This is my first, and I'll probably do one more before draft day. 1. St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma- As close to a lock as you can get. The Rams certainly will have to think long and hard about taking players as good as Suh or McCoy, but in the end for multiple reasons, they need to go with Bradford. He’s too good, he gives the fans something to get excited for, and he rectifies passing on guys like Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez in previous years. 2. Detroit Lions – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- The Lions will have to seriously think about taking a LT here, but you can’t argue with taking the best player in the draft and potentially the best DT prospect since Warren Sapp. Suh is dominant and will be the final piece to a rebuilt defensive line in Detroit. Jim Schwartz is a defensive guy and will love to get his hands on Suh. 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma- McCoy is a great fit in the Tampa 2 defense. He is a penetrating defensive lineman that can play the run and really get after the passer. If Suh is the best player in the draft, McCoy is a hair below him. Some even have McCoy as the best overall. Either way, he’s great value here and will get the Bucs one step closer to getting back to their defensive roots. 4. Washington Redskins – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St.- The last part of what looks like a locked in top 4. With the Redskins trading for McNabb that obviously takes them out of the Jimmy Clausen sweepstakes. They now go and get a guy to protect Donovan’s blindside with Samuels now gone. 5. Kansas City Chiefs – Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa- Word out of Kansas City is the Chiefs are leaning this way. Eric Berry is the clear best player available, but according to Peter King, they’re not interested in going with a safety this high. Bulaga is a very good player though and will be a great bookend combination with Brandon Albert. 6. Seattle Seahawks – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma- This is a tough spot because again, Berry is the best player available and could very well go in this spot. I’m also very tempted to put CJ Spiller here because I feel like that’s a great fit. Ultimately though, I think Williams is the guy (for now). LT is the Seahawks biggest need and Williams is really the last top flight OT available. Some people also have Clausen here, but I just can’t see that with what they gave up for Charlie Whitehurst. 7. Cleveland Browns – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee- The Browns should be ecstatic to get Berry here as he’s probably one of the top 3 players in the draft. He plays safety though so he could fall this far. I’d find it hard to see him get any further though. The Browns need plenty of help on defense and Berry would make a huge impact for them. To me he’s similar to Ed Reed. He is a ballhawk in the passing game and can also step up and make plays in the run game. They could also look at a QB like Clausen here because Delhomme and Wallace are not the long term answer, but they seem more likely to take a QB a little later on. 8. Oakland Raiders – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers- Trying to guess what Al Davis is going to do is probably the toughest thing to do when making a mock draft. One thing we do know is Davis likes measurable. Well, that’s something Anthony Davis has. He was extremely inconsistent in college, and seems a little stiff, but he does have big upside and the Raiders need a LT. This could also be Earl Thomas or even Jimmy Clausen, but I get the feeling Al wants to be right on JaMarcus Russell and hopes he pulls a Vince Young. I’ll believe that when I see it though. 9. Buffalo Bills – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame- It looks like Trent Edwards is not the guy at QB for Buffalo and Fitzpatrick is nothing more than a stopgap. Clausen has some big positives as well as some red flags. He has decent size and athleticism and a good arm. He also played in a pro style offense under Charlie Weis in South Bend. There are questions though about his attitude. There are some reports out of Notre Dame that he wasn’t much of a leader and rubbed people the wrong way. Phillip Rivers has some attitude issues though and has done just fine for himself in the NFL. The Bills also could strongly consider a LT here if one of the top tier guys are still on the board. They aren’t in this scenario however. They also could strongly take a look at Dan Williams to anchor their 3-4 defense. 10. Jacksonville Jaguars – Tim Tebow, QB, Florida- Tebow is an enormous wildcard. He probably has no business going anywhere close to this high, but there is certainly some buzz that suggests he could. He would also be an extremely popular pick in the area for a team that could really use some fan interest. Tebow’s father also seems to strongly believe he will go in this area making public statements saying he won’t be available in the teens. Is that just a ploy? Maybe. Or maybe he really is getting that feeling. Tebow has a long way to go as a QB, but is top flight in the work ethic, character, and leadership departments. The Jags could use plenty of help in other areas and could use this pick on someone like Earl Thomas, Jason Pierre-Paul, or Derrick Morgan. 