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I don't know about the rest of you, but I've become disenchanted with so many guys on this team after the last few weeks. I feel like way too many of these guys quit after the Saints loss. That angers me. I can accept struggles and mistakes due to inexperience or lack of talent. I don't like it, but I accept it. However, I can't accept guys quitting on the team. Thus, I feel like it's time to move on from a lot of the Fisher players. That influenced this mock.
I'll also say that the Kubiak retirement did us a huge favor considering Kubiak comes from the Shanahan coaching tree and is close friends with Mike and Kyle.
Hire
HC Kyle Shanahan
OC Rick Dennison
DC Wade Phillips
STC John Fassel
I think we all saw what Shanahan did against us without Julio Jones. Brilliant play-caller and Xs and Os coach. He's done a great job with his QBs as well. We need to give Goff an offensive-minded coach who can develop him and implement a system with a real identity. The one big question I have about Kyle is his personality. I've heard rumors he can rub players the wrong way.
Rick Dennison served as Offensive Coordinator for both Gary Kubiak and Mike Shanahan. Dennison also served as OL Coach for Mike Shanahan. He played LB in the NFL for the Denver Broncos. As a coach, he's coached the special teams, offensive line, quarterbacks, and been an offensive coordinator. It's likely that Kyle will call the plays as Head Coach. What Dennison brings to the table is his vast knowledge of the Shanahan offense and a strong knowledge of the zone blocking scheme. Hopefully, we'll start to see somebody get the best out of our OL.
Wade Phillips's reputation and resume precedes himself. Phillips is one of the best defensive coordinators in football and is loved by his players. He was the architect behind the Broncos defense that won the Super Bowl last year. In his length career, Phillips has presided over defenses that finished in the top 10 in points allowed for EIGHT different NFL franchises. Some are going to be worried because Phillips runs a 3-4 defense. However, Phillips is known for his aggressive, penetrating DLs. He's not your typical 3-4 DC who asks his DLs to occupy space. J.J. Watt's success under Phillips shows that he won't misuse Aaron Donald.
Keeping Fassel is just something I hope we do. He's one of the best in the league at what he does.
Cut
HB Tre Mason
OG Rodger Saffold
TE Lance Kendricks
C Tim Barnes
DE Eugene Sims
Re-sign
CB Trumaine Johnson - 5 years $55 million
K Greg Zuerlein - 3 years $6 million
HB Benny Cunningham - 3 years $4.5 million
DT Dominique Easley - RFA Tender
DE Ethan Westbrooks - RFA Tender
DE Matt Longacre - ERFA Tender
Let Walk
S T.J. McDonald (I like T.J., but Mo is a more natural fit at SS. Let's use the money we have elsewhere.)
WR Kenny Britt (I know that Britt has had a nice year, but I feel done with this group of WRs. They take plays off. They run lazy routes. They drop passes. And Britt had major friction with the coaching staff once Fisher left Tennessee. I'm letting someone else take the risk on him.)
QB Case Keenum (Mannion is the backup of the future.)
Trade
Rams trade DE William Hayes
Giants trade Round 6 Pick #23
With us moving to the 3-4, Hayes just isn't a great fit. JPP is likely to walk this off-season. The Giants have some young DEs capable of filling that spot, but Hayes would make a lot of sense as a 3rd DE off the bench for them like he was for us.
Position Changes
LaMarcus Joyner - CB -> FS
Cory Harkey - FB -> TE
With Alexander moving to SS, Joyner moves to FS. I think it's his natural position. Joyner doesn't play well with his back to the ball. He's at his best attacking downhill. He has surprising strength for a guy his size. In college, he showed good range and no fear at FS. He will deliver knockout shots. Offers the same type of skill-set that McLeod did.
Harkey moves into the blocking TE role that Kendricks's release vacates. We have a cheap replacement on our roster who was underutilized this year. We might as well make use of him.
Free Agency
J.C. Tretter OT/OG/C - 5 years $32.5 million
I have an outside the box solution for our LT problem. J.C. Tretter is that (temporary) solution. Tretter can play any of the 5 positions on the OL. He's a Pro Bowl caliber Center and a quality OG. He's a perfect fit for Shanahan's ZBS. However, Tretter was a college LT at Cornell. He stepped in and started at LT last year for the Packers in the playoffs against the Redskins. He started off shaky but improved as the game went on. I watched the game in full.
Tretter has the athleticism, footwork, technical skill, ability to mirror, and football IQ to play LT at the NFL level. He has just enough length at 6'4" with 33.4" arms. Honestly, he likely won't be more than serviceable at LT. His average functional strength and well below average length means that some DEs will be able to push him around. However, Tretter is a great fit for a ZBS, he's a highly intelligent OL, he's well-coached in terms of technique, and he's a great blocker on the second level and in space.
Ultimately, Tretter could give us solid enough play at LT for a year or two while we find our long-term answer. Then he can slide inside and provide high quality play. The other big upside is if the new coaching staff gets through to Greg and he improves, we can slide Tretter inside to Center or Guard immediately. The one big risk here is that Tretter has a long injury history. Still, I'm willing to take that risk considering my belief that he's a viable option at LT in the short-term at a very reasonable price with the ability to be a quality interior OL in the future.
Kenny Stills WR - 4 years $24 million
Kyle Shanahan has done well with smaller, speedy WRs. Taylor Gabriel and Andrew Hawkins both thrived under him when he was their OC.(Gabriel is again this year) Stills is one of the NFL's best deep threats and is a great complement to Pierre Garcon. He's a speedy who can get vertical. He currently has 685 yards and 8 TDs on the year. He steps into the #2 WR role here and offers us a guy who can take the top off a defense. Best of all, he's only 24 years old.
Pierre Garcon WR - 3 years $21 million
Garcon steps in as the WR we pair with Kenny Stills. He's a veteran WR who has consistently produced for nearly a decade. He ended this year with over 1000 receiving yards. He has prior experience playing for Kyle Shanahan in Washington. He even put up 100+ catches for 1300+ yards in Kyle's final year in Washington. We need a veteran leader at WR. Garcon can be that guy.
DE Jared Odrick - 2 years $10 million
Jared Odrick signed a large contract with the Jaguars prior to the 2015 season. He had a nice year in 2015 under Gus Bradley playing a 5-Tech LDE type role. In 2016, Odrick struggled after suffering an injury early in the season and ended up on IR around mid-season. The Jaguars will likely release Odrick because his contract has no guaranteed money left and Bradley is now gone. This allows us to get Odrick at a discount. Odrick will step into the 3-4 LDE role in our defense (similar to his role in Jacksonville) and be asked to attack the ball. That's what he's best at doing.
Johnathan Joseph CB - 2 years $10 million
The Texans are likely to cut Joseph, so they can retain A.J. Bouye. Joseph is still playing at a fairly high level despite him being 32 years old next year. Joseph has experience playing for Wade Phillips in Houston. He'll step in as our #2 CB behind Trumaine. He'll provide veteran leadership for the defense and hopefully help change the culture in the locker room.
DeMarcus Ware OLB - 1 year $5 million
Ware has spent pretty much his entire career with Wade Phillips and really loves playing for him. Ware says that he plans to play another year, so it makes sense for Wade's destination to be Ware's. Ware is no longer an every down player, but he's still capable of being a disruptive pass rusher in a part-time role. He'll platoon with another OLB (likely Courtney Upshaw) to hold down the OLB spot opposite Robert Quinn.
Chris Chester RG - 1 year $2.5 million
Chris Chester was with the Shanahans in Washington and then followed Kyle to Atlanta. Truthfully, I think he's a fairly average OG. My hope is that somebody would beat him out for a starting spot. He's a good ZBS run blocker but a mediocre pass protector. That all said, Kyle Shanahan seems to trust him in his scheme. He'd be a good veteran to bring in who could hopefully help teach the other OLs the scheme.
