Draft Week Mock: Watson To the Browns
By Zack Trapp
We’re less than a week away from the draft and the picture is nearly as muddled as it was in February. The news is coming furious and fast, with each new nugget further fogging the picture. It’s tough to sort the wheat from the chaff there. That’s why it’s called lying season.
Boards are set. Visits have been made. The coaching staff has had their say. Once teams arrive in Philadelphia, those feeler calls will be made to test the waters about potential deals. We’re in the homestretch of the never-ending draft cycle, so it’s time to project how things will shake up.
Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, EDGE, Texas A&M
I’m not going to give any credence to the bubbling rumors that Cleveland is considering a quarterback at number one. This is lying season and doesn’t remotely pass the smell test.
Everything we’ve reliably heard since the fall suggests that the Browns love Garrett and he will be the pick. Let’s not deviate from that this late in the process. They’ll plug him right in and he’ll change the identity of the defense early on.
TRADE: Carolina Panthers: Leonard Fournette, HB, LSU
There is good reason to believe that this pick could be on the move. Matt Miller reported that the 49ers are locked in on Reuben Foster and Leonard Fournette, but have an interest in moving down. By all indications, Carolina is enamored with the LSU back, who would be a great fit for their offense.
For the purpose of this exercise, the specifics of the trade don’t matter. We’ll say that starting price would be Carolina’s first two picks, likely more.
Carolina needs to protect Newton in their deep drop offense. There aren’t any lineman valued highly enough to be picked in the top 10. The next best way to help him out is to pair him with a bonafide star in the backfield.
Chicago Bears: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
Everything we hear suggests that the Bears are looking at adding either one of the star secondary players or a quarterback. We’ll give Ryan Pace the benefit of the doubt here and give him a tone setting, alpha dog for his young defense.
Adams is a tone setting thumper who can play high or in the box. He could add a true blue chip player to one of the league’s emerging young defenses.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
My sense here is that the Jaguars would love to get their hands on Fournette to add a punishing playmaker to their offense, but with him gone they’ll continue to add to their deep defensive nucleus.
Jacksonville is set at every spot on defense except for edge rusher, where Dante Fowler has failed to live up to expectations. Thomas has the explosiveness and flexibility to move around the line and give offensive coordinators nightmares. Adding the Stanford defender could make this the top unit in the AFC.
Tennessee Titans: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
If Lattimore is here, expect Tennessee to run this card right up to the podium. We’ve known for months that the Titans are likely to add an offensive playmaker and a secondary player with their two first-round picks. Reports suggest that the team values Lattimore highly and won’t let him slip past here.
Lattimore is the no-doubt top cornerback in the class. Health concerns aside, he has Patrick Peterson-like athleticism and can thrive in a man or zone based scheme.
New York Jets: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
It’s always tough to get a feel for what the Jets will do. Under Mike MacCagnan, this is a best player available front office that doesn’t let much spill out into the media before the draft.
People will rightly lament the quarterback situation in New York, which is fair, but whoever is under center is going to need someone to throw to. The Jets need difference makers in their lineup and they need them fast. They can’t afford to miss here. Howard is a player they won’t miss on and has one of the highest floors in the class.
San Diego Chargers: Malik Hooker, FS, Ohio State
This is a pick that makes way too much sense. The Chargers need another rangy free safety to replace Eric Weddle, who left for greener pastures in Baltimore a year ago. Hooker is an identity-defining player that would be a steal at this point in the draft.
TRADE: San Francisco 49ers: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
As I stated earlier, the 49ers appear to be smitten with Reuben Foster and Leonard Fournette. Despite the positive drug test at the combine, I’ll give them the firestorm linebacker reminiscent of Patrick Willis. He’ll slide in right next to Navorro Bowman and create the scariest inside linebacking corps in the league.
Cincinnati Bengals: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
The Bengals are the real winners in this mock. This is the rare case when need matches up perfectly with the best player on the board(despite what coaches will say at the podium). The aging duo of Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson needs to be upgraded if the Bengals want to recreate their once strong pass rush.
