Blacker’s 2015 NFL Mock Draft – No Descriptions

Pick – Team – Actual Pick – Reaction

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jameis Winston QB Florida State  – Jameis Winston – Sharpie

2.  Cleveland Browns (Trade with Tennessee)  – Marcus Mariota QB Oregon – Marcus Mariota – right pick, wrong team ( at the moment)

3. Jacksonville Jags –  Amari Cooper WR Alabama – Dante Fowler Jr OLB Florida  – And now the fun begins, with Fowler going here, look for Washington to make a surprising move maybe a trade or Shane Ray . Because Oakland picks should be Williams or Cooper.

4. Oakland Raiders –   Leonard Williams DT USC – Amari Cooper WR Alabama – Not really surprised here, Good fir for Oakland, Washington should take Williams here but Shane Ray and Bud Dupree could be picks here.

5. Washington Redskins –  Dante Fowler OLB/ DE Florida – Brandon Schreff OT/OG – Kind of surprised but I respect the pick, really adds versatility to their line.

6. New York Jets –  Brandon Schreff OT/OG Iowa – Leonard Williams DE USC – Steal. Steal. Steal.

7. Chicago Bears – Danny Shelton NT Washington – Kevin White WR WVU – LOL amidst all the hustle and bustle of the draft, I some how left White out when I redid my draft. LOL this is why I don’t have a full time job

8. Atlanta Falcons – Shane Ray DE Missouri  – Vic Beasley OLB Clemson – Never listen to rumors.

9. New York Giants – Todd Gurley RB Georgia – Ereck Flowers OT Miami–  I had expected Schreff but then heard otherwise, regardless a very good pick by the Giants.

10. Miami Dolphins ( Trade with Rams)  –  Devante Parker WR Louisville – Todd Gurley RB UGA (no trade) – Thought it could be this pick but was against it because I felt need was greater else where but BPA prevails, Gurley is a great pick and a great back

11. San Francisco 49ers(Trade with Minnesota) – Vic Beasley OLB Clemson – Trae Waynes CB MSU – Zimmer gets his pick, thought there would be a trade but im not surprised, so far the draft lacks surprises and trades

12.  Tennessee Titans  –  Bud Dupree OLB Kentucky –   Danny Shelton NT Washington – Thought this would be the Browns…oops

13.  New Orleans Saints – Trae Waynes CB Michigan State – Andrus Peat OT Stanford – Go for it NO

14.  Saint Louis Rams  – Ereck Flowers OT Miami – Devante Parker WR  Louisville – I GOT THE PLAYER RIGHT. Devante Parker makes too much sense for the Fins, just thought they would move up for him

15.  Minnesota Vikings – Nelson Agholor WR USC – Melvin Gordon RB Wisconsin(Chargers) –  pretty sure this was obvious.

16. Houston Texans – Malcolm Brown DT Texas – Kevin Johnson CB Wake Forest – I like the pick, thought they coud go corner, had Byron Jones going to them earlier though

17. San Diego Chargers  – Melvin Gordon RB Wisconsin – Arik Armstead DE Oregon (49ers) –  Another pick I had but changed, such is life

18.  Arizona Cardinals ( trade with Kansas City) –  Randy Gregory OLB Nebraska – Marcus Peters DB Washington – Wrong pick, Wrong player, thought they would address their DB issues.

19. Tennessee Titans   –  Eddie Goldman DE/ DT FSU – Cameron Erving OT/OG/C – Interesting pick by the Browns here, not really focusing on helping Johnny but Erving can play some football and is the most versatile linemen I have seen in a while.

20. Philadelphia Eagles –  Phillip Dorsett WR Miami – Nelson Agholar WR USC – right position wrong player, I don’t hate the pick

21.  Cincinnati Bengals –  Jordan Phillips DT Oklahoma – Cedric Ogbuehi OT Texas A&M – ACL injuries derailed me putting him on here, kids a good player and has potential

22.  Pittsburgh Steelers – Landon Collins S Alabama – Bud Dupree OLB Kentucky – Pittsburgh just knows how to draft Defense, getting straight steals

23. Denver Broncos (Trade with Detroit) –  Jake Fisher OT Oregon  –Shane Ray DE Missouri  – I GOT THE TRADE RIGHT

24.  Kansas City Chiefs  –  Cameron Erving OT/OG/ C FSU – DJ Humphries OT Florida (Arizona Cardinals) – Don’t have much to say here

25. Carolina Panthers –  DJ Humphries OT Florida – Shaq Thompson LB Washington – Lol Thomas Davis announced the player who will replace him soon. Thompson is a bit undersized but athletic and a smart player to boot

26. Baltimore Ravens – Marcus Peters CB Washington – Breshad Perriman WR UCF– Drop city but the kid can stretch the field with the best. I like the pick

27. Dallas Cowboys – Kevin Johnson CB Wake Forest – Byron Jones CB UConn –  supreme athlete,  good pick for dallas, finally addressing their long needed CB woes.

28. Detroit Lions –  Arik Armstead DT Oregon – Laken Tomlinson OG Duke – Surprise here, big suprise but kid is large, powerful and has been consistent starting all 52 games

29. Indianapolis Colts –  Andrus Peat OT Stanford – Phillip Dorsett WR Miami – WEAPONS. WEAPONS. THE TOP IS BLOWN OFF IN INDY

30.  Green Bay Packers – Eric Kendricks ILB UCLA – Damarious Randall FS Arizona State – great value

31. New Orleans Saints – Eli Harold OLB UVA – Stephone Anthony LB Clemson – Not LB I thought , i think its a little early but what do I know

32. New England Patriots – Dorial Beckham-Green WR Oklahoma – Malcolm Brown DT Texas – Gotta replace Vince

Kareem Martin Scouting Report by Black

College: North Carolina

Position: Defensive End                                                                               

Height: 6-5

Weight: 272 lbs

Projected Round:  mid 2^nd round to mid-3^rd round

Kareem Martain is not a guy a lot of people have a lot of attention on when people look at the top defensive lineman in this draft but he is a potential sleeper that could see a potential rise after a great showing at the NFL combine.  

Postives

In terms of his combine numbers, Martin probably had one of the best if not the best combines. He was top 5 in the drills involving explosion and lower body explosion. His 40 time was second best to Clowney’s for defensive lineman over 265 lbs, he had a pretty solid vertical jump, but what really stood out was his broad jump which was the best out of the defensive lineman and his 10 yard split during his 4.72 forty was the best (yes even better than Clowney’s) out of all the defensive lineman. The explosion that he shows judging based on his combine numbers is something you get out of a top 15 pick.

He’s a solid tackler and understands contain assignments when facing mobile QB’s and understands assignments outside of just rushing the passer despite being a good fit in a 4-3, 5 tech scheme. He also has a solid run defense game and doesn’t allow blockers to get leverage over him on running plays. The senior was a defensive captain for North Carolina and was well respected by many of his teammates and coaches. In terms of size Martin is the perfect size for a 4-3 size at 6-5, 272 lbs and his long 35 inch arms. On paper Martin is the defensive end that scouts look for.

Negatives

Kareem Martain on tape never showed this explosion that he demonstrated at the combine during his time at North Carolina. He was often hesitant to engage blockers with his hands and wasn’t really competitive at the point of attack as a rusher. His production was solid for his senior year but he but he got most of it from poor competition and garbage time. He also struggled at the senior bowl in one on one drills and in 11-11 drills according to numerous scouts. 

 

In closing, Kareem Martin is a great athlete who just hasn’t been able to translate his god given athletic abilities unto the football field. If he can go to a team with the right team that with a solid coaching staff that will show him how to use his athleticism and hands to step up his game, Martin can be a solid pick up on the second day.   

Black’s first mock draft

Not really a detailed draft compared to our previous mock drafts, but I’ve been more busy then usual this year so I haven’t had a much time to crack out these mocks and scouting reports. I’m going to have more time to get more reports out after finials.

-Black

Kansas City (2-14) – Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M

Jacksonville (2-14) – Dion Jordon, DE/OLB, Oregon

Oakland (4-12) – Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida

Philadelphia (4-12) – Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

Detroit (4-12) – Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU

Cleveland (5-11) – Dee Millner, CB, Alabama

Arizona (5-11) – Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

Buffalo (6-10) – Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

New York Jets (6-10) – Star Lotulelei, NT, Utah

Tennessee (6-10) – Chance Warmack, G, Alabama

San Diego (7-9) – Johnathan Cooper, G, North Carolina

Miami (7-9) – Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri

Tampa Bay (7-9) – Xavier Rhodes*, CB, Florida State

Carolina (7-9) – Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

New Orleans (7-9) – Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU

St. Louis (7-8-1) – Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee

Pittsburgh (8-8) – Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

Dallas (8-8) – Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

New York Giants (9-7) – Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

Chicago (10-6) – Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

Cincinnati (10-6) – Matt Elam, S, Florida

St. Louis – from Washington (10-6) – D.J. Fluker, OT/G, Alabama

Minnesota (10-6) – DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson

Indianapolis (11-5) – Datone Jones, DE/DT, UCLA

Minnesota – from Seattle (11-5) – Sylvester Williams, DT, UNC

Green Bay (11-5) – Johnathan Hankins, DL, Ohio State

Houston (12-4) – Justin Hunter, WR, Tennesse

Denver (13-3) – Bjoern Werner*, DE, Florida State

New England (12-4) – Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State

Atlanta (13-3) – Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

San Francisco (11-4-1) – Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International

Baltimore (10-6) – Alec Ogletree*, ILB, Georgia

Blacks Post Combine Top 25 rankings

Top 25 Ranking (Post Combine)

The scouting combine has come and gone and with players moving up and down in terms of their draft stock I feel like it’s about time to show my post combine rankings for the 2013 class.

1. Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M

2. Sharieff Flyod, DT, Florida

3. Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama

4. Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

5. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama

6. Ezikiel Ansah, DE, BYU

7. Dion Jordon, DE, Oregon

8. Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

9. Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State

10. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

11. Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU

12. Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

13. Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

14. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee

15. Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

16. Johnthan Cooper, OG, North Carolina

17. Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri

18. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

19. Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

20. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

21. Manti Te’o , ILB, Notre Dame

22. Datone Jones, UCLA, DE

23. Zavier Gooden, OLB, Missouri

24. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee

25. Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

I am currently working on a mock with explanations as of right now and should have it out some time next week. 

Black Scouting Report- Desmond Trufant, Cornerback, Washington

 

Desmond Trufant

College: Washington

Position: Cornerback

Height: 5-11

Weight: 184 lbs

Position Rank: 4

Projected Round: Late 1^st to mid-2^nd round

The talented Washington Cornerback, Desmond Trufant is considered to be one of the top defensive backs in this year’s draft. Trufant who has two brothers already in the NFL, Marcus with Seattle and Isaiah with the Jets, had an outstanding week at the senior bowl and wasn’t too bad during the game neither. He was a first team all-Pac-12 defensive back this year, and is definitely one of the most experienced cornerbacks coming out of this year’s draft with his 47 starts at Washington. He is competitive and corner, who will get physical with wide receivers at the line of scrimmage no matter the size disparity.

 

Plays on the ball

Desmond Trufant in 47 games only had, 6 interceptions which for a Pac 12 DB where the passing game is the life and blood of so many teams in the conference, is really disappointing. He is a very passive corner who tends to play the receiver over making plays for the ball.

 

Vs. the Run

Trufant, from what have seen of him, recognizes run/pass quickly. He is one of the better corners in this year’s draft in with this recognition. He doesn’t shy away from making tackles in run support and will fight way through blocks and does a nice job of fighting under blocks to blow up screen passes or keep contain on outside runs.

Experience and Instincts

If there is one positive about playing in 47 games in college, it’s the experience you gain over time. From his tape as a freshman to his senior year, you could tell the dramatic change in his instincts. He also is very good at timing his jumps and defending the ball from its highest point from the wide out.

Conclusion

Overall I could see Turfant going into the Top 25 if he has an outstanding combine and pro day. Right now Trufant looks like he’s pegged into going at the end of day 1 or a early day 2 pick. Trufant is amongst the top corners in a draft filled with good quality depth and talent on the defensive side of the ball.  

Are Former College Coaches Better Drafters? – Blacker

There has been a trend in coaching hires recently NFL, I would guess since about 2009 it has become more popular. Teams hire a collegiate coach straight from the NCAA and make them your head coach.  I think I have noticed a trend with those coaches, the coaches who come straight from a HC job in college to an HC job in the NFL are better drafters and just overall talent evaluators. What I am going to do is look at each of the recently hired straight to the NFL coaches drafting records and see how those players have produced.  Most people look at the amount of hits a coach has but I am going to focus on the misses. What I will call a miss is a player who is not on the team.  I think a good drafter is not just a person who finds home-run value but also finds solid role-playing value as well; for that reason I will not differentiate the hits from this misses.

Another thing to take into account that I will not be noting in this post is the value of the player in reference to the pick that they give.

The first coach I will be looking at is Pete Carroll who took over the Seahawks in 2010

His first draft
1. Russell Okung –
1. Earl Thomas
2. Golden Tate
4. Walter Thurmond
4. EJ Wilson
5. Kam Chancellor
6. Anthony McCoy
7.. Dexter Davis
7. Jameson Konz

In this draft they got both of their starting S in Chancellor and Thomas and arguably the best tandem of S in the league. Golden Tate has shown up this year for them, Walter Thurmond has shown flashes before injury.
Anthony McCoy has been a strong 2nd TE for them. Dexter Davis is on the team not entirely sure about his role

Only Wilson and Konz are not on the team

Misses – 2 

2011
Round 1: James Carpenter, OT
Round 3: John Moffitt, G
Round 4: K.J. Wright, OLB
Round 4: Kris Durham, WR
Round 5: Richard Sherman, CB
Round 5: Mark Legree, FS
Round 6: Byron Maxwell, DB
Round 7: Lazarius Levingston, DE
Round 7: Malcolm Smith, OLB

Carpenter got injured, Moffit is not starting currently but did start 6 games this year. KJ is a stud LB for Seattle. Richard Sherman is arguably the 2nd best CB in the league and was drafted in round 5. Malcolm Smith and Maxwell have both been solid contributes for Seattle. Doug Baldwin was undrafted but has put up numbers for the Seahawks

Legree is no longer on the team the same as Levingston

Misses 2

 

2012

Round 1. Bruce Irvin DE/OLB West Virginia

Round 2 – Bobby Wagner ILB Utah State

Round 3. Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin/ NC State

Round 4. Robert Turbin RB Utah State

Round 4. Jaye Howard DT Florida

Round 5. Korey Toomer ILB Idaho

Round 6 . Jeremy Lane CB Northwestern State

Round 6: Winston Guy DB Kentucky

Round 7 – JR Sweezy DE  NC State

Rounnd 7 – Greg Scruggs DE Lousiville

Bruce Irvin has been essentially a sack ace for the Seahawks coming in on pass rushing situations and lighting it up. Bobby Wagner had a 140 tackles and 3 interceptions, which are literally All-Pro numbers. Russell Wilson well I assume you already know the amazing season he had. Robert Turbin has been a good complimentary back to Lynch.  Jaye Howard played in 2 games.  Korey Toomer is on the practice squad. Jeremy Lane produced with 15 tackles throughout the season, Winston Guys saw minimal PT during the season. JR Sweezy was drafted as a DE and then switched positions to OG. Sweezy struggled with the transition at first but now has a stronghold on the job. Greg Scruggs produced 2 sacks as a 7th round draft pick.

Overall – Carroll only had 4 misses with a few players that still need to prove themselves to show up

I won’t call any players a miss yet because it is still their rookie year, in all honesty the jury is still out as most of them are still under 25.  But in Carroll’s 3 drafts he has found his 2 Pro Bowl  safeties, 2 starting LB’s, an OG, his franchise QB,  a lock down CB , really solid role players, an Ace pass rusher and a few talented lineman that the jury is still out on.

One thing i have noticed is that a lot of the players Carroll made moves after were players that Carroll coached against while at USC. Sherman and Baldwin went to Stanford, Brandon Browner the Offseason FA pick up went to Oregon State, Walter Thurmond for Oregon.

Could seeing those players in person against him and game planning against them given Carroll even better knowledge than the other coaches?  Scouting players to draft is one thing but scouting players to figure out how to beat them is another. The combination of the two could give coaches like Carroll and edge.

This is also a very small sample size, so let’s look at other coaches who was hired from the NCAA. The natural guess would be Jim Harbaugh but I feel that Harbaugh would be skewing the argument  and since he has only coached for 2 season it will be hard to gauge his players. Harbaugh also inherited a really strong D and didn’t have much work to do with that part of the team. Of course Harbaugh did have his share of questionable calls like AJ Jenkins in the first.

Greg Schiano is the only the other coach currently who was hired straight from the NCAA but he was a rookie coach this year but picks like Doug Martin, Lavonte David, Mark Barron could help. Schiano also drafted 2  former big east rival WVU mountaineers in Najee Goode and Keith Tandy, both of them didn’t produce this year but it will be interesting to see them grow and if Schiano knew something most didn’t.

Looking through the rest of the coaches none with any drafting history were straight from College. I thought about using Chan Gailey but he spent 2 years in between GT and a HC job. Nick Saban and Petrino were options but both of their body works were smaller than Carroll’s as well as the fact they drafted 8 years ago.

Overall, Pete Carroll is the only coach that a somewhat fair assessment can be done. This is a very interesting topic and it is one that I would expect to pick up steam as coaches like Harbaugh, Schiano, Kelly and Marrone build their teams through the draft.

 

Welcome to the new blog

Hey what is up Black and Blacker Nation!?

With draft season rapidly approaching, Black and I have decided to start a page where we can create or most indepth scouting reports on prospects for the NFL Draft. We plan on breaking each scouting report down so that the casual draft fan can understand the scouting report. The players could be as popular as Manti Te’o or as unknown as Ryan Aplin.

We plan on giving the casual draft fan, easy access to the prospects they will want their teams to draft come April.