1st 4 Round Mock (with trade back)

[tm1119]

I'll say we end up at 6 with 2 QB's, Bosa, Treadwell, and Ramsey off the board. Someone is trading up for an OT...I'll say we move back from 6 to 12 picking up an extra 2nd.

1st- Shaq Lawson DE Clemson- Lawson is 1 of my favorites in this draft class. Versatile d lineman who can be used inside or outside. Always in the backfield and 22 TFL shows it. Has a very quick burst and uses his 275 pounds well with a bull rush. He actually reminds me of a smaller version of Sheldon Richardson.

2nd- Paul Perkins RB UCLA- He probably doesn't have the same straight line speed, but Perkins reminds me of Jamaal Charles. His shiftiness and suddenness is eye popping, he makes a defender miss on pretty much every play...often making them look silly. Good hands out of the backfield too. A little on the small side so may not be the prototypical workhorse, but a perfect guy to get 15-20 touches a game who is always a threat to break off a long run at any time.

2nd- William Jackson III CB Houston- 6'1 195 pound CB with 2 years of starting experience after transferring from juco. Fluid athlete who plays with an aggressive attitude and finds and makes a play on the ball well. Will struggle trying to mirror the smaller quicker WR's, but will excel in off man or zone.

3rd- Tyler Matakevich LB Temple- Love this kid. Probably a homer pick, but I really hope we draft this kid. The heart and passion he plays with is well a 3rd round pick alone. On the field you are getting a well rounded sure tackler who plays with incredible instincts and smarts. He's going to have a long NFL career as long as he can stay healthy.

4th- Vernon Butler DT La Tech- This kid is a beast. 6'3 315 and carries his weight and moves very well. His calling card is his power though. Constantly extending his arms and moving o line back to collapse the pocket or running lanes. This is the type of DT that makes the jobs of the rest of the front 7 easier.

4th (comp pick)- Nate Sudfeld QB Indiana- I'm usually against taking a mid round pick QB because it's a wasted pick more often than not, but with a likely high comp pick it makes sense to take a shot this year. Sudfeld is 6'5 235 with a strong arm and what I would call good/not great accuracy. Only 1 year as a full time starter but delivered with 3184 yards 60% completion and 24/5 td/int. Not the best athlete and needs to get the ball out quicker, but there are certainly tools there that suggest NFL QB.

 

[bodi]

nice draft tm111

 

[Sydla]

No parts of Shaq Lawson.

Think he's overrated.

 

[tm1119]

No parts of Shaq Lawson.

Think he's overrated.

Why? What do you not like about him?

 

[Sydla]

I don't think he's as athletic as people think. He's not projected to be a great pass rusher at this level. You read scouting reports on him and one thing many question is his first step........ he can be slow off the ball so I am not sure where people think he's so explosive.

If we were picking in the late teens, or 20s and he's there, a better range for him. But Top 12? I think there will be better players still on the board then.

 

[RandyOh]

Don't know much on Shaw Lawson. Actually haven't really been paying attention to DE's so far this year other then Bosa and Bullard. But the rest of ur draft looks awesome. would have no problem with ur draft

 

[Avery]

Not sure I go with a DE as I like my starters as a mix of Lawrence/Gregory/Hardy. I think we need more help in the middle as we haven't had a dominant DT since Ratliff. Andrew Billings could be an intriguing option there.

 

[TheBigEasy]

3 weeks ago, I would have given you an 'A'. Maybe I'm 'trying' to find potential but I really liked what I saw in Lawrence. Watched Gregory since his first game @ Nebraska and feel confident that we lucked out and drafted him. With that being said, I'd move drafting a DE down the priority list even before a decision on Hardy is made. JMO

 

[tm1119]

I don't think he's as athletic as people think. He's not projected to be a great pass rusher at this level. You read scouting reports on him and one thing many question is his first step........ he can be slow off the ball so I am not sure where people think he's so explosive.

If we were picking in the late teens, or 20s and he's there, a better range for him. But Top 12? I think there will be better players still on the board then.

Are you actually watching Lawson or just reading scouting reports though? Is Lawson going to be a 15+ sack guy who constantly turns the corner with speed? No, but he's very effective without that trait. He's explosive in terms of getting out of his stance and getting his hands on the o line 1st, not explosive getting around them with foot speed. He's versatile and lives in the backfield though, and to me this is a weak top 15 draft class so a versatile guy with a high floor like Lawson rises to the top. Not every DE has to get to the QB 1 way....Greg Hardy /Chandler Jones/Michael Bennett don't fit your mold as a top12 picks either and quite frankly neither does Joey Bosa.


