Mock Draft 2.0

The NFL Draft is just nine days away; it's time for my second of three first round mock drafts.
 
1. TAM- James Winston, QB, Florida St.
2. TEN- Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
3. JAC- Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson
4. OAK- Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5. WAS- Leonard Williams, DL, USC
6. NYJ- Dante Fowler, OLB/DE, Florida
7. CHI- Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
8. ATL- Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
9. NYG- Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
10. STL- Brandon Scherff, OL, Iowa
11. MIN- Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
12. CLE- Danny Shelton, NT, Washington
13. NO- Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
14. MIA- La'el Collins, OL, LSU
15. SF- DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
16. HOU- Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St.
17. SD- Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
18. KC- Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
19. CLE (via BUF)- Ereck Flowers, OL, Miami
20. PHI- Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
21. CIN- Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas
22. PIT- Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
23. DET- T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
24. ARI- Eddie Goldman, NT, Florida St.
25. CAR- D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26. BAL- Phillip Dorsett, WR, Duke
27. DAL- Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
28. DEN- Cameron Erving, C, Florida St.
29. IND- T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
30. GB- Jordan Phillips, NT, Oklahoma
31. NO (via SEA)- Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
32. NE- Marcus Peters, CB, Washington

Mock Draft 1

With the 2015 NFL Draft only a month away, I realized I had yet to publish a mock draft. So, without further ado, I present to you my first mock draft of 2015. *Trades excluded.*

1. TAM -- Jameis Winston, QB, Florida St.
2. TEN -- Leonard Williams, DE, USC
3. JAC -- Dante Fowler, DE, Florida
4. OAK -- Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5. WAS -- Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
6. NYJ -- Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
7. CHI -- Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
8. ATL -- Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9. NYG -- Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
10. STL -- Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
11. MIN -- Brandon Scherff, OG, Iowa
12. CLE -- DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
13. NO -- Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
14. MIA -- Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St.
15. SF -- Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
16. HOU -- Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
17. SD -- Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
18. KC -- La'el Collins, OG, LSU
19. CLE -- Jordan Phillips, NT, Oklahoma
20. PHI -- Malcolm Brown, DL, Texas
21. CIN -- Eli Harold, DE, Virginia
22. PIT -- Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
23. DET -- T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
24. ARI -- Alvin Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
25. CAR -- D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26. BAL -- Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
27. DAL -- Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
28. DEN -- Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
29. IND -- Eddie Goldman, NT, Florida St.
30. GB -- Paul Dawson, ILB, TCU
31. NO -- Ereck Flowers, OG, Miami
32. NE -- Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana

Deflategate is a Non-Issue

As a New England Patriots fan my initial reaction to the controversy being dubbed "Deflategate" was one of disappointment (directed towards the team). However, I've come to realize the overabundance of news coverage surrounding the allegations made against the Patriots for using under-inflated footballs during the AFC Championship game -- in which they thrashed an inferior Indianapolis Colts team -- is laughable. As Patriots' Head Coach Bill Belichick explained during his press conference yesterday, if their footballs are inflated to the minimum amount required by the league, then any deflation sustained is going to cause the ball to become under-inflated. That's common sense at it's finest. But because of Belichick's history of bending/breaking rules (Spygate), this non-story has become a story. Both Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady publicly stated that not only are they not responsible for the under-inflated footballs, but also that they weren't aware of it. Whether that's true or not, we may never know. But we're hearing more and more about quarterbacks having preferences when it comes to the conditions of the balls; they need to have the right feel. According to Pro Football Talk, former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson paid to have 37 footballs he was going to use in Super Bowl XXXVII altered to provide a better grip.

The fact of the matter is that the state of the footballs used in last week's AFC Championship game had zero impact on its outcome. Numerous reports were released earlier this week claiming the league stated that the Patriots' footballs were checked and re-inflated at halftime and were checked again after the game. If that's true, then in the second half -- when the Patriots outscored the Colts 28-0 -- was evidence that the Patriots were going to win that game regardless of the balls being used. The opinions of former players such as Shannon Sharpe and Troy Aikman, saying that the league should hand down punishments to the Patriots similar of those given to the Saints after the Bountygate scandal, are simply idiotic. Intent to injure opposing players is far worse than playing with a deflated football, the two aren't even comparable. In my opinion the league should fine the team, but there should be no suspensions nor loss of draft picks. The truth is that the Spygate scandal in 2007, along with the success sustained by this team over the past 14 years, is the reason that the reactions to these allegations have been so overblown. You can guarantee Bill Belichick will use this as a source of motivation for his players leading up to Super Bowl XLIX, though -- that's what great coaches do, and Belichick may be the greatest.

Top Four Offseason Needs for All 32 Teams

After publishing my Top 5 Draft Prospects at each position, I feel now is a good time to list each NFL team's biggest needs to address -- Coaches and General Manager's excluded -- during the upcoming offseason. My list is based on what I've seen on the field over the course of the season, as well as team depth charts (per Ourlads) and impending free agents (per Spotrac).

ARI: CB, OLB, RB, NT
ATL: DE, RB, TE, LB
BAL: CB, WR, S, DE
BUF: QB, G, TE, DE
CAR: OT, WR, CB, RB
CHI: OLB, S, CB, QB
CIN: DT, OLB, WR, K
CLE: WR, DL, QB, K
DAL: DL, S, CB, LB
DEN: C/G, ILB, TE, DT
DET: DT, CB, OT, K
GB: ILB, NT, OT, CB
HOU: CB, WR, QB, TE
IND: C/G, WR, S, RB
JAC: DE, OT, CB, RB
KC: WR, ILB, S, G
MIA: RB, G/C, DT, WR
MIN: OT, WR, DE, RB
NE: DL, RB, G, WR
NO: OLB, WR, K, C
NYG: DE, LB, OT, S
NYJ: QB, OT, CB, OLB
OAK: WR, DL, CB, RB
PHI: CB, G, S, ILB
PIT: CB, OLB, S, NT
SD: OL, WR, RB, CB
SF: WR, CB, DL, G
SEA: WR, G, DT, TE
STL: QB, LB, G, WR
TB: QB, DE, CB, ILB
TEN: OLB, QB, WR, RB
WAS: S, OLB, OT, CB

Top Five 2015 Draft Prospects at Each Position: Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, there's some depth at pass-rush positions in the 2015 class. Here's my Top 5 Prospects at each defensive position; I chose not to distinguish the different safety and defensive tackle positions, and inside linebacker is for both 4-3 and 3-4 base defensive fronts.

Defensive Tackle:
1. Leonard Williams
2. Danny Shelton
3. Eddie Goldman
4. Michael Bennett
5. Malcolm Brown
Defensive End (3-4)
1. Shawn Oakman
2. Arik Armstead
3. Mario Edwards
4. DeForest Buckner
5. Carl Davis
Defensive End (4-3)
1. Randy Gregory
2. Dante Fowler Jr.
3. Nate Orchard
4. Markus Golden
5. Alvin Dupree
Outside Linebacker (3-4)
1. Shane Ray
2. Vic Beasley
3. Lorenzo Mauldin
4. Hau'Oli Kikaha
T-5. Shilique Calhoun
T-5. Eli Harold
Outside Linebacker (4-3)
1. Shaq Thompson
2. Eric Striker
3. Paul Dawson
4. Jordan Jenkins
5. Tony Washington
Inside Linebacker
1. Eric Kendricks
2. Denzel Perryman
3. Benardrick McKinney
4. Jake Ryan
5. Ramik Wilson
Cornerback:
1. Marcus Peters
T-2. Trae Waynes
T-2. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
3. Quinten Rollins
4. P.J. Williams
5. Senquez Golson
Safety:
1. Landon Collins
2. Cody Prewitt
3. Kurtis Drummond
4. Gerod Holliman
T-5. Anthony Harris
T-5. Derron Smith
Punter:
1. Kyle Christy
2. Spencer Roth
3. Mike Sadler
4. Hunter Mullins
5. Will Baumann
 
 

Top Five 2015 Draft Prospects at Each Position: Offense

The 2015 NFL Draft class doesn't compare to last year's crop, but it's got the best group of running backs I've seen in a very long time. Check out my Top 5 at each offensive position.

Quarterback:
1. Marcus Mariota
2. Jameis Winston
3. Brett Hundley
4. Bryce Petty
5. Shane Carden
Running back:
1. Todd Gurley
2. Melvin Gordon
3. Tevin Coleman
4. Ameer Abdullah
T-5. Duke Johnson
T-5. T.J. Yeldon
Fullback:
1. Jalston Fowler
2. Connor Neighbors
3. Zach Zwinak
4. Hunter Joyer
5. Mark Weisman
Wide Receiver:
1. Amari Cooper
2. DeVante Parker
3. Jaelen Strong
4. Kevin White
5. Dorial Green-Beckham
Tight End:
1. Devin Funchess
2. Nick O'Leary
3. Tyler Kroft
4. Clive Walford
5. Jeff Heuerman
Offensive Center:
1. Cameron Irving
2. Hroniss Grasu
3. Reese Dismukes
4. B.J. Finney
5. Andy Gallik
Offensive Guard: 
1. Arie Kouandjio
2. A.J. Cann
3. Josue Matias
4. Tre Jackson
5. Laken Tomlinson
Offensive Tackle:
1. Brandon Scherff
2. Andrus Peat
3. Ronnie Stanley
4. Cedric Ogbuehi
T-5. La'el Collins
T-5. T.J. Clemmings
Kicker:
1. Robert Aguayo
2. Jared Roberts
3. Jeremiah Detmer
4. Kyle Brindza
5. Ty Long

Week 9 Takeaways

The ninth week of NFL action wasn't short on entertainment. By the way, did anyone else know the Cleveland Browns are 5-3? Anyway, here are some takeaways from Week 9 of the NFL season.

The Patriots sit atop the AFC... for now: The New England Patriots dismantled the Denver Broncos in what could end up being the difference in who gets home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Whoa, whoa, there's still seven weeks left in the regular season and the Patriots -- who are now on their bye week -- have a tough seven remaining games on their schedule (at IND, DET, at GB, at SD, MIA, at NYJ, BUF). Meanwhile, Denver's remaining schedule looks like this (at OAK, at STL, MIA, at KC, BUF, at SD, at CIN, OAK). Now, who do you think has the better chance of winning more games from this point on? If these two teams meet in the playoffs, which looks destined to happen, it could very well come down to who's the host and who's the visitor. The Patriots are the best in the AFC, but it may not be that way for very long.

Ben Roethlisberger: When I look at Big Ben's performances in each of the past two games all I can say is wow. Against the Colts in Week 8 his stat line was: 40-49, 82 percent completions, 522 yards, 6 TDs. Last night against the Ravens: 25-37, 68 percent completions, 340 yards, 6 TDs. Most importantly, they came in winning efforts. It's not a coincidence that rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant has emerged over the past two games, as he's played a large role in his quarterback's gaudy numbers. Still, Roethlisberger, in his 11th season, isn't mentioned by the media or sportscasters when they discuss the elite quarterbacks, but he certainly belongs in the conversation.

The AFC North: If someone had told me, prior to the season, that after the first nine games of the season the that all four teams in the AFC North  would be over .500 I would have scoffed at such a prediction. Yet, that's where the division stands. The Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers all sport winning records -- no other division can say that. Of course, the Browns are the big surprise, as many (including myself) didn't expect very much from them this season. Cleveland will receive a huge boost come Week 12 when star receiver Josh Gordon returns from his suspension.

Injuries: The Eagles placed two starters, linebacker DeMeco Ryans and guard Todd Herremans, on season-ending injured reserve, while starting quarterback Nick Foles is expected to miss 4-8 weeks after suffering a broken collarbone against the Texans. Other notable names who left Sunday's action due to injury: Arian Foster (HOU), Troy Polamalu (PIT), Rolando McClain (DAL), Andre Smith (CIN), Lamar Miller (MIA), Nate Irving (DEN), Kareem Jackson (HOU), and Tyrone Crawford (DAL).

*Team schedules and standings courtesy of CBS Sports 
**Player statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference
***Injury news courtesy of Rotoworld