My blueprint was to trade down in the first and take Jaelen Strong. Parlay the extra second day picks to take (in no particular order) OLB, ILB, TE and C with a CB/S like Rowe a possibility if he was there.
I would have parlayed my 4th, 5th and 6th for a low 3rd but that's hypothetical since trading up is harder to execute than trading down.
Still, sitting at #16 and knowing both top RBs were taken means that nobody was probably going to trade up unless they had a hard on for Cam Erving or Landon Collins - the only two projected first rounders without a "just as good" player behind him.
So I would have taken Bud Dupree as my OLB at #16.
At #51, I'm probably thankful I can still take Jaelen Strong and would do, not knowing he'd still be there in the third. I'd also be tempted to go after Maxx Williams as the best TE on the board.
Ironically, the OLB I really wanted, Lorenzo Mauldin, went to the Jets with the pick we gave up to get Jaelen Strong. But I already have Dupree. If I wanted to do that trade with the Jets, I probably would take Alex Carter of Stanford. But if I stayed at #82, I probably would have grabbed Carl Davis as the sort of college DT that fits as a 3-4 DE.
This would mean I'd still have my 4th, 5th and 6th so I would have used my 4th on Jesse James, 5th on Andy Gallik, 5a (comp) on Antwan Goodley, 6th on Quandre Diggs, 6a (comp) on Taiwan Jones, 6b (comp) on Cody Prewitt and 7 on Deion Barnes.
I realize four of my last five didn't get drafted at all but, as we'll see, some guys will be UDFAs and still make the team. In the last three rounds, all you are looking for are guys who can make the team.
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