Nightfyre's Week 17 Mock draft
 

Entitle this mock - The Gambler.

1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...uUgS3sr6sdIm99
Geno has the capability to take a team to the Super Bowl tomorrow.

+ Geno has a strong arm and is capable of making every throw at the next level and has proven that he can throw every route in the air raid tree.
+ Geno is consistently accurate to all levels of the field. He routinely throws his receivers open and has the confidence to put the ball into tight coverage.
+ Geno has a good feel for the pass rush in the pocket and has sufficient evasiveness to extend plays at the next level.
+ Geno is excellent at pre-snap reads. He often identifies where he will have one on one coverage. Sometimes this will lead to him locking on to receivers though.
+ Geno throws well on the move, often setting his feet before delivering the ball. He also uses multiple arm angles which will be very useful at the next level.
+ Geno appears to have the intangibles you seek in an NFL QB. He is reportedly a film junky and he can be seen on the sidelines pumping up his team. He is focused on and takes responsibility for the team results, even when it is the defense blowing the game.
- Geno sometimes sits on a receiver waiting for a play to develop while his pocket is collapsing around him.
- Geno will need to improve the consistency of his footwork at the next level.


2. Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...AVYSPGUdLSZUfQ
Xavier Rhodes is a true #1 CB. I anticipate he will go in the first round, but the Chiefs should move up and grab him. He and Flowers manning up on the sidelines would surely allow the defense to work downhill
+ Rhodes has sub 4.5 speed and a quick hip turn which will surely translate to the next level.
+ Rhodes has excellent man coverage skills.
+ Rhodes is a monster press-cover man at the line.
+ Rhodes also possesses ball-skills and can get vertical on top of that.
- Some people knock his quickness off the line. This is coachable and he can press until he gets it figured out.

3a. Margus Hunt, DE, SMU
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...rUv5Ok23hRsYWQ
Hunt is a player who is raw but has all tools but has responded to coaching. The combine will define where he goes in this draft.

3b. Jonathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...s_Uh2aMhSsV9Og
The kid has great vision.

4. Baccari Rambo, S, Georgia
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/i...N2GU8fHf2Fa-qg
Rambo is a ridiculous talent at safety. He may go in the third round. He is a sure tackler and a handful in the box and he is a ball-hawk in coverage as well. He also always goes for the strip, which I love. Extremely aggressive and a leader on the Georgia defense. He will fall due to a drug-related suspension.

5. Daniel McCullers, NT, Tennesse
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...pggseYJQ1HOFtw
The dude is a mammoth. He should come out early due to the coaching change. This also facilitates a move for Dontari Poe to DE where he could create real mismatches for guards.

6. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/i...ZV6M0UOOK5LZ1R
The kid tore every ligament in his knee. That injury could be a career ender. But take a chance on the kid in the sixth.

7. Ray Ray Armstrong, S, Formerly of Miami
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/i...PQFYpIju7Yehwj
Armstrong will fall because he hasn't played this year and his off-the-field issues. The kid has tools but will need to be babysat. The combine could really help or really hurt him.

2 RBs?

I like it.

I'd have to wonder about Rhodes ability to cover man at the next level. In actuality, taking Rhodes in the second and moving him over to free safety might not be a bad idea. The kid is huge (6'2", 217 lbs.) and has shown he's an effective press cover corner. I think his ultimate upside is free safety at the next level where his speed and size would translate well and you wouldn't have to worry about that initial backpedal burst (or lack thereof) at the CB position.

I'd also possibly switch Lattimore for someone like Monte Ball, who, if Hillis isn't retained, would be an effective downhill/in-between the tackles type runner.

A flyer on Hunt wouldn't be a bad thing either.

And with Armstrong, you could get a menace or you could get a Vontaze Burfict, who is playing really well for the Bengals.

Well, one is a high upside gamble who will start the season on the IR taken in the sixth, so.... who cares?

I'd be concerned if we don't address WR in the draft, especially considering we may lose Bowe.

Now, if we pick up some guys in FA, that's another story.

I would think we would retain Bowe, and I think we will see marked improvement with Baldwin with improved coaching and QB play. Though I wouldn't dare breathe word of that in the lounge at this point. I also think that between Wylie, McCluster, Breaston and Moeaki, we aught to be able to find sufficient targets for our new QB.

This is weird. 22 days after the fact and this mock draft still gets me all excited. I feel no compulsion to revise it whatsoever.

except for the picture of lattimore's leg, i love this draft...though i bet someone pulls the trigger on lattimore in the late 2nd/3rd

Very possible. It only takes one team to believe. He is a first tier talent without that knee injury.