NFL Mock Draft: How would the draft look if the order was reversed?
The final four are on the clock. They were supposed to be the first four. The tides have turned and these players are all lucky to be going in the first round now.
Pick Analysis. Oklahoma State. 56. Scouting Report. QB . Mason Rudoplh . 29 . player
The Bengals got this pick from the Browns.
Andy Dalton still shows flashes but his days are numbered. The Bengals let his backup AJ McCarron go to Buffalo in free agency. So, because the Bengals traded back to get two picks it allows them to take their potential backup here.
Rudolph is familiar with wearing black and orange already and might not need to be NFL ready right now. The Bengals bolstered their offensive line but it is still not perfect. But this would be a different situation that allows them to address this later.
Pick Analysis. Harold Landry . Scouting Report. EDGE . Boston College. 30 . player. 30
The New York Jets do not need a QB this late. It is not worth their time. The Jets honestly might be okay with this selection because they seem to love drafting defense anyway. Landry is the best edge player left on the board.
It might not be the next face of the franchise but the Jets are still going to get a great player here.
31. 31 . player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. EDGE . Rutgers. Kemoko Turay
The Giants No. 2 pick in the actual draft on Thursday night is my favorite pick. They sit high but do not really need it. But, just for fun, let’s create a great draft moment here.
Nowhere near being an actual first rounder, Turay is the hometown kid who gets selected by New York here. It is not all bad though because the loss of Jason Pierre-Paul makes edge a need.
Even though the “little brother” Jets took the highest projected edge player the pick before them, the Giants can still fill a need, create a great draft moment by keeping Turay home, and get a player who will work really hard to stay.
Yes, this is a huge stretch but when you reverse the draft order, it throws everything off.
Ohio State. Billy Price . 32. player. Scouting Report. C. 56. Pick Analysis
Do the Bengals need a center? Probably not. They do, however, just need to bulk up their offensive line in general and do not have to put Price at center right away. An injury plummeted his draft stock but he is still talented.
He goes to Cincy here because it is all theoretical but in the actual draft, he will still fall later to a team and be a solid late pick with tremendous upside.
Next: Sean Dyer's First-Round Mock Draft 3.0
This is what a draft would look like if the draft order was reversed. Very few things remain the same. That is why each and every pick is important and each team is under a ton of pressure to get it right.
Regardless of what happens, enjoy the draft. I bet some of you will be much better off during the first round than what happened here.
I hope you had fun reading this but still learned something about each team.