Lunatics Only Mock

[StLunatic88]

I used to make a bunch of these each year, and was about to post one the day we traded Mack, so that threw a huge wrench into things. So for this year, with all the uncertainties with the new Front Office and Coaching Staff, I’m just going to throw out this single attempt. This is a lot of what I would do, but with some interpretation of what I think Poles & Co might be doing. Here goes nothing…

 

Round 1

*The Hopes and Dreams of this Franchise*

(Kidding . . . . . kind of)

Round 2

TRADE: #39 to ATL for #58 + #82 + #213

Big shocker here, but I think Poles has some plans to move down as much as he can early in order to gather as many picks in rounds 2-5 so he can build out the middle of the roster. The thing you need when projecting a trade is a reason for it to happen, and here I see Atlanta making the move to grab the QB they want. I think 1, maybe 2 QBs go in the first, and the Top 3 all gone by the first few picks in the Second Round. While we sit right in front of Seattle and Indy, it will be a good spot for us to be in. Some will ask why aren’t we trading down to #43, well that only nets us likely a 5th rounder. This way we get a more premium pick (#82) and we can do that because the Falcons are securing the QB they want (Matt Corral) as well as still add another high defensive pick at #43. While I think where we are looking (OL/WR/CB) will all be the same type of player at #43 or #58. 

TRADE: #48 to KC  for #62 + #103 + #135

Yes, some of you will not be happy if we move down with our first 2 picks, passing on having any “Top 50” pick in this draft. But I think adding a couple of 3rd/4th round picks will be more valuable than the difference in the players we will get from 39/48 to 58/62. This is one of those trades that is born from previous relationships. Likely pre-discussed if certain players are still on the board, and much like the ATL swap, we go for their lower 2nd rounder, to recoup more back end value. But this way KC gets themselves 4 picks in the Top 50 to push back to the Super Bowl. While the bears pick up 2 extra picks for guys who can contribute on this roster, but would likely be benchwarmers on the Chiefs (they don’t need 12 picks in this draft)

58) Tariq Woolen DB UTSA

I’d Imagine most of you don’t have Woolen on your radar at all, but is length/speed/athleticism combo is just off the charts, an absolute freak. But he is also a recently converted WR, he has only been a CB since 2020. He has been going for the big play too much, and can get beat because of that, but he will always attack the ball, and is a very explosive as a tackler. To me he just needs some refinement in technique, as his instincts and physicality are very apparent. Yea, I’m taking a bit of a chance here, but he is the perfect type of prospect for this mini rebuild, letting him learn and contribute in ‘22, and expect him to be a starter in 2023

62) Cole Strange OL Chattanooga

Strange seems to be the guy many of us have identified as a great target for us, and I’d imagine that the FO feels the same way. So via the trade downs, we have now positioned ourselves in the perfect spot to ****** him up. I don’t need to run down his trades, the previous Mocks have done a great job there, I jus want to point out two things; First, he should be an immediate starter on this line, he will probably be the Smartest Lineman in the unit. That leads me to point #2; I think Strange has some potential Center traits. I know many of you may be scared by the treatment of Daniels by the previous regime, I have more faith in these guys to do whats best, just pointing out that he has some versatility when it comes to the future of the OLine.

Round 3

71) Alec Pierce WR Cincinnati

Another freak here, even though you wouldn’t expect it by looking at him. I don think we are getting a Mooney level steal here or anything, but I do think he can be a valuable weapon landing somewhere between his two most used comps (Matt Jones - Jordy Nelson) Out the gate he can be a big target who can dominate guys in the intermediate with his get off and the use of his body. Im more connecting the dots with this pick than I am projecting a prospect I like, but I do think he would be a very nice compliment to this WR Corps. Not a consistent deep threat, and may drop more than we would like as a rookie, but he seems very coachable, and if you can get him to run more crisp routes, I think the concentration on making catches will come with it.

