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Mike Reynolds Post-Combine Mock 2.0

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After an NFL Combine that literally had world record breaking performances, draft experts are busy as ever watching film and crunching numbers. The last two months are the most pivotal of all leading up to the draft, and will make or break some prospects stock. Pro days and individual visits will be a plenty. Reactions and over reactions will be scorching social media daily, and Jordan and I will be here trying to sort through the ruckus.

For my mock 2.0, I decided to include a few trades. Trades in the NFL Draft are inevitable, so as futile as it is to try and predict them, we think it’s a good practice. Much like Jordan’s mock draft, you may find a few surprises in mine. Most notably the position of Randy Gregory.

Round 1

  1. Tampa Bay (2-14): Jameis Winston, QB FSU
  2. Tennessee (2-14): Leonard Williams, DE USC
  3. *Jets via Jacksonville (3-13): Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon
  4. Oakland (3-13): Kevin White, WR WVU
  5. Washington (4-12): Vic Beasley, EDGE Clemson
  6. *Jaguars via New York Jets (4-12): Amari Cooper, WR Alabama
  7. Chicago (5-11): Eddie Goldman, NT Florida State
  8. Atlanta (6-10): Dante Fowler, EDGE Florida
  9. New York Giants (6-10): T.J Clemmings, OT Pittsburgh
  10. St. Louis (6-10): Brandon Scherff, OT/OG Iowa
  11. Minnesota (7-9): Devante Parker, WR Louisville
  12. Cleveland (7-9): Danny Shelton, NT Washington
  13. New Orleans (7-9): Eli Harold, EDGE Virginia
  14. Miami (8-8): Trae Waynes, CB Michigan State
  15. San Francisco (8-8): Marcus Peters, CB Washington
  16. *Pittsburgh via Houston (9-7): Shane Ray, EDGE Missouri
  17. San Diego (9-7): Jordan Phillips, NT Oklahoma
  18. Kansas City (9-7): La’El Collins, OT LSU
  19. Cleveland – from Buffalo (9-7): Jaelen Strong, WR Arizona State
  20. Philadelphia (10-6): Landon Collins, SS Alabama
  21. Cincinnati (10-5-1): Owamagbe Odighizuwa, EDGE UCLA
  22. *Houston via Pittsburgh (11-5): Alvin Dupree, EDGE Kentucky
  23. Detroit (11-5): Andrus Peat, OT Stanford
  24. Arizona (11-5): Eric Kendricks, ILB UCLA
  25. Carolina (7-8-1): Ereck Flowers, OT Miami
  26. Baltimore (10-6): Arik Armstead, DE Oregon
  27. Dallas (12-4): Shaq Thompson, OLB Washington
  28. *Seattle via Denver (12-4): Maxx Williams, TE Minnesota
  29. Tennessee via Indianapolis (11-5): Dorial Green-Beckham, WR Oklahoma
  30. Green Bay (12-4): Stephone Anthony, ILB Clemson
  31. *Denver via Seattle (12-4): Malcom Brown, DT Texas
  32. New England (12-4): Cameron Erving, OT/OG/C FSU

 

