Dane Bugler is fast becoming a personal favorite of the currently reigning draft analysts. He does his work for the Athletic and his beast of an annual Draft Guide is terrific. He kicked off this week with his fifth mock draft. It's a seven-round mock. Here's the first round.
1. Cincinnati Bengals-Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
2. Washington Redskins-Chase Young, Edge, Ohio State
3. Detroit Lions-Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
4. New York Giants-Tristan Wirfs, OG, Iowa
5. Miami Dolphins-Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
6. Los Angeles Chargers-Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
7. Carolina Panthers-Isaiah Simmons, S, Clemson
8. Arizona Cardinals-Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
9. Jacksonville Jaguars-C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
10. Cleveland Browns-Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
11. New York Jets-Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
12. Las Vegas Raiders-CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
13. San Francisco 49ers-Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
15. Denver Broncos-Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
16. Atlanta Falcons-K'Lavon Chaisson, Edge, LSU
17. Dallas Cowboys-Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
18. Miami Dolphins (from Steelers)-Austin Jackson, OT, USC
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Bears)-A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams)-Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
21. Philadelphia Eagles-Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
22. Minnesota Vikings-Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
23. New England Patriots-Marlon Davidson, DL, Auburn
24. New Orleans Saints-Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
25. Minnesota Vikings-Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State
26. Miami Dolphins (from Texans)-J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
27. Seattle Seahawks-Josh Uche, Edge, Michigan
28. Baltimore Ravens-Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin
29. Tennessee Titans-Yetur Gross-Matos, Edge, Penn State
30. Green Bay Packers-Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
31. San Francisco 49ers-Cesar Ruiz, C, Michigan
32. Kansas City Chiefs-Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
Bugler has South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw falling so close to the Minnesota Vikings' first first-round pick. A trade up is so damn tempting.
It's a mild surprise to see only one of the "Big 4" offensive tackles taken among the first nine picks. They don't last much longer. All four are selected by the 14th pick.
Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson sure is flying up draft boards. Bugler isn't the only draft "insider" that seems to be hearing it. In his FMIA column, Peter King notes that one GM thinks about 40 percent of the teams in the league have Henderson higher on their boards than Jeff Okudah.
Bugler's Complete Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft
1. (22) Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
1. (25) Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State
2. (58) Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
3. (89) Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma
3. (105) Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia
4. (132) Khalid Kareem, Edge, Notre Dame
5. (155) Cameron Clark, OL, Charlotte
6. (201) Shaquille Quarterman, LB, Miami (Fla)
6. (205) Michael Onwenu, OG, Michigan
7. (219) Jauan Jennings, WR, Tennessee
7. (249) DeMarkus Acy, CB, Missouri
7. (253) Kyahva Tezino, LB, San Diego State
Early in the draft evaluation process I was dismissing Baylor receiver Denzel Mims. I couldn't help thinking of him as an unfortunate combination of former Baylor speedster Corey Coleman and Laquon Treadwell. That wasn't fair to Mims. I've since come to appreciate his pass-catching talents. Unlike Coleman, Mims has pass-catching talents. Unlike Treadwell, Mims has explosion. If the Vikings do select a receiver in the first, I'm fine with Mims. However, I prefer cornerback over receiver in the first round.
Bugler somewhat makes up for the lack of a corner in the first with the selection of Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the second. I wouldn't want Winfield covering receivers one-on-one outside the numbers but I love his ability to play all over the defensive backfield. He could play a lot like Tyrann Mathieu plays. Or as his father played. If drafted by the Vikings, the younger Winfield could spend some of his time as the team's nickel corner.
If the Vikings select two corners, and I expect that they'll select at least two corners, I'd prefer that two of them are selected before the fifth round. Presently, I like any of the following in the first round (assuming that Okudah and Henderson are long gone):
Jeff Gladney, TCU
Kristian Fulton, LSU
Jaylon Johnson, Utah
A.J. Terrell, Clemson
After that, I like Louisiana Tech's Amik Robertson anywhere they can get him.
I do like the offensive linemen that Bugler has the Vikings selecting.
Eight more days.
No comments:
Post a Comment