:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32644425/20120426_jel_sl8_232.0.jpg)
Welcome to our first ever Hullabaloo NFL Draft Spectacular!
In this week's post, we will give you a full first round mock draft and predict every pick the Redskins will make, including trades. The staff and I are completely fed up with mock drafts and are ready for the real thing, but figured we might as well join in on the "fun". There was also some non-draft Hullabaloo this week, but before we get into it, here's our player spotlight:
Redskins Player Spotlight: David Amerson is a second year pro whom the Redskins are counting on quite a bit this year. The 2013 second round pick out of North Carolina State used his 6'1", 205lbs frame to his advantage last season and showed a lot of promise as a guy who can start opposite DeAngelo Hall at cornerback in 2014. At least, they hope he can. While he finished the year with 48 tackles, two interceptions (one for a touchdown) and ten passes defended, he also demonstrated issues with consistency. Of course, many rookies do, and because he progressed fairly well as the season went on, coaches are hoping he does not suffer a sophomore regression. Tracy Porter was brought in as a free agent, and they still have holdovers Richard Crawford, EJ Biggers and Chase Minnifield. It is also assumed Washington will bring in some more help through the draft. One thing is clear, however. Amerson is going to be counted on heavily next season and their success on defense will hinge on him stepping up.
Redskins Hullabaloo of the Week:
- It was reported that the Redskins met with the wide receiver Kofi Hughes out of Indiana and cornerback Keith McGill from Utah. Anyone else seeing a trend here?
- Tanard Jackson was reinstated back into the league on Monday, and there was much debate that evening about how much he might contribute this season. The debate was short lived however, as the Redskins terminated his contract on Tuesday.
- From the category of "What Took So Long?" came the news that Ryan Kerrigan's fifth-year option was picked up by the team two days before the deadline. This move is the very definition of a no-brainer and ensures at least two more full seasons of watching Kerrigan continue to grow as a pass rusher and finger roll intercepted balls over the goal post (as dunking has sadly been outlawed).
- Scott Campbell and Bruce Allen held their pre-draft press conference and we found out what we expected: absolutely nothing. However, it was nice of Bruce Allen to tell the media in advance he would try not to lie to them. And in all sincerity, I found it refreshing to see Scott Campbell sitting there fielding questions. The overwhelming sentiment since Mike Shanahan (aka the Iron Fist, aka He Who Shall Not be Named Unless One Wishes To Lay Blame For Last Season On Someone No Longer In Ashburn) left the team was that Campbell would have a bigger role in the decision making. This press conference was the first indication of that. The second indication was when Campbell told Allen to "shut-up for a second" so that he could finish one of his answers. Ok, he didn't really do that last one but it would have been so cool if he had.
Team Having the Best Week: The Houston Texans - So, here are the Texans with the number one pick in the draft. They have the best chance of anyone to land the best player who will make the biggest impact in the league over the next several years and hopefully make them contenders again. Or, they can trade down with the opportunity to get more quality draft picks and have the opportunity to land several players who hopefully can help them return to their winning ways. Who wouldn't want to be in this position?
Team Having the Worst Week: The Houston Texans - Yep, those same Texans have Texas sized pressure on them to not blow this. General managers and coaches are hired and fired based on the success of who teams take high in the draft. Do they go with Jadaveon Clowney, who has a ton of talent but whose love of the game has been questioned? Do they go with Khalil Mack, who seems to have everything a team can be looking for in a linebacker, but who may have a lower ceiling than Clowney, and then dare let Clowney go on to be a star with someone else? OR do they trade back with the hopes of collecting more quality picks, but instead end up giving away a high impact star player for a couple players who don't end up panning out. Yep, there's little bit of pressure here. However, their stress and suffering make for great TV viewing for us, so universally it ends up balancing out.
Huge Redskins Fan Dale Jr. Report (Aka Why Junior is Awesome):
Our buddy Dale was not pleased this past weekend following his performance in Talladega, and tweeted out the following.
Stuck in the back with no where to go. Disappointed in myself for not figuring out what to do the last 30 laps.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 4, 2014
He finished the race in 26th place. On the bright side, which is where we choose to reside here at the Hump Day offices, Junior is now fourth in the point standings with 328 and has a long season to go yet. His next race will be this Saturday at the Kansas Speedway in 7:30pm Eastern.
Random UnRedskins Item: Continuing on with our Washington Wizards theme from last week, we would like to point out how the team has entered uncharted territory in the past few days. Not only did they make short work of the Chicago Bulls in the first round, they destroyed and embarrassed the number one seeded Indiana Pacers in game one of the second round in Indiana. As a long suffering Wizards/Bullets fan, I am thoroughly enjoying this process while at the same time pinching myself on a regular basis to make sure it's real. There is a very strong possibility that our Wiz Kids could end up in the Eastern Conference finals and who knows where from there. All I can say is, I feel like this team can beat anyone right now. And I think they feel that way too.
On a completely unrelated note, the video of the week, which made the rounds on Twitter, involved a guy and some bikini clad woman getting more than they bargained for during rough conditions on a speed boat. If you haven't already seen it, please enjoy:
Turn Down For What Fail - Bikini Girls Boat Crash Remix - Original #TDFWFail (via TDFWFail)
Days until the Redskins First Pick in the 2014 draft: 2 DAYS!!!!
Our First Round Mock Draft:
The NFL Draft is finally here! All the talk surrounding the league this past week involved the draft in some way or another. Teams are discussing trades up and trades down and misinformation is flying everywhere. After consulting with all of our league sources, unsuccessfully reaching out to Mel Kiper Jr. eleven times, watching endless hours of film and then finally throwing thirty-two darts at the faces pinned up on our "Wall of Top Prospects", we were able to compile a list that we feel makes a lot of sense. I present to you the official Hump Day Redskins Hullabaloo Mock Draft:
1) Houston Texans - Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
2) St. Louis Rams - Khalil Mack, DE/OLB, Buffalo
3) Jacksonville Jaguars - Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A & M
4) Cleveland Browns - Jake Matthews, T, Texas A&M
5) Oakland Raiders - Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
6) Atlanta Falcons - Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
8) Minnesota Vikings - Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
9) Buffalo Bills - Mike Evans, WR, Texas A & M
10) Detroit Lions - Eric Ebron, TE, UNC
11) Tennessee Titans - Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
12) New York Giants - Odell Beckham, WR, LSU
13) St. Louis Rams - Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
14) Chicago Bears - Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
15) Pittsburgh Steelers - Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
16) Dallas Cowboys - Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
17) Baltimore Ravens - Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
18) New York Jets - Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
19) Miami Dolphins - C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
20) Arizona Cardinals - Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
21) Green Bay Packers - Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
22) Philadelphia Eagles - Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana
23) Kansas City Chiefs - Marqise Lee, WR, USC
24) Cincinnati Bengals - Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State
25) San Diego Chargers - Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
26) Cleveland Browns - Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
27) New Orleans Saints - Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
28) Carolina Panthers - Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
29) New England Patriots - Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame
30) San Francisco 49ers - Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
31) Denver Broncos - Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
32) Seattle Seahawks - Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
Redskins Mock Draft*:
- 2nd Round (34) - Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
- 3rd Round (66) - Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame
- 3rd Round (71)** - Dakota Dozier, G, Furman
- 4th Round (102) - Charles Sims, RB, West Virginia
- 5th Round (142) - Victor Hampton, CB, South Carolina
- 6th Round (178) - Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech
- 7th Round (217) - Jalen Saunders, WR, Oklahoma
*Thanks to FanSpeak's Mock Draft Simulator. Check it out if you haven't already and spend your days and nights going over hundreds of scenarios. Who needs friends or a job anyway?
**You may be asking yourself why the Redskins have two third round picks. The answer: Kirk Cousins will be shipped off to Cleveland to reunite with Kyle Shanahan in exchange for this year's third rounder and a conditional pick in next year's draft. We knew all that "we haven't received any phone calls" talk was baloney!
That is this week's Hullabaloo! As usual, feel free to let us know what we did wrong or if there is anything else you would like to see. Next week, expect a complete Redskins draft review and a lot of bragging about how smart we are and how perfect our mock draft was in every way.
Until then.........