Official 2015 NFL Draft Thread

Mariota needs to sit for 2 years to learn an NFL playbook.....but no team drafting him will give him that chance.  

 

Winston has as much talent as any QB in the last 5 years not names Luck....but he's not a good dude.  Even ignoring the the off the field stuff, he reminds me of Martel from The Replacements.  I'm not sure his teammates actually like him (ie: Jay Cutler 2.0).  

 

 

Agreed CUPF.

seconded

 

It's just amazing that teams will continue to fall over themselves and take crazy gambles to obtain a quarterback and in doing so will pass on outstanding prospects like Leonard Williams and Amari Cooper.  How anyone would rate Jameis Winston ahead of players like Williams and Cooper is just unbelievable?!?!  

I think Jameis will be a turnover machine the likes we've never seen before. Other than Jay Cutler that is. And when the time comes for him to get called out for it he's going to respond poorly. 

 

I like Mariota. Good kid. Good athltete. But he's not a first round talent. IMO he's getting a first round grade because he's 6'4" and runs a 4.5 40 and he happens to be the second best QB in the draft. He's Kaepernick with better Kharacter. 

 

Martell: This doesn't change anything, Falco. I'm an All-Pro quarterback. I've got TWO Super Bowl rings! You'll never be more than a replacement player.

 

Falco: Yeah....I can live with that.

Draft Day would not be complete, unless we re-live the 2007 draft once every year.

 

Mariotta has the size, speed, arm, and has shown the ability as a raw passer to be a franchise QB. He's knows how and when to escape the pocket and he can make all the throws on the run. To me he's definitely a 1st rounder, BUT you better have a dang good plan in place coaching him because his flaws could also ruin his career. He needs his footwork and mechanics overhauled, he needs to learn how to actually read a D and make a decision as a passer, and he needs to learn to work under center; that sounds like an easy switch, but it will be a major adjustment for him. Mariotta is like a mansion that had a really eccentric previous owner, you will have to gut the house and start over and it may end up just being a money pit, but if you do it right you will get a really nice return on your investment.

Old story, but always fun to listen to Ron Wolf (John Dorsey too) 

 

That would have been killer.

Not the last time someone took at stab at him. 

Maybe living in God's country would have made Ray a more simple man, maybe a more simple crime would've satisfied. Nothing like a "dine n' dash" at Marc's Big Boy to get the juices flowing !! 

 

HEY!!! There shall no such tired puns in this here thread celebrating the holiest time of the Feast of Thompson! Take your saucy language elsewhere!!

 

G'wan now! Git!!

British slurs are poor form, Rusty.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft20...-surges-draft-boards

 

Good story about this D-III prospect.  If you can play, the NFL will find you.  

Hobart is 15 minutes from my home & I know a number of people within their athletic program, it has been a great story to follow. Kid seems well liked by everyone on campus. 

If my memory serves, P'dog, I think Lewis was every bit the thug when he first came into the league. Had the posse that would hang at the clubs, multiple kids with multiple women, and a sketchy past.

I do think he made personal life changes after the stabbing in Atlanta, and got away from most of that crap that was putting him in bad situations. But the damage was already done, IMHO.

Draft:
1. Tampa Bay/Jameis Winston/QB/FSU
*Not sure why Tampa hasn’t already signed him?

2. Tennessee / Leonard Williams/DE/USC
*Best player in the draft, Whisenhunt will stick with Mettenberger

3. Jacksonville/Dante Fowler Jr./DE/Florida
*Easy pick for the Jags who need to pressure Luck

4. Oakland/ Amari Cooper/WR/Alabama
*Great fit, gives Carr a great target

5. Washington/Vic Beasley/DE/Clemson
*Badly need pass rush help, fantastic pass rusher

6. New York Jets/Marcus Mariota/QB/Oregon
*Jets give up on Geno, I don’t blame them

7. Chicago /Randy Gregory/DE/Nebraska
*John Fox needs a 34 pass rusher

8. Atlanta/Shane Ray/DE/Missouri
*Dan Quinn gets a big pass rush boost

9. New York Giants/ Brandon Scherff/OT/Iowa
*How long has their OL been a mess? They need help badly

10. St. Louis /Andrus Peat/OT/Stanford
*Jake Long was a bust, need to give Foles(or whoever the QB is?) some help

11. Minnesota/Kevin White/WR/West Virginia
*Bridgewater needs an actual receiver, not whatever Patterson is

12. Cleveland/Danny Shelton/DT/Washington
*Continue to build up a defense that might be pretty good

13. New Orleans/Erik Kendricks/LB/UCLA
*Need an ILB badly and Kendricks could be a good one

14. Miami/DeVante Parker/WR/Louisville
*Tannehill needs some kind of receiver

15. San Francisco/Jalen Collins/CB/LSU
*Do they have any CBs left?

16. Houston/Todd Gurley/RB/Georgia
*Surprise pick, but they can’t keep relying on Foster

17. San Diego/Melvin Gordon/RB/Wisconsin
*Do they have any RBs left?

18. Kansas City/La’el Collins/OT/LSU
*They have some pieces, but need better protection

19. Cleveland/Ereck Flowers/OT/Miami
*Joe Thomas won’t be bailing them out forever

20. Philadelphia/Nelson Agholor/WR/USC
*Why wouldn’t Chip Kelly pick a WR when he has 30 other needs?

21. Cincinnati/Bud Dupree/DE/Kentucky
*Michael Johnson is back after stealing from Tampa, need some youth though

22. Pittsburgh/Trae Waynes/CB/MSU
*Need a shut down corner to replace Ike Taylor

23. Detroit/Malcolm Brown/DT/Texas
*Do they have any DTs left?

24. Arizona/Byron Jones/CB/UConn
*Need a replacement for Cromartie

25. Carolina/Phillip Dorsett/WR/Miami
*Speedster to pair with the gigantic Kel Benjamin

26. Baltimore/Marcus Peters/CB/Washington
*Ozzie not afraid to take CBs with risky character

27. Dallas/Bernardrick McKinney/LB/Miss. St.
*Athletic boost in the middle for the Cowgirls

28. Denver/Breshard Perriman/WR/UCF
*Need a speedster to go with D. Thomas

29. Indianapolis/DJ Humphries/OL/Florida
*Their OL is pathetic...

30. Green Bay/Stephone Anthony/ILB/Clemson
*Actually knows how to play ILB which is a welcomed change. All aspects of his game are solid and he’s a good fit scheme wise. Will be a better pro than college player IMO.

31. New Orleans (from SEA)/Eddie Goldman/DT/Florida St.
*Rebuilding that D with a quality NT

32. New England/Kevin Johnson/CB/Wake Forest
*Do they have any CBs left?
.
.
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62. Ameer Abdullah/RB/Nebraska
*Rumors say GB likes him. Good slashing, change of pace back who will eventually be the 3rd down guy. Fills the need left by Jonathan Franklin that no one last year could fill.

94 D’Joun Smith/CB/Florida Atlantic
*A little short (5’10") , but is a really good football player with solid instincts, ball skills, and athleticism. Actually reminds me of Nick Collins except he belongs at CB.

129. Jeff Heuerman/TE/Ohio St.
*Not used to his potential, best football is definitely in front of him. He’s big and athletic, is experienced being used as a Y, and is a solid in-line and split out blocker.

166. Tray Walker/CB/Texas Southern
*Big time sleeper who didn’t go to the combine, but apparently has wowed at the regional combines. Sounds like a rangy athletic cover corner with a high ceiling.

205. Reshard Cliett/LB/South Florida
*Good size and very aggressive player who was always on terrible defenses.

210. Hutson Mason/QB/Georgia
*Interesting player to me. Never did anything highly impressive college, just managed the offense there. Only had 1 season as starter, but he’s accurate, takes care of the ball, and can throw the deep ball… sounds like a McCarthy QB.

212. Laurence Gibson/OT/Virginia Tech
*Very raw, athletic OT who needs a lot of work, but has the physical tools to be really good.

247. Corey Crawford/DE/Clemson
*Fantastic size at 6’5”/299 lbs, but is up and down in terms of performance. Shows dominance and poor technique at times, worth the late round gamble as he has a high ceiling.

Kevin Johnson would be really tough to pass up at 30. That's a lot of value. My Kendricks dream is slowly dying like my Mosley dream last year. Like Heuerman. 

Your mock draft is way better than Kiper & McShay

Great work GD, I too really like Anthony & Abdullah (one scout said he was highest character guy he had ever rated). A lot of injury / character question marks with potential first round picks starting right at the top with Winston. Others:

 

Peters CB U of Wash. - some rate him as the second best corner but he was dismissed from his college team for insubordination

Gregory DE nebraska & Collins CB LSU have had some difficulty with testing positive for marijuana, smoking it it not a huge deal in itself, but makes you question the self disciple if doing it, knowing you will have a consequence for it

Gurley & Ray have some injury concerns.

 

My biggest question is Dawson, the LBer from TCU. Maylock says that when watching tape he is hands-down the best ILBer in the draft, however he was awful at the combine(seemed totally unprepared, & some questions about accountability (late for meetings, etc.) 

McGinn previews OL prospects:

 

http://www.jsonline.com/sports...136z1-301296461.html

 

http://www.jsonline.com/sports...134z1-301296701.html

If you want a buzz kill on Dawson, then listen to Aaron Nagler's podcast with Eric Stoner:

 

Aaron Nagler from Cheesehead TV

 

If there isn't a CB like those listed above, I pray to trade back to the first 1/2 of 2nd round and then take best ILB available.

Damning with faint praise....

My thoughts on taking a RB in the first two rounds have been stated already but I wouldn't mind Abdullah one bit.  Super high character guy who actually would fit as a third down guy, return man, and legit backup to Lacy.  Even as a backup, he'd still be able to get on the field plenty his rookie year.  Plus, he killed it for my college fantasy team last year.

 

And while I like Anthony, I've yet to read a mock that says he was a legit first round talent.  Of course I base all this on no scouting of my own (haven't gotten around to watch "tape" yet).  But if he's the guy, seems like TT could get him later in the second.  Hope he has the chance to trade back and still get him.  

Abdullah is so damn shifty and elusive that he would be very good with screens and other things GB likes to do with their backs.

The other factor is he is a very good return guy

11. Minnesota/Kevin White/WR/West Virginia
*Bridgewater needs an actual receiver, not whatever Patterson is

 

 

 

Er, Greg Jennings , GD?

My latest piece de resistance, I call it "The Small School Special"

 

I like the Anthony, Langford, Poutasi, Wagenmann, & Saxton picks!

I think Optimum Scouting needs to update their rankings. Got DJ Humphries at 166

 

The opinions of those two shouldn't kill anyone's buzz.

Using Bleacher Report's Big Board:

 

Draft Countdown is even worse. Gurley & Lacy & Rodgers in the same backfield with Nelson outside & Cobb in the slot & the new Antonio Gates (Quarless) down the seam.

 

 

Composite big board just as bad. I just drafted Danny Shelton, Eric Rowe, and Jay Ajayi in the first three rounds. 

I've had a few where Shelton fell to #30. I wouldn't complain too much if that were to happen.

Todd Gurley falling to 30???  WTF

Stranger things have happened cut I say there's no chance of that happening

I'm afraid to speak of such things but Guley at 30 would truly be a dream from heaven.