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Mock Draft: Post-Combine
An early attempt at predicting the first 15 picks of the first round, including a big trade involving Marcus Mariota. Plus the landing spots for top WRs Amari Cooper and Kevin White, what the Browns might do at No. 12 and answering reader mail
By Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/02/25/nfl-mock-draft-peter-king-marcus-mariota-trade/
Let the silly season begin! And let me kick it off, right here!
With a nod to the “Fine Fifteen” section of my Monday Morning Quarterback column, this is my post-combine attempt to put the top of the 2015 draft in some order. But keep in mind the draft is 64 days away. As I wrote Monday, the Bucs have a long investigative process on Jameis Winston to complete; the Florida State quarterback will spend approximately 30 hours of time with Tampa Bay coaches, GM Jason Licht and other club officials. They still have a ways to go before making a determination on what they’re going to do with the first pick in the draft.
Fair warning, too: I’m also going to make a trade in this column. Now, it is preposterous to project trades nine weeks before the draft. But I’m doing it because as I sit here right now, I think a couple of deals are logical. That may change before the draft—no, it will change.
Here we go:
Fine Fifteen, Post-Combine Mock Draft
1. TAMPA BAY
Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
The Bucs have nine weeks to poke holes in Winston, and I expect a few minor ones to emerge. As I wrote Monday, if there are big problems with Winston, Tampa Bay won’t take him. Marcus Mariota is absolutely not out of the picture here. But Winston fits the offense more, with one slight asterisk. He threw 18 picks last year for FSU, and Licht told me Saturday: “Usually you find when a guy throws interceptions in college that doesn’t go away in the pros.” Something to watch, anyway.
2. TENNESSEE
Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida
Has the body type of the Steelers’ Jason Worilds, and Fowler could be a good complement opposite Derrick Morgan to rush the passer. In his last two years at Florida, Fowler had 38 sacks/tackles for loss. I’d like to see Fowler in Dick LeBeau’s hands for a couple of years, to see how LeBeau might mold him.
3. JACKSONVILLE
Leonard Williams, DT, USC
Gus Bradley is rubbing his hands in glee this morning in anticipation of Williams somehow falling to him. Imagine, Bradley thinks, creating a starting front, left to right, of Red Bryant, Leonard Williams, Sen’Derrick Marks and Chris Clemons. That would force the AFC South to get very good at guard. Like, right now.
4. OAKLAND
Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
James Jones on one side, White (4.35 speed, with some physicality to him) on the other. Derek Carr would be one happy man. I do believe number 11 is open in Oakland, so this latter-day version of Larry Fitzgerald (and a faster one) could wear his college number and start to put up Fitzgerald numbers pretty quickly.
*5. PHILADELPHIA
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
*Trade: Washington gets Philadelphia’s first- and second-round picks this year, and first- and fourth-round picks in 2016. Washington could be moving from five to 20 in the first round by doing this deal, with GM Scot McCloughan scoring points with his new boss for not giving away the store in a trade, but rather acquiring the store. This has so many poetic points to it. The Eagles gave Donovan McNabb to Washington a few Easters ago; now Washington would be giving a longer-term quarterback, theoretically, to Chip Kelly. Kelly would be reunited with the quarterback he recruited out of a Hawaii high school and helped make a star in college football. It just feels right, though Howie Roseman will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into giving up so much draft capital for a player with some question marks.
6. NEW YORK JETS
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Dunno. You pick it: best receiver available or best corner available, now that Chip Kelly has killed their Mariota dream. I can’t fathom Mariota getting past the sixth pick.
7. CHICAGO
Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
I could see the new team of John Fox/Ryan Pace picking from a number of front-seven options. But an interior combo platter of Stephen Paea and Shelton, all 643 pounds of it, would be tantalizing.
8. ATLANTA
Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
I have no idea which pass-rusher it will be right here. But I will just say this: If the Falcons don’t take a rush end or an outside ‘backer with insane pass-rush potential in the first round, then my name’s Joe Don Looney.
