For this mock, I mixed it up and did something I haven’t done in any of my other analyzed mocks – I traded up. Not only did I trade up, I started the draft trying to see how high I could get. Everyone talks about “going up and getting a stud” so I decided to see what that would entail.
Here’s the results of that experiment:
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Round 1
The Cardinals and Raiders would not accept my first four picks to get to #1 or #2 overall. The Jets required both of my firsts and my second to get to pick #3. Trade Value charts say I lost 2200 to 2280, but that was the price of moving up.
As luck would have it, this was the fourth draft in a row that Nick Bosa fell to 3. I snatched him up in a hurry. Nick Bosa. The man. The legend. The best player in the draft, who just so happens to fill the Packers greatest need.
At quite a cost.
But hooray, Nick Bosa. Now we play… the waiting game.
For what it’s worth, Jachai Polite went at 12 and Noah Fant went at 30
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Round 2
I twiddled my thumbs (could have had Deionte Thompson).
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Round 3
I twiddled my thumbs some more and kept dreaming of Nick Bosa.
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Round 4
Hey, here’s stuff to do now that my board is obliterated and I have 1 player over 100 picks into the draft!
I snagged Darnell Savage, my standby 4th round safety and, since all the other defensive players (and most of the offensive players) that I want in this draft are all gone, I took Tytus Howard, a solid Offensive Tackle prospect who held his own against the top rushers at the Senior Bowl.
Rounds 5-7
I’m doing most of my analysis on the top half and will start digging deeper as time goes on. That made this a very boring draft.
Analysis
This was painful.
The joy and adrenaline of moving up to snag the best player in the draft at our biggest need was quickly and mechanically decomposed as I watched quality player after quality player fall off the board. Seeing all those potential starters drop in the places I used to have picks at was really, really heart-coldening.
Sure, I came away with a couple defensive starters and maybe an offensive lineman that I can play out of position at Right Guard to get him on the field, but I could have had so much more. Most mocks have given me at least 3 or 4 probably starters in the first 4 rounds… this one didn’t even give me 4 players.
If anything, this mock made me appreciate have two first round picks more than ever.
Mock Draft 2 reminded me how much I love trading down, this one reminded me how painful it is to trade up.
I do not want us to trade up like that at all.
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Check out our PFTW 2019 Mock Draft Archive to see how other scenarios played out!
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