- Thread starter
- #1
kam.
Mr. Blackmon
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2010
- Messages
- 13,451
- Reaction score
- 1,577
Learn to love the draft.
And don't take it personal when the player I "mock" to your favorite team isn't the player you want your team to pick.
1. Carolina Panthers - Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers
Arriving at Clemson as the nation's top recruit, Bowers realized his potential as a junior, leading the NCAA in sacks (15.5), tying for first in tackles for loss (26), and earning the Nagurski Award as college football's top defender. New Panthers coach Ron Rivera is implementing a Tampa-2 defense built on front-four pressure. As 2010 sacks leader Charles Johnson enters free agency and left end Tyler Brayton his age-32 season, Bowers would give Rivera a building block at his scheme's most important position.
2. Denver Broncos - LSU CB Patrick Peterson
Peterson has shed 12 pounds since the college season, vowing to run a sub-4.4 forty at 6'1/210. The Broncos are getting back Elvis Dumervil to reinvigorate their pass rush, but won't re-sign free agent Champ Bailey. For a team that ranked 25th against the pass even before losing its shutdown corner, Peterson is a no-brainer choice as perhaps the draft's most skilled all-around athlete.
3. Buffalo Bills - Auburn QB Cam Newton
Newton scored 51 touchdowns in the SEC and has an accurate, powerful arm. In the NFL, he'll be a run threat similar to Vince Young with strength to shake off rushers like Ben Roethlisberger. Newton's checkered pre-Auburn history and transition from an option to pro-style offense are concerns, but there's not a more talented quarterback in this class. Buffalo is an ideal landing spot with Ryan Fitzpatrick capable of keeping the offense competitive while Newton learns.
4. Cincinnati Bengals - Auburn DT Nick Fairley
Fairley finished the season ranked third in the NCAA in tackles for loss, and his 24 were easily first among interior linemen. (Undersized Memphis DT Frank Trotter's' 16.5 were second.) Fairley has been criticized as a one-year wonder who tends to play high at 6'5/298 and takes plays off, but consistently dominant performances on the national stage for the BCS champs are hard to ignore. In Cincinnati, he'd be an instant upgrade over Tank Johnson at three-technique tackle.
5. Arizona Cardinals - Texas A&M OLB Von Miller
After leading the nation in sacks (17) as a junior, Miller made the surprise decision to stay in school and improve his cover skills. It paid off. Miller exhibited freakish fluidity in his drops during January's Senior Bowl, and no one questions his devastating combination of body lean and burst off the edge. Miller is the top pure pass rusher in the draft, and Arizona's greatest weakness is at outside linebacker with incumbent starters Clark Haggans and Joey Porter both turning 34.
6. Cleveland Browns - Georgia WR A.J. Green
New Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur knows what it's like calling plays without a dominant, No. 1-caliber receiver, and it isn't much fun. A silky smooth deep threat at 6'4/212, Green is NFL-ready after mastering Mark Richt's aggressive pro-style offense to the tune of 15.78 yards per catch and 23 touchdown receptions in 28 college starts. There's not a better wideout in this year's class.
7. San Fransisco 49ers - Georgia LB Justin Houston
Houston isn't considered a top-ten pick yet, but he'll get there after ripping up the Combine. 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds with an incredibly quick first step, Houston terrorized the SEC for 17.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss in his final two seasons. 49ers OLBs Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson disappointed with 6.5 combined sacks in 2010, and Lawson is a free agent. Houston played both end and linebacker for the Dogs, easing his transition into San Francisco's 3-4.
8. Tennessee Titans - Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert
The arm strength is there, but Gabbert did little vertical passing last season in Mizzou's Mike Leach-like spread. While it may have been partially due to a lack of outside playmakers following Danario Alexander's graduation, Gabbert isn't nearly a finished product or as talented as Newton. Gabbert is also not expected to throw at the Combine, which sends up something of a red flag. Still, owner Bud Adams is intent on finding a franchise QB. The Titans can sign a veteran like Billy Volek or Chad Pennington to warm the seat until Gabbert is ready.
9. Dallas Cowboys - Alabama DE Marcell Dareus
A 6-foot-3, 306-pound bowling ball, Dareus left Alabama with 20 career tackles for loss and 11 sacks as essentially a one-year starter. While not a truly difference-making pass rusher, Dareus possesses rare quickness for a 3-4 end and can crash the pocket as a three-technique tackle on passing downs. Three of Dallas' top four defensive ends are free agents (Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen, Jason Hatcher), so this is good value and fills a major need.
10. Washington Redskins - Alabama WR Julio Jones
More physical than Green with nearly as much field-stretching ability, Jones started all three years at Alabama after leaving high school as the nation's No. 3 overall recruit. He's dominated every level of football he's ever played. Also a chain mover and devastating blocker, Jones would immediately step in as Washington's No. 1 receiver. Santana Moss turns 32 this summer and is a free agent. Anthony Armstrong can motor downfield, but does little else well.
11. Houston Texans - Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara
It may seem like overkill for Houston to select a first-round corner for the second straight year, but 2010 20th pick Kareem Jackson looked too stiff in the hips as a rookie and incumbent RCB Glover Quin is better suited to safety -- another area of need. Amukamara is the anti-Jackson as a fluid cover man with speed to run with any wideout. Nose tackle and pass rusher are also must-haves, but the Texans can't afford to keep letting receivers run through their secondary at will.
12. Minnesota Vikings - North Carolina DE Robert Quinn
The NFL Combine will be crucial for Quinn after he missed the entire 2010 season for accepting over $5,000 in gifts from an agent. Certain to rise if he impresses in Indy, Quinn is a physical freak at 6'5/270 who finished second to only Derrick Morgan in 2009 ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting. Quinn reeled off 19 tackles, 11 sacks, and an eye-popping six forced fumbles as a sophomore. Vikings Nos. 2 and 3 ends Ray Edwards and Brian Robison are free agents.
13. Detroit Lions - Colorado LT Nate Solder
Offensive tackles typically go off the board quickly, but the majority of top talents in this year's draft play defense. Solder is the best tackle, and it's an area Lions GM Martin Mayhew intends to upgrade after promising to make Matthew Stafford's protection his foremost offseason priority. A former tight end (four starts as a freshman), Solder is an incredible athlete with a sub-4.9 forty time, less than 7 percent body fat, and 34 ½" arms. His addition would allow Jeff Backus to move to right tackle, where Gosder Cherilus is no longer an option after microfracture surgery.
14. St. Louis Rams - UCLA SLB Akeem Ayers
Finishing third in 2010 Butkus Award voting, Ayers was a defensive disruption waiting to happen at UCLA. The fourth-year junior lived in opposing backfields, accumulating 29.5 career tackles for loss and 14 sacks in 28 career starts, also intercepting six passes. Unlike most 6-foot-4, 255-pound strong-side linebackers, Ayers can cover. No wideouts will be worth the No. 14 pick if Green and Jones are gone, and outside 'backer is arguably St. Louis' bigger need anyway.
15. Miami Dolphins - Alabama RB Mark Ingram
The 2009 Heisman winner's junior-year numbers were down after a left knee scope, but Ingram stayed highly effective with a 5.54 YPC average and career-best 13.43 yards per catch. A tackle-breaking punisher, Ingram is versed in blitz pickup after playing on pass downs in Crimson Tide OC Jim McElwain's pro-style scheme. The Fins' top two rushers are declining free agents, and Ingram fits GM Jeff Ireland's desire for a back who "pass protects and creates yards on his own."
16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Colorado CB Jimmy Smith
The Jags have promising talent up front, but they're brutal in the secondary. The Big 12's version of Nnamdi Asomugha, Smith was targeted just 20 times and allowed 11 completions (55 percent) as a senior. Despite not picking off a single pass -- mostly due to the lack of opportunities -- Smith was voted first-team All-Big 12 by the coaches in an obvious acknowledgment of respect. Smith has shutdown corner-caliber ability, and is reported to run in the mid-4.3s at 6'2/205.
17. New England Patriots - Mississippi State OT Derek Sherrod
Pats LT Matt Light regained top form in 2010, but the free agent turns 33 in June, and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer's play stalled in his second season. At 6'6/312 with 35 1/2" arms, 11" catcher mitts, and a mammoth 84" wingspan, Sherrod is built ideally for an NFL tackle. He played on the left side at Mississippi State, but likely could excel as a run-blocking right tackle after dominating in the Bulldogs' smash-mouth offense. They ran it 619 times in 2010, ninth most in the NCAA.
18. San Diego Chargers - Cal DE Cameron Jordan
Jordan has been discussed as a potential top-ten pick, but that's not happening in a draft crop littered with double-digit sack threats. What Jordan lacks in explosiveness he makes up for as a physical run defender. Graduating with 34 tackles for loss in 32 starts, he's also no slouch in penetration. Jordan is an ideal five-technique end and would immediately move into San Diego's starting lineup across from Luis Castillo. Jacques Cesaire and Travis Johnson are free agents.
19. New York Giants - Boston College OT Anthony Castonzo
The G-Men have all kinds of question marks at tackle with injury-prone LT Shawn Andrews due a $3.5M roster bonus and RT Kareem McKenzie entering a contract year at age 32. David Diehl will play left guard after Rich Seubert's "major" knee surgery. Giants assistant OL coach Jack Bicknell coached B.C.'s line in 2007-2008, when Castonzo became the Eagles' first true freshman lineman to start in a decade. It's a much needed youth injection to an aging, banged-up front five.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan
Kerrigan reported to January's Senior Bowl 10 pounds light to increase his value as a potential 3-4 outside 'backer, but he's a 4-3 base end through and through. Playing both sides of the line with a ruthless motor, Kerrigan led the nation in tackles for loss (26) as a senior, tacking on 12.5 sacks to give him 32.5 in his final three seasons. The Bucs have a glaring pass-rush need after finishing last in the NFC in sacks, and the 2010 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year can help immensely.
21. Kansas City Chiefs - Missouri OLB Aldon Smith
A long, explosive athlete at 6'5/260, Smith is another pass rusher who could vault up boards with a big Combine. He's coming off a sluggish redshirt sophomore season, managing 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks while missing three games with a broken leg. Smith had 19 TFLs and 11.5 sacks as a freshman. The Chiefs will likely franchise tag free agent Tamba Hali, but can field a truly dominant defense with a legit bookend rusher. Smith is also a local favorite.
22. Indianapolis Colts - USC OT Tyron Smith
Smith was the Trojans' right tackle for the past two seasons, taking home 2010 Morris Trophy honors as the Pac 10's premier offensive lineman. He was considered the nation's most athletic o-lineman, even more impressive in his movement skills than Solder. Also long armed with a more physical game than you'd expect from a 6-foot-5, 280-pounder, Smith projects to left tackle in the pros. Colts incumbent LT Charlie Johnson is a free agent. (And isn't very good.)
23. Philadelphia Eagles - Miami CB Brandon Harris
Right cornerback became a monster liability during the Eagles' stretch run, and the defense was particularly susceptible to the pass with LCB Asante Samuel missing four of the last six games because of a knee injury. A 32-game starter for the 'Canes, Harris picked off only four passes in his college career but is widely considered the third or fourth best corner prospect in the draft.
24. New Orleans Saints - Wisconsin DE J.J. Watt
The consensus among New Orleans beat writers has the Saints using their first-round pick on a front-seven playmaker. A former starting tight end at Central Michigan, Watt exploded after his transfer to Madison for 36.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in two seasons. In DC Gregg Williams' 4-3, the 6-foot-6, 292-pound Watt would play left end on early downs and kick inside to tackle in passing situations. Watt has a tireless motor. He also blocked three kicks as a junior.
25. Seattle Seahawks - Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick
Kaepernick bypassed Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett, and Andy Dalton as this draft's third best signal caller with a standout Senior Bowl. Talked up by NFL Network's Mike Mayock in particular, Kaepernick is now projected as a "bottom of the first (round)" prospect by SI's Peter King. A four-year starter with off-the-charts athleticism and a cannon arm, Seattle could groom Kaepernick as its franchise quarterback with free agent Matt Hasselbeck likely returning on a short-term deal.
26. Baltimore Ravens - Pittsburgh WR Jonathan Baldwin
Baldwin left Pitt as a third-year junior after averaging 18.26 yards per catch in a conservative, run-first offense. Over the course of Baldwin's career, the Panthers posted a 1,079:1,441 pass-to-run ratio. The Ravens are also historically run-minded on offense, and desperate for a receiver with speed to separate downfield. Listed at 6'5/230, Mayock projects Baldwin to potentially run a sub-4.4 at the Combine. Baldwin would start opposite Anquan Boldin with Derrick Mason as the No. 3.
27. Atlanta Falcons - Boise State WR Titus Young
The receiver run ends with Atlanta, where GM Tom Dimitroff is an admitted "needs" drafter. That isn't to say Young isn't worth a day-one selection. He drew comparisons to DeSean Jackson at the Senior Bowl after averaging 17.11 yards per catch in 2010, 26.87 yards on kick returns with two touchdowns as a junior, and catching 19 TD passes in his final two seasons. With Tony Gonzalez fading, the Falcons are desperate for a vertical weapon to complement Roddy White.
28. New England Patriots - Ohio State DE Cameron Heyward
New England's biggest 2010 weakness was in the secondary, but RCB Leigh Bodden's return will help fix that. Up front, the Pats were wracked with injuries as DEs Ty Warren (hip surgery), Mike Wright (concussion), Myron Pryor (back), and Ron Brace (torn elbow ligament) combined to miss 35 games. Right away, Heyward could step in as the best five-technique end on the roster.
29. Chicago Bears - Wisconsin OT Gabe Carimi
The Bears have considered moving promising right tackle J'Marcus Webb to the left, which may or may not be a good idea. Regardless, the line remains Chicago's primary need area after Jay Cutler took an NFL-high 52 sacks in 2010 and was knocked out of two games, including the most crucial of the season. Carimi is polished in pass pro with exceptional length (35 1/4" arms), and the ultimate "safe" pick. The 2010 Big Ten O-Lineman of the Year started 49 games as a Badger.
30. New York Jets - Iowa DE Christian Ballard
Adrian Clayborn is the most heralded member of an Iowa front seven that will produce as many as five draft picks, but Ballard is the best-looking pro prospect. Whereas Clayborn doesn't have a clear position for the next level, the versatile, 6'4/290-pound Ballard is a picturesque 3-4 defensive end with plenty of pocket-pushing ability. Ballard was among the Senior Bowl's top performers.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers - Florida OG Mike Pouncey
Mike isn't considered quite as talented as his twin brother, Maurkice, but it's awfully close. And the Steelers already hit a home run once on the Pouncey family. An athletic, powerful, in-line blocker and 46-game college starter, Mike projects to right guard in the NFL after finishing his Florida career at center. Strong-side guard was a trouble spot for Pittsburgh in 2010, with Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky, and Trai Essex all seeing starts at the position.
32. Green Bay Packers - Texas CB Aaron Williams
Green Bay is so loaded with talent that GM Ted Thompson may simply draft the best player available, or even trade down. If "T.T." is targeting a need, cornerback, receiver, and defensive end are his thinnest positions. Sam Shields is a future starter, but Charles Woodson is entering his age-35 season and Green Bay can use help behind those two and Tramon Williams. Also a game-changing special teamer, Williams blocked five career punts to rank second in UT history and covered kickoffs and punts even while starting. He'd be a dime back and gunner off the bat.
Just Missed: UCLA FS Rahim Moore, Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, Notre Dame TE Kyle Rudolph, Maryland WR Torrey Smith, Illinois RB Mikel Leshoure, Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn, Tennessee TE Luke Stocker, Penn State C/G Stefen Wisniewski, Baylor NT Phil Taylor, LSU DT Drake Nevis, Miami (FL) WR Leonard Hankerson, Illinois DT Corey Liuget, USC DT Jurrell Casey, West Virginia FS Robert Sands, Miami DE Allen Bailey, Washington QB Jake Locker
I can deal with Jimmy Smith. Has amazing upside. Shocked about the Newton and Houston picks.
