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Rumor Mill

Let’s start with the big kahuna: the Browns are taking Baker Mayfield at #1.

I’m not 100% buying it. The media has been thirsting for a leak on #1 overall for weeks now, and Cleveland—a notoriously leaky team—has been notably tighter-lipped under the Dorsey administration. I know it’s fun to think of HC Hue Jackson as immediately breaking when he finally learned the pick, but to me, the more likely explanation is that Cleveland is continuing to keep the other 31 teams in the dark for as long as possible.

There’s of course, a better chance that it’s Baker at #1 than there was yesterday. But the ship’s still in the harbor, as far as I’m concerned.

If Baker, then the Giants have to field a new avalanche of calls. Really, regardless of the QB that goes at #1, the Giants have to make a lot of decisions in a short period of time, as they receive new offers.

Otherwise, it’s been very interesting to hear how Philadelphia might try to move. From what I’ve been told, Philadelphia’s made it very clear to teams that they’ll field any call for 32. The only player for whom it seems they’d stay at 32 and deny trade offers is Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA—but it’s very unlikely Miller falls that far.

If Guice is at 32, I think the room will be split. We know that Asst. Head Coach and RB Coach Duce Staley is head over heels for the LSU back; but I think Howie Roseman would still trade down with Guice on the board. If the Eagles move back into Round 2, they’ll have to battle an entire night and day’s worth of teams potentially trading in front of them to land Guice. My gut says they’d still take a good offer and grab a different RB in Round 2, or even later in the Draft.

In terms of a potential trade back, keep your fingers crossed that one of Louisville QB Lamar Jackson and Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph (likely Rudolph) makes it all the way to 32. Teams like the Giants (34), Bengals (46), Cardinals (47), and Chargers (48) all may look to trade up for a QB.

UGA RB Sony Michel has been a popular mock to Philadelphia as of late—even before the leading dog, LSU RB Derrius Guice. But it was rumored yesterday that a bone-on-bone issue was uncovered in the pre-Draft process, which would give Sony as short a shelf life as teams expect Jay Ajayi will have. But in speaking with people, nobody knows if Philly knew about the red flag beforehand, and if they didn’t, how it’s affected Sony’s stack (if at all).

Finally, we’re hearing more about D.J. Moore as a target for Philadelphia than we ever did previously. It makes sense that they’d like him—but I doubt he’ll be there at 32.

Mock Draft

No Fanspeak mock. I’m taking over the reins for this one.

This mock is a combination of everything I’ve seen, heard, and scouted for myself. If I get even one thing remotely right, bully. If not, you’ll all forget about it within the next 72 hours anyway.

Pick 1 (Round 2, 34 overall): Mike Hughes, CB, UCF

Pick 2 (Round 4, 108 overall): Brandon Parker, OT, NC A&T

Pick 3 (Round 4, 130 overall): Dalton Schultz, TE, Stanford

Pick 4 (Round 5, 169 overall): Ade Aruna, EDGE, Tulane

Pick 5 (Round 6, 206 overall): Jermaine Carter, LB, Maryland

Pick 6 (Round 7, 250 overall): Quadree Henderson, WR, Pitt

I fully expect the Eagles to move around their picks far more than I have, of course—if and when they do, make sure you’re following the BGN live blog or check out my Twitter for my analysis on their potential targets.

Draft Bag

This Guice situation is wild. There’s been a lot of back and forth and confusion. Here’s what I think:

Guice grew up in a bad area. His father was murdered when he was 6. His brother was arrested on attempted second-degree murder last year. These facts don’t make a young man bad--but they inevitably make ever-cautious, ever-judging NFL teams nervous.

That’s on one hand. On the other hand, Guice is a fun-loving goofball. He plays video games and talks about it on social media. He’s “immature” in his willingness to share his thoughts, without filter, when speaking to the media. Again, nothing about this is inherently wrong. But this also makes NFL teams nervous.

Guice was likely asked about being homosexual at the NFL Combine, not because he is or isn’t, but because an NFL team wanted to see how he’d react. Guice has a personality, and any prospect that is more or less than a football robot catches scrutiny from NFL teams. Most of that scrutiny is misplaced, in my eyes, but it is important to make sure big personalities can fit in your locker room—and if you think Guice has one, you need to check it out.

For Philadelphia, RB coach Duce Staley is himself a big personality, and he’s done very well to handle his RB room year after year. We know he likes Guice. I don’t think anything about Guice’s personality or pre-Draft process would deter Philly from drafting him if they like his on-field product, and I feel pretty confident about that.

Radical shift. Sources say Meek has been brought in by the Philly front office to interview prospects and help determine who’s worthy of the Eagles’ locker room.

Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State

The Bengals trade up for Mason Rudolph at 32. They’d have to send their 2nd (46), their 3rd (77), and have at least a late-round swap as well.

At 46, Philadelphia could target a solid corner like Donte Jackson (LSU) or Quenton Meeks (Stanford); a feature back like Georgia’s Nick Chubb or USC’s Ronald Jones; maybe even get Oregon OT Tyrell Crosby.

77 is a spot for a developmental piece, to take over as a starter in 2019/2020. Shaun Dion-Hamilton (Alabama) or Jerome Baker (Ohio State) make sense as WILL replacements for Mychal Kendricks; Alex Cappa (Humboldt State) or Jamarco Jones (Ohio State) for Jason Peters at left tackle; Chris Herndon (Miami) or Marcus Baugh (Ohio State) to grow behind Zach Ertz.

This is a fun, reasonable question. Of course, it’s tough to find eventual starters on Day 3, but the Eagles need young safety depth, and Rodney McLeod may be a cap casualty in the years to come. There are three names I’d highlight:

Trayvon Henderson (Hawai’i) had an excellent Senior Bowl to get on the radar, and the tape matches the performance. He does have his issues in man coverage and, despite taking good angles, struggles to come to balance and tackle in space. However, he’s impressibly rangy and is a decent tracker when the ball’s in the air. Round 4 is the spot for him.

Armani Watts (Texas A&M) has gotten a little underreported for a productive starter from a big school. He doesn’t tackle super well and he isn’t wildly versatile, so that makes sense—he isn’t flashy. But he’s a disciplined defender on the back end who has the range to cover centerfield. He’d likely warrant a Round 5 selection.

Damon Webb from Ohio State is the other big-school player I’d grab in Round 5. He’s not the stud we typically see from the Buckeye secondary, because he’s athletically limited. However, he does a fantastic head on his shoulders, and does well to make plays on the football. I’m not sure how much improvement is left in his profile, but he could be a starter under the right circumstances.

Justin Reid. But they might be out on him.

Linebacker: Jack Cichy (Wisconsin); Genard Avery (Memphis)

EDGE: Kemoko Turay (Rutgers); Jalyn Holmes (Ohio State)

Cornerback: Isaac Yiadom (Boston College); Nick Nelson (Wisconsin)

Safety: DeShon Elliott (Texas); Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama)

Wide Receiver: Cedrick Wilson (Boise State); Deon Cain (Clemson)

Running Back: Rashaad Penny (San Diego State); Mark Walton (Miami)

Offensive Tackle: Will Richardson (NC State); Chukwuma Okorafor (Western Michigan)