Fantasy football: The ideal mock draft for the 2019 NFL season
By Chris Wilson
Round 11: WR Josh Gordon, New England Patriots
We hold off on quarterback and tight end for one more round, and instead draft the ultimate late-round flier, New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon. Earlier today, the NFL reinstated Gordon “on a conditional basis.” Gordon will not be able to play in next Thursday’s preseason game, but he is now able to rejoin the Patriots and is in line to play for the team in regular-season action at some point this season:
“We are all rooting for Josh to succeed, both personally and professionally,” Roger Goodel says of Josh Gordon’s reinstatement on a conditional basis. pic.twitter.com/fomz17v7ja
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 16, 2019
Gordon was suspended for the fifth time in his career last December after violating the NFL’s terms of his 2017 reinstatement. Gordon allegedly violated the league’s substance-abuse policy by testing positive for a drug other than marijuana:
From @GMFB Weekend: #Patriots WR Josh Gordon had multiple violations of the drug policy and it was more than marijuana, sources say. He has to show he's clean for a sustained period of time to return. pic.twitter.com/pvmJ9nZ4eg
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 23, 2018
Last week, ESPN reported Gordon applied for reinstatement with the NFL, which was conditionally granted by the league today. Gordon’s amassed 720 receiving yards over 11 games with Patriots QB Tom Brady before being forced to leave the team — and the NFL — in December.
Gordon’s best season in the league came in 2013, when his league-leading 1,646 receiving yards and nine touchdowns earned the sophomore receiver All-Pro honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl. Gordon wasn’t his 2013 self in New England last year, but he showed flashes of the dominant player he was during his early seasons with the Cleveland Browns:
https://twitter.com/sportscenter/status/1048046313772929025
Our 11th round pick of the draft has a wide range of potential outcomes, from never seeing the football field to becoming Brady’s top deep receiving threat for the 2019 season.