Silverman Mock Draft 2.0: Look For Jets, Bears To Take QBs In 1st Round
By Steve Silverman
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The subterfuge has once again been thick this draft season, and the manipulating and maneuvering in the NFL Draft will continue through Thursday night.
The first round is all about finding a team's anchor players for the future, and no NFL general manager can afford to miss on these picks consistently or he will soon find "former" in front of his name whenever he is referred to in the press.
One of the first things that was noted about this year's draft is that the quarterbacks were substandard and that none of them might be drafted in the first round.
With a little more than 24 hours to go, it now seems likely that at least three, and possibly four, quarterbacks could go in the first round.
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Here's my final look at the first round before the teams actually make their picks Thursday night in Philadelphia.
1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2. San Francisco 49ers: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
3. Chicago Bears: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
5. Tennessee Titans (from L.A. Rams): Jonathan Allen, DT, Alabama
6. New York Jets: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
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7. Los Angeles Chargers: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
8. Carolina Panthers: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9. Cincinnati Bengals: Jamal Adams, SS, LSU
10. Buffalo Bills: Malik Hooker, FS, Ohio State
11. New Orleans Saints: Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama
12. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia): Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
13. Arizona Cardinals: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
14. Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota): Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
15. Indianapolis Colts: Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
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16. Baltimore Ravens: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
17. Washington Redskins: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
18. Tennessee Titans: David Njoku, TE, Miami (Fla.)
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tyus Bowser, OLB, Houston
20. Denver Broncos: Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
21. Detroit Lions: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
22. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
23. New York Giants: T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin
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24. Oakland Raiders: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
25. Houston Texans: Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
26. Seattle Seahawks: Budda Baker, FS, Washington
27. Kansas City Chiefs: Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
28. Dallas Cowboys: Adoree' Jackson, CB, Southern California
29. Green Bay Packers: Jarrad Davis, ILB, Florida
30. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jabrill Peppers, SS, Michigan
31. Atlanta Falcons: Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple
32. New Orleans Saints (from New England): DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
Three quarterbacks go in the first 12 picks, and while many have the Bears going with a defensive player with the No. 3 selection, general manager Ryan Pace cannot afford to go into the season without a potential superstar at the position.
Watson certainly has the track record to reach that level, and Pace convinces himself that Watson can be as dominant in the NFL as he was in college.
The surprise move by the Bears sets other wheels in motion, and that includes the Jets going after Trubisky with the No.6 pick. This is a risky pick because Trubisky does not have the track record, but every time GM Mike Maccagnan looks at his tape, he can check all the boxes.
Trubisky's size, arm strength, accuracy and quick release are all positives, and the fact remains that you can't win in the NFL consistently without a quarterback who can make the big plays when the game is on the line.
Maccagnan swallows hard and takes the North Carolina quarterback off the board.
The Browns may have thought they could have their choice of quarterbacks with the No. 12 pick in the draft, and they had their eye on Watson. However, they are forced to go with Mahomes since Watson and Trubisky are off the board.
The Browns will spin this as a positive, and they may end up with the best quarterback of the day. They will get plenty of praise since they got both their game-changing defensive player in Garrett and Mahomes, and those picks could change the fortunes of the franchise.
As the quarterbacks come off the board, Arizona head coach Bruce Arians will start to steam. Arians knows that quarterback Carson Palmer is on his last legs, and he had a strong desire to bring Mahomes aboard.
He needs a quarterback, but he has little use for Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer with the No. 13 pick. The Cardinals end up taking Charlton.
Kizer does get drafted to make it a foursome of first-round quarterbacks, but not until the final pick. There's not much question about his physical skills, but there are plenty of questions about Kizer's preparation and ability to make good decisions. The Saints are hoping that Kizer's exposure to Drew Brees will rub off and help him become the team's quarterback of the future.
Draft-day trades could ruin this and many other mock drafts, and the Cardinals are our best bet to move up. Arians does not want Mahomes to slip through his grasp, and if the Bears go after Watson with the third pick, look for Arians to do everything he can to help the Cardinals move up.
Follow Steve on Twitter at @Profootballboy
