FanPost

Post-Free Agency Mock Draft

Here's my post-free agency mock draft for us. They're my picks, but I did consider Buddy Nix's drafting tendencies when I was doing them.

Draft

First Round (8) - Matt Barkley, QB

It's easy for us as fans to say, "Oh, there'll be several QB options in the second round. Let's just take one of them then." I believe that type of thinking is flawed and I'd bet that no NFL front office thinks that way. A franchise QB is a different beast from every other position. When you identify your guy, you have to go get him. I think Barkley might be that guy. If he came out early, he would have been a top-5 pick even with Luck and RGIII in that draft. The only real knock on Barkley is his arm strength and I think those concerns have been exaggerated. Those concerns are even less of an issue with the West Coast-type offense that we'll be running. It doesn't require the strongest arm in the world. I like Barkley's intelligence, accuracy, and leadership and I think he'll do just fine in the NFL.

Second Round (41) - DeAndre Hopkins, WR

Hopkins might be my favorite WR in the entire draft. He has the prototypical size and speed for an outside receiver and he came up absolutely clutch in Clemson's bowl game against LSU. catching 13 passes for 191 yards and 2 TDs. Oh and Sammy Watkins was hurt nearly the entire game. LSU knew where the ball was going and they still couldn't stop him. That's the type of WR I want on my team.

Third Round (71) - Jon Bostic, LB

Bostic really helped himself at the Combine. He's an athletic inside linebacker that can help on passing downs. We can't get enough of those this year.

Fourth Round (105) - Sanders Commings, CB

Another classic Nix pick, Commings is just shy of 6 foot and runs a 4.4 40 and again, he's an SEC product. Commings should be good for our corner depth and will hopefully help push Williams over to safety.

Fifth Round (143) - Levine Toilolo, TE

Toilolo's extremely raw and could've used another year in college, but at 6'8'' 260 pounds, he could become a great all-around tight end. He should immediately be an asset in the run game and in the red zone. After all, who's going to be able to cover a guy that tall?

Sixth (177)- Damion Square, DT

Another Alabama defensive lineman that can play both DT and 3-4 DE. His versatility will be useful as depth. Hopefully, he can be the type of player that Mike DeVito would've been for us.

Bonus Trade Down Version

If we trade down with the 49ers, I have the same picks (minus 8th overall) plus pick numbers 31, 34, and 74

First Round (31) - Ryan Nassib, QB

I forget who said this about Nassib, but I think it's right on the money (tell me if you know who it was so I can credit them). His floor is Ryan Fitzpatrick. His ceiling is Ben Roethlisberger. If he gets anywhere near Roethlisberger, this pick would be fantastic. Nassib's got prototypical size, an above average arm and accuracy, and perhaps most importantly, experience in our system.

Second Round (34) - Larry Warford, G

Looking at this guy, it just screams Buddy Nix to me. He's a 6'3'', 332 pounds senior coming out of the SEC (Kentucky), Most years, he would probably be the best guard available and be taken in the lower half of the first round, but with Warmack and Cooper ahead of him, he could slide into the second.

Third Round (74) -Marcus Lattimore, RB

This may be a little high for a player that probably won't play this year, but we've done worse before (see: Willis McGahee). Lattimore is a first round talent and he'll be a perfect complement to Spiller when Jackson is gone. I think the durability issues have been over-played because anyone would've gotten hurt on those two plays. And by all counts, Lattimore's rehab is going really well and he should come back in full form. This is the type of pick New England has been doing for years. It's time to take a page out of their book.

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.