PubTalk Community Mock Draft

[DBSoT]

Messiah I like the pick. Jacksonville will need a franchise QB even though they have tons of holes to fill. In the real draft I see them taking Clowney because they were last in sacks and basically every pass rushing statistic. They will get Carr or Garopolo in the second round. If they get Bridgewater expect them to trade back up to get a pass rusher.

[ShaneOfan]

Bridgewater in Jacksonville would be a nice fit but I just don't see it. Still it is a good pick and would be a good pick.

[The Legend]

Cleveland Browns draft pick added in mock draft.

[DBSoT]

Mack to Cleveland is a very good pick. He is the best defensive player in this draft IMO. He is the next Von Miller, but with more upside. He specialty is rushing the passer, but he excels at so many other things. Above average in coverage, is never out of position on rushing downs, and a leader with no baggage. I have seen a lot of him because I actually do watch MAC football and his game against Ohio State made him look like a beast. This is also a good pick because Cleveland has the 2nd first round pick and use that to address the QB situation.

[The Legend]

Mack to Cleveland is a very good pick. He is the best defensive player in this draft IMO. He is the next Von Miller, but with more upside. He specialty is rushing the passer, but he excels at so many other things. Above average in coverage, is never out of position on rushing downs, and a leader with no baggage. I have seen a lot of him because I actually do watch MAC football and his game against Ohio State made him look like a beast. This is also a good pick because Cleveland has the 2nd first round pick and use that to address the QB situation.

Not to play spoiler, but I doubt I'll be looking at QB at the end of the first round. In my opinion there's only one starting quarterback in this draft and it's Teddy Bridgewater and the Browns have too many other holes to fill to use a pick on a career backup in the first round. I'll be looking at WR, OG, CB all before I would address QB this year in the third round.

[xgamr]

With the Fifth pick in the 2014 Pub Talk forums NFL Mock Draft, The Oakland Raiders select.....






Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M

The Raiders have a few selections at this pick. They could go QB, WR, or OL help. I did not feel QB was a choice when the play they had was ok due to talent around them. I thought about Sammy Watkins to help out them at wide out. I decided Matthews. Their OL is very suspect and Matthews, being strong and athletic and has played with a running QB in Manziel, will help the Raiders right away and stay on their line for years to come.a lus is also he can play any position on the line if needed

[The Legend]

Matthews is a really interesting pick here. He's probably the safest pick left on the board in terms of knowing what you are getting from him and that being a great player. The thing that makes it interesting is how much of an impact he'll have for them moving the win number up, also didn't they sign a LT early in free agency?

[DBSoT]

Matthews could be interesting considering Oakland lost Rodger Saffold to a bad physical and Veldheer to free agency. This a very safe pick and that is just not how the Raiders operate. If Watkins gets this far I have a hard time believing that Oakland would pass. They lost out on the Desean Jackson sweepstakes and will be looking to have a major playmaker to help out whatever person is behind center that week. Also look to see Oakland pull a swerve and grab Manziel. I don't think it will happen and I wouldn't do it, but Oakland has surprised before. Just to be fair I will make a case for Johnny Football. Manziel not only had a impressive pro day, but has also shown the flash and playmaking ability that the Raiders are begging for. For a short period this past season Terrel Pryor looked like a decent starter and Manziel has a similar skill set (minus the height). The coaching staff adjusted to Pryor's skills and they could do the same for Manziel. If they chose to go this route (I would hope they don't for their sake) than they would need to draft a guy like Kelvin Benjamin in the 2nd round. A tall WR could help bail Manziel out, just like Evans did in college.

[xgamr]

as i said in my description, I was stuck between Matthews and Watkins and the move that made the most sense was fixing offensive line and then find WRs in later rounds or any in Fa left. but I'm not the Oakland Raiders, so they could go Russo on us and choose a kicker. but we'll see

[The Legend]

as i said in my description, I was stuck between Matthews and Watkins and the move that made the most sense was fixing offensive line and then find WRs in later rounds or any in Fa left. but I'm not the Oakland Raiders, so they could go Russo on us and choose a kicker. but we'll see

Yeah, I wasn't saying it was a bad pick by the way. I was just trying to look at it from the perspective of what I think Oakland would do.

