2024 ES GM's Mock Draft....

[Chump Bailey]

Special thanks to our new GM's @woodpecker & @NYSkins21 for their terrific contributions! Also @Going Commando for participating and allowing us draft nerds to play once again!

 

Forgot @Est.1974 welcome and nice job!

 

 

As always, thanks to @COWBOY-KILLA- & @goskins10 for keeping the machine rolling smoothly!

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by Chump Bailey

[KillBill26]

Thank you to @COWBOY-KILLA-, @goskins10, and @Chump Bailey.  Great job staying on top of everything and keeping it running smoothly.  

 

Broncos would bring in Max Duggan as UDFA.

 

[woodpecker]

Seahawks draft recap:

 

5 Jalen Carter DL - 3-4 end was a top priority. Game wrecker if possible character issues don’t get in way

20 O’Cyrus Torrence G - they love the 2 OT’s they drafted last year, but shoring up interior OL was also a top priority. #1 G on most boards

37 Hendon Hooker QB - never to soon to start looking for that next QB. Geno contract has easy outs; good mentor in the meantime.

52 Isaiah Foskey EDGE - another major position of need

83 Darius Rush CB - our ES experts say it’s a deep draft for corners, so I thought I should grab them one!

123 Eric Gray RB - they’ll need a back up for K9; will likely bring in a vet as well on the cheap

151 KJ Henry EDGE - solid prospect, doubling up on the position along with Foskey 

154 Rakeem Jarrett WR - helps as a slot guy for now, hopefully blossoms into more. His true talent will shine getting away from Terps

198 Brodric Martin NT - help at nose was also on the wish list. Thought about Mazi in rd 2 but decided it could wait.

237 Jadon Haselwood WR - Tyler Lockett getting old, so why not bring in a receiver with upside

UDFA Shaka Hayward LB (Duke) - inside LB depth behind vets Wagner and Bush and a special teams ace.
 

Time will tell if this is a good draft or not. With 10 picks, it was pretty easy to address the areas of need while also adding some future upside. Can’t wait to watch the real draft, knowing so many more of the players than I ever have. Thanks again to the organizers. And now, back to the Snyder thread…..

 

 

[KDawg]

The Chargers are now loaded. The Hydra will be an absolute destructive force. Charlie Jones is going to have a year.

 

What a draft.

 

Their GM is a stud. 

 

Jahmyr Gibbs

Siaki Ika

Charlie Jones

Jason Taylor II

DeWayne McBride

Robert Beal

Tyson Bagent

Edited April 13, 2023 by KDawg

[Gallen5862]

Great job everyone. 

[Going Commando]

Saints haul:

 

29 - Darnell Washignton

40 - DJ Turner

71 - Cedric Tillman

115 - Nick Herbig

146 - Cameron Young

165 - Braeden Daniels

227 - Charlie Thomas

257 - Brock Martin

 

Jaguars haul:

 

24 - Bryan Bresee

56 - Josh Downs

88 - Israel Abanikanda

121 - Tre'Vius Hodges-Thomlinson

127 - Richard Gouraige

185 - Kei'Trel Clark

202 - Brayden Willis

208 - Eku Leota

226 - Lonnie Phelps

 

Feel pretty good about the draft value of the classes given how late each team was drafting, and how few top 100 picks they had.  Some of my favorite value picks were Tillman in the third, Phelps in the seventh, and Cameron Young in the fifth.

 

Specific thoughts on each player:

- Darnell Washington is on New Orleans' radar IRL, and I think their pick at 40 is his draft floor.  I think they pick him at 29 if he is still there.  That's why I drafted him for them, but if I were going off my personal board, I definitely would have picked Calijah Kancey at 29 instead.  He's not going to be there IRL though, we all messed up on Kancey.  He's probably getting drafted in the teens.

- DJ Turner at 40 feels like value.  I think he's one of the prospects that draftniks are lower on than NFL people.  I think he's got a real shot at the first, and failing that, could go in the 30s.

- Tillman is a top five WR in an otherwise weak class.  One of the few guys in the class with both size and skill.  Doesn't separate super well, but he's a lot more powerful than the other guys at the top of the class sans Quentin Johnston.  I think he's going to be a second round pick.

- I think Herbig is a third rounder.  Explosive and productive, better player than Zach Baun was IMO, who hasn't really panned out for the Saints.  Can play that strong side rush linebacker role for the Saints

- Cameron Young was a steal at 146 IMO.  He looked a lot more explosive than Jalen Redmon at the SB IMO, and Redmon had a huge combine.  He'd have a chance to start for the Saints, weak as their IDL is.

- Daniels is a nice athlete and pipeline guard for a team like New Orleans, who has a rock solid OL composed almost entirely of first rounders.  Never hurts to have IOL depth, and he might be able to play some tackle too.

- Charlie Thomas is one of my pet favorite prospects.  Super athletic and assertive stack linebacker for their pipeline.  Undersized, but aggressive and violent.  He was the best player and leader of the GT defense this year.  Saints have fantastic linebackers, but could use some young blood.

- Brock Martin is another of my pet favorites.  He's probably not going to get drafted, but I wanted to throw him some love.  He was a really good and unique player for an outstanding defense in 2021.  That defense fell off some after the DC went to Ohio State, but I still think Martin is good.

 

For the Jags:

- Bresee is super underrated.  I think he's a top five player in the class and is a future Pro-Bowler.  Only reason I can think of for him getting no love is his medical history.  IMO he is Jonathan Allen with a better first step.  Absolute block destroyer and penetrator who can shine in the Jags odd fronts.

- Downs is gonna end up being WR3 or WR4 for me.  I think the class falls off pretty hard after the top six, but Downs has ultra high volume slot workhorse written all over him.  This is the kind of receiver that catches 120 balls in a season for New England.  He is super aggressive, super smart, and genuinely gifted at uncovering at the first and second level.  Trevor Lawrence would have a nice set of weapons to work with between Downs, Kirk, Engram, and Zay Jones.

- Abanikanda is depth/insurance for if Etienne goes down again.  He's a late comer to football, but he's got track speed in a strong frame.  Runs hard and can become a good starting back if he improves his anticipation/patience as a runner.

- Hodges-Thomlinson is one of my favorite bargain DBs.  He is short, but ultra explosive.  Speed on his transition steps and his click and close is among the best in the class.  He's super aggressive too, something of a bully who blows up screens on the outside.  I think he's going to play all over defensive backfields in the NFL.  Jags need some corner talent beyond Tyson Campbell.

- Gouraige is one of the few mid/late round developmental tackles I like in this class.  He was the last one left on the board.  OL is the Jags worst position group, especially after losing Jawaan Taylor, but the opportunity to get someone good at value never came up.  They've got Walker Little, whom they drafted in the second round last year, so they need to give him a shot.  And they also have a mainstay at OC and a very expensive player at RG.  So LT/LG depth is what you're hoping to get from someone like Gouraige.

- Kei'Trel Clark is more corner depth for a team that needs it badly.  Very skinny dude who might need a redshirt season to build his body up for the NFL, but he's got starter length, speed, and aggression.  Potential late round gem at a position where a lot of aggressive, athletic late bloomers end up being good in the NFL.

- Brayden Willis is a tough guy culture leader who has enough zone busting utility to stay on the field for passing downs.  I think @Skinsinparadise might be sleeping on his value for a team like the Dolphins, whose coach is from the Kyle Shanahan school of offense, and who make a ton of hay off a similar player in Kyle Juszczyk.  I think Willis is going to be the kind of guy who sticks on an NFL roster forever despite not producing many passing game stats.

