Second Annual Mock Draft For More Fun
What would a mock draft look like when the only goal is to make each team more fun?
Mock drafts are sometimes used in an attempt to be accurate. Sometimes they’re more for relaying information. Really, though, all mock drafts are made for fun. This mock draft is made exclusively for fun. The main purpose for each of the following picks is to make each team more fun. Making them better plays a part, but fun is the main goal.
1. Cleveland Browns — Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
This was close to being Josh Allen because that would be a very Browns move, but instead, Cleveland gets the most exciting quarterback prospect in the draft who instantly changes the offense and makes the team watchable.
2. New York Giants — Derwin James, DB, Florida State
Under defensive coordinator James Bettcher, Derwin James could become a 6’1” version of Tyrann Mathieu playing everywhere in the secondary from slot to safety to outside corner. Who wouldn’t want a 6’1” version of Tyrann Mathieu with the guy who coached Mathieu since 2015?
3. New York Jets — Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
Baker on Broadway? Sign us up for that. Mayfield is statistically the best quarterback in this class and the Jets should be able to mix in some spread schemes into the offense like they did last season even though there’s a change at offensive coordinator.
4. Cleveland Browns — Bradley Chubb, EDGE, North Carolina State
The presence of Emmanuel Ogbah makes this pick more fun than the presence of Myles Garrett. This would make the Browns three-deep with productive players on the edge and that’s how great pass rushes are built. Offensive lines aren’t getting plays off when these three rotate throughout the game.
5. Denver Broncos — Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
Chris Harris doesn’t want a quarterback. He wants someone who can help him be more productive on the outside. Who am I to not let him get his wish? Fitzpatrick, like James, can be used in multiple positions in the secondary and it gives the Broncos another layer to the best part of the team.
6. Indianapolis Colts — Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
Anything about the Colts being fun hinges on the health of Andrew Luck. The best offensive lineman in the draft should help keep Andrew Luck healthy. Please keep Andrew Luck healthy.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
Too many people were sucked into the hype of Tampa Bay’s offense last season. The passing offense actually met expectations — ninth in offensive DVOA — but the rushing offense was so bad — 25th — that it overshadowed everything else. Barkley adds to both areas here and the hyp can start in Tampa again.
8. Chicago Bears — Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
Chicago’s best years came with a dominant linebacker up the middle. They don’t really have a dominant linebacker anywhere at the moment. Smith immediately changes that and adds more speed to the defense, which could continue to be an impressive young unit.
9. San Francisco 49ers — Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
Richard Sherman, Denzel Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, and Jimmie Ward as a new Legion of Boom spinoff? That’s a nice look for a team that was average defending the pass last season — 16th in DVOA.
10. Oakland Raiders — Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
Edmunds is 19 years old and this pick is literally just the balance the average age of the Raiders roster after the amount of age-30-plus players Jon Gruden targeted as soon as he was put in charge. Every part of Oakland’s defense outside of Khalil Mack is also bad, so this helps there too.
11. Miami Dolphins — Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
This is reliant on the Dolphins eventually re-signing Jay Cutler so the quarterback room can include a quarterback who cares too much and one that doesn’t care at all. Please make that a reality show.
12. Buffalo Bills — Sam Darnold, QB, USC
A.J. McCarron is currently Buffalo’s starting quarterback. Almost anything else at the position would make them more fun to watch. They just happen to get one of the top quarterbacks in the draft to get that upgrade.
13. Washington Redskins — Maurice Hurst, DL, Michigan
Washington has a pretty impressive depth chart on defense that was ravaged by injuries last season. They struggled up the middle with interior pressure and stopping the run. Putting Hurst next to a healthy Jonathan Allen would become one of the most dangerous defensive interiors along with Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith on the edges. This is a unit that already led the league in defensive pressure rate last season per Sports Info Solutions.
14. Green Bay Packers — Marcus Davenport, EDGE, UTSA
Dom Capers is gone and that alone should make the Green Bay defense more fun. Adding in an athletic freak of an edge rusher in Davenport will take that a step further after the Packers have struggled to get to the quarterback over the past few seasons.
15. Arizona Cardinals — D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
Arizona gets left out of the quarterback market here, so they get someone to help Sam Bradford. Moore produced at Maryland despite his quarterbacks averaging 4.86 yards per attempt when throwing to anyone other than him. He could see something similar the the Cardinals, but at least there’s also David Johnson.
16. Baltimore Ravens — Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
Ozzie Newsome goes out with another defensive playmaker from Alabama. Baltimore’s offense isn’t going to be watchable as long as Joe Flacco is still throwing the passes. This move at least gets the Ravens back on track to being one of the league’s best defenses.
17. Los Angeles Chargers — Vita Vea, DL, Washington
Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram might be the most dominant pass rush duo in the league — together they made up for 57 percent of the Chargers’ defensive pressures last season. A big problem was what happened in between them on the defensive line. Vea gives a massive presence to control the interior.
18. Seattle Seahawks — Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Keep Russell Wilson alive. Just keep Russell Wilson alive.
19. Dallas Cowboys — Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
Sean Lee is good. Sean Lee is often injured. Vander Esch is the most athletic inside linebacker in this class per SPARQ and would give the Dallas defense a second option when Lee is on the field or someone worthy of taking his spot if Lee is off it.
20. Detroit Lions — Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
The Lions were 11th in passing DVOA and 30th in rushing DVOA (if you need to know how much the running game really matter Detroit still finished 12th offensive DVOA). Derrius Guice is a monster who plays hard and physical whenever given the ball. His receiving ability could also be better than advertised, something that could be said about any receiver coming out of the LSU offense.
21. Cincinnati Bengals — Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
Injury concerns surround Tyler Eifert, who played just in just two games last season. Gesicki, a 99th percentile SPARQ athlete, could be an Eifert replacement, or a matchup nightmare in 12 or 13 personnel, which the Bengals used on 20 percent and seven percent of their 2017 offensive plays, respectively.
22. Buffalo Bills — James Daniels, OC, Iowa
Russell Bodine is currently Buffalo’s starting center. Almost anything else at the position would make them more fun to watch. They just happen to get one of the top centers in the draft to get that upgrade.
23. New England Patriots — Ian Thomas, TE, Indiana
The same logic that applied to Gesicki and the Bengals applies here, expect this situation involves Rob Gronkowski, which makes it infinitely more fun. Thomas doesn’t get talked about as much as some other tight ends, but he’s in the 91st percentile of SPARQ, the only other tight end above the 73rd in this class.
24. Carolina Panthers — D.J. Chark, WR, LSU
For too long Carolina has handcuffed Cam Newton with big receivers who don’t separate all the well. With Chark, the Panthers can still stick to the big guys — he’s 6’3” — but he has the ability to create separation with 4.34 speed and the top mark in Target Yards Added for this class.
25. Tennessee Titans — Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College
Only the Jacksonville Jaguars got a higher pressure rate from their №3 pass rusher (16.1 percent) than the Tennessee Titans (15.9 percent). But relying on Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo as the top duo can only last so much longer with both over 30 years of age. Landry would fit in as great pass rushing depth with the ability to take over as a top rusher eventually.
26. Atlanta Falcons — Taven Bryan, DL, Florida
Taven Bryan is an athletic freak who doesn’t always have control of what his body does. A cliche bull in a china shop. That could be a mess if he’s the main interior disruptor on a team, but put him next to Grady Jarrett inside in Atlanta and that’s a nightmare for guards and centers across the league.
27. New Orleans Saints — Da’Ron Payne, DL, Alabama
Cameron Jordan. Sheldon Rankins. Da’Ron Payne. Alex Okafor. That’s not a bad defensive line. New Orleans is pretty set on offense and the framework for a dominant defense was laid last season. Adding one more massive body on the defensive line could be the finishing piece.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers — Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
Losing Ryan Shazier was a sad an unexpected hit for the Steelers defense. His absence was immediately felt on the field. Malik Jefferson would offer the speed and athleticism — 91st percentile in SPARQ — Pittsburgh clearly missed in the middle of the field once Shazier was off the field.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars — Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
It doesn’t matter where he plays. Give Jacksonville all the good corners and make it impossible to throw on that defense for the rest of time.
30. Minnesota Vikings — Isaiah Wynn, OL, Georgia
The Vikings are good. The Vikings are balanced. One place they could see in improvement is along the offensive line. Getting better at either guard or tackle — Wynn has the ability to play both — would help keep pressure off Kirk Cousins and open holes for Dalvin Cook, two things which should lead the Vikings being quite fun again.
31. New England Patriots — Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa
New England’s defensive philosophy last year was to stop all passes on the outside. Malcolm Butler is now gone, but Josh Jackson would immediately make an impact alongside Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty at corner. This would also help out a pass rush that added Adrian Clayborn and will be getting Derek Rivers back from injury.
32. Philadelphia Eagles — Justin Reid, S, Stanford
The Eagles lost Patrick Robinson, who manned the slot well on Philadelphia’s defense last season. Justin Reid would be able to fill that spot some — he was asked to cover slot receivers and tight ends at Stanford — while also fulfilling typical safety duties. Seriously, there’s not a lot of holes on this already fun Eagles team.
