DMN: Rick Gosselin's 2nd Mock Draft

[jlust22]

Rick Gosselin's second mock draft

11:50 PM CDT on Saturday, April 22, 2006

Here is this week's mock draft:

Team Player Pos. School

1. Houston Reggie Bush HB Southern California
Comment: Best offensive player on the board

2. New Orleans Mario Williams DE North Carolina State
Comment: Best defensive player on the board

3. Tennessee Vince Young QB Texas
Comment: Houston owner, Houston quarterback

4. N.Y. Jets Matt Leinart QB Southern California
Comment: Giants have Manning, Jets need a headliner, too

5. Green Bay A.J. Hawk LB Ohio State
Comment: Safest pick on the draft board

6. San Francisco Vernon Davis TE Maryland
Comment: His 4.38 speed can stretch defenses

7. Oakland Michael Huff S Texas
Comment: The Raiders need a defensive playmaker

8. Buffalo D'Brickashaw Ferguson OT Virginia
Comment: Bills allowed 43 sacks in 2005

9. Detroit Brodrick Bunkley DT Florida State
Comment: Active nose tackle in Warren Sapp mold

10. Arizona Jay Cutler QB Vanderbilt
Comment: Kurt Warner not getting any younger

11. St. Louis Jimmy Williams CB Virginia Tech
Comment: Rams need a shut-down corner

12. Cleveland Ernie Sims LB Florida State
Comment: Browns need defensive playmakers

13. Baltimore Haloti Ngata DT Oregon
Comment: The Ravens never did replace Tony Siragusa

14. Philadelphia Jonathan Joseph CB South Carolina
Comment: NFC East loaded with giant receivers

15. Denver Laurence Maroney HB Minnesota
Comment: Broncos cut leading rusher Mike Anderson

16. Miami Chad Greenway LB Minnesota
Comment: Dolphins need more athletic linebackers

17. Minnesota Demeco Ryans LB Alabama
Comment:Vikings need linebackers, period

18. Dallas Manny Lawson DE North Carolina State
Comment: A pass rusher to complement DeMarcus Ware

19. San Diego Antonio Cromartie CB Florida State
Comment: NFL's 28th-ranked pass defense needs help

20. Kansas City Kamerion Wimbley DE Florida State
Comment: Wimbley is from down the road in Wichita

21. New England Bobby Carpenter LB Ohio State
Comment: Pats draft a Mike Vrabel clone

22. San Francisco Santonio Holmes WR Ohio State
Comment: His 4.34 speed also stretches defenses

23. Tampa Bay Winston Justice OT Southern California
Comment: Bucs allowed 41 sacks last year

24. Cincinnati Tye Hill CB Clemson
Comment: NFL's 26th-ranked pass defense gets help

25. N.Y. Giants Donte Whitner S Ohio State
Comment: Giants need a playmaker at back end

26. Chicago Jason Allen S Tennessee
Comment: Chicago's historical credo – Defense first

27. Carolina LenDale White HB Southern California
Comment: Panthers replace Stephen Davis

28. Jacksonville Nick Mangold C Ohio State
Comment: Toughens up one of NFL's best lines

29. N.Y. Jets DeAngelo Williams HB Memphis
Comment: Curtis Martin has lost a step

30. Indianapolis Joe Addai HB LSU
Comment: The Colts need to replace Edgerrin James

31. Seattle Chad Jackson WR Florida
Comment: Another WR named Jackson from Florida

32. Pittsburgh Tamba Hali DE Penn State
Comment: NFL champions add Big Ten sack leader

[the_h0wey]

I'll take it!!!

[igtmfo]

Thnx!

Doesn't Goose lay the golden egg later this week, in his so-fine, take-it-to-the-bank last mock? Memory is hazy at this point but isn't there another come Fri. or Sat. morning? Like GMs are so tired that they admit to him exactly who they're going to pick.

[CowboysNumeroUno]

He thinks we pass on Justice?

[Rack Bauer]

He thinks we pass on Justice?


I know. That would be disappointing. He also has us taking another WOLB. I don't hate the pick, but he's not the best OLB for the position we need. May not be the best OLB (available) Period.

[Sasquatch]

He thinks we pass on Justice?

I was very excited when I saw how the draft was shaping up. Then we passed on Justice and I was left scratching my head.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Thnx!

Doesn't Goose lay the golden egg later this week, in his so-fine, take-it-to-the-bank last mock? Memory is hazy at this point but isn't there another come Fri. or Sat. morning? Like GMs are so tired that they admit to him exactly who they're going to pick.


He does his final mock either the day before or the morning of the draft.
That is the one that usually is the most accurate one.

[burmafrd]

No way ferguson slips that far. Neither will Justice. ANd Marooney will not go that high. This mock does not impress me at all.

[lspain1]

I will be surprisrd if Philly lets Justice go by. This mock does not look right to me. We'll see.

[Smith22]

No way ferguson slips that far. Neither will Justice. ANd Marooney will not go that high. This mock does not impress me at all.

Marooney seems to be a good fit for the Broncos, but I agree, that does seem a bit high.

[Rack Bauer]

No way ferguson slips that far. Neither will Justice. ANd Marooney will not go that high. This mock does not impress me at all.


I agree. A lot of very " ?" picks in this mock.



And even if Maroney went that high (or close to it) it wouldn't be to the Broncos. They have RBs already, and with their success picking up RBs later it would be dumb to take one in the first.

[MichaelWinicki]

This mock... is well... a "mock".

[CrazyCowboy]

Manny Lawson.........we need a freak.

[scottsp]

Yeah, I kinda fumbled through this one, too. I'll be very interested in what Goose comes down with on Friday. I also would think/hope Justice doesn't get past us - if he even gets to 18. But what do I know?

[Duane]

Best possible scenario for us. We get a choice of the 3 OLBs we want and the 2nd best OT in the draft.

[VACowboy]

Goose's final mock will look nothing like this. He always plays around with the first few.

[CowboyChris]

i still dont believe the Titans will take Young over Linehart.

[J-DOG]

I have been hearing that the cb's and safeties are the deepest in this draft.
Experts have been saying that they think 8-10 players form the secondary will be picked in this first round.
Gosselin has 5.
When you have as many players who run under 4.5 forty's that play in the secondary you are going to have teams gobbling them up.
I can't remember as many good prospects that are cb's and safeties in one draft who are fast too.
I think the Philly pick is shocking.
I would rather see them taking Justice than Joseph by the way. I think Joseph is a player who can step in right away and play.
Other than the obvious players like Bush, Lienert, Young, Ferguson, Hawk, Huff, Vernon Davis and Jay Cutler I like other players as impact picks.
Joseph
Deangelo Williams
Tye Hill
Lawson
Carpenter
Bunkley
Wimbley
Cromartie
Ngata
Whitner
After those guys you still have others who are talented but have question marks.
You could say Cromartie does but he hasn't failed a physical recently either.
That's 18 players that I have listed that I believe are good value at the 18th pick. I expect Carpenter,Whitner and Hill to still be there by the time we pick at 18. Lawson and Cromartie have a 50/50 chance. That's five players who could be there. Who do you choose from...
Capenter
Cromartie
Whitner
Hill
Lawson????
Do we have a #91 on the team now?

[Fred Smith]

I don't see us passing on OT Winston Justice for an OLB. If Justice is on the board at 18, we will take him. As a matter of fact, if he is still on the board at 15, 16, or 17, we may throw in a 5th or a 6th round pick to move up to take him. As much as we need another OLB, I would be OK entering the season with Al Singleton vs. Kevin Burnett in a competition for the last LB spot. We are already strong at LB with Ware, Bradie James, and Ayodele as starters, and with Ryan Fowler and Scott Shanle as backups.

[AbeBeta]

Goose uses the first few drafts to show patterns - e.g., he hears Justice may be falling. I can't see us passing on Justice at all. Also, I suspect we like Carpenter more than Lawson.

[big dog cowboy]

I always chuckle when people critize mock drafts. It's like picking all the winners in the NCAA BB tournament. It just doesn't happen. And the draft NEVER falls the way anyone thinks. Especially when teams start making trades. In this specific mock, I see no way we stay at 18 with the OLB's and players like Justice, Whitner and even Cromartie still on the board.

[Doomsday]

No way ferguson slips that far. Neither will Justice. ANd Marooney will not go that high. This mock does not impress me at all.

If Ferguson did fall that far Dallas should try like heck to move up and grab him, he could be the best player in this draft.

[Big Country]

Goose uses the first few drafts to show patterns - e.g., he hears Justice may be falling. I can't see us passing on Justice at all. Also, I suspect we like Carpenter more than Lawson.


VERY, VERY :hammer:

:bow:

[BlueStar II]

I'll be very surprised if Marooney goes that high, I just don't see that happening. I'm more inclined to think that Parcells will take Carpenter before Lawson, just my two cents worth.

[hendog]

If Ferguson did fall that far Dallas should try like heck to move up and grab him, he could be the best player in this draft.


Me personally, I wouldn't move up in this mock to take Ferg if we could stay there and take Justice. BTW I'd take Carp as well.

[TruBlueCowboy]

Best possible scenario for us. We get a choice of the 3 OLBs we want and the 2nd best OT in the draft.

I hope it happens too. I was thinking that we would be lucky to have just one of the 3-4 OLBs drop to us, but all 3? I hope it goes like this!

[Tristan]

If you recall, last year his early draft was on the money, as he had us taking Ware first, then Spears. In his last mock prior to the draft, he changed it to have us taking Spears first, then Clayton (WR Oklahoma)with the second pick. I found it very interesting that his first instinct was the right one, I believe he has us taking Holmes in his first effort this year.

[hendog]

If you recall, last year his early draft was on the money, as he had us taking Ware first, then Spears. In his last mock prior to the draft, he changed it to have us taking Spears first, then Clayton (WR Oklahoma)with the second pick. I found it very interesting that his first instinct was the right one, I believe he has us taking Holmes in his first effort this year.


I just don't see us taking a WR in 1.Whoever our 1st pick is they need to start and be an impact player from day 1 unless we pick Justice @ 18 or trade down and take OT or OG later. If we walk away with say Eric Winston or Marcus Mcneil and Davin Joseph or Duece or Max-Jean I'd be a happy camper.

[theogt]

At the top, it looks like a decent guess (or more precisely, a plausible scenario) to me. I see the Jets trading with NO and taking Leinart at 2. The titans would then take Young and NO would take either Williams or Ferguson. You can't really show trades in a mock, so you just fashion it the way that Gosselin has. If NO takes Williams, Ferguson might just slip to #8.

As for the rest, there are some questionable predictions. I don't see Justice falling that far at all. This isn't his final mock of course, but its definitely closer to his final than the last one he did which was ridiculous.

[jterrell]

Don't discount the OTs falling. They simply seem to every year. That type of yearly trend if hard to ignore. Not only that but DBrick is by far the best OT ands yet he is no where near the prospect Pace was. He is probably just about even with what Bryant McKinnie was coming out.

I do think he has corrected some scout fallacies in this mock and expect this to be closer to how it actually falls.

As for Cowboys: I'd be giddy over Manny Lawson. He is the best available athlete as well as best player at a need position. Combining those 2 usually yields great results as drafting did Ware seem to.

[EastDallasCowboy]

Was it Lawson who's praises Goose was singing with Norm last week?

I think it was, and he was saying he could be one of the best players in this draft and he thought it a crime that his stock was so low.

Can't remember though, all these college names give me tired head.