- Eku Leota is a flier on an injured player.  Not super fast or bendy, but certainly athletic enough to play.  He is a bruising strong side LBer that should be a nice fit in Jacksonville's 3-4.  Super high motor rusher who gets a lot of clean up production.  Super smart kid who went to Northwestern before transferring to Auburn.  Tore his pec his Senior year, but hustled back in time to participate in the SB while Derrick Hall coasted during the week and skipped out on the game.  I think he makes an NFL team.

- Lonnie Phelps: was surprised he was still on the board in the 7th.  He's more like a fourth rounder.  This guy is a badass who plays really big despite being a little bit short.  Transferred from Miami of Ohio where he was a stud as a JR.  Super explosive and bendy.  Ran a 4.5 and that speed shows up on the field.  Good player to take a flier on late, and hopefully between Phelps and Leota, the Jags can move on from draft bust K'Lavon Chaisson.

[Skinsinparadise]

21 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

I think @Skinsinparadise might be sleeping on his value for a team like the Dolphins, whose coach is from the Kyle Shanahan school of offense, and who make a ton of hay off a similar player in Kyle Juszczyk.  I think Willis is going to be the kind of guy who sticks on an NFL roster forever despite not producing many passing game stats.

-

 

 

 

I'll get to explaining my draft in full soon, I am happy with the way it went.  But I am too preoccupied with the Dan sale to dive into it today,

 

As you know, you can't do everything in the draft where you slay every dragon but I erred in adding speed-explosive players to add to their exisiting theme.   Kyle does like a fullback, indeed.  He also likes to stretch the field and uses his TE a lot to foster mismatches.  His dad as we know drafted Jordan Reed.

 

I've spent a lot of time on a lot of these TEs -- Mallory included.  Like Willis, he's also a high character-leader type.  If this team added Mallory in the mid 6th round where I took Mallory here, I'd be jazzed.  Wilis of course, too.  I'd go Willis for this team because I like adding some nasty to the run game.  As for the Dolphins my bigger priority is to add a TE who could make plays in between the numbers 1st-2nd level and take advantage of the Waddle-Hill making plays outside the numbers in the 3rd level.

 

Hard to find a bigger fan of Willis than me.  I was the one who introduced Brayden Willis to the draft thread, I posted plenty on him so definitely not sleeping on him in general.  When we do "our guys" list of 15 or so players like we typically do before the draft, he will be one of the players on my list.  

 

I suspect Mallory goes earlier in the draft than Willis.  They are almost the reverse player as for what they bring.  Willis is a great blocker, but not the most dynamic passing weapon.  Mallory is a dynamic passing weapon but "meh" as a blocker -- but I don't hate hiim as a blocker, he's a willing blocker.   Both high character guys.  Mallory the better athlete. But yeah Willis' blocking is a lot of fun, so in a vaccum I'd favor him even though I believe Mallory will go higher in the draft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will Mallory is setting the standard at his position and in practice, according to Mario Cristobal.

“Just generally speaking, Will is one of the best leaders on our football team,” said Cristobal of the senior tight end. “He embodies everything you want in a player for the University of Miami, as a guy that competes, as a great teammate, hard worker, a performer. Just does it all.”

As a pass catcher, blocker and general leader off the field, Mallory is excelling.

 

https://www.on3.com/college/miami-hurricanes/news/mario-cristobal-raves-about-will-mallory-leadership/

[clskinsfan]

Brutal week at work. Didnt have time to do my UDFA list until now. Here are my top 10 targets:

 

1) Ali Gaye Edge LSU

2) Benny Sapp III  S Northern Iowa

3) Thomas Incoom  Edge  Central Michigan

4) Demario Douglas  WR Liberty

5) Jaxson Kirkland OT  Washington

6) Andrei Losivis  WR Princeton

7) Merlin Robertson  LB  Arizona State

8  Jake Bobo  WR  UCLA

9) Mitchell Tinsley  WR  Penn State

10) Mekhi Blackmon  CB  USC

Edited April 14, 2023 by clskinsfan

[Epochalypse]