82) Nicolas Petit-Frere OL Ohio St

I pumped him up a bit last week, but when I watch him I see all the traits we want on this OLine. Again I know he had some rough days against the Top of the Top talent, and maybe that does mean he eventually ends up on the inside, but i think as  developmental LT, and useful elsewhere along the Line its a good investment to make here. I believe those bad days were due to him trying to over do it, in the moment, against top competition. trying to do too much and do more than he can handle is how he gets in trouble. He has the size, ability and strength to handle inside, so he could be a contributor there right away if needed, and should be able to be a backup all along the Line right away with some huge upside.

103) Darian Beavers LB Cincinnati

Not sure how high on our list LB will be, but if Beavers falls this far, he’s talent to me that we should grab. I have high hopes for Marrow, but I’m not putting a ton of eggs in that basket. But Beavers is a guy who is good+ in basically every area, but not elite in any of them. He looks like he should be a 34 Edge guy, but I’m not sure he has the right traits to translate there. His smarts are his one plus-plus skill, which is why I think he would be someone who Flus would key on as a future part of this defense to pair up with Ro. 

Round 4

135) Mario Goodrich DB Clemson

Is this too much defense for some of you? maybe, but I think we are more focused on just grabbing talent and fits. Much like Beavers I’m not sure how much potential projection he will have going forward, but I think he will be a solid pro hat will contribute to a team quickly and for a long time. he doesn’t have a lot of the flashy elite traits most look for (speed, explosion, ballhawk-ness?) but he does have impressive length, agility, instincts, IQ and physicality. Those are things that go a long way in filling out a roster. 

Round 5

148) Vederian Lowe OL Illinois

Another guy who keeps showing up in these Mocks, but he really fits what we need on this OLine. Great size, length, and agility, your classic dancing bear. But he is really inconsistent right now with technique (footwork, position and angles) and those are things that can be taught, and may be able to mitigate his issue with speed rushers. A nasty run blocker, and would help with the complete overhaul of this Offensive Line. Would be a very fun competition as we move into the future with NPF, as both have the potential to be LTs in the league. But both can surely contribute to the OL unit. 

TRADE: #150 to IND for #159 + #216 + #239

159) Verone McKinley DB Oregon

Man I really like McKinley. At one point I thought he could be a Top 50 pick. But as I kept going back, his weaknesses became more and more clear, and then when he didn’t test well at all, he really tumbled down boards. But he is the type of player I’d like to take the chance on, because he is a hard nosed leader with very good Football IQ. What I once thought were great instincts, became clear are high level read and react, and he can be manipulated. But with that he does have play speed to make up for it in college, it just might not translate. He does readily support in Run defense, but needs to be more controlled (doesn’t have the pop that he thinks he does) and when he does make the right read, he is a Ballhawk at heart. So basically the exact opposite of Goodrich, but this deep in the draft I think its worth a shot.

Round 6

186) Amare Barno DL Virginia Tech

Everything you see on paper screams Top 100 pick, but thats kind of where it stops right now. He can be neutralized by a smart OC and OL, and turned into a run and chase player. So basically you are drafting a raw ball of clay, which doesn’t seem like Flus’ true MO, but I think a guy who shows this type of ceiling at times. I think he falls in this draft because he looks lie a 34 OLB, but does not play well in that role. He is better at being down on the end of the line (even in 4 point, much like Quinn excelled with). He would definitely be a project, but someone who I would deem worth putting the work into. 

213) Charlston Rambo WR Miami

Originally I didn’t even look at Rambo for this pick, as I assumed he’d likely be long gone at this point in the draft. But the more places i looked, the more put him in the 6th, 7th and even Priority UDFA range. I don’t get that, as I love his makeup to be a good professional weapon. He doesn’t have the elite athletic skills that some thought he might possess to become a big play target at Oklahoma, but he really settled into his grove at Miami last year. He is a guy who works good routes, fights over the middle, gets off the line in multiple ways and flat out knows how to get open. And on top of that, he’s feisty, he’s a willing blocker, and honestly reminds me of Robert Woods, a guy I’d love to have. He is profiled by most as a slot guy, which might be his bread and butter in the NFL, but he isn’t limited there and can play outside some too.

216) Clint Ratkovich HB Northern Illinois

I don’t think much of Clint as a RB, he cant break away, he doesn’t break many tackles. But as a potential H-back, I think he could be a dangerous weapon. The more I look at the best set up for this offense, the more “secret weapon” type of FB/H-back is paramount to fully deploying it, Ratkovich will need a little work to get there, but he could be our Juszczyk. He’s athletic enough to make plays out in the flat as a receiver, he shows good enough blocking that I think he can be a plus there when more focused instead of being a RB, and speaking of, he can still run just well enough to be somewhat of a weapon there.

Round 7

239) Ryan Stonehouse P Colorado St

Maybe it was the abnormal amount of CSU football I watched last year, but I really like Stonehouse as a Punter. And fortunately for this Mock, he often gets overlooked for a few reasons, but mostly his size and the fact he puts at elevation at CSU. But when it comes to punters, the only size I care about is the leg, and he actually has a higher average net punt away from home. When it comes down to it, he’s just a Punter, so I wont get too worked up about it, but I like finding these guys (I was pounding the table for Tyler Bass for the Rams a couple years ago)

 

 

Post Draft Moves

Larry Ogunjobi DT

I think we may be underwhelmed by the 3Techs in this draft, and even with the messy first attempt, we are still interested in getting something done. It might be just a one year pact (similar first year money) and let him prove himself again, but I don’t think we are done here

 

Eric Fisher OT

The more I look at this, the more I think we just put Jenkins in his most natural positions and hopefully let him thrive there. If thats the case, I’m not sure Borom is who we should be just tossing out there at LT, not in this scheme (honestly he may be moved in camp or next year to a team that he better fits) but this would be a safe move, grabbing a Vet LT, and hopefully one of the young guys over achieves and pushes him out of the starting lineup sometime this year, if not we can fully address this next offseason

 

Xavier Rhodes DB

I really like the rookies Ive added in the Drat, but I still think this is a Flus thing, adding one of his Vets to the rotation. Not expecting a lot out of him (more ‘21 then ‘20) but thats still better than the bottom of the roster right now.

[StLunatic88]

Depth Chart

QB: J. Fields / T. Siemien

RB: D. Montgomery / K. Herbert / D. Evans

TE: C. Kmet / R. Griffin / J. Oshaughnessy / C. Ratkovich

WR: D. Mooney / E. St. Brown

WR: B. Pringle / A. Pierce

WR: C. Rambo / D. Moore

LT: E. Fisher / V. Lowe

LG: C. Strange /

C.: L. Patrick / S. Mustipher

RG: C. White hair / N. Petit-Frere

RT: T. Jenkins / L. Borom

 

K: C. Santos

P: R. Stonehouse

LS: P. Scales

 

DE: R. Quinn / A. Muhammad / A. Barno

DT: L. Ogunjobi / J. Jones 

NT: A. Blackson / K. Tonga

DE: T. Gipson/ M. Edwards

LB: N. Morrow / N. Dawkins 

LB: R. Smith / C. Johnson

LB: D. Beavers / M. Adams

SS: D. Houston-Carson / D. Cruikshank

FS: E. Jackson / V. McKinley

CB: J. Johnson / T. Woolen

CB: X. Rhodes / M. Goodrich / K. Vildor 

NB: T. Young / D. Shelly

[WindyCity]

I am not sure the trade down market will be that hot.

3 OLmen gives me the tingles.

[StLunatic88]

8 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

I am not sure the trade down market will be that hot.

Trades will always happen in drafts. It’s the First round that this draft will likely be low on trades, because there aren’t those guys that teams NEED to get. 

The first one involves a QB, those are assured to happen. The Second is a Poles specific one, as his former team has an abundance of picks they don’t need. And the last one is really a throw away, that just nets some picks at the end of the draft that the Colts won’t really be using for their playoff level roster.

It’s all make believe, but I think these are the type of trades Poles is targeting, and wouldn’t be shocked if he already has some plans on the table 

[soulman]

What kind of person lies awake at night imagining multiple trade scenarios?  It's monstrous.  Sir....are you also a "Cat Juggler"?

 

[RTD]

Overall great job StL. I think your trades could happen and like that you had a late round trade. R5 and 6 trade downs are good ways to gather picks. They do have warts but you never know what they can grow into. I like the Tariq Woolen pick. I was looking at him for our early third round but late second is the the same. The only thing I read negative about him was finding the football. Is that something you have heard also? But everything else about the kid pretty good.

[StLunatic88]

53 minutes ago, soulman said:

What kind of person lies awake at night imagining multiple trade scenarios?  It's monstrous.  Sir....are you also a "Cat Juggler"?

 

It’s nearly as dangerous and far less rewarding

[StLunatic88]

34 minutes ago, RTD said:

The only thing I read negative about him was finding the football. Is that something you have heard also

I did notice that, at first I thought it was weird, because when he does find it he attacks well (has terrible hands though) but I think it’s just part of his transition to CB. He’s used to knowing where the ball will be, so getting used to turning and finding it is not natural for him yet.

Could be a bust of a pick, but he also has Stud Corner upside. A risk I’m willing to take in the 50s especially after accumulating more picks for safer players 

[JAF-N72EX]

I'd feel more comfortable with trading down with our first 2 picks to take more swings if I had a better idea about the regime and their tendencies. 

As it stands though, I wouldn't be opposed to trading down once but trading down twice would be a big risk. They need to hit and hit big.

Edited April 28, 2022 by JAF-N72EX

[JAF-N72EX]

3 hours ago, soulman said:

What kind of person lies awake at night imagining multiple trade scenarios?  It's monstrous.  Sir....are you also a "Cat Juggler"?

Dude, what was the point of this post? If you don't like mock draft threads then simply ignore them and move on.

What's the point of going into mock draft threads and mocking the people for posting them? What do you get out of it? What are you looking to accomplish? Do you have this idea that if you go into every mock thread and make fun of people having fun that eventually everyone will stop posting them or something? Because if that's the case then you came to wrong FOOTBALLS FUTURE forum.

Seriously man, posts like this in these types of threads are pointless. It takes a lot time, effort, and thought to put these mocks together and if you don't like it then you should at least respect it.

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by JAF-N72EX

[Madmike90]

As much as I agree with you that trades happen I also agree with @WindyCity that it doubt they are so rich...yeah according to the trade value chart these trades match up but very few trades these days adhere to that...and that is before we even get to the fact that there isn't much elite talent here and it is more a case of good talent can be found anywhere...but let's say we could pull this off...

Woolen is such a boom or bust sort of guy...the upside is massive but the risk for a GM making his first pick might too be too high especially when we have bigger needs at OL, WR & UT...Strange at 62 would be great as would Pierce at 71...NPF has clear upside but I am just not sure he brings the type of toughness or attitude that Poles seems to value above all else upfront...love Darian Beavers...Goodrich not so much as high as the 4th...feel there will be better available that early...huge fan of Lowe...your next 4 picks do nothing for me to be honest...Stonehouse would be a rock solid pick to be punter for the next 10 years.

[StLunatic88]

4 hours ago, JAF-N72EX said:

I'd feel more comfortable with trading down with our first 2 picks to take more swings if I had a better idea about the regime and their tendencies. 

As it stands though, I wouldn't be opposed to trading down once but trading down twice would be a big risk. They need to hit and hit big.

I don’t really get this line of thinking? They just need to hit, and the more bullets in the chamber, the more chances to hit.

My whole point here is all the guys worth looking at for the 39th pick are gone (Zion, Linderbaum, Pickens, etc) and after that group isn’t pushed down due to the bad QB class, all the talent is just differing degrees of personal preference down to about 90. So using those picks to gather more shots in the 80-100 range is worth it for a roster that needs a lot more than it has now

[StLunatic88]

3 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

that it doubt they are so rich...yeah according to the trade value chart these trades match up but very few trades these days adhere to that...

I mean that’s just not true. The trades from last year, nearly all line up very closely to the chart, and usually it’s the team trading out getting the “extra points”. And when teams say they have similar but not that old chart, it’s usually due to the top of the first round not holding as much weight, but once you get to like pick 20 down, it’s all basically the same. 

3 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

and that is before we even get to the fact that there isn't much elite talent here and it is more a case of good talent can be found anywhere...

Yea I agree, but that’s why there is context to these trades. Atlanta wants its WB prospect, that eliminates the Elite Talent argument, because teams will do crazy things for their QB, and this isn’t even close to crazy. If I said they give us #43 plus the #82 pick, then yea that would be a crazy trade. 

And for KC, if you are going to point out a team that their treasure trove of picks don’t hold the same weight to them as the TVC assigns to then, it’s the Chiefs, but they would be less valuable to them, as they just want the top of the draft talent as they push for a Super Bowl return. Which is what I have us taking advantage of. 

[Madmike90]

1 hour ago, StLunatic88 said:

I mean that’s just not true. The trades from last year, nearly all line up very closely to the chart, and usually it’s the team trading out getting the “extra points”. And when teams say they have similar but not that old chart, it’s usually due to the top of the first round not holding as much weight, but once you get to like pick 20 down, it’s all basically the same. 

Yea I agree, but that’s why there is context to these trades. Atlanta wants its WB prospect, that eliminates the Elite Talent argument, because teams will do crazy things for their QB, and this isn’t even close to crazy. If I said they give us #43 plus the #82 pick, then yea that would be a crazy trade. 

And for KC, if you are going to point out a team that their treasure trove of picks don’t hold the same weight to them as the TVC assigns to then, it’s the Chiefs, but they would be less valuable to them, as they just want the top of the draft talent as they push for a Super Bowl return. Which is what I have us taking advantage of. 

Okay dude 👍

[StLunatic88]

22 minutes ago, Madmike90 said:

Okay dude 👍

Youre rerally going to argue facts?

2021 Draft Trades

MIA sends #3 (2200) to SF for #12 (1200) + 2022 First (590) + 2023 Firat (590) + 2022 3rd (116)

• So Miami got a combined 2496 in value for their 2200 pick [+296]

PHI sends #6 (1600) + #156 (27) to MIA for #12 (1200) + #123 (49) + 2022 First (590)

• Philly gets 1830 for their 1627 package [+203]

DAL sends #10 (1300) to PHI for #12 (1200) + #84 (170)

•  Thats 1370 for 1300 [+70]

NYG send #11 (1250) to CHI for #20 (850) + #164 (24) + 2022 First (590) + 2022 4th (37)

• We got 1250 but had to give up 1501 for it [+249]

MIN send #14 (1100) + #143 (34) to NYJ for #23 (760) + #66 (260) + #86 (160)

• Vikings get 1180 for their 1134 package [+46]

ATL sends #35 (550) + #219 (2) to DEN for #40 (500) + #114 (66)

• Falcons 552 package nets them 566 [+14]

CIN sends #38 (520) to NE for #46 (440) +#122 (50) + #139 (36)

• Bengals get 526 for their 520 pick [+6]

CAR send #39 (510) + #151 (29) to CHI for #52 (380) + #83 (175) + #204 (8)

• We gave up 538 package for a 539 package [-1] First negative of the draft

NYG send #42 (480) to MIA for #50 (400) + 2022 3rd (116)

• Giants get 516 for their 480 pick [+36]

SF sends #43 (470) + #230 (1) to LV for #48 (420) + #121 (52)

• Niners get 472 for ther 471 package [+1]

CAR send #52 (380) + #113 (68) to CLE for #59 (310) + #89 (145)

• Panthers get 455 for their 448 package [+7]

 

Thats the First 2 rounds of 2021, 11 pick for pick Trades, and 10 of those resulted in a net positive points for the team moving out. The only one that didnt was -1. So please, again tell me how the Trade value Chart isnt used and these swaps dont live up to those numbers?

Every one of them is less than 100 points other than the QB trades. And of those remaining 8 swaps, 5 of them are within 15 points of each other, a pick that would be in the 190 range.