11. Denver Broncos (from CHI) – Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama- McClain is a football player, plain and simple. The guy makes plays. With the release of Andra Davis the Broncos are in the market for another ILB. McClain will team with DJ Williams and Elvis Dumerville to form a very formidable linebacking corps. Some people feel if the Broncos trade Marshall Bryant may be in the mix here. I don’t see him as a fit. Earl Thomas is a guy who certainly could be in the mix though. 12. Miami Dolphins – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma St.- This is an extremely tough pick to project because the Dolphins have needs at OLB, FS, WR, and probably NT and there are good players available at every one of those spots. We know Parcells and Ireland love OLB’s so that puts guys like Derrick Morgan and Brandon Graham in the mix for sure. Earl Thomas would also give them the ballhawking FS they need. Dan Williams is also potentially a possibility. Ultimately though I think the talent of Bryant wins out. He’s exactly what they need on offense. He’s a playmaker with good size, is a downfield threat, and has the potential to be a #1 WR in the NFL. He has his character issues, but the Dolphins brought him in to meet with him and rumor is that they’re satisfied with what they saw. The theory that Bill Parcells is against adding anyone with character issues is also a myth. Last year the Dolphins showed interest in Percy Harvin with similar issues being talked about with him. They eventually drafted Vontae Davis who also had character questions. I just have a feeling in my gut that this is the guy they want and will pull the trigger if he’s on the board. 13. San Francisco 49ers – Joe Haden, CB, Florida- The Niners have a few needs, and corner might be their greatest. Haden has fallen a little bit on some boards because of a relatively slow 40 time at the combine, but he’s still the best corner in the draft and ran much better at his pro day. An interesting name here could be Earl Thomas. Some people think that he can play corner and if San Fran feels that way they could certainly think about taking Thomas and playing him at corner. Of course they could also play him at safety. While OLB is not a need they could take a look at one of the falling OLB conversion guys like Morgan or Pierre-Paul here as well. 14. Seattle Seahawks – CJ Spiller, HB, Clemson- I thought about giving them Spiller at their first pick, and if he’s there at 14 I think he’ll just be too hard to pass up. He’s just dangerous with the ball in his hands whether it’s on a run, after a catch, or in the return game, Spiller is a game breaker. He may not be an every down back, but that’s a dying breed in the NFL with many teams going to HB by committee. The Seahawks could also look at Morgan or Pierre-Paul to play end. 15. New York Giants – Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri- With so many teams switching to a 3-4 defense, a pure 4-3 LB like Weatherspoon doesn’t get talked about as much as some of the other linebackers who can play both. Make no mistake though, Weatherspoon is a very good player, and will be the leader of some defense for a long time. He can play all 3 LB spots in a 4-3 and would be a much needed presence in New York with the departure of Antonio Pierce. The Giants would probably rather McClain if he got here, but I’m not sure he does. 16. Tennessee Titans – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech- This was a toss up for me between Morgan and Jason Pierre-Paul. Do they go with upside or NFL readiness? I think they go for the more sure thing and take Morgan. Either player would represent excellent value at this pick. Morgan might be the odds on favorite for DROY because he’s a polished player that can rush the passer and play the run. With a team that looked to be close to playoff contention after a nice run to close 2009, Morgan could be a big boost to their playoff hopes in 2010. 