Cavanaugh's Mock Draft 2.0: Cowboys Trade And Get...
By Jeff Cavanaugh | @JC1053
(To see Kevin Turner's latest mock draft, click here.)
1 - Tennessee Titans: Laremy Tunsil - OT - Ole Miss: No need to overthink it. They have their franchise QB, time to protect him. Tunsil's the best OT prospect I've seen in 3 years. He's a bully and a ballerina all in one.
2 - Cleveland Browns: Jared Goff - QB - California: The Carson Wentz hype train is out in full force but I have Goff as the best QB in the draft and it's not all that close to me. I don't buy that RG3 is the long term answer in Cleveland.
3 - San Diego Chargers: Jalen Ramsey - DB - Florida State: Ramsey can play anywhere in the secondary. The Chargers lost Eric Weddle. They not only replace him, they grab a stud.
4 - LA Rams: Carson Wentz - QB - North Dakota State:
TRADE ALERT: Cowboys bail. Using the ProFootballTalk's trade value chart, this pick is worth 1,800 points. The LA Rams pick at #15 (1050 points) and at #43 overall (480) and #45 (450). You want in the top 5 for a QB? You overpay a little bit. If you wanna be nice to them, pretend the Cowboys send them a 4th round pick along with #4 overall. The Rams pick their QB of the future.
5 - Jacksonville Jaguars: Myles Jack - LB - UCLA: Jack is the #1 player on my board. He has silly athletic ability and position flexibility. Knee being medically rechecked before the draft will matter for him.
6 - Baltimore Ravens: Deforest Buckner - DE - Oregon: Buckner's best fit is as a 3-4 defensive end. Very long and powerful, he'll be a rock solid player for a long time.
7 - San Francisco 49ers: Laquan Treadwell - WR - Ole Miss: There's a lot of talk about Treadwell's 40 time. I'm not worried about it. Larry Fitzgerald ran slower, Anquan Boldin ran slower etc. The way he wins isn't with speed. It's physicality, attacking the football in the air and breaking tackles when it's in his hands.
8 - Philadelphia Eagles: Ezekiel Elliott - RB - Ohio State: I don't think he runs the ball quite like Todd Gurley, but in terms of a do everything RB, Zeke is the truth. Run with vision, evasiveness and power, catch the ball, block. He does it.
9 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joey Bosa - DE - Ohio State: A lot of people are mocking a CB to Tampa, but in this scenario there's too good of a player still sitting on the board.
10 - New York Giants: Ronnie Stanley - OT - Notre Dame: This allows the Giants to move Ereck Flowers to the right side and be set at the OT spot trying to protect Eli Manning. Stanley is technically excellent, pass pro is easy to him. Wish he had more of a bully to him in the run game.
11 - Chicago Bears: Sheldon Rankins - DL - Louisville: Rankins can help a 3-4 team by playing both DE and NT. He's a versatile player with power and the ability to penetrate on pass downs.
12 - New Orleans Saints: Shaq Lawson - DE - Clemson: The Saints defense was a mess last year. Lawson offers a strong player against the run that also brings pass rush.
13 - Miami Dolphins: Vernon Hargreaves - CB - Florida: Out with one undersized CB (Brent Grimes) and in with another one. Hargreaves is a shorter guy, but his athleticism and stickiness in coverage can't be ignored.
14 - Oakland Raiders: Mackensie Alexander - CB - Clemson: Another team with a need at CB gets another guy with the physical traits to be a great cover guy.
15 - Dallas Cowboys (via LA Rams): Noah Spence - DE - Eastern Kentucky: The Cowboys haven't addressed their biggest need, pass rush. Spence can help. He's the guy in this draft that can win with speed and bend on the outside. Will need to get stronger in the run game, but getting to the passer is priority #1.
16 - Detroit Lions: Jack Conklin - OT - Michigan State: Someone has to help keep Matt Stafford standing upright. Conklin is a better athlete than he's giving credit for, and as tough and mean as they come.
17 - Atlanta Falcons: Corey Coleman - WR - Baylor: He isn't my 2nd favorite WR in this class, but the idea of him across from Julio Jones or ability to work out of the slot with all that attention somewhere else would let his big play potential shine.
18 - Indianapolis Colts: Ryan Kelly - C - Alabama: This team has ignored their OL too long. If a guy is good enough, there's nothing wrong with going C in the first round. Ask the Dallas Cowboys.
19 - Buffalo Bills: Michael Thomas - WR - Ohio State: Sammy Watkins on one side, Michael Thomas on the other. Tyrod Taylor would enjoy coming to work. Thomas is a big WR that runs great routes and creates separation.
20 - New York Jets: Leonard Floyd - LB - Georgia: Floyd is a long quick twitch guy that can play on the edge and get to the QB.
21 - Washington Redskins: Reggie Ragland - LB - Alabama: At a bare minimum with Ragland you get a two down freight train tracking down RBs sideline to sideline.
22 - Houston Texans: Josh Doctson - WR - TCU: This pick creates a pretty darn good skill position group for QB Brock Osweiler. Pairing Doctson with DeAndre Hopkins gives the QB a couple of guys who are really good at turning inaccurate throws into completions.
23 - Minnesota Vikings: Sterling Shepard - WR - Oklahoma: Bridgewater needs more guys to throw to. Shepard is the best route runner in this draft class to me, he's a top notch athlete and everything about his game is so fluid.
24 - Cincinnati Bengals: Andrew Billings - DT - Baylor: Putting Billings together with Geno Atkins just sounds like too much fun to pass up. Good luck dealing with that interior DL. Billings is a mountain you can't move that also moves really well for a guy at his position.
25 - Pittsburgh Steelers: William Jackson III - CB - Houston: He has a knack for the football and great make up speed. I worry about his fluidity in coverage some, but there's a lot of good here and rumor has it the Steelers are big fans.
26 - Seattle Seahawks: Cody Whitehair - OL - Kansas State: Whitehair played LT at Kansas State but profiles more as an interior guy. The list of good players he put the clamps on is pretty impressive. Upgrades that OL immediately.
27 - Green Bay Packers: Jarran Reed - DT - Alabama: Reed is impossible to move at the point of attack, and the number of times you see him hit a RB on the sideline or down the field is impressive. Motor that nevers slows down.
28 - Kansas City Chiefs: Karl Joseph - S - West Virginia: Joseph has the potential to be a star. Range to get sideline to sideline, a missile coming downhill and a devastating hitter. The only thing that can hold him back is not staying under control, misses too many tackles with aggression.
29 - Arizona Cardinals: Robert Nkemdiche - DL - Ole Miss: This guy has tons of talent that didn't always translate to production. The physical tools he have can be an elite NFL football player.
30 - Carolina Panthers: Taylor Decker - OT - Ohio State: Cam Newton probably still sees Von Miller in his nightmares. Let's give them a guy who can help him stay standing.
31 - Denver Broncos: Paxton Lynch - QB - Memphis: Denver has guys there that can play this year, grab them a future guy to groom to be the next franchise QB.
*Note: Because of the Cowboys trade down to #15, our net is now Noah Spence rushing the passer, in addition to now having 3 picks in the second round. Call one of them Kenneth Dixon, RB from La Tech, one of them a CB like Kendall Fuller from Va Tech or Jalen Mills from LSU, and one of them a safety like Jeremy Cash from Duke or Keanu Neal from Florida. Or plug in whatever names you like in that area. Instead of taking our guy at 4, we got a player that's not far off what we would have gotten and added two extras in the 2nd.
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