Let me preface by explaining my month-long hiatus.  I concluded my last blog explaining how morale was low here at skins skinny.  Shortly after, morale took another blow as the rumors became real and Scott McCloughan was fired.  However, the way in which McCloughan was dragged through the mud after his firing by the Redskins front office was something that felt wrong and downright evil.  I couldn’t wrap my head around what was so obvious – Allen was jealous McCloughan was getting all the credit. Allen was supposedly the one holding the purse strings (i.e. not paying Kirk his money) so he must’ve felt slighted that McCloughan was getting all the praise of turning the team around.  There was another story out that McCloughan wanted to trade Kirk and Gruden adamantly opposed that idea which would explain the Gruden extension.  However, with stories from players saying Allen was cursing out Scott for entering the locker room and how Allen had a one on one meeting to tell Scott “no one likes you here”, it’s obvious that Allen was just jealous McCloughan.  That is flat out depressing.

The only good news from all this is now the microscope is on Allen.  If the redskins fall apart this year, you can guarantee he’s going to feel the heat.  Enter 2017 NFL Draft, Allen’s last hope.  I’ll go on the record now saying that if he misses on this draft, he’s getting fired this offseason.

With that, here is MY mock draft:

#17: Corey Davis, WR Western Michigan:  Oh yeah, I did it. I drafted a WR in the 1st round. Yes I remember who we picked first round last year. Yes I know we picked up Pryor. Yes I know how bad our defense is. My response:

Corey Davis is a true #1 wide receiver.  He didn’t play the toughest DBs in the MAC conference but my goodness what a mismatch he was.  In 2016, he went for 1500 yds, 97 receptions and 19 TDs leading the Broncos to their first even 13-0 season and breaking the FBS record in total yards in a career. They would go on to lose to Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl but Davis certainly wasn’t at fault (as seen above).  His playmaking ability to go up after a jump ball is what caught the attention of scouts.  You just don’t see that kind of aerial domination every day.  But what sets Davis apart is just how tough he is. He looks for jam when coming off the ball and tends to hit linebackers over the middle before they can hit him.  He loves the stiff arm which he combines with a vicious juke move that leaves defenders pantsless. Furthermore, he’s not afraid to stick his nose in there on a run block.  I watched him stalk block a Wisconsin DB in the Cotton Bowl and take him clean off the field.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more polished run-blocking WR coming out of college. When I watch his film, I get excited about the player he could become.

He is an emotional leader, a winner, and plays with the toughness of a tight end.  He weighed in at 209 but he plays like he’s 235. Say he bulks up a little more at the NFL level and you have a brand new Mike Evans with Hines Ward level meanness. Before I get to far ahead of myself, let me address the red flags.  His 40 and vertical remain a mystery because he didn’t run it at either the combine or his pro day. He played in a spread system that relied heavily on him and again, he played in a bad conference so his stats are inflated. He sometimes drops wide open passes. Maybe that has to do with the volume thrown his way but regardless that will be his biggest issue with whoever selects him at the next level.

Reasoning: Sitting down and running through my own mock draft, I was astonished how many defenders I had other teams drafting before us.  I mean, the 1st offensive player off my board is Mike Williams to San Diego Los Angeles Chargers. Now, Corey Davis could very well be their pick instead of Williams but I believe Davis hurt his stock to much by not participating in the combine or his pro day.

After the Chargers pick is where things get dicey. Fournette seems like a forgone conclusion for the Panthers who haven’t had a decent running back in decades but they could very well go DB there instead. I follow that up with a somewhat-surprise pick of Haason Reddick OLB/DE to the Bengals at #9 who is flying around experts big boards.  He is someone that could be a perfect addition to any team so why not to the Bengals who already have the interior d lineman to have him thrive immediately?  I follow that up with the over-drafting of John Ross at #10 by the life-less Bills who need to re-energize their fanbase.  Now, that’s not to say I don’t think John Ross will succeed, I just think the Bills have much bigger needs that could be filled by a good young DE or ILB.

The saints almost assuredly would pick the best ILB on the board of Reuben Foster at #11 to help that putrid defense of theirs. #12 seems to be obviously QB Mitchell Trubinsky to give the Hue a QB to ruin and the Browns fans some false hope.  That’s why I think it’s even more obvious that the Cardinals take Deshaun Watson one pick after.  I’m sure they’re sold on Mitchell Trubinsky but after they lose their guy and knowing they have to wait 32 picks to potentially get another, they’ll address their future QB problem here.  Some other options here: OJ Howard TE, Corey Davis WR, Barnett DT, Brantley DT.  The Cardinals pick is tough to call because of how weirdly Arians drafts.

The Eagles taking Cook after seeing what a decent running game did for the Cowboys. Davis could go here. Philly needs a WR for Wentz badly but I think they’ll feel like this is a steal getting Cook at #14.  I wouldn’t be shocked if the first offensive lineman went here either.

The Colts need some lineman on both sides of the ball. I like Brantley’s production and his tenacity so he would fit in well with the colts at #15. This may send some shockwaves to the Ravens who seem to draft a player like Brantley every damn year. I think they’re still gung-ho on making that defense a power again so drafting the best edge rusher left on the board here in Taco Charlton or Barnett here would be good for them. I toyed hard with the idea of Corey Davis going here or OJ Howard but I think they’re still spooked from that Perriman pick two years ago and will pass on taking another receiver this high.

THEREFORE: The skins will have a handful of defenders to choose from but none of them get me as excited as Davis. MacDowell and Barnett are good but they will need some coaching before either of them become a star.  Davis could very well be a start right out of the gate. Zach Cunningham ILB is another name that gets thrown around here but with the signing of Zack Brown I think the skins will wait until later in the draft to address the linebacker position. Christian McCaffrey is another player who is getting some consideration here and with him meeting the with the redskins this week you could very well hear his name as well.  McCaffrey is a talent but almost seems like a better 3rd down back than an every down back.  For that reason, I have him falling out of the 1st round altogether.

Yes, I’m taking the high risk player in Davis and hoping that all this domination I’m watching on film carries over to the NFL.  I’ve heard the comparison to Terrell Owens and I like it.  He doesn’t have the mouth of TO, but their size and athleticism is match up perfectly. The more I watch Davis, the more I like him.

Hopefully I’ll be closer than I was last year! My redskins pick was drafted 101 picks later…