Earlier this week I gave you my five best picks of the 2015 NFL Draft. Now it’s time to discuss my five worst picks of the 2015 NFL Draft. The fun with this? These players haven’t played a down in the NFL so it’s all conjecture. Feel free to bookmark this page and come back and mock me in a few years if these guys make it big…
1. Brandon Scherff, OG, Washington Redskins
First Round, Overall Pick #5
Overall, Scherff will be just fine in the NFL. My problem with this pick is that a guard (although it’s believed he will also be used at right tackle) was taken this high in the draft and the Redskins passed up the best player in the draft (Leonard Williams) to make this pick. This is a situation where the Redskins should have looked harder at making a deal with this pick (if they were dead set against drafting Williams) due to the value that Williams had in this spot.
2. Arik Armstead, DT, San Francisco 49ers
First Round, Overall Pick #17
The 49ers have had a rough off-season on defense with the loss of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland. Conventional wisdom would have had the 49ers going with a linebacker here or at least somebody who could come in and play on day one. Armstead is a project player. He could end up being a great one but at this point it’s all upside with him and not much substance. The 49ers needed more immediate impact with this pick.
3. Shaq Thompson, LB/DB, Carolina Panthers
First Round, Overall Pick #25
Not only was this not a need for the Panthers but it was also a reach. As a collegian, Thompson never quite lived up to his billing but he has a lot of talent and will eventually be a good replacement for Thomas Davis. Unfortunately, the Panthers needed immediate help on the offensive line and they certainly didn’t get it with this pick. Somewhere Cam Newton weeps.
4. Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts
First Round, Overall Pick #29
This is another case where you can like the player but hate the pick. I don’t love Dorsett, but I can see where he can be a very good fit with Andrew Luck and the Colts. Still you have to wonder with all the speed he has, he only had 36 receptions as a senior? The Colts over-looked other needs here. We will see if it comes back to bite them.
5. Sean Mannion, QB, St. Louis
Third Round, Overall Pick #89
Mannion was the fourth quarterback chosen in the NFL Draft. As a senior, he completed just 52% of his passes and threw 5 TD versus 4 INT against Top 25 teams. Against winning teams, he completed just 56% of his passes. Maybe the Rams see something special in him but I would have much rather they waited a few rounds for this pick or grabbed Brett Hundley and Bryce Petty, two players that have higher upside and were drafted lower than Mannion.
