2016 Mock Draft

[uscgamecocks]

First Round:

Shaq Lawson, DE - Clemson

This would have seemed like a pipe dream a couple months ago, but with the medical issue with his shoulder I'm getting the feeling that he might fall a bit in the draft.  While some have questioned his fit in the NFL - does he fit as an outside backer in a 34, or is he big enough to set the edge in a 43 - I don't have any questions about him fitting the Panthers D.  Lawson is a mirrior image of Charles Johnson (who is is 6'2", 276), and more importantly he is much more athletic than Big Money.

http://playmakermentality.com/2016-force-players

Shaq Lawson is the only player Justis Mosqueda ranks as a "force player" for 2016.  Read about his work at the link above.  The evidence is compelling, to say the least, and is part of what convinces me that Lawson should be the pick, no questions asked, if he's available (even though he went to Clemson).

Alternatives:  We know DG loves his linemen, so if Lawson isn't available I'd go with Bullard, Dodd, or Ogbah.

 

Second Round:

Jason Spriggs, OT - Indiana

We've heard that DG was going to draft DJ Humphries last year if he hadn't gone to the Cardinals, so I have to think an OT will be in play in the early rounds.  This feels like it is finally the year that an OT may fall to one of our early picks which will make the value right to DG.  We know that Oher is entering the last year of his deal - and while's played very well, I'm not sure that Dave is going to want to sign him to a market value extension for LTs with all of our other contract needs coming up.  So this might be the year to draft a future replacement for Oher at LT and potentially start him at RT this year if he earns the spot.  I think the weakest link on the team right now is potentially the RT spot.  Remmers had a great season, but Atlanta and Denver exposed his major weakness - speed rushes on the edge.  We were able to hide that weakness with max protect schemes all season long, but Denver countered that with green dog blitzes that we were not able to figure out.  It's possible that Remmers or Williams will be able to work this offseason to improve their ability to handle those quick edge rushes.  However, both guys are below-average for lateral agility among NFL tackles, so I'm not holding my breath.  I'd be thrilled to add a guy like Spriggs to the roster - hoping that he doesn't play much this year, but knowing that he can step in if needed.

Alternatives:  It feels to me like there are a number of tackles projected to go in rounds 1/2.  So while Spriggs might be gone, one of Taylor Decker, Germain Ifedi, or Le'Raven Clark could be available.

 

Third Round:

Javon Hargrave, DT - SC State

He's a D2 lineman that has showed impressive athleticism and tore it up at the East-West Shrine game.  He's an interior disruptor, recording 13.5 sacks as a senior and 16 sacks as a junior.  Josh Norris of Rotoworld (a Panthers fan, for what it's worth) actually has Hargrave as his #32 overall prospect - so I'm not sure he lasts this long.  But there are a ton of defensive tackles, and him being a small school prospect may allow us to grab him in the third round.  With SC State being in our backyard, I have no doubt that the Panthers are aware of Hargrave as a prospect.  And since we currently don't have a backup to KK Short, I think it's safe to say we will have our eyes on a disruptive UT to spell Short in the draft.  So here's hoping value meets need in the third and we can grab Hargrave.

Alternatives:  Cooper, WR - South Carolina.  Pharoah Cooper is a very intriguing prospect and we still don't have a true slot receiver on the roster.  Cooper was plagued by terrible QB play last year, but as a USC fan I can tell him he is absolutely worth a 3rd round pick.  He lacks great top end speed, but is very shifty and is very dangerous with the ball in his hands.  Not at all afraid to go over the middle.  I think our offense needs a shift receiver who can get open quickly and who can generate YAC.  Cooper could certainly fill that role.

 

Fourth Round:

Miles Killebrew, S - Southern Utah

I'm still not sure whether Tre Boston is a better fit at SS or FS - my eyes tell me FS, but he's not going to unseat Kurt Coleman this year.  Given that we let Harper go, I'd think we might be in the market for young talent at S (confirmed by our reported interest in Cravens, who I think is going to go too high for us to pick) - and Killebrew seems like a great fit.  He's a very good athlete (see the mockdraftable link below).

http://www.mockdraftable.com/player/8102/

His NFL.com scouting profile makes him sound like a perfect fit for our defense:

"Tightly bundled muscle hammer with a compact frame and the thighs of a track sprinter. World-class form tackler with bad intentions behind his strikes. Patient and willing to wait until he's in proper range before exploding with everything he has into his victim. Confident around the line of scrimmage and uses aggressive hands to keep himself clean. Will not flinch in the face of contact and has the frame to be considered as a hybrid linebacker on the pro level. Relied upon to line secondary up and get defense situated."

Sign me up in the fourth round.  After typing all of that up, I like him even more.  So I'm going to say we trade our picks 129 (4th) and 168 (5th) to move up to the middle of the fourth (for example, pick #110 - Rams) to draft Killebrew.  If we don't resign Coleman after this season, we could look at moving Boston to FS next year and Killebrew starts at SS.

 

Seventh Round:

I have no idea.  Dave seems to hate seventh round picks.  Maybe a punter?  Or a running back / linebacker, I'm not sure we can make it through a draft without selecting at least one of those.

 

 

[ecu88]

4 hours ago, uscgamecocks said:

First Round:

Shaq Lawson, DE - Clemson

This would have seemed like a pipe dream a couple months ago, but with the medical issue with his shoulder I'm getting the feeling that he might fall a bit in the draft.  While some have questioned his fit in the NFL - does he fit as an outside backer in a 34, or is he big enough to set the edge in a 43 - I don't have any questions about him fitting the Panthers D.  Lawson is a mirrior image of Charles Johnson (who is is 6'2", 276), and more importantly he is much more athletic than Big Money.

http://playmakermentality.com/2016-force-players

Shaq Lawson is the only player Justis Mosqueda ranks as a "force player" for 2016.  Read about his work at the link above.  The evidence is compelling, to say the least, and is part of what convinces me that Lawson should be the pick, no questions asked, if he's available (even though he went to Clemson).

Alternatives:  We know DG loves his linemen, so if Lawson isn't available I'd go with Bullard, Dodd, or Ogbah.

 

Second Round:

Jason Spriggs, OT - Indiana

We've heard that DG was going to draft DJ Humphries last year if he hadn't gone to the Cardinals, so I have to think an OT will be in play in the early rounds.  This feels like it is finally the year that an OT may fall to one of our early picks which will make the value right to DG.  We know that Oher is entering the last year of his deal - and while's played very well, I'm not sure that Dave is going to want to sign him to a market value extension for LTs with all of our other contract needs coming up.  So this might be the year to draft a future replacement for Oher at LT and potentially start him at RT this year if he earns the spot.  I think the weakest link on the team right now is potentially the RT spot.  Remmers had a great season, but Atlanta and Denver exposed his major weakness - speed rushes on the edge.  We were able to hide that weakness with max protect schemes all season long, but Denver countered that with green dog blitzes that we were not able to figure out.  It's possible that Remmers or Williams will be able to work this offseason to improve their ability to handle those quick edge rushes.  However, both guys are below-average for lateral agility among NFL tackles, so I'm not holding my breath.  I'd be thrilled to add a guy like Spriggs to the roster - hoping that he doesn't play much this year, but knowing that he can step in if needed.

Alternatives:  It feels to me like there are a number of tackles projected to go in rounds 1/2.  So while Spriggs might be gone, one of Taylor Decker, Germain Ifedi, or Le'Raven Clark could be available.

 

Third Round:

Javon Hargrave, DT - SC State

He's a D2 lineman that has showed impressive athleticism and tore it up at the East-West Shrine game.  He's an interior disruptor, recording 13.5 sacks as a senior and 16 sacks as a junior.  Josh Norris of Rotoworld (a Panthers fan, for what it's worth) actually has Hargrave as his #32 overall prospect - so I'm not sure he lasts this long.  But there are a ton of defensive tackles, and him being a small school prospect may allow us to grab him in the third round.  With SC State being in our backyard, I have no doubt that the Panthers are aware of Hargrave as a prospect.  And since we currently don't have a backup to KK Short, I think it's safe to say we will have our eyes on a disruptive UT to spell Short in the draft.  So here's hoping value meets need in the third and we can grab Hargrave.

Alternatives:  Cooper, WR - South Carolina.  Pharoah Cooper is a very intriguing prospect and we still don't have a true slot receiver on the roster.  Cooper was plagued by terrible QB play last year, but as a USC fan I can tell him he is absolutely worth a 3rd round pick.  He lacks great top end speed, but is very shifty and is very dangerous with the ball in his hands.  Not at all afraid to go over the middle.  I think our offense needs a shift receiver who can get open quickly and who can generate YAC.  Cooper could certainly fill that role.

 

Fourth Round:

Miles Killebrew, S - Southern Utah

I'm still not sure whether Tre Boston is a better fit at SS or FS - my eyes tell me FS, but he's not going to unseat Kurt Coleman this year.  Given that we let Harper go, I'd think we might be in the market for young talent at S (confirmed by our reported interest in Cravens, who I think is going to go too high for us to pick) - and Killebrew seems like a great fit.  He's a very good athlete (see the mockdraftable link below).

http://www.mockdraftable.com/player/8102/

His NFL.com scouting profile makes him sound like a perfect fit for our defense:

"Tightly bundled muscle hammer with a compact frame and the thighs of a track sprinter. World-class form tackler with bad intentions behind his strikes. Patient and willing to wait until he's in proper range before exploding with everything he has into his victim. Confident around the line of scrimmage and uses aggressive hands to keep himself clean. Will not flinch in the face of contact and has the frame to be considered as a hybrid linebacker on the pro level. Relied upon to line secondary up and get defense situated."

Sign me up in the fourth round.  After typing all of that up, I like him even more.  So I'm going to say we trade our picks 129 (4th) and 168 (5th) to move up to the middle of the fourth (for example, pick #110 - Rams) to draft Killebrew.  If we don't resign Coleman after this season, we could look at moving Boston to FS next year and Killebrew starts at SS.

 

Seventh Round:

I have no idea.  Dave seems to hate seventh round picks.  Maybe a punter?  Or a running back / linebacker, I'm not sure we can make it through a draft without selecting at least one of those.

 

 

Love the draft especially Javon, he is going to be a great football player with the right coaches.

[Frank Hollywood]

Good stuff. I don't think Spriggs will be there, but hopefully one of your alternatives will be.

[Pejorative Miscreant]

That safety in the 4th is intriguing.  Looks like a gettleman guy.  

[The Lone Panther]

Not crazy about Hargrave.  FCS players don't make it in the NFL very often, especially d-linemen.  

[uscgamecocks]

4 hours ago, The Lone Panther said:

Not crazy about Hargrave.  FCS players don't make it in the NFL very often, especially d-linemen.  

http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/03/15/nfl-draft-scouting-reports-shilique-calhoun-germain-ifedi-javon-hargrave

Doug Farrar ranks him as his No. 45 prospect and has a great writeup about him.  Your point is certainly accurate, but I'd argue Hargrave is much more talented than most small school prospects.  He missed out on going to a big school due to academics, not talent.  I think late 3rd and beyond is the perfect place to draft a DT to backup KK who has big upside but who might not pan out.

[uscgamecocks]

7 hours ago, carolina-chuck2 said:

If that happens, I'd cry.

In a good or bad way?  

[uscgamecocks]

6 hours ago, carolina-chuck2 said:

Lawson and Spriggs in the same draft? In a GOOD WAY! Hell yea. Won't happen tho. 

You're right, probably not going to happen.  Both picks are a bit optimistic.  SI put out a mock today that gave us Dodd and Le'Raven Clark - a poor man's version of my dream draft, but one I'd still be excited about.

[Ken]

I like it, tho I would like a CB somewhere.

[JawnyBlaze]

I'm not crazy about Lawson, but I'd be ok with the pick.  Good overall draft.