NFL Draft 2017: Stephen Reed’s Mock Draft Vol. 3

Here I come with Vol. 3 of the mock draft. This time I threw in some trades just for fun and added my thoughts on other players I would consider for the remaining Colts picks. Enjoy.

Round 1

1. Cleveland: Myles Garrett - OLB - Texas A&M - The best player in the draft at a position of need for Cleveland.
2. San Francisco: Soloman Thomas - DE - Stanford - Thomas could become the stud Edge player SF has been lacking since Aldon Smith had his issues.
3. Chicago: Jamal Adams - S - LSU - Chicago needs to upgrade their secondary although taking a SS this early could be tough to swallow.
4. Jacksonville: Jonathan Allen - DT - Alabama - This is a solid pick for Jacksonville. It upgrades a position of need but concerns with Allen’s shoulders may be valid.
5. TRADE - Tennessee trades pick 5 to Cleveland for picks 12, 52 and a 2018 R3 - Cleveland: Mitch Trubisky - QB - North Carolina - I can see Cleveland panicking to get ahead of the Jets who have shown a marked interest in Trubisky. The Browns have the draft capital to make the move if they really believe him to be the QB of the future.
6. NY Jets: Marcus Lattimore - CB - Ohio St - The Jets need upgrades all over. Lattimore is a solid start.
7. LA Chargers: Malik Hooker - S - Ohio St - Hooker immediately upgrades the Chargers secondary.
8. Carolina: Christian McCaffrey - RB - Stanford - I keep seeing McCaffrey being the target for Carolina. Again, I don’t like him this high but who knows?
9. Cincinnati: Corey Davis - WR - Western Michigan - The Bengals make an upgrade across from AJ Green.
10. Buffalo: Mike Williams - WR - Clemson - Buffalo is a bit of an enigma, they can go so many direction but upgrading their receivers should be a priority.
11. New Orleans: Derek Barnett - DE - Tennessee - New Orleans needs to upgrade their pass rush.
12. TRADE - Tennessee: Reuben Foster - ILB - Alabama - Tennessee drops back, gets some extra picks and had a top talent fall into their laps. I doubt the diluted sample drops Foster’s stock too much but who knows?
13. Arizona: Patrick Mahomes - QB - Texas Tech - Arians would love to get a QB to train for a year under Palmer.
14. Philadelphia: Leonard Fournette - RB - LSU - Philly takes advantage of Fournette’s fall. They could also go with Gareon Conley here and it would make total sense.
15. TRADE - Indianapolis trades picks 15 and 2018 R5 pick to NY Giants for picks 23 and 55 - NY Giants: Ryan Ramczyk - OT - Wisconsin - Ballard has been vocal about acquiring more picks. This could also be for a 3rd and a 5th round pick as well. The Giants make this move to get in front of Baltimore, Denver and Miami to get the LT they covet.
16. TRADE - Baltimore trades pick 16 to Detroit for picks 21 and 85 - Detroit: John Ross - WR - Washington - Detroit makes this move to get in front of Tennessee, who is in need of a WR. Baltimore is always looking to acquire more picks.
17. Washington: Haason Reddick - ILB - Temple - Reddick is so versatile and everything I hear is Washington loves him. Let me rephrase, Scot McCloughan loved Reddick and Bruce Allen is going to try to take all the credit for McCloughan’s hard work.
18. Tennessee: Gareon Conley - CB - Ohio St - Tennessee takes what could end up being the best CB in this draft.
19. Tampa Bay: Dalvin Cook - RB - Florida St - Tampa seems unsettled about Doug Martin so reuniting Cook with Jameis makes sense.
20. Denver: O.J. Howard - TE - Alabama - Denver could go OL here but Howard is just too good of a talent to pass up.
21. TRADE - Baltimore: Garett Bolles - OT - Utah - Baltimore snags a top OL after acquiring more picks.
22. Miami: Forrest Lamp - OG - Western Kentucky - Miami needs to solidify the interior of their OL. Lamp does this.
23. TRADE: Indianapolis: Kevin King - CB - Washington - This CB class is so deep. King is one of the better fits for Chuck Pagano’s defense. He’s an athletic freak, which Ballard seems to like. He’s long and competes for the ball in the air to cause turnovers. His 3-cone drill time was crazy fast and shows in his ability to mirror receivers. Overall, King could end up being the next Richard Sherman with a little more upside.
24. Oakland: Takk McKinley - OLB - UCLA - Takk could slip a bit due to injuries but he could be a solid pro.
25. Houston: Deshaun Watson - QB - Clemson - Houston needs a QB so, so badly. This pick makes sense.
26. Seattle: Malik McDowell - DE - Michigan St - This seems like such a Seattle pick. A high ceiling guy who needs some motivation.
27. Kansas City: Marlon Humphrey - CB - Alabama - Humphrey fits what KC looks for in CBs.
28. Dallas: Taco Charlton - DE - Michigan - Dallas needs to improve their defensive line.
29. Green Bay: Cam Robinson - OT - Alabama - Green Bay upgrades their OL to keep Rodgers a bit safer.
30. Pittsburgh: Charles Harris - LB - Mizzou - Harris could go top 10, he could fall to the end of Round 1. He’s a solid rusher though with a great counter.
31. Atlanta: Dan Feeney - OG - Indiana - This pick could go any number of directions. Feeney immediately upgrades the Falcons interior OL.
32. New Orleans: Tre’Davious White - CB - LSU - The Saints need to upgrade their defense, which is what we’ve all been saying for like 5 years.

