YDKF Mock Draft - let me know your thoughts

The 2012 YDKF Mock Draft - youdontknowfootball.com

I was picking for Da Bears.

right, before I say ANYTHING about this, you have to realise that living in Singapore and with the first round being in the early hours for me I had to submit a big draft board. Martin was a LONG way down the board but obviously not far enough (this mock started a week or so when his stock was higher too). I'm certainly not set on this pick and if i had the chance to change, i would have taken Mercilus (no trades allowed, I would have definitely sought a trade had the board panned out like it did). With hindsight, not the best start to the draft, although I'm open to drafting LT early if the value is there

Anyhow, excuses aside, I'd be interested in your comments (on all teams not just the Bears). Given how the draft panned out, i dont think i did too bad of a job. I'd have liked to have got safety help earlier but think I hit good value in most rounds outside of the first. I can see the Martin / C Williams comparisons and i'm not convinced he is LT material but, all in all, i like how it panned out.

Doing a mock like this is hard because you cant just say who you'd take in each round, cherrypicking the value. With that said, it was fun and as far as UDFA go, I'd have brought in Donte Paige-Moss and Case Keenum as neither went drafted. I like Paige-Moss's skillset and barring his injury, i think he'd defintiely get drafted. Keenum could compete in camp with Luke McCown. We have our back-up in Campbell and Keenum could be a value project pick.

CHICAGO BEARS

Rd 1 – (19) – Jonathan Martin – LT – Stanford With the 12 hour time difference I had to submit a very long draft board for my first and most crucial pick, which wasn’t ideal. In hindsight, I may have selected Whitney Mercilus here but given that O-line is a need for the Bears it worked out OK, as I dont think my second round pick could have got me the value at OT/OG if I hadn’t pulled the trigger on Martin. Martin is a high character, intelligent, durable tackle with great work ethic and terrific athleticism, he was a three year starter protecting Andrew Luck’s blindside. He has good size at 6’6″ and scouts see this guy as a low risk pick. What Martin lacks in strength, he makes up for with a firm grasp of technique/ fundamentals and he has the frame to allow for strength conditioning down the line; a good player and a good athlete. With this pick and under the tutelage of Mike Tice, the Bears have the O-line sewn up. Webb was inconsistent at LT last year and Martin can add depth to a line that sees the return of former first round pick linemen Gabe Carimi and Chris Williams from injury. With the dependable Garza at Centre and Lance Louis and a number of able reserves in the fold the Bears have the opportunity to finally afford Cutler the protection he needs. With the addition of Brandon Marshall in FA and with Martz and his 7 step drop optimistic blocking schemes long gone, the Bears are starting to look like they are going to compete in a division that has high-octane offences like the Lions and Packers.

Rd 2 – (50) – Bruce Irvin – DE -West Virginia ‘The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds… ‘ Bruce Irvin is this year’s Michael Oher when it comes to his story leading up this point but the guy has learnt from his chequered past and reports from his pro day indicated that Lovie Smith and Mike Tomlin of the Steelers left raving about Irvin’s potential. An explosive pass rusher, he fits the Bears’ Cover 2 scheme which is predicated on a strong pass rush from the front 4. With Julius Peppers lining up opposite Irvin, and strong inside help from Paea and Melton, the Bears should be back to their ferocious best with this pick. Rodgers, Stafford and some schmuck at the Vikes – you have been warned.

Rd 3 – (79) – Greg Childs – Arkansas – WR This year’s WR class is very deep. In fact, rounds 2 and 3 could see a record number of receivers taken. With that in mind and the Bears having addressed receiver comprehensively in free agency (Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall, ST stand-outs and able replacements Eric Weems, Devin Thomas) I felt I could leave wide-out until the third round. Childs has the size, speed and production to slot in besides Marshall and Earl Bennet in a strong passing attack next year. At this point in the draft I was pleased to snag Childs who I think had second round value. The guy is over 6’3″ and runs a good route. He’ll be a strong addition to the Bears’ O.

