All News & Analysis

CFF: 3rd Round Mock

3rd-rd-mockWhile we're looking ahead to the second night of the draft, why not follow our Round 2 mock with one for the third and finish the trick?

Here they are — with the knowledge of players already taken in Round 1 and armed with a season's worth of evaluation — suggested targets that make sense for each team in Round 3.

65. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jake Fisher, T, Oregon

Could fill in at guard or tackle on the right side in Tampa Bay. Probably the best athlete in the entire class, but lackluster production drops him to our third round. Handled himself well against FSU and Mario Edwards Jr., not allowing a single pressure in the national semifinal.

66. Tennessee Titans – T.J. Clemmings, T, Pittsburgh

A bit of a project on the right side, but you can’t teach his tools. Our highest-graded run blocker a year ago, that facet shouldn’t be an issue for him in the NFL. It's Clemmings' breakdowns in pass pro that scare us. He allowed five pressurs in 28 pass blocking snaps at the Senior Bowl.

67. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State

Ajayi gives the Jaguars a solid running back who will work well in their zone-blocking scheme and can be utilized as a receiver out of the backfield. Ajayi forced 61 missed tackles and averaged 3.35 yards after contact per carry in 2014, both of which rank in the Top 10 in this RB class

CFF-inset-golson68. Oakland Raiders – Senquez Golson, CB, Ole Miss

Senquez Golson is one of the most natural coverage guys in this draft, but falls because of his size (5-foot-9, 184 pounds). Was our highest-graded cornerback in coverage among all draft-eligible players.

69. Washington Redskins – Zach Vigil, ILB, Utah State

One of the most productive linebackers in FBS a year ago, Vigil also has the athleticism to back it up in the NFL. His 76 stops and 36 pressures were both the second-highest totals in this class.

70. New York Jets – Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn

Brandon Marshall may not be much more than a short to medium term rental and the Jets have the ability to upgrade the receiving corps long-term with Coates. A big, fast receiver, Coates averaged over 20 yards per reception in 2014, dropping just one of his 31 deep targets.

71. Chicago Bears – Lorenzo Mauldin, ED, Louisville

The Bears have a lot of square pegs to fit in round holes at the moment in their front seven. Mauldin brings experience in the 3-4 and graded positively as a pass rusher in his last 10 games for Louisville.

72. St. Louis Rams – A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina

Cann can come in right away and solve many of the run game issues the Rams experienced a year ago. He may struggle in pass pro initially, but Cann has the feet and athleticism to develop into an all-around guard. He’s the second-highest graded SEC guard in the draft.

73. Atlanta Falcons – Preston Smith, ED, Mississippi State

Just drafting one DE doesn't mean the Falcons' need on the edge is satisfied. Preston Smith will try to be a clone of Michael Bennett working in a variety of alignments but focusing in at the 5-tech, bringing strength against the run to supplement is pass rush.

CFF-profiles-inset-harris74. New York Giants – Anthony Harris, S, Virginia

The Giants' returning safeties had a combined 36 career snaps before the signing of Josh Gordy so safety is a clear need here. Harris has some issues against the run but his work in coverage will be valued in the NFL.

75. New Orleans Saints – Tre McBride, WR, William & Mary

A player CFF has less data on than most given his college, McBride shows some impressive skills and size, reminding some of Roy Williams. Like Williams, he also showed some questionable hands in the games we saw, dropping three passes in four games.

76. Minnesota Vikings – Tony Lippett, WR, Michigan State

Sometimes a player doesn't fit the technique profile or look to have solid fundamentals, but what he does just works anyway. Tony Lippett, like Stevie Johnson, is a hugely unconventional wide receiver, but he consistently makes plays and gets open.

77. Cleveland Browns – Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana

The Browns' running game has been lackluster and Coleman gives them a big-play threat. Coleman led the nation with a 57.0 Breakaway Percentage on 29 rushes of 15-plus yards.

78. New Orleans Saints – James Vaughters, ED, Stanford

An extremely productive player at Stanford on limited snaps this season, Vaughters led all eligible edge defenders in both Run Stop Percentage and Pass Rushing Productivity. The Saints need upgrades across the defense and Vaughters' all-around game gives him versatility in the their hybrid front.

79. San Francisco 49ers – Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami (FL)

Probably hardest hitter in the class, Perryman should replace the physicality lost with Chris Borland and Patrick Willis. Perryman was fifth among linebackers in the draft with an 11.8 Run Stop Percentage against Power 5 opponents.

3rd-rd-tarpley80. Kansas City Chiefs – A.J. Tarpley, ILB, Stanford

Tarpley should fill the run thumper role in the middle next to Derrick Johnson. The Stanford linebacker missed only two tackles all last season. Unlike most that have filled the base linebacker role in recent years, though, Tarpley can also add something in coverage where he graded in the Top 10 a year ago.

81. Buffalo Bills – Daryl Williams, OT, Oklahoma

A people-moving tackle that has the ability to slide inside to guard for the Bills. Greg Roman will want some physicality for his gap schemes and Williams brings just that. He was our third-highest graded right tackle in run blocking a year ago.

