The 2015 Football Garbage Time Staff Mock NFL Draft
Howdy, y’all!
We all know that the NFL Draft is right around the corner, beginning on April 30th. And we all know that the choices that all 32 teams in the NFL make that night will be a significant part in whether they end up with the Lombardi Trophy and the 32nd pick in a future draft, or if they end up with the first overall pick looking to rebuild.
Seeing as how important these decisions are, we here at Football Garbage Time got together and decided to conduct a mock draft. Eight different writers (Joey Alibro, Jason Johnson, Scott King, John Kirkland, Joanne Kong, Bobby Pierson, Ryan Whitfield and Ha Kung Wong) took part as GMs of several teams in the draft, and conducted the mock draft live over three days on Twitter (feel free to check out the back and forth on Twitter by searching for #FBMockDraft). Aside from a few mishaps involving some editor overrules of Bobby Pierson, also known in these parts as “The Wild Card” (identified in red below), the draft went well, and had more than one surprise.
Missed it? Don’t want to check Twitter? Well, you’re in luck, because we have the results of that mock draft below along with the reasoning for each pick by each writer.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bobby aka “The Wild Card” – Justin Manton – K
- With a FG long of 51 yards (twice) and an average punt of 42.4 yards during his senior year, Justin Manton represents a dual-threat. Manton will create an immediate impact and launch the Bucs into dominance of the NFC South.
Editor’s Overrule – Jameis Winston – QB
- Actually, the Bucs really need a quarterback. And we all know Lovie loves Winston.
2. Tennessee Titans
Joey – Leonard Williams – DT
- If the Titans aren’t impressed by any offers for Mariota, they’ll pick the best available defensive player in the draft to help shore up their pass rush and hopefully reverse course on their bottom 10 defense.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jason – Vic Beasley – OLB
- The Jags lack any semblance of a pass rush. Adding Beasley gives them a fast, powerful pass rusher that can build around, like Mario Williams in Houston.
4. Oakland Raiders
Ha Kung – Amari Cooper – WR
- Big, strong and runs one heck of a post route. Arguably the most polished wide receiver in the draft and versatile enough to play in the slot and outside. Raiders have Crabtree, but Cooper is game ready and can be Carr’s primary target of the future.
5. Washington Redskins
Joey – Dante Fowler – DE
- I could see Washington going with Mariota since he’s still there, but the sting of picking RGIII third overall might still be too fresh. Besides, Fowler’s talent on defense is too much to pass up on.
6. New York Jets
Joanne – Kevin White – WR
- There was debate between QB and WR, but what good is a QB if you have no one to throw to? White is tall, fast and strong. Only route running needs some polish, otherwise he’s an immediate starter.
7. Chicago Bears
Ha Kung – Marcus Mariota – QB
- Although the Bears would likely trade their pick if Mariota slips to them and then take DeVante Parker or another WR later in the first round, if there’s no trade, there’s no doubt they take Mariota from a pure talent and value perspective, especially since Cutler is already seemingly on the outs. And it wouldn’t hurt Mariota to land in a situation where he isn’t immediately thrown to the wolves as a starter.
8. Atlanta Falcons
Jason – Randy Gregory – DE/OLB
- Atlanta, like a lot of teams, needs a pass rusher. Gregory is that guy. Now that marijuana is basically legal, he probably won’t end up like Josh Gordon. Probably.
9. New York Giants
Joey – Alvin “Bud” Dupree – DE
- Dupree has been climbing draft boards in recent weeks. The Giants have a need on the O-Line, but at nine, there is no offensive lineman in the draft worthy of that high of a pick.
10. St. Louis Rams
Joey – Brandon Scherff – OG
- St. Louis has a hole to fill a guard, and Brandon Scherff just makes too much sense.
11. Minnesota Vikings
Ryan – Devin Funchess – WR
- He’s 6’4 230 lbs. and a match up nightmare. Teaming up with Rudolph and the shifty Patterson will make the Vikings a dangerous Red Zone team. Of course this all relies on the Vikings teaching him to high point passes and be stronger on battles for jump balls.
12. Cleveland Browns
Ha Kung – Danny Shelton – DT
- The Browns upgraded their secondary adding Tramon Williams to pair with Joe Haden, but still need defense on the line. Shelton is a dominating run stopper and above average pass rusher with significant upside who will give them some legitimacy. And hopefully will give their untested offense a chance.
13. New Orleans Saints
John – Shane Ray – DE
- The New Orleans Saints and Rob Ryan need to upgrade their defense. It’s why they let Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills walk to other teams … for draft picks. And Ray is gonna shine in New Orleans. Welcome to who dat nation Shane
14. Miami Dolphins
Joanne – La’el Collins – OT
- Dolphins need a lot of things, but protecting Tannehill and creating run lanes for Lamar Miller will be of paramount importance. Collins is an exceptional run blocker and, although has room to improve, is an immediate upgrade in pass protection.
15. San Francisco 49ers
John – Arik Armstead – DE
- The 9’ers have several needs on defense … I went with adding a big, strong defensive lineman …
16. Houston Texans
Joanne – DeVante Parker – WR
- Without the legendary Andre Johnson to target, DeAndre Hopkins is essentially all that is left. And Brian Hoyer will need all the help he can get. Parker is not the fastest, but has elite acceleration that will consistently get him open on short and medium passes, exactly what a quarterback like Hoyer needs to be successful. Not the sharpest route runner, but has the physical skills and has ability to improve with good coaching.
17. San Diego Chargers
John – Todd Gurley – RB
- With Gurley’s ACL question cleared up, was this ever a question? Say hello to the Charger’s new and electric power run game, Peyton.
