NFL Draft- Pre-Senior Bowl Talk and Mock Draft
In a few short weeks, the college football’s best seniors will put their talents on display for the annual Senior Bowl. While some seniors chose to by-pass the game, others who may not receive as much media recognition use the time to show NFL scouts and coaches what they are capable of at the next level. In past Senior Bowls, we have seen numerous prospects create a name for themselves and eventually influence teams to invest 1st round picks on them including Vernon Butler, Aaron Donald, Danny Shelton and even EJ Manuel.
Considering how important the Senior Bow is for some prospects looking to improve their draft stock there are a few in this year’s Senior Bowl that should be closely monitored. On the offensive side of the ball, two athletes to watch for are ECU WR Zay Jones and BYU RB Jamaal Williams. Jones is a freak of an athlete who can play both outside or in the slot and has a great combination of speed and catching radius. Jones is one of college football’s most productive WRs and if he played for a bigger program, I’m sure he would be considered a potential 1st round pick. A few years ago, in the Senior Bowl, a small school RB named David Johnson had a memorable Senior Bowl which eventually helped his case in the draft and is now one of the NFL’s best all-round RBs. This is what I see in BYU’s Jamaal Williams. Williams is a big RB who plays with power yet is effective in the passing game and is a multi-purpose RB. Come April 2017, Williams could become a house hold name and potentially have the same impact as other underrated RBs including David Johnson and Jordan Howard.
On the other side of the ball, there are a few defenders with tremendous athleticism and potential including Alabama’s Ryan Anderson, Auburn’s Montravius Adams, Texas A&M’s Justin Evans, Connecticut’s Obi Melifonwu, and Colorado’s Chidobe Awuzie. Anderson is a swiss-army knife type of edge rusher who can stop the run as well as ass the QB and Adams is a massive lineman with surprising quickness and is good at the point of attack. Evans is arguably the best cover safety in the Senior Bowl, Melifonwu is a 6-4 safety who can play all over the secondary and Awuzie is a physical CB who may not possess great speed but will use his strength at the line of scrimmage. Unlike the offensive talent there is a clear difference in the amount of talent and potential on the defense this year.
Now obviously, these select few are not the only talented prospects in the Senor Bowl and quite frankly there may be others who are better, but the athletes listed above are individuals who do not get enough media exposure and have the potential to show teams why they could end up being great contributors at the next.
With all that being said, let’s talk about the NFL Draft shall we. With the draft now only 3 months away, let’s have another look at an updated 2017 NFL mock draft. This mock draft showcases what I believe each team will consider with their pick. I did not take into account any potential trades so with that in mind:
CLEVELAND BROWNS- MYLES GARRETT DE TEXAS A&M
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS- MITCH TRUBISKY QB NORTH CAROLINA
CHICAGO BEARS- JONATHAN ALLEN DE ALABAMA
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- LEONARD FOURNETTE RB LSU
TENNESSEE TITANS (VIA LA RAMS)- MIKE WILLIAMS WR CLEMSON
NEW YORK JETS- MALIK HOOKER S OHIO STATE
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS- JAMAL ADAMS S LSU
CAROLINA PANTHERS- MARSHON LATTIMORE CB OHIO STATE
CINCINNATI BENGALS- REUBEN FOSTER ILB ALABAMA
BUFFALO BILLS- DESHAUN WATSON QB CLEMSON
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- DEREK BARNETT DE TENNESSEE
CLEVELAND BROWNS (VIA PHI)- DESHONE KIZER QB NOTRE DAME
ARIZONA CARDINALS- ZACH CUNNINGHAM LB VANDERBILT
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS- SOLOMAN THOMAS DE STANFORD
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES- COREY DAVIS WR WESTERN MICHIGAN
BALTIMORE RAVENS- TIM WILLIAMS OLB ALABAMA
WASHINGTON REDSKINS- JABRILL PEPPERS S/LB MICHIGAN
TENNESSEE TITANS- JALEN “TEEZ” TABOR CB FLORIDA
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS- JOHN ROSS WR WASHINGTON
DENVER BRONCOS- MALIK MCDOWELL DE MICHIGAN STATE
DETROIT LIONS- DALVIN COOK RB FLORIDA STATE
MIAMI DOLPHINS- QUINCY WILSON CB FLORIDA
NEW YORK GIANTS- TACO CHARLTON DE MICHIGAN
OAKLAND RAIDERS- MARLON HUMPHREY CB ALABAMA
HOUSTON TEXANS- RYAN RAMCZYK OT WISCONSIN
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS- CHARLES HARRIS DE MISSOURI
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- TAKKARIST MCKINLEY OLB UCLA
ATLANTA FALCONS- CARL LAWSON DE AUBURN
PITTSBURGH STEELERS- SIDNEY JONES CB WASHINGTON
GREEN BAY PACKERS- CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY RB STANFORD
DALLAS COWBOYS- DEMARCUS WALKER DE FLORIDA STATE
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- GAREON CONLEY CB OHIO STATE