O.city's Mock Draft
 

Everyone else is making one, so I figured I'd get in on the action.

This mock is based on a couple assumptions.

First, we sign Paul Soliai in free agency to play NT if it's a reasonable contract if not this is how I draft. Second, we resign Orton to compete with Cassel in training camp, and he wins. We sign Ben Grubbs to a deal.

Round 1.
At 11 overall, Richardson falls to us and we take him. Best RB prospect to come out in years.

Round 2.
Dontari Poe, falls out of the first round right to us here.

Round 3
Bobbie Massie. Got a RT, who is a monster and played RT in college.

Round 4
Joe Adams. Some speed at wr

Round 5
George Iloka. Safety Depth

Round 6
. Michael Egnew. We get some TE depth.

Round 7
Chris Galippo. Some special teams help and lb depth.

This scenario covers every single one of our needs.

Of course, talk about pressure! I think that might be why teams with huge free agent signings never seem to do well. There's too much worrying then that goes on regarding expectations from outside the locker room.

Also, when Peyton retires quite possibly after the first season he's here, we're stuck again attempting to find a replacement QB without a low draft pick.

But hey, if there's a scenario where this team wins a Super Bowl in the next one or two seasons, this is probably it.

SNR, this is based on Manning being healthy and playing 3 or 4 years. If we could do that this offseason, I'd be fine with trading some picks next draft to get a young qb to play when Manning hangs it up.

Also this draft scenario woudl give us an oline of

Alber, Hudson, Konz, Asamoah, Adams.

Thats a young damn fine offensive line.

Definitely. I wouldn't mind bringing in Manning. I've already sold my soul to one of the most mediocre franchises in professional football. I'm sure the devil wouldn't mind if I began rooting for the QB I hated the most for several years.

If we re-sign Bowe and Carr, this team as it stands right now pre-draft would be the most talented supporting cast Peyton Manning has ever surrounded himself with. The possibilities associated with that provided Manning is healthy make me splooge.

Now imagine adding some quality rookie offensive linemen, a talented free agent NT, and numerous other guys to round out the depth. This team would be scarier than a plane breaking in half in mid-air!

How cheap is Manning going to come to allow us to go after a top tier FA NT?

Resigning Bowe and Carr is going to eat into that $30mil cap because they are both going to get hefty raises. If Bowe gets franchised then he's going to get ~10mil more. If Carr gets resigned to an equal to, or more than, Flowers' deal then he's going to get ~6mil+. So that $16mil right there, not including the extra couple hundred thousand that players are going to get that are already signed. Then you have to re-sign Belcher, Gilberry, McClain(?) and... Palko, j/k.

IMO, if we go after Manning, we have to target a NT in the first 2 rounds. I don't think we'll have the money to go after a FA NT.

C, imo, is a luxury pick right now. Hudson was drafted and projected as a NFL C. We can get a good G later in the draft.

Not a fan of Egnew's NFL prospects. Dude is a lesser version of Chase Coffman. 7th? Sure, take a chance. 4th? Nope. Too early.

If we sign Manning, the ONLY pick at 11 should be Tannehill.

JMO but that would set up a nice little Favre/Rodgers situation for us.

Problem with that is Manning is getting out of that kind of situation, I'm not sure he's going to wanna come here for that.

And jd, I think Soliai might come a little cheaper, for the fact that the phins are switching to a 43 and he might be a casualty there.

I seriously doubt Soliai will be cheap. He's already been a franchise tag and even though he had a down year, he was an alternative addition to the Pro Bowl this season. He's going to command a pretty healthy, long term contract IMO.

And I don't like Burfict.

He doesn't play smart, doesn't read the play very well and he's a borderline psychopath on the field. He ruined any chance ASU had in the Utah game this past season with several idiotic personal penalties and poor play. And that seemed to happen quite a bit this past season.

With the team needs, I don't see it beneficial burning a second rounder on a special teams punt/kickoff coverage player as that's exactly what he'll be.

Belcher doesn't get any respect around here, but he's grown a ton and has gotten better each of his first two years in the league. He's a quality MLB and with his instincts, he still has a lot of room to grow his game.

I know Soliai won't come cheap but we need a NT and he is a really really good one. Pay if you have to.


I agree Burfict is a head case.

I like Belcher alot, he just needs some work in the pass game.

Soliai was really raw coming out of college. He's grown a lot in his game. But I still don't think he's "really, really" good.

With Gregg, Gordon and Powe, I don't think that our defensive tackle position is really in that bad of shape. In Crennel's system, it's a two-down position anyway and I thought that Gregg and Gordon did a pretty good job in 2011, and with further work, Powe has all the tools to be effective.

Truth be told, if our defensive ends played at a little higher level, you'd see a lot more out of that line than thinking there is a hole at the NT position on 1st and 2nd downs. It's not a flash position in this system and simply requires a guy to occupy two blockers. Both Gregg and Gordon did that effectively and I don't really see anyone in this class that gives you anything over a guy like Powe.

I think you are giving our NTs too much credit. They weren't good at all.

In this case, sac is actually partially correct.

The fact that our leading tacklers were DJ and Belcher tells you the NTs did their job well most of the year.

The thing he isn't taking into account are the other variables, though.

Gregg and Gordon were on 1 year deals and aren't spring chickens...bringing Gregg back would be a mistake because I think Powe deserves to have a chance to play. Powe played all of 10 snaps last year.

Soliai would solidify this defensive line and would make our rotation impressive throughout the whole DL. If he hits the open market, we should make a run at him. You simply can't watch that guy play and not be reminded of Dan Saleamua.

Let Gregg and Gordon both walk and sign Soliai. Go into next year with Soliai and Powe at NT.

Just how I see it.

I think Soliai would be pretty perfect in the role we need him to play. It would make our defense top notch.

Last year, Pioli said the reason we didnt pursue Franklin was because he is a 1 gap nose....well....Soliai is exactly what this defense needs to take the step into the talk of the elite defenses in football and has long experience in the exact role he would play here.

We sign him and re-sign Carr, that makes the DL set and the secondary a couple depth guys away from being elite.

This will probably be as high as we will draft in the next few years, we really need to make it count.

I like the depth we have at the corner spots, we just need some safety depth. Of course getting an all pro back there will help a little.

I do like what Gordon gave us this year as the NT "tweener" replacing Shaun Smith. Just look at Green Bay this year with the injuries they sustained on the defensive line and how that turned an otherwise potent defensive unit from 2010 into a Greg Robinson 2002 Chiefs defense. Injuries to Ryan Pickett, Mike Neal (who was supposed to replace Cullen Jenkins) and Howard Green absolutely devastated that team. BJ Raji looked like a soft bitch.

I'm confident that Allen Bailey and Wallace Gilberry are rock-solid depth guys at end, but if things start to get hairy, we'll need an Amon Gordon to play both positions so we can keep the rotation going.

Don't think the money is there if you sign Manning and resign our main FAs. Better choice would be NT in draft.

Thats what I am curious about. People, including myself has asked, but I haven't seen any kind of numbers on what Manning would most likely be getting next year from another team.

I worry he will go to the Jets. First I hate them, second they have a subtle connection in Tom Moore being there, and the Jets love to go get big names. Sanchez took a huge hit this season.

Just seen that Soliai is gonna want Ngata money. No thanks.

Soliai will get roughly half of what Hgata got.

Where'd you get your info?

Ngata signed a 5 year 61 million dollar contract with 37 million of it guaranteed.

Before a couple foolish deals were signed, the franchise tag for DTs was only 7 million dollars in 2010 and I would expect Soliai to get a deal that averages around that.

Something like 5 years 35-38 million with 20-25 of it guaranteed.

...

I just looked up Vince Wilforks deal...

5 years, 40 million 25 guaranteed.

That's the neighborhood Soliai should be shopping in.

I'd like a NT rotation of Soliai and Powe. However, a two-down guy isn't worth that much. Ngata is special and plays the off-nose in the 46 defense that Balitmore runs, which requires the size of a typical nose, but also the athleticism of a defensive end to run it effectively. There aren't that many guys out there like that. The straight up 34 that Crennel runs doesn't need that type of guy.

You just can't pay a two-down space eater that level of money.

Gregg was a difference maker last season for this defense. I understand that he's in his mid-30's and in the twilight of his career, but he's still a solid player, especially in a two down type of situation. He's savvy and effective. Not a bad guy to have to have a guy like Powe learn the NFL ropes from for one more season.

Rather than have three guys that are getting way overpaid to plug gaps (Dorsey, Jackson and a Soliai level free agent contract that he's going to be looking for), I'd rather have Gregg for another year and see them bring along Powe. Keep a guy like Gordon for the third down NT/alt DE deal, as SNR suggested, is a safe and relatively inexpensive option.

I didn't think Gregg was near the level you think he was. Again just IMO.

We tended to get gashed up the middle against the run, which was the fault of Gregg getting pushed back.

Soliai would make the defense that much better, but I don't think they will pay him near what he is gonna want. However I don't really knwo where he will end up.

Maybe the Texans.

I just want this defense to be Steelers nasty and I think Soliai could make it that.

it should also be mentioned that the only NT under contract is Powe.

I changed my mock up a liitle.

There is always the possibility that the market for Soliai won't be quite what he and everyone else was expecting, nobody comes knocking and he's forced to take a cheap contract ala Aubrayo Franklin. He'll only get that kind of jack if someone is willing to pay it to him. If they aren't, he'll take the best offer on the table.

It's not really the nose tackle in a 34 that makes a defense "nasty." They aren't going to make many plays as they are required to keep the center and a guard off the linebackers, fill the gap and force the run to the outside so the LB's and safeties can make the play.

I just don't think Soliai is as good as you are making him out to be and that the position itself is a two-down, space eater. Someone is going to overpay for his services IMO.

And I think we are close anyway. With a healthy Berry and a Houston that we saw the last two games of the year, those are the two guys that can make this defense nasty.

The defense is pretty solid. Young, but solid and will only get better - especially with a full off-season this next year.

You didn't draft Konz in your OP.

Sac, I know you indulge around in draft planet, so I know you will see this.


What do you think of Bobbie Massie as a RT prospect?

I changed my draft up a little guys.

If you get Soliai as an FA then we probably don't need Poe. I don't believe Massie will last until round 3. Egnew dropped off greatly without Gabbert and there are concerns about speed but wouldn't be bad for a round 4 guy. I also don't think Adams will be available as he is project 3-4, 5th at latest. Not a lot of production from Galippo and with Greenwood resigned doesn't seem to be an area of need.

Well I forgot to take out the Soliai in the beginning. He's gonna likely want too much for our taste.

I'd also take Adams in teh fourth and move everyone else back a round. I think the dude is gonna be a perfect slot guy. He could end up being a Desean Jackson type guy.

If we can get a qb this draft sets us over the edge.

The problem is a lot of teams know how much Soliai can help. I am going to have to, unless someone else does first, figure out exactly how many teams will realistically be going after him this year. With the Carr and Bowe situation, I would be blown away if we came away with all 3 guys.

Sign a 29 year old Soliai this year and somewhere in the next two years you're going to have to tell one of our younger players they have to walk because we can't afford him because we can't afford the dead cap space to cut a NT that is no longer physically up to the position.

Love the mock, but I think Joe Adams will be gone in the 2nd round. His stock will rise.

Cmon man....

Dude, he just turned 28 on December 30th.

He has at least 5 productive years left before age is a legitimate issue for his position.

Kelly Gregg just put in a solid year for us and was 35 years old.

Soliai wont even be 29 until the end of next season.

Also, the cap talk is silly.

We were 32 million dollars under the cap and signed guys to front loaded deals. Siting being in trouble in the future due to the cap is a soon to be vanquished legend.

Truth is, we NEED to sign guys like Soliai if we are gonna get to the true cap floor next year without being forced to sign average players to above average contracts.

We are talking about a probowl quality player at a very important position in relevance to our type of defense that canbehad for a reasonable amount. There is no downfall to signing a guy like him.

The mock is just too unrealistic IMO. I'd be surprised to see Poe drop out of the 1st. Joe Adams is still too low. He'll be a 2nd-3rd round pick at latest. Also, Egnew will be gone sooner. It's a weak TE class.

I just feel like the whole thing needs a little more thought and realism put in. Again, it's JMO, I always appreciate looking at random mocks and opinions.

It is a little unreal, but I was just basing it off where everyone is ranked right now pre combine. I don't think it will end up this way but it could.

YOU ARE AN IDIOT! What Soliai is asking for IS NOT expensive for a NT. At all.

my thought process on it is it's going to take an assload of money to keep Bowe (because of Cassel) and Carr will look to get paid big time.

will do same
 

I'll do same things too !