Jake’s NFL Mock Draft

Jake Elliott, Staff Reporter

Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff: The Rams traded up to take their signal caller for the future. It will be either Carson Wentz or Jared Goff, I think they go with Goff here. Head coach Jeff Fisher’s job is on the line and Goff is the more polished, NFL ready prospect.

 

Philadelphia Eagles:  Carson Wentz: The Eagles have publicly said they are fine with taking the quarterback the Rams don’t. Wentz has the potential to be a fantastic NFL quarterback, but he still needs a few years to get used to NFL competition after playing at North Dakota St.

 

San Diego Chargers: Jalen Ramsey: Put him at cornerback? He’ll make plays. Put him at safety? He’ll make plays. The best defensive player in the draft comes off the board right here. I think they play him at corner to have a nice 1-2 punch of him and established starter Brandon Flowers.

 

Dallas Cowboys: Joey Bosa:  A lot of people think Dallas takes running back Ezekiel Elliott but with the addition of Alfred Morris, and already having Darren McFadden on the roster I don’t see that happening. Bosa is a great pass rusher and run-stuffer, it’s tough to find a lineman who can do both.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Deforest Buckner: The Jaguars continue to upgrade their defense by taking the most versatile lineman in the draft. Buckner can play end, or tackle. He can also play in a 3-4, or 4-3.

 

Baltimore Ravens:  Laremy Tunsil: The best player in the draft comes off the board right here. After losing Kelechi Osemele in free agency, Tunsil is a day one starter, and a future Pro-Bowler. Ravens get their left tackle for the future.

 

San Francisco 49ers: Ronnie Stanley: A franchise tackle right here. He fits Chip Kelly’s zone run scheme, the 49ers have other needs but you can’t pass up a future Pro-Bowler right here. The 49ers are not in a “win-now” mode, so they can go best player available.

 

Cleveland Browns: Myles Jack: A future all-pro linebacker right here for Cleveland. The Browns trading down with the Eagles proves they have faith that free agent pickup, RGIII, can be their franchise quarterback. After releasing Karlos Dansby, Jack slides in as a day one starter for Cleveland.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vernon Hargreaves: Hargreaves has the best ball-skills I have ever seen, I think he has all of the tools to be a great player in this league. Tampa Bay picks up a great corner to go with Brent Grimes.

 

New York Giants: Leonard Floyd: The Giants had the worst defense in the NFL last year. They pick up Floyd to help, after the defensive overhaul in free agency. Floyd can pass rush and stop the run.

 

Chicago Bears:  Shaq Lawson:  Lawson is an athletic pass rusher, who can also stop the run. He has a shoulder concern coming out of the combine but it doesn’t appear to be terribly serious.

 

New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Rankins: The Saints defense was hilariously bad last year, they couldn’t stop a nosebleed. Rankins will come in and clog up the middle. A big body who will have an instant impact for New Orleans

 

Miami Dolphins: Ezekiel Elliott: Elliott is the best running back to come out of the draft since Adrian Peterson. He is a great blocker in pass-protection, and can really do it all. An offensive rookie of the year candidate already.

 

Oakland Raiders: Reggie Ragland: Ragland is a great inside linebacker and has great instinct. Oakland needs an inside linebacker and Ragland is their guy. He can stop the run, run your defense, and drop back into coverage if you need him to.

 

Tennessee Titans: Jack Conklin: After the blockbuster trade with the Rams the Titans will take Conklin to help keep sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota on his feet. The Titans are very high on Conklin for his ability to pass block

 

Detroit Lions: Ryan Kelly: The Lions were too one-dimensional last year because they couldn’t run the ball. Kelly is a mauler to say the least. A huge guy who loves to run block. This is a perfect fit for Detroit.

 

Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Dodd:  The Falcons need another pass-rusher to go with  Vic Beasley. Report is they really want Shaq Lawson but with him off the board here. They will take the next best thing with Dodd.

 

Indianapolis Colts: Eli Apple: A physical corner to go along with star Vontae Davis. The concern with Apple is he doesn’t have the coverage skills to cover NFL receivers one-on-one. With a little bit of coaching he should be good to go.

 

Buffalo Bills: A’Shawn Robinson: Robinson is a well-rounded defensive tackle who can do it all. Rex Ryan loves to draft lineman, and he gets a good one here.

 

New York Jets: Paxton Lynch: The Jets get my favorite player in the draft. Standing at 6’7”, running a 4.86 40, and his perfect deep ball make him a future all-pro. Lynch also has the leadership intangible that coaches love in quarterbacks.

 

Washington Redskins: Robert Nkemdiche: After signing cornerback Josh Norman to a five-year, 70 million dollar contract Washington no longer needs a corner. They need Nkemdiche to fill the void left by Terrance Knighton at defensive tackle

 

Houston Texans: Corey Coleman: The Texans need a speedy receiver to go with Deandre Hopkins. Coleman is their guy, his hands are questionable but they will have to bank on him running past people.

 

Minnesota Vikings: Laquon Treadwell: The Vikings have a history of taking fast receivers who can’t catch, so they take a slow one who can catch. Treadwell is the best receiver in this class and Minnesota would be thrilled to take him here to help out quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

 

Cincinnati Bengals: Josh Doctson: They lost Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency. The Bengals would be thrilled to see him still on the board here. He is coming off a serious knee injury but should be go to go.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers: William Jackson III: The Steelers have no talent in their secondary. They take the best corner available. Jackson is long and athletic, he’ll be a cornerstone in the Steelers secondary.

 

Seattle Seahawks Le’Raven Clark: To say Seattle’s offensive line was bad last year would be a compliment. Clark is an instant starter and will help solidify the Seattle O-Line. Which will still be dismal this year.

 

Green Bay Packers: Hunter Henry: Henry is the premier tight end in this draft. Green Bay needs a tight end and free agent acquisition Jared Cook is not the answer. Henry is long and athletic and has what coaches want in tight ends.

 

Kansas City Chiefs: Darron Lee: Lee is a great pass-rusher. KC doesn’t need a pass-rusher, but this is a very good team. Linebacker Tamba Hali is at the end of his career. KC gets the heir to his throne.

 

Arizona Cardinals: Keanu Neel: Safety doesn’t look look a position of need for the Cards but Tyrann Mathieu is a huge question mark coming off a torn achilles. Pair him with the honey badger? And you will have dynamic safety tandem.

 

Carolina Panthers: Emmanuel Ogbah: Carolina can go a lot of ways with this pick. Ogbah can be as a linebacker in a 3-4 and a defensive end in a 4-3. With Charles Johnson at the end of his career. Ogbah will be his heir.

 

Denver Broncos: Chris Jones: Denver needs a quarterback and I can see them trading out of this spot to get a high second round pick to grab Connor Cook. But if they don’t, they take Jones to replace Malik Jackson.

 

There are only 31 first round picks this year. The New England Patriots had to forfeit their first round pick due to their involvement in “deflategate”