57 minutes ago, clskinsfan said:

Brutal week at work. Didnt have time to do my UDFA list until now. Here are my top 10 targets:

 

1) Ali Gaye Edge LSU

2) Benny Sapp III  S Northern Iowa

3) Thomas Incoom  Edge  Central Michigan

4) Demario Douglas  WR Liberty

5) Jaxson Kirkland OT  Washington

6) Andrei Losivis  WR Princeton

7) Merlin Robertson  LB  Arizona State

8  Jake Bobo  WR  UCLA

9) Mitchell Tinsley  WR  Penn State

10) Mekhi Blackmon  CB  USC

I'm pretty sure you can't sign people who were drafted as UDFAs. I drafted Iosivas so I know he's spoken for.

 

Otherwise, I have quite a large UDFA wish list...🥸

[clskinsfan]

Missed that one obviously. Dont know if I missed any others really either.

[Skinsinparadise]

My drafts.  Both teams alas didn't have many picks. 

 

Jets

 

1st:  Lukas Van Ness, Edge

2nd: Jack Campbell, LB

2nd: Dawand Jones, RT

4th: Ivan Pace, LB

5th: Ricky Stromberg, C

6th: Tyrus Wheat, Edge

 

Dolphins

2nd:  Devin Achane, RB

3rd:  Tyler Steen, OG

6th:  Will Mallory: TE

7th:  Evan Hull RB

 

With the Jets, they had just 6 picks but loved having 2 in the 2nd round.  Van Ness has been a recent grower for me, I think he's going to be a good pro.  The Jets could use one more edge starter.  Their next 4 players are some of my favorite players in the draft, that I tout to death on the draft thread so it was cool-a rush for me to see them available at those picks.  Campbell IMO is the best LB in the draft, old school downhill stack and shed LB but with the athleticism to do it all. 

 

Dawand is my 2nd favorite tackle in the draft so seeing him avialable in the 2nd round was a no brainer for me to take especially considering the Jets need a RT IMO.  Albiet it will give them two tackles who are hefty.  He has a record breaking wingspan and is a rock in pass protection, helping I presume to protect Aaron Rodgers.   

 

Ivan Pace is a ball of energy LB with 10 sacks so he adds to the pass rush, he also one of my favorite players in this draft.  I like the value in the 4th for him.  Ricky Stromberg for some reason isn't hyped like some of the other centers, but he's rock solid in pass protect and the run game and is one of the better ahtletes at that spot.  And yes the Jets need a center.  Tyrus Wheat is a backup edge, who had 8 sacks, has really good bend and decent against the run, too.

 

 

The Dolphins have just 4 picks, none in the first.  Depressing. 

 

I know from reading the South Florida papers they want to double down on speed as their theme.  So I obllged.  Achane is one of the fastest RBs in this draft -- a poor man's J. Gibbs.  He's not as good as Gibbs but IMO the next best thing if you are looking for explosive RBs who can catch and make plays in space-- 36 catches.

 

I didn't intend to double up at RB.  But because of his value in the 7th, I took Evan Hull to back him up.  He actually has better hands than Achane, might have the best hands among the RBs in this group.  Had 536 catching yards which is the highest in this RB group.  He also has 4.4 and change speed.  Heck for the Commanders I'd love to get Hull in the 7th.

 

I took a little good natured grief  from @Going Commando for taking Will Mallory versus a guy I touted a lot on the draft thread, Brayden Willis.  He made a nice pick of Willis right after mine, I agree.  And I went back and forth between the two players. 