9. NEW YORK GIANTS
Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
With the Giants having divested themselves of so much pass-rush skill in the recent past, I think they draft into the teeth of a strong group of rushers. Maybe Shane Ray, maybe Beasley. But new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will find the cupboard fairly bare in the pass-rush area when he does a thorough roster review, and he’ll need reinforcements. The all-time sack leader at Clemson is a start.
10. ST. LOUIS
Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
Rams could go receiver here, and they just might be in the Mariota trade-up market; we’ll see. But Scherff would give the team two long-term bookend tackles (with Greg Robinson, who had a suspect freshman year), and that will be tempting for GM Les Snead.
11. MINNESOTA
Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
Even if the Adrian Peterson thing blows up and the Vikings lose him and they love Melvin Gordon … But Mike Zimmer likes his front’s ability to pressure the quarterback. Now he wants a corner to play with Xavier Rhodes as his two long-term cover guys in a division with very good quarterbacking.
DeVante Parker missed the first seven games with a broken foot in 2014, but finished with five touchdowns in six games. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)DeVante Parker missed the first seven games with a broken foot in 2014, but finished with five touchdowns in six games. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
12. CLEVELAND
DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
What choice do the Browns have, really, with the crushing disappointment that Josh Gordon has become? Wouldn’t be shocked to see the Browns trade up if Amari Cooper or Kevin White is hanging around a few picks earlier, but I doubt they’d sacrifice their second first-rounder, which is 19th overall, with such a good crop of receivers here.
13. NEW ORLEANS
Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is pretty happy with this pick. He wants a pressure player, and there are a few still out here, and the Saints would bypass some promising tackles to make this call. Mickey Loomis could go a lot of different directions here.
14. MIAMI
Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
Mike Tannenbaum always knew how valuable corners were for the Jets. Now he brings that emphasis south. I’ll remember what a mistake it was to trade Vontae Davis to Indianapolis if the Dolphins end up going corner here.
15. SAN FRANCISCO
Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
Tough call, because the Niners could stay and have their choice of a few players that fit—or they could trade, and GM Trent Baalke loves accumulating picks. This is a projection, because Armstead is only 20.
An early attempt at predicting the first 15 picks of the first round, including a big trade involving Marcus Mariota. Plus the landing spots for top WRs Amari Cooper and Kevin White, what the Browns might do at No. 12 and answering reader mail
By Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/02/25/nfl-mock-draft-peter-king-marcus-mariota-trade/
Let the silly season begin! And let me kick it off, right here!
With a nod to the “Fine Fifteen” section of my Monday Morning Quarterback column, this is my post-combine attempt to put the top of the 2015 draft in some order. But keep in mind the draft is 64 days away. As I wrote Monday, the Bucs have a long investigative process on Jameis Winston to complete; the Florida State quarterback will spend approximately 30 hours of time with Tampa Bay coaches, GM Jason Licht and other club officials. They still have a ways to go before making a determination on what they’re going to do with the first pick in the draft.
Fair warning, too: I’m also going to make a trade in this column. Now, it is preposterous to project trades nine weeks before the draft. But I’m doing it because as I sit here right now, I think a couple of deals are logical. That may change before the draft—no, it will change.
Here we go:
Fine Fifteen, Post-Combine Mock Draft
1. TAMPA BAY
Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
The Bucs have nine weeks to poke holes in Winston, and I expect a few minor ones to emerge. As I wrote Monday, if there are big problems with Winston, Tampa Bay won’t take him. Marcus Mariota is absolutely not out of the picture here. But Winston fits the offense more, with one slight asterisk. He threw 18 picks last year for FSU, and Licht told me Saturday: “Usually you find when a guy throws interceptions in college that doesn’t go away in the pros.” Something to watch, anyway.
2. TENNESSEE
Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida
Has the body type of the Steelers’ Jason Worilds, and Fowler could be a good complement opposite Derrick Morgan to rush the passer. In his last two years at Florida, Fowler had 38 sacks/tackles for loss. I’d like to see Fowler in Dick LeBeau’s hands for a couple of years, to see how LeBeau might mold him.
3. JACKSONVILLE
Leonard Williams, DT, USC
Gus Bradley is rubbing his hands in glee this morning in anticipation of Williams somehow falling to him. Imagine, Bradley thinks, creating a starting front, left to right, of Red Bryant, Leonard Williams, Sen’Derrick Marks and Chris Clemons. That would force the AFC South to get very good at guard. Like, right now.
4. OAKLAND
Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
James Jones on one side, White (4.35 speed, with some physicality to him) on the other. Derek Carr would be one happy man. I do believe number 11 is open in Oakland, so this latter-day version of Larry Fitzgerald (and a faster one) could wear his college number and start to put up Fitzgerald numbers pretty quickly.
*5. PHILADELPHIA
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
*Trade: Washington gets Philadelphia’s first- and second-round picks this year, and first- and fourth-round picks in 2016. Washington could be moving from five to 20 in the first round by doing this deal, with GM Scot McCloughan scoring points with his new boss for not giving away the store in a trade, but rather acquiring the store. This has so many poetic points to it. The Eagles gave Donovan McNabb to Washington a few Easters ago; now Washington would be giving a longer-term quarterback, theoretically, to Chip Kelly. Kelly would be reunited with the quarterback he recruited out of a Hawaii high school and helped make a star in college football. It just feels right, though Howie Roseman will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into giving up so much draft capital for a player with some question marks.
6. NEW YORK JETS
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Dunno. You pick it: best receiver available or best corner available, now that Chip Kelly has killed their Mariota dream. I can’t fathom Mariota getting past the sixth pick.
7. CHICAGO
Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
I could see the new team of John Fox/Ryan Pace picking from a number of front-seven options. But an interior combo platter of Stephen Paea and Shelton, all 643 pounds of it, would be tantalizing.
8. ATLANTA
Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
I have no idea which pass-rusher it will be right here. But I will just say this: If the Falcons don’t take a rush end or an outside ‘backer with insane pass-rush potential in the first round, then my name’s Joe Don Looney.
9. NEW YORK GIANTS
Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
With the Giants having divested themselves of so much pass-rush skill in the recent past, I think they draft into the teeth of a strong group of rushers. Maybe Shane Ray, maybe Beasley. But new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will find the cupboard fairly bare in the pass-rush area when he does a thorough roster review, and he’ll need reinforcements. The all-time sack leader at Clemson is a start.
10. ST. LOUIS
Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
Rams could go receiver here, and they just might be in the Mariota trade-up market; we’ll see. But Scherff would give the team two long-term bookend tackles (with Greg Robinson, who had a suspect freshman year), and that will be tempting for GM Les Snead.
11. MINNESOTA
Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
Even if the Adrian Peterson thing blows up and the Vikings lose him and they love Melvin Gordon … But Mike Zimmer likes his front’s ability to pressure the quarterback. Now he wants a corner to play with Xavier Rhodes as his two long-term cover guys in a division with very good quarterbacking.
DeVante Parker missed the first seven games with a broken foot in 2014, but finished with five touchdowns in six games. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)DeVante Parker missed the first seven games with a broken foot in 2014, but finished with five touchdowns in six games. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
12. CLEVELAND
DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
What choice do the Browns have, really, with the crushing disappointment that Josh Gordon has become? Wouldn’t be shocked to see the Browns trade up if Amari Cooper or Kevin White is hanging around a few picks earlier, but I doubt they’d sacrifice their second first-rounder, which is 19th overall, with such a good crop of receivers here.
13. NEW ORLEANS
Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is pretty happy with this pick. He wants a pressure player, and there are a few still out here, and the Saints would bypass some promising tackles to make this call. Mickey Loomis could go a lot of different directions here.
14. MIAMI
Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
Mike Tannenbaum always knew how valuable corners were for the Jets. Now he brings that emphasis south. I’ll remember what a mistake it was to trade Vontae Davis to Indianapolis if the Dolphins end up going corner here.
15. SAN FRANCISCO
Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
Tough call, because the Niners could stay and have their choice of a few players that fit—or they could trade, and GM Trent Baalke loves accumulating picks. This is a projection, because Armstead is only 20.