Dekoda Watson OLB - 2 years $2 million
Dekoda Watson joined the Broncos this year and had an incredible preseason. He's spent the year backing up Von Miller but does have 1 sack in limited time. He joins as a depth player here to compete with Courtney Upshaw for the platoon snaps with DeMarcus Ware.
DE Frostee Rucker - 1 year $1.5 million
Rucker is one of the best run stopping DEs in football. He'll rotate with Jared Odrick at LDE in our defense. Rucker also provides leadership. He's a guy who has been a pain in the butt for us the last few years with Arizona.
Courtney Upshaw OLB - 1 year $1.5 million
Courtney Upshaw spent much of his career with the Ravens playing the run stopping OLB role in their defense. He's not much of a pass rusher, but he is a very good run stopping SOLB and can cover fairly well. He played for Nick Saban in college and the Ravens for the majority of his pro career, so you know that he's well-coached.
NFL Draft
Round 2 Pick #5 - Forrest Lamp OT/OG/C Western Kentucky
Summary: Lamp reminds me of a guy I really liked last year, Cody Whitehair. Like Whitehair, I think Lamp likely kicks inside at the NFL level and develops into a Pro Bowl or All Pro level Guard or Center. Once he gets his hands on a defender, the battle is over. His grip strength, hand placement, and anchor are absurdly good for a college OL.
Round 3 Pick #5 - Scott Quessenberry OG/C UCLA
Summary: Running the ZBS is all about finding the guys who fit. Quessenberry started at RG and Center for the Bruins over the past few years. His brother is a NFL Tackle. Quessenberry has the movement skills,technical skills, anchor, and intelligence to thrive in the Shanahan-Gibbs ZBS. He's a great fit for the system. He hasn't declared for the Draft yet. I am hoping he will.
Round 4 Pick #5 - Damontae Kazee CB San Diego State
Summary: Kazee offers the exact skill-set I wanted to find here. He falls because of the talent at CB in this draft class. Kazee is a great fit for the slot. He's an instinctual kid with quick feet, loose hips, and solid speed. At 5'11" 185, he's a little undersized, but he plays like a much bigger man. He's aggressive in run support, tackles well, and is willing to attack blockers far bigger than himself. Best of all, he has 15 interceptions over the past two years, so you know he has ball-skills.
Round 4 Comp Pick - Ejuan Price DE/OLB Pittsburgh
Summary: Price had injury issues early in his career. He's rebounded to post 42.5 TFLs and 24.5 sacks over the past two years. He's a really small guy at 5'11" 255, but he has serious explosiveness and quickness as a pass rusher. He's a really good fit as a 3-4 OLB. He has the athleticism to not be a liability in coverage while possessing the speed to be a dangerous pass rush specialist.
Round 5 Pick #5 - Jeremy Cutrer CB Middle Tennessee State
Summary: Cutrer is a project CB that I really like. He's a bit thin now at his listed weight of 6'1" 170, but he definitely has NFL caliber quickness, speed, and length. He also showed good ball-skills in the games I saw. I think he has potential to develop into a good NFL CB down the road. Had a really impressive game against Alabama.
Round 6 Pick #5 - Dalvin Tomlinson NT/DE Alabama
Summary: Tomlinson would be our main backup at Nose Tackle but can play all over the DL in Phillips's 3-4 defense. Tomlinson was Alabama's top DL off the bench last year. This year, he stepped into a starting role and played well. He's not a game changing pass rusher, but he pushes the pocket well due to his powerful punch and does a great job of deflecting passes at the LOS. He'll make his money in the NFL as a run stuffer. He's a short, squatty DT at 6'2" 305 who is tough to move and adept at disengaging from his block at the right moment to make the tackle because he is quite good at finding the football.
Round 6 Pick #23 - Obi Melifonwu SS Connecticut
Summary: Melifonwu checks in at 6'3" 220. While you'd expect him to be a bigger hitter with that size, he's not. However, he's a reliable tackler who is a versatile player on the back-end of the defense. He can play deep zone coverage, he can man up in coverage and hold his own, and he can play zone-under. He's a solid all-around player.
Round 6 Comp Pick - Sam Rogers FB Virginia Tech
Summary: Rogers was a bit of a swiss army knife for Virginia Tech this year. The former walk-on did a bit of everything. He played the traditional FB role by lead blocking, he played as a TE, he lined up in the slot as a WR, he took carries as a HB, and he protected the edge like an OT. He ended up with around 300 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving as well as 6 total TDs. On top of that, he impressed me with his pass protection skills (was able to block Ejuan Price 1-on-1 a number of times) and was a good lead blocker in the run game. He's a FB who can carry the ball, catch passes, pass block, and run block.
Round 7 Pick #5 - Mack Hollins WR North Carolina
Summary: Hollins was the best deep threat in college football in 2015. He averaged 25 yards per catch. At 6'4" 210 with explosive deep speed and underrated movement skills, Hollins has starting WR potential if he develops well. If not, the guy has already shown at the college level that he'll play special teams and play it well (has been a special teams captain at UNC since his freshman year). His size/speed combination is a huge asset on special teams. Hollins is a former walk-on who ended up becoming North Carolina's #1 WR. Don't count him out.
Projected Starters
QB: Jared Goff
HB: Todd Gurley
FB: Sam Rogers
XWR: Pierre Garcon
ZWR: Kenny Stills
SLWR: Tavon Austin
TE: Tyler Higbee
LT: J.C. Tretter
LG: Forrest Lamp
C: Scott Quessenberry
RG: Chris Chester vs. Greg Robinson vs. Andrew Donnal vs. Jamon Brown
RT: Rob Havenstein
LDE: Jared Odrick
NT: Michael Brockers
RDE: Aaron Donald
LOLB: DeMarcus Ware
WILB: Mark Barron
SILB: Alec Ogletree
ROLB: Robert Quinn
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
RCB: Johnathan Joseph
SLCB: E.J. Gaines
FS: LaMarcus Joyner
SS: Maurice Alexander
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
KR: Benny Cunningham
PR: Tavon Austin
I'll also say that the Kubiak retirement did us a huge favor considering Kubiak comes from the Shanahan coaching tree and is close friends with Mike and Kyle.
Hire
HC Kyle Shanahan
OC Rick Dennison
DC Wade Phillips
STC John Fassel
I think we all saw what Shanahan did against us without Julio Jones. Brilliant play-caller and Xs and Os coach. He's done a great job with his QBs as well. We need to give Goff an offensive-minded coach who can develop him and implement a system with a real identity. The one big question I have about Kyle is his personality. I've heard rumors he can rub players the wrong way.
Rick Dennison served as Offensive Coordinator for both Gary Kubiak and Mike Shanahan. Dennison also served as OL Coach for Mike Shanahan. He played LB in the NFL for the Denver Broncos. As a coach, he's coached the special teams, offensive line, quarterbacks, and been an offensive coordinator. It's likely that Kyle will call the plays as Head Coach. What Dennison brings to the table is his vast knowledge of the Shanahan offense and a strong knowledge of the zone blocking scheme. Hopefully, we'll start to see somebody get the best out of our OL.
Wade Phillips's reputation and resume precedes himself. Phillips is one of the best defensive coordinators in football and is loved by his players. He was the architect behind the Broncos defense that won the Super Bowl last year. In his length career, Phillips has presided over defenses that finished in the top 10 in points allowed for EIGHT different NFL franchises. Some are going to be worried because Phillips runs a 3-4 defense. However, Phillips is known for his aggressive, penetrating DLs. He's not your typical 3-4 DC who asks his DLs to occupy space. J.J. Watt's success under Phillips shows that he won't misuse Aaron Donald.
Keeping Fassel is just something I hope we do. He's one of the best in the league at what he does.
Cut
HB Tre Mason
OG Rodger Saffold
TE Lance Kendricks
C Tim Barnes
DE Eugene Sims
Re-sign
CB Trumaine Johnson - 5 years $55 million
K Greg Zuerlein - 3 years $6 million
HB Benny Cunningham - 3 years $4.5 million
DT Dominique Easley - RFA Tender
DE Ethan Westbrooks - RFA Tender
DE Matt Longacre - ERFA Tender
Let Walk
S T.J. McDonald (I like T.J., but Mo is a more natural fit at SS. Let's use the money we have elsewhere.)
WR Kenny Britt (I know that Britt has had a nice year, but I feel done with this group of WRs. They take plays off. They run lazy routes. They drop passes. And Britt had major friction with the coaching staff once Fisher left Tennessee. I'm letting someone else take the risk on him.)
QB Case Keenum (Mannion is the backup of the future.)
Trade
Rams trade DE William Hayes
Giants trade Round 6 Pick #23
With us moving to the 3-4, Hayes just isn't a great fit. JPP is likely to walk this off-season. The Giants have some young DEs capable of filling that spot, but Hayes would make a lot of sense as a 3rd DE off the bench for them like he was for us.
Position Changes
LaMarcus Joyner - CB -> FS
Cory Harkey - FB -> TE
With Alexander moving to SS, Joyner moves to FS. I think it's his natural position. Joyner doesn't play well with his back to the ball. He's at his best attacking downhill. He has surprising strength for a guy his size. In college, he showed good range and no fear at FS. He will deliver knockout shots. Offers the same type of skill-set that McLeod did.
Harkey moves into the blocking TE role that Kendricks's release vacates. We have a cheap replacement on our roster who was underutilized this year. We might as well make use of him.
Free Agency
J.C. Tretter OT/OG/C - 5 years $32.5 million
I have an outside the box solution for our LT problem. J.C. Tretter is that (temporary) solution. Tretter can play any of the 5 positions on the OL. He's a Pro Bowl caliber Center and a quality OG. He's a perfect fit for Shanahan's ZBS. However, Tretter was a college LT at Cornell. He stepped in and started at LT last year for the Packers in the playoffs against the Redskins. He started off shaky but improved as the game went on. I watched the game in full.
Tretter has the athleticism, footwork, technical skill, ability to mirror, and football IQ to play LT at the NFL level. He has just enough length at 6'4" with 33.4" arms. Honestly, he likely won't be more than serviceable at LT. His average functional strength and well below average length means that some DEs will be able to push him around. However, Tretter is a great fit for a ZBS, he's a highly intelligent OL, he's well-coached in terms of technique, and he's a great blocker on the second level and in space.
Ultimately, Tretter could give us solid enough play at LT for a year or two while we find our long-term answer. Then he can slide inside and provide high quality play. The other big upside is if the new coaching staff gets through to Greg and he improves, we can slide Tretter inside to Center or Guard immediately. The one big risk here is that Tretter has a long injury history. Still, I'm willing to take that risk considering my belief that he's a viable option at LT in the short-term at a very reasonable price with the ability to be a quality interior OL in the future.
Kenny Stills WR - 4 years $24 million
Kyle Shanahan has done well with smaller, speedy WRs. Taylor Gabriel and Andrew Hawkins both thrived under him when he was their OC.(Gabriel is again this year) Stills is one of the NFL's best deep threats and is a great complement to Pierre Garcon. He's a speedy who can get vertical. He currently has 685 yards and 8 TDs on the year. He steps into the #2 WR role here and offers us a guy who can take the top off a defense. Best of all, he's only 24 years old.
Pierre Garcon WR - 3 years $21 million
Garcon steps in as the WR we pair with Kenny Stills. He's a veteran WR who has consistently produced for nearly a decade. He ended this year with over 1000 receiving yards. He has prior experience playing for Kyle Shanahan in Washington. He even put up 100+ catches for 1300+ yards in Kyle's final year in Washington. We need a veteran leader at WR. Garcon can be that guy.
DE Jared Odrick - 2 years $10 million
Jared Odrick signed a large contract with the Jaguars prior to the 2015 season. He had a nice year in 2015 under Gus Bradley playing a 5-Tech LDE type role. In 2016, Odrick struggled after suffering an injury early in the season and ended up on IR around mid-season. The Jaguars will likely release Odrick because his contract has no guaranteed money left and Bradley is now gone. This allows us to get Odrick at a discount. Odrick will step into the 3-4 LDE role in our defense (similar to his role in Jacksonville) and be asked to attack the ball. That's what he's best at doing.
Johnathan Joseph CB - 2 years $10 million
The Texans are likely to cut Joseph, so they can retain A.J. Bouye. Joseph is still playing at a fairly high level despite him being 32 years old next year. Joseph has experience playing for Wade Phillips in Houston. He'll step in as our #2 CB behind Trumaine. He'll provide veteran leadership for the defense and hopefully help change the culture in the locker room.
DeMarcus Ware OLB - 1 year $5 million
Ware has spent pretty much his entire career with Wade Phillips and really loves playing for him. Ware says that he plans to play another year, so it makes sense for Wade's destination to be Ware's. Ware is no longer an every down player, but he's still capable of being a disruptive pass rusher in a part-time role. He'll platoon with another OLB (likely Courtney Upshaw) to hold down the OLB spot opposite Robert Quinn.
Chris Chester RG - 1 year $2.5 million
Chris Chester was with the Shanahans in Washington and then followed Kyle to Atlanta. Truthfully, I think he's a fairly average OG. My hope is that somebody would beat him out for a starting spot. He's a good ZBS run blocker but a mediocre pass protector. That all said, Kyle Shanahan seems to trust him in his scheme. He'd be a good veteran to bring in who could hopefully help teach the other OLs the scheme.
Dekoda Watson OLB - 2 years $2 million
Dekoda Watson joined the Broncos this year and had an incredible preseason. He's spent the year backing up Von Miller but does have 1 sack in limited time. He joins as a depth player here to compete with Courtney Upshaw for the platoon snaps with DeMarcus Ware.
DE Frostee Rucker - 1 year $1.5 million
Rucker is one of the best run stopping DEs in football. He'll rotate with Jared Odrick at LDE in our defense. Rucker also provides leadership. He's a guy who has been a pain in the butt for us the last few years with Arizona.
Courtney Upshaw OLB - 1 year $1.5 million
Courtney Upshaw spent much of his career with the Ravens playing the run stopping OLB role in their defense. He's not much of a pass rusher, but he is a very good run stopping SOLB and can cover fairly well. He played for Nick Saban in college and the Ravens for the majority of his pro career, so you know that he's well-coached.
NFL Draft
Round 2 Pick #5 - Forrest Lamp OT/OG/C Western Kentucky
Summary: Lamp reminds me of a guy I really liked last year, Cody Whitehair. Like Whitehair, I think Lamp likely kicks inside at the NFL level and develops into a Pro Bowl or All Pro level Guard or Center. Once he gets his hands on a defender, the battle is over. His grip strength, hand placement, and anchor are absurdly good for a college OL.
Round 3 Pick #5 - Scott Quessenberry OG/C UCLA
Summary: Running the ZBS is all about finding the guys who fit. Quessenberry started at RG and Center for the Bruins over the past few years. His brother is a NFL Tackle. Quessenberry has the movement skills,technical skills, anchor, and intelligence to thrive in the Shanahan-Gibbs ZBS. He's a great fit for the system. He hasn't declared for the Draft yet. I am hoping he will.
Round 4 Pick #5 - Damontae Kazee CB San Diego State
Summary: Kazee offers the exact skill-set I wanted to find here. He falls because of the talent at CB in this draft class. Kazee is a great fit for the slot. He's an instinctual kid with quick feet, loose hips, and solid speed. At 5'11" 185, he's a little undersized, but he plays like a much bigger man. He's aggressive in run support, tackles well, and is willing to attack blockers far bigger than himself. Best of all, he has 15 interceptions over the past two years, so you know he has ball-skills.
Round 4 Comp Pick - Ejuan Price DE/OLB Pittsburgh
Summary: Price had injury issues early in his career. He's rebounded to post 42.5 TFLs and 24.5 sacks over the past two years. He's a really small guy at 5'11" 255, but he has serious explosiveness and quickness as a pass rusher. He's a really good fit as a 3-4 OLB. He has the athleticism to not be a liability in coverage while possessing the speed to be a dangerous pass rush specialist.
Round 5 Pick #5 - Jeremy Cutrer CB Middle Tennessee State
Summary: Cutrer is a project CB that I really like. He's a bit thin now at his listed weight of 6'1" 170, but he definitely has NFL caliber quickness, speed, and length. He also showed good ball-skills in the games I saw. I think he has potential to develop into a good NFL CB down the road. Had a really impressive game against Alabama.
Round 6 Pick #5 - Dalvin Tomlinson NT/DE Alabama
Summary: Tomlinson would be our main backup at Nose Tackle but can play all over the DL in Phillips's 3-4 defense. Tomlinson was Alabama's top DL off the bench last year. This year, he stepped into a starting role and played well. He's not a game changing pass rusher, but he pushes the pocket well due to his powerful punch and does a great job of deflecting passes at the LOS. He'll make his money in the NFL as a run stuffer. He's a short, squatty DT at 6'2" 305 who is tough to move and adept at disengaging from his block at the right moment to make the tackle because he is quite good at finding the football.
Round 6 Pick #23 - Obi Melifonwu SS Connecticut
Summary: Melifonwu checks in at 6'3" 220. While you'd expect him to be a bigger hitter with that size, he's not. However, he's a reliable tackler who is a versatile player on the back-end of the defense. He can play deep zone coverage, he can man up in coverage and hold his own, and he can play zone-under. He's a solid all-around player.
Round 6 Comp Pick - Sam Rogers FB Virginia Tech
Summary: Rogers was a bit of a swiss army knife for Virginia Tech this year. The former walk-on did a bit of everything. He played the traditional FB role by lead blocking, he played as a TE, he lined up in the slot as a WR, he took carries as a HB, and he protected the edge like an OT. He ended up with around 300 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving as well as 6 total TDs. On top of that, he impressed me with his pass protection skills (was able to block Ejuan Price 1-on-1 a number of times) and was a good lead blocker in the run game. He's a FB who can carry the ball, catch passes, pass block, and run block.
Round 7 Pick #5 - Mack Hollins WR North Carolina
Summary: Hollins was the best deep threat in college football in 2015. He averaged 25 yards per catch. At 6'4" 210 with explosive deep speed and underrated movement skills, Hollins has starting WR potential if he develops well. If not, the guy has already shown at the college level that he'll play special teams and play it well (has been a special teams captain at UNC since his freshman year). His size/speed combination is a huge asset on special teams. Hollins is a former walk-on who ended up becoming North Carolina's #1 WR. Don't count him out.
Projected Starters
QB: Jared Goff
HB: Todd Gurley
FB: Sam Rogers
XWR: Pierre Garcon
ZWR: Kenny Stills
SLWR: Tavon Austin
TE: Tyler Higbee
LT: J.C. Tretter
LG: Forrest Lamp
C: Scott Quessenberry
RG: Chris Chester vs. Greg Robinson vs. Andrew Donnal vs. Jamon Brown
RT: Rob Havenstein
LDE: Jared Odrick
NT: Michael Brockers
RDE: Aaron Donald
LOLB: DeMarcus Ware
WILB: Mark Barron
SILB: Alec Ogletree
ROLB: Robert Quinn
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
RCB: Johnathan Joseph
SLCB: E.J. Gaines
FS: LaMarcus Joyner
SS: Maurice Alexander
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
KR: Benny Cunningham
PR: Tavon Austin
