NFL Mock Draft No. 1-10
/Today marks the official start of the NFL Offseason. Some big trades and signing have already been agreed to verbally, with more official deals likely to follow soon. While the veterans cash in, the NFL Draft machine picks up momentum. And that means it's Mock Draft time.
Mocks are a fun combination of analysis and fantasy football. Some try to predict what will happen while others try to play GM for all 32 teams. I'm somewhere in between. I'll post my 31 picks (yes 31) for the first round of the NFL Draft in three installments leading up to April 28, with an adjusted, complete first round Mock Draft the week of real deal. Here are the first 10 picks.
1. Tennessee Titans
Laremy Tunsil, T, Mississippi: When you get the No. 1 pick, you usually have the luxury of having holes at every position group. The Titans are no different, save for being set at quarterback, having drafted Marcus Mariota No. 2 overall in 2015. Investing highly in a mobile, slightly undersized quarterback makes investing even higher in a can't-miss left tackle a decision few can argue with. Tunsil is doing everything right to justify being the first player taken off the board, turning in a fine senior year and then delivering some frightening combine numbers. Taking Tusnil slides Taylor Lewan back to the right-side and could transform a roster weakness into the team's biggest strength.
2. Cleveland Browns
Jared Goff, QB, California: Despite the graveyard of starting quarterbacks, the Browns have only taken the first quarterback in the draft once. And that was way back in 1999 with the first selection of Tim Couch. Since then, the Browns have explored every way to cut the corner and take the third, fourth, or fifth best quarterback in the draft. That has to end now. Of course, there seem to be only runts the year Cleveland gets the pick of the litter. That's not to say Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch are all set to be busts. It's just there's tons of room for error with this year's quarterback class. Goff is the surest thing of them all. He's not undersized, he has a decent arm, and his biggest strengths are all mental. Call him the anti-Johnny.
3. San Diego Chargers
Ronnie Stanley, T, Notre Dame: In all reality, the Chargers should, and likely will, go defense with this pick. They lack any amount of playmakers, and that hole gets even larger with Eric Weddle departing. That being said, this team lives and dies by Phillip Rivers. As long as Rivers is gaming, the Chargers have a chance. Stanley provides a great bodyguard for Rivers and could help open up a run game that was non-existent last year despite drafting Melvin Gordon in the first round.
4. Dallas Cowboys
Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State: Every year, a couple good teams dip into the top 10, take a playmaker and then return back to the playoffs. The Cowboys look like one of those teams. And with the first three picks addressing quarterback issues, Dallas gets to choose the best overall player on the board. Who that player is, is up for debate, as there are a few defensive players gunning for that title. Jerry Jones drafting Bosa seems like a Jerry Jones move. He's an instant starter who can replace Greg Hardy (thank goodness) and gets to thrive in a 4-3 setting.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jalen Ramsey, CB/S, Florida State: With the offense young and ascending, the Jaguars should go defense with every pick this year. That starts with the insanely athletic Ramsey, who turned heads multiple times at the Combine with bests in the vertical and broad jumps. He's not the most sound cornerback in the draft, but he's definitely the most athletic and played both safety and corner at FSU. Think Tyrann Mathieu with more athleticism. That's a really good thing to have.
6. Baltimore Ravens
DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon: If one of the two tackles fall to the Ravens, they'll definitely pull the trigger. Otherwise, they are in a nice luxurious position of going defense. And what better organization to take an athletic project than the Ravens? The 6'-7" Buckner is a versatile lineman with enough speed to rush the edge and the size to stuff the middle. He would have been a first round pick last year but decided to return for a senior year at Oregon. That meant facing an entire season of double-teams and Buckner still posted 10.5 sacks. It's a perfect fit for the Ravens. Though, don't be surprised if the Ravens trade down.
7. San Francisco 49ers
Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State: The irony of Chip Kelly's NFL coaching career. He finally has a quarterback that can do everything Kelly's Oregon QB's did in Colin Kaepernick and Kap is asking to be traded. Wentz is surging up draft boards after strong showings at the Senior Bowl and Combine. He's not Mariota-mobile, but he can move. Wentz has the greatest ceiling of any of the quarterbacks in the draft and Kelly's scheme would be good way to start his NFL career.
8. Miami Dolphins
Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida: There are some really good defensive lineman available right here, but can Miami really justify taking a lineman the year after signing Ndamukong Suh? So I went with Hargreaves instead. He's played on an island for three years at Florida and has excelled. In terms of fundamentals, Hargreaves is the best of this class without a doubt. He would fill a large hole that Brent Grimes is likely leaving via free agency.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Myles Jack, LB, UCLA: Step one of NFL rebuild complete: find your quarterback. Now it's time to address the defense. Jack is an undersized middle-linebacker with the athleticism to play all three linebacker positions in a 4-3. The only reason I see the Buccaneers shying away from Jack is if they don't like what they see in Jack's rehab from a torn ACL.
10. New York Giants
A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama: The Giants are one of the great mysteries of this draft. The offense isn't really good, but what can they do with this pick to upgrade that side? I don't think they can. So why not grab the best run-stopper in the draft? Robinson was a one-man interior wrecking crew for the championship Crimson Tide. The similarities of his impact and that of Malik Jackson's on the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos is uncanny.