The 2014 Mock draft Thread.

[bbell31]

Justin Gilbert , ebron, or a DT

 

[mayoclinic]

Plus I really think Cassel is the smart play for the Texans. He would be a perfect game manager for them. The Texans could then use their draft capital to build up a strong line along the trenches, on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Who knows, maybe Cassel voided his contract because BOB has already contacted him.

Would Cassel really be a potential improvement on Matt Schaub? Cutting Schaub would only save the Texans about $3.65M in cap space, and he would accumulate a $10M dead money charge. Cutting him in 2015 would still have a $7M dead money charge, but would save them $10M in cap space. In retrospect, the Texans screwed themselves by giving Schaub a big extension in 2012.

Cassel has also had multiple opportunities since 2009, and hasn't proven himself to be more than a decent game manager. He is ok at that, but I'm not sure that's worth investing in him, especially given Schaub's cap situation.

One of the reasons that I actually think that it makes sense for Houston to take Clownwy at #1 and a QB at #33 (either a rookie or a trade for Mallett or Kirk Cousins) is that it would keep their positional investment on the QB position under control for a year. Andrew Luck and Cam Newton both got around $22M/4 year contracts, with about a $4M initial cap hit - not huge, but if you factor in the cost of Schaub's contract and/or dead cap hit, not trivial; A rookie like Zach Metzenberger or Jimmy Garoppolo at #33 is going to get a lot less than the #1 pick (Jonathan Cyprien, the #33 pick last year, got a 4 year/$5.5M contract, for comparison, though he's not a QB; high 2nd round picks Andy Dalton, Colin Kaeperinick and Geno Smith got slightly less), and Mallett and Cousins are both under contract on their rookie deals for 2014 at low cost. If either one proves himself, then a backloaded extension during the season can be worked out.

 

[gobesmug]

Would Cassel really be a potential improvement on Matt Schaub? Cutting Schaub would only save the Texans about $3.65M in cap space, and he would accumulate a $10M dead money charge. Cutting him in 2015 would still have a $7M dead money charge, but would save them $10M in cap space. In retrospect, the Texans screwed themselves by giving Schaub a big extension in 2012.

Cassel has also had multiple opportunities since 2009, and hasn't proven himself to be more than a decent game manager. He is ok at that, but I'm not sure that's worth investing in him, especially given Schaub's cap situation.

One of the reasons that I actually think that it makes sense for Houston to take Clownwy at #1 and a QB at #33 (either a rookie or a trade for Mallett or Kirk Cousins) is that it would keep their positional investment on the QB position under control for a year. Andrew Luck and Cam Newton both got around $22M/4 year contracts, with about a $4M initial cap hit - not huge, but if you factor in the cost of Schaub's contract and/or dead cap hit, not trivial; A rookie like Zach Metzenberger or Jimmy Garoppolo at #33 is going to get a lot less than the #1 pick (Jonathan Cyprien, the #33 pick last year, got a 4 year/$5.5M contract, for comparison, though he's not a QB; high 2nd round picks Andy Dalton, Colin Kaeperinick and Geno Smith got slightly less), and Mallett and Cousins are both under contract on their rookie deals for 2014 at low cost. If either one proves himself, then a backloaded extension during the season can be worked out.

I think Schaub is done either way. The fan base really hates him. I do think that Cassel would be an upgrade, simply due to the fact that he has proven to be successful at running an offense similar to BOBs type of offense that he ran in NE. Of course, BOB could have a completely different view for what he wants to run with the Texans.

I wasn't aware of Schaub's contract situation. Definitely a foolish decision from the previous regime to give that extension.

Cousins is an interesting prospect, if BOB doesn't want to draft a QB. I just think that if BOB trades for Mallett, and he fails to make the playoffs, that the backlash from the fans will be huge. Again, I hope I'm wrong and that BOB sends the #33 pick for mallett.

 

[captain stone]

...I wasn't aware of Schaub's contract situation. Definitely a foolish decision from the previous regime to give that extension...

Kinda like giving extensions to Gronk & The Prisoner a full year before they even had
to consider them.

 

[mayoclinic]

I wasn't aware of Schaub's contract situation. Definitely a foolish decision from the previous regime to give that extension.

Kinda like giving extensions to Gronk & The Prisoner a full year before they even had
to consider them.

Both of which were widely applauded by the fan base and media at the time. People were envisioning the possibility of the Pats being in roughly the same situation with Gronk that New Orleans is currently in with Jimmy Graham, so locking him up with a backloaded contract that kept his cap cost down was viewed as a brilliant move. And many people thought it was not possible for the Pats to lock up both Gronk and Hernandez for the long term. No one envisioned that the term "lock up" would come to have an entirely different meaning for Hernandez.

No team has a crystal ball. Schaub was extended when he was leading the Texans to the best record in the NFL through the first 10 games of 2012. No one expected him to implode.

 

[gobesmug]

Both of which were widely applauded by the fan base and media at the time. People were envisioning the possibility of the Pats being in roughly the same situation with Gronk that New Orleans is currently in with Jimmy Graham, so locking him up with a backloaded contract that kept his cap cost down was viewed as a brilliant move. And many people thought it was not possible for the Pats to lock up both Gronk and Hernandez for the long term. No one envisioned that the term "lock up" would come to have an entirely different meaning for Hernandez.

No team has a crystal ball. Schaub was extended when he was leading the Texans to the best record in the NFL through the first 10 games of 2012. No one expected him to implode.

Extending Gronk and Ahern was absolutely the right decision at the time, and in Gronk's case, still is. I never liked Schaub, and always thought he was overrated due to Andre Johnson. I think the same thing about Matthew Stafford with Megatron.

Having a crystal ball would be sweet, but how gms give huge extensions to players like Schaub and Cutler is beyond me.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Kinda like giving extensions to Gronk & The Prisoner a full year before they even had
to consider them.

Revisionist history much?

 

[Get it shawtaay]

The all upside draft

1.29 - DT Ra'Shede Hageman (Minnesota)
2.61 - CB Louchiez Purifoy (Florida)
3.93 - OT Seantrel Henderson (Miami)
4.125 - OC Marcus Martin (USC)
6.180 - LB Ronald Powell (Florida)
6.189 - DE Larry Webster (Bloomsburg)
6.194 - FB Gator Hoskins (Marshall)
7.221 - TE Colt Lyerla (Oregon)

If half of those guys reach their ceiling and the other half flame out, then you have the best draft in a decade anyway.

 

[manxman2601]

The all upside draft

1.29 - DT Ra'Shede Hageman (Minnesota)
2.61 - CB Louchiez Purifoy (Florida)
3.93 - OT Seantrel Henderson (Miami)
4.125 - OC Marcus Martin (USC)
6.180 - LB Ronald Powell (Florida)
6.189 - DE Larry Webster (Bloomsburg)
6.194 - FB Gator Hoskins (Marshall)
7.221 - TE Colt Lyerla (Oregon)

If half of those guys reach their ceiling and the other half flame out, then you have the best draft in a decade anyway.

You missed Logan Thomas at QB

 

[Get it shawtaay]

You missed Logan Thomas at QB

Good call. We have to trade him for a 1st.

 

[manxman2601]

An interesting full six round mock I saw in the Football Futures forum. For the Pats:

Rnd One: Aaron Donald
Rnd Two: Troy Niklas
Rnd Three: Travis Swanson
Rnd Four: Jaylen Watkins
Rnd Six: Robert Herron
Round Six Michael Schofield


The only pick there I'm not sure about is Watkins and that's only because I haven't watched him. If I could bank that draft right now, I would.

http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=542052

 

[EwanSellars]

An interesting full six round mock I saw in the Football Futures forum. For the Pats:

Rnd One: Aaron Donald
Rnd Two: Troy Niklas
Rnd Three: Travis Swanson
Rnd Four: Jaylen Watkins
Rnd Six: Robert Herron
Round Six Michael Schofield


The only pick there I'm not sure about is Watkins and that's only because I haven't watched him. If I could bank that draft right now, I would.

NFL Forum :: - 6 Round Mock Draft with Pictures

wouldnt complain about that draft at all althought i would rather have cody hoffman or cody latimer in the 6th and i dont know anything about watkins or schofield

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

Both of which were widely applauded by the fan base and media at the time. People were envisioning the possibility of the Pats being in roughly the same situation with Gronk that New Orleans is currently in with Jimmy Graham, so locking him up with a backloaded contract that kept his cap cost down was viewed as a brilliant move. And many people thought it was not possible for the Pats to lock up both Gronk and Hernandez for the long term. No one envisioned that the term "lock up" would come to have an entirely different meaning for Hernandez.

No team has a crystal ball. Schaub was extended when he was leading the Texans to the best record in the NFL through the first 10 games of 2012. No one expected him to implode.

Well the problem with Franchising a TE such as Hernandez, Gronk or in this case, Graham is that the CBA says that your franchise number is the position that you lined up at the most the previous year. So Graham was surely in the slot way more than he was tight to the tackle. Why is this important FTW you ask? Glad you did, because the Saint will almost certianly franchise Graham as a TE with the tag number around 6.8 million. Graham's people are going to come back with, he is a WR, with a tag number of around 11.6 million. Then the fight is on, and feelings are going to get hurt, and if Graham's side wins, he will be making a cap busting 11.6 million.

PFT has the story: Graham?s franchise-tag designation pits practicality against letter of CBA | ProFootballTalk

But the lesson here, is this is the boat the Pats would have been in if they didn't extend the Gronk and the soon to be aquitted one. They would have been really screwed if they both came to free agency at the same time. So signing both of them to extensions was the samrt and right thing to do. IF anyone here thought Hernandez was going to become the Angel of Death, well then kuddos to you. But at the time, it was the right thing to do.

 

[mayoclinic]

OK Manx, here's one for you:

- Trade Mallett for #33. I'm hanging on to this for now.
- Cut Wilfork, sign Linval Joseph
- Resign Talib and Blount
- If Edelman walks, sign Riley Cooper/Jeremy Maclin
- Connolly, Gregory and Kelly may possibly end up getting cut or restructured

- Trade 29 to San Francisco for 56 and 61.
33. Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh. 6'1" 288#. If he lasts to 29, he'll probably last to 33. He's not a prototypical fit, but nothing about Donald is normal.
56. Kyle Fuller, DB, Virginia Tech. 6' 194#. Move him to safety, though he could get some snaps at CB too.
61. Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame. 6'7" 270#. Baby Gronk.
62. Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, Louisville (6' 3 1/2" 258#) or Christian Jones, LB, Florida St. (6' 3 1/2" 236#). Another uber-athletic LB who can play in space or rush the passer.
93. Marcus Martin, C, USC. 6'3" 310#. Value pick. Weston Richburg would also be great if he were available.
4. Aaron Lynch, DE, USF (6'6" 260#) or Brent Urban, DE/DT, Virginia (6'6" 295#).
6a. Best available move TE: Richard Rodgers, Cal (6'4" 245#), Xavier Grimble, USC (6'5" 250#), or Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (6'6" 250#) as a conversion prospect.
6b. Best available DB: Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma (5' 11 1/2" 194#), Antone Exum, Virginia Tech (6' 220#), Dontae Johnson, North Carolina St. (6'2 1/2" 199#) or Jonathan Dowling, Wester Kentucky (6' 2 1/2" 198#). If we got a 2nd comp pick I'd try to get 2 of these guys.
6 (comp). Best available FB/H-back: Trey Millard, Oklahoma (6'3" 253#) or Gator Hoskins, Marshall (6'1" 244).
7. Developmental QB or WR of your choice.

That's a draft that might actually make both of us happy. Very happy.

 

[manxman2601]

OK Manx, here's one for you:

- Trade Mallett for #33. I'm hanging on to this for now.
- Cut Wilfork, sign Linval Joseph
- Resign Talib and Blount
- If Edelman walks, sign Riley Cooper/Jeremy Maclin
- Connolly, Gregory and Kelly may possibly end up getting cut or restructured

- Trade 29 to San Francisco for 56 and 61.
33. Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh. 6'1" 288#. If he lasts to 29, he'll probably last to 33. He's not a prototypical fit, but nothing about Donald is normal.
56. Kyle Fuller, DB, Virginia Tech. 6' 194#. Move him to safety, though he could get some snaps at CB too.
61. Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame. 6'7" 270#. Baby Gronk.
62. Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, Louisville (6' 3 1/2" 258#) or Christian Jones, LB, Florida St. (6' 3 1/2" 236#). Another uber-athletic LB who can play in space or rush the passer.
93. Marcus Martin, C, USC. 6'3" 310#. Value pick. Weston Richburg would also be great if he were available.
4. Aaron Lynch, DE, USF (6'6" 260#) or Brent Urban, DE/DT, Virginia (6'6" 295#).
6a. Best available move TE: Richard Rodgers, Cal (6'4" 245#), Xavier Grimble, USC (6'5" 250#), or Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (6'6" 250#) as a conversion prospect.
6b. Best available DB: Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma (5' 11 1/2" 194#), Antone Exum, Virginia Tech (6' 220#), Dontae Johnson, North Carolina St. (6'2 1/2" 199#) or Jonathan Dowling, Wester Kentucky (6' 2 1/2" 198#). If we got a 2nd comp pick I'd try to get 2 of these guys.
6 (comp). Best available FB/H-back: Trey Millard, Oklahoma (6'3" 253#) or Gator Hoskins, Marshall (6'1" 244).
7. Developmental QB or WR of your choice.

That's a draft that might actually make both of us happy. Very happy.

Oh! I'd take that alright.

1. I'm giving up on a Mallett trade for my own mocks until we get some firmer info on the possibility.

2. I need to see some Xavier Grimble. He seems to make sense but without actually watching him I just don't feel I can comment.

3. I don't really see the need to upgrade Develin. I thought he was ideal for what he was asked to do. I'd rather have a FB that can block than one that can catch.

4. Antone Exum is almost in my very small binky group. I enjoy watching him almost as much as Fuller (for different reasons).

Those are the teeniest of niggles - in fact they aren't even niggles, just observations. I'd love that mock.

Sorry, missed one

5. I would still take Swanson over Richburg and Martin if he was there at 93 personally.

 

[captain stone]

Revisionist history much?

Not in this case. I was on record disagreeing with those decisions, at the time they were announced.

 

[mayoclinic]

3. I don't really see the need to upgrade Develin. I thought he was ideal for what he was asked to do. I'd rather have a FB that can block than one that can catch.

I don't see the need to upgrade Develin, either. I think the Pats can find room for him and an H-back type player like Millard or Hoskins.

5. I would still take Swanson over Richburg and Martin if he was there at 93 personally.

I figured you would. I didn't include Swanson because right now he's not in that range, thought that could change over the next 3 months.

 

[TruthSeeker]

The all upside draft

1.29 - DT Ra'Shede Hageman (Minnesota)
2.61 - CB Louchiez Purifoy (Florida)
3.93 - OT Seantrel Henderson (Miami)
4.125 - OC Marcus Martin (USC)
6.180 - LB Ronald Powell (Florida)
6.189 - DE Larry Webster (Bloomsburg)
6.194 - FB Gator Hoskins (Marshall)
7.221 - TE Colt Lyerla (Oregon)

If half of those guys reach their ceiling and the other half flame out, then you have the best draft in a decade anyway.

ALSO, some great names to add to the odd name list. Louchiez ? Ra'Shede ? But my new alltime favorite is Seantrel, never heard that one before. Usually something is added before Sean, like Key or La or Da, but VERY creative to add something AFTER Sean. With Ra'Shede we may lead the league in apostrophe names, Dont'a, Ja'Gared and then add Ra'Shede.

 

[kennyb]

Assumptions: Edelman resigned. Wilfork cut, Talib tagged and traded, Spikes gone.

FA Signings: Chandler TE, Kevin Williams DT,

1. Trade down for what becomes a thirds and a fourth and a future pick
2a. (from Talib tag and trade) Kyle Van Noy LB
2b. Kyle Fuller CB
3a. EJ Gaines CB
3b. Weston Richburg C
4a. Joel Bitonio T/G or Brandon Thomas G
4b. Mike Davis WR Texas
5a. (from Talib tag and trade) Ken Anunike DE Duke
6. Deandre Coleman DT Cal
6b. Ted Bolser TE Indiana
7. Kain Colter QB/WR Northwestern

 

[ashley]

I really enjoy reading the mock drafts. Walter just put out his new 4 round mock and was curious what everyone thought, I wasn't too crazy about this scenario, but it does give me a new name to look up and research. He went with the Patriots taking:

Round 1 - Amaro TE
Round 2- Swanson C
Round 3 - DaQuan Jones NT
Round 4- ****rell DB

I heard that Jones had a really bad Senior Bowl and thought it might push him down even further the draft board. Ross ****rell I don't know, so I'll have to do some research on him, but he's a name I haven't even heard on here.