by Anthony Fernandez, October 16th, 2017
[1.17] 
CB Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson 
We return to this iteration of my mock draft, that already had some movement since I posted FRIDAY (calm down, guys). I'm going to keep going as if the first 16 picks are made though, and in that iteration the Dolphins got an awesome WR. Looking at their roster, they are light at LB, C, CB, and potentially TE. They did acquire a replacement TE this offseason in Austin Sefarion-Jenkins, and I think he's good enough that you don't have to burn a 1st round pick on a TE, so I'll rule that out. I think the most VALUE would be to take a LB here, since none have went in the first 16 picks of my draft, so you have your pick of them... but they have a pretty good LOLB already, and ROLB just doesn't have 1st round value in Madden. Borland is young and talented at MLB, so while I think LB will be popularly mocked to Miami... I think they can afford to wait. I'm going CB, and the 2nd one on my board is Clemson guy Cordrea Tankersely. He's 6' and if he gets a good private workout he could easily be a 99/99/99 guy. He's a great tackler with good hands that can jump, and is smart enough that if paired with a mentor will be a legit starter in 3 years. Miami has Collins and shaw that will compete to be CB2 (unless they add someone else next to Amerson). All these young guys ARE going to get beat deep, but you're developing Mariota and have 4 years on your contract, so now's the time to add a talent. I think the team is good enough to win 8 games this year.
[1.18] 
HB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford 
Raiders back on the clock after taking WR Mike Williams (best in class) in the first 16 picks. Brad himself had his team taking CB and SS in his mock. I just personally think with the best SS gone, this would be too high for Peppers. And CB? There are plenty of good ones, but they are all so alike I think they'll slide to the top of the 2nd. If there was one criticism of my first mock, I am apparently higher on the HBs in this class than others. Now I feel like HBs are a category that we always downplay to get them to fall to the 2nd, and some years it works. Could this be a year like that? Perhaps! But if you look at the playoffs, and even the teams who draft HBs in the 1st last year, NONE of those teams regret the pick. Hell, Tennessee won the Super Bowl with rookie runner Derrick Henry. Now the Raiders have CJ Ham, who I think we all like... but why not add some lightning to go with their thunder? Ham is currently the ONLY runner on their roster. CMC has amazing hands (76 CTH), to go with his lightning fast 95/91/98 speed-agility-acceleration trio. And yea, he's only 201lbs, but he's 81 strength and 81 carry. His break tackle will need his first 20 progression points or so he gets, but this is a player that would have a TON of value splitting time 50/50 with Ham, and I'd even depth chart him as WR3 or WR4 depending on matchup. I've heard buzz that some think CMC (and other HBs in this class) are 2nd round talents.. but CMC at 6' and only 22 years old would be a 1st round pick in this class as a WIDE RECEIVER! Just unbelievable value added to an already powerful offense if the Raiders add Mike Williams and Christian McCaffrey in this class.
[1.19] 
OLB T.J. Watt, Wisconsin 
TJ Watt is 6'4" 243lbs with 85 speed, 87 agility, 92 acceleration and 85 strength. That sounds amazing on paper, but ironically we HAVE seen some more freakish guys in these draft classes at the position. Kwon Alexander, who the Saints got at [2.11] two years ago comes to mind. He is smaller (and probably should be playing LOLB, but he's 91/88/91 and was a better tackler. So will TJ Watt get a little OVER drafted in this class due to name recognition? Probably, but I don't think it's that much of a reach here and it does fill a big need, as the Jets current LB cabinet is quite empty (currently). Kev is one of the best GMs the community has though, so I'm sure he's seeing the class in 4D and will land some guy that will have us all scratching our heads as to why we didn't see it.
[1.20] 
SS Jabrill Peppers, Michigan 
Bucs are back on the clock after drafting WR Kenny Galladay on Friday. Bryan is without-a-doubt one of the best GMs in SFL history, and they do have one of THE best QB/HB combos in the league. But if we're being honest, there are quite a few holes on this roster. The interior OL is decimated... but that's a position you can patch with veterans in Free Agency all the way through the preseason. My biggest concerns are at Safety, Wide Receiver, Tight End, and Defensive End. Now in this mock they addressed WR already. I'm guessing they probably have Harmon coming back via Match Eligible Free Agency, so that addresses FS. While DE is a possibility, and I do think the Safety class is generally weak, it would probably be smart to nab the 66 AWR Jabrill Peppers and fast track him with a SS mentor. He's big and quick enough, and is already a solid tackler. I know Bryan values his vets and awareness, but I'd be MUCH more concerned starting a rookie LE than a rookie SS.
