Well, the moment is upon us. We have a lot of fun stuff lined up for you all on Draft Weekend, but I wasn’t going to let it all get started without doing an obligatory “Final Mock Draft.”
CLICK HERE for Adam’s final 2015 NFL Mock Draft
Here are a few predictions I am willing to make in advance of the Draft, and are reflected in my mock, that might be provide some good fodder for the comments section.
- I’ve placed a lot of emphasis on character concerns. The current atmosphere in the NFL simply must be making decision-makers extra leery of players with worrisome incidents in their pasts. These falls are illustrated best by seeing Randy Gregory at 21, Marcus Peters at 27, and Dorial Green-Beckham missing the first round all together along with Shane Ray. The NFL is now a place where arrests can derail a career quicker than a torn ACL, and I would be surprised if this didn’t impact certain prospects after everything that happened in the NFL during 2014.
- With Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota going in the top two picks, but mock is certainly not going to get many accolades for being unique. Still, I think this is the way it plays out, even if it means the Titans trading out of the two spot. Quarterbacks are as coveted as ever and some teams are as desperate as ever to get their hands on a new, promising young signal caller. I’m just glad that the Vikings are not involved in the conversation.
- I’m going to bore you with my Vikings pick. I’ve had the Vikings selecting cornerback Trae Waynes since my first mock draft in January and haven’t changed that pick once since then. I still think Waynes is a fantastic option at #11, despite the recent anti-hype taking hold within the Vikings fanbase, and have full faith in his ability to become a solid starting NFL cornerback. However, it is important to note that just about every other popular Vikings pick (other than Marcus Peters) is off the board when the Vikings are on the clock in this mock.
- I love this offensive line class, but I see very little difference in skill level between the lineman I have selected first (Brandon Scherff at #8) and the other six I have selected throughout the first round. If Rick Spielman ends up trading back, I could see him snagging some very good value by selecting a guy like Cameron Erving or Jake Fisher to the roster. I’m a big fan of this group of offensive linemen, but consider this overall class to be a bit top-heavy.
- I’ve had Todd Gurley going in the middle of my mock since version 1.0 and now he is “rising” up draft boards as his medical news is all positive these days. I could see him going int he top ten, possibly at 11 if the Vikings trade Adrian Peterson, and don’t see him getting past the Dolphins at 14. He’s the best running back in this class and it isn’t close.
Well, don’t forget to read the whole thing, and feel free to report back here with any questions, concerns, criticisms, insults, or whatever else you all can come up with. I’m all ears!
View Comments
I agree with what you say about character concerns Adam and it's the reason why I couldn't mock Winston as the #1 pick.
Anything to do with drugs/assault/sexual assault has to be considered a big red flag to any GM with half a brain.
I'm not as concerned with a guy like Marcus Peters as his problem seems to be more of an attitude adjustment.
Great mock Adam. It will be interesting to see how charter shapes this class. My mock is a joke now with all the late movement and arrests, but yours looks good.
Gurley on the rise has me excited! Top Ten talent when healthy.
Watch Tampa trade #1 to MN for AD and #11. We take Leonard. Jets take Winston and Tampa gets Mariota at 11.
Good try Alaska... but that deal would have happened already. No real reason for the Vikings or Tampa to wait this long on that deal.
My gut the day before the draft is that Marcus Peters is the Vikings target and that is part of the reason why Spielman wants to trade down so badly. I think he's the best corner in the draft and also the best fit among the top guys for the Vikings scheme. The combination of coaches Zimmer and Jerry Gray along with an old vet like Newman puts the Vikings in a position where they can get his head on right rather quickly and turn him into the all-pro player he can be.
That said, I would want to trade down and acquire a couple other picks to add to the roster in case the Peters pick blows up down the road. The big question will be do they take him at 11 if they can't find a trade partner? If the draft falls the way you have it and the top three receivers are gone, they may just do that. If Parker is still there I could see them taking him as a safe pick, but I've felt for a long time they will go defense with either a corner or edge rusher. Our DE depth is pretty terrible right now so Dupree should be in play as well. He's got some character concerns too though, so who knows at this point. This deal with Collins leaving the draft to answer questions about his murdered pregnant ex-girlfriend is another interesting last second monkey wrench. He isn't being called a suspect, but how is that not going to scare off any team thinking of taking him in the first round?