King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 (edited) "They told us they didn't like vanilla, so we went to chocolate. They told us, 'We're digging the chocolate right now', so we're going to stick with it and I think that's the exciting part." -Triple H In the interest of giving you guys something different to read, I'm not going to take a DT named Taven Bryan at 26 and then go on about my day. Last time around I stayed at our current picks and made the best moves (in my opinion) for our current roster. This time around I"m going to get a little more creative and take advantage of the class a bit more, while also taking into account the moves we've made this week in Free Agency. Unlike last time, I'll also include an updated depth chart at the end just so you can see how we've rounded things out. As always, I hope you enjoy reading, don't take things too seriously, and I look forward to all questions, comments, and concerns. This draft will make a few assumptions, which will be obvious on the depth chart below. These are a couple of moves that I think will happen between now and the draft. CUT - QB Matt Schaub - This move makes too much sense not to happen. Schaub is old and expensive, and it's time to explore other options. SIGN - LB Kemal Ishmael - Ish hasn't found a new home and he's more valuable to us than we sometimes realize. **TRADE ALERT** - Atlanta trades Pick 26 to the Denver Broncos. With the 26th Pick, the Broncos select Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville. The Reason: Trading ahead of New Orleans will be necessary for any team that wants to nab the final of the five first round signal callers this year. Denver has acquired some extra ammo and won't be afraid to move back up into the first to land the Heisman Trophy winner. Elway has already stated that he thinks Jackson can succeed at QB in the NFL, provided he's in the right situation. Not only does Denver have a strong defense, but Case Keenum is signed for just two years - providing ample time for Jackson's development. The Deal: DEN Receives: Round 1 - Pick 26 ATL Receives: Round 2 - Pick 40, Round 5 - Pick 163, 2019 2nd Round Pick The Impact: Denver gives Atlanta back the Ty Sambrailo pick and a 2nd rounder next year in exchange for Jackson who will take over as Denver's franchise QB once the short-term Keenum stint is over. Round 2, Pick 40 - Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida Height: 5'10” Weight: 189 lbs. So we can all agree that the Jalen Collins experiment didn't work out in our favor, yes? That doesn't mean that it was a bad pick, just that the plan didn't work out. It happens. The former Tar Heel transferred after some off-the-field issues (including an assault charge that lead to a suspension) and ended up winning a National Championship in 2017 with UFC. Hughes is a very talented corner with good speed, agility, size, and feet. He also displays tremendous ball skills that leads to both picks and PBUs. Once the ball in his hands he becomes quite dangerous, as he scored returning both punts and kicks in college. The interviews will play a massive role in where he inevitably lands, but his flexibility would make me overlook the troubles of his past. Round 2, Pick 58 - Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame Height: 6'5” Weight: 213 lbs. Quite the popular pick from my last mock, I've decided to keep ESB in this edition just because I'm that high on the kid. Just to recap, this is a 6-foot-5 receiver who ran a legitimate sub-4.5 40 at the combine. This is the closest thing to a Julio understudy that we're going to find. His size and speed combination is lacking everywhere else on this team, and on our 3WR sets where we move Julio to the slot, this will give us another corner-abusing weapon to put on the field. I have incredibly high hopes for this player - provided he isn't playing more than one game in Louisiana every season. Round 3, Pick 90 - Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech Height: 6’3” Weight: 335 lbs. While the NC State product BJ Hill has seen his stock recently climb from day three steal into early day 2 consideration, other names will slip as a result. One of those names appears to be Tim Settle, who appears to be an inexperienced mix of Dontari Poe and Vince Wilfork. He's been known to carry some bad weight but has responded well to coach criticism and could be held accountable through incentives like Poe and Lacy have in recent years. Settle is agile for his size and quick to the punch, making him a force on the inside - especially in short yardage situations where the dogfight is in the neutral zone. Settle will still have some tough lessons to learn in the NFL but does have Day 1 starting potential in Atlanta as a big-bodied disruptor. Round 4, Pick 126 - Chad Thomas, DE, Miami Height: 6'6" Weight: 275 lbs. This pick will either boom or bust, and it all depends on how Thomas reacts to the coaching he'll receive at the NFL level. He's got the right body type, athleticism, and potential to be great but there are concerns about football things (such as hand usage) as well as motivation/commitment issues that will impact him as a pro. Thomas is smart and extremely gifted musically, but definitely belongs on the gridiron. Finding a coaching staff that can keep him focused on improving as a player will be paramount for his success, which could come in spades if he really takes that next step. Round 5, Pick 163 - Derrick Nnadi, DT, Florida State Height: 6'1" Weight: 317 lbs. Ah, there's the double dip. Atlanta seems to have a few capable UT's on the roster with guys like Jarrett, Crawford, and even Shelby at times; but are severely lacking on the beefier side and this draft could see us replace the size that Poe and Rubin brought with two rookies. Nnadi is an interesting prospect that scouts either love or hate, and teams are probably split on him as well. He's been compared to Javon Hargrave (a favorite of many around here) for his power, unrelenting motor, and hand usage. He's known for his disruption and block-shedding ability, but isn't a strong run defender for being listed as a NT. Undersized for a Nose and not a good anchor for a 3-4 End, Nnadi will be drafted by a team that plans on utilizing