[xgamr]

yeah i knew you weren't just explaining myself for being safe and not making an oakland raiders type pick

[The Horseman]

Interesting picks so far. I like the Bortles to Texans pick, as I do think one of 3 players ends up going there, him being one of them. The Rams getting more substance on their offensive line is fitting, however I'm still not convinced they won't trade out of that pick, just to stock more up for later.

I don't like the Bridgewater pick at 3, as I think realistically he's going to drop. I see him ending up in the mid/late first round, unless he really pulls himself out of the gutter he got himself into, with the terrible pro-day showing.

Khalil Mack at 4 is solid, and I know Legend is a huge Browns fan. He'd like to see the Browns start taking solid players who look like they will translate perfectly in the NFL. Khalil Mack looks exactly as such. However, I would point out that there have been times in the past where LBs from less popular schools were elevated into the top 10, and didn't pan out at all(see Aaron Curry). I don't believe Mack will end up like that, however I didn't believe Curry would either, so what do I know?

Finally, Jake Matthews to the Raiders is a huge plot twist, however one that makes perfect sense. The Raiders severely fumbled the first couple of days in Free Agency, and made a terrible mistake in not getting Veldheer locked in long term, only to watch him get his big money in AZ. When you have a ridiculous amount of cap room, and you make a mistake like that, it's almost inexcusable...almost. Selecting Matthews here doesn't solve all of their talent deficiencies, but then again what one pick would?

Now, to my picks(Doing both Atlanta and Tampa Bay now, because I will be working at least 12 hours tomorrow, and won't have time):

6. Atlanta Falcons
Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

If I'm Thomas Dimitroff, I'm both disappointed and excited at the same time. I look at my draft board, knowing Matt Ryan needs more protection on the offensive line, however my top 2 lineman on the board are now gone. I start asking myself if Taylor Lewan is worth drafting at this pick. He might be, but look who dropped to me!

There are plenty of questions about Clowney's work ethic. I'm counting on Mike Smith and Mike Nolan to take care of that. Hell, my owner will pay for a military style boot camp for the kid, if it comes down to it! No one denies this is the best pure talent in this draft, and he plays one of the most important positions in the game; a position that is in dire need of attention in Atlanta.

Sammy Watkins has fallen to me too, however I'm not sure I go and grab him, since offensively I already have the weapons. I need to address defense, and Clowney fell to me. I'm taking him.


7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

How did this happen? I don't know, but how convenient for us that it did! That's what Tampa's staff is thinking not-so-far removed from shipping Mike Williams and his extra baggage to Buffalo. Vincent Jackson proved last year that he's still a premiere superstar WR in the league. But, it also clearly showed he needs assistance!

NFL scouts whose word/reputation I actually trust have rated Sammy Watkins as being a little worse than A.J. Green, and a little better than Julio Jones. That's a pretty damn good spot to be rated at.

Do I have other needs? Sure, but who doesn't? There are always needs that need to be addressed. To me, this is the best player available, and it just so happens to fill one of those needs. I'm in the AFC South, where devastating passing offenses aren't going out of style anytime soon.

Finally, I have Josh McCown. I just signed him to a largely incentive based contract, after putting on one hell of a show filling in for an injured Jay Cutler in Chicago. I don't see McCown as a long term solution at 34 years old, nor do I see him as an amazing talent. I see a smart QB, who will utilize weapons well, if I give them to him. Why would I not want to put him in position to succeed? In Chicago, he had Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Matt Forte. Why would I not want him to be comfortable here too, giving him Vincent Jackson, Sammy Watkins and Doug Martin?

[The Legend]

Doug goes in and swipes up two of the best players on the board late in the top 10. I'm not sure whether either of these players make it this far (Watkins to Cleveland or Oakland seems to be a lock to me. Clowney is a bit of a mystery as to where he could go. I could see him going anywhere from 1-6 and not be totally shocked, so glad his run ends here.

