RUNNING AWAY
Serby mock has Jets passing on rusher for linebacker
THE DRAMA surrounding Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins continues to hold mock drafts hostage, so there will be inevitable changes following the NFL Combine — aka the Underwear Olympics — and free agency, but the late Yogi Berra would have thanked us for making the Serby Mock Draft 2.0 mandatory. A coin flip will decide the Eagles-Colts draft order.
1. BROWNS Myles Garrett DE, Texas A&M
Hue Jackson needs a quarterback — Browns head coaches always need a quarterback. But this is a franchise that cannot afford to reach for one, so they pass, and instead land a 6-foot-5, 270-pound predator who can get the Dawg Pound barking with delight.
2. 49ERS Jonathan Allen DL, Alabama
New coach Kyle Shanahan needs a quarterback. But he and GM John Lynch inherit a defense that surrendered a franchiserecord 2,654 rushing yards, and is switching to a 4-3. Maybe Joe Montana will give a thumb’s up to Mitch Trubisky.
3. BEARS Mitch Trubisky QB, North Carolina
John Fox needs a quarterback. This one-year wonder might not help him in time to keep his job, but he is the most accurate of the contenders.
4. JAGUARS Marshon Lattimore CB, Ohio State
New team president Tom Coughlin signs off on a sidekick for Jalen Ramsey for the next decade to cope with Andrew Luck and Marcus Mariota.
5. TITANS (from Rams) Jamal Adams S, LSU
GM Jon Robinson desperately needs to upgrade his 30th-ranked pass defense, and though corner is a greater need, this 211-pound intimidator is too good to pass on.
6. JETS Reuben Foster LB, Alabama
A 240-pound, three-down, heatseeking missile, providing insurance for life after David Harris. But would GM Mike Maccagnan really pass on RB Leonard Fournette?
7. CHARGERS Malik Hooker S, Ohio State
Anyone who is compared to Ed Reed is the perfect ballhawk to fill the void left by Eric Weddle’s departure once he rehabs from labrum and hernia surgery.
8. PANTHERS Leonard Fournette RB , LSU
Keep pounding behind Cam Newton with Jonathan Stewart’s wheels soon to fall off. Maccagnan and the Jets really passed on an elite power back like this?
9. BENGALS Mike Williams WR, Clemson
Good luck trying to defend A.J. Green opposite this 6-foot-3, 205pound ball snatcher.
10. BILLS Deshaun Watson QB, Clemson
Tigers coach Dabo Swinney convinces Buffalo GM Doug Whaley not to pass on Michael Jordan. Another project, but too many intangibles to become another EJ Manuel,.
11. SAINTS Derek Barnett DE, Tennessee
Cameron Jordan can’t chase Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston by his lonesome.
12. BROWNS (from Eagles) DeShone Kizer QB, Notre Dame
An Ohio kid with prototypical size and the right man to fix and develop him.
13. CARDINALS Marlon Humphries CB, Alabama
A big corner bookend to Patrick Peterson.
14. COLTS Solomon Thomas DE, Stanford
Someone has to rush the passer now that Robert Mathis won’t be.
15. EAGLES (from Vikings) Sidney Jones CB, Washington
Someone has to cover Odell Beckham Jr. and Dez Bryant.
16. RAVENS Dalvin Cook RB, Florida State
Ozzie Newsome snags a gamebreaking talent with durability and baggage concerns to take some heat off Joe Flacco.
17. REDSKINS Caleb Brantley DT, Florida
His nickname is “The Bull,” exactly what coach Jay Gruden needs to slow Ezekiel Elliott and upgrade his 24th-ranked run defense.
18. TITANS Corey Davis WR, Western Michigan
A big receiver for Mariota.
19. BUCCANEERS O.J. Howard TE, Alabama
Cameron Brate (eight TDs) was a revelation last season, but this is a 6-foot-6, 245-pound target down the seam for Winston. Sorry, Eli.
20. BRONCOS Cam Robinson OL, Alabama
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock prefers him inside, but if Denver GM John Elway green-lights him despite off-the-field baggage, he might need him to start at right tackle if free agent LT Andrew Whitworth is signed to replace Russell Okung.
23. GIANTS Zach Cunningham LB, Vanderbilt
A mere 33 years after Carl Banks, Big Blue finally uses a first-rounder on a LB — 6-foot-4, 230-pound tacking machine.