his ability to fight upfield in a hurry and cause pass plays to bust before they can develop. In those situations he would be a very good pairing with Jarrett to really collapse the middle and force the pocket to move. Round 6, Pick 200 - Ja'von Rolland-Jones, LB, Arkansas State Height: 6’2” Weight: 244 lbs. This is the ultimate battle of production vs. competition. Rolland-Jones is the most productive pass rusher in FBS history, but coming out of the Sun Belt brings a lot of questions about the level of talent regarding the OT's he was going against. In the NFL he will have to prove himself as a reserve linebacker first before earning a higher number of snaps, but I think if we use him in a rush-heavy SAM role he can really shine while also contributing on special teams. Round 7, Pick 244 - Nick Bawden, FB, San Diego State Height: 6’1” Weight: 244 lbs. This is going to be another carried over pick from my other mock, simply because we need a FB and everyone else seems to use Flowers. Bawden comes from a highly-productive rushing offense and you have to think he was partly responsible for their success. Whether it be springing the necessary block for Penny to make a big gain or catching a pass out of the backfield, Bawden is the DiMarco-reminiscent FB that we've been needing since he signed with Buffalo and left us to use the inept Derrick Coleman. Round 7, Pick 256 - Riley Ferguson, QB, Memphis Height: 6'3" Weight: 212 lbs. Making a QB that would otherwise go undrafted Mr. Irrelevant isn't unheard of, is it Chad Kelly? Ferguson has good physical tools but needs to work on his body type and mental aspects to truly be in a position to succeed. An offense that will utilize rollouts to open deep and intermediate throwing lanes will really take advantage of his skillset, and it's possible that he'll find that here in Atlanta. The addition of Greg Knapp will really help a young QB like Ferg grow into a capable NFL backup, but I doubt he'll ever be much more than that. Roster (53): Offense (26) QB: Matt Ryan, Garrett Grayson RB: Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, Terron Ward FB: Nick Bawden WR1: Julio Jones, Marvin Hall WR2: Mohamed Sanu, Nick Williams WR3: Equanimeous St. Brown, Justin Hardy TE: Austin Hooper, Eric Saubert, Logan Paulsen LT: Jake Matthews, Ty Sambrailo LG: Andy Levitre, Sean Harlow OC: Alex Mack, Ben Garland RG: Brandon Fusco, Wes Schweitzer RT: Ryan Schraeder, Austin Pasztor Defense (24) DE: Vic Beasley, Derrick Shelby, Chad Thomas DT: Grady Jarrett, Jack Crawford DT: Tim Settle, Derrick Nnadi DE: Takk McKinley, Brooks Reed SLB: Duke Riley, Javon Rolland-Jones MLB: Deion Jones, LaRoy Reynolds WLB: DeVondre Campbell, Kemal Ishmael CB: Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Mike Hughes, Brian Poole, Blidi Wreh-Wilson SS: Keanu Neal, Sharrod Neasman FS: Ricardo Allen, Demontae Kazee Special Teams (3) K: Matt Bryant P: Matt Bosher LS: Josh Harris One Final Note: This is becoming an epidemic that I think needs to be addressed. A lot of users browse these topics on their phones, which is admittedly a lot of scrolling. I'd like to pay respect to those committed readers and so I ask that you please do not quote the OP when replying to the mock, as it makes for a very unpleasant mobile experience. Edited March 28, 2018 by King Jigsaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Falcon Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Where da chocolate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 1 minute ago, Flying Falcon said: Where da chocolate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Falcon Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Just now, King Jigsaw said: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quotemokc Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 I really don't think Jackson will go that late. If Denver wanted him above the other QBs they would be more likely to trade down to 12 or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 2 minutes ago, quotemokc said: I really don't think Jackson will go that late. If Denver wanted him above the other QBs they would be more likely to trade down to 12 or whatever. I definitely disagree. There are plenty of teams that either aren't looking for QBs or don't think Jackson is worthy of a top pick. Denver is almost guaranteed that one or both of Quentin Nelson and Bradley Chubb are there at Pick 5. They won't pass out on one of the top 3 players in this draft (the third being Saquon Barkley). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcanuck Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Trevor Siemian is on the Minnesota Vikings fyi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 1 minute ago, Falcanuck said: Trevor Siemian is on the Minnesota Vikings fyi Crap. I missed that. Fix in progress. Thanks for the catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Like the trade down Jiggy....but not too crazy about your draft picks. Give me Harrison Phillips with that #40 pick and maybe your draft starts to make more sense to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 1 minute ago, Vandy said: Like the trade down Jiggy....but not crazy about your draft picks. Give me Harrison Phillips with that #40 pick and maybe your draft starts to make more sense to me. Always appreciate your insight, but actually not a fan of Phillips. I don't think his game translates that well and teams will have trouble finding him a position that he's right for. He's not a strong enough anchor to play as a 3-4 end or a 4-3 nose, but I don't see him as being athletic enough to be an UT in a 4-3 either. Don't think he fits what DQ looks for at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 6 hours ago, King Jigsaw said: Always appreciate your insight, but actually not a fan of Phillips. I don't think his game translates that well and teams will have trouble finding him a position that he's right for. He's not a strong enough anchor to play as a 3-4 end or a 4-3 nose, but I don't see him as being athletic enough to be an UT in a 4-3 either. Don't think he fits what DQ looks for at all. I somewhat agree my man, but I don’t see settle as that guy either. And unless we sign a Free agent like Logan...which may still happen....DT is too big a hole to wait until Rd 3. As you know, the guy who fits the DQ profile more than any other DL in this draft is Taven Bryan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 Just now, Vandy said: I somewhat agree, but I don’t see settle as that guy either. And unless we sign a Free agent like Logan...which may still happen....DT is too big a hole to wait until Rd 3. the guy who fits the DQ profile more than any other DL in this draft is Taven Bryan. Yeah, and I obviously like Bryan a lot having him as my first round pick a week ago. I can't just keep posting mocks that give you Taven Bryan, Kalen Ballage, etc. every time. Racking up likes isn't the objective, my friend! Just wanted to take a different approach. Settle is a run stuffer and Nnadi is better against the pass so we can use them both and keep the d-line fresh. That was my take on the matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonDeion Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Like the trade down but CB is wayyy down on list of needs. Poole could be upgraded but that guy might already be on the roster (Kazee). At #40 I’d much prefer TE or DT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaigle Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Well at least you did say re-sign Ishmael BUT you have 4 other players on your roster not yet re-signed Ward, N. Williams, Reynolds, Neasman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great American Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 I know you've done your research but compensation for 1st rounder seems off a tad. If I'm GM I might be persuaded with a box of Lindor truffles to sweeten the deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 2 minutes ago, delaigle said: Well at least you did say re-sign Ishmael BUT you have 4 other players on your roster not yet re-signed Ward, N. Williams, Reynolds, Neasman Those are the kinds of players that get brought back for camp because they can't find homes elsewhere. They're more valuable to Atlanta than other teams so they come back because it's their best chance to make a roster. There's also no telling who would be coming in as UDFAs to compete for those spots so I throw them on the depth chart to fill it out. It's far from official, just to give you an idea of what the final 53 /could/ look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 7 minutes ago, NeonDeion said: Like the trade down but CB is wayyy down on list of needs. Poole could be upgraded but that guy might already be on the roster (Kazee). At #40 I’d much prefer TE or DT I still think Kazee will be our FS of the future and the talk of him moving to Nickle is just to get him on the field more while we figure out what we're doing with Allen. Poole didn't seem nearly as good last year as the year before just on the eyeball test (I have no stats to back that claim up.) so I think it makes sense to continue investing in the secondary. It's kind of a trademark of our defense. The only TE that might be there/worthy of that pick is Hayden Hurst and I'm just not really on the TE train right now. Hooper is still our 1, Paulsen is our blocking specialist and Saubert should take a leap in his second year as our Joker. So if Gesicki and Goedert are both gone then I'm meh on the position and completely content rolling into the season with three guys we already have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 4 minutes ago, The Great American said: I know you've done your research but compensation for 1st rounder seems off a tad. If I'm GM I might be persuaded with a box of Lindor truffles to sweeten the deal. The Falcons very rarely move back, and they aren't the 'grab them by the balls' type in deals anyway. I think picking up a 5th this year and a 2nd next year is perfectly fine when moving back just to 40. I know I'd certainly be happy with it, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E. T. Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 I liked how you released Schaub, freeing us from that chokecollar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summerhill Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 (edited) I particularly like how you're addressing 2019 needs right now but in my limited research I don't know that all those players could be expected to be available where you're picking them, particularly Hughes who could go in the very end of the 1st and Nnadi who I could see going in the 4th. Edited March 28, 2018 by Summerhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 5 minutes ago, Summerhill said: I particularly like how you're addressing 2019 needs right now but in my limited research I don't know that all those players could be expected to be available where you're picking them, particularly Hughes who could go in the very end of the 1st and Nnadi who I could see going in the 4th. I try not to rely on any one site when defining 'available' at our picks. A lot of times I find a player and I pull up rankings and also three to five mocks and determine a consensus on whether they fit that range. Truth be told we never really know when these guys get picked and that's the beauty of it, I do put quite a bit of effort into making sure I'm not going too out of the way of realism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTrue7 Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Stopped reading at “winning a National Championship in 2017 with UFC. “ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookAboutFalcon Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Gonna have to pass on this one, nice change up from the usual tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jigsaw Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 2 minutes ago, LookAboutFalcon said: Gonna have to pass on this one, nice change up from the usual tho. Fair enough, my friend. Like I said, just trying to do something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiler11 Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Tim Settle is everything DQ looks for in a prospect, slow, soft, lethargic and uncompetitive. It's almost guaranteed we take him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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