It's mid-week, that means it's time to mock draft!
Here is last week's edition.
With eight days remaining, the mock-a-thon is closing in on the eleventh hour of the process and here's how it shook out!
The simulator took until the third pick to make a stunning move - Alijah Vera-Tucker to San Francisco. You can count on stunning developments happening every year but that was so shocking that I nearly started over because of it. After taking a beat I evaluated who was left and if not San Diego selecting Penei Sewell all three of the top OTs + Mac Jones were all still available. Kyle Pitts also went 10th to Dallas so this may be the most far-fetched of all the run-throughs!
I continue to contend that guard is the top need for Minnesota and taking either Rashawn Slater or Christian Darrisaw would not offer the greatest benefit to the team but some evaluators think Slater can be a success next to Bradbury which tipped the scale in his favor.
The opportunity to double-down on the line was there with both Quinn Meinerz (UW-Whitewater) & Josh Myers (Ohio St.). With Davis Mills & Kellen Mond already gone, as well as Minnesota's flurry of picks just beginning, Kyle Trask was very nearly the pick but at the last moment the choice was made to wait a little longer to add the draft-and-evaluate QB. And so I circled back to the original pair, ultimately preferring the big-school talent to the D3 diamond.
Trask was still on the board at pick 90 but this time was superseded by the need for DBs. The Gladney situation has elevated the perceived need at corner but safety can't be forgotten about. With all the one-year deals between the two positions, the team has to try and add a few more understudies. At this point, in this simulation, Florida State's Hamsah Nasirildeen has the highest ceiling to backup Harrison Smith & Xavier Woods while being groomed to start in 2022.
George Paton's team sniped Minnesota. A few picks before 119 Jamie Newman went there way. That's the risk of waiting for a player, especially one who plays quarterback. Few have been as consistent about the need to upgrade QB2 but in this run that became an improbability. To make some good out of it a player who could be another Danielle Hunter type player was taken - Dayo Odeyingbo, Vandy.
A pair of other long-term options were identified with the next two picks. First came Trill Williams from Syracuse and then Israel Mukuamu from South Carolina to add to the already young core of cornerbacks.
At 143 came a possibility replacement for Anthony Barr - Dylan Moses, Alabama and the defensive reshaping continued at 157 with the addition of DE Rashad Weaver from Pittsburgh.
With six straight picks going to Zimmer's side of the ball, the second-to-last flipped back to the offense. Wide receiver has often been available in quantity late in the mocks and this one bore-out that way as well. Illinois's Josh Imatorbhebhe may be the best of the late round options to eventually take over for Thielen as the second receiver but there are several who may be able to step in even quicker and make an impact.
Another name that I've continued to tout went higher than ever before. Cade Johnson was tabbed to KC in the fourth round. As a dynamic player who can also make an impact returning P/Ks, it's not a surprise that he's rising but it meant that an alternative for Minnesota needed to be uncovered. Well, I found two - Cornell Powell, Clemson & Demetric Felton, UCLA. Felton is on the diminutive size but the gadgets he possesses that could help the new Kubiak gave him the advantage but either one could be impactful on the other end of kicks, which is a much-needed upgrade!
Six defense, four offense. I think that's a realistic breakdown of how the picks will finish, with the patented movements during the seven rounds that could add a pick or two to the final total.
We're almost there!
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