the Rams, who are known for defense and just signed Connor Barwin, would need an edge rusher. The reality is, 2016 was a bad year for everyone on the edge for the Rams, including Barwin. Barwin was forced to switch to an unnatural position but even so, he’s never graded out as higher than average according to PFF. 6 (113). Detroit Lions from Los Angeles Chargers: Noah Brown, WR, Ohio State The Lions really just have two receivers. Both are journeymen, both are in their late 20’s, and neither of them is over 200 pounds. Brown gives them the youth and strength to be a force on the field. 7 (114). Washington Redskins from New York Jets: Vincent Taylor, DL, Oklahoma State The Redskins have a good player in Stacy McGee but otherwise are going to struggle with the big boys up front. Considering they need to be rotated in and out, this is a position that needs depth. The Redskins don’t even have 3 starters. This is a crucial pick. 8 (115). Carolina Panthers: Eddie Jackson, S, Alabama Mike Adams is aging like wine but in the end, age wins the battle. At 36 he’ll be calling it quits soon.

Kurt Coleman and Tre Boston aren’t the worst combo but they aren’t the best. Even then, Kurt will be 29 by the start of the season. 9 (116). Cincinnati Bengals: David Sharpe, OL, Florida The Bengals waiting until the 4th round to address their biggest need. Fortunately for them, there are quite a few good options available and they also have a second pick this round… Not sayin’ I’m just sayin’ 10 (117). Chicago Bears from Buffalo Bills: Will Holden, OL, Vanderbilt As I said, quite a few options available. The Bears are doing great on the interior of their line but the tackles could use some work. 12 (118). Philadelphia Eagles: Tyler Orlosky, OL, West Virginia Orlosky is a center extraordinaire. He won’t replace Kelce in year 1 but Kelce and Wisniewski are both getting up in age. He’ll be a welcome addition before long. 13 (119). Green Bay Packers from Arizona Cardinals: Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma It’s been my contention for a long time that Samaje makes a lot of sense for the Packers. He’s been the top back on the board for quite a while. It’s time to go up and get him.

Packers get Cardinals 4th (119) Cardinals get Packers 4th (134), 5th (182)

14 (120). Minnesota Vikings: Anthony Walker Jr, LB, Northwestern In 2015 Anthony Barr was a freak but Kendricks was pretty bad. In 2016 Kendricks was incredible but Barr decided he’d take the year off. If those two could ever sync up, they’ll be an incredible duo. Walker is here if 1 decides he doesn’t want to play. 15 (121). Indianapolis Colts: Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida The Colts need help in a number of areas but they certainly will need to look for a RB of the future at some point. I can’t imagine Turbin is that guy.

16 (122). Baltimore Ravens: Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan The only wide receiver with even a little talent is 30 year old journeyman Mike Wallace. Darboh is a big physical guy that should be able to have an impact. 17 (123). Washington Redskins: Nico Siragusa, OL, San Diego State The Redskins added a quality guard when they drafted Scherff but they could definitely use another. Lauvao is going to be 30 this year and has been a pretty consistent liability. 18 (124). Tennessee Titans: Howard Wilson, CB, Houston The Titans have talent but need depth. Two of the Titans top 3 corners are 30 years old. 19 (125). Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Adam Bisnowaty, OL, Pittsburgh The Buccs need a guard and a tackle pretty badly. Bisnowaty is the best value available of the two groups and should make for a pretty solid tackle. 20 (126). Denver Broncos: Chad Wheeler, OL, USC The Broncos got their man with Davenport but have two of the worst tackles in the NFL. The need to keep digging. 21 (127). TRADE: NY Giants from Detroit Lions: Brian Hill, RB, Wyoming There are two backs that have fallen further than expected. It was just a matter of time before someone jumped up and grabbed one. The Giants, in need of a reliable back, make the move.

Giants get Lions 4th (127) Lions get Giants 4th (140), Giants 6th (207) 22 (128). Minnesota Vikings from Miami Dolphins: Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky Diggs is quite good. Thielen had a good year after two terrible seasons. Regardless of your optimism of Thielen, a third reciever is needed and the Vikings currently have no options. 23 (129). TRADE: S.F. 49ers from Oakland Raiders: Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami Kaaya is the last promising QB prospect and has fallen about as far as a QB hungry team will allow. The 49ers hand over one of their two 6th round picks to get him.

49ers get Raiders 4th round (129) Raiders get 4th round (143), 6th round (202) 24 (130). Houston Texans: Nazair Jones, DL, North Carolina The Texans have some great pieces on defense but a few more could put them over the top. D.J. Reader had a pretty solid first year and with J.J. Watt back, if they can add a solid DE to the group, with Clowney and Mercilus on the edge… c’mon! 25. (131). NE Patriots from Seattle Seahawks: Danny Isidora, OL, Miami Seemingly not the biggest need in the world, the Patriots are 1 guard away from a pretty dominant offensive line. Isidora could put them over the hump. 26 (132). Kansas City Chiefs: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, Florida Atlantic Obviously Hali and Houston are a great duo but they will need to pass the torch before long. Dadi Nicolas has some promise but they need to add some more young talent.

27 (133). Dallas Cowboys: J.J. Dielman, OL, Utah The Cowboys are renowned for their offensive line but lost some key players. Now expected to roll with La’el Collins and Chaz Green, neither of which should instill a lot of confidence. Collins was considered a 1st round prospect so if you’re going to hedge against someone it’d probably be Green. 28 (134). Arizona Cardinals from Green Bay Packers: Jarron Jones, DL, Notre Dame The Cardinals defensive line is a mess. Not one person on the entire depth chart has ever been graded above average at any point in their entire collective careers. Most have been graded poorly. They need a lot of help. Jones is a start.

29 (135). Pittsburgh Steelers: John Johnson, S, Boston College More of a value pick than a need pick but the Steelers aren’t exactly set at the position. They could improve and certainly need the depth. 30 (136). Atlanta Falcons: Jordan Morgan, OL, Kutztown The Falcons will have a new face at right guard. Although Hugh Thornton could be just fine, all indications are that he isn’t very good. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. 31 (137). Indianapolis Colts from New England Patriots: Tanzel Smart, DL, Tulane THe Colts need a good amount of help on defense. The defensive line is underwhelming in general but the NT spot is just no good. Smart should be able to help in the middle.

32 (138). Cincinnati Bengals (Compensatory Selection): Davon Godchaux, DL, LSU Well the tackles flew off the board and didn’t leave a ton of great options available. Fortunately for the Bengals, they are struggling in more than just that one area.

Outside of 29 year old Geno Atkins, the Bengals don’t have much going for them in the middle of the defensive line. Godchaux is similar dimensionally to the soon to be 32 year old Pat Sims, making him a solid replacement prospect. 33 (139). Philadelphia Eagles from Cleveland Browns (Compensatory Selection): Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech Alshon and Jordan Matthews should make a solid tandem but to keep things in perspective, Jeffery has had two good years and a bunch of injuries. Matthews, on the other hand, has actually never graded out higher than average according to PFF. The addition of a wide receiver at some point seems like a wise decision.

34 (140). Detroit Lions from New York Giants: Connor Harris, LB, Lindenwood The Lions Linebackers are absolutely awful. They’ve upgraded the defensive line, now it’s time to work our way back.

35 (141). Los Angeles Rams (Compensatory Selection): Jeremy Sprinkle, TE, Arkansas The Rams really don’t have any good options at tight end. It’s the end of the 4th round but Sprinkle is still considered by some to be one of the top in the class. 36 (142). Houston Texans from Cleveland Browns (Compensatory Selection): Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson I’m not sure Lamar Miller can be blamed for the lack of running game in Houston. Then again I’m not sure he can’t be either. Miller’s career has largely been underwhelming and taking Gallman, who happens to be a great value here, sort of makes sense. 37 (143). Oakland Raiders from San Francisco 49ers (Compensatory Selection): Charles Walker, DL, Oklahoma The Raiders added Malik McDowell but their defensive line needs a lot of help. Walker is 6’2 210 pounds of brute force.

38 (144). Indianapolis Colts (Compensatory Selection): Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M Hilton and Moncrief are a pretty good duo but there is a sharp drop off behind them. All they really need is a number three guy. Reynolds should be able to pull that off.

Round 5

1 (145). Cleveland Browns: Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU The conventional wisdom is that the Browns with consolidate a lot of these picks in order to trade up and get better value. They can’t keep all the players, after all. That’s flawed thinking. The draft is a crapshoot. The talent isn’t all stacked in round one, it’s scattered throughout the draft and you never know when you’ll strike gold. The way to win the draft is with numerous picks. Keep the picks. Keep the talent. Start moving this team forward. 2 (146). Green Bay Packers from San Francisco 49ers: Rayshawn Jenkins, S, Miami It might not seem like safety is a need for the Packers but it is. The Packers play a good amount of snaps with 3 safeties and Kentrell Brice isn’t the answer. Jenkins comes from a school known for producing great DB’s and is the spitting image of Clinton-Dix.

Beyond that, the Packers will take the best available and it’s my opinion that Jenkins is the best available. 3 (147). Chicago Bears: Corn Elder, CB, Miami Yes, another Miami DB. At this time the Bears have 5 corners that played with any regularity. 2 of them are horrible and 3 are as average as you’ll find in the NFL. They drafted Sydney Jones in round two but he most likely won’t contribute until the 2018 season. If the Bears want to upgrade their DB group this year they really can’t wait much longer.

4 (148). Jacksonville Jaguars: Zach Banner, OL, USC There is some question as to whether the 6’8 Banner should be playing tackle or guard. For the Jaguars it really doesn’t matter. If the Jaguars are going to draft Fournette and embrace their new ground and pound offense they need road graders. As of now Linder and Parnell are the only players along the line with any run blocking ability whatsoever. Play him at RG or RT, it really doesn’t matter. Just let him blaze a trail. 5 (149). Los Angeles Rams: Collin Buchanan, OL, Miami (OH) The Rams looked to have a winning formula in 2016. Pound Gurley in the first half and rely on your defense to keep the game close. By the second half, the opposing defense will be so worn out, the hapless Rams offense starts to actually rack up a few points and somehow win the game.

For some reason I can’t explain, the Rams got away from that as the season went on and went on to lose seemingly every game they played. The Rams need to realize that Gurley is far and away their best player. If they want to win they need to get him a line that can keep him clean, at least until the man gets to the line of scrimmage, and they need to run him over and over and over.

Buchanan will likely play guard in the NFL. With Dan Feeney and two pretty solid tackles, the Rams have a shot at not being terrible in 2017.

6 (150). New York Jets: Shaquill Griffin, CB, Central Florida One of the perks of having so many deficits is the fact that drafting value almost always covers a need. Outside of Morris Claiborne there isn’t a ton to be excited about.

7 (151). Los Angeles Chargers: Ryan Glasgow, DL, Michigan Defensive tackle Corey Liuget had a couple years in which he wasn’t horrible but the wheels have clearly fallen off. It’s time to upgrade. Ryan Glasgow fits the mold and should at the very least be an upgrade. 8 (152). Carolina Panthers: James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh The Panthers already drafted a RB but the amount of talent at the position that should be off the board by now is pretty staggering.

Beyond that, Conner isn’t just depth, he provides some serious boom to the RB room and can be a huge asset in short yardage and goal line situations. When you’re already worried about a mobile QB, a lethal TE, and big bodied WR’s, a hammer of a RB on the goal line will prove to be too much for opposing defenses. 9 (153)TRADE: New York Jets from Cincinnati Bengals: Corey Clement, RB, Wisconsin The Jets really need a running back and there are some good options available but none with as much potential to be a 3 down back as Wisconsin’s Corey Clement. After seeing Conner go the pick before, the Jets knew it was time to pull the trigger.

Jets get Bengals 5th (153) Bengals get Jets 5th (157), 7th (224)

10 (154). Washington Redskins from New Orleans Saints: Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego St. The Redskins have Josh Norman and nabbed Gareon Conley in round 1. If the Redskins can hit on a third corner, the defensive back group for the Redskins could be scary. In the NFC East that isn’t the worst thing. 11 (155). Philadelphia Eagles: Jonnu Smith, TE, Florida International Zach Ertz is a lot like Kyle Rudolph. Every year we hear about how great he is going to be and every year he pulls off a remarkably average performance. Perhaps it’s time to continue the search. 12 (156). Buffalo Bills: Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas St. Making only their 4th pick, the Bills are probably feeling some pressure to draft at positions of need. Linebacker is a pretty big one. Even if Reggie Ragland is a force in the middle, they still need another to play along side of him. 13 (157). Cincinnati Bengals from New York Jets from Arizona Cardinals: Erik Magnuson, OL, Michigan The Bengals tackle position was in serious trouble in 2016. It’s possible Jake Fisher and David Sharpe can hold it down but now that they have Dalvin Cook they need to be sure and solidify that line.

14 (158). Indianapolis Colts: Deatrich Wise, EDGE, Arkansas Wise is considered an edge rusher but at 6’5 275 running a 4.92, he would be better suited as a defensive end for the Colts. As a DE he could, at the very least, provide some internal pressure in passing situations. Something very much needed in Indy. 15 (159). Baltimore Ravens: George Kittle, TE, Iowa The Ravens no doubt have high hopes for Maxx Williams but with Dennis Pitta’s production hitting an all time low there isn’t a ton of time to wait for Williams to turn the corner. 16 (160). Minnesota Vikings: Jalen Myrick, CB, Minnesota The evaluations of Myrick are all over the board with CBS listing him as a potential 2nd round player. Although the Vikings have had success on defense, the corner position is getting old and getting thin. Grabbing the Minnesotan should help both of those issues, as well as potentially adding a dominant player. 17 (161). San Francisco 49ers from Washington Redskins: Jermaine Eluemunor, OL, Texas A&M It really doesn’t matter at this point who they 49ers draft, they still need everything. Guard, however, is probably their most pressing need and it has yet to be addressed. Eluemunor should at least be able to upgrade one of the two guard spots. 18 (162). Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Matthew Dayes, RB, N.C. State Yes the Buccs drafted Mixon but let’s be honest, it isn’t the worst idea in the world to have an insurance policy in case things go south.

Dayes is undersized and probably will never be a 3 down back but his shiftiness should allow him to be a good change of pace back for the Buccs.

19 (163). Buffalo Bills from New England Patriots from Denver Broncos: Lorenzo Jerome, S, St. Francis Jerome is the second safety selection for the Bills in this draft and both of them might start as Jerome has a good chance to beat out Jordan Poyer for the second safety spot alongside Jamal Adams.

20 (164). Tennessee Titans: Kenny Golladay, WR, Northern Illinois The Titans now have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL but a third wide receiver would definitely help. The 6’4 Golladay will provide another big body for the young quarterback. 21 (165). Detroit Lions: Michael Roberts, TE, Toledo As much as it must hurt, it is clearly time to call it what it is. Moving up in round 1 to select Eric Ebron was a terrible move. After three years Ebron has not had a single year where he was anything but terrible. Even as a 5th round rookie, I find it hard to believe that Roberts will be worse in 2017 than Ebron will be. 22 (166). Miami Dolphins: Kyle Fuller, OL, Baylor Mike Pouncey isn’t the worst center but he isn’t great. He is also getting older and has some injury issues. Drafter a center here won’t be a wasted pick. 23 (167). New York Giants: Eric Saubert, TE, Drake Will Tye? Is that who the Giants are going with? Come on now… 24 (168). Oakland Raiders: Shelton Gibson, WR, West Virginia Excuse me for my skepticism but don’t think Michael Crabtree and Cordarrelle Patterson are the answer. Amari Cooper is dominant but he can’t be the sole focus of your offense. 25 (169). Houston Texans: Travis Rudolph, WR, Florida State Hopkins is a monster but they have to find a number 2. Ideally Fuller steps up and allows Rudolph to be number 3 but Fuller was not very fantastic in year 1.

26. Seattle Seahawks (Forfeited): Burn! 27 (170). Kansas City Chiefs: Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State The Chiefs seem content with Ware and West but they probably shouldn’t be. Moving on from Mr. Glass, Jamaal Charles, was a smart move but they still need to find a player to add to the RB room.

I can’t think of a better player here, and a better fit, than possibly the most electrifying player in the draft, Donnel Pumphrey. 28 (171). Buffalo Bills from Dallas Cowboys: Elijah McGuire, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette The Bills have McCoy but not a lot else. McGuire is a north south runner with some pop and could be a good compliment to Shady. McGuire also fits the mold of Gillislee to a T and would be a good replacement. 29 (172). Green Bay Packers: Tanoh Kpassagnon, EDGE, Villanova Physically the guy is a monster and fits the mold of Julius Peppers. Dom Capers will appreciate having an edge rusher than he can use as a down lineman. Whether he can perform at a high level in the NFL remains to be seen but the upside is exciting. 30 (173). Pittsburgh Steelers: Joe Williams, RB, Utah The Steelers have Bell but not really any depth. Williams is far too talented to be a 5th round pick but theft, fumbles, and a brief retirement from football have some teams spooked. The Steelers don’t have a pressing need and can afford the risk. 31 (174). Atlanta Falcons: Grover Stewart, DL, Albany State Dontari Poe has been up and down in his career, with his last year being pretty terrible. Finding a replacement that even comes close to the size of Poe isn’t easy but Stewart fits the bill pretty well. 32 (175). Cleveland Browns from New England Patriots: K.D. Cannon, WR, Baylor This is the Browns 9th pick. Although there are still unaddressed needs, the Browns are able to take best available, stack the talent, sift through it before the season starts, and start 2017 locked and loaded. 33 (176). Cincinnati Bengals (Compensatory Selection): Jessamen Dunker, OL, Tennessee State The Bengals have now added 3 offensive lineman in 6 picks. Two tackles and a guard. The good news, obviously, is that the offensive line play should improve. The bad news is that even if all three are great, the existing players are not. Perhaps a few more are in order. 34 (177). Denver Broncos (Compensatory Selection): Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee The Broncos are playing it cool when it comes to their quarterbacks, insisting they have the utmost confidence in their young guns. Unfortunately for them, both of them were pretty awful last year. Drafting a QB in the 5th should be low key enough to hide the terror. 35 (178). Miami Dolphins (Compensatory Selection): Conor McDermott, OL, UCLA The Dolphins line is far too horrible to wait until the 5th round, yet, here we are. To be fair, their line is fairly average but they do really need a tackle. 36 (179). Arizona Cardinals (Compensatory Selection): Sean Harlow, OL, Oregon State Despite the elite play of their running back, the Cardinals line isn’t all that wonderful. At a bare minimum they need to find a guard. With Harlow they met their quota.

37 (180). Kansas City Chiefs (Compensatory Selection): Caroll Phillips, EDGE, Illinois The Chiefs have 2 players that are aging at a premium position. Phillips is a great value at 180.

38 (181). Cleveland Browns (Compensatory Selection): Ben Gedeon, LB, Michigan Chris Kirksey has improved exponentially every year and has become a solid starter. The issue is a lack of any talent around him. Gedeon has a shot at playing the Mike linebacker position, their weakest spot at the position.

39 (182). Arizona Cardinals from Green Bay Packers (Compensatory Selection): Jeremiah Ledbetter, DL, Arkansas The Cardinals need help along the D line. Ledbetter seems to be the best fit for the type of player the Cardinals like.

40 (183). New England Patriots (Compensatory Selection): Vince Biegel, EDGE, Wisconsin The Patriots pick their second edge rusher in 4 picks. Although edge is a need, this is clearly more of a value pick at the end of the 5th.

41 (184). Miami Dolphins (Compensatory Selection): Josh Malone, WR, Tennessee The Dolphins have a pretty decent stable of WR’s but nothing to be overly optimistic about. certainly not too good to pass up a solid prospect in the 5th.

Round 6

1 (185). Cleveland Browns: Brendan Langley, CB, Lamar So far the Browns have only selected 1 corner in this deep corner draft. Granted, that 1 player is Marshon Lattimore but they will still need to look out for a third. 2 (186).TRADE: NY Jets from Baltimore Ravens from San Francisco 49ers: Chad Kelly, QB, Mississippi The Jets need a QB bad and have yet to grab one. With more QB needy teams than capable QB’s, it was destined to happen to someone. Still, in the 6th round the Jets jump the Jaguars who may be on the lookout as well and grab a guy with a big arm and an even bigger mouth. Perfect fit for New York.

Jets get Ravens 6th (186) Ravens get Jets 6th (191) 2018 6th (TBD)

3 (187). Jacksonville Jaguars: Jerod Evans, QB, Virginia Tech Not to be deterred, the Jaguars grab a quarterback anyway. To be honest, they would take a guy like Evans anyway. Evans is seen as a solid talent but someone in need of a lot of coaching. The Jaguars have built a staff centered around the concept of improving their young stud, Blake Bortles. Clearly it’s a good place for a developmental guy to land. 4 (188). Cleveland Browns from Houston Texans through Chicago Bears: Brad Seaton, OL, Villanova The Browns have a pretty good line but if there is an area to improve it’s at right tackle. Seaton is a talented guy but his athleticism might make him a poor fit for a left tackle spot. As a right tackle he may surprise a few people. 5 (189). Los Angeles Rams: Jon Toth, OL, Kentucky Gurley is the best player on the team and his production is an embarrassment. The addition of two guards could really help out but an additional interior lineman, this time a guard, couldn’t hurt. If nothing else, 2017 needs to be the year Gurley tears up the league. Go 8-8 if you must, but Gurley has to be able to run the ball. 6 (190). Detroit Lions from Los Angeles Chargers: Damien Mama, OL, USC Although it’s hard to find someone to fill an immediate need in the 6th round, they have a shot with Mama. T.J. Lang was a great pickup and although he would most likely be better suited as a left guard, Mama is one of the better pass blockers in the guard class and might be able to handle left guard duties. If he can hold his own as a run blocker he has a shot to start in 2017. 7 (191). Baltimore Ravens from New York Jets: Sam Tevi, OL, Utah The Ravens have two solid lineman and added a center so far in the draft. A good start but they could use a guard and a tackle. Tevi is probably the best tackle on the board at this point. 8 (192). Carolina Panthers: Dan Skipper, OL, Arkansas In a horrific turn of events, offensive lineman have been drafted 4 picks in a row, including two tackles. Still Skipper is a solid value at the start of the 6th round and the Panthers could use another one. 9 (193). Cincinnati Bengals: Isaac Rochell, DL, Notre Dame Davon Godchaux is a solid DT to play in Pat Sims place but they need someone to help at the DE spot. Rochell should be a good fit for what the Bengals are looking for. 10 (194). Philadelphia Eagles: Brian Allen, CB, Utah The Eagles need more corners and Allen is seen by some to be a 4th round talent. Obviously most don’t agree but the potential is still there. 11 (195). Buffalo Bills: Josh Carraway, EDGE, TCU Carraway seems to fit the mold of what the Bills like on the edge. Possibly a little small but he most closely resembles Lorenzo Alexander so I doubt the Bills will mind.

12 (196). New Orleans Saints: Tedric Thompson, S, Colorado The Saints can do worse than Bell and Vaccaro in their base formation but right now they have Banjo playing safety while in nickel. That simply isn’t going to work out. 13 (197). New York Jets from Arizona Cardinals: D.J. Jones, DL, Ole Miss Not entirely sure what happened to Muhammad Wilkerson last year but finding a guy that fits his profile that can study under him for a while isn’t the worst idea. 14 (198). San Francisco 49ers from Baltimore Ravens: Channing Stribling, CB, Michigan The 49ers still need a little of everything. This rebuild will require more than 1 draft. Stribling can help out. 15 (199). Minnesota Vikings: De’Angelo Henderson, RB, Coastal Carolina Yes they drafted Latavius Murray but it’s entirely possible that isn’t a fix all. Murray is a big name but really hasn’t ever produced in his 3 years. At this point in his career he’s average. Unless the line improves, he will most likely be less than average. Just sayin’. 16 (200). New England Patriots from Indianapolis Colts: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee Chung, Roberts, and Van Noy are all sub-par. They could use some help. Maybin most closely fits the mold of Elandon Roberts so perhaps he could help as a Mike linebacker. 17 (201). Washington Redskins: Hunter Dimick, EDGE, Utah Ryan Kerrigan and Trent Murphy are a solid duo but Preston Smith has been a disappointment. Dimik fits the profile of a Kerrigan and could serve as an understudy to the elder Kerrigan. 18 (202). San Francisco 49ers from Denver Broncos: Aviante Collins, OL, TCU To round out their final offensive line need, the 49ers grab Aviante Collins. That should help out young Kaaya. 19 (203). Denver Broncos from Tennessee Titans: Nate Hairston, CB, Temple The Broncos have arguably the two best corners in the NFL. Unfortuantely the talent falls off a cliff after that. 20 (204). Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Blair Brown, LB, Ohio Scouts are all over the board on Brown but NFL.com has him ranked as a potential 4th round pick. Brown could be an instant starter in a position that is far from solidified.

21 (205). Detroit Lions: Stevie Tu’ikolovatu, DL, USC The Lions have added a few big bodies to the defensive line but not any BIG big bodies. Tu’ikolovatu is a BIG body. He may be able to step up and spell Ngata in 2017.

22 (206). Miami Dolphins: Keionta Davis, EDGE, UT Chattanooga The Dolphins need some help on the right side of the line. Davis seems to be the kind of big bodied guy the Dolphins would like. 23 (207). New York Giants: Josh Harvey-Clemons, S, Louisville The Giants struck gold with Landon Collins but may need to dig a little deeper to find a second. Clemons is another that NFL.com seems to like and has been on the top of their board for a long time.

24 (208). Oakland Raiders: Artavis Scott, WR, Clemson Artavis Scott is seen as a slot receiver which will come in handy if the Patterson experiment doesn’t pan out.

25 (209). Washington Redskins from Houston Texans: Jehu Chesson, WR, Michigan There isn’t a ton to love about the Redskins wide receivers. They drafted Ardarious Stewart but that won’t fix the unit.

26 (210). Detroit Lions from Seattle Seahawks: Jayon Brown, LB, UCLA The Lions need a lot of help at linebacker. They drafted two up to this point. Hopefully one can contribute. 27. Kansas City Chiefs (Forfeited): BURN! 28 (211). Dallas Cowboys: Erik Austell, OL, Charleston So. La’el Collins has been a massive disappointment. If the Cowboys want to remain one of the top offensive line units in the game they need to keep drafting linemen. 29 (212). Green Bay Packers: Mack Hollins, WR, North Carolina The Packers need more physical receivers and 6’4 Hollins should be able to help out with that.

30 (213). Pittsburgh Steelers: Xavier Woods, S, Louisiana Tech The Steelers already grabbed a safety but Woods has fallen a little further than he should have. it should provide some security and depth.

31 (214). Tennessee Titans from Atlanta Falcons: Freddie Stevenson, FB, Florida St. The Titans are all about rounding out a great roster. Adding the top FB in the draft to possibly replace Jalston Fowler isn’t the worst move.

32 (215). Detroit Lions from New England Patriots: Jeremy Cutrer, CB, Middle Tennessee St. There is a good amount of corner talent available and the Lions are far from set at the position. 33 (216). Kansas City Chiefs (Compensatory Selection): Chad Williams, WR, Grambling St. The highest value player for a position that is still likely a need is Chad Williams. Ergo, this pick. 34 (217). Cincinnati Bengals (Compensatory Selection): Marquez White, CB, Florida St. The Bengals are as perfectly mediocre as you can be at corner. It isn’t a pressing need but a need nonetheless. 35 (218). Kansas City Chiefs (Compensatory Selection): Jadar Johnson, S, Clemson The Chiefs need a third safety to play high in nickel situations. Their current option isn’t really panning out.

Round 7

1 (219). San Francisco 49ers from Cleveland Browns: Keith Kelsey, LB, Louisville The 49ers desperately need linebackers. Fortunately that just so happens to be the most plentiful position remaining.

2 (220). Washington Redskins from San Francisco 49ers: T.J. Logan, RB, North Carolina Logan is more of a change of pace back than a 3 down back but the Redskins can’t afford to be picky. 3 (221). Chicago Bears: Andrew Eide, OL, BYU The Bears did draft a tackle but talent and depth are still a concern. With a new young QB and RB it’s pretty important they get this right.

4 (222). Jacksonville Jaguars: Ryan Switzer, WR, North Carolina Hurns wasn’t fantastic as the best as a slot receiver. They may want a guy that can serve in that capacity. 5 (223). Miami Dolphins from Los Angeles Rams: Keion Adams, LB, Western Michigan OLB is functionally a non factor for the Dolphins. They need a lot of help at the position. It’s the 7th round but Adams fell further than expected. 6 (224). Cincinnati Bengals from New York Jets: Storm Norton, OL, Toledo The offensive line is the biggest need to address. The Bengals have a ton of picks and should therefore take a bunch of swings at the position.

I don’t know if Storm Norton starts in 2017 but he has a cool name. 7 (225). Los Angeles Chargers: Des Lawrence, CB, North Carolina A position of need that hasn’t been addressed until the 7th is a shame but Lawrence was a solid corner in the ACC.

8 (226). Seattle Seahawks from Carolina Panthers: Paul Magloire, LB, Arizona The Seahawks need some help in their SAM linebacker spot. Magloire would fit that role quite well. 9 (227). Cincinnati Bengals: Cameron Tom, OL, Southern Miss You could call this overkill but Tom is a center which the Bengals haven’t really addressed. Bodine isn’t horrible but he was mediocre at best in 2016 and it was by far his best year. 10 (228). Dallas Cowboys from Buffalo Bills: Steven Taylor, LB, Houston Damien Wilson made a huge leap from year 1 to year 2 but he was still pretty average. A little insurance couldn’t hurt. 11 (229). New Orleans Saints: Cole Hikutini, TE, Louisville Fleener didn’t quite pan out. I’m sure the Saints will stick with him and hope things improve but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

12 (230). Philadelphia Eagles: Stacy Coley, WR, Miami The Eagles have a pretty low chance of having a top WR core as it is. The Addition of a wideout with speed and fluidity couldn’t hurt. 13 (231). Arizona Cardinals: Marquel Lee, LB, Wake Forrest Jarrad Davis is a good pickup in round 2 but the Cardinals don’t have any top level talent at the position. Even if Davis pans out he may need some help.

14 (232). Minnesota Vikings: Corey Levin, OL, Tennessee-Chattanooga The Vikings needed to do more in this draft at O line but sometimes the chips don’t fall where they need to. Levin is most likely a guard but is an athletic one that has a chance to play tackle. A good grab for a team that needs both. 15 (233). Carolina Panthers from Indianapolis Colts through Cleveland Browns: Travin Dural, WR, LSU The Panthers need someone to step up at wide receiver. If Benjamin won’t, perhaps Dural will.

16 (234). Los Angeles Rams from Baltimore Ravens: Alek Torgersen, QB, Pennsylvania I’m sure Goff is the plan for the Rams at quarterback. I’m also quite sure Goff is terrible.

17 (235). Washington Redskins: Tarik Cohen, RB, North Carolina A&T The human joystick finds a home in the 7th round with the Washington Redskins. How nice! Unlike their previous pick, Cohen has the potential to play on 3 downs. 18 (236). Tennessee Titans: Matt Milano, LB, Boston College With the addition of Reuben Foster, Milano is likely a depth pick but he has some experience at safety. Never know… 19 (237). Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jelani Hamilton, EDGE, Miami Jelani fits the mold of a William Gholston type player. Which is good because William Gholston isn’t super great. 20 (238). Denver Broncos: Bryan Cox, EDGE, Florida The Broncos don’t really need help here but Cox is a good value and a good fit. 21 (239). New England Patriots from Detroit Lions: Hardy Nickerson Jr, LB, Illinois The patriots need another linebacker so they get another linebacker.

22 (240). Miami Dolphins: Calvin Munson, LB, San Diego St. He’s a small school guy but he’s turned a few heads. Don’t let the late pick fool you.

23 (241). New York Giants: DeAngelo Brown, DL, Louisville You can never really have enough big fellas. Brown is exactly that.

24 (242). Oakland Raiders: Sam Rogers, FB, Virginia Tech The Raiders locked up Beast Mode but they could use another beast at FB. Jamize Olawale hasn’t been all that fantastic. 25 (243). Houston Texans: C.J. Beathard, QB, Iowa Not a moment too soon, the Texans take a stab at quarterback with a guy that has gotten a surprising amount of attention for being a late round guy. 26 (244). Oakland Raiders from Seattle Seahawks: Tanner Vallejo, LB, Boise St. ILB is a position of need for the Raiders and Vallejo is a talented dude. He dropped due to physical issues but his ceiling is promising, especially if you’re willing to be patient. 27 (245). Kansas City Chiefs: Gabe Marks, WR, Washington St. Marks is a slot guy but the Chiefs need receivers of all stripes. 28 (246). Dallas Cowboys: Riley Bullough, LB, Michigan St. Their previous pick was also a backer but Bullough is more of an inside guy. His competition is with Hitchens. 29 (247). Green Bay Packers: Aaron Jones, RB, Texas El-Paso The Packers have had a decent amount of success utilizing picks that come late, especially undrafted players. Perine is a good fit but another back in the draft is not only possible it’s expected. 30 (248). Pittsburgh Steelers: Speedy Noil, WR, Texas A&M A slot guy with the name Speedy. How can this possibly be a bad pick for the Steelers? 31 (249). Atlanta Falcons: James Onwualu, LB, Notre Dame The Falcons really want to hit on the linebacker spot. It’s important for them if they want to avoid be a 1 dimensional offensive powerhouse. 32 (250). Detroit Lions from New England Patriots: Ben Boulware, LB, Clemson Linebacker has the potential to be a huge liability in 2017. The Lions are doing everything they can do avoid that scenario. 33 (251). Cincinnati Bengals (Compensatory Selection): Damore’ea Stringfellow, WR, Mississippi A.J. Green can’t be the only target in Cincinnati. They need to threaten defenses with more than 1 weapon. 34 (252). Denver Broncos (Compensatory Selection): Ezra Robinson, CB, Tennessee ST. The Broncos are determined to keep their defense at the top. Ensuring they lock down receivers is key in a pass happy league. 35 (253). Denver Broncos (Compensatory Selection): Isaiah McKenzie, WR, Georgia Last but statistically unlikely to be least, the Denver Broncos select a slot receiver to compete with the underwhelming Cody Latimer

#mock draft

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