The final third of my mock draft features all the teams that made the playoffs last season. These teams already have many of the major positions filled up looking to add depth to an already established roster. The Patriots do not own a first round pick due to the ruling of the Deflategate from the year before. The rest of the playoff teams will look to build and hopefully defend off some of the up incoming teams like Jacksonville and Oakland in the AFC and the Giants and the Bucs in the NFC.
22. Houston Texans: Josh Docston, WR, TCU
Houston bought their QB in free agency with giving Brock Osweiler 72M within 4 years after only having 7 starts in his young 4 year career. NFL teams buy in on potential so signing Osweiler eliminates the major need that the franchised has been faced with over the years. Next step, get the man some more weapons to play with on offense. Insert 6'2" wideout Josh Docston. Pairing Docston up with a star wideout like DeAndre Hopkins will be dangerous and difficult to defend. The defense will do their job in Houston, leaving it up to Osweiler and company to take care of theirs in a very weak but rising AFC South division.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
The Vikings need to get young signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater a guy he can count on. With Mike Wallace getting cut, and saying he needs a "proven QB" shows that the Vikings need to find someone who will work well with Bridgewater. The speedy Irish wideout has the height and size that a NFL wide receiver is supposed to be built like. He is a homerun hitter which will help open the lane up for Adrian Peterson, but can also work the short quick routes turning them into big RAC yards.
24. Cincinnati Bengals: Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh
The run on wide receivers continues as the playoff teams need to continue to add depth to their offesnive arsenal. The Bengals lost Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones in free agency, leaving only all-pro wideout AJ Green and tight end Tyler Eifert to make plays for Andy Dalton. In a passing league, two receiving threats isn't enough. Many analysis believe that this is the weakest WR class in many years, but the demand for pass catchers is at an all time high. Boyd will come in an immediately become a #2 WR for the Bengals. Boyd is a tough kid not afraid of going over the middle, and has smooth routes to find openings. Not to forget that he will have a great mentor in AJ Green to polish him up into a true NFL wide receiver.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
Another Buckeye comes off the board in the first round. Apple is the best player available and will fill a need for the Steelers defense. Apple is the type of player who is capable of playing defense on a smash mouth style defense that the Steelers are known for. At 6'2" 200 pounds and running a 4.40 shows hes capable of matching up with big bodies on the outside, and capable of running downfield with him. After rival Bengals just drafting a WR, the Steelers will look to counter with defense as they watched the Broncos win a championship based off that philosophy.
26. Seattle Seahwaks: Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
The Seahawks are in a battle with Arizona to be the top dog out in the NFC West. With the recent trade Arizona pulled with New England receiving pass rusher Chandler Jones, the Seahawks will counter with getting a bookend tackle to fight off the dynamic defense that Arizona has. As much as the Seahawks would like to add to their own Legion of Boom, getting the offensive line is the top priority. Conklin is the best player available and Pete Carroll pulls the trigger on him.
27. Green Bay Packers: Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama
The happiest man in the world after this pick is Clay Matthews. He is jumping with joy now that he can get back to strictly chasing down opposing quarterbacks, rather than being in the center of everything. With the offensive line finally addressed, the best quarterback in the league under center, a fat guy running the football, and getting back star wide receiver Jordy Nelson back the offense seems set to strive in the fall. Building a defense to work off the offense is the next step to getting the right of Title Town back in northern Wisconsin. Ragland is a true heat seeking missile that will wreck havoc for the Packers defense.
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame
Jaylon Smith is a prospect with many question marks behind him. How bad is his knee? How long will he be out for? Will he get back to his dominant form? If so, how quickly? The list goes on... If the answer to those questions aren't as bad as teams think they are then Jaylon Smith has the talent to be a top 5 overall pick. The Chiefs don't have many team needs to address, so why not take a chance on a once coveted prospect who was projected as a top 5 pick at pick 28.
29. Arizona Cardinals: Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State
The first round seems to be swarmed with Buckeyes. One NFL scout claimed that he would rather have the Ohio State's defense than their own NFL defense. That shows how dynamic every player that comes out of Ohio State is, and the trend continues with Lee to the Cardninals. Their defense already scares teams enough with playmakers at every level, so why not add to the nightmare. Lee is an explosive tackler, with decent speed and range. However, he is versatile enough to blitz up the middle or edge, play man coverage versus tight ends and running backs, and is also dominant in stopping the run. He will join the Cardinal's defense with a lot of expectations for the upcoming season.
30. Carolina Panthers: Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson
The NFC Champions will look to add to the top defense in the NFL by adding a pass rusher like Dodd. They look to be set in almost every area on defense, but you can never have too many pass rusher in the NFL as the Panthers learned the hard way in Super Bowl 50. They could look to reach on a OT, Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry, or ultimately trade away to a team looking to add Henry or a QB before the end Day 1. I think if the keep their pick they will look at best player available, and that's Dodd. He's a Carolina native his whole life from high school to college and the Panthers will keep him right where he belongs.
31. Denver Broncos: Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
They say in order to win a Super Bowl championship you need the best quarterback in the NFL. They say to make it to the playoffs you need an elite quarterback. Well the Denver Broncos didn't have the best quarterback in the NFL or even close to an elite quarterback. Peyton Manning threw 9 TDs to 17 INTs completing 59% of his passes for 2,249 yards. Brock Osweiler had 10 TDs to 6 INTs for 1,967 yards. Neither were close to elite this year, but the Broncos found a way to win the Super Bowl based off their defense. One of the greatest QBs of all-time just retired, and John Elway just let his QB of the future walk to Houston. There is no way anyone in the world believes they can repeat with Mark Sanchez under center. Connor Cook is a winner. He is a tough kid from the Mid-West who will come in and do everything he is asked from him. He has much to learn at the NFL level, but with Denver's philosophy, not much is asked out of the QB giving him the time to learn before making strides to become a more developed QB in the NFL.
Denver Broncos definitely need more quarterbacks after losing their only 2 on the roster from last season. Connor Cook reminds me of Peyton Manning because of his intelligence for the game but I don't know if he is as good as him. There will never be another Peyton Manning. Daylong Smith is a very underrated player from Notre Dame. If he falls all the way down to the Chiefs that would be a steal. They need another pass rusher. #MKTG355
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