And to the couple of other posters worrying about need at DE....front 7 is ALWAYS a need. I don't think Hardy or Mincey should/will be back so that leaves Lawrence, Gregory, and Jack Crawford? I'm perfectly fine with another high draft pick at DE. Especially since we are still near the bottom of the league in sacks and pressure even with Hardy.

 

[Sydla]

Are you actually watching Lawson or just reading scouting reports though? Is Lawson going to be a 15+ sack guy who constantly turns the corner with speed? No, but he's very effective without that trait. He's explosive in terms of getting out of his stance and getting his hands on the o line 1st, not explosive getting around them with foot speed. He's versatile and lives in the backfield though, and to me this is a weak top 15 draft class so a versatile guy with a high floor like Lawson rises to the top. Not every DE has to get to the QB 1 way....Greg Hardy /Chandler Jones/Michael Bennett don't fit your mold as a top12 picks either and quite frankly neither does Joey Bosa.


And to the couple of other posters worrying about need at DE....front 7 is ALWAYS a need. I don't think Hardy or Mincey should/will be back so that leaves Lawrence, Gregory, and Jack Crawford? I'm perfectly fine with another high draft pick at DE. Especially since we are still near the bottom of the league in sacks and pressure even with Hardy.

I've seen him play. I think he's a nice player. He's not a guy I target at 12. There will be better players on the board. Like I would take Myles Jack over Lawson without blinking. I'd take Treadwell over Lawson if Treadwell was there without thinking twice.

Bosa is a better pass rusher than Lawson. And I am not a huge Bosa guy but I would take him over Lawson.

And I think one of Hardy or Mincey will be back. I think there's a good chance Hardy is back because I suspect the market for him won't be very big.

 

[bodi]

http://nflmocks.com/2015/12/16/shaq-lawson-2016-nfl-draft-scouting-report-and-takes/

Some Translatable NFL Traits
1.Effort

Here’s a really good looking play from Lawson’s tape against Notre Dame. This is early on in the game, but you can already tell in the first few plays that Notre Dame has to scheme against Lawson in order to keep him at bay. Not even a double team and one of the best offensive tackles can stop him from disrupting this play…

2. Stack and Shed

This was just a couple of plays later on that same tape, but you see it throughout. Lawson has great upper body strength, and he uses a combination of leverage, speed, and that bench press here on this play to render an offensive lineman irrelevant and make a tackle for loss

3. Ball recognition/Play diagnostic

There’s a reason why Lawson led the nation in tackles for loss, and it’s because of this trait right here. His ability to recognize where the ball is going, keep to his gap discipline, and then use his short-area quickness to attack is fully evident as he blows up this option play by the Notre Dame offense, leaving them with, well…no options…

4. Disrupting the passing game

There’s more to disrupting the passing game than just getting to the quarterback. Lawson makes a play happen here against Miami where he simply overpowers the left tackle, gets in the way of a quick screen, and forces the quarterback basically to throw the ball at the ground. This is a short distance to go for the Miami offense, so he gives his team a chance at an early third down stop with this type of effort play as well.

5. Don’t leave him unblocked off the snap…

Seriously, just…don’t.

I think Shaq has more up side than Bosa

so If I keep Hardy I put him inside - but I would not give him any type of money

http://thelandryhat.com/2015/12/20/ten-dallas-cowboys-fired-2016/
I understand the desire to keep defensive end Greg Hardy on the Dallas Cowboys roster for next year. This team has desperately needed a pass rusher and with Hardy, they got exactly that. But I truly believe, after his actions this season, the 27-year old is a ticking time bomb. And Hardy is a bomb that is going to want top dollar at year’s end. And the Cowboys simply need to move on.

Bottom line is: unless Hardy is willing to sign some sort of incredible deal that pays him a quarter of what his talent is worth, the Cowboys should let him take his issues elsewhere in 2016.

 

[Sydla]

That guy thinks he's a Top Ten talent.

He's not. If he goes in the Top Ten, I'll eat my hat. He's more likely to fall than rise IMO.