:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45635334/usa-today-8300898.0.jpg)
Mock draft season has kicked into the next gear which means the various versions will begin flying out week after week, with changes being made mostly for the sake of change and fodder. Todd McShay is already on his second mock of the offseason and that required rearranging prompted by... well imagination, I guess.
His first change was switching out quarterbacks at number one. Where he had Marcus Mariota before, he now has Jameis Winston (Shockwaves!). I guess because the Rose Bowl is farther in the past than the National Championship so it's more easily forgotten (and apparently so are all Winston's character flaws and off-field transgressions). And that is somehow cause for him to drop Mariota all the way to number six to the Jets.
After Famous Jameis, McShay has the top two defensive lineman going two and three with USC's dominant defensive tackle Leonard Williams headed to Tennessee (Lord I really feel real strange. Down and out, losing ground...), then Nebraska's elite pass rush talent Randy Gregory going to Jacksonville.
With Williams and Gregory off the board, the Raiders' decision becomes pretty easy. Almost as easy as taking Khalil Mack in last year's draft.
They take Amari Cooper.
Here is what McShay says about his projection:
The Raiders have to provide second-year QB Derek Carr with more weapons. (James Jones is the top receiver on Oakland's roster right now.) Cooper, West Virginia's Kevin White and Louisville's Devante Parker are the best WR prospects in this class and the only ones who legitimately belong in the top-20 discussion, and Cooper is our favorite of the bunch. He was absolutely dominant in 2014 despite facing top defensive competition in the SEC and dealing with inconsistent play from Bama QB Blake Sims. He has excellent savvy as a route runner, good acceleration vertically and he does a terrific job of pulling down 50-50 balls.
McShay previously had Gregory going to the Raiders back when he had Winston falling all the way to number two in the draft to the Titans (hater).
Here is how his mock 2.0 stacks up:
| PICK | TEAM | PLAYER |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State |
| 2 | Tennessee Titans | Leonard Williams, DE, USC |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska |
| 4 | Oakland Raiders | Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama |
| 5 | Washington Redskins | Shane Ray, DE, Missouri |
| 6 | New York Jets | Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon |
| 7 | Chicago Bears | Danny Shelton, DT, Washington |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon |
| 9 | New York Giants | Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa |
| 10 | St. Louis Rams | Kevin White, WR, West Virginia |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | Devante Parker, WR, Louisville |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns | T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh |
| 13 | New Orleans Saints | Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida |
| 14 | Miami Dolphins | Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State |
| 15 | San Francisco 49ers | Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State |
| 16 | Houston Texans | Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford |
| 17 | San Diego Chargers | Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State |
| 18 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma |
| 19 | Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo) | Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan |
| 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | Landon Collins, S, Alabama |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson |
| 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Marcus Peters, CB, Washington |
| 23 | Detroit Lions | Malcom Brown, DT, Texas |
| 24 | Arizona Cardinals | Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami (FL) |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers | Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL) |
| 26 | Baltimore Ravens | Jalen Collin, CB, LSU |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin |
| 28 | Denver Broncos | La'El Collins, OT, LSU |
| 29 | Indianapolis Colts | Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers | Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota |
| 31 | Seattle Seahawks | Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia |
| 32 | New England Patriots | Carl Davis, DT, Iowa |
Loading comments...