It’s the first Rich Sports Talk NFL Mock Draft this year. This will be the first of many mock drafts that will be done this year including ones with drafts. The mock draft will cover all 32 picks in the first round and for this one their will be no trades.
However, you may be surprised how many quarterbacks come off the board given the talent pool of signal callers in this year’s class. Want to know who your team drafted? Listen to find out.
After trading Jimmy Garoppolo in season to the San Francisco 49ers, the New England Patriots may already have their sights on Garoppolo 2.0.
When the trade was announced before the NFL trade deadline many were stunned. New England gave Jimmy Garoppolo away for a second round pick? How did they not get multiple first round picks for him? Did the 49ers pull of the great trade robbery the sequel?
After it was reported that the trade was made because of a divide between Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady would eventually lead the organization to move on from their former second round pick. With Tom Brady approaching the age of 41, the Patriots will now look to address the next heir to Tom Brady throne. Luckily for New England, this is one of the richest drafts for quarterbacks in recent memory.
Going into this draft New England will have the 31st, 41st or 42nd, and 63 picks in the draft, 41 and 42 will be determined by a coin flip. This may not be enough ammo to move up early in the draft, but New England may already have their eyes on their next quarterback project.
Kyle Lauletta: Courtesy of Richmond Times-Dispatch
For New England, like they did with Jimmy Garoppolo, could go the FCS route for a quarterback. Their next project could by Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta who scouts have compared to Garoppolo. Looking at the tape of these two quarterbacks, it’s scary to set how similar their skill sets and measurables.
Garoppolo Lauletta
| Height | 6’2 ¼” | 6’2 ½” |
| Weight | 226 | 217 |
| Arm length | 31.00 | 30.75 |
| Hand size | 9.25 inches | 9.62 inches |
| 40 time | 4.97 seconds | 4.85 (estimated) |
| Accuracy | 62.8% career | 63.5% career |
Don’t forget the buzz for both of these quarterbacks really started after strong Senior Bowl performances. This year, it was Lauletta who was the talk of the quarterbacks with some of the best practices, and shining in the game going 12-for-18 for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
A strong Senior Bowl has pushed Lauletta up draft boards across the league.
The luxury for the Patriots is that Tom Brady has made it clear that he wants to play until he is 45. This might not happen, but you can bet that for at least the next two to three seasons, Brady and the organization believe that number 12 is going to be their starter. Having that window will allow the Patriots, Belichick, and McDaniels time to develop Lauletta much like they did with Garoppolo.
With a good roster and Bill Belichick preferring to sign veterans since the CBA reduced practice times, I could see that Patriots using their first round pick to draft the Richmond quarterback. This will be a quarterback heavy draft and if the Patriots try to wait until the second round, it may be too late.
Given the similarities and the fact that the Patriots now don’t have a succession plan after Brady anymore, drafting a young quarterback to develop, even if it is in the first round, just makes to sense. Seeing how similar Lauletta is to their previous quarterback of the future, it won’t be a surprise if New England calls the Richmond quarterback’s name in the upcoming draft.
Jameis Winston: Round 1 Pick 1 
This pick has seemingly been locked for a long time. Winston has been the consensus top quarterback in the class and has been almost locked as the top pick for months. Barring some trade or a bold decision, it looks like Winston will be a Buccaneer. It makes too much sense. Tampa Bay has been desperate fort a franchise quarterback for years, Winston is from the Tampa area, the small market could help the media exposure around Winston, and Tampa has some great weapons on offense. With the state of the NFC South, it’s not that far-fetched that if Winston can play well from day one, the Buccaneers could compete for the division title.
Marcus Mariota: Round 1 Pick 2
The biggest question about this year’s draft will be where will Mariota go? Will he be drafted high or fall? Will a team trade up for him? Which team could trade for him? In this scenario I have Tennessee grabbing him here for one of two reasons. First, they need a franchise quarterback and Zach Mettenberger is probably not the answer. The other reason he could go here is that Tennessee could play the leverage game and try to trade him for more draft picks. Either way Mariota will probably be off the board sooner than later.
