Draft:
NOTE: I reference player overall rankings which come from CBS Sports. I allow myself to overdraft/reach on players from their prospect rankings, but I do not allow myself to project players dropping.
1st Round, Pick 11: Jaylon Smith – ILB – Notre Dame
Man, that injury to Smith was devastating, but look at what Todd Gurley did after coming back from a major injury. Now, I’m not saying Smith will come back and make an impact like Gurley did, but it does bring some positive light. Pace takes a big risk here taking Smith, but the reward could pay huge dividends. He’ll most likely enter the season on the PUP list.
2nd Round, Pick 42: Cody Whitehair – G – Kansas State
Despite rumors of Long moving back to right guard, it seems like he’ll be staying at tackle next year. This year, the right guard play for us was not good. It didn’t help protect Cutler or open up any major holes for us. So, Pace takes, in my opinion, the best guard in this draft in Whitehair. Despite playing left tackle for the Wildcats, he’ll move to guard in the NFL similar to what Zack Martin and Joel Bitonio did.
3rd Round, Pick 73: Artie Burns – CB – Miami
Pace gets great value here again in Burns out of Miami. He is a bit raw, so he’ll need a year of development though under Fangio and Donatell, but the reward could be well worth it. He’s very similar to Darius Slay in that he’ll have a learning curve like Slay did, but he could have a major impact year 2 like he had.
4th Round: Kyler Fackrell – OLB – Utah State
Although Willie Young surprisingly emerged last year, there is uncertainty with his contract and the depth behind him. Fackrell brings some much needed youth to the position with his versatility to rush the passer and to drop in coverage. He should be able to make an impact year one in a situational role if he can stay healthy.
5th Round: Justin Simmons – FS – Boston College
Pace may have just struck gold again in the fifth round this year with Simmons out of Boston College. He brings great range and instincts along with good run support. He’s been compared to Amos due to his ability to make an impact right away. Like Amos did last year, he’ll enter the season as the starter at FS with Amos at SS.
6th Round: Kevin Peterson – CB – Oklahoma State
He’s viewed by some around the draft community as a Day 2 pick due to his man coverage ability. A good example of this is when he shut down our Kevin White last year. The knock on him though is that he isn’t the greatest athlete and is more of a football player than athlete. He should be able to make some noise in training camp.
6th Round (Panthers): Brandon Allen – QB – Arkansas
What’s a draft without a quarterback? Although it is not a Goff or a Wentz, Pace gets a developmental quarterback in Allen who has been compared to Jimmy Garoppolo, a favorite on here. Give him some time and I think he can seriously compete for the starting job next year.
6th Round (Patriots): David J. Grinnage – TE – NC State
Although Pace signed Celek, the depth behind Miller and Celek is still poor. Khari Lee looked like a waste of a sixth round pick and didn’t show anything worth keeping him around. If he can stay healthy, Grinnage has some real upside.
7th Round: Stephen Weatherly – OLB – Vanderbilt
Day 3 is full of developmental prospects and Pace continues that tradition with the ex-Commodore Weatherly who has intriguing tools at 6-5, 255 that should entice any team.