2017 Running Back Rankings

**Regarding Joe Mixon: I did not include him in this write up because I am of the personal belief that he is an unapologetic, abuse piece of shit who doesn't deserve to be drafted. I have no doubt that some team will take him because the NFL is a business and at the end of the day teams have to do what will win them games. I just did not want to take the time out of my day to write up a report. However, I watched him play extensively at Oklahoma and if I did have to rate him, I would have him second behind Fournette and above Dalvin Cook.**

1) Leonard Fournette, LSU Tigers
Career Stats: 3830 Rushing Yards, 6.2 YPC, 40 TDs, 41 Receptions, 526 Yards, 1 TD
Height: 6'1          Weight: 240
40 Yard Dash: 4.51 Seconds
Bench: DNP

What is there to be said about Fournette that hasn't already been said? From the time that he was in high school in Louisiana, he has drawn comparisons to Adrian Peterson and his commitment to LSU brought lofty expectations. I'd say overall, Fournette met those expectations, especially during his sophomore year when he amassed more than 1800 yards on the ground. When watching him, the first thing that sticks out on tape is just how much of a physical specimen he is and that is reflected in his carrying weight and 40 time. Fournette shows a power that isn't seen as often in running backs these days. He isn't afraid of contact and will go over defenders if they get in his way, especially defensive backs in the open field. Despite his size, he runs with a good center of gravity and doesn't expose himself to too many unnecessary hits. Additionally, his speed is absolutely frightening for a guy with the mass that he has. He shows the ability to accelerate quickly and find his second gear to drive pass defenders. Once he gets into the open field, there aren't a lot of guys who are going to catch him from behind. And while he can run over you, he has the speed and deceptive agility to go around and hit the corner. There aren't too many weaknesses to his game, but I did find some after really picking through some film. One area he can struggle in is with his vision. I saw a few times in each game where he didn't read his block well and ended up losing yards. He also isn't a true three down back at this stage as he doesn't have much experience as a receiver or pass blocking. To stay on the field, he'll need to improve in these areas. But other than that, the only thing holding him back is his body. Fournette missed quite a few games in his career due to injury. This could make some teams hesitant to take him with a top ten selection.

Number to Know - 6: That is the number of games Fournette missed as a junior due to injury. It will be interesting to see if scouts downgrade him at all due to durability issues.


2) Dalvin Cook, Florida State Seminoles
Career Stats: 4464 Rushing Yards, 6.5 YPC, 46 TDs, 79 Receptions, 935 Yards, 2 TDs
Height: 5'10          Weight: 210
40 Yard Dash: 4.49 Seconds
Bench: 22 Reps

Possibly the most well rounded back entering the draft this year, Cook has teams salivating after putting together three tremendous seasons at FSU and capping it with a strong Combine. The trait that pops out to me the most when I watch Cook is his agility and lateral quickness. Cook is incredibly adept at forcing missed tackles by freezing defenders at the line of scrimmage and in the open field. His ability to get a defender going one way before cutting the other is truly impressive. This bodes well for him when combined with the patience he displays at the line. Cook waits for his blocks to set up but isn't afraid to bounce around if he sees an opening that wasn't his first option. When he picks his spot, he shows excellent burst through the line of scrimmage and gets upfield in a hurry. His feet also never stop moving when he is in traffic, which allows him to maintain balance and pick through the defenders to pick up extra yards and occasionally break a long run. As you can tell by his numbers, Cook was also a highly productive receiver coming out of the backfield. You didn't see him line up too often outside as a slot or wideout, but he runs nice routes from the backfield. This, combined with his open field abilities will make him a three down starter from day one. Cook isn't a perfect back though as he does need to improve his pass protection. This is usually a common critique of running backs though, so I don't think it will be too detrimental to his stock. Additionally, he isn't a real power back like some of the other guys on this list. He won't be the most reliable in short yardage or goal line situations. Most negatively, Cook has had some fumbles throughout his college career with several coming in critical moments. There is no quicker way to lose a coach's confidence than to turn the ball over, so improving ball security will be paramount for Cook.

Number to Know - 7.4: Cook's yards per carry his sophomore year, the year after Heisman winner and first overall pick Jameis Winston went pro. He had every defender keyed in on stopping him and still averaged that number.


3) Christian McCaffrey, Stanford Cardinal
Career Stats: 3922 Rushing Yards, 6.2 YPC, 21 TDs, 99 Receptions, 1206 Yards, 10 TDs
Height: 5'11           Weight: 202 
40 Yard Dash: 4.48 Seconds
Bench: 10 Reps

When you break the single season all purpose yards set by the legendary Barry Sanders, you know you got something special on your plate. McCaffrey is probably the most dynamic running back in this draft as he can run, catch, and return punts and kickoffs. Watching him move in the open field is a lot like watching Reggie Bush in his USC days. Simply put, he makes people look stupid in the open field. It is truly incredible to watch a defender start to backpedal trying to anticipate McCaffrey's move only to be put on skates and find themselves eating turf. Like Cook, McCaffrey shows a ton of patience behind the line of scrimmage and really allows his blocks to be established before planting his foot and driving to the next level. He never panics when he gets into traffic and always keeps his feet churning and his head on a swivel looking for an exit strategy. He has exceptional balance, able to take hits while staying on his feet and marching upfield. But his best attribute is undoubtedly his ability as a receiver. Not only can he line up and catch out of the backfield, he can be split out wide and is one of the few running backs I've seen come out of college able to run the full route tree. Hell, some receivers in college can't even do it as well as McCaffrey does. But while all this is good, he does show some limitations that makes me think he may need to be part of a rotation. As you can see from his bench total, his strength is pretty subpar and he isn't going to beat you with power. It worries me that he may struggle to break tackles at the line of scrimmage in the NFL. Additionally, while his 40 time is better than both Fournette and Cook, watching him on film makes him look more quick than fast. It'll be interesting to see if he improves functional speed at the next level. But with his ability to be a special teams ace, it is hard to envision him dropping out of the first round.

Number to Know - 3864: The total yards McCaffrey accounted for on his way to breaking Barry Sander's single season record....albeit in two more games.


4) D'onta Foreman, Texas Longhorns
Career Stats: 2774 Rushing Yards, 6.4 YPC, 20 TDs, 13 Receptions, 146 Yards, 0 TDs
Height: 6'0          Weight: 233
40 Yard Dash: 4.44
Bench: 18 reps

Foreman has watched his stock rise and decline through the year and offseason. I have seen him anywhere from late teens to early third round in mocks. I think that Foreman would be a good second round pick. This past season, he was one of the most dominant forces in football and often was the entire Longhorns' offense. As you can see by his metrics, Foreman is a bowling ball type running back that is difficult to bring down when he gets going north/south. He is nearly impossible to stop in goal line and short yardage situations as he maintains excellent balance and really drives through his pads into the thick of the defense. More so than that, he has a much better burst and is a bit faster than you would think for someone his size. He isn't quite as explosive as Fournette who has an inch and about ten pounds on him, but it is enough to catch defenders by surprise and pick up an extra ten yards. However, he isn't really a true home run threat like Cook or Fournette is either as he seems to top out pretty quickly. He also isn't that shifty either as he is pretty much a straight line runner. This can get him into trouble as his size necessitates that he has almost nothing short of a runway at the line of scrimmage. He can't make himself skinny like other backs can. But he does have good vision behind the line and can make up for his lack of lateral agility with his relentless ability to run through arm tackles. The only other area where he can really improve his game is in pass catching. As you can see from his total above, he really doesn't have much experience. To stay on the field, he'll have to get better.

Stat to Know - 2028: Rushing yards in his junior year, good for second in the FBS in 2016. Teams love a guy who can carry the ball 20+ times a game.


5) Alvin Kamara, Tennessee Volunteers
Career Stats: 1294 Rushing Yards, 6.2 YPC, 16 TDs, 74 Receptions, 683 Yards, 7 TDs
Height: 5'10          Weight: 214
40 Yard Dash: 4.56 Seconds
Bench: 15 Reps

I initially had Kamara above Foreman but dropped him just a smidge due to his mediocre 40 time. However, I cannot knock him too much for it as he still posted one of the better 40 times among running backs. Kamara looks like he can be a solid back in the NFL who kind of fits the mold of Dalvin Cook. He shows some very elusive moves in the open field and can be difficult to bring down in traffic because he is always moving his feet and just seems to pinball off of would be tacklers. Yet kind of like Cook, you won't see him winning a lot of match ups with his power. I saw quite a few plays where he was tasked with picking up just one or two yards and couldn't power his way through the line. It is somewhat concerning as I'm not sure how many tackles he'll be able to break in the NFL. However, he does show a nice burst at the line to get through traffic. He also displayed good vision and more frequently than not was able to find the right hole after reading and following his blocks. But more so than almost any other running back in the top five besides McCaffrey, he has probably the best hands and is the best route runner. I like his ability to pick up yards after the catch as it will keep him on the field a lot more than some other backs early on in his career. He can look lost in pass protection, but again this is mostly because he wasn't asked to do it that much at Tennessee.With proper coaching, he should hopefully be able to pick up a knack for it.

Stat to Know - 2: The number of schools that Kamara played at (Alabama and Tennessee). Somewhat concerning that Kamara was never the perceived to be the best player at two different schools.

2017 Punter Rankings

It's draft season! As Derek and I work frivolously on our draft write ups for our positions, my cousin Mike Rasile, wanted to throw a little humor into our quite "serious" blog. Here is his 2017 punter write up but with a twist. Enjoy!

It was the best of times, or it was the worst of times if you are a Falcons fan. The NFL Draft is coming up and we know that one of the most pressing questions on your mind would have to be is, “Should this punter be drafted before Super Bowl winning quarterback, Russell Wilson?” If you are unfamiliar with what I am alluding to our Head Draft Writer’s, Justin Rasile, is a fan of the incumbent Jacksonville Jaguars. This is the team that drafted a punter in the 3rd round with Russell Wilson still on the board. They thought they were set at quarterback with Blaine Gabbert and decided, “what could we possibly do with him?” Again, this was the 3rd round and one of the worst teams in the league drafted a player that only gives the ball back to the other team. Then General Manager is quoted as saying that there wasn’t a player with the value that punter Bryan Anger offered. Now I know punters are a very important part of every football team, watching Jeff Feagles for years made me realize the art is necessary and can really put the other team in a bind, but really? Was anyone else going to grab a punter in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th round? I think one question every team should ask themselves before they do anything should be “what would Bill Belichick do?” This would clear up a lot of stupid shit that goes on in a few organizations that come to mind. So let’s look at the top 3 punters this year and decide who, if any, should be drafted before Russell Wilson.

1. Rigoberto Sanchez, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Career Stats: 21/24 FGs, 44.8 avg yards per punt

Height: 6’1 Weight: 190

You think Russell Wilson is a duel threat? Rigo, as he is known amongst friends, family, and lovers, is considered as one of the best punters in College football. AND is one of the better place kickers. Averaging over 44 yards a punt and 100% (13/13) field goal accuracy in his Senior season. Is there any reason he should not be drafted before Wilson? For comparison's sake, Wilson’s completion percentage for his college career is a paltry 60.9%. That’s almost a full 40% percent worse than Rigo’s. FORTY. And at this point you can guess that Wilson did not average 44 yards per attempt, pitiful. Rigo’s measurements come out on top too. Wilson is barely 6 feet tall and Rigoberto is a giant in comparison at 6’1. What Rigo lacks in throwing ability he makes up with his leg, I do think he should be drafted before Russell Wilson.

2. Cameron Johnston, Ohio State Buckeyes

Career Stats: 44.9 avg yards per punt

Height: 5’11 Weight: 198

Rigo made up his space on Wilson with his ability to be a duel threat, Johnston lacks in this department. Wilson ran for a total of over 1400 yards in his college career and threw for over 11,500. Johnston ran for a grand total of 1 yard and threw for a disturbingly low 0 yards. Sadly, he averaged less than 1 yard per carry, which in the era of the spread offense is ridiculous. And after his single pass attempt, Urban Meyer realized that Johnston did not have the arm he was once scouted for and gave up on ever letting him throw again. An interesting note on the Australian born punter, he had a punt go over 67 yards in all four years of his college career, including a 73 yarder. Some people will tell me that Cammy was one of the better punters this past season, as noted by his 46.7 average yard per punt, and I will tell them that he kept turning the ball back over to the defense. For these reasons, and the fact that I hate Ohio State, I think Johnston should not be drafted before Russell Wilson.

