NFL

2016 Aftermath NFL Mock Draft

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, NFL ,

Well, it is finally here. The season of lying is almost over. This time tomorrow night, Commissioner Goodell will take a walk up to the podium to start the NFL Draft.

This draft has had a lot of focus on it already with all of the trades that have gone down over the last several months. It will be very interesting to see how many more occur on draft night.

Matt Luppino, Brian Mandel and Jack Venezia joined me on Skype earlier this week to make this happen. We took the first 32 picks of the draft, including the first pick of the second round, and divided them up between the four of us. We acted as the general manager for those eight picks, selecting who we think each team should draft.

So without further ado, here are the results of the draft.

Los Angeles Rams logo1) Los Angeles Rams – Jared Goff, Quarterback, California
This pick was a no-brainer. In my opinion he is the best quarterback on the board, and the reason why the Rams traded up. -Mandel

Eagles Logo2) Philadelphia Eagles – Carson Wentz, Quarterback, North Dakota State
With the big trade up to number two, everyone is saying that the Eagles are taking whichever quarterback the Rams do not take. We shall see if Wentz is the starter from day one or if he rides the bench for a little while. -Venezia

Chargers logo3) San Diego Chargers – Jalen Ramsey, Cornerback, Florida State
At the third overall pick, the Chargers land the best prospect in the draft. Ramsey is listed as a corner but could easily play safety or a nickle linebacker from day one. That kind of versatility makes him the right pick for San Diego. -McGlynn

Cowboys logo4) Dallas Cowboys – Joey Bosa, Defensive End, Ohio State
I was deciding between Ezekiel Elliott and Bosa here, but I am convinced that any running back could do well behind this offensive line. So Dallas should wait until later and take the best defensive lineman on the board. -Luppino

Jaguars logo5) Jacksonville Jaguars – Deforest Buckner, Defensive Lineman, Oregon
Joey Bosa and Jalen Ramsey are both off the board and Myles Jack has injury concerns, so Buckner is the pick. He is the best all around D-lineman after Bosa. -Mandel

Ravens logo6) Baltimore Ravens – Laremy Tunsil, Offensive Tackle, Ole Miss
With Tunsil falling to the sixth pick, the Ravens have to take him. Baltimore’s offensive line has been rag tag for a while now. Tunsil should fix that problem. -Venezia

49ers Logo7) San Francisco 49ers – Ronnie Stanley, Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame
We get a mini run on tackles here. San Fran needs a quarterback of the future, but it is too early to take one here. Instead, they plan for the future when Joe Staley retires and grab the best player still on the board without any injury concerns. -McGlynn

Browns logo8) Cleveland Browns Pick: Myles Jack, Linebacker, UCLA
My draft board for Cleveland didn’t have its needs, but rather what it didn’t need (offensive tackle, guard, corner and tight end), so I will be picking best available player. And getting an athlete like Jack for the center of their defensive is great value. -Luppino

Buccaneers logo9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Vernon Hargreaves III, Cornerback Florida
The Bucs’ secondary is more barren then the Sahara Desert, and Hargreaves is clearly the best corner after Ramsey. He will slot in right away across from Brent Grimes. -Mandel

Giants Logo10) New York Giants – Jack Conklin, Offensive Tackle, Michigan State
The Giants have had so many injuries along offensive line over the last few years. They may address other issues with this pick, but I think an offensive lineman would be a safe add here. -Venezia

Bears logo11) Chicago Bears – Leonard Floyd, Outside Linebacker, Georgia
Chicago passes on Ezekiel Elliot with Jeremy Langford firmly in place and instead addresses the major issue it has at linebacker. John Fox will be intent on adding more playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.- McGlynn

Saints logo12) New Orleans Saints – Sheldon Rankins, Defensive Tackle, Louisville
This was the top player on my board for New Orleans, with a big need up front on the D-line. If they can shore up their pass rush, that abysmal secondary could see improvements. -Luppino

Dolphins logo13) Miami Dolphins – Shaq Lawson, Defensive End, Clemson
Although they just signed Mario Williams, Miami needs to look towards the future with their pass rush. Lawson looks like a steal at this range. -Mandel

Raiders logo14) Oakland Raiders – Jarran Reed, Defensive Lineman, Alabama
With Khalil Mack getting to the quarterback, the Raiders will get a good run stopper in Reed. This gives them a nice one-two punch on their defensive line. -Venezia

Titans logo15) Tennessee Titans – Taylor Decker, Offensive Tackle, Ohio State
The Titans acquired DeMarco Murray to pair with Marcus Mariota. Now they need someone to block for them. Decker can start on the right side while Taylor Lewan mans the left. Protecting the franchise quarterback should be a priority. -McGlynn

Lions Logo16) Detroit Lions – Laquon Treadwell, Wide Receiver, Ole Miss
Again, top player on my board for Detroit, who NEEDS to replace Megatron after he retired.  Treadwell is big and has great route running and footwork, so he could be another big body for Stafford to throw too. However, with him still on the board, I’m debating Ezekiel Elliott. -Luppino

Falcons logo17) Atlanta Falcons – Darren Lee, Outside Linebacker, Ohio State
It seems like every the Falcons are picking an edge rusher, but Lee is more than that. He has the potential to be an all around good linebacker, which is something Atlanta desperately needs. -Mandel

Colts logo18) Indianapolis Colts – Ezekiel Elliot, Running Back, Ohio State
The Colts have to take Elliot if he falls this far in the draft. Frank Gore did well enough this year but Father Time will come soon enough. -Venezia

Bills logo19) Buffalo Bills -Kevin Dodd, Defensive End, Clemson
Mario Williams left in free agency and Kyle Williams is coming off knee surgery. It is only a matter of time before Rex Ryan needs to find a new starter on the defensive line, so Buffalo stays ahead by drafting Dodd. -McGlynn

Jets logo20) New York Jets – Emmanuel Ogbah, Defensive End, Oklahoma State
I nearly got Paxton Lynch here, but I could see the Jets making trades here for him, or working to resign Ryan FitzMagic. So instead, let the Jets get the fastest defensive end in the draft and convert him to an outside linebacker, and he could be devastating. -Luppino

Washington made up logo21) Washington – Karl Joseph, Safety, West Virginia
By signing Josh Norman at corner, the Redskins need to look towards safety.  He is a bruiser and will make the secondary stronger. -Mandel

Texans logo22) Houston Texans – Josh Doctson, Wide Receiver, TCU
Doctson is a big wide receiver and even though he may be a bit raw, he will make an instant impact. If he can stretch the field well, DeAndre Hopkins will have some of the receiving weight taken off of his shoulders. -Venezia

Vikings logo23) Minnesota Vikings – Corey Coleman, Wide Receiver, Baylor
Coleman was an explosive scoring machine at Baylor and Minnesota needs some more offensive weapons to take the pressure off Adrian Peterson. I’m sure Teddy Bridgewater will enjoy having Coleman and Stefon Diggs running routes for him. -McGlynn

Bengals Logo24) Cincinnati Bengals – A’Shawn Robinson, Defensive Tackle, Alabama
The Bengals have a couple of needs here, like wide receiver next to AJ Green, but I think a defensive tackle to work behind or alongside Domata Peko until he retires fits the bill.  Coming from Alabama, however, he could be ready immediately, which makes this pick even better. -Luppino

Pittsburgh_Steelers logo25) Pittsburgh Steelers – Robert Nkemdiche, Defensive Tackle, Ole Miss
The Steelers need an upgrade at defensive and why not take a gamble at Nkemdiche. If any one can keep him on the track and allow him to show his potential, it is the Steelers. -Mandel

Seahawks logo26) Seattle Seahawks – Andrew Billings, Nose Tackle, Baylor
The Seahawks sure like building up their defense. Barring any drastic changes to earlier picks, I would expect the Seahawks to bolster their defensive line, even if they can’t get a plug and play starter. -Venezia

Packers logo27) Green Bay Packers – Reggie Ragland, Inside Linebacker, Alabama
If he is still on the board at 27, the Packers need to take Ragland. He would allow them to finally bump Clay Matthews back outside to rush the passer. He also has the ability to contribute as a rookie, and has the potential to develop into a three-down player. -McGlynn

Chiefs Logo28) Kansas City Chiefs – William Jackson III, Cornerback, Houston
If I’m Kansas City, I’m excited to see Jackson here, who clocked a 4.37 to lead all cornerbacks at the combine. When you have to face Derek Carr, Phillip Rivers, and the tandem of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders twice a year, you need a top secondary. -Luppino

Arizona_Cardnals_logo_(1994-2004)29) Arizona Cardinals – Ryan Kelly, Center, Alabama
There were still cornerbacks on the board, but the Cardinals also need an upgrade on the O-line. With Kelly, they have a nice pick that projects well to the future. -Mandel

Panthers logo30) Carolina Panthers – Eli Apple, Cornerback, Ohio State
After losing Josh Norman, the Panthers need some help at corner. Apple was the best available in this mock draft in my opinion, but Carolina could way some other options here to fill the spot. -Venezia

Denver_Broncos31) Denver Broncos- Paxton Lynch, Quarterback, Memphis
Obviously, if he stays on the board this long, someone will trade up to snag him. However, none of us really thought Lynch deserved to go before this point. He will take at least a year to develop and coming from such a different style at Memphis, I don’t know how well the transition to the NFL will go for him. -McGlynn

Browns logo32) (Round 2, Pick 1) Cleveland Browns – RB Derrick Henry, Alabama
This is still Cleveland, so plenty of room for curveballs.  Here, they need offense desperately, and the Heisman Trophy winner is on the board, but is he too much like Trent Richardson? Don’t be surprised if it’s a defensive lineman or center though. -Luppino

Bradford wants out of Philly

Chris McGlynn Football, Free Agency, NFL , , , , , ,

The Eagles are shocked that after trading up for the second overall pick to take a quarterback, signing Chase Daniel to a reasonably large contract for his stature and failing to pay him, Sam Bradford would like to leave Philadelphia.

Sam Bradford
Bradford threw 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2015.

Chip Kelly brought Bradford to the City of Brotherly love and now that Kelly is in San Francisco, the Eagles want to head in a different direction. Bradford is injury prone and did not have a great season last year. Yet for some reason they resigned him. Now he is demanding a trade.

For Bradford, this makes sense. He has no desire to be a back up or have a time clock set on how much longer he could stay with the team. He clearly doesn’t like the idea of having his replacement waiting in the wings. It doesn’t reflect very well on his personality, but you have to understand him wanting to skip town.

Let’s break down the teams that could try to negotiate a trade for Bradford.

New York Jets
Probability: High
Bradford is probably a step backwards from having Ryan Fitzpatrick, with the latter having played in the system last year and knowing the team, but Bradford would fill a need. If the Jets are unsuccessful in signing Fitzpatrick, trading for Bradford might be the next best option. Bradford would have the chance to compete with Geno Smith for the starting role. Bradford’s short contract also allows the Jets to move on from him fairly quickly. The likelihood is Bradford is no one’s long term solution at quarterback.

Chip_Kelly
The Eagles fired Kelly back in December.

San Francisco 49ers
Probability: Medium
Well, as I mentioned before, Bradford does have some ties to new San Francisco head coach Chip Kelly. The 49ers currently have a couple of quarterbacks on their roster, but rumor has it that Colin Kaepernick wants a change in scenery and Blaine Gabbert likely isn’t the quarterback San Francisco wants to invest its future in. Bringing in Bradford would give someone for Gabbert to compete with and allow the 49ers to move on from Kaepernick. Again, it does not solve the long term quarterback issue, but it certainly makes the present a bit better.

Denver Broncos
Probability: High
John Elway already traded for one Eagles quarterback this offseason, why not another? This trade probably won’t happen if only because Denver does not have the money or doesn’t want another Philly castoff, but from the standpoint of filling a need, it makes a lot of sense. Bradford could fit well into a run-heavy scheme and he would not be required to put up huge numbers with the defense he would have in Denver. The Broncos are a team that has a championship-caliber roster, minus the quarterback. Bradford might be just good enough to keep Denver’s hopes of repeating alive.

Drew_Brees
Brees’ cap hit for 2016 is $30 million, which is the largest of any player.

New Orleans Saints
Probability: Low
This one might sound a little bizarre, but hear me out. The Saints have Drew Brees under contract through this season and then he becomes a free agent. His cap figure is currently the highest in the NFL, so New Orleans would probably like to find a cheaper option. Enter Bradford in 2017. He spends a year on the bench, learning the system and the personnel before taking over as the starter. The Saints do have last year’s third round pick Garrett Grayson on the roster still, but if New Orleans isn’t sold on him, Bradford would be a good option. He would need to take a pay cut this year to make it work, but long term, this might be a good solution for Bradford.

Buffalo Bills
Probability: Low
These two teams already have a good relationship after working out a major deal last year to swap Kiko Alonso and LeSean McCoy. Maybe they will pull off another deal. No one is sure if Tyrod Taylor is the long term answer at quarterback. He and E.J Manuel are set to be free agents after next season. That could open the door again for a situation similar to what could happen in New Orleans. Bradford would be able to learn the system and compete with Taylor for the starting job. If he doesn’t get it, then he could take over the following season.

The NFL continues to hound Brady

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , , , ,

You know in the movies where there is a relationship that fails but one of the people involved continues to cling on, in hopes that maybe they could salvage something. It’s usually the guy and he usually has no way of fixing things or proving that he can make it work. Right now the NFL is that guy.