Round 2

1. CLE: Obi Melifonwu - S - UConn
2. SF: Deshone Kizer - QB - Notre Dame
3. JAX: David Njoku - TE - Miami
4. CHI: Evan Engram - TE - Ole Miss
5. LAR: Quincy Wilson - CB - Florida
6. LAC: T.J. Watt - OLB - Wisconsin
7. NYJ: Davis Webb - QB - California
8. CAR: Carl Lawson - DE - Clemson
9. CIN: Taylor Moton - OG - Western Michigan
10. NO: Curtis Samuel - WR - Ohio St
11. PHI: Chidobe Awuzie - CB - Colorado
12. BUF: Zach Cunningham - ILB - Vanderbilt
13. ARI: Jabrill Peppers - S - Michigan
14. IND: Joe Mixon - RB - Oklahoma - I keep coming back to this pick for the Colts. It makes so much sense from a football standpoint. The off-field concerns are obviously there but from what everyone at Oklahoma has said, he’s not the guy from that video. The apology and settlement don’t mean much to me personally because I’m a cynic. However, if Ballard takes Mixon, Ballard and Jim Irsay show they are comfortable with the man he is now and not who he was as an 18 year old. Oh yeah, on the field analysis, this guy is a beast and could easily be the top RB in this class. He’s got patience to wait for holes to open then accelerates through. He’s got solid hands and can be an every down RB.
15. BAL: Zay Jones - WR - East Carolina
16. MIN: Chris Wormley - DT - Michigan
17. WAS: Budda Baker - S - Washington
18. TB: Marcus Williams - S - Utah
19. DEN: Tyus Bowser - OLB - Houston
20. TRADE - TEN: Cooper Kupp - WR - Eastern Washington
21. DET: Teez Tabor - CB - Florida
22. MIA: Antonio Garcia - OG - Troy
23. TRADE - IND: Derek Rivers - OLB - Youngstown State - Rivers is an incredible pass rushing prospect that may go earlier in Round 2. However, in this mock, he fell the Colts second pick in Round 2 after a savvy trade with the Giants. Rivers wins in a number of ways and he’s got a great first step, a relentless motor, and a swift counter. He had limited work against top competition but player very well in those games and consistently dominated at his level, which goes to his how hard he works. This would be an ideal pick for the Colts.
24. OAK: Adoree Jackson - CB - USC
25. HOU: Dion Dawkins - OL - Temple
26. SEA: Cordrea Tankersley - CB - Clemson
27. KC: Jarrad Davis - LB - Florida
28. DAL: Raekwon McMillian - ILB - Ohio St
29. GB: Alvin Kamara - RB - Tennessee
30. PIT: Desmond King - CB - Iowa
31. ATL: Jordan Willis - DE - Kansas St
32. CAR: Carlos Henderson - WR - Louisiana Tech

Remaining Colts Picks

80. Sidney Jones - CB - Washington - Yes, I’m double dipping on Washington CBs. Jones may miss some time early on but he could fall into Round 3. No one really knows how NFL teams will evaluate his Achilles injury. I’d love this pick in Round 3 and would consider Jones in Round 2 based on his ability pre-injury. This being the last year of Vontae Davis’s contract, it makes sense to add another potential cover CB semi-early.

122. Isaac Asiata - OG - Utah - Asiata could step in and immediately compete at the RG position for the Colts. He’s got solid feet to mirror in pass protection and can be a mauler in the running game. This would be another “increase competition” pick for Ballard.

137. Vince Biegel - OLB - Wisconsin - Between Biegel and overhyped TJ Watt, Biegel was the more consistent OLB for Wisconsin on film. He has a relentless motor and flies to the ball. He’s got some coverage issues but as a pass rushing OLB, he would be an upgrade on the current roster.

144. John Johnson - S - Boston College - Johnson is a solid coverage safety and a willing tackler. He’s played all over the secondary making stops at CB, FS and SS so he’s versatile. He does need to work on several aspects of his game but if corrected, he could be a steal. He’ll also be a solid special teams contributor, which is something Ballard likes.

158. Jeremy Sprinkle - TE - Arkansas - Sprinkle looks the part of a Chuck Pagano-style TE. He’s an able receiver with solid hands. As a blocker though, he can be a step late. If the Colts utilize him as more of a chip blocker, that would mask his deficiencies. As a Round 5 flyer, Sprinkle is worth a shot.

As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter.