NFL Mock Draft 2.0 – Rounds 4-7

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231.) Cowboys: RB James Wilder Jr, Florida St (6’3, 232) – His slow 40-time (4.86) might have dropped him to the 7th round, but he’s one of the best short yardage backs available. Wilder doesn’t have long speed, but he has a good initial burst, fullback size, and he aggressively seeks out contact at the second level. Will give the Cowboys a viable short-yardage back to lessen the wear and tear on Demarco Murray.

232.) Colts: OLB Devon Kennard, USC (6’3, 249) – USC team captain in 2013 who led the team with 8 sacks. Kinnard could develop into a solid pass rusher at OLB in the Colts scheme.

233.) Jets: FB JC Copeland, LSU (5’11, 285) – Massive FB who dominated the NFLPA Bowl as a blocker and short yardage back (2 TDs). Copeland needs to lose a little weight and get quicker to the hole, but his big personality and devastating run blocking will make him a Rex Ryan favorite right away. Copeland lost 14 pounds between the NFLPA bowl and the combine, so he is off to a good start. He could eventually develop into an Ironhead Heyward type ball carrier.

234.) Dolphins: DT Jay Bromley, Syracuse (6’3, 307) – Quick, disruptive DT who had 9 sacks his senior year. After watching tape on Bromley, I think he could go a little higher than this. He needs to get stronger, but has an explosive first step and the versatility to play the 3 or 5 technique which will increase his value.

235.) Raiders: G Ryan Groy. Wisconsin (6’5, 325) – The Raiders grab some interior O-line depth here with Groy. He’s a massive guard with good power, but limited mobility. Groy could eventually become a road-grading run blocker, but will probably always be a liability in pass pro.

236.) Packers: OLB Tyler Starr, South Dakota (6’4, 249) – Athletic small school prospect who had 27 sacks over the course of his career and is an interesting pass rush prospect. He will give Clay Matthews and AJ Hawk competition for the girliest hair style on the Packers.

237.) Eagles: DE Josh Mauro, Stanford (6’6, 276) – Not the most explosive DE in the draft, but has good size and strength to hold up against the run and the Eagles need some youth on the D-line. Mauro is high-effort player and at worst will provide reliable depth.

238.) Chiefs: WR Jalen Saunders, Oklahoma (5’9, 165) – One of the quickest receivers in the draft who plays tougher than his 165 pounds. Saunders would give the Chiefs a dangerous slot receiver and return man to replace McCluster who left in free agency (Titans).

239.) Bengals: RB Antonio Andrews, Western Kentucky (5’10, 225) – There are fullbacks in the league faster than BJGE so it’s about time the Bengals start looking for a replacement. They could do a lot worse than Andrews who has led the NCAA in all-purpose yards two seasons in a row. He’s had some issues holding on to the ball and his 4.81 40-time is the reason he’s still available at this point in the draft. On film he is a hammer and would be a good complement to the speedy Gio Bernard.

240.) Chargers: WR Damien Copeland, Louisville (5’11, 184) – Elite short-area quickness, Copeland had the best 3-cone time at the combine (6.53) by a full tenth of a second and had the 2nd best 20-yard shuttle & 60-yard shuttle times behind only Brandin Cooks. He has good hands and the ideal skill-set for a slot receiver, but is very thin so durability is a concern.

241.) 49ers:  WR L’Damien 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.

242.) 49ers: DE Michael Sam, Missouri  (6’1, 260) – Roger Goodell narrowly avoids a PR nightmare with Sam finally getting drafted. The Niners have more picks than any other team in the draft and won’t be impacted too much if one of their four 7th round picks doesn’t pan out. I’m not saying that it won’t, Sam put up great numbers at Missouri and was the SEC co-defensive payer of the year, so he has talent. His draft stock has taken a big hit in the off-season due to his combine workouts and the position drills at the Senior Bowl. Sam had the 2nd lowest bench reps, 4th lowest vertical leap, a bottom ten cone drill time and finished in the bottom half of the other workouts. His poor workouts combined with his struggles at the Senior Bowl in the linebacker drills doesn’t bode well for his chances to succeed at the NFL level. Off the field, San Francisco has a thriving gay community and it would be a good PR move for the Niners to draft him, but he’s going to have an uphill battle to make an impact on the field.

243.) 49ers: NT Zach Kerr, Delaware (6’1, 326) – Athletic for his size with a good burst off the line. Kerr plays a little too soft for the NT position, but he has talent and is a good developmental DT prospect. 

244.) Patriots: S Brock Vereen, Minnesota (6’0, 199) – His impressive performance at the combine earned him a spot in the draft. Vereen had the 2nd fastest 40-time (4.47) and the most bench reps (25) of all the safeties. Vereen has good coverage skills but could be a liability against the run at the next level. It won’t be from lack of effort though, Vereen is a hard-nosed, max-effort player who should excel on special teams even if he never makes an impact as a safety. Brock joins his brother Shane on the Pats.

245.) 49ers: T Cornelius Lucas, Kansas St (6’8, 329) – Massive developmental prospect with surprising athleticism for his size. Lucas shows a knack for understanding blocking angles, but needs a lot of work on the rest of his technique. He is too much of a waist bender and will get roasted against good NFL DEs unless he can learn to bend at the knees. Combine doctors discovered a stress fracture in his foot so he wasn’t allowed to work out and is out another two months so may not have time for his pro day.

246.) Broncos: S Ty Zimmerman, Kansas St (6’1, 204) – Just average speed and strength, but great instincts. Zimmerman was KSU’s starting free safety for three seasons and totaled 13 INTs. Zimmerman excels in coverage with good ball skills and reliable hands, but is not the best tackler. I think he has good enough football instincts to become a starter, but worst case he could contribute in sub packages and on special teams.

247.) Seahawks: QB Conner Shaw, South Carolina (6’0, 206): I’m not a huge fan, but I’ve seen multiple sources say that the Seahawks coaches love this kid. He’s small for a QB and has a weak arm, but scouts rave about his intangibles, leadership skills, and intelligence. All I know is that when I watch the tape, it doesn’t look like Shaw has NFL skills to me. I’ve been wrong before, I thought Cade McNoun showed flashes of greatness in college.

Compensatory picks

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248.) Cowboys: QB Bryn Renner, North Carolina (6’3, 228) – Accurate passer with good touch, timing, and poise in the pocket, but below average mobility. Renner’s arm strength is a question after a shoulder injury late in 2013. It was just adequate pre-injury, so if he lost any of it he’s in trouble. Romo isn’t going anywhere for a while, but I hear Kyle Orton might be so the Cowboys could use a 3rd QB.

249.) Rams: S Daniel Sorenson, BYU (6’1, 205) – Elite agility and change of direction skills. Sorenson had the fastest 3-cone, 20 yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle times at the combine and it wasn’t even close. His 3-cone was .43 faster than the closest guy and his 60-yard shuttle was almost a full second faster than the next guy. Tough, hard-worker who lacks top-end speed or size so he will struggle a bit in coverage but is a sound tackler. Sorenson could be a solid back-up who should be able to play in a pinch and could be a stand-out on special teams.

250.) Rams: C Corey Linsley, Ohio St (6’3, 296) – Very strong (36 reps) phone booth blocker who excels in run blocking but struggles in pass pro. Profiles as a backup for now, but with improved pass pro could push for a starting position in a year or two.

251.) Cowboys: DT Eathyn Manumaleuna (6’2, 296) – Good strength and a solid run stopper inside. Cowboys need depth inside with DT Melton coming off an ACL injury and DT Jernigan a rookie that had stamina issues in college.

252.) Bengals: CB Brandon Dixon, NW Missouri St (5’11, 203) –  Physical corner with good size / speed (4.41) ratio, but will need a year or two to develop coming out of DII. Dixon made enough of a positive impression at the combine to get drafted and the Bengals can afford to stash him for a year while they work on his technique.

253.) Falcons: S Alden Darby, Arizona St (5’10, 197) – Undersized, but versatile safety who could play either safety spot if needed. The Falcons cut last year’s starting free safety Thomas DeCoud, so they could use some depth at the position. Darby played strong safety in college, but played free safety at the Shrine game and had two interceptions. I saw quite a few of Darby’s games living a few blocks from ASU’s stadium and he was one of my favorite players on the defense. He always seemed to be in the right place and made a lot of big plays thorughout the season. He’s small, but effective.

254.) Cowboys: OLB Jonathon Brown, Illinois (6’0, 238) – Some depth at the Will backer in case Sean Lee gets hurt (again). Brown was very productive at Illinois but had a disappointing combine and is below average athletically compared to most NFL linebackers.

255.) Falcons: ILB Avery Williamson, Kentucky (6’1, 246) – Smart, leader on defense who was very productive in college but might not have the athleticism to make it at MLB in the NFL. Worst case, Williamson could provide depth while contributing on special teams.

256.) Texans: WR Cody Hoffman, BYU (6’4, 223) – Might remind Texan fans of Kevin Walter due to his similar skill set. Hoffman has great size though isn’t strong enough to use it effectively yet. His best assets are his long arms and great hands, he can catch anything close. He’ll need to get stronger to beat press coverage, but once he does could have a nice career as an outside possession receiver and red zone weapon.

Thanks for making it through my mock draft 2.0. Thanks as well to NFL.com, Draftbreakdown, CBS Sports, Walter Football, Optimum Scouting, DraftExaminer, WiththeFirstPick and of course YouTube for scouting reports and video clips to fill the gaps on players that I didn’t have enough info on.

Twitter: @MikeFlannery_