Mock Draft 2.0 – Bills Take Michael Floyd
By Andrew Satta
There is only one month till the NFL Draft, and it is finally time to unveil the Mock 2.0 here on BuffaLowDown. I made 1.0 for my first ever post on this website and when I dug it up the other day to reference, I literally laughed out loud when I saw who at that time was considered a first round talent. In my defense, every mock had Zebrie Sanders and Vontaze Burfict in the first round at that time. Are mocks fun and mostly pointless? You bet! Anyways, please enjoy, digest, and comment. Disagree? Send me your picks!
Indianapolis Colts– Andrew Luck QB, Stanford. Not wasting time on explaining this pick, Jim Irsay has now publicly admitted as much.
Washington Redskins– Robert Griffin QB, Baylor. Whom else would they have traded up to get? Heavy price by the Skins, but if I told you that your favorite team could get Aaron Rogers at age 23 for three first round picks, and a second when your current QB was Rex Grossman, do you even stop to take a breath before saying yes? That’s a great deal for a franchise QB.
Minnesota Vikings– Matt Kalil LT, USC. So far this looks like every single mock ever made, but this is such a no-brainer it’s not even close. I like Christian Ponder a lot, he looks like Minnesota has a promising young prospect and Kalil will start protecting the blindside from day one.
Cleveland Browns– JustinBlackmon WR, Oklahoma St. Too early for a running back; and I really thinkCleveland will be picking right around here next year anyways, so take that QB next year, and meanwhile grab someone to help your future passer. This pick has the added bonus of irking the Rams who are praying Blackmon falls to them. The best case scenario for Cleveland would have Miami giving up a lot to move up for Tannehill, but that could be a long shot.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers– Morris Claiborne CB, LSU. I love me some Morris Claiborne, and I was hoping to find some way he falls to the Bills, but I do not see it. He is just too good, and shutdown cover corners go very early. Tampa Bay will think long and hard about Trent Richardson, but Claiborne is going to be good for years and is a much safer prospect.
St Louis Rams– Trent Richardson RB, Alabama. Maybe not the best pick for St Louis, and they do have Steven Jackson, but he’s approaching 30 and Richardson is till the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson. Richardson and Bradford is an offensive combo St Louis fans can be excited about for years. If Blackmon is available though, this is where he’s going.
Jacksonville Jaguars– Riley Reiff OT, Iowa. Keeping Jeremy Mincey was a very strong, under the radar move by the NFL’s least interesting team. I really wanted Buffalo to get him rather than Mark Anderson, but Jacksonville wisely held on to him. They will now do their best to keep their “franchise” quarterback, Tim Tebow Blaine Gabbert upright.
Miami Dolphins– Ryan Tannehill QB, Texas A&M. Aaaand cue the laugh track. I never thought that Bills fans could ever look down their noses this far at a division rival but that is where we are with Miami. Tannehill is a second round talent going in the top ten because he is a quarterback. The funeral march goes on as Tannehill takes his talents to South Beach.
Carolina Panthers– Luke Keuchly LB, BostonCollege. I wanted to put someone like Dontari Poe here, but Carolina is talking with Keuchly a LOT, and I have to think that they are smitten with the idea of having that tackle machine quarterbacking their defense for the next decade. Keuchly is a solid addition to any linebacker unit, so it’s not exactly a reach on Carolina’s part.
Buffalo Bills– Michael Floyd WR, Notre Dame. But we don’t have a left tackle! This is what I expect from my pick of Floyd, but neither do we have a wide receiver to go with Stevie that anyone has to worry about. Chris Hairston was quite capable filling in for the always injured Demetrius Bell, and we also hold the 10th pick in the second round when guys like Bobby Massie will be available for LT. There is a huge drop off when it comes to giant end zone targets (i.e. Floyd) in the later rounds. Guys like him just do not last long, and he should be a fine wide out to help stretch the field for many years.
Kansas City Chiefs– Dontari Poe NT,Memphis. I think they’d like to take David DeCastro, and I believe it will come down to the two of them, but interior lineman Kelly Gregg may retire and if he does, they’ll love to replace him with Poe who is a true monster.
Seattle Seahawks– MelvinIngram DE, S Carolina. Seattle has a sneaky good defense, and Ingram will help the cause. High energy with brute strength, Ingram has overtaken Quinton Coples as the top DE in the draft.
Arizona Cardinals– David DeCastro G, Stanford. Arizona has a good running game, and hopefully a franchise QB in Kevin Kolb. DeCastro is by far the best Guard in the draft, and will be a mainstay for years to come. An excellent blocker as well as pass protector, he is a multiple Pro Bowl selection in future.
Dallas Cowboys- Dre Kirkpatrick CB, Alabama. Dallas got a very nice corner in Brandon Carr, but corners are like pitchers, you cannot have too many and Kirkpatrick gives Dallas what was previously a weakness as a budding strength.
Philadelphia Eagles- Mark Barron S, Alabama. Barron is by far the best safety prospect in this draft, no one else is even close. For all of the talent the Dream Team has in their secondary, safety is still a weakness.
New York Tebows– Whitney Mercilus DE/OLB, Illinois. The first true reach of the draft comes here when Rex Ryan selects the nation’s leading sack rusher. That cannot be THAT much of a reach right? Mercilus is the winner of Best Name® for defensive players, but the junior literally did nothing his previous two years in college. Sounds like Aaron Maybin to me.
Cincinnati Bengals– Janoris Jenkins CB, S Florida. Jenkins certainly has a few screws lose, but he’s ridiculously talented and Cincinnati needs a corner. Either he or Kirkpatrick will be available in this spot.
San Diego Chargers– Courtney Upshaw DE, Alabama. Upshaw or Mercilus will be here and that fits withSan Diego’s desire for pass rush. Upshaw could fall here because he is slightly undersized for DE, and slightly too big for OLB. Not a huge deal, but some teams could be scared off. He will not go any lower than here.
Chicago Bears– Jonathan Martin OT, Stanford. At this point with the information that’s been talked about,Chicago is the team I have the hardest time picking a player for. Their defense is getting old and they could use another receiver, but more than any other team, as their QB goes, so does the rest of the team and when Cutler went down with an injury it was all over. More protection for Jay is now here.
Tennessee Titans– Cordy Glenn G, Georgia. Getting CJ ½ K back on track is job #1 and it starts with the blockers. Look for Tennessee to take a good hard look at beefing up the defensive line if they decide to go that route. Fletcher Cox may not make it this far, but if he is, I think the Titans jump on that. The DT from Mississippi State is a beast.
Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland)- Stephen Hill WR, Georgia Tech. The injured Hill is a phenomenally speedy wide out that would be potentially devastating when paired with AJ Green. This pick is pretty versatile, they could trade it to pick up other picks, or trade up with it to land Trent Richardson. Guys like Cordy Glenn or Jonathan Martin make sense here if they’re still on the board.
Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta)– Lamar Miller RB, Miami. With Blackmon’s selection at #4, suddenly the Browns’ offense looks a lot more formidable. Miller takes over for Peyton Hillis’ sure fall into obscurity.
Detroit Lions– Peter Konz C, Wisconsin. Konz can play guard at first if need be, but he’s a solid offensive line option forDetroit. Detroit will also take a long look at either Janoris Jenkins and Dre Kirkpatrick if either is available.
Pittsburgh Steelers– Donta Hightower, LB Alabama. The aging but always resourceful Pittsburgh D gets a shot in the arm. If Mike Wallace is traded for however, a wide receiver might have to go here and Hightower will be taken later.
Denver Broncos– Mike Wallace WR, Steelers. Just do it. Make this happen for Peyton. I know this is technically not a draft pick, but Denver just needs to offer more money than the Steelers can and since Pittsburgh is over the cap this should not be difficult. As a restricted free agent, Mike Wallace would cost a first round pick and if you are going to pick towards the end anyways, you will not find a better receiver than Wallace at this point.
Houston Texans– Michael Brockers, DT LSU. Another fantastic place for Mike Wallace, or any other speedy receiver, I have a feeling that Houston will try to replace Mario Williams. They already had a top notch defense, and it just got even worse for their foes. Brockers is a luxury pick for Houston.
New England Patriots (from New Orleans)– Fletcher Cox DT, Mississippi St. This is a bit of a fall for Cox, and would fit in great as NE looks to rebuild a very thin defensive line. Cox may very well be gone 10 spots earlier, but Devon Still should also be available for the Patriots.
Green Bay Packers– Devon Still DT, PennState. Still is here no longer, because Green Bay grabs a huge talent to pair with BJ Raji in the middle of the line.
Baltimore Ravens-Kendall Wright WR, Baylor. Lee Evans is gone, and Baltimore has gone through so many older receivers that it is time to bring in someone who will be around for more than a couple years. The speedy Wright could be the guy.
San Francisco 49ers– Stephen Gilmore CB, S Carolina. The aging secondary gets a boost with Gilmore who is flying up draft charts into the first round. He could go higher, but is a nice fit in San Fran.
New England Patriots– Nick Perry DE, USC. Who are we kidding, the Patriots are going to trade this pick, but if they do not, Perry is the pass rush they have been missing for awhile now.
New York Giants- Cody Fleener TE, Stanford. I have seen Fleener in the 2nd round but I say no way to that, the guy had an excellent combine, and a very good Pro Day, so the champion Giants get an even better pass catcher than the one they lost in Manningham. Fleener could be another Gronkowski.
Check back for ROUND TWO in another week!
Get the latest Bills updates from BuffaLowDown by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter! (@BuffLowDown).