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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Jul 16, 2025, 10:57 am
The Houston Astros entered the 2025 MLB Draft with limited capital but a clear objective: find talent that can help sustain their winning ways without needing a full organizational reboot. With just under $7.2 million in bonus pool money and two forfeited picks, lost when they signed slugger Christian Walker, the Astros needed to be smart, aggressive, and a little bold. They were all three.
A swing on star power
With the 21st overall pick, Houston selected Xavier Neyens, a powerful left-handed high school bat from Mt. Vernon, Washington. At 6-foot-4, Neyens is raw but loaded with tools, a slugger with plus power and the kind of bat speed that turns heads.
He’s the Astros’ first high school position player taken in the first round in a decade.
If Neyens develops as expected, he could be the next cornerstone in the post-Altuve/Bregman era. Via: MLB.com:
It’s possible we’ll look back at this first round and realize that the Astros got the best power hitter in the class. At times, Neyens has looked like an elite hitter who’d easily get to that pop, and at times the swing-and-miss tendencies concerned scouts, which is why he didn’t end up closer to the top of the first round. He was announced as a shortstop, but his size (6-foot-4) and his arm will profile best at third base.
Their next big swing came in the third round with Ethan Frey, an outfielder/DH from LSU who was one of the most imposing college hitters in the country.
He blasted 13 home runs in the SEC and helped lead the Tigers to a championship.
Filling the middle
In the fourth round, the Astros grabbed Nick Monistere, an infielder/outfielder out of Southern Miss who won Sun Belt Player of the Year honors.
If Kendall likes the pick, I like the pick. https://t.co/NQKqEHFxtV
— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) July 14, 2025
He doesn’t jump off the page with tools, but he rakes, hitting .323 with 21 home runs this past season, and plays with a chip on his shoulder.
They followed that up with Nick Potter, a right-handed reliever from Wichita State. He projects as a fast-moving bullpen piece, already showing a mature approach and a “fastball that was regularly clocked in the upper-90s and touched 100 miles per hour.”
From there, Houston doubled down on pitching depth and versatility. They took Gabel Pentecost, a Division II flamethrower, Jase Mitchell, a high school catcher with upside, and a host of college arms, all in hopes of finding the next Spencer Arrighetti or Hunter Brown.
Strategy in motion
Missing multiple picks, Houston leaned into two things: ceiling and speed to the majors. Neyens brings the first, Frey and Monistere the second. And as they’ve shown in recent years, the Astros can develop arms with late-round pedigree into major league contributors.
The Astros didn’t walk away with flashy headlines, they weren’t drafting in the top 10. But they leave the 2025 draft with a clear direction: keep the farm alive with bats that can produce and arms that can fill in the gaps, especially with the club managing injuries and an aging core.
If Neyens becomes the slugger they hope, and if Frey or Monistere climbs fast, this draft could be another example of Houston turning limited resources into lasting impact.
You can see the full draft tracker here.
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