Draft Day
Joshua Jordan Mock 3.0: Draft plan for the Saints and Cowboys
Apr 20, 2018, 1:43 pm
Can the Saints put together back-to-back elite drafts? David Grunfeld/Nola.Com
My mock is a bit different from some the national guys like Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. And I certainly don't have their resume, but I do have the luxury of talking football with guys like Lance, and have co-hosted draft shows in the Houston market the last few years. If you want to see how Lance has the first round shaking out compared to mine, you can read his mock draft here. This week, I'm going to highlight the Saints and Cowboys selections and team needs. No, I'm not a Saints or Cowboys fan, but the Texans don't have a pick until the 3rd round, and I know we have some New Orleans and Dallas fans living among us.
1. Cleveland Browns- USC QB Sam Darnold
The Browns finally get their franchise QB. I'm not buying the Josh Allen rumors yet.
2. New York Giants- NCST DE Bradley Chubb
The Giants find a replacement for JPP.
3. New York Jets- Wyoming QB Josh Allen
The Jets grab their QB, and I think they pass on Rosen. Allen has insane upside, so I think he's the pick.
4. Cleveland Browns- Penn St. RB Saquon Barkley
Cleveland selects the best player and best QB in the draft.
5. Denver Broncos- Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
Many have the Broncos trading out here, but I think they stand pat and take their future QB.
6. Indianapolis Colts- Virginia Tech LB Tremaine Edmonds
The Colts add an incredible playmaker to their defense.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Ohio St. CB Denzel Ward
The Bucs get the best corner in the draft.
8. Chicago Bears- Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson
The Bears get one of the best players in the draft and protect their young QB.
9. San Francisco 49ers- Georgia LB Roquan Smith
This week, I'm going with Lance's advice and moving Roquan Smith into my Top 10. If you missed Lance Zierlein shaming me last week, you can check it out here.
10. TRADE--------- Buffalo Bills via Raiders- UCLA QB Josh Rosen
The Bills trade with the Raiders to jump in front of Miami and grab their QB. Adam Gase and the Dolphins are rumored to be interested in Rosen, so the Bills make their move.
11. Miami Dolphins- UTSA DE Marcus Davenport
The Dolphins add a pass rusher and have no other choice than to roll with Tannehill another year.
12. TRADE--------- Oakland Raiders via Bills- Washington DT Vita Vea
The Raiders get their guy and collect some picks in the process.
13. Washington Redskins- Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick
Washington gets a steal and adds to the secondary.
14. Green Bay Packers- Florida State S Derwin James
The Packers shock the world and take a safety in the first round.
15. Arizona Cardinals- Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey
The Cardinals upgrade their putrid offensive line.
16. Baltimore Ravens- Alabama WR Calvin Ridley
Ozzie Newsome adds the best receiver in the draft to help his veteran QB. He'll be a nice pairing with possession WR Michael Crabtree.
17. Los Angeles Chargers- Alabama DT Da'Ron Payne
The Chargers bolster their defense.
18. Seattle Seahawks- Iowa CB Josh Jackson
Pete Carroll and John Schneider get their replacement for Richard Sherman. Jackson has size and terrific ball skills. He has Seahawk written all over him.
19. Dallas Cowboys- SMU WR Courtland Sutton
The Cowboys run up to the podium and select Sutton to replace Dez Bryant. Courtland Sutton has the potential to be a player similar to Brandon Marshall, if things go well.
I previously had Dallas taking a linebacker or defensive tackle, but receiver is so thin in this draft, and they have to replace Dez. The Cowboys traded up to draft Bryant in 2010, and they may do the same thing this year. Calvin Ridley ending up in Dallas would not surprise me.
If the Cowboys take a defensive player in the first round, I think a linebacker or defensive tackle is most likely. This defense is not the same when Sean Lee is out, and he has been injured a lot over his career. Alabama LB Rashaan Evans or Boise St. LB Leighton Vander Esch would make a lot of sense here. Florida DT Taven Bryan could be in play here as well.
20. Detroit Lions- Boston College DE Harold Landry
The Lions get some help on their defensive line. Ziggy Ansah is playing on the franchise tag.
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Florida DT Taven Bryan
The Bengals get good value with Bryan.
22. TRADE---------Oakland Raiders via Bills- Louisville CB Jaire Alexander
The Raiders take the extra pick from the Bills and get some much-needed help at corner.
23. New England Patriots- UCF CB Mike Hughes
The Pats replace Malcolm Butler at CB.
24. Carolina Panthers- UCLA OT Kolton Miller
The Panthers find some protection for Cam Newton.
25. Tennessee Titans- Alabama LB Rashaan Evans
Tennessee gets a great player, and they fill a big need at linebacker.
26. Atlanta Falcons- Michigan DT Maurice Hurst
Dontari Poe left in free agency, so the Falcons add a DT.
27. New Orleans Saints- Boise St. LB Leighton Vander Esch
The Saints add a playmaker on the second level. I think New Orleans has to keep upgrading the defense, because they have a real shot at a championship in 2018. Give Brees one more year to win it all. He already has plenty of weapons to do it. I would love to take a pass rusher here, but the Saints shouldn't reach. Vander Esch is a playmaker, just take him. Sean Payton is always tempted to take an offensive player in every round, and it worked out with the Alvin Kamara pick in the 3rd round last year. But the Saints have a great o-line and terrific skill players, so now's the time to go all-in and invest in the defense.
They may look for a receiver to complement Michael Thomas, because it looks like Willie Snead could end up in Baltimore. The problem with 1st round WRs is, they typically don't contribute much in their rookie year, and this might be the last great season we see from Drew Brees. If I'm drafting for New Orleans, I'm going with the same approach as the Rams and Eagles. Use all of your capital to try to win it all this year.
Finally, this is a great TE group, so they may go that route in round one. Once again, you don't see many rookie TEs make a big contribution in their first season. Rookie linebackers however, are very often plug-and-play guys.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers- Alabama S Ronnie Harrison
He just feels like a Steeler.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars- Louisville QB Lamar Jackson
Blake Bortles will have competition.
30. Minnesota Vikings- Georgia OG Isaiah Wynn
The Vikings spent a ton of money on Kirk Cousins, so they add some help on the line to protect him.
31. New England Patriots- Texas OL Connor Williams
Belichick isn't afraid to draft Longhorns, and Williams can move to guard if he can't hang at tackle.
32. Philadelphia Eagles- South Carolina TE Hayden Hurst
The Super Bowl champs add another toy for Carson Wentz.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.