The most sought-after portion of free agency is done, which means it's time to take another run down the rabbit hole and keep the mock drafting going!
With the Friday news dump of a trade between Houston and Minnesota this one could be out-dated even sooner than any of the previous. But what if the Purple don't leverage 23 to get into the top 5 selections? What if they are confident that McCarthy or whoever they are pinning for will last til the 11th pick & they just wanted another bite into the first round? What if their desire is for Bo Nix or Michael Penix and they wanted to ensure the chance at the fifth-year option while not having to massively reach & miss out on a different impact player with their hard-earned selection?
The clearest path is probably the right one but with the moves they've been making this week nothing can be taken off the table.
To wit, the sim had Drake Maye going first & Jayden Daniels lasting until the ninth pick and only one defensive player going in the top 10 - Laiatu Latu (DE UCLA).
Getting the second-best defensive player in the whole class would go a long way in taking the team where we all want it to go but no matter what, that set of circumstances would leave value available with the new selection. So my pick was the one most often pinned to the team - J.J. McCarthy.
As anticipated many potentially premium defenders were dangling at the 23rd. If additions to the front are still desired then Dallas Turner (Alabama), Johnny Newton (Illinois), Chop Robinson (Penn St.) or Byron Murphy (Texas) could all by in play. If the night comes and this opportunity were to happen then Kwesi & Co. should go for the first killer from the middle that the team will have had since Kevin Willliams - Newton or Murphy. Since there's already a Byron Murphy on the roster I went with the Fighter.
As things stand the rest of the fun waits til Saturday and it kind of makes it like two drafts in one weekend.
Offensive line and running back are the most glaring needs for the offense while it's coverage for Flores' band. If Aaron Jones is any indication (and why wouldn't he be?) then the ability to catch matters at least as much, if not more, than traditional carrying to the coaching staff. Neither of the top-rater RBs are proficient in that regard and the OL project more as tackles than guards. Since the line is set for those two spots the choice became who the best cornerback may be. Kalen King (Penn. St.) seemed like the player to keep in mind and thus was the choice.
With the 129th pick it came down to RB MarShawn Lloyd (USC) or CB Johnny Dixon (Penn. St.). While he is slightly undersized, Lloyd has the sort of versatility that could fit beautifully in the scheme and help take pressure off the rookie quarterback this season and beyond. It isn't a higher need than defensive back depth but would go more toward the direction of the head coach.
The virtue of patience paid-off as IOL Beaux Limmer & Zak Zinter and DBs Jaylon Carlies & Kenny Logan sat at the top of the board for the 157th. With 167 on the horizon a second one of the four could slip down. A quick scroll revealed a plethora of defensive possibilities which put the onus on the interior of the protection. Since Bradbury is still on the roster while both guard spots have question-marks, it became that much easier to pick the Wolf (Zinter)!
Boston College CB Elijah Jones entered the conversation but the 6'2, athletic Carlies lasted to the 167th but not one pick longer.
With the last pick before another extended break there was a chance to get the next great Iowa TE so with little hesitation I went with Erick All.
Mark Perry and Dominique Hampton are two more possible additions for the back-end of the defense with flexibility in their usage. Hampton may be on the older-side coming out of Washington which is another way of saying he has experience to go along with size and athleticism, all things which could help him go from the 90 to the 53.
This one would come as a curveball but in the mold of Cousins to RG3, I finished with Western Kentucky QB Austin Reed as the fly-on-the-wall for the quarterback room. 25 picks shy of the conclusion he may go undrafted but why take the chance of having to negotiate instead of selecting him outright. That was part of the shrewdness of Spielman's method.
So 9 picks, five for the offense, addressing many of the needs. Plenty more may chance over the remaining month before it's real but those are so more names to be aware of and directions that the team could go!
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