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junker-town · 7 years

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2017 NFL mock draft: 2 rounds for a deep group of prospects

The draft is rapidly approaching and this week we look at how the first 64 picks could play out.

Focusing on just the first round of the 2017 NFL draft is a fun weekly exercise, but it doesn’t show off the depth of the draft. After you get past the top 10 players, there’s little difference between the next 30 players other than positional value.

That’s why this week’s mock draft is two rounds, just in time for us to be a little more than two weeks away from the start of the draft.

If you want to see a mock with trades, make sure to check out this mock draft from Adam Stites. Trades will happen and he has a few logical ones.

1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Next.

2. San Francisco 49ers: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford

Thomas gives the 49ers something they just don’t have in Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner.

3. Chicago Bears: Jamal Adams, S, LSU

The Bears can add an all-around force to a defense that lacks playmakers beyond pass rusher Leonard Floyd.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

I understand the Jaguars don’t have a good line, but if there’s a back who can get by without one it’s Fournette.

5. Tennessee Titans: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State

A return to the old fall back for Tennessee with the draft’s top cornerback.

6. New York Jets: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State

For the Jets Hooker can be a safety/cornerback hybrid player who can help an average pass defense.

7. Los Angeles Chargers: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama

The safeties are gone so the Chargers get the free falling Allen to pair with Joey Bosa up front.

8. Carolina Panthers: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

Carolina is desperate to get a pass rusher, and Barnett is a pro-ready sack machine.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

Teaming Williams with A.J. Green would push Cincinnati’s offense to the next level.

10. Buffalo Bills: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

Howard has built himself into a top 10 pick this offseason and he may be gone by the time Buffalo picks.

11. New Orleans Saints: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan

Teams will love Charlton’s length and speed, including the Saints who desperately need help on the edge.

12. Cleveland Browns: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

The first quarterback is finally off the board and the Browns get a local favorite to fix the long-standing issues at the position.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

At some point the Cardinals need to find a successor to Carson Palmer and get it with the national title winner.

14. Philadelphia Eagles: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

Running back or wide receiver, McCaffrey will make plays all over the place in Philadelphia’s offense.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple

Reddick gives Indianapolis a linebacker who can do a little of everything really well, including the pass rush threat they need.

16. Baltimore Ravens: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan

Despite taking Breshad Perriman in the first round in 2015, but they need more talent a receiver and Davis will be a star.

17. Washington: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama

If Foster drops Washington should pounce to get a player who can quickly become the leader of the defense.

18. Tennessee Titans: John Ross, WR, Washington

This is the speed player Tennessee’s offense needs to take the top off defenses and push Marcus Mariota to the next level.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Njoku, TE, Miami

Imagine how hard defenses will have it when Mike Evans is lined up on the same side as this super athlete tight end.

20. Denver Broncos: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin

It won’t matter who plays quarterback and running back Denver behind an offensive line that is finally full of quality players.

21. Detroit Lions: Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State

The Lions badly need a player who can generate a pass rush on the defensive line and after McDowell the quality dramatically falls.

22. Miami Dolphins: Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky

This may not be a fun pick for the defense, but Lamp gives Miami a starting guard as a rookie and an eventual Mike Pouncey replacement.

23. New York Giants: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah

New York fans will love this mean and nasty offensive tackle who will absolutely obliterate defenders, even if the whistle has blown.

24. Oakland Raiders: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State

Having a top-level third cornerback is more important than ever, and Conley would give the Raiders another good cover guy.

25. Houston Texans: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

In the eyes of some it’s Mahomes, and not DeShone Kizer, as the third best quarterback in the draft.

26. Seattle Seahawks: Kevin King, CB, Washington

With the top two offensive tackles gone, the Seahawks could go cornerback in the fist round with a big outside shutdown cornerback.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

Finding Derrick Johnson’s successor needs to happen in this draft, and Cunningham is a three-down athlete of a linebacker.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Takkarist McKinley, DE/OLB, UCLA

While most think McKinley plays linebacker in the NFL, he can stick at end and Dallas its best pure pass rusher since DeMarcus Ware.

29. Green Bay Packers: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State

Most of the attention goes to defense and the offensive line, but Cook would be an excellent lead running back to pair with Ty Montgomery.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin

Watt can fill multiple roles for the Steelers, splitting time as a pass rusher and a traditional linebacker.

31. Atlanta Falcons: Charles Harris, DE, Missouri

Harris, a piece coach Dan Quinn can move around, is the type of pass rusher the Falcons need to take some of the attention off Vic Beasley.

32. New Orleans Saints: Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU

The Saints tried to get Malcolm Butler from New England, and instead take an experienced corner who could end up being a better player.

SECOND ROUND:

33. Cleveland Browns: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

The Browns can check off so many needs in the first two rounds, and Humphrey is a player they could use at cornerback or safety.

34. San Francisco 49ers: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

If Kizer happens to fall this far Brian Hoyer shouldn’t stop the 49ers from taking him.

35. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State

If they Jaguars don’t get Solomon Thomas in the first round they could come back in the second round with the talented Rivers.

36. Chicago Bears: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

If he can be coached up, Robinson is packed with enough pure talent to eventually become a quality left tackle.

37. Los Angeles Rams: Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Southern California

If Lamp were here, he’d be the pick but with no other centers worth a top 40 pick the Rams could grab a wide receiver for Jared Goff.

38. Los Angeles Chargers: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan

Peppers’ draft stock remains all over the place and if the Chargers don’t get a safety at No. 7 they’ll be happy to see him here.

39. New York Jets: Teez Tabor, CB, Florida

Even after taking Hooker in the first round Tabor might be hard to the Jets to pass up and finish an overhaul of their secondary.

40. Carolina Panthers: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee

He may not be Fournette but Kamara would be electric in Carolina, giving the Panthers a back who can run and catch.

41. Cincinnati Bengals: Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State

Willis doesn’t have quite the length the Bengals usually like in an end, but he’s a good pass rusher to play opposite Carlos Dunlap.

42. New Orleans Saints: Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina

After trading Brandin Cooks, a player like Jones would be a nice replacement thanks to his excellent hands out of the slot.

43. Philadelphia Eagles: Adoree’ Jackson, CB, Southern California

Philadelphia is extremely thin at cornerback, and Jackson could push his way into the starting lineup as a rookie.

44. Buffalo Bills: Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida

If the Bills can get a pass catcher in the first round they can follow up in the second by finding a replacement for Stephon Gilmore.

45. Arizona Cardinals: Sidney Jones, CB, Washington

Jones has first-round talent but could slip to this point because of the injury he suffered at his pro day.

46. Minnesota Vikings: Dan Feeney, G, Indiana

Minnesota’s first pick may not be a fun one, but it’s necessary with a player like Feeney who could work at guard or center.

47. Baltimore Ravens: Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama

After getting a wide receiver in the first round, the Ravens could follow it up with a pass rush specialist like Williams in the second.

48. Indianapolis Colts: Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut

Melifonwu is a favorite of scouts and gives Indianapolis a safety who can cover and act as a third cornerback.

49. Washington: Budda Baker, S, Washington

Washington brought in pieces on the defensive line, opening them up for a secondary piece like Baker.

50. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado

Other than Vernon Hargreaves, Tampa’s best cornerback is 33-year-old Brent Grimes, who is on the final year of his contract.

51. Denver Broncos: Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida

The Broncos didn’t adequately replace Danny Trevathan last season so the smart and active Davis can fill that need.

52. Cleveland Browns: Josh Jones, S, North Carolina State

Ibraheim Campbell is solid for the Browns, but his best role is as a backup while Jones and his all-around game would provide an upgrade.

53. Detroit Lions: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma

No team has been as connected as Detroit to Mixon and if he’s fine off the field he could give them a really good feature back.

54. Miami Dolphins: Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State

McMillan would somewhat be shoehorned into Miami’s defense, but he’s a smart and tough linebacker who would push his way onto the field.

55. New York Giants: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss

After missing on Howard and Njoku in the first round, the Giants would get the tight end they need in the second with Engram.

56. Oakland Raiders: Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn

Oakland needs to get an interior defender in the first two rounds, and can get it with Adams who was often miscast as a nose tackle.

57. Houston Texans: Dion Dawkins, OT/G, Temple

Houston got a quarterback in the first round and a player who can line up at guard or tackle to protect him.

58. Seattle Seahawks: Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy

If Seattle waits on a tackle in the first round, they may have a good fall bakc like the athletic Garica in the second round.

59. Kansas City Chiefs: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA

Moreau would be another nice addition to the Chiefs’ defense as a player who can fill the No. 2 corner spot opposite Marcus Peters.

60. Dallas Cowboys: Marcus Williams, S, Utah

Dallas is another team that could double up on defense with their first two picks, this time getting a good cover safety in Williams.

61. Green Bay Packers: Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson

If Green Bay doesn’t take a cornerback in the first round they need to in the second, and Tankersley is the best available.

62. Pittsburgh Steelers: Desmond King, CB, Iowa

King is the type of physical and active cornerback who could thrive in Pittsburgh, where he acts as a nice foil to Artie Burns.

63. Atlanta Falcons: Pat Elflein, G/OC, Ohio State

Elflein could easily move back to guard after playing a season at center at Ohio State and solve Atlanta’s issues on the right side.

64. Carolina Panthers: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State

After Ted Ginn left in free agency, the Panthers need some form of speed at receiver and the ascending Godwin can provide it.

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writingsubmissions · 7 years

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Fights to Make: UFC 210

Daniel Cormier (beat Anthony Johnson) vs. Jon Jones: What a weird night. I have a feeling the story of UFC 210′s main event title fight is going to be Anthony Johnson’s mental state, since he weirdly insisted on wrestling with Cormier, got tapped out, and then retired, but don’t let that distract you from the fact that Daniel Cormier is pretty freakin’ awesome, as he ate some shots from Johnson and battled through a broken nose to get that win. At this point, Cormier against Jones is the obvious fight to make, assuming Jones can make it to the fight, as Jones looks like the only guy that can beat Cormier (though with Rumble out of the picture, I’m now unsure who can beat Jones). It looks like Jimi Manuwa is the back-up plan if Cormier/Jones can’t come together - such is the state of light heavyweight - but come on now.

Gegard Mousasi (beat Chris Weidman) vs. Chris Weidman (lost to Gegard Mousasi): Once again, what a weird night. Mousasi/Weidman was a hell of a fight that turned into an absolute fiasco, as the fight was stopped when referee Dan Miragliotta thought that Mousasi struck Weidman with an illegal knee. Admittedly, it was a fine enough call in real time, since it took multiple replays to even be sure that the knee was actually legal, but basically, from there, it’s unclear about what protocol should’ve been used and even what actually happened. Everyone involved apparently looked at the instant replay - which for whatever reason, is against New York commission rules - and it’s unclear if the fight was able to be restarted, or why it was stopped; it seems to be because the cageside doctor thought Weidman, who admittedly seemed pretty out of it, could no longer continue, rather than some weird technicality, but...my head is starting to hurt, and the whole thing was a mess. You could go any number of directions from here, but what the hell, why not just run it back, particularly with a card this July in Long Island, that one assumes Weidman is going to headline. You could make the case against a rematch, but it’s not like there’s an obvious other direction, and given how good the fight was up to the controversial finish, I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.

Charles Oliveira (beat Will Brooks) vs. Beneil Dariush: Well, in a way, I guess we should’ve expected that Charles Oliveira would look awesome and run through Will Brooks - Oliveira’s been one of the more frustratingly inconsistent talents on the roster, and after two poor performances in losses, it’s about right that he would suddenly bust out his most impressive win in years. It’s unclear how much of Oliveira looking good is just lightweight being his natural weight class or Brooks being overrated, but I did enjoy that even the post-fight translator left out Oliveira’s pleas to return to featherweight, so everyone seems to realize that Oliveira seeing how far a return to 155 can take him is the way to go. I like the idea of putting Oliveira against Dariush, who’s a top ten fighter coming off a brutal knockout loss to Edson Barboza - Dariush can probably chew up Oliveira on the feet, but there’s the possibility we get some grappling exchanges between two of the best submission artists on the roster, so sign me up.

Kamaru Usman (beat Sean Strickland) vs. Alex Oliveira: So, Kamaru Usman’s pretty freaking great. Usman’s fight against Sean Strickland figured to be a fairly even bout between two of the best rising prospects in the welterweight division, and Usman just annihilated him, working his takedown game early and then just mixing things up on a battered Strickland, who essentially had zero effective offense over the course of the bout. Really, the only question now is how Usman’s game holds together against someone who he can’t take down (or is so dangerous on the ground that he wouldn’t want to), but, well, good luck finding that opponent. There’s a few different ideas for Usman’s next fight - Gunnar Nelson is a good one if UFC wants to push Usman into a lower-level main or co-main event, or even the winner of June’s Dong Hyun Kim/Colby Covington fight - but I love the idea of him taking on Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira, who’s coming off a career-best win over Tim Means. Oliveira has sort of evolved his game into sort of a power grappler, thanks to his good old-fashioned farm strength, and he might be one of the few guys that can stop Usman from imposing his will, and then we’ll see where things go from there.

Cynthia Calvillo (beat Pearl Gonzalez) vs. Jamie Moyle: Calvillo looked good once again, beating the debuting Gonzalez rather handily, and it seems like UFC is firmly in the Cynthia Calvillo business, with Dana White comparing her to stars like Conor McGregor and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Um, okay. Calvillo’s a good prospect, but that all seems like a bit much, especially for someone who’s still so raw and unproven - if UFC’s that high on her, they may rush her in over her head, but instead I’ll give her a modest step up in Jamie Moyle, who had a solid run in Invicta and on TUF, and got an impressive UFC debut win over Kailin Curran in December.

Myles Jury (beat Mike De La Torre) vs. Darren Elkins: After taking all of 2016 off, Myles Jury’s return fight went as perfect as it possibly could’ve, as Mike De La Torre’s aggression left him open for Jury to just run through him and score a first-round submission win. Jury’s never been the most interesting guy, but he’s talented, and this is the first time in a while I remember him showing a particular level of dynamism. So what the hell, let’s try moving him up the featherweight ladder, and let’s start with Elkins, the hard-nosed grinder gatekeeper supreme of the division, who’s coming off that amazing comeback win over Mirsad Bektic last month.

Thiago Alves (beat Patrick Cote) vs. Ryan LaFlare: Alves surprisingly put together his best performance since his comeback from injuries back in 2014, looking sharp here in keeping Cote at bay and hitting some powerful single strikes. Alves looks physically old - despite somehow being only 33 - but this fight suggested he has a few years left as a veteran gatekeeper, assuming he stays healthy. Unfortunately, I don’t see anyone obvious for him to gatekeep at the moment - let’s go with LaFlare, who’s been hanging around the fringes of relevancy for a while now and could use a solid big-name opponent.

Gregor Gillespie (beat Andrew Holbrook) vs. Marc Diakiese: Gillespie is probably a natural featherweight rather than a lightweight, but that hasn’t hurt him yet, as he continued his winning ways by obliterating Holbrook in just 21 seconds. I can understand why you’d want to keep them apart and let them build their own momentum, but screw it, let’s go with Gillespie against British prospect Marc Diakiese, coming off his own explosive knockout win last month. Gillespie’s a national champion wrestler, Diakiese is an athletic freak - I’d love to see how the styles of the two would interact.

Will Brooks (lost to Charles Oliveira) vs. Josh Emmett (lost to Desmond Green): I have no idea where Brooks goes from here - the former Bellator champ is a better fighter over five rounds than three, so a bumpy path up the lightweight ladder wasn’t exactly unexpected, but Oliveira looked like a layup of a style matchup, and instead Brooks just lost in ridiculously one-sided fashion. No obvious next fight calls out to me, so let’s go with Team Alpha Male product Emmett, who lost on this card - Emmett’s a solid enough, well-rounded fighter, and is a good test just to see if Brooks can get his career back on track.

Patrick Cummins (beat Jan Blachowicz) vs. C.B. Dollaway: Cummins, amazingly, took a bunch of abuse early and actually came back to win a clear decision over Blachowicz, but I still don’t really know where he goes from here - he’s an excellent wrestler and has some solid skills elsewhere, but his lack of defense and durability puts a clear ceiling on how far Cummins can go. You can keep ping-ponging him up and down the light heavyweight ladder - and given how thin 205 is, maybe just keep doing that and hope Cummins scores a breakthrough win - but instead I’ll pit Cummins against C.B. Dollaway, assuming Dollaway fights again after injuring his back in an elevator-related incident right before UFC 203. Dollaway could get off to a solid start in a new weight class, and Cummins is pretty much the exact right level of guy for that debut.

Magomed Bibulatov (beat Jenel Lausa) vs. Louis Smolka/Tim Elliott (Apr. 15) winner: Bibulatov didn’t have an amazing statement win over Lausa, but he looked good, and he does seem to be earmarked as a guy who could eventually challenge Demetrious Johnson. But, this being MMA, it’s hard to get too excited, since reports are he may essentially be an executioner for Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. Alright then. Assuming UFC doesn’t suddenly start caring about that and cuts him, Bibulatov should move up the ladder fairly quickly, and that should probably start with someone like either Smolka or Elliott, top-fifteen guys who face off next week in Kansas City.

Shane Burgos (beat Charles Rosa) vs. Chas Skelly/Jason Knight (May 13) winner: Burgos continues to look good, as he pretty much dictated the terms of his fight with Charles Rosa before eventually turning things up and scoring a stoppage midway through the third round. I could go either way about how far to push Burgos up the ladder next, but let’s give him a solid step up against either Skelly or Knight, who square off at UFC 211; either Skelly’s wrestling or Knight’s volume striking would provide an interesting challenge for the New Yorker.

Sean Strickland (lost to Kamaru Usman) vs. Michael Graves: Well, that was a bad loss. Strickland was kind of expected to lose to Kamaru Usman, but the fight wound up being the sort of one-sided shellacking that makes you question Strickland’s whole career trajectory. There’s still upside there, and assuming Michael Graves is eligible to fight again after a domestic violence incident last fall, that’d be a fine next test - Strickland’s takedown defense seems to be an open question, and Graves is a rugged wrestler.

Andrew Holbrook (lost to Gregor Gillespie) vs. Lando Vannata: Holbrook got absolutely smoked by Gillespie, and his win over Jake Matthews looks like an even weirder result in retrospect - or maybe it just says a ton of negative things about Matthews. Anyway, I view Holbrook as more cannon fodder than someone to actually develop, so he’s someone that I’d gladly put against, say, Lando Vannata or some other more interesting prospect that needs a rebound win.

Desmond Green (beat Josh Emmett) vs. Daniel Hooker/Ross Pearson (Jun. 10) winner: Green’s signing was a bit baffling, since he was kind of a boring grinder on the regional circuit, but he came through big - I expected him to beat Emmett (which a lot of people didn’t), but Green also suddenly flashed a much-improved striking game that actually made his win watchable. Daniel Hooker moves up to lightweight to face Ross Pearson in his native New Zealand this June, and the winner of that fight’s a fine step up to see how Green’s improvements continue to hold up.

Katlyn Chookagian (beat Irene Aldana) vs. Marion Reneau: Most people seemed to give the nod to Aldana, but her fight with Katlyn Chookagian was close enough that either fighter could’ve won. So Chookagian gets to hang out on the fringes of the rankings, and a bout with Reneau would make for a fun contest between two action fighters.

Jan Blachowicz (lost to Patrick Cummins) vs. Saparbek Safarov: Blachowicz had Cummins dead to rights early in their fight, but amazingly couldn’t capitalize, and eventually Blachowicz’s gas tank issues reared their ugly head en route to what became a one-sided loss. Blachowicz is flawed, but worth keeping around just so light heavyweight has a middle tier of the division basically, so Russian brawler Saparbek Safarov figures to be a rebound win that can keep Blachowicz in UFC.

Irene Aldana (lost to Katlyn Chookagian) vs. Veronica Macedo: The fight could’ve gone either way, but a decision loss suddenly puts Aldana at 0-2 in the UFC, which is a harsh blow for someone who was expected to be a bit of a Latin star for the promotion. Aldana’s performances have still been good enough that she should get a third shot, and Macedo, a raw, undersized grappler, figures to be a solid shot at a win.

Charles Rosa (lost to Shane Burgos) vs. Jared Gordon: Rosa had flashes in losing to a much better prospect in Burgos, but the Bostonian pretty much is what he is - a fun, if flawed, fighter. Jared Gordon was just signed off Dana White’s reality show, and Rosa would be a fun first opponent - plus it can continue the whole “Boston versus New York” angle that we saw with the Rosa/Burgos fight.

Pearl Gonzalez (lost to Cynthia Calvillo) vs. Kailin Curran: Well, Gonzalez certainly made a name for herself, but not in any way that she probably would’ve wanted to - she got some viral buzz when her breast implants were flagged by the New York commission, which has a rule on the books banning women with breast implants from boxing. Once things got hashed out, the fight was back on, and, well, Gonzalez looked as raw as she is, losing a rather one-sided decision. A fight with Kailin Curran is pretty perfect to make - both fighters are raw, and, frankly, might not be particularly good, but get some attention due to their looks, and it seems about right for them to essentially do a loser leaves town fight.

Jenel Lausa (lost to Magomed Bibulatov) vs. Naoki Inoue/C.J. de Tomas (Jun. 17) loser: I’ve never been particularly impressed with Filipino prospect Lausa, but hey, he at least survived three rounds with top Russian signing Bibulatov. Lausa against either Inoue or de Tomas, two Asian fighters debuting against each other in Singapore this June, seems like a natural fight to make for some upcoming Asian card.

Mike De La Torre (lost to Myles Jury) vs. Alex Enlund: In a rarity, De La Torre’s the only guy on this card who’s probably going to be cut, which is understandable, but a bit of a shame - De La Torre is too aggressive for his own good, which is fun, but often makes for complete blowout losses, like this one to Jury. There’s not a natural opponent for a pink slip derby at the moment, so let’s go with British prospect Enlund, who had his slated UFC debut last September scrapped at the last moment.

#ufc210 #ufc 210 #ufc #mma #matchmaking

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