Bryce Petty: Round 1 Pick 19
Every year quarterbacks go earlier in the draft then projected. It is a quarterback driven lead after all and teams will be aggressive to get a quarterback before they come off the board. With two first round picks, the Browns have the luxury to use one of the picks on a quarterback while still getting a talented player with the other. I have Petty going with the later pick. Cleveland has made it clear that they are no longer sold on Manziel and Petty has the type of character make up a franchise would want at quarterback. Petty will need some time to sit and learn the playbook and with Josh McCown now on the Browns it has made it the perfect situation for Petty to sit and learn rather than playing right away. It also could give Cleveland the excuse to move on from Manziel.
Garrett Grayson: Round 2 Pick 6
The Washington Redskins could be looking to move on from Robert Griffin III. However, they probably will not want to use a first round pick on a quarterback even if Mariota is available. In the second round Washington could take a shot on Garrett Grayson who has been battling Hundley and Petty to be the third quarterback off the board. Grayson has the size and enough arm talent to possibly be a future franchise quarterback in the NFL. While Griffin has more physical talent, the problems with his leadership and durability will have Washington looking for a possible replacement plan.
Brett Hundley: Round 2 Pick 23 UCLA 
Despite three different quarterbacks in 2014, the Arizona Cardinals were able to make the playoffs. However, with Carson Palmer’s health now a question mark the team needs a solid backup plan. Hundley could be the future starter in Arizona, and could be groomed in the meantime under Palmer. Arizona has the defense to be a contender but they will need a quarterback to get there. Hundley could be that option if Palmer is hurt again and Hundley’s skill set is perfect for not only this team but this division. With a division with great defenses and pass rushers, a mobile quarterback in the pocket is crucial. There’s a reason the NFC West has two of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league, it’s because this division has great defenses. Arizona needs a quarterback to get back to the postseason and Hundley is a great security blanket should Palmer get hurt again.
Despite his college success, Mccarron is still not a top QB in this class
The NFL Draft has become a game of numbers. With more intervals and statistics than ever, it creates an overload of information when trying to judge these college players. Heck, it’s come to the point where we are asking ridiculous questions about every asset of a player’s life. Before we know it a players draft stock could plummet just because he had a cough at the combine. However, one stat that constantly gets overlooked is the most important one, winning.
In a sea of statistics bombarding every draft analyst ranging from bench presses, to forty yard dashes, and even mental tests, we forget that at the end of the day isn’t it all about winning? If it was all about the stats shouldn’t MIT professors be judging these players rather than NFL scouts? How is it that the winningest quarterback in the Draft class is not being taken seriously?
Lost in the three-horse quarterback race of Bortles, Manziel, and Bridgewater, most people have written off Alabama’s Aj Mccarron as a franchise quarterback. On pretty much every website, TV program, and draft special I have researched Mccarron isn’t even considered in the top 5 of this quarterback draft class. Blasphemous I say! If he falls to a team in the second round, he could be the steal of the 2014 Draft. Imagine if the Texans not only draft Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick but also get a great quarterback like Mccarron in the top of round 2. Houston could be back in the playoffs if they were able to pull that off.
There is no question that Mccarron is a winner
Why is Mccarron getting overlooked? He’s won two national championships as a starter and had the best record of any starter throughout his duration in college. In his career he has thrown for 77 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and thrown over 9,000 yards. Despite this, he still has little to no respect. Heck people know him more for his girlfriend, Katherine Webb, then his football career. People will say it’s because of the talent around him that made Mccarron successful, which is true that he had the most talented team in college. However, he also had to live with the highest expectations in college football. Did any other quarterback have that much pressure? Despite a 11-2 record in his senior year, a season which most programs would die for, was a complete failure by Alabama standards. If anything being able to perform under that pressure and unreasonable expectations should make NFL executives want him even more.
When studying Mccarron I compare his college career to that of a future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady. Now by no stretch of the imagination am I saying that Mccarron will be the next Tom Brady or a Hall of Famer, but both were in similar situations when drafted. Both were vastly underrated prospects, Brady was the seventh quarterback selected and Mccarron sits as the sixth or seventh quarterback on most draft boards. Brady and Mccarron were considered game managers with little room for improvement. However, the one thing both of them did in their college career was win. If put in the right system, Mccarron could be a day 1 starter and could be a solid starter in this league. Who knows? In time he could become one of the top starters in the league. Maybe ten years from now we will look back at this draft and say man, how did all of those quarterbacks go before Mccarron? He may not be the most gifted quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft, but the one thing that AJ Mccarron has proven is he is a winner. And isn’t winning everything?
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