NFL Mock Draft – Round 5
152. Bengals: S Jonathon Dowling, Western Kentucky (6’2, 198) – A better athlete the you would normally find at WKU, Dowling started out at Florida before being dismissed for “authority issues”. Dowling has great size for a safety, good ball skills, and a knack for forcing turnovers (9 INTs, 8 forced fumbles in 2 seasons). He has an issue with missing tackles due to his penchant for head-hunting, but is a legit enforcer in the middle and some teams might not want to curb his aggressive tendencies. Dowling has the talent of a 2nd or 3rd rounder with the only concern being his willingness to accept coaching, stemming from his incident with Florida coaches over 3 years ago. Worth a the gamble this late in the draft.
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153. Chargers: NT Daniel McCullers, Tennessee (6’7, 348) – This guy is a beast in the middle. As expected with his size, McCullers is a good run-stuffer who is tough to move off the LOS. He doesn’t offer much in terms of pass rush and has little lateral movement, but you can’t teach size and McCullers will improve a teams run defense just by stepping on the field.
154. Colts: G Russell Bodine, North Carolina (6’3, 310) – Versatile interior lineman who can play guard or center at the next level. Good strength and athleticism and should eventually claim a starting spot somewhere on the Colts O-line.
155. Saints: CB Antone Exum, Virginia Tech (6’0, 220) – Suffered an ACL tear last season and didn’t come back till the end of the year. His performance at the combine will determine how worried teams are about his injury. Exum has great size for a defensive back, is a big hitter in the run game, and has the versatility to play safety or corner at the next level. Good developmental prospect who probably won’t make an impact till year 2 or 3 of his NFL career.
156. Panthers: OLB Jordan Tripp, Montana (6’3, 237): Fluid athlete who surprised at the combine with good pass rush and coverage skills to go with the solid run stopping skills he showed at Montana. The Packers need depth at LB and Tripp could fit in multiple spots in their scheme and contribute on special teams as well.
157. Eagles: DE Jeoffrey Pagan, Alabama (6’4, 285) – Raw DE who should of stayed in school for one more season. Pagan has good strength and size, but wasn’t very productive in his one year as a starter (2 sacks) and will need plenty of coaching and technique refinement before he can contribute in the NFL.
158. 49ers: WR L’Damian Washington, Missouri (6’4, 205) – The Niners need a deep threat to go with possession receivers Boldin & Crabtree and that is what Washington does best. He has a big frame with long arms and excellent straight-line speed. I don’t see Washington ever being much more than a deep threat, but he could provide a similar impact as Kenny Britt did for the Saints in 2013.
159. Broncos: T Matt Patchan, Boston College (6’5, 305) – Would be a 2nd or 3rd round pick if he could stay healthy. Patchan was hurt often in college, but it was freak injuries like getting shot in a drive-by and getting hit by a car. It seems unlikely Patchan would get shot again, so the Broncos could have a steal here in the 5th round because Patchan has NFL LT skills.
160. Seahawks: TE Richard Rodgers, California (6’4, 245) – The Seahawks get Russell Wilson another weapon in Rodgers. He has the speed and hands to be a weapon deep down the middle. He’s not much of a blocker but could be a valuable receiver for a team that doesn’t have many.
Twitter: @MikeFlannery_