Free Agency, The Mock Drafts, 2015 (Continual Updates)
Here is our latest Redskins mock as we get closer to the draft. On Mondays, we will post mocks that have no trades. Wednesdays will feature mocks that have minimal trades. Fridays will feature mocks that have multiple trades. After next week, we will feature mocks with input from members of BGO.
Feel free to offer your own ideas about the draft, free agency, team cuts, and anything else related to these subjects. Too, we’d like to see your mocks if you are so inclined.
Without any further delays, let’s take a look at the latest mock for 2015.
Mock Draft, 2015
Round One:
In a draft day stunner, Jameis Winston slips to number five and the Redskins are suddenly in the middle of a lucrative bidding war. The Jets, Bears, Rams, Saints, and Browns make offers. It comes down to the Bears and Browns. The Browns move up by trading their two first round picks, a third, fifth, and a 2016 third rounder.
Round 1: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
Flowers had an excellent 2014 season as a pass protector and opened up major holes in the running game. Coming from an ACC program that is rich in tradition with solid linemen, he is arguably one of the best tackles in the draft. Flowers can be plugged in immediately on the right side and has the potential to start there for the next twelve years or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LiEjIjIZ64
Other Possible Targets:
Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
La’el Collins, OT, LSU
Round One:
The Redskins trade down in the first round and pick up a late second rounder.
Round One: Cameron Erving, OG/OT/C, Florida State
The Redskins waste no time and add to the offensive line with their first two picks. Erving is versatile and can play several positions along the line, but is seen as a guard or center for his new team. The ACC product is one of the best-rounded offensive linemen in the draft and could relegate Kory Lichtensteiger to a reserve role at guard or center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J16AajIgEo
Other Possible Targets:
Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida St.
Round Two:
The Redskins add a third second rounder as Robert Griffin, III is traded to Buffalo for their second round pick.
Round Two: Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
Harold is an explosive player who will allow Trent Murphy to move inside to ILB and form a powerful linebacker corps. The ACC product is strong at the point of attack with an initial burst that is hard to beat and is particularly strong against tight ends. He can drop back in coverage and is able to blitz against left tackles with a very quick first two or three steps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba8WsoHzfAg
Other Possible Targets:
Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
Ty Sambrailo, OT, Colorado St.
Arik Armstead, DE/DT, Oregon
Benardrick McKinney, ILB/OLB, Mississippi St.
Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
Round Two: Eric Rowe, CB, Utah
The PAC 12 standout is solid in the running game and does an excellent job of jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. As a tall and solidly built corner, Rowe has the ability to mirror a receiver that comes out of his release. He has a knack of forcing the ball from the receiver’s hands upon delivery. Rowe is a great tackler who can play zone or man to man. He also played safety for three years before making the switch to corner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUeFh_Qj0So
Other Possible Targets:
See Above
Round Two: Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado St.
The new GM spots a quality QB for the taking and pulls the trigger on the Mountain West ace. Grayson is amazingly accurate with the long ball and has great arm strength. He has a high rate of consistency and places the ball exactly where his receivers can catch it. He is equally effective under center, in the pistol, and in the shotgun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSZz0Sg8qMs
Other Possible Targets:
See Above
Round Three: Tre Jackson, OG, Florida St.
The massively sized ACC lineman is a force on the offensive line. He is another player who engages defensive linemen with a nasty attitude and with great leverage against defenders. Jackson holds his ground against the best defensive tackles and struggles a bit against pass rushing DEs. Thus, he is better on the inside and not projected to be an OT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG8HmLInPYw
Other Possible Targets:
Donovan Smith, OT, Penn St.
Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB, Louisville
Devin Funchess, TE/WR, Michigan
Preston Smith, DE, Mississippi St.
Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson
Round Three: Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State
With the departure of Roy Helu to the Raiders, the Redskins use their extra third rounder as a replacement. The Redskins get the better end of this deal as Ajayi is a pass catching specialist and a superb blocker for the Mountain West program. He can be a three down back if needed and could be part of a formidable tandem with Alfred Morris. The former soccer player is quick on his feet and will fit into just about any running scheme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUQ4Xy-sVvE
Other Possible Targets:
See Above
Round 4:
The Redskins trade their extra third rounder in 2016 via Cleveland for a fourth round selection in this draft.
Round 4: Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke
Born and raised in Jamaica, Tomlinson didn’t learn the game of football until he was a freshman in high school. Going to a program that had little success at football, the ACC stud was part of a strong offense that produced winning seasons, conference championship games, and major bowl considerations. The four year starter holds his own against bull rushers, athletic linebackers, and provides solid pass protection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlGt2mW2-1I
Other Possible Targets:
Kurtis Drummond, FS, Michigan St.
Corey Robinson, OT, South Carolina
Jacoby Glenn, CB, Central Florida
Vince Mayle, WR, Washington St.
David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa
Round 4: Durell Eskridge, FS, Syracuse
The Redskins add a talented free safety/strong safety from the ACC in a surprising move. Eskridge played FS, but he can play SS in the NFL as well. He will have the luxury of spending a year learning the system with no pressure of starting, but he could force Dashon Goldson to the bench as the season progresses. With the newfound depth at S via free agency and from the draft, the Redskins will have size, speed, strength, depth, and needed talents at these two vital positions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69MqHJ8obWo
Other Possible Targets:
See Above
Round Five: Kaleb Eulls, DE, Mississippi St.
Looking to add depth at the defensive end position, the Redskins select an underrated player from the SEC. Eulls is the epitome of a hard worker and boasts excellent size for a 3-4 DE. Often takes on double teams to free up linemen and linebackers with a great degree of success. He is not the most talented of defensive linemen, just a consistent player who plays selflessly. The following video speaks not to his football skills, but his heart and dedication as a man.
The heroic tackle by MSU's Kaleb Eulls
Other Possible Targets:
Xavier Williams, DT, Northern Iowa
Robert Myers, G, Tennessee State
Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon St.
Corey Crawford, DE, Clemson.
Xzavier Dickson, OLB, Alabama
Round Five: Taiwan Jones, ILB, Michigan St.
The Big Ten prospect has excellent size to go along with a solid game at the middle/inside linebacker position. He has a great burst to the ball, even after quickly shedding blocks. Jones is more of a running game specialist and has some weaknesses in the passing game – somewhat hidden when called upon to blitz – an area where he is very effective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iILFMCjYP-o
Other Possible Targets:
See Above
Round Six: Joey Mbu, DT, Houston
The Redskins had a private workout with Mbu and the interest in him is apparently very real. He has the size to shed blockers and often did so when excelling in the run defense. Not a pass rushing specialist, but was expected to occupy blockers and did so effectively against quality AAC competition. He could sub for Knighton at times when needed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuOeLtV4KZs
Other Possible Targets:
Jarvis Harrison, G, Texas A&M
Jake Smith, C, Louisville
Darren Waller, WR, Georgia Tech
Julian Wilson, CB/FS, Oklahoma
Zachary Zenner, FB, South Dakota St.
Round Seven: Nick Boyle, TE, Delaware
Boyle comes from the Colonial Athletic Conference and can snag his share of receptions, but blocking is his forte. In fact, his superior blocking skillset is better than that of Logan Paulsen’s. Boyle could easily end the stay of the UCLA product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGfh1B-Mf5s
Other Possible Targets:
Dechane Durante, FS, Northern Illinois
Jacob Hagen, FS, Liberty
A.J. Tarpley, ILB, Stanford
Courtland Clavette, LS, Brown Univ.
Chris Bonner, QB, Colorado-Pueblo
Round Seven: Connor Halliday, QB, Washington St.
The Redskins stun pundits and draft gurus by adding a second quarterback. Halliday would be rated higher, but suffered a grueling ankle injury last season. Only recently has he fully healed and was able to impress at his pro day. The Redskins GM was at the workout to see the PAC 12 record setter perform in cold, rainy, raw conditions. Some would say that Halliday has the “it” factor that McCloughan covets and could be an absolute steal at this point in the draft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yhFSt-xw4E
Other Possible Targets:
See Above
Prospects Contacted, Interviewed, Visited:
East-West Shrine game - EW
Senior Bowl - SB
Combine – NFLC
Team Pro Day – TPD
Team Visit – TV
Private Workout - PW
Derrick Lott, DT, Tennessee-Chattanooga EW
Zachary Zenner, FB, South Dakota St. EW
Darren Waller, WR, Georgia Tech EW
Justin Coleman, CB, Tennessee EW
Jamon Brown, OT, Louisville EW
Damian Parms, S, Florida Atlantic EW
Bobby McCain, CB, Memphis EW
Jordan Taylor, WR, Rice EW
Jake Ryan, LB, Michigan EW
Ryan Russell, DE, Purdue EW
DaVaris Daniels, WR, Notre Dame NFLC
Marcus Peters, CB, Washington NFLC
Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland NFLC
Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida TV
Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa NFLC, TPD
Carl Davis, DT, Iowa TPD
Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia NFLC, TPD
Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DT, Southern Miss TPD
Arik Armstead, DE/DT, Oregon TPD
Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon TPD
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon TPD, TV
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin TPD
Shaquille Mason, OG, Georgia Tech TPD
Kevin White, WR, West Virginia TPD
A.J. Tarpley, ILB, Stanford TPD
Joey Mbu, DT, Houston PW
Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford TPD
Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida TPD
Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke TPD
Shane Ray, OLB, Missouri TPD
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama TPD
Landon Collins, SS, Alabama TPD
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama TPD
Trey DePriest, ILB, Alabama TPD
Xzavier Dickson, OLB, Alabama TPD
Malcom Brown, DT, Texas TPD
Leonard Williams, DT, Southern Cal TPD
Cody Prewitt, FS, Mississippi TPD
Bo Wallace, QB, Mississippi TPD
Titus Davis, WR, Central Michigan TPD
Eric Rowe, CB, Utah TPD
Jeremiah Poutasi, OG, Utah TPD
Donovan Smith, OT, Penn St. TPD
Jacob Hagen, FS, Liberty TPD
Courtland Clavette, LS, Brown Univ. TPD
Nick Boyle, TE, Delaware TPD
Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA TPD
Malcolm Bunche, OT, UCLA TPD
Zachary Vigil, ILB, Utah St. TPD
Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson TPD
Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson TPD
Kaleb Eulls, DE, Mississippi St. TPD
Tavarus Dantzler, OLB, Bethune-Cookman TPD
Terrance West, RB, Towson TPD
Tre McBride, WR, William & Mary TPD
De'Vante Bausby, CB, Pittsburg St. (KS) TPD
Connor Halliday, QB, Washington St. TPD
There is your latest mock and an updated prospect list. That is all for now, but the updates will certainly increase in volume and frequency.
Hail To The Redskins!