Final April Mock

[John Hammonds]

You'll see familiar names here as in my other mocks.  What can I say?  If I like a guy, I like a guy.  This mock is not about finding the best player for the pick presented, but rather, choosing My Guys -- guys I like, at the best place I can find them.  "I'm not looking for the best players; I'm looking for the right ones." -- Kirt Russell as Herb Brooks, 'Miracle'

 

First thing:  Colts trade back with the Browns, giving them the 21st pick for their 26th pick and 89th pick (3rd round)

 

1/26  Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame  6-6 302#

DraftNetwork rank 36 DraftTek rank 65 CBS rank 109 Tankathon rank 37 Lindy's rank 1st round

Yes, it's a reach to take him at 26.  But there's nobody else more plug-and-play ready to start on day one.  I've liked him from the beginning.

2/54  Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn St  6-5 258#

DraftNetwork rank 43 DraftTek rank 54 CBS rank 69 Tankathon rank 56 Lindy's rank 1st round

Irsay wants an big upgrade at the TE position.  Freiermuth had a breakout season in 2019 with 507 yards and 7 TD's, but 2020 was marred by an injury that cut his time to four games.

3/89  Patrick Jones II, DE, Pitt  6-5 260#

DraftNetwork rank 122 DraftTek rank 87 CBS rank 89 Tankathon rank 77 Lindy's rank 2nd to 3rd round

In 2019 he got 8.5 sacks with 11.5 tackles for loss.  In 2020 he got 9 sacks with 12.5 tackles for loss.  Productive but not polished.  Can get streaky, and needs a rotation to keep him from wearing out.

4/127  Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina  6-4 205#

DraftNetwork rank 94 DraftTek rank 115 CBS rank 158 Lindy's rank 4th to 5th round

Very big man for a corner.  Prototype play style for Tampa-2 defense.  4 INT's in 2019, but turnovers aren't the biggest part of his game.  (Get it?  Biggest?)

5/165  Alaric Jackson, OT, Iowa  6-6 315#

DraftNetwork rank 354 DraftTek rank 194 CBS rank 166 Lindy's rank 2nd to 3rd round

Started 42 games at Left Tackle.  Knee injury in early 2020.  Powerful punch and knock-back. Quick to second level.  Graduate-level awareness.

6/206  Simi Fehoko, WR, Stanford  6-4 227#

DraftNetwork rank 194 DraftTek rank 289 CBS rank 225 Lindy's rank 5th round

Ran a 4.37 40 time this offseason.  Yes, you saw that right.  Averaged 500 yards receiving the past two seasons.  Matchup nightmare that could play Big WR or H-Back TE.

7/248  Kendrick Green, OG, Illinois  6-4 315#

DraftNetwork rank 290 DraftTek rank 272 CBS rank 191 Lindy's rank 3rd to 4th round

Rare bright spot on bad Illini team.  First team all-conference.  Converted from DT. High character.

[John Hammonds]

Thanks for the edit @Shive!  I fat-fingered his 40 time.

[Shive]

6 hours ago, John Hammonds said:

Thanks for the edit @Shive!  I fat-fingered his 40 time.

Coupled with your comment afterwards, I was like "3.37 is inhuman, so I should probably correct that for him." 

[NewColtsFan]

 

John......

 

If you like doing these,  I don't see the reason to make your "Final April Mock" on April 3?

 

There's going to be plenty of new and updated info in the next 3 and a half weeks.    Why not do another the week of the draft.  

 

I saw this to all the posters who start talking about their "final" mock at this point.    If you like doing them,  there's no reason to stop now.    Keep going!

 

[John Hammonds]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

John......

 

If you like doing these,  I don't see the reason to make your "Final April Mock" on April 3?

 

There's going to be plenty of new and updated info in the next 3 and a half weeks.    Why not do another the week of the draft.  

 

I saw this to all the posters who start talking about their "final" mock at this point.    If you like doing them,  there's no reason to stop now.    Keep going!

 

Howdy, NCF!  Nice to see you stopping by.  I can only assume that you are recommending for me to do more mocks is because you enjoy so much reading my material.  Ha ha!  Ok, jokes aside.

I called it my "last" mock because I just don't see myself really making any changes over the next three week to what I have.

But, just in case you're interested, here's some commentary on the changes I made from my previous mock, and the thoughts behind them.

The biggest change is my removal of Jaelen Phillips from the mock entirely.  After watching film, and reading so much stuff, I finally came to the same conclusion you did: He's just not worth it.  The risk is too great.  We can't afford another high draft pick going bad because of injuries.

So, if we're out of the running for the Big Three in the DE department, what happens to our 2nd round pick?  Freiermuth has always been on my radar.  But like you, I had felt that he would come off the board somewhere between 21 and 54, and we wouldn't get a chance at him.  Also, TE wasn't the position of biggest need for us.  But when I took another look at his ranking on the various sites I use, there's still a chance that he's there at 54.  So, I went ahead and inserted him there.

Another change was my moving Mukuamu down from 3rd to 4th round.  I did this on your recommendation, when you said that he would most likely be available later in the draft than 3rd round.

So who to put at 3rd?  (Given my Browns trade that provided the pick.)  I was searching through the draft for a DE that might be available later, after the Big Three had already been drafted, that still had something to offer that appealed to me.  Jones was consistently productive the past two seasons, which I like.  What scares me about Jayson Oweh is that he's all projection, no production.  But Jones has actually produced, and more than just a single year.  Highlight film shows that his teammate, Weaver, is consistently off the ball faster than he is, but Jones seems to be in on most of the plays.  He also crashes down on the backside when his lineman blocks inside.  He does the right things.  He's just not amazing doing them.  I'm ok with that, with a 3rd round pick.  I don't expect him to be Lawrence Taylor.  And he won't be.

The last change in my mock was the appearance of Alaric Jackson.  He's the result of my combing through the Lindy's guide, looking for guys who were specifically LEFT tackles.  And also to ask the question, what happens if all of the LT's that we had targeted for pick 21 were gone?  Who then do you draft?  Alaric Jackson became my backstop.  If all else goes sideways, we could still draft him later, and get a guy who at least started 42 games at LEFT.  He may not be amazing, but he will be experienced.

 

Anyway, I doubt that I'll change my mock in the next three weeks.  But you never know.  Somebody like, say, NCF, might come along and give me good advice on the stuff I've been thinking about (see above), and change my mind on a few things!

[NewColtsFan]

6 minutes ago, John Hammonds said:

Howdy, NCF!  Nice to see you stopping by.  I can only assume that you are recommending for me to do more mocks is because you enjoy so much reading my material.  Ha ha!  Ok, jokes aside.

I called it my "last" mock because I just don't see myself really making any changes over the next three week to what I have.

But, just in case you're interested, here's some commentary on the changes I made from my previous mock, and the thoughts behind them.

The biggest change is my removal of Jaelen Phillips from the mock entirely.  After watching film, and reading so much stuff, I finally came to the same conclusion you did: He's just not worth it.  The risk is too great.  We can't afford another high draft pick going bad because of injuries.

So, if we're out of the running for the Big Three in the DE department, what happens to our 2nd round pick?  Freiermuth has always been on my radar.  But like you, I had felt that he would come off the board somewhere between 21 and 54, and we wouldn't get a chance at him.  Also, TE wasn't the position of biggest need for us.  But when I took another look at his ranking on the various sites I use, there's still a chance that he's there at 54.  So, I went ahead and inserted him there.

Another change was my moving Mukuamu down from 3rd to 4th round.  I did this on your recommendation, when you said that he would most likely be available later in the draft than 3rd round.

So who to put at 3rd?  (Given my Browns trade that provided the pick.)  I was searching through the draft for a DE that might be available later, after the Big Three had already been drafted, that still had something to offer that appealed to me.  Jones was consistently productive the past two seasons, which I like.  What scares me about Jayson Oweh is that he's all projection, no production.  But Jones has actually produced, and more than just a single year.  Highlight film shows that his teammate, Weaver, is consistently off the ball faster than he is, but Jones seems to be in on most of the plays.  He also crashes down on the backside when his lineman blocks inside.  He does the right things.  He's just not amazing doing them.  I'm ok with that, with a 3rd round pick.  I don't expect him to be Lawrence Taylor.  And he won't be.

The last change in my mock was the appearance of Alaric Jackson.  He's the result of my combing through the Lindy's guide, looking for guys who were specifically LEFT tackles.  And also to ask the question, what happens if all of the LT's that we had targeted for pick 21 were gone?  Who then do you draft?  Alaric Jackson became my backstop.  If all else goes sideways, we could still draft him later, and get a guy who at least started 42 games at LEFT.  He may not be amazing, but he will be experienced.

 

Anyway, I doubt that I'll change my mock in the next three weeks.  But you never know.  Somebody like, say, NCF, might come along and give me good advice on the stuff I've been thinking about (see above), and change my mind on a few things!

You’re very kind....  

 

But because of no combine this year,  and the reliance of tape and Pro Days, it’s my hunch there will be more late news and info that could change big boards than any other year.   I could see more late changes than ever before, especially due to medical and character concerns.   I’m prowling fit this.   I thought some late breaking info might change your opinions.   
 

I like your mocks, not because I agree with them, but because I think they’re realistic, fair and reasonable.   That’s all I can ask of anyone.       

[funktacious2]

Yep. This would be pretty bomb. I'm not super convinced a impact DE is coming out of the 3rd this year, but I'm not even sure one is coming out of the 2nd either so... 

 

I will say Eichenberg still feels like a reach there but that may be more personal preference and I think I may like Leatherwood and Randuz better and I don't see either being gone then. But what are you gonna do, trade back again and make the mock hokey? I would definitely live with Eichenberg if he is the pick in the late 20s.

 

Otherwise, I'd like getting Friermuth and the rest of the draft would be great and pulls it together as a nice, reasonable mock that would help our team.

[DownHillRunner]

17 hours ago, funktacious2 said:

Yep. This would be pretty bomb. I'm not super convinced a impact DE is coming out of the 3rd this year, but I'm not even sure one is coming out of the 2nd either so... 

 

I will say Eichenberg still feels like a reach there but that may be more personal preference and I think I may like Leatherwood and Randuz better and I don't see either being gone then. But what are you gonna do, trade back again and make the mock hokey? I would definitely live with Eichenberg if he is the pick in the late 20s.

 

Otherwise, I'd like getting Friermuth and the rest of the draft would be great and pulls it together as a nice, reasonable mock that would help our team.

 

 

That is the only way I would draft Eichenberg if he's available at the bottom of the 1st round. If a team like the Packers, Saints, or Bucs want to trade up Ballard wouldn't hesitate to do it I believe. Paye isn't going to fall to 21, Greg Rousseau I'm not sold on, and Jaelan Phillips; whereas he's more polished than Rousseau, those concussions that he suffered in the past concern me. He literally retired from football because of a concussion. 

 

[coltsfanmurf]

Nice.  Now I know the "pro days" shouldn't carry same weight as the combine, but it is all we will have to go on this year.  I'm an Illini fan and I always thought Green would go higher than alot of mocks I have seen over past few months that show him in 6th & 7th round.  He killed his pro day and I DEFINITELY don't see him lasting past 5th and don't be shocked if he goes late 4th for that matter.  

[coltsfan40]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:40 AM, John Hammonds said:

You'll see familiar names here as in my other mocks.  What can I say?  If I like a guy, I like a guy.  This mock is not about finding the best player for the pick presented, but rather, choosing My Guys -- guys I like, at the best place I can find them.  "I'm not looking for the best players; I'm looking for the right ones." -- Kirt Russell as Herb Brooks, 'Miracle'

 

First thing:  Colts trade back with the Browns, giving them the 21st pick for their 26th pick and 89th pick (3rd round)

 

1/26  Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame  6-6 302#

DraftNetwork rank 36 DraftTek rank 65 CBS rank 109 Tankathon rank 37 Lindy's rank 1st round

Yes, it's a reach to take him at 26.  But there's nobody else more plug-and-play ready to start on day one.  I've liked him from the beginning.

2/54  Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn St  6-5 258#

DraftNetwork rank 43 DraftTek rank 54 CBS rank 69 Tankathon rank 56 Lindy's rank 1st round

Irsay wants an big upgrade at the TE position.  Freiermuth had a breakout season in 2019 with 507 yards and 7 TD's, but 2020 was marred by an injury that cut his time to four games.

3/89  Patrick Jones II, DE, Pitt  6-5 260#

DraftNetwork rank 122 DraftTek rank 87 CBS rank 89 Tankathon rank 77 Lindy's rank 2nd to 3rd round

In 2019 he got 8.5 sacks with 11.5 tackles for loss.  In 2020 he got 9 sacks with 12.5 tackles for loss.  Productive but not polished.  Can get streaky, and needs a rotation to keep him from wearing out.

4/127  Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina  6-4 205#

DraftNetwork rank 94 DraftTek rank 115 CBS rank 158 Lindy's rank 4th to 5th round

Very big man for a corner.  Prototype play style for Tampa-2 defense.  4 INT's in 2019, but turnovers aren't the biggest part of his game.  (Get it?  Biggest?)

5/165  Alaric Jackson, OT, Iowa  6-6 315#

DraftNetwork rank 354 DraftTek rank 194 CBS rank 166 Lindy's rank 2nd to 3rd round

Started 42 games at Left Tackle.  Knee injury in early 2020.  Powerful punch and knock-back. Quick to second level.  Graduate-level awareness.

6/206  Simi Fehoko, WR, Stanford  6-4 227#

DraftNetwork rank 194 DraftTek rank 289 CBS rank 225 Lindy's rank 5th round

Ran a 4.37 40 time this offseason.  Yes, you saw that right.  Averaged 500 yards receiving the past two seasons.  Matchup nightmare that could play Big WR or H-Back TE.

7/248  Kendrick Green, OG, Illinois  6-4 315#

DraftNetwork rank 290 DraftTek rank 272 CBS rank 191 Lindy's rank 3rd to 4th round

Rare bright spot on bad Illini team.  First team all-conference.  Converted from DT. High character.

Awesome job !

[John Hammonds]

13 hours ago, coltsfanmurf said:

Nice.  Now I know the "pro days" shouldn't carry same weight as the combine, but it is all we will have to go on this year.  I'm an Illini fan and I always thought Green would go higher than alot of mocks I have seen over past few months that show him in 6th & 7th round.  He killed his pro day and I DEFINITELY don't see him lasting past 5th and don't be shocked if he goes late 4th for that matter.  

Yeah, I saw that after I did this mock.  I hope he goes higher than 7th.  Crossing fingers for you!

[coltsfan40]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:40 AM, John Hammonds said:

You'll see familiar names here as in my other mocks.  What can I say?  If I like a guy, I like a guy.  This mock is not about finding the best player for the pick presented, but rather, choosing My Guys -- guys I like, at the best place I can find them.  "I'm not looking for the best players; I'm looking for the right ones." -- Kirt Russell as Herb Brooks, 'Miracle'

 

First thing:  Colts trade back with the Browns, giving them the 21st pick for their 26th pick and 89th pick (3rd round)

 

1/26  Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame  6-6 302#

DraftNetwork rank 36 DraftTek rank 65 CBS rank 109 Tankathon rank 37 Lindy's rank 1st round

Yes, it's a reach to take him at 26.  But there's nobody else more plug-and-play ready to start on day one.  I've liked him from the beginning.

2/54  Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn St  6-5 258#

DraftNetwork rank 43 DraftTek rank 54 CBS rank 69 Tankathon rank 56 Lindy's rank 1st round

Irsay wants an big upgrade at the TE position.  Freiermuth had a breakout season in 2019 with 507 yards and 7 TD's, but 2020 was marred by an injury that cut his time to four games.

3/89  Patrick Jones II, DE, Pitt  6-5 260#

DraftNetwork rank 122 DraftTek rank 87 CBS rank 89 Tankathon rank 77 Lindy's rank 2nd to 3rd round

In 2019 he got 8.5 sacks with 11.5 tackles for loss.  In 2020 he got 9 sacks with 12.5 tackles for loss.  Productive but not polished.  Can get streaky, and needs a rotation to keep him from wearing out.

4/127  Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina  6-4 205#

DraftNetwork rank 94 DraftTek rank 115 CBS rank 158 Lindy's rank 4th to 5th round

Very big man for a corner.  Prototype play style for Tampa-2 defense.  4 INT's in 2019, but turnovers aren't the biggest part of his game.  (Get it?  Biggest?)

5/165  Alaric Jackson, OT, Iowa  6-6 315#

DraftNetwork rank 354 DraftTek rank 194 CBS rank 166 Lindy's rank 2nd to 3rd round

Started 42 games at Left Tackle.  Knee injury in early 2020.  Powerful punch and knock-back. Quick to second level.  Graduate-level awareness.

6/206  Simi Fehoko, WR, Stanford  6-4 227#

DraftNetwork rank 194 DraftTek rank 289 CBS rank 225 Lindy's rank 5th round

Ran a 4.37 40 time this offseason.  Yes, you saw that right.  Averaged 500 yards receiving the past two seasons.  Matchup nightmare that could play Big WR or H-Back TE.

7/248  Kendrick Green, OG, Illinois  6-4 315#

DraftNetwork rank 290 DraftTek rank 272 CBS rank 191 Lindy's rank 3rd to 4th round

Rare bright spot on bad Illini team.  First team all-conference.  Converted from DT. High character.

Love this draft great job !!!

[John Hammonds]

As predicted, I don't see myself changing this mock from when I posted it at the beginning of the month.

I like the guys that I like.

[stitches]

I don't like those type of posts because someone always falls, but I kind of don't see Kendrick Green falling that far. IMO it's possible he gets drafted on day 2. Other than that - good attempt.