PFF mock draft simulator is up + all things Draft related

TE Payne Durham of Purdue is on my radar. He's a very good blocker and has been a reliable receiver the last 2 seasons. I'm seeing him projected anywhere from 3rd round to undrafted!

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/35585484/2023-nfl-mock-draft-matt-miller-two-round-predictions-senior-bowl-shrine-bowl-quarterback-landings-spots-trade-projection

This Two Rd Mock has us taking CB Cam Smith SC, I have seen Him Play and this would be a Steal at #51, He is a Howard Clone when it comes to Int's but he is also Great in Zone & Man and Run Support.

finskev wrote:https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/35585484/2023-nfl-mock-draft-matt-miller-two-round-predictions-senior-bowl-shrine-bowl-quarterback-landings-spots-trade-projection

This Two Rd Mock has us taking CB Cam Smith SC, I have seen Him Play and this would be a Steal at #51, He is a Howard Clone when it comes to Int's but he is also Great in Zone & Man and Run Support.

Good height and speed, and looks like he can add some muscle to his frame. Seems like he is projected as a mid-late first, so yes, he'd be a steal at 51. Sign me up!

Right now, I think I'd go either CB or OL with that #51 pick, depending on how the draft plays out. Maybe LB, but I have a feeling we'll add a MLB in free agency.

JMP wrote:Good height and speed, and looks like he can add some muscle to his frame.  Seems like he is projected as a mid-late first, so yes, he'd be a steal at 51.  Sign me up!

Right now, I think I'd go either CB or OL with that #51 pick, depending on how the draft plays out.  Maybe LB, but I have a feeling we'll add a MLB in free agency.

I wondered why I never ever see Cam Smith's name when I do the PFF mock draft and now I know--he's always taken long before pick 52. In this case at 27--by the Bills    

My plan right now:
Starting caliber OL in round 2 (not sure who yet) and get RB Tyjae Spears and TE Payne Durham in round 3.

I know we need help on D, but our offense would go to another level in this scenario.

ok, season is over, along with Senior and E/W Shrine games, can do one of these in earnest now!

# 52 to the Jags for #'s 56, 127, 185 and 2024 4th
Garrett Williams on the board still at 56, LaPorta and Keion White are the other top values. I bite the bullet again, take # 81, #154, and 2024 DET 3rd, 4th and 7th rounders to move down 25 more spots.

Now we have a full assortment of 2024 picks plus extras in the 4th and 7th, and 8 picks this year.

77: Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M

Top player on the board and a good fit.

81. Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland

Filling arguably the biggest need.

84. DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas

122. Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE, Minnesota

154. Starling Thomas V, CB, UAB

Jake Haener still there, tempting, but CB needs addressing without waiting any longer.

185. Clayton Tune, QB, Houston

I do want to bring in some competiton. Kenny McIntosh is also there so this may be a mistake, but what the hell.

198. Mekhi Garner, CB, LSU

Still here, great fit. Likely won't make it this far in real life though.

240. Caleb Murphy, C, Indiana

simply a BPA here.

PFF doesn't like my pick at 185 but every other pick gets an A or B.

Nice picks, Hal.

If the Phins are willing to trade down from #51, they could make up some of the lost picks for next year.

And if the right players fall in the 3rd, I have gotten some sweet deals moving down there as well.

I am still not sure about Achane. One guy who seems to be moving up is McBride from UAB? I think PFF has him ranked #79 right behind Achane! Ahead of Tank Bigsby and Kendra Miller and Tyjae Spears!

I suspect these rankings are going to get totally re-arranged once the combine data is factored in.

We shall see.

The PFF rankings have suddenly and completely changed post-Super Bowl and now I can get players I never had a chance at before

What do you guys think of CB Darius Rush and DT Brodric Martin? PFF has them on their list of draft sleepers. I passed up Rush at 77 in my latest mock (done just now) to get TE Darnell Washington but I couldn't resist getting Martin at 111. PFF says he's Jordan Davis Lite

Also, I can actually get a QB later now. This time around it was Jake Haener but usually it's Tune.

This one was...okay. Even with the extra picks I got, filling every need is still so tough. This team will need to sign multiple FAs with every little cap room somehow.

ANYWAY...by trading down just 3 spots with the Lions I got a 4th next year as well as #183. Then I traded down again from 55 to 80 with the Steelers and got a 3rd next year and 120.

At 77 I took Rush. The Colts got Achane at 79 but I'm just not sold on him anyway and selected HB DeWayne McBride instead.

At 84 I figured if OT Jaelyn Duncan was good enough for Hal he was good enough for me as well and took him.

At 120 I still can't resist adding Brodric Martin to the D-line. The Fins are going to need somebody there soon so why not now?

At 183 I got Tune to add a little music to the QB room.

I then traded 198 to the Chiefs for 217, 219 and a 7th next year. My plan was to hope TE Cameron Latu fell to me but he went at 209 so IMO this was a mistake.

At 217 I selected LB SirVocea Dennis followed by C Caleb Murphy at 219. Then at 240 I agonized between OT Nick Saldiveri and CB Cameron Mitchell for a while before finally going with Mitchell.

I got a B+ draft grade, with Dennis and Murphy being the lowest graded picks at C+ and Duncan the highest graded at A-. My three trades all got a B.

I look at this draft as I do every draft. Without a top tier QB Miami has little chance of advancing in the playoffs. I trade up in this draft to the top of the 2nd round and take Hendon Hooker. The reason I do this is Tua's inability to stay on the field. Hooker is going to shine in the NFL. Factor in McNerd's offense and this is a home run!

CarsonChris wrote:I look at this draft as I do every draft. Without a top tier QB Miami has little chance of advancing in the playoffs. I trade up in this draft to the top of the 2nd round and take Hendon Hooker.  The reason I do this is Tua's inability to stay on the field. Hooker is going to shine in the NFL. Factor in McNerd's offense and this is a home run!

Hooker's coming off a torn ACL he suffered in November. He won't be contributing much for the Fins or any team who drafts him in 2023. Just sayin'. Plus he might be one of those system QBs who looks great in college but sucks in the pros. I'd be real wary of any Vols offensive player in this draft for that very reason.

DolFan 316 wrote:

CarsonChris wrote:I look at this draft as I do every draft. Without a top tier QB Miami has little chance of advancing in the playoffs. I trade up in this draft to the top of the 2nd round and take Hendon Hooker.  The reason I do this is Tua's inability to stay on the field. Hooker is going to shine in the NFL. Factor in McNerd's offense and this is a home run!

Hooker's coming off a torn ACL he suffered in November. He won't be contributing much for the Fins or any team who drafts him in 2023. Just sayin'. Plus he might be one of those system QBs who looks great in college but sucks in the pros. I'd be real wary of any Vols offensive player in this draft for that very reason.

Anyone remember QB Josh Huepel? The Phins drafted him in 2001. Never did much in the NFL. He's the HC at Tenn now. And before that he was an HC and OC at other colleges. Everywhere he went in college he had a potent offense. So there is something to be said for the offensive scheme he runs.

Hooker is good no doubt, but as DF316 says, Is it his own skills or the system?

Who knows?

I DOUBT Grier and Co would undermine Tua enough to draft a QB in the 2nd. But they might undermine him enough to look at bringing in Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers, or even attempt to lure Brady out of retirement... again.

You can never underestimate the sheer brazen asinine stupidity of a team owned by the biggest dumbarsed dingleberry in the league in Steven Ross IMO.

No, I am thinking 6th or 7th rounder QB in the draft, but only if they trade down and get a few extra picks.

I have kinda/sorta been leaning toward Bagent. Small school guy who has some skills. He would definitely be a developmental guy.

This year's Purdy might be Haener though.

Hendon Hooker??? Really? He's got the body of a junior high kid, and is coming off a torn ACL. Plus, he's already 25 years old. Hell no!

Build the offensive line and running game and get a system fit at TE, and add key pieces on defense (CB, LB). That's how this team gets to the next level.

I actually don't like any QBs in this class. I think it's just as bad as last year's class, which was awful IMO. I do think Anthony Richardson has off-the-charts skills, but he's VERY inexperienced and seems more like a multi-year project than a sure thing.

JMP wrote:I actually don't like any QBs in this class.  I think it's just as bad as last year's class, which was awful IMO.  I do think Anthony Richardson has off-the-charts skills, but he's VERY inexperienced and seems more like a multi-year project than a sure thing.

THANK YOU!!! I though I was the only one!!! I just don't see what the fuss is all about.

Then again, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were the #2 and 3 picks in a draft once. How's that working out so far?

This is an example of what I'm talking about.

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Hendon-Hooker-QB-VirginiaTech

Executes in an offense that's alien to what's run in the NFL - it will be a steep learning curve for him in the pros.

https://www.si.com/nfl/colts/draft/2023-nfl-draft-profile-hendon-hooker

Despite being a sixth year senior, Hooker is fairly raw in his game.A lot of that has to do with the offense that he is playing in, but he will take some time to develop at the next level.

Poor mechanics and footwork are fixable at the next level, but the issue is the compounding issues. How many teams should be lining up for a 25 year old quarterback coming from a spread offense that has footwork/mechanical issues?

https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/hendon-hooker-cca46d4a-7198-4211-bed4-94aaa34a7b0a/

Hooker operates in a vertical spread tempo offense with very little translatability to the next level. The receiver alignments are incredibly wide and the vertical passing concepts are mostly foreign to the NFL. The system feasts on manufactured spacing with very little progression-style passing. Hooker isn’t tasked with making many decisions and throws are often predetermined.

I don't want to seem like I'm picking on CC. I know he's just trying to think of ways to improve the QB situation and his concerns about Tua are real. But IMO none of the QBs in this class are the answer, unless a Purdy-style guy comes on out of nowhere and we all know Grier will never pick him. Best we can hope for is a backup who's better than Skylar.

I watched Tua's predetermined passes to the Cheetah all season long. Weird that now people are worried about it?

finfanatic wrote:
I DOUBT Grier and Co would undermine Tua enough to draft a QB in the 2nd.  But they might undermine him enough to look at bringing in Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers, or even attempt to lure Brady out of retirement... again.

You can never underestimate the sheer brazen asinine stupidity of a team owned by the biggest dumbarsed dingleberry in the league in Steven Ross IMO.

No, I am thinking 6th or 7th rounder QB in the draft, but only if they trade down and get a few extra picks.

Carr and Rodgers might visit Miami - but there is zero chance of them ever playing for the Dolphins. In fact, I'd say that I have a better shot at being a Dolphins' QB than either of those guys! LOL Forget the cap, which automatically makes either QB impossible - the fact is, Tua is the Dolphins QB whether anyone outside of the team thinks so or not. We might draft a late QB, we might sign a cheap vet - but there is absolutely no chance of adding a starting-caliber QB this offseason. McDaniel has designed this offense around Tua's strengths, and he's not going to throw that out the season after Tua dominated the league statistically and the offense was top 10.

CarsonChris wrote:I watched Tua's predetermined passes to the Cheetah all season long. Weird that now people are worried about it?

I think that's where McDaniel needs to grow as a playcaller. Throwing the ball to Hill and Waddle every down can be very effective - but it's just not a sustainable way to run an offense. McDaniel MUST find a way to open up the run game - even just a little - and spread the ball around a bit more in the passing game.

JMP wrote:

CarsonChris wrote:I watched Tua's predetermined passes to the Cheetah all season long. Weird that now people are worried about it?

I think that's where McDaniel needs to grow as a playcaller.  Throwing the ball to Hill and Waddle every down can be very effective - but it's just not a sustainable way to run an offense.  McDaniel MUST find a way to open up the run game - even just a little - and spread the ball around a bit more in the passing game.

IKR? Gesicki was 3rd on the team in receptions...with 32! That kind of offensive imbalance just won't work for long in the modern NFL and reminds me of the Jarvis Landry days when he'd have over twice the catches of the second best player.

https://stathead.com/tiny/LCcx8

Ok, post combine and post ratings adjustment try at PFF

(52) Dewand Jones, OT, Ohio State
Ranked # 31, can't trade down despite multiple offers. have to take him here

(77) Julius Brents, CB Kansas State
One of the biggest risers, great upside

# 84 traded to Washington for 97, 118 and next year's 4th rounder

(97) Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa

Likely won't be there this late, but I'm taking him since he is.

118 to JAX for 121 and 202
121 to KC for 123, 210 and 257

(123) Karl Brooks, EDGE, Bowling Green

(198) Eric Gray, HB, Oklahoma
(202) Mekhi Blackmon, CB, USC
(217) Joshua Gray, OT, Oregon State
(240) Davis Allen, TE, Clemson
(257) Jake Andrews, C, Troy

Would have liked to have taken more defensive help at LB, but doubled up on the three biggest needs I see, OT, CB and TE. Only missing a third rounder next year now after adding Washington's 4th.

HalCHorn wrote:(52) Dewand Jones, OT, Ohio State
Ranked # 31, can't trade down despite multiple offers. have to take him here

Okay, who is this and what have you done with the real Hal?

DolFan 316 wrote:

HalCHorn wrote:(52) Dewand Jones, OT, Ohio State
Ranked # 31, can't trade down despite multiple offers. have to take him here

Okay, who is this and what have you done with the real Hal?

LOL there are sometimes even I have to stay put. I sensed a run on OT if I did and turned out to be right, Jones I had ranked above the other possibilities and felt I could wait until later to accumulate picks. It worked out except for only adding one to next year's haul.

I have not finished watching the NFLN Combine coverage...will likely take me a long time! But I will say this: the worst news coming out of the Combine is how TE Darnell Washington completely dominated in every possible way. It wasn't unexpected, but that now means that any slim chance of him falling to 51 is absolutely gone. He's a first rounder, and I'm praying the Jets don't take him. He was absolutely my #1 choice for the Phins.

It's too bad we'll have no shot at CB Christian Gonzalez...I like that dude a lot and think he's going to be a helluva player.

It's also too bad that another corner, Emmanuel Forbes, is only 166 pounds! He might be the skinniest football player I've ever seen...no meat on his bones at all, even skinnier than DeVonta Smith! He was an excellent college player and has a skillset coaches dream of, but at 166 pounds he's just not big enough to compete with the modern behemoth receivers and I wouldn't trust him in run support.