To read part one of the GMS 2016 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 Part 1, click here. To check out Part 2, click here.
23. New York Giants – Lowell Loutulelei, DT, Utah
Getting Loutulelei at this point in the draft probably counts as a steal for the Giants. In the actual draft, they may have to trade up into the Top 15 to land him. Lowell is the younger brother of Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Star Loutulelei and brings pretty much the same frame and skillset to the table. With teams increasingly turning to the run game, especially in the NFC East, the Giants need a big tackle in the middle to free up Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul to surge into the backfield.
24. Kansas City Chiefs – Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama
Stalwart inside linebacker Derrick Johnson just suffered an achilles injury Thursday night, so there’s no better time than the present to think about the guy to eventually replace him. Foster is probably the best overall linebacker in this draft and the idea that the Chiefs could have a rotation with Johnson and Ramike Wilson is, quite frankly, bullshit, but there you go.
25. Houston Texans – Ethan Pocic, Center, LSU
Hopefully for the Texans’ sake they’ve got a new head coach to go along with their new center at this pick. Houston needs offensive line help an Pocic can play both center and guard.
26. Atlanta Falcons – Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
Head coach Dan Quinn is slowly trying to build his own Legion of Book in Atlanta, so the search for Atlanta’s Richard Sherman begins. Jones is 6-foot-0 and 181 pounds, which puts him on the lighter side, but his speed, recovery and ball skills make him the pick here. Quinn just needs to slide him up to the buffet table.
27. Baltimore Ravens – JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
There’s a good chance the Ravens look at corner here with a guy like Desmond King out of Iowa, but like I said in part 1, part of this draft is telling teams what the should do. Smith-Schuster is the best wide receiver in this draft and the Ravens have trotted out the corpse of Steve Smith Sr. long enough. Time for an upgrade.
28. Detroit Lions – Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
The Lions could go anywhere on defense, but Harris falls right into their lap here. They have an elite pass rusher in Ezekiel Ansah, but Devin Taylor is a glorified back-up on the other side. Harris is a day one starter on a team building on what looks like a playoff season.
29. Seattle Seahawks – Roderick Johnson, OT, Florida State
The Seahawks can keep screwing around with their artisinal offensive line or they can start drafting guys to protect Russell Wilson. Johnson is the best tackle on the board and he comes in from a solid, pro-style system.
30. Oakland Raiders – Desmond King, CB, Iowa
Adoree’ Jackson is a possibility too, especially coming for USC, but King has the solid frame to go up against the big receivers in the AFC West.
31. New England Patriots – Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
The Patriots have traded away their two best defensive players this calendar year for next to nothing. Now they have to try to replace them with rookie draft picks. Charlton is the best defensive end I have left on the board.
32. Dallas Cowboys – DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
There’s no question that the Cowboys will take a pass-rushing defensive end wherever they pick. The only question is if they’ll have to stay there. With Tony Romo dangling out as trade bait, there’s really no way to guess where the Boys will be in the first round of even how many picks they’ll have. One thing’s for certain, they won’t stay put. If they do, they’ll be damn glad to grab Walker off the board.
Teams without a first round pick
Los Angeles Rams – Needs: Offensive line, outside linebacker, corner, safety
Second round pick, probably early. I like Adoree’ Jackson, CB, from USC here.
Minnesota Vikings – Needs: Offensive line, defensive tackle
Second round pick, mid-round. Pat Elflein, Center, from Ohio State or Garrett Bolles, OT, from Utah.
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