The annual Mando Mock draft: Dolphins make two sexy picks then address beef in second round
You know what this is. Let’s get to it ...
Round 1
▪ 1. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars fooled themselves into thinking that Minshew Mania would be good enough. It wasn’t. The Mustache goes and the Mane arrives. The Pick: QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson.
▪ 2. New York Jets: Give them this much...They have turned the idea of drafting a quarterback practically every year until you get it right into something of a franchise motto. The Jets are replacing the quarterback they drafted No. 3 overall with one they’re drafting No. 2 overall. The pick: QB Zach Wilson, BYU.
▪ 3. San Francisco 49ers (from Houston Texans through Miami Dolphins): The 49ers didn’t trade up to No. 3, giving up two first-round picks in the exchange, without having a player in mind. That player must be a quarterback, must have shown productivity in college and must fit the Kyle Shanahan system. The pick: QB Mac Jones, Alabama.
▪ 4. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons are going to do something the Dolphins had a chance to do when they held the third pick, which is selecting the highest-graded non-quarterback on most teams’ boards. The Falcons could trade out for a team wanting Justin Fields or Trey Lance but if they stay here, they pick a unicorn. The pick: TE Kyle Pitts, University of Florida.
▪ 5. Cincinnati Bengals: Quarterback Joe Burrow would love a reunion with receiver Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals drafted tackle Jonah Williams in the first round in 2019. But Williams has been unable to show durability, so to ensure Burrow’s durability the Bengals get him a blind-side protector. The pick: OT Penei Sewell, Oregon.
▪ 6. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia Eagles): Maybe you’re celebrating because you wanted the sexy pick and this is definitely that. But the Dolphins might wish they had a chance at Sewell after trading left guard Ereck Flowers to the Washington Football Team on Tuesday — effectively opening a hole at right tackle. With Sewell gone, that leaves LSU’s Chase and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith on the board, and Miami goes with the bigger, stronger, faster player who dominated the SEC two years ago. The pick: WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU.
▪ 7. Detroit Lions: The Denver Broncos are going to be probing the Falcons, Dolphins and now Lions for a trade-up possibility to pick between quarterbacks Justin Fields or Trey Lance. The expectation is one of those teams will move down to No. 9 with Detroit being the most likely because the drop is minimal and the Lions can still get their guy. That guy must supply help for new QB Jared Goff who needs receivers after the Lions lost three of them in free agency. The pick: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama.
▪ 8. Carolina Panthers: This team is the reason the Broncos are so eager to trade up because they might pick a quarterback. But the Panthers seemingly already answered their quarterback issue by acquiring Sam Darnold. And they have Teddy Bridgewater. But everyone knows they’re trying to trade Bridgewater and the Darnold move is a gamble. If the Broncos fail to move ahead of them, the Panthers will seriously consider Fields. This pick assumes Fields will be in Denver before the night is over so Carolina goes a different direction. The pick: WR Receiver Jaylen Waddle, Alabama.
▪ 9. Denver Broncos: They reached for Drew Lock a couple of years ago and everyone in Denver, including new general manager George Paton, knows it. Paton did fine work for the Dolphins before following Rick Spielman to Minnesota in 2007. The Broncos cannot come out of this offseason without a quarterback to compete with Lock so they will either try to trade for Bridgewater, who Paton is very familiar with going back to the Vikings, or they select a QB. The pick: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State.
▪ 10. Dallas Cowboys: They have a fine offense. They have a terrible defense, particularly a terrible pass defense. The Cowboys will be addressing that pass defense this draft, starting with this pick. The pick: CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama.
▪ 11. New York Giants: The Giants were much better on defense than they were on offense last year, but they still need plenty of help at both. They did some work in free agency upgrading at wide receiver and cornerback. This is a club that truly will pick best available player. The pick: Edge Jaelan Phillips, University of Miami.
▪ 12. Philadelphia Eagles (from San Francisco 49ers through Miami Dolphins): This is truly a team in flux with a new coach, a new starting quarterback, and a need to upgrade practically everywhere. The Eagles cannot afford a bust and offensive tackles in the first round are often the most safe picks. The pick: OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern.
▪ 13. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert won the 2020 offensive rookie of the year award, and he clearly is the face of the franchise now. So the Chargers have to help him and one way to do that is to protect him. The pick:OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC.
▪ 14. Minnesota Vikings: This is probably Jaelan Phillips’ floor because Rick Spielman really likes South Florida players. But Phillips is gone so Spielman will try like heck to trade down. If that doesn’t work, he upgrades the offensive line. The pick: OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech.
▪ 15. New England Patriots: I almost mocked the Patriots with a tight end here but resisted the temptation for the sake of credibility. Bill Belichick knows a good NFL linebacker prospect when he sees one and he gets one here. The pick: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State.
▪ 16. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals lost Patrick Peterson to Minnesota in free agency and supposedly addressed the void by signing Malcolm Butler. But you can never have enough cornerbacks so defensive coordinator Vance Joseph gets ... The pick: CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina.
▪ 17. Las Vegas Raiders: This is going to cause some groans in the Dolphins draft room because they’d like to address their new right tackle vacancy which was caused by moving Robert Hunt to guard. The Raiders take a player the Dolphins like and club owner Stephen Ross loves because, well, Michigan. The pick: QT Jalen Mayfield, Michigan.
▪ 18. Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins could simply do what a majority of their fans think and pick Najee Harris because he’s 230 pounds and is a fine pass-catcher and played at a high level at favored school Alabama. But this team needs a potential home run hitter and that’s not Harris. So look to a smaller (215 pounds) but deceptively tough runner who also played at an elite program and can go 70 yards any time he touches the football. The pick: RB Travis Etienne, Clemson.
▪ 19. Washington Football Team: The Football Team has multiple offensive needs, but there’s no point to it all unless there’s a franchise quarterback on the field or a potential franchise quarterback in the pipeline. So, yeah, Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2021. But that’s it. The pick: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State.
▪ 20. Chicago Bears: Kyle Fuller is gone. Northwestern University is right around the corner. Put those pieces together. The pick: CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern.
▪ 21. Indianapolis Colts: Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus often does more with less. Now he gets to do more with more. The pick: DE Gregory Rousseau, University of Miami.
▪ 22. Tennessee Titans: This team is not averse to gambling in the draft. They were rewarded with Jeffery Simmons but paid a steep price with Isaiah Wilson. They take another gamble here with a player who had back surgery, and the medicals don’t include the typical team checks because of the NFL’s pandemic rules. The pick: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech.
▪ 23. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks): They were terrible at a lot of things last year and getting to the opposing QB was definitely one of them. So the Jets try to find someone that will help them increase on their 10 sacks. The pick: DE Kwity Paye, Michigan.
▪ 24. Pittsburgh Steelers: A lot of mocks put Najee Harris here, but who’s blocking for him? So the Steelers address their offensive front here. The pick: OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State.
▪ 25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams): The Jaguars need to beef up the defense and it starts right up front. The pick: DT Christian Barmore, Alabama.
▪ 26. Cleveland Browns: The Browns have talent everywhere, so most picks here are adding to a solid situation. This is a classic best-player-available situation for Cleveland. The pick: LB Zaven Collins, TCU.
▪ 27. Baltimore Ravens: They have seen a lot of pass rush talent leave their building the past few years and this pick is part of turning that around. The pick: Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, University of Georgia.
▪ 28. New Orleans Saints: It’s a new day in the Big Easy and because points won’t be as easy to come by without Drew Brees, the Saints need to make sure they’re as stingy as possible on defense. Likely starting cornerback Patrick Robinson will be 34 years old during the coming season, so it’s time to get younger there. The pick: CB Eric Stokes, Georgia.
▪ 29. Green Bay Packers: The Packers didn’t lose the NFC title game because of their offense but the line has suffered some departures this offseason which means there are needs on that side of the ball. Plus it would make quarterback Aaron Rodgers happy. The pick: C Landon Dickerson, Alabama.
▪ 30. Buffalo Bills: The Bills seem set on offense although I look at their running back corps and see, well, just guys — Devin Singletary, Zack Moss and Matt Breida. The bigger concern for this team is the defense and specifically the pass defense because Levi Wallace begs upgrade. The pick: CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia.
▪ 31. Baltimore Ravens (from Kansas City Chiefs): The Ravens traded offensive tackle Orlando Brown to get this pick, largely because the veteran is one year from a big payday in free agency or as a franchise tag candidate. So the Ravens will try to replace Brown with a rookie making much less. The pick: Offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi, Texas.
▪ 32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This team is loaded and somehow stayed that way during free agency so they can go in a number of directions. The pick:Receiver Kadarius Toney, University of Florida.
Round 2
▪ 33. Jacksonville Jaguars: They got the quarterback. They better protect him. So Urban Meyer turns to a player he knows. The pick: OG Wyatt Davis, Ohio State.
▪ 34. New York Jets: New coach Robert Saleh is a very good defensive coach, but he cannot make points come off the board magically. He needs more defensive talent. The pick: Edge Jayson Oweh, Penn State.
▪ 35. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons gave up a lot of late leads the past two or three years and lost a lot of games as a result. They must address their pass rush and defensive backfield. The pick: DE Payton Turner, Houston.
▪ 36. Miami Dolphins (from Houston Texans): The Dolphins need pass rush help, too, after moving on from Kyle Van Noy and Shaq Lawson. And while Andrew Van Ginkel is a good option the team needs more. The Dolphins love versatile front seven defenders so they find a linebacker with the violent, heavy hands all Bill Belichick disciples love. It helps he runs 4.65 in the 40 and has a 41 1/2 vertical. Please watch his 2020 tape against Oklahoma State. The pick: LB Joseph Ossai, Texas.
▪ 37. Philadelphia Eagles: Legacy picks are rare in the NFL, but the Eagles go that route with a player some say is merely a slot player. Even if that’s true, slot players are needed for about 65 percent of defensive snaps. The pick: Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State.
▪ 38. Cincinnati Bengals: And now you will see why they didn’t need to pick the best wide receiver prospect in the draft in the first round. It’s because there are no amazing left tackles remaining on the board here but there are some very talented receivers remaining for Joe Burrow to throw to. The pick: Receiver Receiver Terrace Marshall, LSU.
▪ 39. Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffery is a stud. He’s also only 200 pounds. So the Panthers need to find a way to split some carries and get the accomplished pass catcher in space more, perhaps in the slot or in motion out of a two-back set. The pick: RB Najee Harris, Alabama.
▪ 40. Denver Broncos: More work for that offense is necessary because coach Vic Fangio has the defense pretty much on lock. The problem is the highest-rated players left on the board are all defenders. The pick: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame.
▪ 41. Detroit Lions: The Lions have been trying to put together a good defensive line for years. This move is going to help in that effort. The pick: DT Levi Onwuzurike, University of Washington.
▪ 42. New York Giants: They added Kenny Golladay in free agency and have Darius Slayton, but if they’re buying John Ross as being in any way durable they’re kidding themselves. Here’s thinking they know better. The pick: WR Rashod Bateman, University of Minnesota.
▪ 43. San Francisco 49ers: The defense was riddled with injuries a year ago and lost much of the intimidation and anger it played with during the Super Bowl year. They address part of that here. The pick: LB Jamin Davis, Kentucky.
▪ 44. Dallas Cowboys: The Dallas secondary had a rating against mark of 100.4 by opposing quarterbacks. No bueno. Jerry Jones addresses. The pick: S Trevon Moehrig, Texas Christian University.
▪ 45. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Minnesota Vikings): Among the many things the Jags need to upgrade, pass defense is right up there. The pick: CB Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky.
▪ 46. New England Patriots: The Sony Michel show was nice while it lasted, but he’s undersized and last year the Patriots found out an undrafted free agent named Damien Harris was better. This year they take another logical step. The pick: RB back Javonte Williams, North Carolina.
▪ 47. Los Angeles Chargers: Must protect the franchise. Must keep Justin Herbert’s uniform spotless during games. And Oday Aboushi isn’t the guy to do that. The pick: OG Deonte Brown, Alabama.
▪ 48. Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders have been searching for pass rush help since dealing Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears. They’ve done a lot of work but activity does not equal achievement. So the work continues: The pick: Edge rusher Joe Tryon, University of Washington.
▪ 49. Arizona Cardinals: Brian Winters is a solid player and he tries hard and all that, but sometimes that’s not good enough. So ... The pick: OG Trey Smith, University of Tennessee.
▪ 50. Miami Dolphins: And here we are. It’s time to address the offensive line -- again. The Dolphins have a long term need at right tackle and center. Creed Humphrey of Oklahoma is there because the Cards bypassed his reunion with Kyler Murray. But the right tackle spot begs attention over the long-term, too. Sure, Jesse Davis can handle the spot in 2021 if necessary. But, again, long-term is a thing. The pick: Offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, University of Alabama.
This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 8:28 PM.
