'12 "Official" Mock Draft (by the team)

[canuckredux]

Originally Posted by canuckredux

With the 84th pick in the 2012 "Official" Mock Draft, the Tennessee Titans select:

MIKE MARTIN, DT, MICHIGAN



Having a young core group of DTs, the Titans still had trouble stopping the run. A 2-time state wrestling champ in high school, Martin is a relentless, high-motor guy who can come in and anchor the nose from day 1. His college production may not have matched his excellent Senior Bowl performance and the stats may not show up at the next level, but sacks and tackles will be gravy for Martin-he's here to create havoc for opposing offensive lines.

Ahhhhh thankyouverymuch.

[AgentJRad]

I was doing some research to see how close I came to actual draft positions. Figured I'd post it.

Round 1, Pick 5: Trade up for Blackmon: Couldn't have nailed this much better. Though, I'm not sure if the real Jags 1st and 4th was necessarily better than my 1st and 3rd for 1st and 6th.

Round 2, Pick 50: Trade back for Zeitler: Z ended up going to the Bengals at pick 27.
Actual pick: #38, Andre Branch: Taken at 41 in the mock by the Jets. Branch was a consideration, but I couldn't pass on Z's value here.

Round 4, Pick 103: Brooks went 124 to the Bills. I felt I was slightly reaching when I picked up Brooks, and 13 picks feels about right.
The Jags had no 4th rounders for comparison

Round 4, Pick 113: Weeden was drafted at pick 22 by the Browns. Difference of 91 picks. I'll go with "steal" here.

Round 5, Pick 144: Smith went undrafted. Swingnamiss.
Actual pick: Brandon Marshall: Looks like he went undrafted in the mock. I didn't leave LBs on my board, as the Jags actually did quite well in that area last season.
Edit 4/29: Smith signed as a UDFA with the Dolphins.

Round 6, Pick 176: Anger was drafted by the Jags in the 3rd round. Punter. Third. One of only two punters taken in the real draft. But the only one in the third.

Round 6, Pick 178: Henry also went undrafted. Swingnamiss.
Actual pick: Mike Harris: Went 170 to the Raiders in the mock. I addressed CB earlier. By doing that, I avoided drafting a punter. In the third.
Edit 4/29: Henry signed with the Raiders as a UDFA.

Round 7, Pick 231: Igwenagu also went undrafted. My other choice for this spot, Daryl Richardson, was picked by the Rams at 252.
Actual Pick: Jaris Pendalton: Went undrafted in the mock.
Edit 4/29: Igwenagu signed with the Eagles as a UDFA.

I nailed two picks. I think I did better at CB, and obviously worse at DE (although only time will tell, of course). I addressed QB, S and HB whereas the real Jags went OLB and DT (I had an extra pick due to my trade back in round 2). My gameplan going in considered the Jags defense was underrated and didn't need much tinkering, and the abysmal offense needed to be fixed. The real Jags obviously thought different.

I may be biased, but I feel I did better than the real deal.

[Mamba]

When I draft, I'm not necessarily trying to figure out what my team will actually do, but I'm drafting as if I were actually the GM. But there's no "set" way to do it. It's about having fun & learning about the prospects.

[socbe7]

San Francisco 49ers
Socbe7
Rd.	#	Pos.	Name	School
1	30	G	Amini Silatolu	Midwestern State
2	62	TE	Dwayne Allen	Clemson
3	75	CB	Trumaine Johnson	Montana
4	127	QB	Kirk Cousins	Michigan State
5	167	RB	Chris Rainey	Florida

Didn't hit on any specific player, but here are my grades:

Amini Silatolu, G - Me: 30; Actual: 40, Panthers (let's hope he won't be as good as I think he'll be); -10

Dwayne Allen, TE - Me: 62; Actual: 64, Colts; -2

Trumaine Johnson, CB - Me: 75; Actual: 65, Rams; +10

Kirk Cousins, QB - Me: 127; Actual: 102, Redskins; +25

Chris Rainey, RB - Me: 167; Actual: 159, Steelers; +8

Total: +35

My Draft by position: G, TE, CB, QB, RB

Actual 49ers Draft: WR, RB, G, OLB, FS, C, DE

PICK PLAYER POS HT WT COLLEGE GRADE WATCH
Round 1, Pick 30 (30) A.J. Jenkins WR 6'0" 192 Illinois 78.7

Pick Analysis: Mayock's take: "Had a big senior season. Had him rated as my eighth wide receiver and a second-round pick. He's a vertical threat who gets in and out of his breaks smoothly. This is a good football player."
Round 2, Pick 29 (61) LaMichael James RB 5'8" 194 Oregon 73.5

Pick Analysis: Mayock's take: "Keep in mind he's a third-down change-of-pace guy who can hit you a home run. The 49ers didn't generate a lot of yards on offense, and this guy gives them the ability to hit a home run from anywhere in the park."
Round 4, Pick 22 (117) (From Lions) Joe Looney G 6'3" 309 Wake Forest 69.7
Pick Analysis: Bucky Brooks' take: Looney fills a big need for the 49ers along the interior. He will battle for minutes at guard and spend a year honing his craft on the practice field as a vital backup.
Round 5, Pick 30 (165) Darius Fleming OLB 6'2" 245 Notre Dame 59.7

Pick Analysis: Bucky Brooks' take: Fleming will improve the depth and athleticism behind the 49ers' starting linebackers. He will also anchor their special teams units as a cover guy and possibly develop into a contributor as a situational player.
Round 6, Pick 10 (180) (From Panthers) Trent Robinson FS 5'10" 195 Michigan St. 68.2

Pick Analysis: Bucky Brooks' take: The 49ers pick up a versatile safety in Robinson. He shows outstanding instincts and awareness and displays the requisite toughness to play in the middle despite his slender frame.
Round 6, Pick 29 (199) Jason Slowey C 6'3" 303 Western Oregon 47.0
Pick Analysis: Bucky Brooks' take: Slowey is a mauler/brawler with toughness. He will battle for time as a center for the 49ers.
Round 7, Pick 30 (237) Cam Johnson DE 6'3" 268 Virginia 72.0

Pick Analysis: Bucky Brooks' take: Johnson is a talented defender with solid overall skills. He surprisingly fell down draft boards, but is capable of emerging as a key contributor in a backup role.

Since the 49ers don't have many glaring needs, my goal coming in was to take BPA. I had a very high grade on Silatolu, and he happened to be a need. THerefore when he was there at 30, it was a no brainer for me. I guess the real 49ers GM thought otherwise, drafting A.J. Jenkins. While WR is a position of need (although not critical), I felt the addition of Allen in the second round was a nice weapon to add to this offense. Kirk Cousins is my developmental QB, as he is for the Redskins and Chris Rainey is my do it all back, as is LaMichael James for the real 49ers.

[AgentJRad]

Originally Posted by Mamba

When I draft, I'm not necessarily trying to figure out what my team will actually do, but I'm drafting as if I were actually the GM. But there's no "set" way to do it. It's about having fun & learning about the prospects.

That's the approach I took, but I'm just naturally analytic. I was going to break it down no matter what, so may as well make it public. Plus, I didn't pick a punter in the 3rd.

[SaintSproles]

Best drafts for me from this board are Giants, Eagles, Texans, Chargers, Jags, Browns, Dolphins

Dolphins did the best in terms of filling needs and not reaching at all. Better draft than Jeff Ireland's.

[tenordas]

OK, at last, my self-evaluation of my mock draft for Buffalo:

I am proud to say that this year, every player I drafted actually was taken in the real NFL Draft (one of them was even taken by Buffalo!). The chart below shows where I picked each player, where they were actually taken, the differential between, other factors, and my opinion of reach/steal/etc.

As you can see, I really only missed on one pick: Josh Kaddu in the 4th who wasn't taken until the 5th. However, that is easily offset by the 6 players I drafted who were picked two rounds or more before I took them (one of them 3 rounds, and one 4 rounds!). My overall differential in selection was +471.

Add to that really nice number the fact that I traded down twice (getting a steal at both spots, mind you) and acquired four extra picks, three of which gave me players who were major steals in the 6th and 7th rounds.

In the process, I managed to draft players at all the major need positions for Buffalo: OT, CB, WR, OLB, and TE. And all but one of those (Kaddu) were gotten for good value, many of them steals.

I think I majorly scored here. It's definitely the best I have done in any of the mocks we have run. Just the fact that all of them were drafted made me happy, but that so many went well before I picked made me downright proud about my selections this year. Good info is invaluable!!!!

Thanks for running it again, guys! I know it must be a hassle, but it is a ton of fun - and I think helps all of us learn more about the incoming players.

[jbourque]

Player	Mock	Actual	Differential	Considerations	Evaluation
Dont'a Hightower	1, 24	1, 25	-1	still 1st round	even
Alameda Ta'amu	2, 36	4, 109	-73	like mock, Steelers did draft/trade up for him	reach, but accurate pick
Senio Kelemete	4, 121	5,151	-30	Steelers did draft OG	slight reach
Brock Osweiler	5, 142	2, 57	85	Steelers did not draft a QB	major steal
Junior Hemingway	5, 161	7, 238	-77	Steelers did draft a WR	reach
Levy Adcock	6, 196	UD	-57
Greg Zuerlein	7, 234	6, 171	63	First Kicker drafted! Same with Mock!	slight steal
Desmond Wynn	7, 243	UD	-10	Steelers did draft a 2nd OG	accurate draft strategy
Kelcie McCray	7, 249	UD	-4	Steelers take late round CB instead of SS
Julian Miller	7, 251	UD	-2	Steelers take OLB, instead of DE
Total			-256

[jbourque]

Originally Posted by jbourque

Sorry for the format, maybe someone can PM with instruction on how to take an Excell document and display it.....like Mamba or tenordas!

Overall, I'm happy with my draft, and for the most part had a good feel for how the Steelers were going to draft. I hit in some areas, and missed in others, but not bad for a first timer.

My highlights:

• I watched as the Steelers traded up in the 4th round for Alameda Ta'amu NT/Washington, which is unusual for them. It was the same scenario I had projected for the Steelers in the 2nd round of our mock.

• Greg Zuerlein was also thought of as the highest rated kicker in the NFL Draft, despite most draft boards having him ranked lower. It was nice to see him taken in the 6th! I took him as the first and only kicker in our mock.

• In our mock, I predicted the Steelers would draft two OG's and they did.

• In our mock, I predicted a WR, and they did draft one.

• Brock Osweiler went in the 2nd Round, he was great value when I selected him in the 5th.

This was definitely a learning exercise for me. I most certainly enjoyed the opportunity to participate, and congratulations to those who just killed it in the mock draft!

Big thanks to crosswatt, mamba & rugger for running a tight ship and meeting our deadline.

[Mamba]

I just put a border around the cells, highlight them, and copy/paste them.

[Rxdoxx]

And I'm close to disappearing for a year, unless something flares up and I want to see N.O. fans reactions

I stunk this year.

Only thing I can say I contributed is that the official mock draft members and followers should have been 1 up on their peers when the Ravens drafted Gino Gradkowski in the 4th round.

I try to think like the Raven FO, impossible but I try.
At best I have 75% of the info they have, and in reality a lot less, then throw in the "smoke and mirrors" -the intentional deceptions, red-herrings, background priority shifts and, Mamba you may be right, just pick who you like and want and give up trying to match the team.

All that said, I did hit a Raven for the 3rd year.
First year I hit Sergio Kindle, not really bragging and they traded down and got him a bunch later....
Second year I took Jah Reid in the 5th, Ravens traded up in the 3rd
This year was C Gino Gradkowski my alternate 7th and UDFA signing because I knew he wasn't going to get picked by anyone here....
Heck C Michael Brewster went undrafted (Jags UDFA signing) and C David Molk went to the Chargers in the 7th

Well at least my 6th rounder was a UDFA signing by the Saints (Braylon Broughton)
Thanks all, enjoyed it

One player I'll be interested in in the Ravens camp (I love unusual long shots) is
Former Morgan State tight end Lamont Bryant 6' 5", 225 4.45 40 Not that that is super interest to y'all but he is 1 inch taller than Marques Colston and I can HOPE!!!

Thanks again

[crosswatt]

Originally Posted by Mamba

Pick 25 Michael Brockers: To St Louis at pick 14
Pick 57 Jayron Hosley: To the Giants at pick 94
Pick 89 Derek Wolfe: To Denver at pick 36
Pick 110 Robert Turbin: To Seattle at pick 106
Pick 122 Andrew Datko: To Green Bay at pick 241
Pick 139 Shaun Prater: To Cincinnati at pick 156
Pick 190 Dale Moss Undrafted Free agent singed by Green Bay

I had good value on Derek Wolfe, but missed on value picks with almost everyone else. I either took them close to where they went in the actual draft, or too early. I also ignored two positions that Denver targeted higher in quarterback and linebacker, although I did look for similar UDFA pickups. I thought Turbin would be a better fit for Manning due to his recieving abilities, but I guess Hillman reminded Fox of Deangelo Williams enough to take a shot on him instead. I still hold that Dale Moss will be a very good receiver in this league, and hate that he is in the NFC.

[tenordas]

Originally Posted by jbourque

Sorry for the format, maybe someone can PM with instruction on how to take an Excell document and display it.....like Mamba or tenordas!

Originally Posted by Mamba

I just put a border around the cells, highlight them, and copy/paste them.

I just made a .jpg out of it and attached it to the post. Mamba's is probably the easier way.

[tenordas]

Originally Posted by Mamba

ACTUAL BUFFALO DRAFT1.10 Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
2.9 Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
3.6 T.J. Graham, WR, North Carolina State
4.10 Nigel Bradham, LB, Florida State
4.29 Ron Brooks, CB, LSU
5.9 Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State
5.12 Tank Carder, ILB, TCU
6.8 Mark Asper, OG, Oregon
7.44 John Potter, K, Western Michigan

Obviously, I had very similar ideas about what the team needs were as the actual Buffalo front office. They went for CB in the first instead of OT, so they figured that hole was more important/player was more valuable. They also doubled up on CB while I doubled up on OLB. Both are holes that need filling. We both like Nigel Bradham, though I was able to get him later than the Bills took him (and I assume he wouldn't have lasted that long in the actual draft even had they not).

The only area of need they did not address at all is TE, where I believe they need help. Of course, I was working with more picks due to some nice trades that came my way, so I had more luxury than they did. I do think they got good value in Zebrie Sanders in the 5th, though I think that Reiff is much more a slam dunk than Sanders, who is much more of a project. On the other hand, I do think Gilmore will be an excellent player so I can't fault them in any way for going for him at #10. Everything is a choice. No one can grab all the top guys they want. I think I got a better receiver in Quick, but then the Bills never had a short at him since the Rams grabbed him with the 1st pick of round 2. The Bills grabbed BPA in round 2 rather than going strictly need. Usually that ends up being the wise choice. I merely was fortunate to find value guys at need positions in those early rounds (except for the reach with Kaddu).

[canuckredux]

1.20 Whitney Mercilus, DE Illinois (1.26-Houston -6)
Kendall Wright is a talented kid and you can't go wrong with giving your new QB some weapons, but a pass-rusher here to complement Derrick Morgan would have made a lot of sense.

2.52 Brandon Brooks, OG, Miami OH (3.76-Houston -24... they got great value )
Here they drafted Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina. Mayock labelled him "allergic to contact". You know who's not allergic to contact? Brandon Brooks.

3.84 Mike Martin, DT, Michigan (BANG ON!)
Great pick, if I do say so myself.

4.117 Michael Brewster, C, Ohio State (UDFA )
Here they drafted Coty Sensabaugh, CB, Clemson. Not at all a bad pick-lots of upside. With Brewster, he was the next C on our board and we felt that upgrading interior offensive line was imperative... unlike some real-life GMs for the 2nd year in a row.

5.157 Emmanuel Acho, ILB, Texas (Cleveland 6.204 -47)
Here they took Taylor Thompson, TE, SMU. Good pick; we were looking to go TE at some point in this draft. Initially we were targeting Bryan Anger here, but felt that Acho was good value here and decided to let Anger slide to the next round (only to see him scooped up by Jacksonville ARRGH!)

6.192 Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor (NYJ 6.202 -10)
Here they went Markelle Martin, S, OKST. We were looking to address safety, but there was nobody on our board that we felt had value. A power back to complement Chris Johnson was important to us and Ganaway made a lot of sense.

7.230 Chris Galippo, ILB, USC (UDFA)
Here they took Scott Solomon, DE, Rice. Eh, Galippo was a gamble here.

So overall it appears as though the Titans made a lot of reaches. I like to think we're ahead of our time.