18. Kansas City Chiefs
John – Breshad Perriman – WR
- The Chiefs went more than a FULL calendar year without a wide out catching a touchdown pass. And Jeremy Maclin needs some help to improve the Chief’s pass attack. With DeVante Parker gone I went with Perriman hoping his hands will improve with stickier gloves.
19. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo)
Ha Kung – Ereck Flowers – OT
- Browns offense needs help and Flowers is an immediate starter at right tackle or guard. He’s a superior run blocker with flashes of inconsistent talent in pass protection. He might need some work at that, but this is a necessary upgrade for the Browns.
20. Philadelphia Eagles
Bobby aka “The Wild Card” – Kyle Loomis – P
- Averaging 46.5 and 46 yards per punt for the last two years, respectively, the soon-to-be 28 year old rookie/Army vet will add Army Strong to the Iggle’s kicking/punting corps.
Editor’s Overrule – Landon Collins – SS
- Eagles have bigger problems in the Secondary than bolstering already noteworthy special teams units.
21. Cincinnati Bengals
Jason – Andrus Peat – OT
- Drafting an OT ain’t easy but it’s necessary. Bengals will make the safe play here, not the flashy one. Peat is a hoss who will give Bengals depth right away and will be a starter in a few years.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
Ha Kung – Trae Waynes – CB
- The Steelers secondary needs rebuilding and what better way to do that than with who I think is the best CB in the draft. He’s Revis 2.0 when it comes to man-to-man coverage, as he plays great bump and run maintaining tight coverage downfield. Plus did I mention he had 4.31 speed? Let me say it again so you don’t miss it. 4.31 seconds. Yeah, that’s fast.
23. Detroit Lions
Scott – Malcom Brown – DT
- The Lions lost both their starting DTs this offseason in Suh and Fairley, both decisions I agree with by the way. Suh would have killed the Lions cap for years and Fairley can’t stay on the field or in shape. The acquisition of Haloti Ngata this offseason was a great step and this pick puts them in position to only experience a slight drop off at the position. I think the Lions lose a little in run defense but get a better pass rush with these two in the middle. If the Lions go TE or some other offensive position here, the team will be no better going forward.
24. Arizona Cardinals
Bobby aka “The Wild Card” – Trevor Pardula – P
- With a 44.3 yards/punt average and a long of 72 yards, Pardula will add a strong leg to the punting unit.
Editor’s Overrule – Melvin Gordon – RB
- With a League leading 35 punts inside the 20 last season, the Cardinals probably won’t draft a punter in the first round. More pressing needs at the RB position will have to be addressed.
25. Carolina Panthers
Jason – Dorial Green-Beckham – WR
- Panthers also have a need for an OT but it was just too hard to pass up Green-Beckham here. The Panthers need another WR to go with the outstanding Kelvin Benjamin. Having two WRs 6′ 5″ or taller will be a nightmare of a match-up with the always dependable Greg Olson at TE. The Panthers offense should be humming next year with this pick.
26. Baltimore Ravens
Ha Kung – Kevin Johnson – CB
- Although they have needs at RB, WR and CB, arguably, the best value at this pick is CB, particularly after the top two RBs are off the board. So Johnson would be the pick and he can be an immediate starter. He has great durability starting every game over three years at Wake Forest, and has demonstrated consistent disruptive ability on opposing wide receivers. Although he’s slightly less than optimal size, he’s talented at disengaging and providing support against the run as well.
27. Dallas Cowboys
Ryan – Ronald Darby – CB
- Electrifying speed and great cover skills. He won’t be great in the run but for a secondary that started Sterling Moore last year it will just be nice to have someone who can cover down the field.
28. Denver Broncos
Joanne – T.J. Clemmings – OT
- Denver needs to replace Orlando Franklin on the offensive line, and one of the best options is Clemmings. As a former basketball player, Clemmings has quick feet and elite reaction times. He’s excellent in protection and in accounting for delayed blitzers. Clemmings is an immediate starter at RT or OG and will upgrade Manning’s protection, something they need.
29. Indianapolis Colts
Ryan – Owamagbe Odighizuwa – DE
- He’s big and physical and can shut down the run on an otherwise finesse defense. His 6’3 267 lb. body, mixed with his toughness and sneaky ability to get after the Quarterback will serve him well on a defense looking to bulk up.
30. Green Bay Packers
Jason – Erik Kendricks – ILB
- The Packers need ILB help and having Kendricks here would be a great scenario for the them. This guy is a tackling machine. He might be a little undersized be he more than makes up for it with his instinctiveness and aggressiveness. If you need a benchmark, he’s got a brother’s that pretty good too.
31. New Orleans Saints (from Seattle)
Jason – Jalen Collins – CB
- He said as much a couple weeks ago, the Saints want him. He’s a good pick for a Saints defense that needs playmakers. Quick, tall and strong, Rob Ryan will use him from day 1 to try and turn around a mediocre defense. The technique will catch up with the talent in short order.
32. New England Patriots
Ryan – P.J. Williams – CB
- P.J. has the swagger and size to put WR’s on an island. A short memory, and the ability to take guys one on one. He’s not Revis or even Talib but he can cover, he can hit, and he can learn a lot from Belicheck.
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Disagree with any of the picks? Think any of the picks were particularly insightful? Feel free to let us know in the comments below!
And check back frequently for more content from Football Garbage Time! Thanks for reading!
Oh, and as for Bobby Pierson, aka “The Wild Card”, last I saw him he was hanging out with a bunch a people in Philly. I think this might be him: