The Falcoholic's First Mock Draft

If you missed the podcast, here's a chance to listen to it. I go over the mock draft in there, but I'll put it in text here as well.

Mock Draft

I went pretty much a combination of best player available in addition to a really loose "What do we need" train of thought. We don't need to take a WR early but if the draft panned out like this I wouldn't be too upset, given the circumstances. As the actual draft gets closer, it'll be a little tighter in terms of need. Still a lot of free agency left before the draft starts.

Round 1 - Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo - While there is some concern about Mack's level of competition that he faced in college, the positives are too much to overlook. He was available at pick #6, I pulled the trigger.

Round 2 - Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU - This is my man crush for the draft. I'm convinced he's going to make some team really happy. I picked Beckham in part because of that and partly because there were no OTs available that were within a few spots of my choice (in terms of BPA). Rather than reach for a mid/late 2nd round OT, I just picked Beckham. He provides everything HD does (and then some), and his contract would be much cheaper. He also provides some return utility in case Hester gets injured.

Round 3 - Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame - I picked him because he was available, but I recognize that he'll likely be gone long before we pick in the 3rd. If he is there, we'd be getting some good value on an athletic DE.

Round 4 - C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa - Fiedorowicz has good size. He's 6'7" 265 with good hands, so he fits the TE mold. He wasn't used a whole lot in Iowa's offense for some reason, but he provides an all-around solid package.

Round 4 (Compensatory) - Daniel McCullers, NT, Tennessee - If we do decide to go 3-4 full time, McCullers would be a good rotational backup to Paul Soliai. You can't teach his mammoth size (6'8" 350) so the rest should come from coaching him up to a respectable NFL player. He doesn't have to contribute immediately, which is good. He'd be in mostly for emergencies, such as injury.

Round 5 - Lamin Barrow, ILB, LSU - I'll admit I went more by name recognition at this point, since studying players past the 3rd or 4th round requires a ton of effort (and good internet, which I do not have currently), but Barrow is a name I recognized from seeing a lot of LSU's games. I'm also not sold that our ILB situation is a good one either. It might be fine, but we don't know for sure. Barrow brings in that "SEC toughness" so many people like, and he provides competition for ILB in the 3-4.

Round 6 - Dri Archer, RB, Kent State - The fan favorite. Dri Archer could've/would've/should've provided that super spark but I feel like he'll have a hard time sticking on the team if he can't play special teams. Someone that small would have a hard time hitting people several times a game. He could be our primary kick returner, but what was signing Devin Hester for? He could provide that speed demon burst speed that Antone Smith provides, but both he and Snelling played on special teams. He'd be worth a look, for what it's worth.

Round 7 - Cassius Marsh, DE, UCLA - I admit I don't know much about him, but I feel like one of our regular readers has this guy in their mock. Great minds think alike.

Round 7 (Compensatory #1) - Boseko Lokombo, OLB, Oregon - Someone on this site mentioned him as a player we should draft. Just want you to know that I picked him because his name is amazing, but great minds think alike (again).

Round 7 (Compensatory #2) - J.C. Copeland, FB, LSU - I'm all for bringing in fullback competition. You're almost guaranteed to find a serviceable one in the late rounds and you never know when one of your FBs is going to mysteriously get injured (See Bradie Ewing).

There's the first mock draft of the season. This will change in the coming weeks.  I'll be around to talk about it if you'd like!