This is hard. I really like Sam Farmer, the NFL writer for the Los Angeles Times. For a newspaper, he’s as good as it comes as an NFL writer. He doesn’t do it for ESPN or SI, but he could. Farmer is good. He is a dying breed.
Rock out with your mock draft out: Sam Farmer
But his mock draft is pretty awful. This is free content, so make sure to check it out.
As a Browns fan, he lost me immediately. He projects Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson to be Cleveland's selection. This is a classic case of overvaluing the NFL Scouting Combine.
“The Browns need a right corner, and Florida’s Joe Haden is a popular projection here,” Farmer writes. “But Haden was slow at the combine, and Wilson is coming on strong.”
Fair enough, but that's still a huge stretch. It's interesting in Farmer's mock to see Dez Bryant as the third wide receiver taken. Sure, Bryant has issues. But if there's one position where that can be acceptable enough, it's wide receiver. Further, he has the Cardinals taking Bryant with pick 26.
Although Arizona just lost Anquan Boldin, adding a first-round wide receiver doesn't make much sense. Early Doucet and Steve Breaston should adequately replace Boldin. Further, the Cardinals need so much more – particularly on defense.
The other big shock is seeing Toby Gerhart being pushed into the first round with San Diego’s pick. Farmer’s reasoning is sound – that San Diego needs a strong runner – but Gerhart should be available later in the draft.
Still, it’s hard to hate on Farmer’s mock too much. It’s mostly because he’s such a good writer. And mocks are kind of silly anyway. But check it out.
See More:
