A New Serious October Mock Offseason (because I can).

[Memento]

Okay, this is going to be a lot different than the others because I'll be taking @Elmgrovegnome 's advice on free agents and @jrry32 's scenario in his mock.

Cut

Jared Cook, Akeem Ayers, Rodger Saffold, Kenny Britt.

Restructure

James Laurinaitis, Chris Long.

Extend

Michael Brockers (five years), T.J. McDonald (four years).

Re-sign

Janoris Jenkins (franchise tag because he wants to test free agency)
Trumaine Johnson (four years)
Mark Barron (three years)
Cory Harkey (three years - as I believe that his RFA numbers are up, and he's probably the most important part of our run-based offense because he acts as a lead-blocker often)
Benny Cunningham (RFA)
Daren Bates (RFA)
Greg Zuerlein (four years)
Tim Barnes (two years)
Justice Cunningham (ERFA)

(Believe me, I want to re-sign Eugene Sims and William Hayes because of the type of people they are and how good they are on the field. But they can legitimately start somewhere else, and we're already paying them a lot. We need to re-sign others as well, unfortunately. That's how the business goes. McLeod is the most replaceable member of the secondary.

Convert

Lamarcus Joyner (CB - FS)

Free Agency

None. We build through the draft and through players like Battle and LTP.

Trade

#17 overall to Atlanta Falcons for #29 overall and 2nd round pick. (Atlanta moves up for a pass-rusher. We move down for a pass-rusher.)

Lance Kendricks to New York Giants for a 2016 third round pick. (With the tight end I'm picking, it makes sense. And the Giants are in desperate need of a tight end.)

Draft

#27 overall (Falcons) - Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State. Chris Long's eventual replacement, and William Hayes' replacement right now. Freakishly strong, will be a first round pick.

Comparison - Ezekiel Ansah.

2nd round (Rams) - Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas. A 6'5", 256 lbs. monster who is a crushing blocker and excellent receiver, Henry immediately solves all of our problems when it comes to tight ends. He's not a burner, but he runs solid routes, and is not only a willing blocker, but a dominant one at that.

Comparison - Jason Witten.

2nd round (Eagles) - Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona. One of the most cerebral players I've seen, he's Laurinaitis' eventual replacement. For now, he gets snaps on pass-rushing situations. Injuries are the only concern with him, but he's been healthy every year before.

Comparison - lesser Luke Kuechly (or, as jrry says, Chris Borland).

2nd round (Falcons) - De'Runnya Wilson, WR, Mississippi State. A hulking former basketball player (6'5", 225 lbs.) who converted to wide receiver and became Dak Prescott's favorite target. He plays in a run-first system with a terrible quarterback, and has still managed to put up huge numbers. He has occasional concentration drops, but is usually very sure-handed. Is a physical and willing blocker, able to go up and get the ball in the redzone. He's not a burner, but he has very deceptive speed that he can use to get past people.

Comparison - Kelvin Benjamin.

3rd round (Giants) - Gunner Kiel, QB, Cincinnati. Is he from Cincinnati? Yes. Has he had injuries? Yes. But Kiel has arm talent and mechanics that you just can't teach. I'm sorry, but I worry about Wentz a lot more than Kiel when it comes to mechanics. All the kid needs to do is bulk up to about 220 lbs. (which he can do), and he'll be solid. He knows how to manipulate the pocket by moving around, and he can make every single throw with accuracy that's unrivaled by anyone in college football. He also plays in a pro-style system, which will help his transition to the NFL. He's my favorite quarterback in this class aside from Goff (since Cardale Jones stupidly decided not to declare last year and got benched as a result).

3rd round (Rams) - Briean Boddy-Calhoun, CB, Minnesota. One of my favorite prospects in this draft and a little underrated, if I do say so myself. BBC has racked up the interceptions while playing everywhere, including in the slot (which is another reason why I picked him; he can play in the slot if Jenkins doesn't re-sign after this year.

4th round (Rams) - Evan Boehm, C/G, Missouri. Built like a coke-machine and with all of the nastiness and strength of a particularly pissed off Siberian tiger, Boehm has been a revelation at Mizzou. He needs work in pass-protection, but he's a run-blocking machine who will start on a team.

6th round (Rams) - Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State. An amazing story as a former walk-on and the younger brother of Ryan Nassib, the younger Nassib is receiving attention on a stacked Penn State defensive line that includes Anthony Zettel, who is a probable second round pick this year. He's absolutely relentless and huge (6'6", 270 lbs.) and gets to the quarterback in a heartbeat. He probably won't be at this spot when the Combine arrives, but I can always hope, right?

Thoughts and comments are all appreciated.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Could we trade all of those 2nd rnd picks for 9 or 10, 5th and sixth rnd picks. We seem to have better success in those rnds.

 

[Memento]

Oh, and the roster afterward:

QB - Nick Foles, Sean Mannion, Gunner Kiel.

RB - Todd Gurley, Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham, Trey Watts.

TE - Hunter Henry, Cory Harkey, Justice Cunningham.

WR - Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, De'Runnya Wilson, Bradley Marquez, Isiah Ferguson.

OL - Greg Robinson, Jamon Brown, Rob Havenstein, Cody Wichmann, Garrett Reynolds, Tim Barnes, Evan Boehm, Demetrius Rhaney, Andrew Donnal, Isaiah Battle, Darrell Williams.

DL - Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Chris Long, Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Nassib, Louis Trinca-Pasat, Ethan Westbrooks, Matt Longacre.

LB - James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron, Scooby Wright, Daren Bates, Bryce Hager.

DB - Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, T.J. McDonald, Lamarcus Joyner, E.J. Gaines, Marcus Roberson, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Maurice Alexander, Christian Bryant.

ST - Greg Zuerlein, Johnny Hekker, Jake McQuaide.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I like the offseason.

I am not sure which rounds all of these players will be projected for, but I think you are way off on Nassib. I have seen some early lists that have him as a first rounder. That guy is tenacious, with his non stop motor. He is up to 274 and has great length for the corner. He leads the NCAA in sacks at 15.5 right now and there's five games to go. He could end up with the record.

 

[jrry32]

Not a fan. Gunner Kiel got benched for a freshman (Hayden Moore). Kiel is constantly injured and hasn't looked good this year when he's played. Going to be hard for me to swallow another DL in the first round when our offense is the problem. Haven't heard good things about Hunter Henry this year from the people I trust. And getting a third for Lance Kendricks doesn't seem likely to me. If the Giants are desperate, they can go to FA. I also don't see the point in trading Kendricks when we lack TE depth with Cook being cut and have Kendricks on a reasonable deal.

But I'm always a bit of a scrooge so keep doing mocks your way. It makes it more interesting when the scenarios are all a bit different.

 

[Memento]

Not a fan. Gunner Kiel got benched for a freshman (Hayden Moore). Kiel is constantly injured and hasn't looked good this year when he's played. Going to be hard for me to swallow another DL in the first round when our offense is the problem. Haven't heard good things about Hunter Henry this year from the people I trust. And getting a third for Lance Kendricks doesn't seem likely to me. If the Giants are desperate, they can go to FA. I also don't see the point in trading Kendricks when we lack TE depth with Cook being cut and have Kendricks on a reasonable deal.

But I'm always a bit of a scrooge so keep doing mocks your way. It makes it more interesting when the scenarios are all a bit different.

Ah. Didn't realize that Kiel got benched. I guess I'd take Wentz in that scenario and swap his and Wilson's spots in the draft, but the guy's mechanics worry the hell out of me, and they're probably going to be his downfall if he busts in the league.

Our offense may be the problem right now, but another year with the offensive line gaining continuity and more creative ways to use Mason's skillset, we might just see our numbers rise. And we do need a defensive lineman badly. There's no way we're keeping all of Long, Hayes, and Sims when they're all thirty or older.

Just curious: what good things haven't you heard about Henry? The guy seems like the complete package to me, and he's more likely to come out than Hooper. He doesn't have straight line speed, but he can catch the ball and block. And if it's character issues, Fisher's dealt with problem children in the past and come out of it better.

As for the Giants? All of their tight ends are free agents after this year, and none of them are impressive. Daniel Fells was the starter there, and it's unfortunate what happened to him. They'd easily give up a third for a tight end who could block and catch, especially given that Coughlin - who for some reason hates good tight ends - will likely be gone with another top ten pick losing season. And the free agent class for tight ends is not impressive in the least; the best one will likely be Vernon Davis.

I like the offseason.

I am not sure which rounds all of these players will be projected for, but I think you are way off on Nassib. I have seen some early lists that have him as a first rounder. That guy is tenacious, with his non stop motor. He is up to 274 and has great length for the corner. He leads the NCAA in sacks at 15.5 right now and there's five games to go. He could end up with the record.

Yeah, I'm probably way off on Nassib, and I realize that. I'm basing it on CBS's rankings and all of these players are within the respective picks, but I know that he won't be there. I'd probably take Bronson Kaufusi in that scenario, but he's apparently tearing it up as well. So I might have to swap Boehm's spot and take a defensive end in the fourth round. Decisions, decisions...

 

[Memento]

I guess I'll edit the draft a little based on your guy's thoughts. Offseason is still the same, so...yeah:

1 (Falcons): Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State.



2 (Rams): Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas.



2 (Eagles): Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona.



2 (Falcons): Pharoh Cooper, WR, South Carolina.



3 (Giants): De'Runnya Wilson, WR, Mississippi State.



3 (Rams): Briean Boddy-Calhoun, CB, Minnesota.



4 (Rams): Bronson Kaufusi, DE, BYU.



6 (Rams): Evan Boehm, C, Missouri.



Yes, I debated between Cooper and Rashard Higgins for the longest time. I figured to give Foles a chance and draft a replacement in 2017.

 

[jrry32]

Ah. Didn't realize that Kiel got benched. I guess I'd take Wentz in that scenario and swap his and Wilson's spots in the draft, but the guy's mechanics worry the hell out of me, and they're probably going to be his downfall if he busts in the league.

Just curious: what good things haven't you heard about Henry? The guy seems like the complete package to me, and he's more likely to come out than Hooper. He doesn't have straight line speed, but he can catch the ball and block. And if it's character issues, Fisher's dealt with problem children in the past and come out of it better.

As for the Giants? All of their tight ends are free agents after this year, and none of them are impressive. Daniel Fells was the starter there, and it's unfortunate what happened to him. They'd easily give up a third for a tight end who could block and catch, especially given that Coughlin - who for some reason hates good tight ends - will likely be gone with another top ten pick losing season. And the free agent class for tight ends is not impressive in the least; the best one will likely be Vernon Davis.

If you don't think Wentz is the right guy, don't take him. You should be behind the guys you are drafting 110%.

I've heard Henry isn't blocking well. Haven't watched for myself, though.

The Giants still aren't going to overpay for Kendricks. They can sign Antonio Gates, Marcedes Lewis, Vernon Davis, Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, LaDarius Green, Gary Barnidge, or re-sign Larry Donnell (their starting TE). They have options.

 

[Memento]

If you don't think Wentz is the right guy, don't take him. You should be behind the guys you are drafting 110%.

I've heard Henry isn't blocking well. Haven't watched for myself, though.

The Giants still aren't going to overpay for Kendricks. They can sign Antonio Gates, Marcedes Lewis, Vernon Davis, Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, LaDarius Green, Gary Barnidge, or re-sign Larry Donnell (their starting TE). They have options.

Antonio Gates might retire after this year. Davis will likely sign with a contender. The Colts will never let Allen and Fleener go; they mean too much to that offense. Barnidge will get a nice contract from the Browns because he's a huge part of the offense. Green will be re-signed by the Chargers if Gates retires. Lewis is terrible. Donnell played behind Fells, and he's basically another Fendi Onobun in that he's an athlete who can't play football. And with Fells, Donnell, and their third tight end all leaving via free agency, Kendricks could easily fetch a third round pick.

Huh. Haven't really seen that from Henry. He blocked well in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, so I'm basing it off of that.

