Eleven Favorite Picks

Here are eleven of my favorite picks from the 2015 NFL Draft. They are in no order other than chronological.

1. Todd Gurley, running back, St. Louis Rams
-10th pick, first round
If healthy, Gurley likely doesn't make it to the 10th pick. Who knows when Gurley will be 100% but when he is the Rams become a different team on offense.

2. Shane Ray, defensive end, Denver Broncos
-23rd pick, first round
Ray was a likely top-10 pick before he was cited for driving around with a chunk of weed on the Monday before the draft. The Broncos were the extremely lucky beneficiary of Ray's drop in the draft. Ray comes off the snap like he's shot out of a cannon. With Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and now Ray, the Broncos are going to be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

3. Eric Kendricks, linebacker, Minnesota Vikings
-13th pick, second round
I didn't think that the Vikings had a realistic shot a Kendricks unless they traded back into the first round for the fourth consecutive year. The Vikings have been searching for a 3-down linebacker to man the middle of the defense for years. That search is over.

4. Ameer Abdulah, running back, Detroit Lions
-22nd pick, second round
Technically, as a Vikings fan, I probably hated this pick as much as I hated the Chicago Bears scooping up Kevin White in the first round. Abdullah was one of  my favorite players in the draft. I was just hoping that he'd be selected by a team outside the NFC North. The Lions have gone through Jahvid Best and Reggie Bush trying to find a game-breaking back like Abdullah.

5. Quenten Rollins, defensive back, Green Bay Packers
-30th pick, second round
Rollins has a sky-high ceiling seeing as he played a single year of college football. He was the defensive MVP of the MAC in that single year. He played corner in college but projects to just about anywhere in the secondary. The Packers found a very good, versatile football player.

6. Tyler Lockett, receiver, Seattle Seahawks
-5th pick, third round
The Seahawks jumped up nearly the entire length of the third round to grab Lockett. He was just about the only threat on the Kansas St. offense but no one could stop him. He might not be very big but he plays real big. Russell Wilson should be very happy with his new weapon.

7. David Johnson, running back, Arizona Cardinals
-22nd pick, third round
The Cardinals needed a big back to compliment Andre Ellington. They found one in Johnson. He does a lot of things well.

8. Paul Dawson, linebacker, Cincinnati Benglas
-35th pick, round 3
The Bengals closed the second night of the draft on a high note. Dawson and Kendricks were probably the two most instinctive linebackers in the draft. The Bengals found Dawson at the end of the third. He might have been a first round pick on film but an unimpressive performance at the Scouting Combine killed his draft stock. The film should be more important every time. The Bengals benefit.

9. Kyle Emanuel, linebacker/defensive end, San Diego Chargers
-17th pick, fifth round
I didn't know much about Emmanuel before the draft process. He played at North Dakota St. The Vikings showed a lot of interest in him so I started paying attention to him. He was one of those football players that simply never stopped. He played end in college but looked like he could play linebacker. Inside and outside. That versatility and effort puts him on this list.

10. Tony Lippett, cornerback/receiver, Miami Dolphins
-20th pick, fifth round
How can you not like a football player that played receiver in college and was drafted as a cornerback. He was an All-Big Ten receiver and started two games at corner last year. He has the talent to do both in the NFL. The Dolphins will start him out a corner.

11. Michael Bennett, defensive tackle, Jacksonville Jaguars
-4th pick, sixth round
A lot of players dropped in this draft for various reasons. I still have no idea why Bennett was still available in sixth round. I wouldn't have been surprised if a team had selected him in the second round. Very puzzling. There was some mention that there might have been some medical concerns. Players with more definite medical concerns went much higher. No matter the reason, the Jaguars lucked into a terrific football player in the sixth round.