Good afternoon, I typically do one mock every year and I have been doing so over the past 45 years. Yes, long time and I have gotten very few picks correct as it stands. Its still a passion of mine and my main objective is try my best to marry BPA = Need. I typically follow Colin's board at GBN, Drafttek, CBS Sports, and PFN. One thing I have never done before but decided to take a crack at it is to do a mock with trades, easier said then done but going to give it a shot:
1st rd, pick 25: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland 6'0, 197 lbs: Decent size and speed, press corner, eventually can turn into a #1 corner, needs to improve some against the run.
2nd rd, (Trade Down with Denver: Giants give up the 57th pick to the Broncos and receive the 67th pick and 108th pick in 4th rd) pick 67: Steve Avila, OC/OG, TCU: 6'3 1/2, 332 lbs, What I like about Steve is that he a massive man in the middle, fairly light on his feet too. Steve will not get pushed back into the pocket like many other centers might. Might need to get coached up on stunts and twists but eventually I can see him being the long term answer at our center position.
3rd rd, (Trade with Pittsburgh Steelers: We move up to the 80 pick and send the Steelers 89th and 128th pick in fourth rd) pick 80: Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss, 6'2, 220 lbs, Jonathan runs a 4.46 forty, fast but not quite as fast as some of the other prospects slated to go in round 1. What is special about Jon is that he can provide better YAC then most, light on his feet, good balance, and strong lower body. Good route runner on all 3 levels of the field. Can he become a future #1 or #2 receiver? I think he has a strong chance and as of right is flying under the radar a bit. As always I will defer to Sy on his thoughts.
4th rd, pick 108 (trade with Denver): Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane, The front office seems to have already shown some interest in this young man, 1381 yards on 214 attempts (6.5 ypc), 15 TDs with one fumble. Nice rotational back who can definitely add some quality depth.
5th rd, pick 160: Demarcco Hellams, S, Alabama, decent sized safety who is better close to the line of scrimmage (box safety), strong tackler, good feet and short area quickness, capable of covering TE's, better with the action in front of him. Replacement for Love?
5th rd, pick 172: Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville, Injured during his senior year but is very much a dual threat QB, prior to his injury Malik threw for 1568 yards, 8 TDs, 5 picks. He also had 565 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. Someone nice to groom behind Daniel, seems as if he would be a nice fit with Dabes and Mike Kafka.
6th rd, pick 209: Jordan McFadden, G/T, Clemson, 6'2, 303, good foot speed and quickness, good at POA, as any prospect this late in the draft needs to be further coached up and seems like he could progress well under Bobby J. Helps solidify depth at Tackle and Guard.
7th rd, pick 240: Justin Ford, CB, Montana, 6'2, 190 lbs, 4.52 forty, 5 pass break-ups, 2 INTs, 27 tackles, 7 assists, needs to work on his downfield coverage skills but shows potential for some upside.
7th rd, pick 243, BJ Thompson, Edge, Stephen F Austin, 6'5, 238 lbs, great length, plenty of room to grow more into his frame, changes direction well, bendy, good amount of speed to get to the QB. He can definitely provide some better depth and perhaps win a job over someone like Ellerson Smith.
7th rd, pick 254, Derius Davis, WR, TCU, 5'8, 165 lbs, Another receiver? Not quite, but what is needed here is a quality return guy. Derius runs a 4.36 forty. Derius was named Big 12 conference Special teams player of the year in 2022. He has had tied the team record with a total of 6 return TDs during his career at TCU. I would love having him in blue to assist with improving our return game which has been behind the eight ball for quite some time now.
Comments, any likes or dislikes always welcome!
Tyjae Spears will not be there in the 4th
The "edge" is a LB or DE in our scheme, later round pick but could compliment the depth on our roster. FA has definitely added to our LB corps as well.
TCU IOL is gonna be a beast
Round 2, Pick 57: DE Tuli Tuipulotu, USC (6'3", 275 lbs approx). Tuipulotu, who had 48 tackles (22 for loss) and 13 sacks, is a big DE with a quick first step, a red-hot motor, and power. Played all over the defensive line and was even asked to drop into coverage against tight ends. Needs to play a bit less upright in the run game.
Was going to get a C in the third round, but Tippmann and Wypler went before 89, so I traded down with the Broncos for Picks 108, 195, and Miami's 4th rounder from the Bradley Chubb trade.
Round 4, Pick 108: RB Chase Brown, Illinois (5'10, 209 lbs). Brown, who had over 1800 combined yards and 21 touchdowns for Illinois, is a speedy back with a lot of use in the passing game on screen passes and as a blocker, but can be too patient when choosing holes.
Traded Pick 128 to the Patriots for Picks 135 and 167
Round 4, Pick 135: DT Karl Brooks, Bowling Green (6'3", 300 lbs). Evaluations are all over the place from the second round to the seventh. Brooks is a defensive tackle with heavy hands and versatility (played some time as a DE/OLB), had 10 sacks and 47 tackles in 2022. A bit tight frame-wise and can be beaten in pursuit; might need to be developed.
Round 5, Pick 160: WR Rakim Jarrett, Maryland (6'0", 200 lbs). Jarrett has speed and RAC ability and is smart enough to find seams. Only has above-average hands and isn't great in contested catch situations.
Round 5, Pick 167 (from Patriots' trade): WR Andrei Iosivas, Princeton (6'3", 200 lbs). Iosivas is a tall, speedy receiver with reliable hands and reasonable RAC ability. A little stiff in laterals and came from a lower competition.
Round 5, Pick 172: FB/H-Back Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State (6'1", 236 lbs). Luepke is a power runner who drags tacklers and a threat in the passing game. Doesn't have great speed and a role has to be made for him in an offense.
Round 6, Pick 195 (from Broncos' trade): OC Juice Scruggs, Penn State (6'3", 301 lbs). Jack of all trades center who can latch onto defenders, but doesn't overpower.
Round 6, Pick 209: QB Tyson Bagent, Shepard (6'3", 217 lbs). Has very good pop off the ball and throw on the move, mobile. Inconsistent in his decision making.
Round 7, Pick 240: G/C Jake Andrews, Troy (6'3", 315 lbs). Above-average in run blocking and plays through the whistle, can climb to the second level. However, isn't really much of an athlete and lacks foot speed.
Round 7, Pick 243: S/LB Jaiden Woodbey, Boston College (6'0", 230 lbs). Above-average range and able in zone coverage, versatile, lined up in a number of spots, makes tackles in the open field. Doesn't have great quickness in short areas, could use work in strength, and not great with ball production.
Round 7, Pick 254: OLB Jose, Ramirez, Eastern Michigan (6'2", 251 lbs). Finesse rusher with a few moves and a good get-off, understands leverage. Undersized, works best as a speed rusher. Could take place as 4th edge rusher.
Well, what kind of DL are we looking for, a run-stuffing NT, a long 5-tech to set the edge, or a gap-shooting 3-tech pass-rusher?