NFL Mock Draft 3.0 – Round 4
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
108.) Vikings: DT Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina (6’4, 297) – With long-time DT Kevin Williams gone, the Vikes interior D-line will have a new look with 2nd year player Sharrif Floyd and free agency prize Linval Joseph taking over. There is a lot of potential there, but Floyd is untested and there isn’t much depth at the position. Quarles is a well-rounded prospect who holds the point well against the run and shows enough quickness to generate an interior pass rush (9.5 sacks last year). I don’t think he is quite as good as his stats show since he benefited from all the attention Clowney received, but Quarles is a good value pick this late. DTs that are good against the run and can get to the QB are hard to find .
109.) Bills: QB Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (6’6, 248) – The Bills aren’t going to give up on last year’s 1st round pick, E.J. Manuel, without giving him at least another year or two to prove himself. That should be plenty of time to groom a replacement if Manuel doesn’t pan out. Thomas has elite size and physical tools, but he’s a serious question mark above the shoulders. Thomas takes way to long to make decisions in the pocket, leading to sacks and forced passes. There are times when Thomas looks like a top 10 pick but they are too infrequent for me to think he can ever play that way consistently. The physical tools are definitely there though and if he ever figures it out he could be a Pro Bowl caliber QB. I think he’s worth the gamble in the 4th round.
110.) Rams: QB David Fales, San Jose St (6’2, 212) – The Rams are saying all the right things about being committed to Sam Bradford, but the fact is that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and hasn’t been anything special when on the field. It makes sense for the Rams to draft a contingency plan if Bradford doesn’t prove himself this year. Fales throws an accurate ball, has good pocket awareness, and all the intangibles you look for in a QB. What he doesn’t have is a big arm, but that didn’t stop him from being very productive in his two years at San Jose St (66 TDs). I think he can be a mid-tier starter in the league or at least an excellent backup QB.
111.) Lions: C Bryan Stork, Florida St (6’4, 315) – The Lions get an eventual replacement for 35-year-old Dominic Raiola who they re-signed to a one year deal this off-season. Stork is smart, with a quick burst off the line and great leadership skills. He needs to get stronger but with a year of strength training and learning from Raiola, Stork should be able to take over as the Lions starting center in 2015.
112.) Titans: T Billy Turner, North Dakota St (6’5, 315) – The Titans signed Michael Oher to play RT, but Oher’s play has degraded since a strong rookie campaign and the Titans should bring in someone to at least push Oher if not take his starting spot. Turner dominated for 4 years at ND St, but that is a long ways from the NFL. Even the Senior Bowl was a huge step up in competition for Turner, but he more than held his own. He had a little trouble with speed rushers, but was never overpowered. Turner’s best position at the next level is RT, but Turner might have enough potential to eventually move to the left side. Even if he can’t beat out Oher, he would be a valuable swing tackle and could fill in at guard if needed.
113.) Giants: RB Andre Williams, Boston College (5’11, 230) – The Giants signed Rashad Jennings to be their starter, they still have David Wilson under contract, and also re-signed Peyton Hillis, so they appear to be set at running back. I don’t think any of those guys are the long-term answer for the Giants and Andre Williams has the talent to be a workhorse back for the future. He only started for one year at BC, but put up ridiculous numbers (2,177 yards). Williams carried the ball a whopping 355 times, but still averaged over 6 yards a carry and found the end zone 18 times. Williams had a shoulder injury late in the season and had a myriad of minor injuries during his college career which could concern some teams. Williams is a bruiser with great balance and a surprising 2nd gear (4.56 40-time). He has the potential to be a tough workhorse back in the NFL but needs to check out medically . Williams didn’t catch any passes last year, so he will have to show some receiving ability at his pro day as well. There are a lot of unknowns with Williams, but 2000+ yards is a serious accomplishment.
114.) Jaguars: DT Will Sutton, Arizona St (6’0, 303) – The Jags need some pass rushers and Sutton was one of the best in 2012 racking up 13 sacks from the DT position. He only had 4 in 2013, but he has a quick burst off the line and should provide the Jags some pressure up the middle. It’s hard to know what teams think of Sutton. He looked like a first rounder as a junior (13 sacks) then gained a bunch of weight and became a run-stopper as a senior (Pac 12 co-defensive player of the year). He’s had success in both roles, but with his weight fluctuations I think teams will be wary of using a high pick on Sutton. If he can get near 290 pounds consistently, he could be a dynamic 3-technique tackle or 5-technique end. If he’s at 315+ he can move over to NT. He’s a bit of a risk with his fluctuating weight, but he has plenty of talent and there is a lot of upside for a 4th rounder.
115.) Jets: WR Bruce Ellington, South Carolina (5’9, 197) – The Jets brought in WR Eric Decker in the off-season, but they still need help at the receiver position. Ellington is a phenomenal athlete (he was South Carolina’s starting point guard as a freshman). He lacks height, but is thickly built and with a 39.5″ vertical can go up and get the ball. Ellington’s best trait is his quickness and should be a dangerous underneath receiver and a good complement to tall receivers Decker, Hill, & Nelson.
116.) Dolphins: S Marqueston Huff, Wyoming (5’11, 196) – The Dolphins lost free safety Chris Clemons in free agency and replaced him with injury prone SS Louis Delmas. Both Delmas and last year’s starter at strong safety, Reshod Jones, have limited range in coverage so drafting a rangy safety prospect like Huff makes sense. He was a three year starter at safety before switching to CB his senior year. It’s unclear what his best pro position will be, but he has NFL speed and athleticism, so Huff will get a chance somewhere. He helped his stock at the combine with a 4.49 40-time and at the Senior Bowl showcasing sticky coverage ability and the wheels to turn and run with any receiver on either roster. Huff can hit and tackle a little too, racking up 127 total tackles as a senior at Wyoming. Interesting small school prospect who also returned kicks and could be a force on coverage teams right away.