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Scouting The 2014 Draft: Combo Mock 2.0

The combine is upon us, and that means Drew (@DrewfromJersey) and I are in mock mode. We will probably make another one before free agency and the draft. We are still excluding compensatory picks until they officially come out.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODA

Round 1

Mock 1.0 pick: Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, LSU

Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech

6'5" - 265 Pounds - 4.74 40

Our biggest need is a playmaker on offense, no matter where it comes from. Right now. it looks like the top TE free agents will be franchised, or signed. Unless a few guys shake loose in cuts, our focus for a TE will need to come in the draft. Ebron is the top TE this year, but there are a lot of teams ahead of us who can go TE. We feel he will be gone by 18. This pick needs to be the best player on the board on offense. The only other guy I would think about taking here is Odell Beckham JR, who we took in our last mock. We went with Amaro this time, just because of talent available this offseason. Amaro's game tape speaks for itself. This could very easily be Odell Beckham by our next mock. He is lighting it up at the combine right now.

Round 2

Mock 1.0 pick: C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa

Jason Verrett, CB, TCU

5'10" - 176 Pounds - 4.48 40

Antonio Cromartie may or may not be on this team for much longer. If he is cut, there will be a big void in our secondary. Right now, we don't really know what we have in Milliner, and Kyle Wilson looks pretty comfortable as our nickel. Our safest bet is to pick up a cheeper vet in free agency, and draft someone to push or replace Milliner or Wilson. Verrett is the best CB in this draft. When it comes to technique, ball skills, fluid hips, physicality and instincts, he has it all. The only knock on Verrett is his size. This will scare some teams to not draft him in the 1st. Grabbing him here would be great value, and be a big boost to our questionable secondary. Our front 7 won't always hit, so our DBs need to improve a great deal.


Round 3

Mock 1.0 pick: Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State

Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin

6'1" - 188 Pounds - 4.44 40

Aside from TE, WR will be a position that needs to be addressed this offseason. Unlike the TEs though, it will be a buyers market for receivers. It is looking like we will be very active when it comes to shopping for WRs. This means, Idzik might not feel so pressured to go after one so early, unless he loves them. This doesn't mean we will avoid the position all together. There is some great WR talent coming out this year, so it will be hard to go the whole draft without someone of value dropping to us. The guy I have dropping to us in this mock, is Abbrederis. Jared is a workhorse, who in the shadows of a run heavy Wisconsin offense, was able to have a great career. He is known for making the tough catches, and being very reliable. His speed and rout running will make a valuable asset for Geno.


Round 3

Mock 1.0 pick: Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, Louisville

David Fales, QB, San Jose State

6'3" - 220 Pounds - 4.78 40

We will more than likely bring in a veteran QB to either compete with Geno, or be a solid backup. This doesn't mean drafting a guy is off the table. It doesn't look like any of the vets available this year, are longterm options as starters or backups. Fales has a certain set of skills that should be fostered. He is deadly accurate, and has a very good pocket presence. Over the last two years, he has been one of the most accurate QBs in college football. His biggest knock was his velocity, which he seemed to improve on this year. At worst, I see Fales as a good backup. At best, he can be groomed to be a very reliable QB that will limit mistakes, and settle our offense.


Round 4

Mock 1.0 pick: Ryan Groy, G, Wisconsin

Ryan Groy, G/T, Wisconsin

6'5" - 320 Pounds - 5.10 40

Colon and Vlad are both free agents this offseason. Colon wasn't a world beater in 2013, but he was a serviceable starter. If I were Idzik, I would try to bring him back at a decent price. On the other side of the line, Winters was the worst O-linemen we had. He needs to get better in a hurry. Some competition would do wonders. Ryan Groy is someone I have been screaming for all year. You really don't hear anyone talking about him. His play speaks for itself. He is a beast in the run game, and very strong against the pass rush. He played well at the Senior Bowl, and performed very well yesterday at the Combine. We were the only team who interviewed him at the East West game. Let's get this guy Idzik.


Round 5

Mock 1.0 pick: Dri Archer, WR/RB, Kent State

Dri Archer, RB/WR, Kent State

5'8" - 175 Pounds - 4.29 40

We need playmakers, and between free agency and the draft, there are a plethora of them. Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell are good heavy load guys, but aren't big play guys. Goodson can be this guy, and showed glimpses of it in his limited time here. The thing is, Goodson may never be the same after his injury. There is also the concern with his off the field issues. Either way, we need to get some insurance here. Archer can give us a Dexter McCluster kind of player, without paying Dexter McCluster prices. He would be a perfect addition for this offense. I am writing all this before Dri gets a chance to run. He may very well kill it out there, and push his stock.


Round 6

Mock 1.0 pick: T.J. Jones, WR, Notre Dame

James Morris, OLB/ILB, Iowa

6'2" - 230 Pounds - 4.63 40

Our LBers are the weakest part of our very strong front 7. Harris is a being overpaid for being a decent starter. Davis is still growing, and took strides last year. Pace isn't getting any younger, and if he is brought back, it won't be for very long. A lot of our backup guys are free agents this year. We will need depth going into this year. James Morris is a very athletic LBer coming out of Iowa. He can play just about any LBer position. He can rush the passer, or drop into coverage. Where he really excels, is in the run game. In round 6, Morris would be a great depth player.


Round 7

Mock 1.0 pick: James Morris, OLB/ILB, Iowa

Shaq Barrett, OLB/DE, Colorado State

6'2" - 260 Pounds - 4.78 40

As I said above, our LBer depth is very thin. Our guys leaving for free agency aren't looking for monster contracts, but I doubt they all come back. Barrett would be a great late round addition. He isn't the most explosive player coming out, but he is a hard worker, who does a lot of good. He was able to accumulate 12 sacks this year, along with over 20 tackles for a loss. He plays the run well, and won't do anything to hurt us.