In the words of Izzy Mandelbaum, “It’s go time.”
Draft day is upon us and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. All we can do, as a nation, is make one more final attempt at a first-round mock draft. Thusly, here is my final call one what I think teams should do sometime around 8 p.m. tonight. They, of course, will ignore it completely.
1. Los Angeles Rams – Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
This may be wishful thinking at this point. All the pre-draft rumblings seem to have turned to Goff, but I still not only feel it’s the wrong move for the Rams, but the wrong move for Goff. He’ll be better off in Philadelphia and the Rams will be better off with Wentz. The Rams have made a big deal of their restroom-fueled trade negotiations with the Titans. If they use this pick on Goff and he turns into a bust, I hope they all get urinary tract infections.
2. Philadelphia Eagles – Jared Goff, QB, California
Goff probably wants to go No. 1 and stay in California. I’ve got a bad feeling he’ll regret it if he does.
3. San Diego Chargers – Laremy Tunsil, OT – Ole Miss
I’ve had Tunsil going to the Chargers since my first mock draft. With each passing month it seemed less likely until the Rams and Eagles almost made it a certainty. Mike McCoy is really going to set up the next Chargers head coach.
4. Dallas Cowboys – Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
People say Jalen Ramsey should go here. I’ve seen Ezekiel Elliott in this spot, but both those ideas seem ridiculous for a Cowboys team with exactly one starting-caliber defensive end on the roster in Week One. Bosa is a Top Five player at a position of desperate need for the Cowboys. Picking anyone else doesn’t make a lot of sense.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jalen Ramsey, CB/Safety, – Florida State
This should be a boon year for the Jags, who get to snag Ramsey, the best player from their home state, and add in Dante Fowler Jr. after he returns from his preseason knee injury. They’ll basically have two Top-Five first-round picks this year.
6. Baltimore Ravens – Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
Myles Jack’s pre-draft knee injury concerns cost him a spot here and may slide him down for a while. The Ravens need a pass rusher and a corner, so this pick could be Buckner. Or they could trade down and pick Jack in the teams. If they stand pat, I say they go Hargreaves because they’ve been decimated at corner over the last two seasons.
7. San Francisco 49ers – Ronnie Stanley, OT – Notre Dame
How much do the 49ers like Paxton Lynch? With Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke together, there’s no telling what will happen. Stanley should be the pick. The 49ers need a new starter on the offensive line and there’s a real thought out there that Stanley may be a better pick than Tunsil. It’s the smart move. So the 49ers probably won’t do it.
8. Cleveland Browns – Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
It’s time for Hue Jackson to redo the formula that worked so well in Cincinnati. Draft the best wideout in the first, then the best quarterback on the board in the second.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
The Bucs haven’t had an elite defensive end since Simeon Rice. It’s time for that to change
10. New York Giants – Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
The Giants brought back Jason Pierre-Paul and brought in Olivier Vernon. It’s time to add a long-term defensive end to that mix, especially if JPP can’t recapture what he once was.
11. Chicago Bears – Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia
With Jack still in freefall over his microfracture issue, Floyd is an easy call for the Bears to make here. He’s a prototype 3-4 outside linebacker and should slide right into their starting line up.
12. New Orleans Saints – Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
The Saints have defensive needs all over so they could go with anyone here and he’d be an upgrade. Rankins gets the nod to shore up the middle of the defensive line.
13. Miami Dolphins – Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
Elliott thinks he’s going to the Cowboys at No. 4. He’d be a great fit there, but is he worth a No. 4 pick to get him with Bosa and Ramsey right there? I don’t think so. If the Cowboys pass, the Giants could snatch him up, but, again, they have bigger needs on the defensive line. As it is, the Dolphins make perfect sense. They need a running back and he’s the best one in this draft.
14. Oakland Raiders – Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
The Raiders have the beginnings of a real contender with their players at the offensive skill positions. Now it’s time to build a championship offensive line to go with them.
