For those of you who took the time to join in the madness of my Mock Draft Insanity v1 scenarios, let’s me warn you – this time it doesn’t get any saner!

I got a great tip on another simulator, so now, not only am I using FanSpeak, but I’m also using First-Pick.com’s Play NFL Draft Game 2017. I can tell you that I have more control over trades in FanSpeak’s Premium version than I do in First-Pick, but they both are interesting simulators.

As I did last time around, I let the simulators pick for everyone else, and I just managed things for the Steelers (It fulfills my childhood fantasy of being the GM for the Steelers, so sue me).

Last time around, the rules were that I could not initiate trades. So limiting! …So this time around, I unleashed the Kraken! I gave myself full authority to trade the next two drafts away to get what I wanted. That meant I could trade future 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and 4’s in order to move up, down and all around in the draft.

I learned a little something along the way; not the least being that trading up is really expensive! I mean, like trying to trade in your old 1980 Ford Fiesta for a 2016 Rolls Royce – that kind of expensive!

And I sure did end up with some strange scenarios.

As I did last time around:

• I ran 10 simulations, and picked my favorite out of the group.
• I only did the first 5 rounds.

But the dealing I’m doing has netted me so many picks that I’m actually going to break this into 3 parts to match the draft itself: Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3!

Day 1 will cover Round 1 only. Day 2 will cover Rounds 2 and 3, and Day 3 will cover Rounds 4 and 5.

Without further ado, here we go with Mock Draft Insanity v2!

Team Needs

The Steelers are actually a team with very few needs right now. We cover this stuff as we go through the Draft Prep articles, but in order to put some method to my madness here, I think it’s worth reviewing what I view as the team needs.

For me, the number one need is OLB/EDGE. Pressure is what we need, and depth at that spot. “Uncle” James Harrison had a resurgent year last year; I will not be the person to say Deebo won’t do it again this year. Bud Dupree certainly showed that his arrow is pointing up.

The problem is that our depth after those two guys is less than stellar (and as unreal as James Harrison is, at some point he is not going to be out there). Jarvis Jones will be gone, and that leaves us with Anthony Chickillo, Arthur Moats and not much else.

This is the one place where I can see a real need.

With that being said, here is my “Team Needs”, in order of precedence:

OLB/EDGE, LB, CB, S, TE, DL, WR, QB, RB

Round 1 – Pick’s 3, 12 and 30

Yeah, you read that right. My wheelin’ and dealin’ netted me 3 first round draft picks!

And that’s not all! When all was said and done, I wrangled 3 extra 2’s, an extra 3, and an extra 4.

How?

Well, I gave my next 1, 2 and 4 to Cleveland for pick 12 in the first, pick 1 and 20 in the second, and pick 1 in the third.

And they took the deal! Go figure, even the simulators know Cleveland is Cleveland!

Then, having given myself permission to wreck two years of drafts, I offered a 1 and a 2 in 2019 to Chicago for pick 3 in the first, 4 in the second, and 4 in the fourth… and they took it! I had scenarios where I traded with Cleveland for 1 and 12, but the cost was far too high: 3 future 1st’s and this years 30th… no way! (Even I have limits.) I also had a scenario where I traded with San Fran for 2, and all the way down the line, making sure I ended up with at least 1 pick in the top 10.

The scenario I’m going to follow here was, in the end, the least costly, and brought the most “bang for the buck” I thought.

So my costs so far are 2018’s 1, 2, 3 and 4, and 2019’s 1 and 2. Of course, the whole point of this is that it’s insane! And maybe if the Steelers take this haul of picks, and win two more Lombardi’s, those picks are gonna be very late in the those rounds, and then I won’t feel so bad!

Here’s how all of this madness played out!

Pick 3 – Trade with Buffalo for Pick 10, their 2nd and 3rd rounders and a future 1st rounder!

Hey I just got my 2018 first rounder back! Along with their 10th round pick, I got 12 in the 2nd, and 11 in the 3rd, plus their 2018 first rounder! I’m liking how this is going.

In fact, I had multiple suitors who wanted that 3rd pick, but Buffalo, by adding a future first rounder to the mix, was the winner because it mitigated my trading away both 2018 and 2019.

Pick 10 – Mike Williams, WR (Clemson)

Mike Williams is a pure luxury pick for the Steelers.

Our wide receiver room is going to be pretty well stocked as it is: Antonio Brown, Eli Rogers, Sammie Coates, Cobi Hamilton, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Martavis Bryant (if re-instated) and Markus Wheaton (if resigned).

Williams is by no means a guaranteed hit in the first round, but his size and ball skills are really compelling. He has had focus issues, resulting in drops, but with the right coaching and veteran leaders the guy could be incredible. I took him here because after trading back, Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster and Malik Hooker were all gone.

I was hoping that either Thomas or Hooker would fall to 10, but I’m okay with taking Williams here.

Just as an FYI – Buffalo used that third round pick to take Myles Garrett. Cleveland took Deshaun Watson at 1, and San Fran took Jamal Adams at 2.

Other options – Dalvin Cook (RB, Florida State), Mitch Trubisky (QB, North Carolina), Corey Davis (WR, Western Michigan).

Pick 12 – Marshon Lattimore, CB (Ohio State)

Don’t ask me why, but the Jets decided to take Sidney Jones from Washington over Marshon Lattimore, who is generally considered the best CB prospect in this draft. In my mind that was crazy, because my gut says Lattimore is the best CB in this draft (and yes, I sometimes see the world through Scarlet and Grey glasses, but he’s really good).

According to NFL.com, one Pro personnel director for “an AFC team” said this about Lattimore:

“I’ve studied the top cornerbacks coming out and he’s the best I’ve seen. He’s so athletic that he can just post up under the receiver’s chin and shadow him all over the field. And he’s tough, too. He’ll be one of the top cornerbacks pretty quickly.”

That my friends is the definition of a lock-down, man-coverage corner.

On top of all that, he has great ball skills, and will very likely develop into “Lattimore Island”, where opposing quarterbacks fear to explore.

Other options – Corey Davis (still sitting there, and I would probably have taken him if I hadn’t just taken Williams), Malik McDowell (DL, Michigan State), David Njoku (TE, Miami (FL)).

Pick 30 – Takkarist McKinely, EDGE (UCLA)

I had my choice of 5 EDGE guys:

• Tim Williams (Alabama)
• Carl Lawson (Auburn)
• Charles Harris (Missouri)
• Taco Charlton (Michigan)
• Takkarist McKinley (UCLA)

It was easy to pass on Williams. His failed drug tests and somewhat questionable character make him a poor fit for a team that has already been burned by suspensions.

Then it got a little more difficult. It was like a having an overabundance of options!

The thing is that because of my insane trades (I’d prefer to say crafty, but, well, they are insane) I was going to pick again in just 3 picks. At least 3 of these guys were likely still going to be on the board. I know I’m going to double up on EDGE guys (and with my plethora of picks, maybe even triple up), and there are some guys I really like that I can get in the 2nd, either with the 1st, 4th, or 12th that I now have.

So, I took a look at value here.

Now, I have to be honest: Deshone Kizer is still sitting on the board. Based on the draft board I was using, he was the best value. But if you listen to Joe Kuzma and I discuss on the Steel City Underground Podcast why we shouldn’t draft a QB this year, you’ll understand why I passed, even though he was the best value.

The next best value outside of Takkarist McKinley and the other Edge guys is Budda Baker, a safety from Washington. I like Baker, but I have concerns. He’s smallish, but it’s not the height that bothers me, it’s just the general overall frame size. He tackles shoulder first a lot, and I worry about his ability to hold up in run defense. I’ve seen him drafted here in a lot of mocks which are far less insane than this one, and I’m tempted.

In the end, I went with Takkarist McKinely. Some scouts are comparing Mckinely to Tamba Hali. He’s still raw, and he’s a little stiff in his lower body, but he has good athleticism after the snap. Coaching will help him grow at the NFL level, especially with regards to hand usage and general pass rush mechanics. He fast, and he’s strong and has huge upside.

Other first round selections

I took Solomon Thomas (EDGE, Stanford) quite a few times (especially when my trades were with Tennessee) and Mike Williams had been taken in the top 4. In one scenario I got Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster (LB, Alabama) in the top 20, which was a steal, but the rest of the draft wasn’t as nice.

I also took Malik Hooker (S, Ohio State) a few times.

These guys, depending on the board you are using can be ranked as high as 2nd, and as low as 13th. In all cases, when I took them, they were value picks. (Ha! “Value” in the first round!)

In only one scenario did I take Myles Garrett (EDGE, Texas A&M), which was the draft were I sent four 1st rounders to Cleveland. The truth is, although he is the consensus number one pick value-wise, he ain’t worth it.

I ran that scenario just to demonstrate the high cost of trying to get the number one pick.

Day One Conclusion

Okay, let me make something perfectly clear for everyone out there:

NONE OF THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN!

I don’t remotely think the Steelers are going to put together a draft like this. In fact, my point with these “Insanity” bits, is more to introduce individual players who it would be great to see in the Black and Gold. In some cases (like Lattimore and Williams) this is not likely at all, in fact, it’s next to impossible to even consider it. In other cases, it’s very likely these guys will be around when the Steelers draft.

So, please don’t think that I expect this kind of draft scenario to actually play out – I don’t. This is purely my own madness and desire to have a little fun with the mock draft concept. As I’ve said before, until the Combine finishes, Pro Days are in the books, and team visits are actually scheduled, all of this is pure speculation anyway. It’s just for fun!

With that being said, it was a busy Day One, which netted us some possible difference-making players.

We addressed the number one need, EDGE, with Takkarist McKinely, picked up the best CB (Lattimore) and got possibly the best WR (Mike Williams) in the Draft as well.

Day Two awaits us, and we are sitting with a plethora of picks: 1, 4, 12, 20 and 30, all as a result of my insanity.

In a draft which is pretty deep in some areas of need, we have the chance to pick up even more potential difference making players.

See you back here for Day Two!