First Run

Uncertainty at the quarterback position, the turnover in the front office and the salary cap limitations made it as challenging as ever to be excited about this offseason, including the pinnacle of it - the draft.

But then came Kyler Murray, more contract wizardry by Brzezinski and the retention of Brian Flores which all helped to make the upcoming season less bleak and the exercise of running simulations on the draft more enticing.

So with only a few weeks remaining until the names start getting announced, let's get into who may end up donning the royal colors!

And as a bonus we'll get to see some possible landing spots for the latest best of the local college players.

As always, PFN is the site for the mockinations

Here we go

At pick 18 Philly offered the 23rd and their second round selection next April to move up while AZ solicited with three day-2 picks for 18. With the roster constraints that will remain, the chance to add two impact players for one choice over the next two drafts was too good to bypass. That cost a chance at a realistic favorite, safety Dillon Thieneman but left a trio of defensive lineman as well as tight-end Kenyon Sadiq. If Flores were to pound the table for one of them then that would be another high-probability player. Since there's no way to know that from the outside while knowing that there is a high-probability that TJ Hockenson won't be on the roster past the end of the upcoming season, Sadiq was an easy choice.

As a stroke of good luck, 49 came with three DL. Christen Miller (Georgia) was the leader of that pack but the need at cornerback forced a look at what that group could possibly provide. Enter Keionte Scott (Miami). He could be every bit as much of a diamond for the defense as any of the pass rushers while being even more of an immediate need.

For 82, Kamari Ramsey (safety) & Domonique Orange (DT) rose to the top. With the hurricane of activity that Flores has made into his signature, adding another wild-card on the back-end took precedent, even if Harrison Smith is good for another season.

When pick 97 hit the screen Orange was still available along with a trade from Buffalo to go down to 100 while also adding a sixth round selection next year. They took Mr. Citrus but in his stead, focus shifted to Darrell Jackson (FSU) & Kyle Louis (Pitt LB). Louis has the kind of diverse skill-set that could make him a realistic target on Friday of the draft but given the previous decisions I opted for Jackson to shore-up the defensive line.

With the 163rd selection it was enticing to consider a running back or receiver but whoever the main quarterback is going to be this season will need to remain upright for the season to go better so adding someone with center upside and experience across the interior of the OL made even more sense. In this case that was Matt Gulbin (Michigan St.).

For 196 it would be nice to find a classic red-zone target. A 6'5 guy to catch the jump balls. During this mock draft that guy was nowhere to be found so instead I went with a versatile running back to possibly take over when Aaron Jones is no longer an option - Adam Randall (Clemson)

With back-to-back picks in the seventh there's a chance to make Spielman smile wherever he's at while also finding some actual diamonds in the muck. I used 234 on the best player available according to the big board - TE Dae'Quan Wright (Miss) and then found another potential play-maker for the back-end of the defense, Cole Wisniewski (TT/NDSU).

The last pick brought a chance at the red-zone threat with J. Michael Sturdivant potentially bringing that element to the loaded offense.

As for the NDSU players, Bryce Lance was projected to go 80th to Baltimore while the computer said Cole Payton will go to start the seventh round to Arizona. Both seem low but the unpredictability is what keeps us coming back for more!

The machine had Jack Strand going undrafted even with the speculation continuing to be that he will precede Mr. Irrelevant.

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