[The Horseman]

Agreed, I don't see either of these players realistically being available after pick 5.

However, everything depends on the route Houston decides to go.

If Houston grabs a QB(which at this point would be Bortles or Manziel, in my opinion), the Rams have quite a bit of leverage. They don't NEED Clowney, but I think they'd take him. Jeff Fisher will make sure they get the most out of Clowney, and suddenly St. Louis will have the ability to do that NASCAR package stuff, that the Giants did a few years back. They are in the NFL's toughest division, and hold A LOT of leverage right now. I still think the Rams ultimately trade out of this spot, as they still have the 13th overall pick, and can get more picks to help themselves out.

If Houston grabs Clowney, I think it becomes a done deal the Rams trade their pick. That pick will be held hostage, as teams determined to get THEIR QB before he falls to Jacksonville and Cleveland, will allow the Rams to drive the price up. The Rams won't get anywhere near what they received for the RGIII pick, but they'll be in prime negotiating position.

If Houston trades out of the 1st pick; well, the first domino falls at the very beginning, and ANYTHING can happen.

Regardless of how it works out, it's a damn good time to be associated with the Rams(if you are), because for this draft, NOBODY has a bigger advantage.

[The Legend]

Hey Timothy,

Who are the Vikings selecting?

[Everlong]

Hey Timothy,

Who are the Vikings selecting?

Thanks for the reminder!

With the 8th pick in the 2014 PubTalkForum Mock Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select...



JOHNNY MANZIEL. Quarterback, Texas A&M

The Vikings are desperate for a quarterback of the future. They've given up on Christian Ponder. Josh Freeman is gone. Matt Cassel is the presumed starter, but he's nothing more than a stopgap. The Vikings have enough offensive pieces in place to do some damage if they had a quarterback that could keep defenses honest, and Cassel just isn't that.

While some might anticipate the Vikings to go defense, particularly given their new coach is defensive minded, the prospect of grabbing Manziel at 8 may be too much to pass up, especially given his outstanding pro day and the way he's looked in the lead-up to the draft so far. Manziel is probably the best quarterback remaining on the board at this point, and definitely the quarterback with the most upside. Not only is he able to throw the ball at an NFL level, but having him as a scrambling and running threat will create headaches for defenses when you pair him with Adrian Peterson.

This just seems like a Minnesota Vikings kind of draft pick, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it winds up happening.

[DanielsonTHAGOAT]

God, Johnny Manziel is going to have such a Tim Tebow-esque career in the NFL, it's not even going to be funny.

[The Legend]

Manziel is an interesting pick at 8 for the Vikings and probably makes a lot of sense. All of the premiere prospects are off the board at this point which makes it easier for a team to stomach maybe reaching for a QB a little bit. I'll say that if the Vikings pass on Manziel, and the board falls the way it has so far, he could very likely be in for a Brady Quinn/Aaron Rodgers-like drop on Thursday night. I'm not sure he'd fall out of the first round, but it would most likely be a long night for him.

[Everlong]

Yeah I think the Vikings basically need to select a QB and given who was already taken, it was either Manziel or Derek Carr. However, I don't understand all the hype that Carr is getting lately, and I think given how many people love to hate on Manziel he may actually be a bit of an underrated prospect right now in terms of public perception. Definitely don't think he'll have a "Tebow-like" career -- he's got far more talent as a passer than Tebow does.

[DBSoT]

I feel like Tim did this to spite the Vikings. I honestly don't believe Manziel is a first round pick but some GMs seem to so I can't hate on this pick. Manziel to me got the perfect situation in college. A system that fit him, an Oline that most NFL GMs would want including 2 tackles who will be drafted in the top 5 back to back years, and a NFL ready WR who high points the ball better than anyone. Quick recap since I am at work, Watkins went to the team I believe he will go to and Clowney went later than I expected. Tim you better have a good one at 10 or else I will write a strongly worded post.