Mock Draft Colchester Gladiators (UK) Style – Round 2

MOCK DRAFT COLCHESTER GLADIATORS (UK) STYLE – ROUND 2

And so we come to the main event – round 2 of the 2013 NFL Draft. Well, Redskins fans will consider it the main event after sitting out the whole of the first round while watching the Rams use “our” pick on Jonathan Cooper, the guard from North Carolina.

Keeping my Redskins cards close to my chest, planning on taking one of the highly rated safeties at #51, a sudden burst on defensive backs, and one by one they were off the board.

Vaccaro and Cyprien went in the first. Cyprien to the 49ers, a pick selected by my brother, my twin brother, sitting next to me, both of us in our Redskins apparel. He knows our needs yet he diluted the pool of top safety talent. Judas!

Another player mocked to us many times, the Honey Badger Tyrann Mathieu goes immediately, quickly followed by Elam and Reid. But DJ is still there. DJ Swearinger, the hard hitting, versatile defensive back from South Carolina, not written about as much as the others, is still there.

I take my Cardinals pick, a gimmee after my bold selection of Geno Smith in the first. My Dolphins pick, another tackle, not really interested. DJ is still there. Carolina Panthers are up next. They went DT in the first, surely they’ll go cornerback or wide receiver. “With the 44^th pick, the Carolina Panthers select….DJ Swearinger, Safety, South Carolina.”

Ah, ok….what now? All five rated safeties are now off the board so do I start reaching for someone like JJ Wilcox or Phillip Thomas, or do I switch to plan B? Which corners are still there? Taylor, Banks, Alford, Wreh-Wilson, still some talent there worthy of #51. Still need to pick for the Giants though, yeah, he’ll do, Jenkins, they need a DE after losing Osi so they can have him.

Nov 17, 2012; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Johnthan Banks (13) during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 45-14. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden–USA TODAY Sports

Just the Bears to go now and still some top cornerback talent on the board. Bears take a tackle so we’re up. Here we go, the future of the Washington Redskins is in my hands. Safety or corner, corner or safety. The remaining safeties are a bit of a reach and we may be able to get one of them in the third so we’re going to take a corner. My extensive research on the cornerback field points me one way. The 6’2” corner from Mississippi State, Johnthan Banks. We’ll join the move towards taller corners like Sherman from Seattle, and get a bit more physical with the NFC East receivers. So Banks joins the burgundy and gold to shore up the secondary and we continue to pray that Brandon Meriweather recovers in time for the new season.

So just the Dolphins and Texans to pick for now then it’s job done. So after a few beers, much pizza, and football talk, my thanks go out to my teammates who helped with this mock. To Tom Burridge for hosting, Tom Clarke for organising, and John Foxley, Adam Burrows, Paul Brunsden, Phil Moreton and Dave Crane. Looking forward to visiting chez Crane for the real thing tomorrow night!

Round 2: