2nd round 2016 NFL Mock Draft: picks 48-63
By jonfox
The latest in my NFL mock draft series, let’s examine a round that rarely gets any mocks, the 2nd. As always this is what I think that the teams will do, not what I would do as their GM/decision maker.
63. Denver Broncos: Joshua Garnett, OL Stanford.
The Broncos are trying to lock up the core of their team right now, especially on defense so they’re going to look to make cuts elsewhere. Offensive line might be a start. Garnett could start Day 1 at right guard and is the kind of nasty blocker Kubiak loves.
62. Carolina Panthers: Kendall Fuller, Db Va Tech.
This is somewhere between a best player available pick and a need pick. Even if they lock up Josh Norman(who was just franchise tagged), they need a potential starter at corner on the other side of him. Fuller might be more talented than his brother Kyle with the Bears.
61. Arizona Cardinals: Robert Nkemdiche, DL Ole Miss.
His fall ends here. A lot of teams have removed him from their draft board with all the questions swirling around him, but to the Cards, he’s worth the risk. They hope that the leadership on the team gets him to straighten up and he thrives with teams focusing on Calais Campbell. Considering how well they got the Honeybadger to fix his life, they may think that they can get Nkemdiche to do the same.
60. New England Patriots: Tyler Matakevich, LB Temple.
A smart, well coached linebacker who’s being drafted a round or two too high? Belichick is sold!
59. Kansas City Chiefs: Connor Cook, QB Michigan State.
His fall stops here as well. Cook just has far too many questions marks about him to be seen as a top flight prospect. Reid loves his projects and with Chase Daniel perhaps going elsewhere, Cook becomes the heir apparent to Smith.
58. Pittsburgh Steelers: Germain Ifedi, OL Texas A&M
The Steelers are going to need a tackle fairly soon. Ifedi is very raw but Munchak is a great coach who can teach his problems out. This could be a real steal if he takes to the coaching. Ifedi, at worst, is probably an athletic guard but probably is a starter eventually at tackle.
57. Green Bay Packers: Kenny Lawler, WR California.
If the Packers learned nothing else from 2015 it is that Nelson is their entire receiving corps. Cobb can cause havoc but can’t stay healthy. Lawler is a twitchy wideout prospect who can sit and learn for awhile.
56. Seattle Seahawks: Nick Martin, OL Notre Dame
Offensive line. Offensive line. Offensive line. Martin could start for the Hawks either at guard or center tomorrow. And they need the reinforcement. Martin isn’t the prospect his brother Zach is, but he could be a starter for an NFL team.
55. Cincinnati Bengals: Pharoh Cooper, WR South Carolina
With some cap issues, the Bengals need to lessen their costs at wideout but with Sanu and Jones headed for free agency, they’ll need to invest draft picks here. Cooper is a versatile wideout who in 2014 passed, ran, returned and received a touchdown. His stats declined in the mess that was the 2015 Gamecocks.
54. Minnesota Vikings: A’Shawn Robinson, DL Alabama
There’s a disconnect between A’Shawn’s value to the fans and the scouts. The scouts all point out his issues, the fans ignore them. It’s really hard to see him right now as a top 50 pick. But the Vikings won’t complain: they want depth at tackle so that Joseph and Floyd don’t wear out.
53. Washington Redskins: Dak Prescott, Qb Miss State
Even after franchise tagging Kirk Cousins, the Redskins will want a plan B in the likely event that Cousins fails to repeat his 2015 season. Prescott checks a lot of the boxes their GM likes: big program, long time starter, successful and smart. He needs time to work on his footwork but the talent is obvious with him.
52. Houston Texans: Alex Collins, RB Arkansas
The era of Arian Foster seems over. He’s getting hurt far too often and to the point where you can’t rely on him to make 10 starts for you. So even if the Texans bring him back, they’ll need an option who isn’t Alfred Blue. Collins looks like a good fit for their zone scheme but he has the skill set to thrive in most running schemes.
51. New York Jets: Le’Raven Clark, OL Texas Tech.
The Jets could use a lot of things, but a right tackle and/or replacement for D’Brickashaw Ferguson are right up there. This pick is made assuming that they go after a QB or edge rusher in round 1. Clark has some flaws as a prospect, but he certainly has the tools teams want in a higher draft pick.
50. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Thomas, WR Ohio State.
This is assuming that the falcons go defense in round 1. Thomas is not my favorite wideout prospect, he’s too stiff, has too many drops and didn’t get enough work in that Ohio State offense. He might be a good second banana to Jones in the ATL especially if he isn’t asked to produce 70 catches in his rookie season.
49. Buffalo Bills: Kevin Dodd, DL Clemson.
A badly kept secret at the combine is that the Ryan brothers really like Kevin Dodd, and why not? He’s a penetrator in the mold that the Ryan bros have done well molding in the NFL. They also need a Mario Williams replacement. Dodd might not ever be as talented as Williams but he could clear the low bar of being as productive as Williams was for Rex Ryan.
48. Indianapolis Colts: Ryan Kelly, OL Alabama
The Colts have to fix a lot of problems this offseason. One of the biggest is the sorry state of their offensive line. They would strongly consider just about any ready to start offensive lineman here, but Kelly would get the nod. He’s a strong pass blocker who thrived for Bama’s prostyle offense.