Rd 4 – (111) – Derek Wolfe – DT – Cincinnati The Bears lost Okoye to the Buccs in free agency and had let Anthony Adams go already. DT needs some depth and I’d thought leaving DT this late a bit of a gamble, but I lucked out. I really like Wolfe here in the fourth, he was a three year starter for the Bearcats and is a leader. Wolfe is tall (6’5”), solid and a fierce competitor, and has been described as ‘versatile’, ‘tough as nails’, ‘an extremely hard worker in the weight room’ and ‘relentless in practice with a non-stop motor’. He is durable (started last 38 games of college career) and led the conference as a senior with 21.5 tackles for a loss with career high tackles (70) and sacks (9.5). This guy has the character and all the tools to really flourish in the Bears’ rotation under the expert guidance of Rod Marinelli. For me he is a steal in the fourth and is my favourite value pick for the Bears.

Rd 5 – (150) – Coryell Judie – CB – Texas A&M A high school track star CB who fits the zone system employed by the Bears well. Good awareness, quick feet and fluid backpedal, he is ‘an aggressive tackler’ and ‘attacks the receiver from the snap’. ‘High effort leader’, with occasional ‘flashes of spectacular ball skills’, good ‘blitz potential’ and special teams contributor. The more I read about Judie the more I liked, I’ve seen a bit of film on him too and had him pegged as a 3/4th rounder alongside Shaun Prater. When Prater came off the board 7 picks before my slot, I had no qualms pulling the trigger on Judie. Judie will add depth to the Bears’ cornerback stable behind starters Tillman and Jennings. He fits the scheme and he has the tools to be a success. With the FA addition of Kelvin Hayden as well, the Bears are looking good at corner.

Rd 6 – (184) – Josh LeRibeus – OG – SMU LeRibeus was another steal here in the sixth. Described by SI as a ‘tough, explosive blocker who’s effective in motion, gets his hands on defenders, keeps his feet moving and turns opponents off the line.. and could develop into a starter’, LeRibeus is a solid 6th round pick up I couldn’t pass on. He can provide depth at guard or centre and is a strong, tough competitor

Rd 7 – (220) – Eddie Pleasant, Oregon, SS This late in the draft you’re looking for depth and ST players. Pleasant fits both these remits. Received all-conference honours in PAC-10, a two year starter and specials teams contributor, Pleasant fits the zone scheme of the Bears and is a disciplined reader of the game showing great awareness on the field. ‘Aggressive and quick to move up to defend the run.. (he) displays a burst of closing speed and is forceful on the blitz.’ A decent late round addition to the Bears at a position they’ve struggled at in past years. Will have a chance to make the roster and compete on Special Teams. Brings a winning mentality coming in from the Oregon Ducks! (had to sneak one UO guy in somewhere!)

I’m very happy with my draft, it hinged on the first round selection as to which way I’d go. This year’s draft class has been much hyped and I can see bust potential in quite a few highly touted first round names – in fact, had we allowed trades in this mock I’d have looked to trade down or perhaps even out of the first round altogether, as there appears to be some strong, good value picks in rounds 2-3 and outside of the top 10 prospects overall, I dont see too much drop off down to mid/late second round. With that in mind and with the Bears’ needs on the O-Line, I was happy to get Martin who I view as one of the lowest risk, high character guys out there. Irvin is a very exciting prospect in the second and Childs, Wolfe and Judie were all picks I had graded higher than where I got them and also filled a need, which was very encouraging.

first round:


1 Indianapolis Colts Andrew Luck – QB – Stanford
2 Washington Redskins Robert Griffin III – QB – Baylor
3 Minnesota Vikings Matt Kalil – OT – USC
4 Cleveland Browns Ryan Tannehill – QB – Texas A&M
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trent Richardson – RB – Alabama
6 St. Louis Rams Justin Blackmon – WR – Oklahoma St
7 Jacksonville Jaguars Morris Claiborne – CB – LSU
8 Miami Dolphins Quinton Coples – DE – North Carolina
9 Carolina Panthers Fletcher Cox – DT – Mississippi State
10 Buffalo Bills Riley Reiff – OT – Iowa
11 Kansas City Chiefs David Decastro – OG – Stanford
12 Seattle Seahawks Luke Kuechly – LB – Boston College
13 Arizona Cardinals Melvin Ingram – DE/OLB – South Carolina
14 Dallas Cowboys Mark Barron – S – Oklahoma
15 Philadelphia Eagles Michael Brockers – DT – LSU
16 New York Jets Cordy Glenn – OL – Georgia
17 Cincinnati Bengals Michael Floyd – WR – Notre Dame
18 San Diego Chargers Courtney Upshaw – DE/OLB – Alabama
19 Chicago Bears Jonathan Martin – OT – Stanford
20 Tennessee Titans Nick Perry – DE/OLB – USC
21 Cincinnati Bengals Dre Kirkpatrick – CB – Alabama
22 Cleveland Browns Stephen Hill – WR – Georgia Tech
23 Detroit Lions Stephon Gilmore – CB – South Carolina
24 Pittsburgh Steelers Dont’a Hightower – ILB – Alabama
25 Denver Broncos Dontari Poe – DL – Memphis
26 Houston Texans Kendall Wright – WR – Baylor
27 New England Patriots Whitney Mercilus – DE/OLB – Illinois
28 Green Bay Packers Shea McClellin – OLB – Boise State
29 Baltimore Ravens Janoris Jenkins – CB – North Alabama
30 San Francisco 49ers Coby Fleener – TE – Stanford
31 New England Patriots Devon Still – DT – Penn State
32 New York Giants Jerel Worthy – DT – Michigan State

Sorry Rich, I just don't' like Martin at all and I don't even think that he would be close to going in round one in the 2011 draft. I think the last first round OT taken last year was Sherrod by the Packers and I think he will be a better pro than Martin. Martin may be low risk but I also think he's low reward. He'll play, just very impressively. Let the Lions have him he's more their type.

I love Irvin but I think two is too high for him because until he can get bigger and stronger he'll be a one trick pony pass rusher. Me, I gotta go with a DE of DT who can rush and play the run in the first and maybe we take a guy like Irvin somewhere after two. It may be foolish to pass on him but there's just too much he can't do to draft this high.

Those are just my humble opinions about the first two rounds. After that it gets tougher. I want to see us with a 3t DT in the first three rounds too and if I thought Kendall Reyes wouldn't fall into three I'd be tempted to draft him in the second. I don't think Wolfe will fall to four. I've seen some guys like Kiper rating him in the second. Billy Winn from BSU is another guy who we might be able to get in three. To me we could go all the way to four and still get a good WR. I'd like nothing but lineman on both sides of the ball through three.

But whatever Emery does I'll back because when the press conference starts after the draft whatever he has to say about his picks I'm gonna believe a lot more in than what JA had to say.

:guinness: Cheers brother!

I don't like Martin either. Most scouts have projected him as a RT. Also, Bruce Irvin in the 2nd is a major reach...I've seen him going in the 4th-5th rounds in most mocks. I think Childs is being overdrafted here as well...wouldn't mind him, but not in the 3rd.

All good gents, no need to apologise Soul, I knew Martin was a mistake as soon as i had him. As you know I'm in Sing and most of the guys on that board are Jets fans so the first round was unfortunately done early afternoon your/their time and in the early hours for me. So i had to send a 19 player draft board from Luck all the way down to Martin (who i had way down at the bottom and unfortunatley ahead of Mercilus! I just didnt expect to get that low.)

This was before Martin's stock really began to fall too. meh, I'd take him, I think he'd be good but like you say, probably not before the second with hindsight. I take the hit for martin, that could be a whiff of a pick! ha!

My priority on a re-do would be DT and DE in the first two rounds, or ideally a trade down from 19 to snag an extra second

Irvin - I like, I think the second coudl be his place. The more i have seen of him the more i like and a LOT of the guys i was looking at in 2 went off the board early:

SECOND ROUND

1 (33). Rams (Hurricane Green): Mike Adams - Offensive Tackle - Ohio State
2 (34). Colts (Agent Cooper): Kevin Zeitler - Offensive Guard - Wisconsin
3 (35). Vikings (Judge Holden): Alshon Jeffery - Wide Receiver - South Carolina
4 (36). Buccaneers (624): Lavonte David - Linebacker - Nebraska
5 (37). Browns (Judge Holden): Bobby Massie - Offensive Tackle - Ole Miss
6 (38). Jaguars (MBGreen): Peter Konz - Center - Wisconsin
7 (39). Rams (Hurricane Green): Rueben Randle - Wide Receiver - LSU
8 (40). Panthers (SI_Jetsfan): Andre Branch - DE/OLB - Clemson
9 (41). Bills (Touchdown Jesus): Mohamed Sanu - Wide Receiver - Rutgers
10 (42). Dolphins (Johnny English): Juron Criner - Wide Receiver - Arizona
11 (43). Seahawks (Hurricane Green): Chandler Jones - Defensive End - Syracuse
12 (44).Chiefs (Reuben): Harrison Smith - Safety - Notre Dame
13 (45). Cowboys (WW85): Kendall Reyes - Defensive Lineman - UCONN
14 (46). Eagles (Reuben): Doug Martin - Running Back - Boise State
15 (47). Jets (624): Vinny Curry - Defensive End/Outside Linebacker - Marshall
16 (48). Patriots (casman02): Trumaine Johnson - Defensive Back - Montana
17 (49). Chargers (casman02): Kelechi Osemele - Offensive Tackle - Iowa State
18 (50). Bears (rich1978): Bruce Irvin - Defensive End - West Virginia
19 (51). Eagles (Reuben): Josh Robinson - Cornerback - UCF
20 (52). Titans (Touchdown Jesus): Brandon Thompson - Defensive Tackle - Clemson
21 (53). Bengals (WW85): Amini Silatolu - Offensive Lineman - Midwestern State
22 (54). Lions (Libero_2): Brandon Brooks - Offensive Lineman - Miami of Ohio
23 (55). Falcons (Bob): Mychal Kendricks - Linebacker - California
24 (56). Steelers (Agent Cooper): Jeff Allen - Offensive Lineman - Illinois
25 (57). Broncos (Theo Huxtable): Ronnell Lewis - DE/OLB - Oklahoma
26 (58). Texans (MBGreen): Mitchell Schwartz - Offensive Tackle - California
27 (59). SAINTS LOSE PICK DUE TO BOUNTY SCANDAL
28 (59). Packers (Vorrecht): Chris Polk - Running Back - Washington
29 (60). Ravens (SI_Jetsfan): David Wilson - Running Back - Virginia Tech
30 (61). 49ers (IATA): Brian Quick - Wide Receiver - Appalachian State
31 (62). Patriots (casman02): Zach Brown - Linebacker - North Carolina
32 (63). Giants (Magilla Guerilla): Lamar Miller - Running Back - Miami (FL)


I think Childs, Wolfe, and Judiewere good pick ups in 3,4,5 and LeRibeus was great value in the 6th. that's the area i was most pleased with in my draft. Man, I'm flunking rounds 1 and 2 and hitting mid-round! I'm Jerry Angelo!!! argh!!
:sad44: :lol-032:

i'll just say in my defense, that its hard to do this when there are 31 other GM's around too. once there is a run on a position you have to think what you are going to do, and your draft board has to be real fluid to adapt to other guy's picks and still fill needs

I think thats why I didnt knock the ball out the park on the ifrst two rounds. from there onwards we were drafting in the evning US time (morning here) so i coudl keep an eye on it at work and I agree, I think Wolfe in 4 and Judie in 5 are big time steals.

Its great fun though. maybe next year we could do something similar on here if there was the interest.

check out their forum if you are interested in how it was run. they're mainly Jets fans but generally ok

You Don't Know Football - NFL News, Opinions, Analysis, and Humor

(admin/ mods - apologies if forum rules here dont allow advertising of forums etc? not sure if they do? feel free to delete link if its not on, i know some forums can get a bit touchy about this kind of thing)

cheers for feedback anyway guys :lol-027:

I'm glad to know that you know that Jonathan Martin will not be going to the Bears at #19! Also, I don't know much about Bruce Irvin, but from what little I've read, he's at best a mid-round pick. I don't think that he'll be much more than an Alex Brown-type of defensive end. Still, I'd be interested in possible picking him up if he's available by the fourth or fifth round. We could always use the extra depth at DE behind Peppers, whomever we pick in the first round (provided that it's going to be a DE, which I hope is either Coples, Jones, and especially Mercilus), Idonije, and Wootten. I do like soul's idea of drafting someone like Kendall Reyes in the third. Meanwhile, I think we should either focus on WR or OT in rounds two or four. Most likely, I doubt that the Bears will draft a wide receiver as high as the second round; I'm more inclined to believe that they'll draft someone like Nick Toon in the fourth round since that's where many mocks have him going. If the Bears do draft a WR in the second round, I'd like for it to be someone like Brian Quick who will have some playing time, give us another large body at WR with which to work, and still have time to develop and hone his skills to where he can take on a major role in Tice's offense.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dagan81

I'm glad to know that you know that Jonathan Martin will not be going to the Bears at #19! Also, I don't know much about Bruce Irvin, but from what little I've read, he's at best a mid-round pick. I don't think that he'll be much more than an Alex Brown-type of defensive end. Still, I'd be interested in possible picking him up if he's available by the fourth or fifth round. We could always use the extra depth at DE behind Peppers, whomever we pick in the first round (provided that it's going to be a DE, which I hope is either Coples, Jones, and especially Mercilus), Idonije, and Wootten. I do like soul's idea of drafting someone like Kendall Reyes in the third. Meanwhile, I think we should either focus on WR or OT in rounds two or four. Most likely, I doubt that the Bears will draft a wide receiver as high as the second round; I'm more inclined to believe that they'll draft someone like Nick Toon in the fourth round since that's where many mocks have him going. If the Bears do draft a WR in the second round, I'd like for it to be someone like Brian Quick who will have some playing time, give us another large body at WR with which to work, and still have time to develop and hone his skills to where he can take on a major role in Tice's offense.

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Reyes was off the board to the Cowboys a couple of picks ahead of me in the second. I probably woudl have taken him there to be honest, had he slid.

Its funny seeing all the mocks, maybe its my memory, but in years gone by there seemed to be a lot more certainty about picks, this year it seems every single talking head has a completely different take and to be honest, the biggest factor in it all, which renders all these mocks little more than a fun diversion is the new rookie payscale. I can see a ton of trading happening opening day of the draft, potentially way more than usual and once that is in play, who knows how its all gonna lie once the dust settles!

Strap yourself, in, its gonna be a bumpy ride come draft day!


I've just seen the NFL.com seven rounder
NFL.com news: Seven-round mock: Projecting every pick in 2012 NFL Draft

they have Wolfe going in the second! Makes me feel a little better nabbing him in the fourth! :)

edit: and Mel Kiper on Espn has him going 31st overall to the Pats!? wow, just shows how everyone ios all over the place this year

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rich1978

Reyes was off the board to the Cowboys a couple of picks ahead of me in the second. I probably woudl have taken him there to be honest, had he slid.

Its funny seeing all the mocks, maybe its my memory, but in years gone by there seemed to be a lot more certainty about picks, this year it seems every single talking head has a completely different take and to be honest, the biggest factor in it all, which renders all these mocks little more than a fun diversion is the new rookie payscale. I can see a ton of trading happening opening day of the draft, potentially way more than usual and once that is in play, who knows how its all gonna lie once the dust settles!

Strap yourself, in, its gonna be a bumpy ride come draft day!


I've just seen the NFL.com seven rounder
NFL.com news: Seven-round mock: Projecting every pick in 2012 NFL Draft

they have Wolfe going in the second! Makes me feel a little better nabbing him in the fourth! :)

edit: and Mel Kiper on Espn has him going 31st overall to the Pats!? wow, just shows how everyone ios all over the place this year

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I think the Bears will draft Mercilus before they think about drafting Jones. Jones' injury last season limits what is known about his physical capabilities based on whether he would have measured up to someone like Whitney Mercilus, who had 16.5 sacks in thirteen games. I think Jones had 4.5 sacks in seven games, not nearly as impressive of a pace, especially when one considers that he played one of the weakest BCS conferences in America (Big East). Mercilus did his damage playing in the Big Ten, which was arguably the next best defensive conference in college football behind the SEC. It is important to note that Mercilus forced nine fumbles/turnovers last year, a stat that Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli are surely salivating over.