Jets at no. 6 <\/a>by NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Snyder grab him one spot sooner. Knowing that his defense will be facing the likes of Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr, and Chip Kelly’s up-tempo passing game for years to come, cornerback must be addressed early. If Snyder waits until round two, the top guys will likely be gone.\u00a0 While anything is possible on draft day, it would be hard to envision Washington dealing the pick to the Eagles and handing Mariota over to a division rival who feels he’s the one guy they need to become legitimate contenders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
6.<\/strong>\u00a0New York Jets: (Chances of picking Mariota: 33%; Chances of trading out? 33%)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Tom\u2019s pick: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama<\/strong><\/em>\u2014This is the dream scenario for Mike Maccagnan and the Jets. They can select Dante Fowler to help supplement the pass rush, they can draft CB Trae Waynes in the event that Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle have incurred permanent limps, or they could draft Marcus Mariota and tell Chan Gailey to figure out how best to use him. But this is where it gets dicey if you\u2019re Maccagnan. If you pass on Mariota, you run the risk that he\u2019ll go to another team and become your personal Dan Marino\/Warren Sapp\/Brett Favre\/every other draft pick that the Jets allowed to go somewhere else and become great. But, if you take Mariota, you risk sabotaging not only your own career, but also that of HC Todd Bowles in the event that Mariota never figures out how to play QB on the professional level. Given the choice, I predict that Maccagnan punts on the Mariota decision and picks the safest guy on the board in Cooper, who has produced spectacular results at the highest levels in a brutal conference, and who went to combine and calmed any fears that he might not be an \u201celite\u201d athlete (4.42\/40; 6.71 3-cone; 3.98 short shuttle). It hurts leaving Dante Fowler on the board here, but Bowles has shown the ability to coach up lesser talents on defense to produce great units, particularly in the pass rush department.<\/p>\nGlenn\u2019s pick:\u00a0 Kevin White, WR, West Virginia<\/strong><\/em>— Unless the Jets and Eagles pull off a blockbuster trade for Chip Kelly to get his guy in\u00a0 Mariota, Jets fans who are tired of Gang Green’s recent run of \u201cdefense first\u201d from year to year will finally breathe a sigh of relief.\u00a0 White has the potential to be the game-breaking receiver the Jets have lacked for what feels like forever.\u00a0 With rumors swirling in regards to Percy Harvin’s unwillingness to renegotiate his $10.5 million price tag, the Jets are forced to pick a player who could be a legitimate number one receiver.\u00a0 White, Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley, and TE Amaro would give coordinator Chan Gailey a solid group to work with in 2015.<\/p>\nTom<\/strong><\/em>: So, both of us left Mariota on the board which, given the Jets luck, means that Mariota will end up being great. If I\u2019m picking for the Jets, I pass because I don’t want to draft a quarterback whose primary challenge will be learning how to take a snap, drop back, and throw a spiral on the NFL level. I just don’t envision the scenario where that goes well for us. Obviously, Maccagnan has to come up with a QB at some point, but drafting one with that many question marks, out of simple desperation, is how we ended up with Mark Sanchez once.<\/p>\nGlenn<\/strong><\/em>: While we agree that Mariota may fall, it would be irresponsible to ignore the Jets’ history of drafting quarterbacks. Not knowing how to take a snap, drop back, or throw a spiral (and let’s not forget reading a defense) is like wrapping Chad Pennington, Brooks Bollinger, Mark Sanchez, and Geno Smith all in one. Mariota could be the guy the Jets have always dreamed of, but let’s hope this front office decides to go in a new direction. You\u2019re also correct in the assumption that Mariota will in fact be great if the Jets don’t take him. Should the Jets take a pass at six, allow me to be the first person to congratulate Mariota on his induction to Canton….great job kid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
After pushing Glenn in front of a bus for bringing up the lack of talent Rex Ryan had to work with last season, Tom takes it from here:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
7.\u00a0<\/strong> Philadelphia Eagles (Trade with Bears) Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon<\/strong><\/em>\u2014The Eagles have been prepping their fanbase for a Mariota trade since last November, when Mark Sanchez was in the midst of taking a blowtorch to their 2014 playoff chances. There is no way that Chip Kelly spent all that energy staging a coup for Howie Roseman\u2019s GM job only to watch Mariota get picked up before he has a chance to trade a bunch of future draft picks for him. He finds a seller in the Bears, who attempt to sneak Jay Cutler into the deal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
8.<\/strong> Atlanta Falcons: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri<\/strong><\/em>\u2014The immortal Kroy Bierman led the Falcons in sacks last season with 4 \u00bd. Obviously, there\u2019s some room for improvement at the edge rusher positions on the team. Ray has been tied to the Falcons for a few weeks now in much the same way they were locked into Jake Matthews last year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
9.<\/strong> New York Giants: Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, Florida<\/strong><\/em>\u2014From a Jets perspective, this one will hurt a bit. Watching Fowler go to the Giants and star in new-again DC Steve Spagnuolo\u2019s defense will be a tough pill to swallow, no matter how great Amari Cooper turns out to be. As with Odell Beckham Jr last year, GM Jerry Reese sits back and watches another big-time player fall into his lap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
10.<\/strong> St. Louis Rams: Cam Erving, OG-C, Florida State<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Maybe a bit of a reach here, but Erving has a chance to be an All-Pro interior lineman for the next ten years. St. Louis quietly does a lot of things well, especially defensively, and there\u2019s talent stretched across the roster on every unit. The x-factor, as it has been since he\u2019s been drafted, is whether or not QB Sam Bradford can stay healthy. He won\u2019t, but as with RGIII in Washington, all you can do is build a wall around him and pray.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
11.\u00a0<\/strong>Minnesota Vikings: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Playing against Aaron Rodgers, Matt\u00a0Stafford, and Jay Cutler twice every year means that you better have enough corners to pick off Jay Cutler.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
12.<\/strong> Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton, DT-NT, Washin<\/strong><\/em>gton\u2014The Browns were statistically the worst rushing defense in the league last season, and playing against those dominant rushing attacks in the AFC North isn\u2019t getting any easier. Shelton is a prototype nose tackle with some quickness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
13.\u00a0<\/strong> New Orleans Saints: Brandon Scherff, OT-OG, Iowa<\/strong><\/em>\u2014The Saints are up against the salary cap and both of their starting guards (Ben Grubbs, Jahri Evans) come with $7 million dollar price tags and could be cap casualties. As much as the defense floundered last year under Rob Ryan and could use CB help, keeping Drew Brees upright will always be the priority in New Orleans.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
14.<\/strong> Miami Dolphins: Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Beasley eased any fears over his size at the Combine when he showed up at 246 pounds and still ran a 4.53\/40 with a 41-inch vertical leap. Dion Jordan looks an awful lot like a bust, and Beasley helps Fish fans forget that mistake.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
15.<\/strong> San Francisco 49ers: DaVante Parker, WR, Louisville<\/strong><\/em>\u2014The 49ers are set to lose Michael Crabtree to free agency, and Anquan Boldin will turn 35 years old in October, so the new-regime house-cleaning needs to begin right away. GM Trent Baalke gets to draft a receiver without Jim Harbaugh screaming in his face, which will be a nice change of pace for him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
16.<\/strong> Houston Texans: Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Former Belichick disciple Bill O\u2019Brien knows the value of the TE position to an offense, and currently the best TE on his roster is JJ Watt. That needs to change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
17.<\/strong> San Diego Chargers: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma-ish<\/strong><\/em>\u2014It\u2019s a deep draft for OL and DE\u2014two places that the Chargers definitely need to bolster\u2014but the prospect of drafting Green-Beckham and letting him be Phillip Rivers\u2019 new Vincent Jackson is too enticing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
18.<\/strong> Kansas City Chiefs: DJ Humphries, T, Florida<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Death, taxes, and Andy Reid drafting an offensive lineman.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
19.<\/strong> Cleveland Browns: Alvin \u201cBud\u201d Dupree, OLB, Kentucky<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Mike Pettine has been searching for his \u201cbitch kitty\u201d pass rusher, and he takes another swing at finding one here. Barkevious Mingo, going into his third year, has been underwhelming off the edge, and might not be a fit in Pettine\u2019s defense, which historically requires bigger OLBs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
20.<\/strong> Chicago Bears (trade w\/Eagles): Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon<\/strong><\/em>\u2014John Fox and Vic Fangio are moving the Bears to a 3-4 defense which is fine, except for the fact that the Bears don\u2019t have much in the way of 3-4 defensive personnel. New GM Ryan Pace (in this scenario, dropping back to pick up more picks) uses his haul from the Eagles to start filling holes. Armstead is raw, but is a powerful 6\u20197\u201d, 292 lb. project for Fox to work on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
21.<\/strong> Cincinnati Bengals: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State<\/strong><\/em>\u2014When the passing game is clicking in Cincinnati, they have the potential to beat any team in the league. However, when AJ Green went out with assorted injuries last season, Andy Dalton reverted to Playoffs Andy Dalton, and the alleged depth that the Bengals thought they had at receiver wilted. Strong isn\u2019t AJ Green by any stretch of the imagination, but he\u2019s a big, powerful, competitive wideout who might be good enough to keep Dalton out of the fetal position should Green get dinged up again in the future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
22.<\/strong> Pittsburgh Steelers: Landon Collins, S, Alabama<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Troy Polamalu can\u2019t stay on the field, and even when he\u2019s out there, the wear and tear he put on his body over the past decade is readily apparent. Pittsburgh\u2019s defense against the pass has taken a huge step back as a result.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
23.<\/strong> Detroit Lions: Marcus Peters, CB, ex-Washington<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Peters has a bunch of behavioral red flags, but that\u2019s never stopped the Lions from drafting a player they liked. The Lions haven\u2019t invested a first round pick at corner since 1998, when they took Tennessee\u2019s Terry Fair twentieth overall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
24.<\/strong> Arizona Cardinals: PJ Williams, CB, Florida State<\/strong><\/em>\u2014With Antonio Cromartie likely leaving in free agency, the Cardinals need a replacement unless they\u2019re confident that Tyrann Mathieu will hold up on the perimeter. Either way, Williams is a good bet here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
25.<\/strong> Carolina Panthers: Owa Odighizuwa, DE-OLB, UCLA<\/strong><\/em>\u2014With Greg Hardy very likely on his way out the door, the Panthers look to fill the void with Odighizuwa, who put on a show at the combine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
26.<\/strong> Baltimore Ravens: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Ray Rice is history, the team is waffling on committing to Justin Forsett long-term, and Bernard Pierce was exposed during Rice\u2019s absence. Ozzie Newsome covers the bases with Gurley, who is expected to be ready for the start of the season after knee surgery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
27.<\/strong> Dallas Cowboys: Bernardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State<\/strong><\/em>\u2014With the departures of Rolando McClain and Bruce Carter, and with Sean Lee\u2019s health a constant concern, Jerry Jones pads the position group with a huge, fast, versatile LB prospect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
28.<\/strong> Denver Broncos: Jake Fisher, OT-OG, Oregon<\/strong><\/em>\u2014This is high for Fisher right now, but he\u2019s exactly the type of smart, mobile, versatile offensive lineman the Broncos need to keep Peyton Manning from getting steamrolled during his retirement tour.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
29.<\/strong> Indianapolis Colts: Andrus Peat, LT, Stanford<\/strong><\/em>\u2014If you\u2019re the Colts, you can\u2019t protect Andrew Luck enough. That Peat also comes from Stanford is a bonus.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
30.<\/strong> Green Bay Packers: Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Other than Clay Matthews, the Packers linebackers were some of the slowest in the league last season. While Kendricks isn\u2019t huge, he\u2019s the type of quick, instinctive three-down ILB the Packers defense need on the interior, freeing up Matthews to rush the passer full-time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
31.<\/strong> Seattle Seahawks: Shaq Thompson, LB, Washington<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Thompson is on the small side for a LB, and he didn\u2019t run as fast at Indy as people had hoped, but he\u2019s a perfect fit in Seattle, where they don\u2019t employ giant LB\u2019s anyway.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
32.<\/strong> New England Patriots: Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Is it likely that Belichick finally gives Tom Brady a good, young WR prospect to work with? No. Does anyone have any idea who Bill Belichick will draft here? Nope. Given that, I\u2019m imagining a world in which Brady has his first legitimate deep threat since Randy Moss, when Brady threw 50 TDs. While Smith obviously isn\u2019t Randy Moss, he has a knack for getting behind defenses.<\/p>\nRound Two:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
33.<\/strong> Tennessee Titans: Ereck Flowers, RT, Miami<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Both of Tennessee\u2019s tackles are contemplating retirement at this point and even though they drafted Taylor Lewan in the first round last year, they\u2019re desperate for help on the OL.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
34.<\/strong> Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Preston Smith, DE, Mississippi State<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Smith showed well at both the Senior Bowl and the combine, and the powerful, quick, versatile DE is exactly the type of player that Lovie Smith had success with in Chicago.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
35.<\/strong> Oakland Raiders: Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami<\/strong><\/em>\u2014The Raiders could stick Perryman inside between Khalil Mack and Sio Moore to form one of the faster, most athletic groups of LBs in the league.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
36.<\/strong> Jaguars: TJ Clemmings, RT, Pitt<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Blake Bortles was sacked 71 times last season, which equated to 11.3% of his passing attempts. It\u2019s tough learning how to be a QB when you\u2019re on your back all the time. Clemmings may very well be a first rounder when all is said and done.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
37.<\/strong> Jets: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin-<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0The Jets are going to prioritize the LB and CB positions in free agency, and this pick assumes that they fill those spots with veterans. For years, the Jets have been held back by a lack of playmakers on offense, and Mike Maccagnan, coming from the Texans, knows that a great running back can help mask even the crappiest of QBs. Gordon has the potential to have a Le’veon Bell-type impact on whatever team he goes to, and he’ll team with Amari Cooper, Jace Amaro, and Eric Decker to become the foundation of a dynamic, young offense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JetNation\u2019s 2015 NFL Mock Draft: The Mariota Decision, Version I The only thing more worthless than a mock draft in February is the preamble to a mock draft in February, but give me a minute to set this up. Not to be overly dramatic here, but this is a big, important, potentially back-breaking draft in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":21016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,1337],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-27858","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured-editorials","8":"category-home-slider"},"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/helmet.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLffi-7fk","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27858"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27866,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27858\/revisions\/27866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}