1/29 Mock

[Whatever]

I'm going into this one with the assumption that Higgins gets tagged, Reader is resigned or replaced in FA, and the club secured an actual starting quality TE in FA(for once). I also assume they will either get a cheap vet stopgap RT or are confident enough in Carman/Smith if they whiff in the draft.

When pick #18 rolled around, the only T left on the board worth the pick was Mims, who scares me death. It was basically reach for T, lesser reach for a WR, take Mims and pray, or just go BPA. I took a trade down from the Steelers for #20 and #84, but still found myself in the same boat, minus Mims as an option.

#20.Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama -Oooohhhh Yeeeeeaaahhh!!! Sorry, but I just couldn't resist. This was a strict "stick to your board" pick. Kool-Aid man is a Top 10 talent in my book, with plenty of length, great zone awareness, and sticky man coverage skills. Kid is also a top tier leader and communicator on the back end. Not a big need, but a Top 10 talent at a premium position is a nice consolation prize.

#49.Patrick Paul, T, Houston -Fortunately, T board fell my way in the 2nd and I was able to land Paul, a 6'7" powerhouse with incredible length. 4 year starter with a finisher's mentality, Paul should immediately step in and compete for the starting job.

#80.Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State -Another case where the board fell my way allowed me to grab Wilson in the 3rd. Wilson is 6'7", 235+, and to me equates to a Mike Williams type WR2. A nasty blocker with great explosion and athletic ability, the kid is also putting in some work as a TE at the Senior Bowl, perhaps unlocking some scheme versatility as an H-back/move TE.

#83.Trey Benson, RB, Florida State -Compact frame at 6'1", 223 that makes great cuts and runs with power and a mean stiff arm. Also a plus pass protector.

#115.McKinnley Jackson, DT, Texas A&M-Developmental/rotational NT.

#147.Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State-Reserve 2 down LB and ST'er.

#174.Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Washington State -Nickel CB to groom and compete with Turner next year assuming Hilton leaves.

#195.Kamal Hadden, CB, Tennessee -I know, a third CB. Flyer on a kid who allowed a 7.0 passer rating last year.

#234.Frank Gore Jr., RB, Southern Mississippi -Versatile bench RB that can both block and be a threat as a receiver.

#251.Kingley Equakun, IOL, Florida-Zone scheme C with good athleticism that will likely need a year in an NFL weight training program. 0 sacks allowed in 901 pass pro reps.

[*bfine32*]

Lot of talent in the first 5 picks. Johnny Wilson is very interesting. Add about 15 lbs and he could be TE.

[Whatever]

(01-30-2024, 02:44 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Lot of talent in the first 5 picks. Johnny Wilson is very interesting. Add about 15 lbs and he could be TE.

Thanks.

Wilson is interesting and looks to have some versatility to him.  He's a better blocker than Hudson already and could replace/sub for him in those packages. I don't think I'd ever want him to bulk up to inline TE size, but I think he definitely help seal the edge crashing in from the slot or in a wack block out of motion and be a force in the screen game.