3. Hayden Hunt, Colorado State Rams

Career Stats: 43.8 avg yards per punt

Height: 5’11 Weight: 220

Hayden Hunt has the name, Hayden Hunt has the looks, but does Hayden Hunt have the ability to be drafted before Russell Wilson? Maybe. The alliteration is definitely helping in my book and I’m sure it will be a hot topic in war rooms come draft day. I can see it now, “Hayden Hunt, how about him? With a name like that we might just have the next Ray Guy!” Add a check to the name box. After that Hayden Hunt falls a little flat. He averaged a very nice 46 yards per punt in his Junior season but regressed his Senior year by a few yards. Sports reference won’t tell him how many he downed in the 20, so this could be something they might want to look into. His claim to fame might be his single tackle he made his Freshman year. He absolutely got laid that night so we are glad he could do something to help his statistics and his team. He had six games with six punts or more and in each of those games, he averaged over 42 yards per punt. Not completely terrible. One thing that Hunt has over Wilson would be his blistering passer efficiency rating of 343.6. Now I actually have no idea if this is maxed out or if this number goes to infinity, but that does seem impressive next to Russell’s 147.2 for his college career. Maybe if the Jags don’t end up retaining Bortles they can lean heavily on Hayden Hunt’s huge arm. We will see what they do with this year's fourth pick. But for now, I will have to say no other team should be taking Hunt before the third round, except for Jacksonville.

Justin Rasile's Post Free Agency NFL Mock Draft

1) Cleveland Browns

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M – This pick is obvious now.

2) San Francisco 49ers

Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina– With no quarterbacks on the team and Kyle Shanahan needing his quarterback of the future. Drafting and sitting the Tar Heel prospect will give him time to prosper.

3) Chicago Bears

Jamal Adams, S, LSU – A versatile piece to help rebuild that once vaunted Chicago defense. Adams is a beastly safety that can come up in the box or drop back into coverage. He is worthy of a top 5 pick.

4) Jacksonville Jaguars

Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford – Jacksonville signed Calais Campbell to a monster deal to help the pass rush. His leadership role cannot be overlooked though as he can teach the young and hungry Jaguars defense how to act on and off the field. Drafting Thomas will give this defense that pass rush off the edge that it needs to compete in this division.

5) Tennessee Titans

Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan – Marcus Mariota needs more weapons. Davis is the best wide receiver prospect and would be instrumental in creating a monster offense.

                                                          

6) New York Jets

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU – Fournette could go as high as 2 to the 49ers but I think other pressing needs pushes him down a bit. He is a workhorse running back that will help whoever is the quarterback for the dysfunctional Jets team.

7) Los Angeles Chargers

Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State – Hooker will add another component and play the center fielder role that Gus Bradley’s defense needs.

8) Carolina Panthers

Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State – Is there a team that misses a corner more than Carolina? Lattimore will give the Panthers defensive scheme versatility as he can play both zone and press man coverage.

9) Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Williams, WR, Clemson – Andy Dalton needs more weapons as Brandon LaFell is not a legitimate starting wide receiver. AJ Green would appreciate not seeing double coverage on every play and with Mike Williams being a big-time playmaker; it’ll add a whole new dimension to that offense.

10) Buffalo Bills

Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida – The two Florida corners are both top-notch prospects and the Bills would love either of them.

11) New Orleans Saints

Tim Williams, Edge, Alabama – Pass rushers are always needed and Williams can get after it. While I do have qualms about him, he can do what the Saints need in this division that has loads of quarterback talent.

12) Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson – Lucky for the Browns, there was no run on quarterbacks and this leads to their guy falling to them. Watson needs to sit for a little while but I believe that he, not Kizer, is the most pro ready quarterback.

13) Arizona Cardinals

Pat Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech – The quarterback with a cannon for an arm finds his way to Arizona. He has the chance to sit behind the consummate professional in Carson Palmer and give the Cardinal regime time to groom their guy for the future.

14) Indianapolis Colts

Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky – Ryan Grigson is gone so that means that the Colts start making the right decisions. Lamp is an extremely talented offensive lineman that can play all over the line. He would be a serviceable left tackle but if he played either guard position, he could be an all pro.

15) Philadelphia Eagles

Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State – With no top wideout to select and the corner market so deep, Philadelphia opts to grab another impactful offensive weapon.

16) Baltimore Ravens

Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee – Beating a dead horse, pass rushing is key to winning this league. Baltimore is trying to get younger after the release of Elvis Dumervil and Barnett has the production that attracts GM Ozzie Newsome’s eyes.

17) Washington Redskins

Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama – Scot McCloughan was relieved of his duties. Dan Snyder is a horrible person who shouldn’t be allowed to own a car. Foster is the obvious pick but I hope this franchise messes it up.

18) Tennessee Titans

Teez Tabor, CB, Florida – The Titans have been making the right decisions but Tabor can create an extremely difficult defensive matchup. He can be put in the slot for the early part of his career and be a true playmaker.

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jordan Willis, EDGE, Kansas State – Tampa Bay is creating a monster on offense. They need the pass rush to follow.

20) Denver Broncos

Jonathan Allen, DT, Alabama – Allen takes quite the tumble in my latest mock. He is an excellent player but we don’t have the knowledge the teams have about his medical history. Just random reports that claim things. If his shoulders are that bad, he could fall out of the top twenty but he is a special talent and the Broncos would love this scenario.

21) Detroit Lions

Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA – Lions were second to last in sacks forced this year. Ziggy Ansah was hurt most of the year and when healthy he was ineffective. Time to add more edge guys.

22) Oakland Raiders

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford - The Raiders are letting Latavius Murray go and can fill that spot with an extremely versatile piece in this former college star. McCaffrey can line up in the slot or can carry the rock between the tackles. Give him his touches and he will make defenses look stupid.

23) Miami Dolphins

Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State – This draft is so deep that a clear top 15 prospect can fall to the bottom of the first round. McDowell gives the Dolphins a monster defensive lineman to add to the rotation.

24) New York Giants

Ryan Ramcyzk, OT, Wisconsin – The Giants made a mistake by not drafting Laremy Tunsil last year and have suffered because of it. Ereck Flowers looks terrible. Ramcyzk, despite needing offseason surgery for a torn labrum, would push Flowers to guard.

25) Houston Texans

DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame – Brock Osweiler is gone. Bill O’ Brien can move onto finding his quarterback. If this team can go 9-7 with a shitty quarterback, watch what they could do with one with actual upside.

26) Green Bay Packers

Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama – The Packers defense looked atrocious last year. This is mainly because the corners have been hurt and ineffective. They need depth and starters and with this deep cornerback draft, they can address the need a few times.

27) Seattle Seahawks

Obi Melifonwu, S/CB, Connecticut – Seattle needs to revamp their offensive line but after watching Pete Carroll’s face at the combine, I think the UConn safety is the pick. They can try him out at corner as he has the athleticism to pick up on the position quickly. If this is the pick, Seattle may also be trying to free up cap space by dealing Kam Chancellor for draft consideration.

28) Pittsburgh Steelers

Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan - The Steelers secondary blows. Jabrill is a multipurpose player that can fill out the needs of a team. Just think former Steelers great Troy Polamalu.

29) Atlanta Falcons

Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC – Dan Quinn is starting to build something in Atlanta.  Adding a corner that can play outside or inside will help that pass rush even more. His return ability can make this team lethal.

30) Kansas City Chiefs

DeMarcus Walker, DL, Florida State – Chiefs had only 28 sacks in the regular season.  Getting younger and affecting the quarterback is a must with their old defensive stars increasing in age.

31) Dallas Cowboys

John Ross, WR, Washington – Ross takes a slight fall because of medical questions. But can absolutely stretch defenses and really allow Ezekiel Elliott to do what he does best.

32) New Orleans Saints

Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma- Mixon will go in the first round. He is a first round talent with off the field concerns. If his interview process checks out, Drew Brees will have a fun time handing the ball off to him.

33) Cleveland Browns

OJ Howard, TE, Alabama – One of the more supremely gifted players in this draft is OJ Howard. The Browns can make a formidable offensive attack if they draft this matchup nightmare.

34) San Francisco 49ers

Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida – San Fran was at their best when they had athletic and viscous linebackers roaming all over the field. Davis addresses that need.

35) Jacksonville Jaguars

Dan Feeney, G, Indiana – The Jaguars addressed many of their defensive needs through free agency and attained their edge guy in the first round. Feeney can shore up that offensive line and give Blake Bortles' time to make the smart passes.

36) Chicago Bears

David Njoku, TE, Miami – Mike Glennon needs weapons if he is to survive his time in Chicago. Njoku can be a game changing player with a great ability to get open.

37) Los Angeles Rams

Zay Jones, WR, ECU – The Rams signed a WR2 to a big-time contract. Why? What a waste of money. Restructure Tavon Austin’s contract or get rid of him and then the Woods signing makes sense. Either way, Zay Jones has the production and skill that the Rams need.

38) Los Angeles Chargers

TJ Watt, LB, Wisconsin – Building upon the fantastic draft that Los Angeles had last year, they keep adding to the talent on the front 7 with a linebacker they can mold into what they want. Watt had 63 tackles and 11.5 sacks in his last year in college. Bosa, Perryman, Hooker and Watt. That would be a hell of a young defense for the Bolts.

39) New York Jets

Cam Robinson, T/G, Alabama – Robinson would be a great guard to run behind. His massive size will move defensive tackles and open the holes that Fournette needs.

40) Carolina Panthers

Garett Bolles, OT, Utah – Protecting Cam Newton must be obvious now. Bolles can man down the left or right side of the line.

41) Cincinnati Bengals

Taco Charlton, EDGE, Michigan– The Wolverine product can help Cincinnati get after the quarterback.

42) New Orleans Saints

Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt – Having a do it all linebacker that can roam sideline to sideline can start to fix any defense that blows as much as this one has for the past ten years.

43) Philadelphia Eagles

Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU – The Eagles address their atrocious cornerback play with a first round caliber corner.

44) Buffalo Bills

Marcus Williams, S, Utah – This pick allows Jordan Poyer to move to his backup position. Williams will let the Bills be scheme versatile in their defensive alignments.

45) Arizona Cardinals

Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss – The Cardinals drafted the quarterback of the future in the first and now grab a tight end that can help immediately. Engram will be a matchup nightmare against corners and linebackers and will allow Bruce Arian’s creative mind to flourish.

46) Minnesota Vikings

Ethan Pocic, G/C, LSU – Sammy Sleeves still hasn’t played in all 16 games since his rookie year in 2010. Protecting him and, hopefully eventually, Teddy Bridgewater is a must.

47) Baltimore Ravens

Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee – The Ravens cannot go into the season with Buck Allen and Terrance West as the starters. Kamara will be a three down back and Danny Woodhead can spell him.

48) Indianapolis Colts

Haason Reddick, LB/DL, Temple – Sacks are something that the Colts have lacked for a few years now (literally and figuratively). Reddick is a plug and play player.

49) Washington Redskins

Carl Lawson, OLB, Auburn – Lawson can get after the quarterback. Easy fit.

50) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Marcus Maye, S, Florida – The Bucs safeties are currently ass. Maye will start from day one.

51) Denver Broncos

Gerald Everett, TE, Southern Alabama – Denver is a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender again. With Tony Romo in their sights, give him another weapon on offense.

52) Cleveland Browns

Desmond King, CB, Iowa – Attacking their positions of weakness, the Browns have plenty of picks to grab an entirely new secondary.

53) Detroit Lions

D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas – The Lions need a downhill running back to pair with Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. In my eyes, two back systems don’t seem to be working out but the Lions need to be able to punch the ball in at the goal line.

54) Oakland Raiders

Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State – A middle linebacker would solidify the Raiders defense. McMillan diagnoses plays quickly and runs down ball carriers.

55) Houston Texans

Taylor Moton, OT/G, Western Michigan – The Texans don’t have many holes outside of quarterback so they select Moton to fill their offensive line needs.

56) Green Bay Packers

Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma – One of my favorite players in this draft. Perine is a pure powerback with nifty footwork. He may be one of the strongest players in this draft as well with reported bench presses over 450 pounds and a high school squat of 600 pounds. The Packers would welcome a strong runner that Eddie Lacey was supposed to be and pair him with Ty Montgomery.

57) Miami Dolphins

Carroll Phillips, OLB, Illinois – Mario Williams was cut.  Insert the Illini standout to help bolster the pass rush.

58) Seattle Seahawks

Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple – Seattle continues to reinforce their offensive line and give Russell Wilson more protection.

59) Pittsburgh Steelers

Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan – Wormley has fallen too far and the Steelers steal him at this slot. He immediately becomes a true rotational guy for all three defensive line positions.

60) Atlanta Falcons

Montravius Adams, DL, Auburn – Dan Quinn’s defense would love adding a huge defensive lineman to eat up blockers and penetrate the backfield.

61) New York Giants

David Sharpe, OT, Florida – The Giants have been okay with average offensive line play. They selected Ramcyzk in the first for the left tackle position. Sharpe can play the right. Now this offense is set.

62) Kansas City Chiefs

Dawaune Smoot, DE, Illinois – Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson won’t be playing much longer. Time to start thinking about life after them.

63) Dallas Cowboys

Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida – Brantley took quite the tumble in this mock draft. Dallas would get a disruptive force at defensive tackle to help free up the ends to do their work in the backfield.

64) Carolina Panthers
Anthony Walker, LB, Northwestern – Carolina should be worried about their current linebackers. Perennial all pro Luke Kuechly’s concussion history and Thomas Davis is 33 is both worrisome. Walker can help add depth and will be a starter soon enough.