2015 NFL Mock Draft: Round 3
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 Wednesday, 2nd round yesterday, and today the 3rd round mock. 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 no 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 1st round 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 3
65.) Tampa Bay Bucs – DE Preston Smith, Mississippi St (6’5 | 270 | 4.92)
The Bucs didn’t get much out of their DEs last season. Smith is a consistent, hard-worker who is solid against the run and flashes some pass rush ability, Smith would be a welcome addition and I wouldn’t be surprised if he earned a starting spot as a rookie.
66.) Tennessee Titans – OG Tre Jackson, Florida St (6’4 | 323 | 5.38)
High priced Andy Levitre has been a disappointment and may be a salary cap casualty this off-season. Jackson is a mauling run blocker who has the athleticism to be a solid pass blocker eventually and has starting potential as a rookie.
67.) Jacksonville Jaguars – OT Donovan Smith, Penn St (6’6 | 341 | 5.12)
The Jags had a hard time keeping Blake Bortles clean last season and they could use some help outside. Smith may not be ready to start as a rookie, but has intriguing athleticism for a guy with his massive frame. He impressed at the Senior Bowl and may go a round higher by the time of the draft.
68.) Oakland Raiders – CB Jacoby Glenn, UCF (6’0 | 178 | 4.54)
The Raiders have some promising tall, young corners in T.J. Carrie and D.J. Hayden and they add another one here in Glenn. He’s one of the most underrated corner prospects in the draft (imo) despite his 7 INTs last year and elite athleticism. It may take Glenn a year or two to develop into a starter, but he has the upside to be very good.
69.) Washington Redskins – OT Jeremiah Poutasi, Utah (6’6 | 322 | 5.29)
Massive tackle who should be a significant upgrade over the Redskins sub-par RTs last season (Compton, Polombus). If Poutasi can keep his weight under control he could be a mauling run blocker with decent enough feet to hold his own in pass pro.
70.) New York Jets – CB Djoun Smith, Florida Atlantic (5’10 | 189 | 4.52)
The Jets had one of the worst secondaries in the league last year and finally add some CB help. Smith is a little undersized, but has the speed, fluidity, and feet to be a solid NFL corner.
Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
71.) Chicago Bears – WR Tyler Lockett, Kansas St (5’10 | 181 | 4.46)
The Bears need a receiver that can run sharp routes and get open underneath and Lockett can handle that role. He can also give them a return specialist they have been missing since they let Devin Hester leave in free agency.
72.) St. Louis Rams – C Hroniss Grasu, Oregon (6’3 | 297 | 5.12)
Centers are underrated factors in the run game. The three teams with the most rushing yards in the NFL had 3 of the top 4 rated centers by PFF. Jeff Fisher wants to run the football and with the additions of a new LT in round one (Peat) and Grasu in round 3 they should be able to open some more holes for Tre Mason this year.