82. Houston Texans – Duke Johnson, HB, Miami (FL)

In the immediate, Johnson should compliment Arian Foster well as a quicker, more elusive back. He has shown success on zone blocking plays and is also a great receiver out of the backfield. Johnson's 1.69 Yards Per Route Run was the second-highest among draft eligible running backs with at least 25 targets.

83. San Diego Chargers – Eli Harold Jr., ED, Virginia

A raw player who may have benefited from an extra year in school but there are tools to work with here. Early on the Chargers will hope to see Harold upgrade their pass rush while he develops into a more rounded player in the coming years.

84. Philadelphia Eagles – P.J. Williams, CB, FSU

In a deep but flawed cornerback class P.J. Williams has as much talent as anybody and has tape that rivals the best guys in the entire draft at times. His inconsistent play and reckless tackling (17 misses, most of any CB) means he goes no higher, but his ceiling very high.

85. Cincinnati Bengals – Jeff Heuerman, TE, Ohio State

Heuerman will step in and immediately be a solid backup to Tyler Eifert, which the Bengals need. Heuerman was one of only six draft-eligible TE's to be targeted at least 20 times without dropping a pass, while also being the eighth-highest graded run blocker against Power 5 opponents.

3rd-rd-yeldon86. Arizona Cardinals – T.J. Yeldon, HB, Alabama

Yeldon is a bigger, more powerful runner who is the perfect compliment to Andre Ellington. Yeldon forced 46 missed tackles and had an Elusive Rating of 73.6 versus Power 5 opponents, both of which ranked third in the draft class.

87. Pittsburgh Steelers – Tyler Kroft, TE, Rutgers

The Steelers like their tight ends to be all-rounders centered on good blocking. Kroft brings that as our third-highest-graded run-blocking tight end in this year's draft class. Five drops this season limited his impact in the passing game that the Steelers would hope to see grow.

88. Detroit Lions – Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon

The Lions got improved play from Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis returns for another year, but isn't getting any younger. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu could cover the slot from Day 1 for them and step outside when Mathis finally calls it a career.

89. Carolina Panthers – Donovan Smith, T, Penn State

A mammoth of a tackle, Smith moves far better than most human beings his size. The Panthers desperately need help anywhere on the offensive line and Smith’s sixth-ranked 97.8 Pass Blocking Efficiency would fit in swimmingly.

90. Baltimore Ravens – Kevin White, CB, TCU

Smooth athlete and as talented as many corners to go before him. Allowed four touchdowns and was beaten for an ugly 15.2 yards per reception, but only allowed a catch on 43.8% of targets.

91. Dallas Cowboys – David Cobb, HB, Minnesota

With several backs coming off the board in the last few picks, the Cowboys take the next one off the board with Cobb. He is a strong runner who can gain yards after contact but will be best utilized as an early down back due to his struggles in the passing game. His 61 missed tackles forced ranked third among the draft class.

3rd-rd-funchess92. Denver Broncos – Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan

The Broncos lost Julius Thomas and while Funchess won't replace him as a tight end in the Denver system he will replace the ‘big-slot' or matchup player Thomas was in Denver. Needs to iron out the drops (6) and inconsistent desire over the middle.

93. Indianapolis Colts – Eddie Goldman, DI, FSU

Goldman looks like a prototypical 1-tech tackle but needs to be far more consistent shedding blocks and holding up to double teams than he was this season. His impact in the passing game is limited but flashes of strong run defense may entice teams to take him higher than this.

94. Green Bay Packers – Mike Hull, ILB, Penn State

The Packers nab up one of the last inside linebackers that could be a viable starter in Year 1. Hull graded out positively across the board, but we like him here for his athleticism and coverage ability. The Penn State linebacker gave up just 143 yards all season long.

95. Seattle Seahawks – Greg Mancz, C, Toledo

His shoulder is a bit of a concern, but Mancz production a year ago is not. He was easily our highest-graded center and has the strength to fit well in Seattle. Mancz didn’t allow a sack all season long.

96. New England Patriots – Buck Allen, HB, USC

With some turnover at the running back position this offsesason, the Patriots add a versatile runner in Allen whose run grade ranked sixth against Power-5 teams while his 1.73 Yards Per Route Run ranked fourth.

CFF-inset-nelson97. New England Patriots – Steven Nelson, CB, Oregon State

New England goes with their patented double dip at a position, adding their second cornerback in the draft. He finished with the eighth-best coverage grade in the draft class and didn't miss a tackle all season.

98. Kansas City Chiefs – Ty Sambrailo, T, Colorado State

Sambrillo is very unpolished coming out of Colorado State, but he has the athleticism to fit in Kansas City’s scheme. At one point he posted a six-game stretch in Mountain West play where he didn’t allow a pressure.

99. Cincinnati Bengals – Jake Ryan, LB, Michigan

A middle linebacker in his senior season, Ryan may find himself shunted back outside in the NFL, but regardless he was a productive player at Michigan with a nose for the ball-carrier near the line of scrimmage. Only five linebackers in this draft class racked up more than Ryan's 65 stops this season for the Wolverines.

 

 

All Featured Tools

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit