Ok everyone, I'm appealing to your collective NFL expertise to help me construct the Field Gulls mock draft. I'm looking for two things: consensus and cogent arguments. I've decided to scrap the input of any sort of "draft expert" because I'm sure all of our opinions have been at least partially influenced by the dozens of nattering pundits who evaluate draft talent for a living. Before we open this up, I would like to offer a couple thoughts.
- Teams almost always take best available talent. The only positions I see as an absolute need are offensive line and tight end. I don't think you can construct a realistic mock draft without addressing those needs.
- With Bobby Engram returning, Darrell Jackson is probably going to be traded or cut. This is said to be a super-deep draft for wide receivers, so if you propose a scenario where he is traded, please be realistic about the return. I could see Seattle moving him and a draft pick for a better draft pick (i.e. Jackson and the Hawk's second round pick for San Diego's first round pick, or D-Jack and a third round pick for a team's top 15 second round pick--something like that), but he's not going to get a first round pick or really a second round pick straight up, so let's try and limit the wishcasting.
- I seem to be at odds with the draft cognoscenti about this, but I think this is a deep draft for tight ends. It might not have the marquee talent of past drafts, but I think we'll see four or five starting quality tight ends emerge, many from the second day. In other words, I wouldn't reach to get Michael Allen in the third round when Kevin Boss could be had in the fifth or sixth. That is, unless you think Allen is really that kind of talent.
That's about it. The best part is that next year and each year that follows we can track how our picks have performed versus the Decider's, no not that guy, Tim Ruskell.