Buffalo -> Cleveland: Sammy Watkins

*Jaguars trade #3, Jets trade #6 and #37

*Houston trades #16, #82. Steelers trade #22, #56

*Indianapolis trades #29. Tennessee Trades #33, #130

*Denver trades #28. Seattle trades #31 and #127


Round 2

  1. *Indianapolis via Tennessee (2-14): Melvin Gordon, RB Wisconsin
  2. Tampa Bay (2-14): Randy Gregory, EDGE Nebraska
  3. Oakland (3-13): Eric Rowe, CB/FS Utah
  4. Jacksonville (3-13): Preston Smith, EDGE Mississippi State
  5. *Jaguars via New York Jets (4-12): D.J Humphries, OT Florida
  6. Washington (4-12): Derron Smith, FS Fresno State
  7. Chicago (5-11): Gerod Holliman, FS Louisville
  8. New York Giants (6-10): Paul Dawson, LB TCU
  9. St. Louis (6-10): Breshad Perriman, WR UCF
  10. Atlanta (6-10): Todd Gurley, RB Georgia
  11. Cleveland (7-9): Jake Fisher, OT Oregon
  12. New Orleans (7-9): Quinten Rollins, CB Miami (OH)
  13. Minnesota (7-9): A.J Cann, OG South Carolina
  14. San Francisco (8-8): Nelson Agholor, WR USC
  15. Miami (8-8): Xavier Cooper, DT Washington State
  16. San Diego (9-7): Lorenzo Mauldin, EDGE Louisville
  17. Kansas City (9-7): Rashad Greene, WR FSU
  18. Buffalo (9-7): Brett Hundley, QB UCLA
  19. Houston (9-7): Denzel Perryman, ILB Miami
  20. Philadelphia (10-6): Ronald Darby, CB FSU
  21. Cincinnati (10-5-1): Benardrick McKinney, OLB Mississippi State
  22. Detroit (11-5): Carl Davis, DT Iowa
  23. Arizona (11-5): Nate Orchard, EDGE Utah
  24. *Houston via Pittsburgh (11-5): Cody Prewitt, FS Ole Miss
  25. Carolina (7-8-1): Anthony Harris, SS Virginia
  26. Baltimore (10-6): Clive Walford, TE Miami
  27. Denver (12-4): Devin Funchess, TE/WR Michigan
  28. Dallas (12-4): P.J Williams, CB FSU
  29. Indianapolis (11-5): Danielle Hunter, EDGE LSU
  30. Green Bay (12-4): Jalen Collins, CB LSU
  31. Seattle (12-4): Daryl Williams, OT Oklahoma
  32. New England (12-4): Trey Flowers, EDGE Arkansas

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Jordan Katz Top 5 By Position

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This is my own personal list for my top five players by position. For edge rushers, I put them at what I feel is their more natural position, be it a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker. This goes for offensive lineman as well. If I believe a tackle is better suited at a guard, I put him there. This also may not reflect the order that I have them in my recent mock draft. My mock draft is based on team needs as well as scheme fits.

Quarterbacks:

1) Jameis Winston, Florida State

2) Marcus Mariota, Oregon

3) Brett Hundley, UCLA

4) Garrett Grayson, Colorado State

5) Bryce Petty, Baylor

Running Backs:

1) Todd Gurley, Georgia

2) Duke Johnson, Miami

3) Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin

4) Tevin Coleman, Indiana

5) David Cobb, Minnesota

Wide Receivers:

1A) Kevin White, West Virginia

1B) Amari Cooper, Alabama

3) DeVante Parker, Louisville

4) Jaelen Strong, Arizona State

5) Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma

Tight Ends:

1) Maxx Williams, Minnesota 

2) Clive Walford, Miami 

3) Blake Bell, Oklahoma

4) Ben Koyack, Notre Dame

5) Wes Saxton, West Alabama

Offensive Tackles:

1) T.J Clemmings, Pittsburgh

2) Andrus Peat, Stanford

3) Jake Fisher, Oregon

4) D.J Humphries, Florida

5) La’el Collins, LSU

Interior Line:

1) Brandon Scherff,  Iowa

2) Ty Sambrailo, Colorado State

3) Hroniss Grassu (Center), Oregon

4) Laken Tomlinson, Duke

5) A.J Cann, South Carolina

Defensive Ends:

1) Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA

2) Dante Fowler Jr., Florida 

3) Nate Orchard, Utah

4) Preston Smith, Mississippi State

5) Arik Armstead, Oregon

Defensive Tackles:

1) Leonard Williams, Southern California

2) Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma

3) Eddie Goldman, Florida State

4) Danny Shelton, Washington

5) Malcom Brown, Texas

Outside Linebackers:

1) Vic Beasley, Clemson

2) Eli Harold, Virginia

3) Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Kentucky

4) Shaq Thompson, Washington

5) Shane Ray, Missouri

Inside Linebackers:

1) Stephone Anthony, Clemson

2) Eric Kendricks, UCLA

3) Paul Dawson, TCU

4) Benadrick McKinney, Mississippi State

5) Denzel Perryman, Miami

Cornerbacks:

1) Trae Waynes, Michigan State

2) Marcus Peters, Washington

3) Quinten Rollins, Miami (OH)

4) Ronald Darby, Florida State

5) Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest

Safeties:

1) Landon Collins, Alabama

2) Derron Smith, Fresno State

3) Gerrod Holliman, Louisville

4) Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss

5) Anthony Harris, Virginia

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Mike Reynolds’ Five Tips for Making a Mock Draft

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The Senior Bowl has already come and gone, which means we are officially in mock draft season. Many people will attempt to make a mock draft, because quite frankly anyone can. Mock drafts are a fun way to explore what you would do if you were the GM of a team, and also learn quite a bit about the upcoming draft class before they ever hit an NFL field. However, just because anyone can make a mock draft doesn’t mean they are worth your time to read. Here are five tips to consider when making your mock draft for 2015.

1. Decide what kind of mock draft you want to make.

Wait, there is more than one kind of mock draft? Most people might not realize it but the kind of mock draft you do depends on the type of thing you are trying to predict. In my opinion, mock drafters fall into two groups.

  • Those who want to accurately predict where a player falls in a round

Very self-explanatory. These mock drafters go into the draft and try to have the perfect mock draft. Their success when it comes to a mock draft comes solely from how many picks they get correct. It does feel pretty nice when you make a bold call that nobody was expecting and it comes to life.

  • Those who want to accurately predict a player’s success in the NFL.

This is much different from the first type. This kind of person could doesn’t really care if their mock draft is accurate in the moment. They are in it for the long haul. I consider this strategy to be more difficult to stick with, but more rewarding in the end if you are right.

As an example, someone who predicts NFL success might have said that Aaron Curry would be a bust and at the time that would have been laughed at. Many experts said that Aaron Curry might be the best player in the 2009 draft class and eventually go to the Hall of Fame. He ended up being picked 4th overall that year. We know now that he never lived up to that standard and is now out of the league. That guy who predicted he would be a bust in 2009 can now sit smugly in 2014 knowing that he called that before Curry was even drafted.

2. Stick to your guns.

Anyone can use someone else’s ranking when they make a mock draft. I view different mock drafts because I want to see an opinion that is different from the one that everyone decided to copy from experts. The so-called “experts” can never claim that they have even been 50% accurate with their predictions, and you might have spotted something about a player that nobody else picked up on yet.

I get it. Nobody wants to be made fun of for being wrong, or have to explain their dissenting opinion to a group of angry people who want to tear them apart, but here is the thing: You are going to be wrong. Those people who are trying to correct you? They are going to be wrong too. The expert whose sources told him that the Bears would take player X? You bet he is probably going to be wrong also. There is no such thing as being 100% accurate when it comes to the NFL draft. Embrace being incorrect.

3. Know what you’re talking about.

This is important. I am a big proponent of the fact that basically anything can happen when it comes to the NFL draft, but if you are predicting the Packers to take a QB in the first round, you may want to take a step back and reconsider.

Take the time to research what position a team needs, and what position a team is set at. Make sure you know what each team drafted last year. If Team A drafted a cornerback in each of the past two drafts, chances are they won’t be going back for a third.

Also, people may not want to believe it, but position scarcity does drive where and when a player might go. Know what positions are prioritized and which ones are not. If you do these things, you might just see a lot less angry fans calling for your head when you put out your first mock of the season.

4. Remember: Teams don’t always make the smart decision.

I think this is one of the most important things to remember. If you are trying to create the most accurate mock draft you can, why are you giving every team what you consider to be their optimal choice. Everyone can most likely agree that there is going to be one pick that we consider “stupid” come draft day. So keeping this in mind, the only way to accurately predict how the draft will unfold is to try decipher which team is going to make that not so clever decision this year.

I admit, this one is kind of hard and not many people are going to go for it. Despite this, you can bet that I will be purposely including an out there selection in my mock draft in the hopes that I accurately predict which team took a swing and missed.

5. Have fun with it.

No matter your reason for making a mock draft, this is your opportunity to be the GM. If you think The Panthers would be better off trading away Cam Newton and drafting a new QB, go ahead and mock it. Anyone can look at a list of players and mock them in the same way thousands of others did.

Go crazy with it. Mock as many trades as you want. Put that third round projected player in the first round. Make decisions for your team that would drive fans absolutely crazy. Or be as accurate as you can and take solace in the fact that you nailed that one call nobody else did. It’s your mock draft. Do whatever makes you happy and be proud of it no matter the result.

 

 

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Jordan Katz Big Board (Top 32)

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1) Leonard Williams, DT Southern California

2) Amari Cooper, WR Alabama

3) Kevin White, WR West Virginia

4) Jordan Phillips, NT Oklahoma

5) Eddie Goldman, DT Florida State

6) DeVante Parker, WR Louisville

7) Brandon Scherff, OG Iowa

8) Landon Collins, SS Alabama

9) Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE Florida

10) Todd Gurley, RB Georgia

11) Shaq Thompson, OLB Washington

12) Nate Orchard, EDGE Utah

13) Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE UCLA

14) Jaelen Strong, WR Arizona State

15) Vic Beasley, EDGE Clemson

16) Dorial Green-Beckham, WR Oklahoma

17) Eric Kendricks, ILB UCLA

18) Jameis Winston, QB Florida State

19) Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon

20) Bud Dupree, EDGE Kentucky

21) Danny Shelton, NT Washington

22) Andrus Peat, OT Stanford

23) Eli Harold, EDGE Virginia

24) Arik Armstead, DE/DT Oregon

25) Malcolm Brown, NT Texas

26) Duke Johnson, RB Miami Florida

27) Maxx Williams, TE Minnesota

28) TJ Clemmings, OT Pittsburgh

29) Marcus Peters, CB Washington

30) Trae Waynes, CB Michigan State

31) Derron Smith, FS Fresno State

32) Devin Smith, WR Ohio State

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Mike Reynolds Big Board

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Here is my big board as it stands today. This will surely change a lot between now and the draft. This big board is based on my ratings of the players purely from a talent perspective. I don’t account for what injuries might do to their draft stock, nor any character issues. I do however take those things into account in my mock drafts.

  1. Leonard Williams, DT USC
  2. Amari Cooper, WR Alabama
  3. Todd Gurley, RB Georgia
  4. Shaq Thompson, OLB Washington
  5. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR Oklahoma
  6. Devante Parker, WR Louisville
  7. Trae Waynes, CB Michigan State
  8. Eddie Goldman, DT FSU
  9. Kevin White, WR West Virginia
  10. Eli Harold, DE/OLB Virginia
  11. T.J Clemmings, OT Pittsburgh
  12. Brandon Scherff, OT/OG Iowa
  13. Vic Beasley, OLB Clemson
  14. Danny Shelton, DT Washington
  15. Dante Fowler, DE/OLB Florida
  16. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE UCLA
  17. Cedric Ogbuehi, OT Texas A&M
  18. Marcus Peters, CB Washington
  19. Nate Orchard, DE Utah
  20. Jordan Phillips, NT Oklahoma
  21. Eric Kendricks, ILB UCLA
  22. Jameis Winston, QB FSU
  23. Shane Ray, OLB Missouri
  24. Jaelen Strong, WR Arizona State
  25. Derron Smith, FS Fresno State
  26. La’El Collins, OT LSU
  27. Tevin Coleman, RB Indiana
  28. Maxx Williams, TE Minnesota
  29. Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon
  30. Arik Armstead, DE Oregon
  31. Andrus Peat, OT Stanford
  32. Rashad Greene, WR FSU

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