17. San Francisco 49ers ( from CAR) – Earl Thomas, FS, Texas- If Thomas gets this far (and he could slide even further), he will be an absolute steal. He’s excellent in the pass game and was a captain at a big program in Texas as a freshman. The Niners have needs along the offensive line, but there really aren’t any tackles worth this pick. They could look at a guy like Iupati, but ultimately I think Thomas is too good to pass up. The same might be said about Pierre-Paul who would also be very good value at this pick. 18. Pittsburgh Steelers – Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- The Steelers don’t have a ton of needs, but they could certainly use an upgrade on the offensive line. Iupati is a nasty interior lineman that will improve their line and make life easier for both Big Ben and Mendenhall. Their other main need is cornerback and a guy like Kyle Wilson would certainly be an attractive option as well. 19. Atlanta Falcons – Jason Pierre-Paul- The Falcons have a very good offense, but need some help on the defensive side. They helped out their secondary with the signing of Dunta Robinson, but now they need some help in the front seven. Getting a player like Pierre-Paul at this spot would be a huge get for the Falcons. He’s a physical freak that despite the lack of playing time at the D1 level has all the talent in the world and huge upside. If Pierre-Paul is off the board they could look at a Brandon Graham or Sergio Kindle, or Jerry Hughes, or if Weatherspoon or McClain falls they could certainly go that route as well. 20. Houston Texans - Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise St.- With the loss of Robinson, the Texans are in need of a corner and Wilson is a very good one. They would probably love to see Earl Thomas here, but I just think he’s too good to fall this far. The Texans have been a talented team everyone’s waiting on to make the playoffs. Wilson could make that more likely. They could also look at a HB like Ryan Matthews who would also be a good pick here, but I think the need on defense trumps the need at HB. 21. Cincinnati Bengals – Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma- The Bengals had a successful year in 2009 returning to the playoffs, but they didn’t finish the year strong and were eliminated in the 1st round. They had a big need at WR, but added Antonio Bryant in the offseason and rumored to still be thinking about TO. I’m sure Carson Palmer would really love to have a pass catching TE and Gresham gives them that. They could also take a look at a pass rusher or maybe even Taylor Mays. 22. New England Patriots – Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan- This is another tough one to project. With the injury to Welker they could use a WR. They could go with a guy who’s an outstanding 5 technique prospect in Jared Odrick. They could finally fill the need at HB with Matthews. Or they could take a pass rusher, which has several options in itself with Graham, Kindle, Hughes being the most likely. Ultimately I think Graham is the best of that bunch and that’s the way they go. As a Dolphins fan, I really hope I’m wrong about this, but I think he would be a great fit in that defense and give them some much needed pass rushing ability. He’s slightly undersized, but he’s just so good it makes up for that inch or so in height. 23. Green Bay Packers – Maurkice Pouncey, OC/OG, Florida- The Packers have some major needs along the offensive line. If that’s the route the decide to go they could look at Pouncey on the inside or a guy like Charles Brown at tackle. They could also look to replace Kampman with a guy like Kindle or Hughes. I think the need on the offensive line is too great though and a guy like Pouncey who could play guard or center would be a nice fit. 24. Philadelphia Eagles – Devin McCourtey, CB, Rutgers- McCourtey is rising up draft boards and could find himself in Philadelphia come draft day. With the departure of Sheldon Brown the Eagles are in need of a corner to play opposite Samuel and McCourtey is a great option. If somehow Earl Thomas gets this far he would probably be the pick, but I don’t think that’s very likely. 25. Baltimore Ravens – Jared Odrick, DE/NT, Penn St.- Odrick could end up going much, much higher than this, but if he falls to the Ravens he would be a great fit with the loss of Justin Bannan. Odrick has the ability to play end in a 3-4 as well as kick inside on passing downs. Odrick and Ngata on the same line is a scary though and would go a long way towards bringing the Ravens defense back to one of the NFL’s elite. Many people have them taking a WR here, but with the additions of Boldin and Stallworth and the re-signing of Mason, that isn’t as much a need as a want and can be taken care of later in the draft. They would probably like to get a TE and if Gresham got to this pick they’d probably give that some thought. 26. Arizona Cardinals – Daryl Washington, LB, TCU- Some people might see this as a reach, I think it could be a steal. Washington is a very good player that led one of the best defenses in college football last season. He played outside in college, but I think would fit in nicely in Karlos Dansby’s spot in the middle. If Weatherspoon fell here he could certainly be an option as would a TE like Gresham. 27. Dallas Cowboys – Charles Brown, OT, USC- With the release of Flozell Adams the Cowboys have a need at offensive tackle and if Brown makes it here would fill that need nicely. He’s not at the same level as the top guys in this draft, but he’s a very solid player. There’s talk that the Cowboys are interested in a WR, so that could be an option here as would a safety like Mays or potentially Nate Allen. 