I kicked off draft season here at BGO with my first Bears mock draft this week. For those of you who care about other teams besides our beloved Bears I posted my NFL first round yesterday, 2nd round today, and will have the 3rd round mock posted tomorrow. Eventually I will expand the mock to all seven rounds like last year, but I am going to wait until the compensatory picks are announced since they will impact which players are available in the later rounds.
For accuracy purposes I have taken an average of the player’s draft slots on multiple mock draft sites¹ to get an idea which players are going to be available in certain rounds. There are surprise picks every year and I’m pretty sure the first round has never been mocked with 100% success. Even the most knowledgeable of draftniks aren’t going to get the majority of picks right, but I got 13 picks right in my final mock last season which I think is pretty solid. If you have any issues with my picks this year or notice any mistakes, please let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
2015 NFL Mock Draft: Round 2
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33.) Tennessee Titans – DE Nate Orchard, Utah ( 6’3 | 252 | 4.76)
The Titans switched to a 3-4 last season and the results were pretty brutal. They struggled to generate a pass rush, but Orchard will help as a pass rush OLB.
34) Tampa Bay Bucs – OT Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M (6’5 | 300 | 4.98)
His stock has dropped a bit after his struggles at left tackle this season, but he’s an elite athlete for his size and could be a solid right tackle or guard at the next level. The Bucs need help all over their line and Ogbuehi should be able to find a spot somewhere in the starting lineup as a rookie.
35.) Oakland Raiders – DE Owamogbe Odighizuwa, UCLA (6’4 | 266 | 4.79)
The Raiders desperately need someone who can rush the passer and Odighizuwa has the quick first step, closing speed and rush moves to be a solid defensive end.
36.) Jacksonville Jaguars – TE Maxx Williams, Minnesota (6’4 | 250 | 4.85)
Current TE Mercedes Lewis is washed up and should be a salary cap casualty this season. Williams should improve the Jags run blocking and give Bortles a reliable check-down option.
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37.) New York Jets – QB Brett Hunley, UCLA (6’3 | 227 | 4.64)
New HC Todd Bowles just suffered through half a season with an awful QB so I can’t see him rolling with Geno Smith all season. The Jets needs to at least bring in some competition and Hundley has all the tools to be a starter if he can speed up his progressions and decision making.
38.) Washington Redskins – S Gerod Holliman, Lousiville (6’0 | 201 | 4.54)
The NCAA interception leader last season (14 INT!) could step in as a rookie and an improve the Skins dismal pass coverage.
39.) Chicago Bears – LB Eric Kendricks, UCLA (6’0 | 230 | 4.68)
The Bears were one of the worst tackling teams in the league last season and could use a sideline-to-sideline run stopper like Kendricks (440 career tackles). The Bears are rumored to be moving to a 3-4 scheme and don’t have 2 starting caliber ILBs.
40.) New York Giants – OT Ty Sambrailo, Colorado St (6’6 | 309 | 5.27)
The Giants could use some help at tackle and Sambrailo has the footwork and long arms to be a solid LT eventually. He needs to get stronger to handle bull rushes, but the talent is there to be a long-term starter.