Growing up at school, we can all agree nothing quite matched the feeling when you were warmed and welcomed at the cool-kid table during chow time in the cafeteria. Working and collaborating with outstanding football minds throughout the week down at the Senior Bowl is always at the top of the list when looking back on the yearly event in Mobile, Ala.
After sharing notes, grinding film and sharing hot-take observations before, during and after Senior Bowl practice, I found it necessary to continue the momentum of sharing our ever-changing draft opinions with some of the highest-regarded people in the industry.
So, I gathered up my personal favorites for a City Slicker-type trip through the ever-entertaining Mock Draft Mountains, exploring three rounds of possibilities of what could be.
Follow along as we rotate picks and give you a fresh look at which players are rising — in combination with teams’ biggest needs — getting outside of the groupthink box we are lulled into before the combine.
Check out Round 1 here. Stay tuned for Round 3.
(Below is the list of participants in order of rotation.)
- Kyle Crabbs, Director of Scouting, @NDTScouting
- Mark Schofield, Director at Inside the Pylon, @MarkSchofield
- Jon Ledyard, Host of “Locked on NFL Draft” Podcast, @LedyardNFLDraft
- Shane Alexander, Inside the Pylon Contributor, @Alexander1Great
- Trevor Sikkema, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Beat Reporter, @TampaBayTre
- Arif Hasan, NFL Expert for ESPN 1500/ColdOmaha.com, @ArifHasanNFL
- Jeff Risdon, Editor for The Browns Wire, @JeffRisdon
- Luke Inman, NFL Draft Expert, @Luke_Spinman
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33) Cleveland Browns: Quincy Wilson, Cornerback, Florida (Kyle Crabbs) – B.P.A. Plain and simple.
34) San Francisco 49ers: Haason Reddick, Linebacker, Temple (Mark Schofield) – 49ers are built to run a 3-4 defense but need an athletic and versatile piece outside. Boom.
35) Jacksonville Jaguars: Obi Melifonwu, Safety, UConn (Jon Ledyard) – Jaguars are losing Johnathan Cyprien, and Tashon Gipson was a liability last season. Obi’s size and presence will be very welcomed in a group desperate for a talent upgrade.
36) Chicago Bears: Eddie Jackson, Safety, Alabama (Shane Alexander) – Bears need multiple upgrades in the secondary and Jackson grades highest with plenty of CBs available later.
37) Los Angeles Rams: Mike Williams, Wide Receiver, Clemson (Trevor Sikkema) – Steal of the draft while filling a monster need. Have you seen the Rams’ WR depth chart?
38) Los Angeles Chargers: Dorian Johnson, Guard, Pittsburgh (Arif Hasan) – I could have picked anybody and it would make sense but I want Rivers to survive into retirement.
39) New York Jets: Zach Cunningham, Linebacker, Vanderbilt (Jeff Risdon) – Off ball LBs always get undervalued until your team lacks one.
40) Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffery, Running Back, Stanford (Luke Inman) – Newton gets a playmaker to take some pressure off his shoulders while being a major-league special teams weapon.
41) Cincinnati Bengals: Dawuane Smoot, EDGE, Illinois (Kyle Crabbs) – Perimeter pass rush needed. Perimeter pass rush supplied.
42) New Orleans Saints: Jarrad Davis, Linebacker, Florida (Mark Schofield) – Saints need help at LB. Davis can play on the outside as a WLB and can even play inside if needed. Gives them some options.
43) Philadelphia Eagles: John Ross, Wide Receiver, Washington (Jon Ledyard) – Eagles need a deep threat and someone who can separate and make things happen after the catch.
44) Buffalo Bills: Evan Engram, Tight End, Ole Miss (Shane Alexander) – Whoever is throwing the ball in Buffalo needs talent and weapons to throw to. In cold weather games, these tight ends are a signal-callers’ best friend. Engram and Tyrod will be BFF.
45) Arizona Cardinals: Dan Feeny, Guard, Indiana – Jonathan Cooper was supposed to be a cornerstone for a decade. Feeny is an outstanding consolation prize as the best run blocker in the nation.