And nah, I don't think Wentz is the right guy. That's why I got that most recent draft (along with your guy, Pharoh Cooper). I'm going all in for Brad Kaaya in 2017. I'm even willing to deal futures if we can get that kid in horns.

 

[jrry32]

Antonio Gates might retire after this year. Davis will likely sign with a contender. The Colts will never let Allen and Fleener go; they mean too much to that offense. Barnidge will get a nice contract from the Browns because he's a huge part of the offense. Green will be re-signed by the Chargers if Gates retires. Lewis is terrible. Donnell played behind Fells, and he's basically another Fendi Onobun in that he's an athlete who can't play football. And with Fells, Donnell, and their third tight end all leaving via free agency, Kendricks could easily fetch a third round pick.

Huh. Haven't really seen that from Henry. He blocked well in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, so I'm basing it off of that.

And nah, I don't think Wentz is the right guy. That's why I got that most recent draft (along with your guy, Pharoh Cooper). I'm going all in for Brad Kaaya in 2017. I'm even willing to deal futures if we can get that kid in horns.

Donnell did not play behind Fells. Donnell was their starter in 2014.

Colts keeping both Allen and Fleener will be difficult. Gates may or may not retire. Lewis isn't terrible. But he's not great either.

Regardless, there is no scenario where I see Kendricks fetching a third round pick. If he were on par with Greg Olsen or Martellus Bennett, I could buy a 2nd or 3rd.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Nice read @Memento ...I love looking at personal views on college players...I haven't watched as much as I like...usually some of the evening games...

I have been looking at a few wr's, centers, and TE's....And like @jrry32 said, it's a shame we are still looking at DL...but I am too...and I kinda like these players more than the LB's & TE's....and really the wr's too....DL is rich with talent....Like a few of the OT's out there...but we're set at tackle, right?

QB's.....we need to draft a franchise QB....no career backups...I have a terrible feeling we already have 3 of those...

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

BTW I had Nassib's sack total wrong. Before the Maryland game he had 15.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. Still, every game announcers claim that he is moving into round 1 territory........according to their information.....wherever that is coming from.

 

[Memento]

Donnell did not play behind Fells. Donnell was their starter in 2014.

Colts keeping both Allen and Fleener will be difficult. Gates may or may not retire. Lewis isn't terrible. But he's not great either.

Regardless, there is no scenario where I see Kendricks fetching a third round pick. If he were on par with Greg Olsen or Martellus Bennett, I could buy a 2nd or 3rd.

Fair enough. Donnell has been a huge disappointment, and the Giants still have to re-sign Amukamara, Randle, and Hosley as well. They will likely let their tight ends go and start anew.

Colts will more likely let T.Y. Hilton go than their tight ends. Allen is essential to their blocking scheme, and Fleener is Luck's favorite target. No way they go. Lewis is atrocious and has been atrocious since he got his big contract.

I could easily see a well-rounded tight end like Kendricks fetching a third round pick to a tight-end needy team. Not a second, but definitely a third.

 

[jrry32]

Colts will more likely let T.Y. Hilton go than their tight ends. Allen is essential to their blocking scheme, and Fleener is Luck's favorite target. No way they go. Lewis is atrocious and has been atrocious since he got his big contract.

I could easily see a well-rounded tight end like Kendricks fetching a third round pick to a tight-end needy team. Not a second, but definitely a third.

The Colts already re-signed T.Y. Hilton to a 5 year $65 million deal. There was no way they were letting him go to keep Fleener or Allen.

I disagree with you on Kendricks. He's not even starting on Cook (even if he should be). But to each their own.

 

[Memento]

The Colts already re-signed T.Y. Hilton to a 5 year $65 million deal. There was no way they were letting him go to keep Fleener or Allen.

I disagree with you on Kendricks. He's not even starting on Cook (even if he should be). But to each their own.

Oh, yeah! I still think that they're keeping Fleener and Allen. Sorry, my memory's a little foggy. I'll try to do a more realistic mock without trades on Halloween, so keep an eye out for that.

Fair enough.