Allen could be experiencing a Bosa-like fall in the media late in the process. The tape is as strong as anyone, but positional need and lack of buzz could result in a Thursday night tumble.
Buffalo Bills: Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
The Bills have done as much work on these quarterbacks as any other team. They’ve brought in all the top signal callers and appear to be locked in on finding the franchise quarterback they’ve lacked since Chad Kelly.
Mitch Trubisky has been the frontrunner throughout the process. His crisp athleticism and tight release would make him a nice fit in Rick Dennison’s boot action offense.
New Orleans Saints: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
The Saints only have so many more years of statistical offensive madness courtesy of Drew Brees. The quickest way to transform a below average defense is adding suffocating cover corners and blue goose pass rushers.
It’s anybody’s guess which corner comes off the board second, but the Saints have reportedly shown strong interest in Conley. Greg Cosell, the foremost expert on all things film, prefers Conley to his teammate, Lattimore.
Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
It’s pretty clear the Browns are intent on spending their second pick on locating their quarterback of the future. Watson would be a nice fit in Hue Jackson’s west coast scheme. Playing behind a stalwart offensive line with playmakers in Corey Coleman and Kenny Britt, Watson could be set up to succeed early on.
Arizona Cardinals: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
The Cardinals took the league by storm in 2015 with the most explosive, pick your poison offense around. Then they watched atrophy lead to it being a one-trick pony offense behind David Johnson last year.
Larry Fitzgerald may be a legend and a class act, but Steve Keim needs to find his replacement. Williams physical, above the rim style of play would make him a nice fit for this downfield offense.
Philadelphia Eagles: Christian McCaffrey, HB, Stanford
Perhaps no other player has seen their stock soar like McCaffrey since the combine. Last week, Peter Schrager reported that the Heisman winner could go in the top 10. One team in the top 20 guaranteed they would pick him if he was there.
McCaffrey can help solve the Eagles problems at running back and receiver. While he may never be a 20-carry guy, he can add juice to the backfield and even play some slot receiver.
Indianapolis Colts: Charles Harris, EDGE, Missouri
Chris Ballard’s offseason signings have been a nice start to remaking this asleep at the wheel defense, but if he wants to get serious he needs to add a premium talent off the edge. Charles Harris is that type of guy. Reportedly a favorite of Ballard’s, the silky-smooth pass rusher may not possess ideal measurables, but he has a deep toolbox of well-refined moves at his disposal.
Baltimore Ravens: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
The Ravens reportedly have Robinson as their top tackle, according to Charlie Campbell. With his grown man strength that he moves surprisingly well, he’d be a good fit in their zone running scheme. Pair him with last year’s top pick, Ronnie Stanley, and they’ll have two young bookends to protect an aging Joe Flacco.
Washington Redskins: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
Washington needs a sideline to sideline presence inside of Preston Smith and Ryan Kerrigan. In all reality, Washington may need to trade up to snag Reddick. The former Owl’s stock has soared since his impressive showing at the combine. Reddick visited Washington this week.
Tennessee Titans: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
It’s pretty clear that Tennessee wants to give Marcus Mariota someone to throw to early on. Big as they come and polished to boot, Davis would provide an ideal top threat in Tennessee’s quick strike passing attack. His rugged style of play suits the blue-collar mentality Jon Robinson has tried to instill.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dalvin Cook, HB, Florida State
Forget any connections to Adrian Peterson. Jason Light needs to find a dynamic young back that Jameis Winston can grow up with. Although Cook’s stock has taken a hit since the combine, the Buccaneers are by all indications enamored with the slippery, east-west style that Cook brings to the table.
Denver Broncos: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
Despite the popular narrative, it was the Broncos turnstile offensive line, not the quarterback, that short-circuited it’s attack late last season. John Elway needs to identify the blindside protector his team has lacked since Ryan Clady was playing at a Pro Bowl level. Bolles is a big mauler with light feet to develop into a franchise left tackle.
Detroit Lions: David Njoku, TE, Miami
Even though they drafted Eric Ebron in 2014, the Lions have done more than their share of homework on the top tight ends in the class, according to Daniel Jeremiah. While ideally they could locate Matthew Stafford a pure number one receiver, the top options are off the board. Instead, Bob Quinn will add a big bodied power forward who runs routes like a receiver and bullies smaller cornerbacks.
Miami Dolphins: Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
The Dolphins want to build a ground and pound juggernaut in the trenches like we’ve seen in Dallas. They have a hard-nosed running back in Jay Ajayi and three first-round picks up front in Laremy Tunsil, Mike Pouncey, and Ja’wuan James. Lamp is a high-floor guard that could step in and have the same type of impact Zach Martin did with the Cowboys.
New York Giants: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
Even though they selected Ereck Flowers in the top 10 just two years ago, Jerry Reese needs to find his replacement. Their offense simply can’t run optimally with an adjunct liability protecting their 36-year-old quarterback. Ramczyk has the highest floor of any lineman in the class and would be a nice fit in this West Coast attack.
Oakland Raiders: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
This pick could easily be dedicated to the secondary, but it’d make sense if Reggie McKenzie gave highly-paid Sean Smith and David Amerson another year to right the ship. Zach Cunningham is a rangy, athletic linebacker that jumps out in coverage. He needs to wrap up more consistently. He’d step right in and start at MIKE linebacker.
Houston Texans: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
No, Houston can’t just go into the year with Tom Savage at quarterback. While Mahomes won’t be ready to see the field this year, the gunslinger will give hope to a fanbase that hasn’t seen a quarterback selected in the first three years during Rick Smith’s entire tenure. He’ll need time to completely rework his mechanics and learn an NFL offense. Tom Pelissero of USA Today reported that Bill O’Brien “loves” Mahomes.
Seattle Seahawks: Kevin King, CB, Washington
The Seahawks typically don’t invest high picks at cornerback, but this isn’t a typical draft. The Richard Sherman rumors appear to have legs. After a dominant five year run, John Schneider needs to begin restocking his cupboard with some young talent. Kevin King is a long, physical zone cornerback who perfectly fits the mold that Pete Carroll is looking for.
Kansas City Chiefs: Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
The Chiefs don’t have any pressing needs on either side of the ball. With the top three quarterbacks off the board, they can wait to find Alex Smith’s potential successor. Instead, they elect to find a replacement for aging Derrick Johnson in the middle of the field. Davis is a true sideline to sideline tackler capable of delivering the big hit and crashing down on blitzes.
Dallas Cowboys: Tyus Bowser, EDGE, Houston
The Cowboys could really select any position on defense and it wouldn’t be crazy. Dane Brugler of CBS indicated that Dallas has expressed late interest in Bowser, so we’ll make him the pick here. Bowser has been a huge riser in the draft process, explosive with excellent bend around the edge.
Green Bay Packers: TJ Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin
Clay Matthews is no longer a difference making talent. Ted Thompson needs to invest a high pick in finding his replacement across from Nick Perry. Watt is an undersized player who excels on long looping blitzes and stunts. He’d be an ideal fit as the WILL linebacker in a 3-4 defense.
Atlanta Falcons: Takkarist McKinley, EDGE, UCLA
Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn want to build a fast, uninhibited young defensive nucleus that flies to the football in their simple Cover 3 scheme. Although Vic Beasley enjoyed a breakout year in 2016, they could still use another commanding presence getting after the quarterback. McKinley is an explosive standup rusher who would fit their MO in terms of building up a defense that ranked 27th in points per game a year ago.
New Orleans Saints: Taco Charlton, EDGE, Michigan
Earlier I said that the quickest way to transform a defense is to add a disruptive edge rusher and a lockdown cornerback. With Conley already in the fold, Mickey Loomis elects to continue his defensive rebuild with one of the most explosive players in the draft. Charlton could create matchup nightmares across from Cameron Jordan.