The Puma Mock NFL Draft

Ah yes it appears we have reached that time of year where I get irrationally excited by the state of the Chicago Bears and this year is no damn different! Armed with yet another coach and set of coordinators I feel the Bears could be a surprise team. Then the draft will happen and boom, hopes dashed. (See: Bears trade up to get Mitch Trubisky, who was not getting drafted by any other team before Chicago.) So without further ado let's go ahead and get my predictions on the top ten picks so I can have my hope dashed and settle in for another 5-11 season. Now all of these are gonna be operating on the current draft lottery list, I am not going to try and predict trades. And away we go!

1. Cleveland: Sam Darnold, QB- USC
Do I think Darnold is the best quarterback in this class? Only if we're going solely on head size. Now I say this as a guy who is not a draft expert but a humble blogger who has watched him play quite a bit over the last few years, and while the highs are good, the lows are...yowza.

I can't help but see Matt Barkley every time I see this guy.

2. NY Giants: Saquon Barkley, RB - Penn St.
If the Giants are smart before Darnold has even gotten to the podium to put his hat on they will have run their card up to the commissioner with Barkley's name on it with permanent marker. Look up dynamic and well there's a photo of the Chocolate Puma, but in the second example there is a pic of Barkley.

Able to run between the tackles, bounce outside, line up as a receiver, return kicks, and I'm sure if you asked him to he could even whip up a mean creme brulee. Team him with Odell Beckham and maybe get a qb in the second round to sit behind Eli and learn and that offense is back baby!

3. NY Jets: Josh Rosen, QB - UCLA

Now this is the guy who I think is the actual best quarterback in this year's draft class. He's also stupid smart, comes from an affluent family and most egregious of all, he asks a lot of questions which apparently scares the shit out of the backward thinking NFL. Hard not to love this guy (at least hard for me not to love the guy), impeccable form, probably the guy who can get drafted and not immediately lose you a game this Sunday. He has some underrated weapons on offense but long term this could be the guy they have been waiting for.

4. Cleveland: Bradley Chubb, DE -NC State
The top rated pass rusher and for good reason. Team him with last year's number one pick Myles Garrett and hot diggity damn you got yourself a pretty fierce pass rush duo. The defense should be much improved with Jamie Collins and Damarious Randall, and if we're being honest, the defense did not play as bad as their record would indicate. So unless the owner built his front office on a Native American burial ground things should trend upward although kinda hard not to when you won zero games the previous season.

5. Denver: Josh Allen, QB- Wyoming
Here we go. This guy is the oddest damn draft prospect I have ever seen. He has a rocket for a arm but he isn't particularly average. But it's ok because he wins, except he really doesn't. Seriously, Wyoming has a 15-9 record with him at the helm. And on the topic of accuracy:

Josh Allen's completion percentage In his football career: pic.twitter.com/cXJ0r6TPqi

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) April 19, 2018

All that said someone is gonna draft him high without asking him to switch positions (See: Jackson, Lamar) and why not the Broncos. At least there he can sit behind Keenum and learn the intricacies of the position.

6. Indianapolis: Roquan Smith, LB -Georgia
Anyone who watched this guy knows he is going to be a problem for opposing offenses. On the field with the Crimson Tide this guy was one of the most electric on the field. I mean in a game against the team that regularly has the most prepared defensive players it was Smith who when you watched just popped off the screen.

He could drop into coverage, he could rush the passer and if you think you're running the ball his way? Forget about it. And if Andrew Luck is healthy it's gonna solve a lot of issues on that side of the ball but that defense was atrocious last year. This would be a massive help.

7. Tampa Bay: Derwin James, S- Florida St.
Offensively they should be much better than they were if they just play up to expectations. What you can do here to help immediately is grab the best safety in the draft who can do it all and improve the back end of the 20th ranked defense in the NFL last season. This will be a big help for a talented linebacker corp and aggressive line led by Gerald McCoy.

8. Chicago: Quenten Nelson, G- Notre Dame
This pick makes too much sense not to make. So knowing the Bears we'll trade down and draft Nelson from the Simpsons and thus begin a certain Puma's descent into madness.

With the 8th pick in the NFL Draft, the Bears select...

The Bears offensive line coach was his coach at Notre Dame, he is projected to be an All Pro who teamed with Kyle Long could give Jordan Howard and Mitch Trubisky a fighting chance back there. Given they have added Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton it's gonna be more important than ever to protect Frisky Mitch Trubisky and Nelson is probably the best fit.

9. San Francisco: Tremaine Edmunds, LB- Virginia Tech

Given the recent legal woes of LB Ruben Foster it would appear that the Niners may be in need of some help at the linebacker and who better to help out than the top LB prospect remaining. Edmunds combines size with speed and has been compared to Brian Urlacher with his ability to do it all. Can cover running backs and tight ends well and has the ability to rush the passer. Combined with last year's top pick Solomon Thomas and the addition of Richard Sherman things could be looking up in the Bay.

10. Oakland: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Safety- Alabama
With one of the best defensive players in the league in Khalil Mack and the steady Bruce Irvin up front the Raiders need to make strides in securing the back end.

What better way to do that than to add the dynamic Fitzpatrick from Alabama. A kid who once he gets the ball in his hands is a threat to take it back for a score as evidenced by his school record four interceptions returned for a touchdown out of his nine career picks. He's able to drop into coverage and in some packages even be used as a linebacker. A jack of all trades who would be a welcome addition to well any defense.

Well there you have it, I am sure I have gone 0 for 10 in my predictions but hey that's why you come to me. For my astute analysis! Keep it sleazy gang.