CJD Final Mock Draft

[CJD]

Alright, this quarantine is absolutely killing me. I was only intending to do 3 official mock drafts this off season, but my fingers have been itching with nothing better to do at home. So I'm calling this my final mock draft, as it's my third, but I may do a 4th the week of the draft, depending on how things turn out in terms of players' draft stock going into the draft.

With that said, I'm pretty thrilled with this draft. And, before I post it, I know some people are going to disagree with my 2nd round pick but given the options, I think you'll be compelled to agree with me.




Now, before you talk about how WR isn't our top need and OL or LB is, let me just paint you a picture with my words.

From picks 22 to 32, the picks were Jefferson, Love, Queen, Baun, Jones, Cleveland, Ruiz, Gross-Matos, Mims, Noah I, Kenneth Murray

The top players remaining at OT were:
Lucas Niang
Austin Jackson

The top players remaining at OG/C were:
Lloyd Cushenberry
Jonah Jackson

The top players remaining at LB were:
Malik Jefferson
ADG
Jordyn Brooks

And then there was Tee Higgins...
I just...I can't rightly justify not taking Higgins there haha. His value is too immense and the hole he fills is too large to justify reaching for Cushenberry or Niang at 33.

In the 3rd round, I fill the hole that Baun would have filled in that edge/LB hybrid role with Josh Uche. I really like this pick because it fills two holes well, as Uche has the agility and awareness to drop into short zone coverages and man coverage on TEs and RBs, but he also has the prowess and length to rush the passer. He may not be ready to start at LB right out of the gate, but with Pratt and Bynes as we our primary starters, Uche fills a valuable role on this team moving into 2021.

Now, I know what you're thinking. How could I possibly not address the offensive line in the first three rounds of the draft? Well, the main reason was Uche dropping to 65. I didn't foresee that coming and I was prepared to draft Isaiah Wilson at 65. Luckily for me, he found some way to drop down to 107! So I grabbed him there. He has the potential to replace Hart on day 1 and he even has some potential as a guard given his raw strength and build. He may be a bit too tall for guard a 6'7", but we won't have a 6'2" QB in 2020, so that may be okay.

I continue to address the offensive line in the 5th round with another player that I had pegged a round earlier than where I got him (you know, having the first pick in each round really does skew things in your favor when it comes to grabbing the "fallers" haha). John Simpson is a powerful man. With Simpson and Wilson, we could run a power heavy set to the right on nearly every play and expect them to run at least two players over each time. He isn't the quickest guard in the world, which will affect pulls, but we have a lot of nimble guards on this roster already with Price, Jordan and XSF. Having a mauler inside will come in handy, even if he isn't a full time starter on day 1.

I finally address a true linebacker in one who I think is being overlooked due to his partner in crime taking up all the glory. Phillips projects more to a 2 down linebacker due his relatively slow processing speed and feel for coverage. However, he is very quick and a sure tackler, so I like him as a developmental prospect to sit behind Bynes and Pratt.

For those expecting a LB sooner than this, here's the thing:

I think the LB position, on the whole, is being devalued in the NFL. With teams running 3 WR sets as a base offense now and with TEs getting faster and more agile ("Big WRs"), the traditional thumping LB is not only outdated, but also relatively easy to find. The NFL is looking more towards these hybrid type LBs that can offer multiple looks on defense. I think Josh Uche fills that role very well and he is who I'm counting as my premium LB pick, not Phillips. If Phillips remains a depth piece who only plays one or two downs a drive, that's okay with me. The Nickelback, more than the WLB, is becoming the new 11th starter on many defenses and we got a damn good one in Mack Alexander. Our two starting LBs are currently Bynes and Pratt with Uche now backing them up as a hybrid player. We also have Bell and, for the time being, Shawn Williams who play that same Nickel Linebacker role very well.

And, with a good enough defensive line, any linebacker can appropriately fill a gap when they don't have to worry about shedding the block from a 340 lb guard. I think Reader gives us that kind of defensive line.

If there had been value in the 2nd round, such as Queen, Baun or Murray, a Linebacker athletic enough and physical enough to never leave the field, I'd be all for drafting them. But with the way this mock draft fell, I could never justify a 2 down linebacker (like Brooks) or a strictly third down linebacker (like ADG) over the players I picked, all of whom I believe have a chance at being full time starters on this team within a year.

With the NFL getting faster and shiftier every year, the traditional 3 LB set is becoming outdated almost to the point of obsolescence.

That's why I was comfortable waiting on LB until now.

I finish up the mock draft with a depth corner who I think has potential to play a more significant role somewhere down the line. We have a hand full of 1 year deal CBs who Robinson could easily replace.

Let me know what you think!