[Sandman52]

The thing I really gather from this mock is the run on LB-types that occurs between 12-21. Unfortunately, we don't have much flexibility to trade down too far. Tho, if we pass on Justice, surely some team right behind us is chomping at the bit.

[Sandman52]

Looking back, we really need to stay ahead of New England, but only San Fran and Tampa Bay seem like trading partners for Justice. But neither one really helps us get that OLB (tho, SF probly would have some nice draft pick slot options).

[Pokes28]

Goose's final is normally the best in the biz. However last year his final mock wasn't all that great...

David Harrell - Pokes
dwh

[Chuck 54]

IN my opinion, Manny Lawson shouldn't be selected before the bottom of round 1 or in round 2.

Look back over the season and past seasons, even the months leading up to the combine....who was projecting Lawson mid first round? anyone?

The guy puts up monster numbers at the combine and suddenly the media starts moving him up the draft boards...and we jump right into it.

NO thanks...Like in the last two seasons, we're at a point in our development, where we cannot be wrong about our first pick...Lawson is another DE...if we're wrong about his ability to play LB and cover TE's and RB's, we're screwed, because he's way to small to play anywhere else for the Cowboys now that we don't play the 4-3.

To me, it's an unnecessary gamble this season....we'll know whether the scouts have been as crazy for him as we are in a few days.

[speedkilz88]

It doesn't matter what the media thinks, the pro teams just started putting their boards together the last month or two and they think he is a first round pick. Ware was listed as a second round pick by most, until the media got wind in the last month that the teams had him as the best pass rusher and he was going in the first round.

Our scouts and head coach know LBs for the 3-4, I think they can tell who can make the switch. Those guys in NE and Pitt, seem to know who can make the switch too.

[big dog cowboy]

IN my opinion, Manny Lawson shouldn't be selected before the bottom of round 1 or in round 2.

Look back over the season and past seasons, even the months leading up to the combine....who was projecting Lawson mid first round? anyone?

The guy puts up monster numbers at the combine and suddenly the media starts moving him up the draft boards...and we jump right into it.
Find a pre-combine mock draft from last year that had Ware going as early as we took him. I could be wrong, but his situation was very similiar to Lawson's.

[Cogan]

A couple of quick hits.
Since I live in NE Ohio, I have a pretty good read on what the Savage/Crennel team will do. One thing they WON'T do is let Ngata past them. They signed Ted Washington in FA, but he's 112 years old. He can last just long enough to teach a great athlete like Ngata how to be one of the all-time best NTs.

If Manny Lawson's name is called at #18, I will jump & shout. The dude is an awesome athlete & player. He can build up those chicken legs & put another 15-20lbs. of muscle on that 6'-6" frame-no problem. Then we have two cat-quick OLBs who will terrorize the league for the next 8-10 years.

I have the mindset that whichever LB my Cowboys pick, I will be happy, & say we got the best. If we pass up on all 3 & take Winston Justice, I will be ecstatic, knowing we are securing the 'O' line for the future.

Whatever happens this Saturday, I will be one happy camper. Unless they pick Joe Paluka for E. Bumtruck State......but that won't happen, because we are the DALLAS COWBOYS!!!

[Rack Bauer]

Find a pre-combine mock draft from last year that had Ware going as early as we took him. I could be wrong, but his situation was very similiar to Lawson's.


Almost identical. I agree.


Problem is they are too identical, Lawson also being a WOLB (3-4).

Like I've been saying, if we didn't have Ware, Lawson would be #1 on my list by a long shot.

[Clove]

The dude is an awesome athlete & player. He can build up those chicken legsTo something like this?
http://www.artbysteph.com/files/Chicken_legs_front.gif

[txlonghorn14]

i'll take that and run with it. we could use a DE. helluva lot better than a WR.

[Pokes28]

Find a pre-combine mock draft from last year that had Ware going as early as we took him. I could be wrong, but his situation was very similiar to Lawson's.

You are VERY correct. However, with the NC State players and the ACC conference as a whole, Lawson had been seen by a gazillion scouts prior to the combine and nobody had him as a first round pick. Mel Kiper had Ware as a borderline first rounder during the college football season. Yes Ware climbed the boards, but that could be more a matter of not being fully scouted at little bitty Troy.

David Harrell - Pokes
dwh

[Rack Bauer]

You are VERY correct. However, with the NC State players and the ACC conference as a whole, Lawson had been seen by a gazillion scouts prior to the combine and nobody had him as a first round pick. Mel Kiper had Ware as a borderline first rounder during the college football season. Yes Ware climbed the boards, but that could be more a matter of not being fully scouted at little bitty Troy.

David Harrell - Pokes
dwh


Lawson wasn't considered a first rounder till after his workouts. Hell, there's still some that think he won't/shouldn't be a first rounder.

[Bob Sacamano]

He thinks we pass on Justice?

I don't blame him, we haven't taken an Olineman in the 1st since 1983, and Jerry said no Olineman in the 1st this year

[Rack Bauer]

I don't blame him, we haven't taken an Olineman in the 1st since 1983, and Jerry said no Olineman in the 1st this year


Dunnn dun dun dun

Dunnn dun dun dun DUNNNNN!!!

That means we'll be drafting Justice if he's available. :D

[Bob Sacamano]

Dunnn dun dun dun

Dunnn dun dun dun DUNNNNN!!!

That means we'll be drafting Justice if he's available. :D

I'm for it

[Rack Bauer]

I'm for it


Same here.


Right now I have 4 players I'd be happy with at the 18 spot. Justice, Carpenter, Wimbley, and Lawson. Anyone else at that spot (unless it's an unexpected faller) would probably p*** me off.

[Bob Sacamano]

Anyone else at that spot (unless it's an unexpected faller) would probably p*** me off.

Santonio HOlmes :banghead: :bang2: :bang2: :bang2: :bang2: :bang2: :bang2:

I'm glad the likelihood of that happening is 1 in a million

[Rack Bauer]

Yeah I hate that so many people think Holmes and Jackson are worth the 18th pick just cuz they happen to be the best WR's in THIS draft. They might be, but that doesn't mean they're worthy of top 20 picks. I wouldn't draft either of them in the first round.

[Bob Sacamano]

there's a reason this class of WRs is a disgrace

[fishspill]

I want one of 3 things with the round one pick: a player that rushes the passer, a player that prevents the rush from getting to my passer or a falling talent well above the level of our pick.

That said I'd be all-in for Justice. And I wouldn't necessarily shy away from going OL again in round 2 or 3.

Lawson wouldn't bother me. I think all NC St. players are helped by the perception the coaching staff there isn't highly regarded (at least I've heard mention of that). The players' talents aren't assumed to be shown completely as the staff doesn't develop them technically as well as other top programs. Texas had the same knock against them until they hauled off and won a title so it may just be a poor perception.

So in conclusion: OL, pass rusher or catalytic faller. I'm not too complex.

[Dalmations202]

I want one of 3 things with the round one pick: a player that rushes the passer, a player that prevents the rush from getting to my passer or a falling talent well above the level of our pick.

That said I'd be all-in for Justice. And I wouldn't necessarily shy away from going OL again in round 2 or 3.

Lawson wouldn't bother me. I think all NC St. players are helped by the perception the coaching staff there isn't highly regarded (at least I've heard mention of that). The players' talents aren't assumed to be shown completely as the staff doesn't develop them technically as well as other top programs. Texas had the same knock against them until they hauled off and won a title so it may just be a poor perception.

So in conclusion: OL, pass rusher or catalytic faller. I'm not too complex.

I guess I fall in this category myself. I just want them to take the value at the position of need. No reaching.

[SuspectCorner]

Dallas can't pass on Justice if he's there at #18. the problem is - he won't be. i don't buy all this "OLB at #18" talk. not for a second.

Dallas will address their weakest unit early. the offensive line.

i smell trade-down.