2015 NFL Mock Draft 4.0 – Round 3
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71.) Chicago Bears – CB Eric Rowe, Utah
I have a 2nd round grade on Rowe, so wouldn’t be surprised if he went earlier than this but almost every mock I’ve seen has him in the mid 3rd – early 4th round range. It’s possible that confusion over Rowe’s best position may be dropping his stock. Rowe played safety for 3 seasons before switching to CB his senior year. In some schemes Rowe would be better off as a safety, but the way Fangio and Donatell used their CBs in San Fran with a mix of press and zone coverages would be an ideal fit for Rowe’s skill set. He has great size (6’1, 205), has run as fast as 4.37 in the 40, was one of the strongest DBs at the combine (19 reps), and had top 5 scores in every drills he participated in (see below). Putting Rowe across from Fuller would give the Bears two long, tough corners who on paper are excellent fits for Fangio’s scheme. Rowe is a leader on the field and in the locker room and also strong in the run game with 250 tackles in his college career. He has the size and versatility to play either safety position which is a plus in Fangio’s scheme, so we could see the Bears using him at safety which also fills a need. Rowe is a good fit at either safety or corner and also was a valuable special teams contributor at Utah.
72.) St. Louis Rams – CB Quinten Rollins, Miami OH
Rollins showed a ton of promise in his first year playing football after 4 seasons as the point guard for the Redhawks basketball squad. He earned a starting spot at corner as basically a football rookie and had 7 INTs. The Rams have three starting caliber corners, so can afford to wait a bit and let Rollins reach his potential as a shut-down outside corner.
73.) Atlanta Falcons – G Ali Marpet, Hobart
The Falcons cut powerful run blocker G Justin Blalock because he didn’t fit the style of new OC Kyle Shanahan, but the athletic Marpet does. The Falcons are looking for mobile lineman and Marpet was the fastest and quickest lineman at the combine.
74.) New York Giants – S Derron Smith, Fresno St
Has all the tools to be a starting safety in the NFL, but is just a little smaller than most teams like at the position (5’10 | 199). Smith has great instincts in coverage, good ball skills, closes on the ball well, and is aggressive against the run. If he were three inches taller Smith would be a first round pick. He was in the mix for my Bears pick at 71.
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75.) New Orleans Saints – TE Clive Walford, Miami
The Saints are telling everyone who will listen how much they like former backup TE Josh Hill, but he’s limited as a receiver. Walford would give QB Drew Brees a reliable check-down receiver, who can block a little and has the potential to be dangerous after the catch.
76.) Minnesota Vikings – OG Arie Kouandjio, Florida St
If not for some medical red flags, Kouandjio would have gone a round or two higher. When healthy he’s got all the tools to be solid in both run and pass blocking. It would be hard for Kouandjio to be worse than the Viking’s starting guard Charlie Johnson was last season.
77.) Cleveland Browns – OLB Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
They lost underrated pass rusher Jabaal Sheard in free agency (NE) and both Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo have been disappointing as starting OLBs for the Browns. Mauldin is a little slower than ideal and doesn’t offer much in coverage, but can get to the QB which is what the Browns need.
78) New Orleans Saints – WR Rashad Greene, Florida St
The Brandin Cooks / Rashad Greene combo leaves the Saints a bit short at wide receiver with both of them standing under 6 feet, but they are both so quick and precise in their routes that QB Drew Brees should always have someone open. They still have a couple tall receivers in Colston and Nick Toon and also TEs Ben Watson, Josh Hill, and 3rd round pick Clive Walford.
79.) San Francisco 49ers – CB P.J. Williams, Florida St
Both of the Niners starting corners from last year left in free agency and all they have done so far to replace them is re-sign Chris Cook, who missed most of last year with injury, and sign Shareece Wright, who wasn’t good for the Chargers last year. Williams is easily the best corner available at this point of the draft and is only available due to a late night DUI two weeks ago and a previous off-field incident. He has good size (6’0 | 194), ran a 4.53 at his pro day, and is physical in press coverage and against the run. Williams could earn a starting spot as a rookie unless the Niners bring in a significant upgrade over Wright. It seems the Niners get a steal here, but after all the off-field chaos this offseason will they risk taking a player with significant off-field red flags?
80.) Kansas City Chiefs – C Andrew Galik, Boston College
The Chiefs lost one of the best centers in the league in Rodney Hudson and they have to bring in a replacement from somewhere. Galik has a similar profile as a cerebral overachiever, but it may take him a year or two to adapt to the speed and strength of the NFL game.
81.) Buffalo Bills – OT Daryl Williams, Oklahoma
At right tackle last season the Bills started a rookie taken in the 7th round, Seantrel Henderson, and it ended badly with Henderson ranked as one of the worst RTs in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Williams would be a significant upgrade right away and has the potential to be a long-term starter at the position. He’s not the most athletic tackle in the draft, but does has some of the longest arms (35″), is a mauler in the run game, shows an innate understanding of leverage and blocking angles, and has a nasty demeanor that will endear him to new HC Rex Ryan.