28. San Diego Chargers – Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee- Williams has been talked up as a potential top 10-15 pick, and he could end up going that high, but I see him as a better value at this point of the 1st round. With the release of Jamal Williams, Dan Williams becomes a natural fit at the nose in San Diego. A HB like Ryan Matthews will certainly be enticing here as well. 29. New York Jets – Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU- Many people seem to think the Jets will go WR with this pick and they certainly could with some good options out there in Golden Tate, Demaryius Thomas, and Arrelious Benn. But a Rex Ryan team puts defense first and they are in dire need of an elite pass rusher. Jerry Hughes has the ability to be that type of player. It’s scary to think of how good that defense would be with an elite pass rusher. 30. Minnesota Vikings – Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida St.- The Vikings most pressing need is corner and as it stands, Robinson is the best available. He might be a little bit of a reach here, and they’d probably prefer Wilson or McCourtey here, but while Robinson has some things to work on, he has very nice upside. Another corner they could look at is Kareem Jackson. They could also look at a guy like Taylor Mays or an offensive lineman if Iupati or Pouncey falls here. 31. Indianapolis Colts – Tyson Alualu, DT, Cal- The Colts greatest needs are along both lines. I don’t see a tackle worth taking here although if they feel Vladimir Ducasse or Rodger Saffold are tackles, they could take one of those two here. On the defensive side they would probably like to see Odrick or Hughes here, and could think about Brian Price, but I have them going with Alualu. 32. New Orleans Saints – Sergio Kindle, DE, Texas- After the departure of Charles Grant, the Saints could use an end and Kindle could be an enormous steal here. Ultimately I think he falls a little bit because he’s purely a pass rusher at this point and has had some off the field issues. He does have elite pass rushing ability though and could certainly turn out to be a very good player.
Here's the thing. You have Dez Bryant as the only wideout being drafted in the 1st round. You are probably right. That is why I believe the Dolphins will wait until the 2nd round to take a wideout.
It's funny you say that because that was the most surprising thing to me after I was done. I'm still not sold on that though, it was just the way it worked out in my mock. Even if they get out of the 1st round though, I think it will be difficult for Thomas, Benn, and Tate to get to 43 and after that it's a big dropoff IMO. And even if they do fall, Bryant has by far the best shot to be a #1 and that's what Miami needs. There will still be good players at FS and OLB as well in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. They do seem very interested in LaFell though. I think if they take a WR in round 2, that's who it is and in comparison to Bryant that's extremely dicy.
You have my 2 fav pass rushers going to the Jets and the Pats.... But alot of times that seems to be how it works out, so your probobly right.
That was the other big thing I took notice of after I was done. It pained me to put those guys on those teams because I like both quite a bit and think they'd be excellent value there. Graham especially.
I disagree, I see a lot of WR needy teams drafting in the second round before us. Unless you want to potentiall settle for a Damiam Williams, you take your guy at 12 if hes still there.
Pretty good mock. I agree with most of it, which helps. Couple of areas I disagree with: I don't think the Jags will reach for Tebow, the Bills might prefer to grab an OT in round one and snag McCoy in round 2, and I think Tebow goes #31 to the Colts. I'm also of the mind that Detroit will take Russell Okung rather than one of the two DTs, but Suh does seem more likely than Okung.
I might be wrong entirely but didnt Nix say he wants a QB with a strong arm to combat the windy conditions? If so, I cant see McCoy at all, guy has a Penny arm. Clausen doesnt have a cannon, but he can certainly wing it hard when he has to. I dont think the Buffs could afford to pass on him. JVille and Tebow though are the 2 wild cards in this draft. From a financial standpoint, for football to be viable for a few more years, and maybe stabilize the franchise in terms of attendance/interest, they absolutely MUST take him. Unless there is some kind of crazy tinfoil hat conspiracy between the owners to allow him to reach the Jags in round 2, I think the most likely scenario is a trade down. You could see a team like Pitt move up for McClain maybe, or San Fran for Haden or Berry if he falls. Maybe the Seahawks use their seconds first to move back up for Spiller or Bryant. Honestly its hard to recall this unpredictable of a team or player in past years. The Lions pick will also be interesting in whether they go for LT (which they should) or grab one of the DTs. Im just pissed they took it off the weekend when I could watch and stuck it in "prime time" where I will be at work.