 

But it was tough for me pass over Mallory, I am in the mid 6th round, I have only 4 picks in the whole draft and i am trying to add speed and I got the fastest among the bigger TE names in this draft and he's left on the board staring right in front of me, it felt way too poetic for me not to take him.  And I indeed see Mallory as exactly what I said at the time, a poor man's Dalton Kincaid.  He's explosive, dynamic.  An F TE- not a Y.  Different flavor from Willis.   I'd take Willis over Mallory for our team.  But heck if the Commanders took Mallory in the mid 6th round, I'd love him.  I have a group of third tier type TEs I like that I'd be cool to throwing the dice on -- all of them were taken before this pick:  Strange, Kuntz, D. Allen, Whyle -- Mallory was the last of the Mohicans for me aside from Willis who I see in a different type of role.

 

Tyler Steen in the 3rd, I was happy with.  I don't tout him a ton on the draft threed, but he's quietly one of my favorites.  High floor player, I think he will be a really solid guard.  And the Dolphins needs a LG.   I'd be thrilled if the Commanders got Steen in the third.

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[clskinsfan]

Patriots brought Levis into the facility yesterday. I might end up nailing that pick.

[goskins10]

 

 

So this is it. Doing this mock draft jsut adds even more fun to the real draft. Can't wait to see what Washington does. Is this the first post Dan draft? I know he still owns but on his way out. 

 

Good luck everyone!   I feel like a kid a christmas. 

[PokerPacker]

On 4/24/2023 at 9:21 AM, goskins10 said:

 

 

So this is it. Doing this mock draft jsut adds even more fun to the real draft. Can't wait to see what Washington does. Is this the first post Dan draft? I know he still owns but on his way out. 

 

Good luck everyone!   I feel like a kid a christmas. 

I just want to make sure everyone knows going into this that I was cheated out of a 2nd round pick by the delay of the Aaron Rodgers trade, and a couple of spots in the 1st round.  Be aware my draft would have been that much more awesome when comparing how I did to real Packers and the cheater @Skinsinparadise and his cheating Mock Jets.

[clskinsfan]

Just gonna say I am tuned up real good right now. Been drinking scotch for 4 hours. Enjoy ya'll.

 

Tuned up so good I posted this in the wrong thread.....FFS

Edited April 27, 2023 by clskinsfan

[Epochalypse]

On 4/12/2023 at 4:35 PM, Epochalypse said:

And Texans final draft

 

2 - CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio St

12 - Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

33 - Calijah Kancey, DL, Pitt

60 - Mazi Smith, DL, Michigan

73 - Luke Wypler, IOL, Ohio St

104 - Andrei Iosivas, WR, Princeton

188 - Zack Kuntz, TE, Old Dominion

201 - Jarrett Patterson, IOL, Notre Dame

203 - Mike Morris, DL, Michigan

230 - Habakkuk Baldonado, ED, Pitt

259 - Rashad Torrence II, S, Florida

Texans with 4 1st rounders...

 

CJ Stroud - mocked 2; drafted 2 +0

Christian Gonzalez - mocked 12; drafted 17 -250

Calijah Kancey - mocked 33; drafted 19 +295

Mazi Smith - mocked 60; drafted 26 +400

Mike Morris - mocked 203; drafted 151 +21.2

Luke Wypler - mocked 73; drafted 190 -211.2

Jarrett Patterson - mocked 201; drafted 201 +0

Andrei Iosivas - mocked 104; drafted 206 -78.6

Zack Kuntz - mocked 188; drafted 220 -12.9

Habakkuk Baldonado - mocked 230; undrafted -1

Rashad Torrence II - mocked 259; undrafted -1

 

+161.5 draft capital. Nailed 2 of their picks. Meh.

Edited April 29, 2023 by Epochalypse

[Epochalypse]

On 4/12/2023 at 2:33 PM, Epochalypse said:

49ers draft complete

 

99 - Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss

101 - Jartavius "Quan" Martin, DB, Illinois

102 - Wanya Morris, OL, Oklahoma

116 - YaYa Diaby, ED, Louisville

222 - Jake Moody, K, Michigan

242 - Ochaun Mathis, ED, Nebraska

256 - Chris Rodriguez, Jr., RB, Kentucky

And now some 49er picks go...

 

Jonathan Mingo - mocked 99; drafted 39 +406

Jartavius Martin - mocked 101; drafted 47 +334

YaYa Diaby - mocked 116; drafted 82 +118

Wanya Morris - mocked 102; drafted 92 +40

Jake Moody - mocked 222; drafted 99 +102.9

Ochaun Mathis - mocked 242; drafted 189 +13.2

Chris Rodriguez, Jr - mocked 256; drafted 193 +11.6

 

+1025.7 value. 2 Commanders and nailed the 49ers K. I'll take it.

Edited April 29, 2023 by Epochalypse

[PokerPacker]

I'm too lazy to track value.  First thing I will say, though, is that I was totally gonna draft Van Ness if he was available at 15.  Instead, he was taken at 13 by the Jets with the pick that the real Jets traded to the Packers, who used it to draft Van Ness.  Stupid cheating SkinsInParadise... 😠

Anyways, Michael Mayer wound up dropping out of the first round, which would have hurt me, if not for the fact that my edge-rushing consolation prize I took in the second round--Will McDonald--was taken by the real Jets in the spot that I drafted Mayer.  Mayer went early in the 2nd round, so my first two picks, I'm at a net positive.  Then there's Rashee Rice who I took in the 3rd round that wound up going in the 2nd is a big value pick.  Follow that up with Byron Young ('Bama)--who I took in the 5th--going early in the 3rd and my draft is looking pretty solid so far, even without the spoils of the Rodgers trade.

[PokerPacker]

@Epochalypse over here getting Jake Moody for the 49ers in the 7th round when the real '9ers took him in the 3rd.  That's gonna help your draft evaluation.

[Epochalypse]

The Wypler pick killing me.

 

It hurts more that I had been all set on taking Tippmann there, but Titans grabbed him the pick right before me and I panicked.

 

C'est la vie.

[goskins10]

Arizona trading all over the place so not gonig to match them. But overall not too bad. I had 3 go in the 1st with 2 picks. I hit Atlanta's 2nd rd pick exactly Matthew Bergeron OG/T Syracuse - although due to some kind of trade I took him with #44 and they got him #38 - A few spots higher. So good for me. Also Kobie Turner Edge Wake Forest went #89 to the LA Rams. I got him at #169. 

 

Too late to do the math. I am probably behind overall. But I got some good value. And I think they are good players. I even got Tank Bigsby later than the real draft (88 vs 105).

 

Still a long way to go. 

Edited April 29, 2023 by goskins10

[PokerPacker]

Just catching up on day 3.  Chad Ryland went in the 4th round?  Personally, I liked him just as much as Moody, so I was happy to have him still available to me just after Moody was taken.  Seems like NFL scouts similarly liked them about the same.  I guess NFL GMs were more concerned about making sure they got their guy than the usual valuation of kickers.  Well certainly helps my draft score.  Cheers on our 7th round kickers getting picked this early, @Epochalypse.

 

Edit: Also Sidy Sow in the 4th?  He went undrafted in our mock, but I did list him as a name to watch.  I was really tempted to use one of my 7th round picks on him.  Jon Gaines II, too?  I also thought hard about spending one of my 7ths on him.

Edited April 29, 2023 by PokerPacker

[Est.1974]

31 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

 

Edit: Also Sidy Sow in the 4th?  He went undrafted in our mock, but I did list him as a name to watch.  I was really tempted to use one of my 7th round picks on him.  Jon Gaines II, too?  I also thought hard about spending one of my 7ths on him.

Same, I took Gaines in the 7th and Sow was on my shortlist at that point as well.

[PokerPacker]

7 minutes ago, Est.1974 said:

Same, I took Gaines in the 7th and Sow was on my shortlist at that point as well.

Now I just need to see Ojukwu get taken and that'll cover my late-round OL Flyer list.

[Epochalypse]

I'm waiting to hear who Luke Wypler murdered

Edited April 29, 2023 by Epochalypse