I know, I know, making a mock so soon after this one. But I wanted to see what I could do with it, and I'm feeling extremely down about real world issues today, so I figured I'd have fun with a mock that portrays worst case scenario and tries to build off it.
Retired:
Matthew Stafford
Rob Havenstein
(Not sure if it's going to happen, but this is predicting doomsday. Of course, this makes Ragnarok look like a beautiful day, but that's the point of the mock. We didn't expect AD to retire suddenly, so nothing can surprise me any more.)
Cut:
Colby Parkinson
Darious Williams
Derion Kendrick
(Last two from my previous mock (and
@jrry32 's), but Kendrick apparently saves about 3.3 million on the cap, and he doesn't have the ability to justify it.)
Re-sign:
Alaric Jackson - four years, 42 million.
Jimmy Garappolo - one year, 4 million
Dylan McMahon - ERFA
(Obvious re-signings, especially A-Jax; we cannot afford to lose both tackles. Garappolo is to aid the new quarterback coming in. Johnson is because we're already losing Kupp, Robinson, and Atwell. To add to the bad news, Hoecht goes to Atlanta to re-up with Raheem. I also think that Johnson will rightfully search for other opportunities; he's earned a chance to be a #3 on a lesser team. Everyone else is from my other mock. I'm going to splurge in free agency to make up for it.)
Free Agent Signings:
Nick Bolton - five years, 50 million.
(I'm going to keep at it until it's done. It just makes so much sense, and I don't think KC can afford him.)
Joseph Ossai - three years, 24 million.
(Now that Cinci's hiring a new defensive coordinator, Ossai might not fit in the system (and I always thought he'd be better as a stand-up edge). He's been a backup edge rusher behind Hendrickson and Hubbard, but I feel that he could explode somewhere, and he's only twenty-five. Might as well be here, right? And in addition, this leaves us options with Byron Young who, while he's been fantastic, will be almost thirty at his second contract and will likely want a large extension. Ossai, if he's as good as I think he can be, could easily help.)
Paulson Adebo - two years, 16 million (second year can void).
(Might be a bit of a risk bringing someone with a broken femur. But Adebo was one of the more productive corners in football before that injury and managed three picks in seven games on the year. A one-year contract to rehabilitate his value...and we'll see where it goes from there.)
Leki Fotu - three years, 6 million (final year can void).
(Going to go with this option. I liked him in his draft, and when he started with Arizona, he was a dependable run-stuffer with a solid bullrush. Cheap help for a while if he pans out.)
Terrace Marshall Jr. - one year, 1 million.
(Now, a shot in the dark at receiver. Marshall is a talented receiver, but he's never been with a talented quarterback (yes, I feel that Bryce Young is a massive bust). He was okay in his second year with 490 yards off of 28 receptions. Then his snaps got cut, and he never recovered. He may very well be a bust, but he'll only be twenty-five all of next season, and he was a former second-round pick. Let's see what he can bring.)
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Trade:
Cooper Kupp to the New England Cheatriots for #77 overall.
(Yes, I truly,
truly believe that Kupp will fetch more than people think he will, given that teams were interested at the deadline. He's still a very good receiver: just overpaid for what he does. But New England doesn't have to worry about the cap for a while, and when they do, Kupp will likely retire. Before that, he mentors the younger receivers they have. For a third-round pick? Easy choice.)
Jonah Jackson to the New York Giants for #221 overall
(Giants were said to be interested in J-Jax, and we don't need an expensive backup guard. We cut bait for a seventh.)
Michael Mayer to the Los Angeles Rams for #100 overall.
(Yep, still going with the Mayer trade to patch up our tight end group. He lost his job to Brock Bowers, but he's still an uber-talented and versatile tight end whom I feel could easily learn from Higbee.)
#192 overall to the Cleveland Browns for #216 overall, #217 overall, and #257 overall.
(The Browns send two sixths and a seventh - Mr. Irrelevant, because why not? - to us to trade up for Shilo Sanders (who falls) after taking Shedeur to make their new quarterback of the future happy. In return, we get more shots in the dark.)
Draft:
#26 overall - Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss.
(Yeah, for whatever reason, Dart's rated outside of the first round. I don't think it'll stay that way for long. He has an accurate rifle of an arm, is a solid processor, and can escape with mobility and IQ. His only issues I see are the Kiffin offense he's running (and how long it'll take for him to acclimate to ours) and his size. He's not the biggest guy, and you don't want to send him on sneaks like Jackson, Allen, and Daniels. But if you need a quarterback who can be a gunslinger, evade pressure, and be smart with the football, I don't see anyone better in this class. No, not even Sanders or Ward.)
#77 overall - Matthew Golden, WR, Texas.
(Count me on the Golden train if we're talking second/third round receivers (as I think Jalen Royals would have to be taken with a first-round pick). He's fast, has solid hands, is a solid route runner, and exploded in Texas's offense.
#85 overall - Hollin Pierce, OT, Rutgers.
(I know what you're going to say. Is Pierce going to be a work in progress? Absolutely. Does he have the feet to move to left tackle? Absolutely not. But you can't teach 6'7", 344 lbs. with 36-inch arms. What's more, he knows how to use his length, hands, and size to utterly shut down a pass rush or bully the poor defenders in the running game. When he gets his hands on the defender, it's all over. No contest. No coming back. That and his length will allow him to thrive on the edge, against all but speed rushers. Yes, speed will be a problem, but Havenstein had problems with speed, and he did all right for himself.)
#126 overall - LeQuint Allen Jr., RB, Syracuse.
(Jerry, I know you had Allen as a third-round pick, but I'm not seeing anything on scouting sites that rate him that highly. But I, too, love his receiving and home-run ability out of the backfield, and I think he could easily rise higher than this. Reminds me of a better receiving Sean Tucker, whom I really loved at the same school.)
#155 overall - Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon.
(I don't care that he's short and slight (5'10", 185 lbs.). Muhammad has done nothing but make great play after great play after great play. He's sticky in coverage (twelve passes defensed this year), and he reminds me of Asante Samuel Jr. lite.)
#203 overall - Miles Frazier, OG, Louisiana State.
(Frazier is another bulldozing Louisiana State guard like Dellinger. Honestly, I'd be fine with either of them at this point, but I decided to choose Frazier to mix things up somewhat.)
#204 overall - Simeon Barrow Jr., DT, Miami (Ohio).
(Barrow's become one of my favorite late-round linemen - both D and O. We lack a fierce interior pass rusher outside of Fiske (we lost the moment he went down), and I think Barrow provides that, while simultaneously bringing solid run-stuffing skills.)
#216 overall - Chase Lundt, OT, UConn.
(Lundt is another big tackle (6'8", 305 lbs.) who has solid feet, solid knowledge of leverage, solid technique. Not the best tackle, but at this spot, you're looking for a backup.)
#217 overall - Zakhari Franklin, WR, Illinois.
(Had to include Franklin again. He's sneaky fast, has glue hands, but above all, he's just so smooth as a route runner; he knows how to get himself open. There's a reason he's a top ten receptions leader in FBS history.)
#221 overall - Brant Kuithe, TE, Utah.
(Kuithe is a damned good receiving tight end. His problem? Injuries. He's had two leg injuries, including an ACL tear, which won't help his cause. But sevenths are shots in the dark anyway, and he was a Mackey contender every healthy year.)
#257 overall - Moose Muhammad III, WR, Texas A&M.
(MM3, son of Muhsin Muhammad. He's not going to be as good as his dad, but there's no reason he should fall this far. He's not a fast kid, but he's got some of the best hands I've seen in college. He will make plays even with coverage draped over him; his hands are that good. Not the fastest receiver, but )
Roster:
QB -Jimmy Garappolo, Jaxson Dart.
(I figure it wouldn't be fair for a rookie QB to process a McVay offense, so Garoppolo, as much as I hate it, starts in this scenario. But I don't think Dart will sit very long; he's a smart guy who should find his path to QB1 easily.)
RB - Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Cody Schrader (KR), LeQuint Allen Jr.
(Yes, I'm keeping K-Will in this scenario, but he'll be gone next year. Corum and Allen should get carries, while Schrader can continue to dominate on kickoffs.)
WR - Puka Nacua, Matthew Golden, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith (PR), Zakhari Franklin, Moose Muhammad III.
(I feel we have a hungry and potentially solid young group of receivers who all can do different things. I think both Franklin and MM3 could outperform their draft slot.)
TE - Tyler Higbee, Michael Mayer, Davis Allen, Brant Kuithe.
(Can't believe I forgot Davis Allen on my prior mock. Sorry, Davis! But anyway, Higbee is here for one more year, maybe even is a June 1st cut. Mayer's going to step in and be solid, but don't underestimate Kuithe; he could win a spot as a big slot as another receiver.)
OL - Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Beaux Limmer, Kevin Dotson, Hollin Pierce, Warren McClendon, Justin Dedich, K.T. Leveston, Dylan McMahon, Miles Frazier, Chase Lundt.
(Young offensive line, but big, talented, and potentially bullies, even to fronts like the Eagles. I like it. McClendon is dealt for a future pick, and I could see a vet or two added, but this is a solid O-line.)
DL - Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Leki Fotu, Tyler Davis, Desjuan Johnson, Simeon Barrow Jr.
(Meet the old group, same as the last group. Similar things here.)
LB - Jared Verse, Byron Young, Nick Bolton, Omar Speights, Joseph Ossai, Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton, Jake Hummel.
(Linebackers are pretty much the same as last time; just add in Ossai instead of Hoecht. Also, Hummel and Hampton's positions on the roster are hanging by a thread. I would hope they're only for special teams, but we'll see.)
DB - Paulson Adebo, Emmanuel Forbes, Quentin Lake, Kamren Kinchens, Kam Curl, Cobie Durant, Josh Wallace, Charles Woods, Jabbar Muhammad, Jaylen McCollough.
(In this scenario, Adebo and Forbes win the starting jobs - although I could see Durant in either spot.
ST - Joshua Karty, Ethan Evans, Alex Ward.
(Same.)
Let me know what you think, guys.
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