GM Jr. mock draft has some surprises
Mike Tanier told us about Russ Lande's terrific, albeit largely unknown outside of the inner-ranks, scouting reports. Lande's info is top notch, well-informed and whips just about anything from any of the usual pundits.
I noticed Lande's latest mock draft has two very important predictions for Colts fans.
First, Lande predicts that the trend of coveted nose tackles rising into the first round will continue. While many others have Washington's Alameda Ta'amu going somewhere in the second or third rounds Lande believes teams will get the jitters and pick him in the top 20. I would not be surprised in the least to see Ta'amu end up in the first round. He's the best nose tackle out there and teams always make a run on zero-technique guys.
Second, Lande sees more wide receivers going in the first round than most of his counterparts. We all know this is a pretty deep draft for wideouts but the number of teams seeking playmakers is likewise pretty sizable. Due to the run on receivers in Lande's mock draft Stanford tight end Coby Fleener falls out of the first round. That's a stretch in my opinion as Fleener had a terrific pro day. Lande's predictions however are quite plausible and Colts fans (and Andrew Luck) would be thrilled to see Fleener in speed blue.
Hold on to your hats folks! It's going to be a fun finish.
I had posted a mock on the .com forum earlier with no O-line, no safeties and no RBs, and I feel it might be the case when it is all said and done. I think we have the O-line bodies we need, so I am taking a different approach.
No.1 - Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford, 6'4", 234
No.2 - Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama, 5'10", 193
No.3 - Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State, 6'4", 220, 4.45 speed
No.4 - Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati, 6'5", 295, perfect for 3-4 DE
No.5 - Hebron Fangupo, DT, BYU (transfer from USC), 6'1", 323, BYU plays a 3-4 and he has played 3-4 NT and 3-4 DE, versatile, BYU allowed one, I repeat, one 100 yard rusher between Oct. 2010 and Dec. 2011 and he was in the middle when it all happened, IMPRESSIVE!!!
No.5 (comp. pick for Session) - James Hanna, TE, Oklahoma, 6'4", 252, 4.49 speed
No.6 (swapped pick with Eagles) - Chris Owusu, WR, Stanford, 6'0", 196, 4.36 speed
No.6 (comp. pick for CJ) - Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona (5'10", 192, 4.59 speed) - dont let the speed fool you, he was as fluid as anyone you would see in his CB drills at the combine
No.7 (sleeper pick) - Miles Burris, OLB, San Diego State, 6'2", 246, 4.73 speed - great motor and hustle, always around the ball Burris picked up his second consecutive first-team all-Mountain West selection, the first San Diego State linebacker to accomplish the feat since All-American Kirk Morrison did so from 2002-04. The senior leads the Aztecs in tackles (72), tackles for loss (19.0), sacks (8.0) and fumble recoveries (3). He ranks eighth in the country in tackles for a loss (1.58/g), tied for 19th in fumble recoveries (0.25/g) and tied for 32nd in sacks (0.67/g). Burris has at least 0.5 tackles for a loss in 18 of the past 19 games.
No.7 (Mr.Irrelevant) - Beau Reliford, TE, Florida State, 6'5", 256, 4.72 speed, good blocking TE
@chad72 no chance in hell the colts would take jenkins. jenkins wont be on their draft board. period
Stephen Hill, WR of Georgia Tech. is my dark horse pick at No.34 if Fleener, Jenkins, Kendall Wright are all gone. I'd rather take a flyer on him than Alshon Jeffery. I personally feel Alameda Ta'amu will be a reach at No.34 because of his weight issues and his lack of lateral quickness making him very one dimensional, just a gap plugger for 2 downs that will be gassed if a team goes no huddle on us.
I believe Janoris Jenkins will drop due to the rise of Stephen Gilmore. So, he will be there at No.34 for us. I personally would not mind Coby Fleener at all. Another thing to notice about Bruce Arians' WRs, they are more speed than size, so we may see one of the Arkansas WRs drafted. Mike Wallace (6'0", 199), Antonio Brown (5'11", 186), Emmanuel Sanders (5'11", 180) are all 6'0" or less. Donnie Avery is 5'11", 183 with more speed than size. Jerrico Cotchery, acquired for the slot is 6'1", 200 and Austin Collie is 6'0", 200.
Just saying. I am thinking Kendall Wright of Baylor and Chris Givens of Wake Forest, plus those Arkansas WRs will probably be high on Arians' list for the offense.
Most of the FA signings so far have been on the offensive side of the ball. Making me think the FO is trying to pull in knowledgable veterans to help support the rookie QB. Looking at the projected starters and the fact of having a defensive minded coach makes it hard for me to predict that they won't go w/ CB or DL in the second. The lack of overall talent is also glaring so BPA is in affect, its going to be interesting to see what the FO has in mind.
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I would be very excited to see it fall like this and the Colts get a legitimate shot at Fleener. Perhaps I'm underestimating the value of a good NT for Pagano, however.
