[BillWunkle]

Welcome back to the padded cell, everybody. As we get closer and closer to this year’s draft the rumors containing information and misinformation are starting to heat up even more. With that in mind, I thought I’d break down some of these and throw in my own questions on top of them.

 

1 – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the first overall pick and are in desperate need of a franchise caliber quarterback. Will they select the Florida State’s Jameis Winston who has experience running a pro style offense but has repeatedly shown evidence of character flaws that are not becoming to the face of an NFL franchise? Will they select Marcus Mariota instead, who is a more mobile and gifted athlete with impeccable character; but lacks experience as a pocket passer in a pro style offense? Particularly with the latest developments with Winston concerning a civil suit for sexual battery, I’m not convinced that his being selected first overall is a slam dunk. What do you think?

 

2 – Phillip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers is in the final year of his current contract. The Chargers are reportedly one of two teams that will make the move to Los Angeles. Rivers has made it clear that he has no interest in moving to Los Angeles. The Tennessee Titans currently own the second overall pick. Their young quarterback prospect Zach Mettenberger has all the physical tools to become a franchise caliber quarterback, but needs time to develop. Titans Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt historically has favored playing experienced veteran quarterbacks over younger ones. Tennessee is in the Southeastern region of the United States and is a lot closer to Rivers’ home state of North Carolina, which might be enough to entice Rivers to sign a contract that would allow him to finish his NFL career closer to home. The big question is this . . . Will the thirty-three year old veteran quarterback be dealt to Tennessee as part of a package for a draft pick that would ensure the Chargers’ ability to select one of the top two rated quarterbacks in this draft?

 

3 – Is it humanly possible for the Jacksonville Jaguars to screw up the third overall pick in this draft if both Winston and Mariota are already off the board by the time they’re on the clock?

 

4 – Will the Oakland Raiders continue to draft players by the stopwatch, or will they take what’s considered by the draft pundits to be the best available player at a position of need?

 

5 – There have been some rumblings in certain circles that the Washington Redskins are growing sour on starting quarterback Robert Griffin III. Will he still be on the roster at the start of the 2015-2016 regular season? If not, then what team will make a play for him?

 

6 – The New York Jets have upgraded their wide receiver group this off-season. Are they trying to give Geno Smith additional weapons or are they gearing up to make a run for one of the two top quarterbacks in this draft?

 

7 – The Chicago Bears traded starting wide receiver Brandon Marshall to (ironically) the New York Jets for a middle round draft pick. Last season their offense ranked 20^th and the defense 25^th in the league. With Marshall now in the “Big Apple” and so many needs on defense, do they dare take a top flight receiver seventh overall or do they play it safe and address the defensive side of the football early and often? And if they choose the latter, then which defensive position do they address first?

 

8 –The defense for the Atlanta Falcons last season ranked 30^th overall. A big part of the problem was a serious lack of a pass rush. With that said, it’s highly likely that two pass rushers will already be off the board by the time they’re on the clock. Nebraska DE/OLB Randy Gregory is considered by a number draft experts to be the best pure pass rusher in this draft. It’s also common knowledge that Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the combine, knowing that he’d be tested for such illegal drugs. Does the Falcons brass overlook Gregory’s documented history of drug use and select him or look elsewhere for their coveted pass rusher?

 

9 – Four of the New York Giants’ biggest need are on the defensive side of the football. However, that one offensive need is along the O-line; which is paid to protect Eli Manning. On draft day do they select an impact defensive player with the ninth overall pick or do they opt to protect their franchise quarterback?

10 – With a defense that ranked 6^th and an offense that ranked 25^th last season, it’s pretty apparent that the St. Louis Rams will address the offensive side of the football early and often with a token defensive player thrown in for good measure. They’ve already traded for a starting quarterback and have tried numerous times to revamp the O-line and wide receiver group. The question is this . . . Which are will they address with the tenth overall pick?

 

11 –If the rumors ofMinnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson being dealt to the Dallas Cowboys are indeed true, then how will that affect what the Vikings do at eleventh overall? Will they select his replacement with that pick or opt to reunite rising star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with his favorite college target DeVante Parker?

 

12 –And now we look at the draft day possibilities for the Cleveland Browns. With both of last year’s first round draft picks Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel having disastrous rookie seasons (including the latter voluntarily admitting himself into a rehabilitation facility), the rumors of the Browns packaging both of this year’s first round picks and moving up to select one of the two top quarterbacks – namely Marcus Mariota simply refuse to go away. Why do these rumors involving the Browns persist? It all dates back to before last year’s draft where it was reported that GM Ray Farmer coveted Mariota before his announcement that he was returning to Oregon for another year. Also consider that Browns quarterback coach Kevin O’Connell was hired as Mariota’s personal QB coach to help him prepare for Oregon’s pro day prior to becoming the Browns new QB coach. If anyone knows whether or not Mariota is a legitimate franchise caliber quarterback, it should be Kevin O’Connell simply because of the extensive amount of time they spent together.

 

Temporarily laying that aside, Cleveland’s defense against the run was dead last in the league. The consensus pick at twelfth overall seems to be Washington DT Danny Shelton in order to resurrect a run defense that was dead last in the league last season. Many mocks are torn with whom they should select at nineteen. The opinions range from a pass rusher, a wide receiver or an offensive lineman to even a running back. That said; the best defense just might be a terrific offense. Last year, the Browns offense ranked 28^th out of 32 teams. It’s also commonly believed (despite denials by the organization) that Farmer did not make last year’s first round selections, but rather Head Coach Mike Pettine and owner Jimmy Haslam respectively. From the second round on, including undrafted rookie free agents, Farmer did an outstanding job of acquiring talent. If only he could draft the next Tom Brady in the sixth round, then all of the Browns starting quarterback issues would be solved.

 

All things considered, should the Browns consider presenting a package including both of this year’s first round selections (and possibly other considerations) to move up and get their franchise quarterback? What if Marcus Mariota is selected first overall by the Buccaneers . . . what do they do then? What if the plan is to ride it out this year with Johnny . . . What players do they select at twelve and nineteen? What if their plan is to move up in order to get a defensive player that they otherwise couldn’t get? What if their plan is to stand pat at twelve and move up from nineteen to get the players they covet?

 

13 – There have been rumors that the New Orleans Saints are quietly shopping starting quarterback Drew Brees in hopes of landing a younger franchise quarterback. And even though I showed this scenario in one of my mock drafts (the “what if” version), I never truly gave it any serious thought. But what if their mindset really was on acquiring a younger starting quarterback; not from the draft, but one with some NFL game experience? What if the Saints thought that all Robert Griffin III really needs is a change of scenery and a fresh start? Then again, what if the rumors are nothing more than silly season misinformation?

 

14 – Considering the talent drop from the top ten or so to the rest of the field, would it make more sense from a salary cap standpoint for the Miami Dolphins to drop back a few slots and select a player of comparable talent and picking up and additional pick in the process?

 

15 – Considering the way the San Francisco 49ers roster was decimated by retirements, would they be better suited to move up for a player that looks to make more of an impact, or should they consider trading down in order to get an additional pick to fill yet another hole in their roster?

 

16 – With Andre Johnson now in Indianapolis, are the Houston Texans a likely candidate to trade up in the first round for one of the three top receivers?

 

17 – Just how will the San Diego Chargers address starting quarterback Phillip Rivers’ contract situation? Will they let this year play out and then place the franchise tag on him? If so, would such a move cause Rivers to hold out of training camp, or worse yet, possibly retire prematurely?

 

18 – Knowing the Kansas City Chiefs’ overall lack of talent at the wide receiver position, will they be a player in landing one of the three top receivers in this year’s draft, or will they stand pat and let the draft come to them?

 

19 – If the Cleveland Browns stand pat at twelfth overall, is the nineteenth slot one that GM Ray Farmer will likely trade in exchange for an additional first round pick in next year’s draft? Is trading down out of the twelfth pick in order to secure possibly a higher additional first round pick next year one of the options that’s being considered? Will Farmer finally be allowed to make his own picks for the entire draft? After all, isn’t that what he’s being paid to do?

 

20 – Where will you be on the first night of the NFL draft? As for me, I’ll be sitting back watching it with my son as we both scream at the television and make our own comments about the picks. Hopefully Frank Caliendo will unveil a fresh version of “Todd, Todd, Todd, Todd, Todd” on the four letter giant sports network as part of their pre-draft programming. Whatever your plans are for draft night – whether at home or at a local sports grill or tavern – please enjoy the night responsibly. And if alcoholic beverages are part of the mix for your draft night party, please be sure that all of your guests have a designated driver. This is Bill Wunkle signing off from the padded cell. Have a good night, everybody!

Am I going mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic landmass!

[Ice]

21 – What are the chances that the Browns actually stay put at 12 and 19 instead of moving up or down?

I’ll answer my own question. .02%

[BillWunkle]

There’s been so much talk about the Browns doing this, that or the other thing that there’s got to be something to it. After all . . . where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Am I going mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic landmass!

[Author]

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