I don't think Spiller falls that far, and I'm not sure only 1 WR goes (though I could see it). Overall seems pretty realistic though. Having NE and NYJ get players I like sucks.
I wouldn't describe McCoy as having a noodle arm. Yeah, he's not exactly the strongest-armed QB in the draft, but he can deliver the ball where it's needed. If Buffalo is going to draft a QB based on arm strength rather than overall ability, then they deserve Claussen: he's right up there with Tebow in terms of potential bustability. If the Jags draft Tebow at #10 to save their franchise, then their franchise is already doomed. Tebow needs time to bake. If you draft him at #10, you're almost required to have him start immediately, or at the very least keep Garrard on a very short leash. Tebow as he is right now isn't going to do well in the NFL. I don't think JAX is that dumb. DVR it.
The Bucs and the Bills are really the only two WR needy teams but they have many needs. The Bucs also need a defensive tackle, defensive end, safety, and cornerback. The Bills also need a defensive tackle, quarterback, and outside linebacker. Some say the Rams, Chiefs, and Browns need a wideout but I disagree. The Rams are still developing Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, and Danny Amendola. Plus they have needs at tight end, outside linebacker, and cornerback. The Chiefs have Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers and they recently signed Jerheme Urban. Plus they have needs at tight end, inside linebacker, and safety. The Browns are still developing Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie, and Josh Cribbs. Plus they have needs at quarterback, defensive end, and safety. I don't see the Lions (Calvin Johnson) Eagles (DeSean Jackson & Jeremy Maclin) Raiders (Darrius Heyward-Bey & Louis Murphy) or the Seahawks (T.J. Houshmandzadeh & Deion Branch) taking a wideout in the 2nd round. Plus there is a long list of non-receivers who could be drafted in the 2nd round before we pick. 1. Jared Odrick 2. Jerry Hughes 3. Devin McCourty 4. Kareem Jackson 5. Patrick Robinson 6. Rodger Saffold 7. Bruce Campbell 8. Vladimir Ducasse 9. Jon Asamoah 10. Brian Price 11. Terrence Cody 12. Tyson Alualu 13. Lamarr Houston 14. Daryl Washington 15. Tim Tebow 16. Colt McCoy 17. Rob Gronkowski 18. Carlos Dunlap 19. Chris Cook 20. Nate Allen 21. Brandon Ghee 22. Morgan Burnett 23. Jahvid Best 24. Jonathan Dwyer 25. Ricky Sapp 26. Toby Gerhart The more I study it the more I believe Arrelious Benn will be there. Golden Tate might even make it to #43 which would be awesome.
With Tebow I just get the feeling the guy somehow finds a way to go around there. Those comments his dad made lead me to believe that. I know it's possible he's just saying that to help his son's draft stock. But would an ultra-religious man lie about that? That pick was kind of a shot in the dark though. With the Bills I think they could easily go OT with that pick as well. In this scenario all of the top ones are gone though. Would they reach for Charles Brown? Possibly. I wanted to put Spiller higher. I really wanted to give him to the Seahawks at their first pick, but I just think they need a LT too badly and can still hope he gets to their second pick. If he does fall that far though, I could see a team moving up for him.
To be fair, Tebow's dad isn't a GM. He has absolutely no idea what's going to happen, just like the rest of us. Nothing's stopping JAX from taking Tebow at #10, and I'd like to see it simply because it pushes a good player down to us, but at the same time it's the wrong move. Ultimately I think JAX backs down and realizes QB is the least of their concerns, ticket sales or not. (Who would buy tickets to watch Tebow stink the place up, anyway?) They're going to have to reach for someone just based on their needs, IMO. Claussen would be just as big of a reach as Charles Brown at that spot. (Not a big Claussen fan here.)
No, his dad doesn't know for sure, but they could be getting strong indications. Of course indications can be misleading at this time. I'd say it's a longshot that he goes that high, but I think it's possible so I just took a shot there. With Buffalo I think you can afford to reach on a QB, but reaching that much on an OT is tough. There's less of a bust factor probably, but would you feel great about taking a OT in the top 10 that ends up just being an okay LT or maybe even RT? They very well could, and it's entirely possible one of the other OT's falls to them, but I think that team needs something to build around and while Clausen has his questions, he has franchise QB potential.