15. Tennessee Titans – Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
Rumors abound with the Titanss on trading up or trading down. I’m not sure how far up they would even want to go or feel the need to go. If I was Tennessee, I’d sit on my boatload of picks, especially three second rounders, and add a four guaranteed starters to my team. Decker gets the call here.
16. Detroit Lions – A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
The Lions smartly kept Haloti Ngata this offseason, but have absolutely nothing next to him. Robinson instantly fixes that.
17. Atlanta Falcons – Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss
Nkemdiche may turn out to be head case that gets eaten by his own pet Siberian Tiger, but he’s a rare talent that would be a Top 1o pick without all the red flags popping out all around him. Can Dan Quinn calm him down and keep him from ending up in pool-filter of his own pet shark tank? The Falcons should roll the dice and see.
18. Indianapolis Colts – Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana
The Colts have no choice but to focus on their offensive line with multiple picks in this draft. They’ll be more than happy to add Spriggs to the roster right here.
19. Buffalo Bills – Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State
The Bills should look at a quarterback here as I don’t think they’ll get another shot at either of my Top Five guys as this draft rolls to round two. But knowing Rex Ryan he’ll just go with Tyrod Taylor again and bring in Lee as his pass-rushing outside linebacker. A role Lee should dominate at in a 3-4 system.
20. New York Jets – Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Regardless of what happens with Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Jets need to think about a real, contending future and Fitz isn’t that guy. Lynch could be, so there’s no reason to screw around anymore. Draft him and be a real contender for the next decade.
21. Washington Redskins – Ryan Kelly, Center Alabama
This may seem a little early for a center, but the Redskins need to take a note out of the Cowboys’ playbook a few years back. They drafted Travis Frederick around here and built the best offensive line in football. If the Redskins are going to contend again, they need to shore up their front five.
22. Houston Texans – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
The Texans have set themselves up to be an exciting team in the 2016-17 season. Why not add a local speedster to that excitement opposite DeAndre Hopkins?
23. Minnesota Vikings – Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson
The Vikings have needs on offense that can be addressed later in a deep draft. A passrusher like Dodd will not last long and the Vikes need an upgrade over Brian Robison at that left defensive end spot.
24. Cincinnati Bengals – Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
The Bengals bled wideouts all over free agency this offseason. Time to reload with Doctson, who might turn out to be the best of the bunch.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers – Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
Apple is the kind of power corner the Steelers love. He’s a big guy who runs like a deer and isn’t afraid to bring the wood on a hit.
26. Seattle Seahawks – Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson
The Seahawks have brought back the human pass interference flag, Brandon Browner, but still need to work out a full time future starter opposite Richard Sherman. Alexander should be the perfect new member of the Legion of Boom.
27. Green Bay Packers – Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama
The Packers have been linebacker poor for the last couple of seasons and been forced to line up Clay Matthews in different spots because of it. Ragland solves that problem instantly and sends Matthews back outside where he belongs.
28. Kansas City Chiefs – Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
The Chiefs could be the team that stops Jack’s slide, but I’m not sure how risky Andy Reid is willing to be. Reed is an easy addition to an already talented defense.
29. New England Patriots – No pick
DeflateGate strikes again!
30. Arizona Cardinals – Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA
The slide stops with a team that can afford to let Jack get completely back up to speed and get value from him at No. 30
31. Carolina Panthers – Willie Jackson III, CB, Houston
By letting Josh Norman walk a gaping hole opens up in the defensive backfield. Whether Jackson can fill it is something we won’t know this season, but the Panthers have no choice if he’s there at No. 31.
32. Denver Broncos – Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
Germaine Ifedi makes a lot of sense here, but Denver can’t afford to take the chance a quarterback will be there late in round two. If Denver doesn’t want to deal for Sam Bradford or Nick Foles, they must take a QB here and I think Prescott has a John Elway-type future ahead of him. Maybe Elway does too.
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