We're back for the 27th pick of the 2014 Niners Nation Community Mock Draft. You can see previous picks below in the draft table. You can also follow the mock draft board through this story stream.
With the 27th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, Roy_from_Israel and the New Orleans Saints select Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri. He also considered defensive end/outside linebacker Dee Ford, cornerback Bradley Roby, and wide receivers Marqise Lee and Kelvin Benjamin. Here are his thoughts on the pick:
When I'm putting myself in the GM spot I ask myself a simple question which player will make the most impact to my team. This player won't necessarily be the BPA since obviously even if Johnny Manziel, for example, is still available he won't make any immediate impact. This strategy is not perfect of course, it would make the Packers skip on Aaron Rodgers for instance, but if your team has some glaring needs I think it's the right way to go.
So, enter me as the Saints GM, I see a dire need of a pass rusher (who can also defend against the run) and cornerback, for evidence look at the Saints-Seahawks divisional round game. Another less urgent need is a WR. Let's start with WR, my 2 best options available in the first round are Marqise Lee and Kelvin Benjamin. However the Saints have Colston who is a legitimate No.1 WR and promising young players Kenny Stills as a deep threat and Nick Toon as the No.2 wideout. In addition they can sign Robert Meacham who is already familiar with the system to compete for the No.2 position. To conclude, the Saints passing attack is the strongest link for the Saints and will probably remain as such as long as Brees is in town so adding a 1st round WR is nice but more impact is needed in the other side of the ball.
Moving on to the defense. the Saints shored up their safety position by selecting Vaccaro last drafy and signing Byrd in FA so no help is needed over there. Same thing can be said about ILB with Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne which are both quality starters and DE and NT where promising young players such as Jordan, Hicks and John Jenkins were selected in the last 3 years. OLB and CB need desperate help. This narrows my list to 3 prospects: Kony Ealy, Dee Ford and Bradly Roby. After watching film of all the 3 guys Ealy is the most dominant player of those 3 guys. He has a very good first step and explosion at the snap and always finds a way to get to the QB, he's also pretty hard to move in the run game. I did not see those traits with Dee Ford. Although Ford is faster then Ealy he is merely a 3rd down speed rusher also, he's a terrible run defender and is taken out of the play almost every time. I watched his tape against Alabama which is the closest thing to NFL competition and their RT dominated against him.
So Ford is out of the game and now it's Ealy vs. CB. Since all of the other top tier CB are already off the board it's basically Ealy vs. Roby. Roby had a great 2012 however he was very inconsistent in 2013 so I don't know which Roby I'm getting. So Ealy is the winner. You can say he's a poor men Aldon Smith. Great first step and explosion off the snap and a good run defender (Aldon is much better) and he is definitely gonna make the most impact to the Saints.
Trevor Woods: The analysis here is spot on. If a team is looking for a pass-rushing threat, Dee Ford is your guy, if they're looking for a better all around choice then Ealy is the player to select. The Saints run defense was undisciplined last season, not staying in their lanes, overpursuing, not maintaining the edge, and making other mistakes you don't see a team like the 49ers make. Ealy would give the Saints a player that is willing to stop the run and has the awareness to do so, he's a smart football player.
Nick Chiamardas: Despite a dramatic turnaround on defense last year, the Saints still have a few holes to fill including corner and pass rusher so grabbing Ealy here is smart. He's one of the tougher DE/OLBs to figure out because he lined up at so many different spots at Mizzou. He does have some experience being a stand up rusher but he seemed to have better success rushing as a true DE in a 4-3. The measurements and drills at the combine back up the belief that Ealy can make a successful conversion to a 3-4 OLB but it's a bit risky. I like Auburn's Dee Ford better but can't fault the pick as it represents great value while addressing a position of need.
Round 1
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1. |
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wiseguy545 |
Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina [Full Story] |
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2. |
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El Shorts | Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn [Full Story] |
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3. |
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9er4life22 | Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville [Full Story] |
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4. |
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Boss Clifford | Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson [Full Story] |
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5. |
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Mark Balliet | Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M [Full Story] |
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6. |
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CheekeeMunkee | Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo [Full Story] |
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7. |
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TopFlightSecurity | Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M [Full Story] |
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8. |
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Hoopers Judge | Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida [Full Story] |
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9. |
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jmart7 | Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina [Full Story] |
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10. |
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germinator | Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA [Full Story] |
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11. |
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49feelinfine | Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State [Full Story] |
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12. |
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superk0725 | Taylor Lewan, OL, Michigan [Full Story] |
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13. |
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El Shorts | Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama [Full Story] |
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14. |
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BryKno | Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh [Full Story] |
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15. |
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SigepPT49er | C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama [Full Story] |
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16. |
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Mira Loma Maulers | Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M [Full Story] |
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17. |
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JMichael39 | Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State [Full Story] |
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18. |
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Desert Dog Runner | Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State [Full Story] |
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19. |
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albert.55 | Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame [Full Story] |
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20. |
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MidnightSpecial | Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville [Full Story] |
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21. |
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Rowingdave | Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State [Full Story] |
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22. |
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MisterEclectic | Jason Verrett, CB, TCU [Full Story] |
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23. |
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Rowingdave | Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU [Full Story] |
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24. |
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BearAKA | Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech [Full Story] |
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25. |
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CraigRED&GOLD | Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame [Full Story] |
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26. |
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Boss Clifford | Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State [Full Story] |
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27. |
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Roy_from_Israel | Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri [Full Story] |
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28. |
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dave.bocchino | |
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29. |
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49ersCusefan | |
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30. |
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Tre9er | |
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31. |
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ak4niner | |
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32. |
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timmyg24 |