46) Minnesota Vikings: Roderick Johnson, Offensive Tackle, Florida State (Arif Hasan) – One of many incoming offensive line picks.
47) Baltimore Ravens: Kareem Hunt, Running Back, Toledo (Jeff Risdon) – Laughing all the way to the podium at the Roderick Johnson pick above.
48) Indianapolis Colts: Desmond King, Safety, Iowa (Luke Inman) – Talent and versatility, two things the Colts are desperate for in their secondary. Maybe if they build a defense Luck won’t have to score 40 points per game. Just a thought.
49) Washington Redskins: Jabrill Peppers, Athlete, Michigan (Kyle Crabbs) – Y’all did this last year w/ Washington and Cravens, too.
50) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Wormely, Defensive Line, Michigan (Mark Schofield) – Versatile front defender who can line up outside in base or kick inside on passing downs.
51) Denver Broncos: Jake Butt, Tight End, Michigan (Jon Ledyard) – I really just wanted three Michigan players to go in a row; Butt also fills a big need in Denver.
52) Cleveland Browns: Caleb Brantley, Defensive Tackle, Florida – Browns need another quality DT opposite of Danny Shelton in Gregg Williams’s defense.
53) Detroit Lions: Jaleel Johnson, Defensive Tackle, Iowa (Trevor Sikkema) – Another country strong interior lineman from the Hawkeyes helping the Lions continue their overhaul in the trenches over the past two drafts, and changing their identity into a smash mouth football team.
54) Miami Dolphins: Charles Harris, EDGE, Missouri (Arif Hasan) – More a pure pass rusher than a run defender, he should be an able replacement for Wake in the future.
55) New York Giants: Joe Mixon, Running Back, Oklahoma (Jeff Risdon) – Jerry Reese has now added two of the most explosive skill players in this draft to add into the equation with OBJ and Sterling Shepard. Eli is set for a serious five-year run with this young nucleus.
56) Oakland Raiders: Tre White, Cornerback, LSU (Luke Inman) – Raiders still get one of the top CBs in the draft filling a pressing need. If they came from LSU’s secondary you can bet they’re pretty damn good.
57) Houston Texans: Nate Peterman, Quarterback, Pittsburgh (Kyle Crabbs) – Raindrop, drop top, Nate coming for the top spot (on the depth chart don’t @ me).
58) Seattle Seahawks: Cordrea Tankersley, Cornerback, Clemson (Mark Schofield) – Like former teammate Mack Alexander, Tankersley falls way farther than he should. Their loss is Seattle’s gain as they continue to add to their already potent secondary, making sure they don’t lose a step.
59) Kansas City Chiefs: Gareon Conley, Cornerback, Ohio State (Jon Ledyard) – Will be overshadowed by his standout teammate throughout this process, but make no mistake, Conley is a top cornerback talent in an already deep draft. Had he stayed he would’ve been one of the top of his position in 2018 as the Chiefs solidify their boundary CB duo with Marcus Peters.
60) Dallas Cowboys: Isaiah Ford, Wide Receiver, V.T. (Shane Alexander) – Terrence Williams & Brice Butler ain’t that dude.
61) Green Bay Packers: Fabian Moreau, Cornerback, UCLA (Trevor Sikkema) – A defensive back that is fluid and not small. Sign the Packers up. Moreau will give the secondary more versatility to a young group still trying to find where their potential can best be maximized.
62) Pittsburgh Steelers: Ryan Anderson, EDGE, Alabama (Arif Hasan) – Hooray edge pressure for Pittsburgh. Anderson was forgotten about in a deep Crimson Tide defense, but fits perfectly in a Mike Tomlin 3-4 as a guy who can constantly get after the quarterback.
63) Atlanta Falcons: Larry Ogunjobi, Defensive Tackle, Charlotte (Jeff Risdon) – Big man in the middle who y’all will learn to love adding much needed strength and depth to a defense built around speed.
64) New England Patriots: Kevin King, Cornerback, Washington (Luke Inman) – Two highly-coveted players go right before Patriots’ selection; however, landing King is a fine consolation prize. At 6-foot-3, King has the size and length to become a shutdown press cornerback after sitting back and learning from some of the best in the business his first season.
