Grading My Mock Draft
Time to grade my mock draft for the first round.
Previous rules:
1 point for calling the right player
1 point for calling the right team
1 point for calling the right draft slot
I'm going to add an additional point if I suggested a trade-down that actually happened. There were five trades tonight, so that adds an additional five points for each team, or ten teams total (if I guessed that correctly each way).
Total Possible Points: 103
For reference, here are the five trades:
The Titans traded up from 15 to 8 with the Browns, and took Jack Conklin. The Browns took Corey Coleman at 15.
The Bears and Bucs swapped picks from 9 to 11 so that Chicago could take Leonard Floyd at 9, while the Bucs took Vernon Hargreaves III at 11, a player everyone mocked to them at 9.
The Texans and Redskins swapped the 21st and 22nd picks, with the Texans going up to take Will Fuller, leaving a guy almost everyone else preferred in Josh Doctson for the Redskins at 22.
The Broncos traded up with Seattle, swapping 1st rounders, so that they could take Paxton Lynch. The Seahawks, at 31, took Germain Ifedi to bolster their OL.
The 49ers traded back into the 1st round with the Chiefs, to take Joshua Garnett, OG. Not as inspiring as Connor Cook, but rebuilding the line was huge. And, with Denver going QB, it means Kaepernick is almost certainly a 49er this year.
PickTeamNew PickSchoolThoughts1 Los Angeles Rams Jared Goff, QBCaliforniaRight player Right team Right slot Points: 3 Total Points: 32 Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz, QBNorth Dakota StateRight player Right team Right slot Points: 3 Total Points: 63San Diego Chargers Laremy Tunsil, OTOle MissRight player (went later). Tunsil fell precipitously tonight, at least somewhat because a picture of him smoking a bong leaked today, as well as other stuff on Instagram. Someone was out to get Tunsil, and it worked. Instead, the Chargers shocked most of us by taking Joey Bosa. Points: 1 Total Points: 74Dallas Cowboys Joey Bosa, DLOhio StateBosa went a pick earlier to San Diego. It came down to Zeke Elliott, or Jalen Ramsey, and they went with the RB. Points: 1 Total Points: 8 5Jacksonville JaguarsMyles Jack, LBUCLAMyles Jack didn't go at all in the first round, a total bummer for him as teams are apparently extremely leery about his knee. The Jags took maybe the steal of the draft in Jalen Ramsey. Points: 0 Total Points: 86Baltimore RavensJalen Ramsey, DBFlorida StateI thought they might go for Tunsil, but instead took Ronnie Stanley. Points: 1 Total Points: 97San Francisco 49ersDeForest Buckner, DLOregonRight player Right team Right slot Very happy with this pick, shoring up our line is critical. Points: 3 Total Points: 128Cleveland BrownsEzekiel Elliott, RBOhio StateRight player. Also predicted that they would trade down from here, which they did to the Titans Points: 2 Total Points: 149Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vernon Hargreaves, CBFloridaRight player Right team NOT the right draft spot, however, as they traded down with the Bears. Points: 2 Total Points: 1610New York GiantsRonnie Stanley, OTNotre DameStanley was chosen, but the team from the Big Apple took Eli Apple. Yeah, I said it. Points: 1 Total Points: 1711Chicago BearsLeonard Floyd, LBGeorgia Right player Right team NOT the right draft spot, however, as they traded up with the Bucs. Points: 2 Total Points: 1912New Orleans SaintsSheldon Rankins, DTLouisvilleRight player Right team Right slot Points: 3 Total Points: 2213Miami DolphinsEli Apple, CBOhio StateApple was taken three spots earlier. The Dolphins stopped the slide of Laremy Tunsil and hopefully got a true steal there. Points: 1 Total Points: 2314Oakland RaidersWilliam Jackson III, CBHoustonWilliam Jackson III got taken later by the Bengals, but the Raiders instead took Karl Joseph, who I didn't predict in the first round at all. Points: 1 Total Points: 2415Tennessee TitansJack Conklin, OTMichigan StateRight player. Right team. Wrong slot (they traded up to 8). Predicted the trade up! Points: 3 Total Points: 2716Detroit LionsTaylor Decker, OTOhio StateRight player Right team Right slot Points: 3 Total Points: 3017Atlanta FalconsDarron Lee, LBOhio StateRight player, but the Falcons went off the board and took Keanu Neal at safety instead. Points: 1 Total Points: 3118Indianapolis ColtsRyan Kelly, CAlabamaRight player Right team Right slot Points: 3 Total Points: 3419Buffalo BillsReggie Ragland, LBAlabamaRagland was quietly another guy who slipped out of the first round that nobody predicted. Instead, the Bills took who I selected for them in the first draft, Shaq Lawson. Points: 0 Total Points: 3720New York JetsPaxton Lynch, QBMemphisLike the Bills before them, I initially had the Jets pick right (Darron Lee), they sat tight. The Broncos, however, traded up for Paxton Lynch. Points: 1 Total Points: 3821Washington AmericansJarran Reed, DTAlabamaShockingly, Reed also wasn't taken (bad night for 'Bama). Did not see them trading down, nor going for a receiver (Doctson). Whiff! Points: 0 Total Points: 3822Houston TexansCorey Coleman, WRBaylorColeman did go as the first WR, but at #15 to the Browns. The Texans took Will Fuller (yuck) instead of Doctson or Treadwell. Points: 1 Total Points: 3923Minnesota VikingsLaquon Treadwell, WROle MissRight player Right team Right slot Points: 3 Total Points: 4224Cincinnati BengalsJosh Doctson, WRTCUDoctson went earlier, so the Bengals seemed to go Best Player Available, and take a guy who was probably on the Steelers board with William Jackson III. Points: 1 Total Points: 4325Pittsburgh SteelersArtie Burns, CBMiamiRight player Right team Right slot Pretty impressed with myself for this one. Points: 3 Total Points: 4626Seattle SeahawksRobert Nkemdiche, DEMississippiI predicted that Seattle would trade down, and Nkemdiche went just a few picks later to the Cardinals. Points: 2 Total Points: 4827Green Bay PackersShaq Lawson, DEClemsonShaq went a few picks earlier to the Bills. The Packers went a bit off the board by taking a great player in Kenny Clark, a guy most expected to be available on Day 2. Points: 1 Total Points: 4928Kansas City ChiefsWill Fuller, WRNotre DameFuller went seven picks earlier to the Texans, while the Chiefs traded out of the first round to the 49ers, who selected Joshua Garnett, OG. Since I had SF as a trade down candidate and KC as a trade up candidate, I can't take credit for this one. Points: 1 Total Points: 5029New England PatriotsRoger Goodell, COMMNFL HQI still can't believe the Patriots got fined a first round pick for this. 29Arizona Cardinals Noah Spence, DEEastern KentuckySpence didn't go, and he'll be a nice prize at the top of the second round tomorrow. Points: 0 Total Points: 5030Carolina PanthersMackensie Alexander, CBClemsonAlexander also didn't go in the first, and the Panthers inexplicably took another DL in Vernon Butler, someone I think a lot of teams were hoping to grab early on Day 2. Points: 0 Total Points: 5031Denver BroncosCody Whitehair, OGKansas State Whitehair didn't go, which was surprising especially in that Garnett did. This slot was used by Seattle who took Germain Ifedi. I did predict Denver as a trade down candidate...they traded up. Points: 0 Total Points: 50
So, out of a possible 103 points, I got 50 right, or just under 50%. I'm reasonably happy with that, being that in general, I have no fucking idea what I'm talking about.
Last year, I scored a 39/96, so this is roughly a 20% improvement over that. And yet, a very unpredictable and fun first round!