Tom_Brady
Brady led the Patriots the AFC Championship last season.

CNBC just tweeted that the U.S. Appeals Court reinstated Tom Brady’s 4-game suspension in relation to his involvement in Deflategate. You remember Deflategate, the only thing ESPN could talk about last summer where the New England Patriots were accused of cheating en route to a Super Bowl victory.

Just when we all thought it was finally coming to a close with the NFL Draft coming up. It would definitely be talked about as the Patriots forfeited their first round pick in the upcoming draft due to the allegations of Deflategate. After that, it seemed like we could all put it behind us. Clearly, that isn’t happening.

I have a feeling that the Patriots are not going to stand for this decision, and rightfully so. Because this, according to ESPN, was the ruling from the U.S. 2nd Circuit Appeals Court.

“We hold that the Commissioner properly exercised his broad discretion under the collective bargaining agreement and that his procedural rulings were properly grounded in that agreement and did not deprive Brady of fundamental fairness.”

Roger_Goodell
Goodell has maintained throughout the process that Brady deserved his suspension.

Well there you go. This all traces back to the one man that is single-handedly ruining the NFL. Roger Goodell once again wields his unchecked and disproportionate power.

What this means is not that Brady was guilty or that the NFL found some new evidence. It just means that Goodell has the power to do this. And that is a problem.

I’ve been saying for years that Roger Goodell needs to be replaced atop the NFL’s hierarchy. (I’ve also been saying the league needs to change its player discipline process since July). He is unreasonable and has let his power go to his head. However, this also shines a light on an organizational issue for the NFL.

The fact is, the court is right. Goodell has the power to make these kinds of sweeping, grandiose decisions. That needs to change. There has been talk for some time about the league taking the power of player punishment out of the commissioner’s hands and delegating it to a third party. That way, the league could avoid situations like this and the commissioner could focus more on the future endeavors of the league, rather than how much he can fine James Harrison in a given season.

So yes, Goodell still needs to go. If you need examples, see Rice, Ray or Hardy, Greg. Either one will demonstrate why Goodell is not fit to be running the league. But this is also an institutional problem, where the NFL has given one man entirely too much power. It is similar to FIFA with Sepp Blatter in the way that the NFL as an institution is thought of as solely Goodell. (For a fun article about those two clowns, click here).

As for Brady’s situation, did he cooperate as needed? Probably not. Does the NFL have the evidence necessary to suspend him for four games? Definitely not. At most, Brady should receive a fine for disorderly conduct. And then that should be the end of it. There is no reason that Jimmy Garappolo should be playing the first quarter of the season for New England.

Unfortunately, it seems like this nightmare just restarted. Only time will tell if this new ruling holds up. Maybe some good will come out of this. Maybe the league will finally realize the flaws in how it lets Goodell govern and begin limit his power. Fingers crossed on that one.

The Jets need to Resign Fitzpatrick

Chris McGlynn Football, Free Agency, NFL , ,

It’s time to give up the act and end the stalemate. The New York Jets need to suck up their pride and find a way to give Ryan Fitzpatrick a better offer than the one that they have laid out before him right now.

Ryan Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick played for the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans and Texans before joining the Jets.

Now it doesn’t need to be much more than what they have already offered, which is reportedly around $8 million a year for the next three years. Bumping up the offer to more of a middle ground number is something New York has to do.

There are a number of reason why. First and foremost, this guy just had one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. Fitzmagic broke the single season record for passing touchdowns and came close to the yardage record as well ranking second all in team history.

Fitz has his drawbacks for sure, in the number of interceptions he’s thrown, his rep as a journey man and his inability to come up big when the team needed him to in Week 17 against Buffalo last year, but the Jets have to look past all of that.

For the first time in a long time, Gang Green has a positive locker room vibe going. There is a lot of chemistry among this group of guys. That includes Fitzpatrick even though he isn’t officially under contract. Just Tuesday night, a video surfaced on Instagram of the bearded signal caller hanging out with Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Nick Mangold and Bryce Petty at Madison Square Garden for the Rangers and Penguins playoff game. That kind of comradery is not something that gets formed overnight.

In Fitz, the Jets would get a guy who clearly likes the talent he has around him and has a great relationship with his potential replacement in Petty. He has shown signs of wanting to mentor the former Baylor quarterback.

Many seem to have forgotten the uncertainty of the NFL draft, as fans and analysts peg the Jets to take any one of a number of quarterbacks in the first two rounds. However, drafting a rookie is a huge unknown and New York doesn’t exactly have the best track record for drafting quarterbacks. There is no guarantee that Fitzpatrick will replicate his production from last season, but he is much more of a sure thing than any rookie the Jets could draft.

And then if they want to entertain the laughable notion of signing another quarterback via free agency, New York kind of has slim pickings. Brian Hoyer reportedly visited yesterday, but he is just as much of a journeyman and his playoff performance against Kansas City was less than reassuring. There is always Johnny Manziel, or of course Matt Flynn. How about Tim Tebow? Point is, there isn’t a great plan B.

In a league where guys as average as Joe Flacco get paid $22 million a year, I don’t see why the Jets are so concerned with paying a guy who put up comparable stats about half of that. Upping the offer to around $11 million shouldn’t break the bank.

If Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles about making the playoffs and competing at a high level this season, they need to have the quarterback position solved. Geno Smith is not the answer and Petty is nowhere near ready right now. Especially with a difficult schedule, bringing back Fitzpatrick is the only way the Jets can hope to stay afloat this season.

Is Joe Flacco Overpaid?

Chris McGlynn Football, Free Agency, NFL ,

I’m back, and Ravens fans aren’t going to like me for this one.

I just don’t get it. I really don’t. I don’t usually like to take down athletes because I know that I could never be doing what they are doing on the field each week, but this one continues to be mind-boggling to me.

Joe Flacco
Flacco signed a three-year, $66.4 million extension during the 2016 offseason.

Joe Flacco continues to get paid among the top-five quarterbacks in the league and I really cannot figure out why. He enters the 2016 season as the highest-paid quarterback on average per season at over $22 million a year, having just signed a contract extension this offseason.

Yes, I know he made that incredible run during the 2012 playoffs to win the Super Bowl. And I know he always makes it to the playoffs, but is that really because of Flacco?

I don’t think Joe Flacco is a bad quarterback. I just don’t think is very good either. He is just kind of average with help from some great running games and defenses.

For starters, Flacco has never thrown for 4,000 yards in a single season. He came very close in his last full season, 2014, where he came up just 14 yards shy of the 4,000 mark. Looking at that season though, there were 11 quarterbacks that did hit the 4,000 yard plateau. Throwing for at least 4,000 yards is common place in the league now and Flacco failing to hit that mark is not a result of him not throwing the ball enough. A better indicator of his struggles is lackluster yard per attempt average. He only finished 13th among quarterbacks that threw at least 400 passes in 2014 and for his career has an average under seven. If he cannot hit these benchmarks, then it is hard to justify paying him more than any other quarterback in the league.

Flacco doesn’t throw many touchdowns either. In fact, only twice in his career has the Delaware product thrown for 25 or more in a single season. He has never hit 30 either, with his career-high sitting at 27. In an age where quarterbacks regularly throw 30-plus touchdowns in a given season, Flacco’s numbers once again come across as average at best.

His lack of scores is not because he is an overly cautious player either. Flacco has thrown double digit interceptions in each of his eight NFL seasons. That includes 22 in the 2013 season and 12 during his injury-shortened 2015 campaign, where he only played 10 games. His completion percentage leaves a lot to be desired as well. Flacco completes roughly 61 percent of his passes, a pretty typical figure for middle of the road quarterbacks in the NFL.

It’s not like Flacco can complain about being constantly under pressure or knocked around either. He had a rough year in 2013, taking 48 sacks, but over the course of his last 26 games (the 2014 and 2015 seasons) Flacco has only been sacked 37 times. For some reference, there were 10 NFL quarterbacks sacked more than that in just 2015 alone.

Joe_Flacco
Flacco is under contract with the Ravens until he is 37 years old. 

Baltimore has always been good about giving its quarterback tons of help too. During his first four seasons in the NFL, Flacco had a top 10 scoring and yardage defense to rely on, often with that group ranking in the top three. He also can’t carry the team on his own. 2013 was Flacco’s worst statistical season and it was the only one where he played the whole year and did not have a ground game that ranked in the top half of the league.

On top of all of this is the fact that Flacco is coming off a torn ACL and MCL. That is a major knee injury at the age of 31 for a team to decide to invest in him long term. The Ravens have him locked up until 2022 despite the injury concerns.

Breaking Flacco down even further, over the course of his career, he has thrown for about 232 yards per game, while averaging about 1.4 touchdowns and 0.86 interceptions per game. Those numbers are very comparable to Ryan Tannehill, whom many view as the definition of an average quarterback. NFL franchises seem more than willing nowadays to pay top dollar for average quarterback play.

Joe Flacco has had a ton of success, including a Super Bowl ring. No one can take that away from him. However, he does not deserve to be one of the top paid players in the world of professional sports. If you ask me, he is just an average Joe.