[1.21] 
CB Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State 
Does Apolo still own this pick? I think so! On Friday they drafted DT Davon Godchaux, who felt like a reach when I posted it, but since his is a name that has flown UP draft boards. I've seen him in the top 10! So that could throw a wrench in the Titans draft plans... but in this mock, Davon is a Titan. That leaves WR, CB, OL, and S as potential targets here. Apolo recently got into a fight with SS Kam Chancellor, so perhaps he has a guy that he likes there? Doesn't help that Peppers just came off the board. With so little needs on this team, I could easily see them just go best player available, or to maybe grab a CB and put a little work in him and trade him for a top 10 pick next year. 21 year old Lattimore would be a nice canvas for our wonderful artist Apolo Shapiro to paint a top tier prospect. I don't know what that skew looks like, but Lattimore certainly fits the bill of a top 20 pick.
[1.22] 
ROLB Matt Milano, Boston College 
Jags went OL last time, this time I think they'll take a WR or LB... whatever is better. There has been quite a run on WRs, while LB has only had one off the board. Ole in that scenario I think refuses to reach and just takes the better player. Milano is quite undersized at 221 lbs... but the Jaguars need a LOLB and that's one position I think you can get away with it. The 96 acceleration is insane. If the 85 speed doesn't go DOWN... this is a freak 1 of 1 athlete. He also has 81 strength, so it's not like this is some pocket rocket. Could he slide over fears about his size? Sure. But I think he'll be a solid starter for years to come. Looks like, to me, a double digit sack guy coming off the edge for a decade.
[1.23] 
LT Sam Tevi, Utah 
This player needs to be a stud, because the Seahawks essentially traded Eddie Lacy for this player. Lacy is one of the best THREE HBs in the league, but with all the young studs coming into the league he's clearly not top 3 in value. Still, you'd hope to get a 10-year starter from unloading Lacy, and taking that cap hit after you just signed him long term. There is an argument to be made that Tevi is the best OL in the class. I personally like Robinson a tad bit more, but what's not to like about 6'5", 99 STR, 74 speed, 77 agility, 81 acceleration, 85 pass block and 76 run block? Tevi checks all the boxes and could be the 10 year starter we talked about. Rock has a history to nab an amazing OL in the first round, as we've seen with Lewan and Marpet. Tevi could slide in at LT, which is historically the easier OT position to play, you could probably get away with starting him as a rookie.
[1.24] 
HB Dalvin Cook, Florida State 
ANOTHER running back in the 1st? Somewhere Breck's head just exploded! Do Breck and I have the 1st round THAT differently judged... or am I just a GM with two stud HBs on my roster that hopes 32 running backs get drafted in the 1st? Who knows. What I do know is that Dalvin Cook deserves to get drafted early and start for a team. The Browns have done well refurbishing Anthony Dixon, but he's getting a little long in the tooth. Cook is 82 strength, 95 speed, 95 agility, and 96 acceleration. He's going to plow over players in the SFL, and the best part is he's only 22 years old. Whoever the Browns take, it feels like the entire AFC North are going to be grooming young QBs over the next few years, so it would behoove the Browns to draft players who can start NOW... or to trade the picks for players who can. The window with Brohm is NOW. Win the division and get that contract boosted again.
[1.25] LOLB Samson Ebukam, Eastern Washington 
Dolphins again!?!? Mr. Roberts has been one of the most aggressive GMs moving up this offseason, so it's possible by the time this is published they are no longer here. So far I've got them addressing WR and CB, the two most important positions in Madden, so maybe this time they have a little fun? Some around the league are a little higher on Ebukam than I am, but there's not denying he's a top 40 talent. I'd need that private workout for sure, because his agility (82) and acceleration (86) have
potential to end up a little pedestrian if the skew is unkind. Small school kid, maybe he just got an inflated skew? That would worry me. But he is strong and has great size (245 pounds and 6'3"). That gives the Dolphins flexibility if they want to play him on either side, which is valuable since the right side is their weakest side. Is this too high to take a ROLB? I personally think so... but with a good skew, he has the potential to be played all over the field, so I see why teams like him.
[1.26] 
MLB Trey Hendrickson, Florida A&M 
"Someone tell me what is wrong with my team." This was a question Tom asked on Discord. And while I'm sure it was addressed to GMs he respects MUCH more than me, I'll take a swing at it. The Broncos defense doesn't make enough big plays. They are middle of the road in sacks, they are tied for a league worst in takeaways, and when the other team is in the red zone, FEW teams allow MORE touchdowns that the Broncos. Now that's not a problem that can be addressed with one draft pick, but I think there is one player that could begin the process of healing the lack of big plays the Broncos defense makes, and that is MLB Trey Hendrickson. Trey is 6'4" 270 pounds, 84 speed, 92 agility, 96 acceleration, 83 strength, and 81 tackle. Those are all pre-skew, but those are pretty rare. So rare I'd worry about Apolo snatching him up just to see how he sims. Apolo DID briefly shop his MLB this offseason (well, one of them). Apolo also has a few opportunities before Tom to snatch him, even if that would be pretty high for a MLB. If Tom wasn't interested in Hendrickson before, maybe knowing Apolo might want him will be just what it takes. Apolo picks NEXT, too, which would make it hurt that much more.
[1.27] TE George Kittle, Iowa 
The Titans shopped MLB Chris White (might still be), and I bet the idea of Hendrickson (270 lbs) with Dodd (277 lbs) is quite appealing. But with that glaring hole at MLB for Denver, Apolo would likely need to nab Hendrickson earlier. In this scenario, he didn't. So now he's gotta go to plan B. He doesn't really NEED a MLB, so instead he just goes BPA at another position. I know Apolo has publicly been very high on our Team Rocket buddy Jesse James, but I think Apolo would have too hard a time passing on getting the best player at a position this late into the 1st. In this mock he hypothetically gets the BEST DT/34DE, the BEST TE, and possibly the 2nd best CB. That's an Apolo type draft. The team went from one generational TE in Jared Cook and could turn around and do it again with George Kittle. I'd be curious to see how his private workout turns out. There is an outside chance Apolo likes Evan Engram more. I feel like the league is pretty split between him and Kittle. Engram is just so much smaller that I'd worry, but Apolo is also the guy who drafted (and featured) a 5'6" WR. And Grant's role could EXPAND in year 2! Apolo, Champion of the little man.
[1.28] 
WR Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M 
Back-to-back-to-BACK 1st round picks? How fun. Not gonna lie, it's always been a goal of mine to have like 3-5 consecutive picks... either in the middle of the 1st, or towards the top of the 2nd. Super jelly of Gary here. Now there are a lot of different ways the Steelers could go here... but I'm of the belief that OFFENSIVE rookies are a little easier to play than DEFENSIVE rookies. And I'm speaking from experience, as my first year I drafted Glennon, Theilen, and Sims. Going back, I don't think I'd change much. Sure, I'd love to say I'd have added a few veterans, or diversified... but I'm really happy with that first draft class and how I developed that talent. If I were the Steelers, especially with developing a young QB already in Sudfeld, I feel like I'd load up on one side of the ball with these picks. So that's what I am going to do. Also, their defense is already sneakily really young and talented. First up, give me a big, quick WR to develop alongside Sudfeld. Reynolds has all the tools. He could easily end up as good, or better, than Cody Latimer, who I love. Paired with Hopkins, you could have a legit 1-2 punch for years to come. I'd start Reynolds off in the slot, while you get the most out of the last best year of WR Mitchell, but after I'd secured my 6 wins, I'd try Reynolds at WR1.
[1.29] TE Evan Engram, Ole Miss 
Is TE a premium position? It remains to be seen, but Engram is a rare talent with WR speed and quickness. I don't think, based off previous conversations with Gary, that TE is a premium position for him - but opinions can evolve. The idea of Sudfeld, Engram, and Reynolds all growing in the offense together looks great on paper. Engram offers little as a blocker, and his size is more attuned for WR... but with AP boosts, plus rookie and sophomore boosts, this man is going to be an absolute fiend that can play inline at TE on 1st and 2nd down while being able to be plugged at WR4 on the depth chart and terrorize defenses in four WR sets. Did you notice I switched the color to gold between the two black text picks for the Steelers? Just amazing production value over here at AF studios.
[1.30] HB Kareem Hunt, Toledo 
WE BACK for the 3rd and final pick, and while I'm sure Breck will lose his mind, we're going HB again here. DMC is a legend, but he's about retired and parked in the used car lot. Despite some pessimism about the HB class, there are clearly some guys that GMs are hiding and hoping drop. HB Brian Hill, for example, is going to be an absolute steal for someone who doesn't care about STR. I doubt anyone pulls the trigger in rounds 1-2, but he's a guy I wouldn't be surprised to see get drafted earlier than folks think. With a good private workout, you could see a guy like "Playoff Lenny" Leonard Fournette rise up to the early 2nd or late 1st. Tarik Cohen is another guy that could be a slippery good back that gets overlooked. I might literally be talking myself into the Steelers waiting to grab a guy in round 2 or 3. That said, I've already committed to the idea of the QUADRIPLETS (Sudfeld, Reynolds, Engram, and a rookie runner). That runner is Kareem Hunt. Elite size/speed combo with hands good enough that he could play some slot for you, too.
[1.31] SS Justin Evans, Texas A&M
The NFC Champions need a starting Strong Safety. Evans has size, and with a good private workout could easily sneak into the 1st round discussion. He's not a perfect candidate, and will take some work and patience, but he could develop into a very solid starter in SFL. Especially playing for a team that is perennially one of the best in the league.
[1.32] 
FS Malik Hooker, Ohio State
Great name. The Colts (currently) have no FS/SS on the roster, so
hard to know what they plan to do at
the position. I agree with Breck's assessment that
Hooker is the most talented at the position, which I think will
thrust him INTO the 1st round, or perhaps he'll be
on top of the 2nd at the latest. There are other
p. stars at the position, but Hooker is the one I'd
desire the most.
Great size, just
barely legal (21 years old), and he's quick... but not
TOO quick. Would be a great pick for a
climax conclusion of the 1st round. If not the pick here, I don't see him
going down too much further. He's gonna
get paid.
Thanks for reading! I'll probably drop a version 2.0 after Free Agency with all 32 picks in one article! Enjoy!
