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Mel Kiper has a new mock out today (insider subscription required because boo), and it's a bit of an eye-opener for Rams fans.
| # | Team | Pick | POS | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida St. |
| 2 | Tennessee | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
| 3 | Jacksonville | Leonard Williams | DL | USC |
| 4 | Oakland | Amari Cooper | WR | Alabama |
| 5 | Washington | Dante Fowler Jr. | DE | Florida |
| 6 | New York Jets | Brandon Scherff | OT | Iowa |
| 7 | Chicago | Kevin White | WR | West Virginia |
| 8 | Atlanta | Vic Beasley | OLB | Clemson |
| 9 | New York Giants | Shane Ray | DE | Missouri |
Conventional wisdom comfort sauce in that top 9. At 10? (Seat belt might be wise.)
Breshad Perriman (WR, UCF)
Analysis: No player has risen more on my board over the past month than Perriman, a player who I always thought looked explosive on tape, then lived up to that by running sub-4.3 two separate times at his pro day. We know the Rams have a need for another potent weapon in the passing game, and Perriman could fit the bill. One of the bigger sleepers in the 2015 draft class at this point, Perriman has good length but will also prove dangerous after the catch. At one time I had him as a likely second-round pick, but now I see him as a close call in terms of overall ability next to the top few wide receivers in this class.
That's...well, that's something. For a staff that took as long as it did to develop Brian Quick (and even then, a half season isn't proof positive that that development is sufficient) and has yet to form a cohesive strategy of how to successfully implement Tavon Austin into the offense, a big body speed threat (think Torrey Smith) perhaps isn't the best buy at 10.
If anything, this reinforces my comfort level with trading down (and with rumors that the Dolphins are hyped to get into the top 10 for Kevin White, the market might be softening at the right time for St. Louis). Perriman is anything but a consensus third WR; Mocking the Draft's Dan Kadar had him as his 10th-ranked WR just 10 days ago.
One thing's for sure. As long as the draft has been on the approach, there's still three weeks to throw everything we thought we knew off base.
Might wanna keep that seat belt on.