With three weeks to go until the clock starts running the Purple are still sitting on their two first round picks. The speculation is primarily the same, that they will use the selections and possibly additional ones to move up for a quarterback. That very well may be what happens, but until it does the choice is to operate under the concrete facts of the day and mock accordingly.
So here goes the exercise in player identification!
As has often been predicted, the top 10 were heavy on offense - with only two defenders being taken. It may not even be that many when the real thing happens but either way, it would leave a prime chance to get a Canton-level defender for Flores!
As this one went, Jayden Daniels, JJ McCarthy & Dallas Turner were still hanging out in the virtual green room.
There were also multiple trade offers to consider, most appealing being McVay offering 19, 52 and next year's second round pick for 11 & 108. When a counter for the 2025 first round pick was rejected the choice was made to go with the improbable and take the Heis Man to throw to Jefferson.
At 23 AZ offered the 27th & 90th which seems like winning value for the Purple so it was accepted. Defensive tackle or corner would be the primary targets but in this run the only DB high on the board was Iowa safety Cooper DeJean. It's possible he could help make up for the miss that Lewis Cine is proving to be as another eventual successor to Harrison Smith but it also could have been an OL spot. Graham Barton (Duke) & Christian Haynes (UConn) are guard possibilities in the late portion of the first round.
For this go, to maximize the time with Flores, DeJean got the nod.
Fortune favored the bold and despite the leadership skipping the open evaluation of all of Big Blue's talent DT Kris Jenkins slid all the way to 90. No need to talk about it, get that card in!
With Aaron Jones & Ty Chandler as the top two running backs it might be a reach to go for one in the fourth round, but Blake Corum got consideration as a cheap variation to the current two. Because of the abundance of players at the position that will wait til later Saturday. Instead LSU DT Maason Smith got a look before the choice was made to add to the defensive backfield. DJ James (Auburn), Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (Texas Tech), Josh Newton (TCU) & Andru Phillips (Kentucky) were all possibilities with 108. Phillips measured out as the most athletic of the lot which is a vital separator in the amoeba defense.
In a pleasant twist, Maason Smith lasted til 129 and was joined by LB Jaylan Ford (Texas) & G Mason McCormick (SD St.) as well as a host of running backs. Having four straight picks go to defense after taking the quarterback of the future is a low probability, even with as established as much of the O already is but I still went with Smith.
The run of defenders ended at the 157th as South Dakota State RB Isaiah Davis ran up the board, only to be beaten by Arkansas Center Beaux Limmer.
The deviation was short-lived as 167 went the way of DE Cedric Johnson (Mississippi) before another protector was tabbed at 177. The choice came down to Javion Cohen (Miami) & LaDarius Henderson (Michigan) with the pedigree of the champion splitting the difference.
To round out the draft the preference was give K.O. a couple more toys for his playroom in the form of McCallan Castles (TE, Tennessee) and Troy RB Kimani Vidal.
It certainly ended up being stilted toward the defense but the idea became to try and add as good of athletes as possible with every selection. As much as it's possible to know that, it seems like this was a successful run.
And as always, it presented a few more names to keep in mind as Friday & Saturday of the event unfold!
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