Search the Community

1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck QB Stanford No point in analyzing this one, it's been Luck at 1.01 since the get-go. 2) Washington Redskins (from St. Louis) - Robert Griffin III QB Baylor Right guy, wrong team. RG3 always was going 1.02 but the Redskins were not the team I thought would get it done. Certainly changes the mock from this version versus the last. RG3 and Andrew Luck will be forever linked like many QBs that go 1-2, but unlike most pairings, I think both with have solid careers. 3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil OT USC Still no changes here. Doesn't really matter who is taking snaps for the Vikings, he won't be effective if he is running for his life. You could make a case for Minnesota going with Blackmon/Claiborne or trading the pick but I think Kalil is the best play for them. 4) Cleveland Browns - Trent Richardson RB Alabama I'm not sure there's another team in the NFL that could use TRich as much as the Cleveland Browns could. The team is built to power run and the only other back of note on the team is Montario Hardesty. Richardson instantly becomes the bellcow on the Browns. 5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Morris Claiborne CB LSU Morris Claiborne is the best CB in the draft bar-none, despite some reports I've read of the contrary (Cosell, you are crazy). and the Buccaneers are liable to lose their best corner to jail-time. Ronde Barber is a year away from retirement and EJ Biggers is not going to scare the likes of Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton. Interestingly enough, I read that Aqib Talib was quietly floated in trade offers to no bites. Looks like the Bucs aren't kidding around with regards to cleaning up their act. 6) St. Louis Rams (from Washington) - Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State Blackmon is easily to the top WR available in the draft and the Rams know they need a playmaker to help Sam Bradford keep this offense on schedule. I think Blackmon likely didn't run to protect his pre-combine image as the WR1. He's not track-fast so that was probably the best move. Love him or hate him, Steve Smith isn't the whole answer at receiver for the Rams, Blackmon should be the selection. 7) Jacksonville Jaguars - Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina I still like Mike Floyd and I think he could do some damage in JAX. But all signs point to Jacksonville upgrading their defensive line. They've struck out in the recent past with the likes of Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves and whiffed on free agents like a past-his-prime Aaron Kampman so there isn't much doubt that DE is a sore spot. Word on the street is that Jacksonville is more than willing to move down, likely in an effort to drum up extra value from a team willing to overpay for either Ingram or Ryan Tannehill. 8) Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M I made a call 6 weeks ago that Tannehill would be a top 10 pick. I was wrong as to what team would reach for him but I am confident that someone will. Miami is that team. The owner wants a flashy pick and a first round QB is about as flashy as it gets. Matt Moore and David Garrard are far from long-term solutions. Tannehill is raw but could make sense here. 9) Carolina Panthers - Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State I fell into the combine trap that was Dontari Poe in March but in reality, it doesn't appear as though Fletcher Cox will lose the distinction of being the DT1 of this draft. Whomever it is, Carolina needs defensive line help. For a team that saw such a huge improvement on the offensive side of the ball last year with the addition of Cam Newton, it has become painfully obvious that the defensive side of the ball must be improved drastically. Luke Kuechly or even a reach to Quentin Coples would be other options. 10) Buffalo Bills - Riley Reiff OT Iowa With Mario Williams and Mark Anderson in the fold, I don't think the Bills will be looking to pass rush in the draft. But with the recent loss of Demetrius Bell to the Eagles, the Bills need help on the offensive line. The Bills don't typically leave much help in blocking by way of tight ends and backs so moreso than most, Buffalo needs to score a solid blocker here. 11) Kansas City Chiefs - David DeCastro OG Stanford More offensive help for a team that struggles on offense. DeCastro will be an anchor for a team that is used to having quality guard play. Watching the O-line drills, I am convinced that this guy is the play. He is the next Steve Hutchinson in my opinion. 12) Seattle Seahawks - Luke Kuechly MLB Boston College Even with the signing of Barrett Ruud, the Seahawks need help at linebacker badly. David Hawthorne left for New Orleans leaving Ruud, KJ Wright and LeRoy Hill; pretty bare cupboard. 13) Arizona Cardinals - Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame I have read that Larry Fitzgerald is lobbying hard for this guy. Can't really blame him as I'm sure that he is getting tired of constant bracket coverage. You can argue that the Cardinals have other needs (OT, OG, CB) but Fitz is the team and the Cardinals have placated him before. 14) Dallas Cowboys - Mark Barron SS Alabama Mark Barron is probably a week one starter for the Cowboys who have battled safety problems since the days of Roy Williams (not the WR, the safety). The best safety in the draft unquestionably, I'd be surprised if he gets by Dallas who can likely pass on a cornerback with the signing of Brandon Carr. 15) Philadelphia Eagles - Quentin Coples DT/DE North Carolina Ok ok, I will stop beating the linebacker drum for the Eagles, but only because they traded for one in DeMeco Ryans. I still say they could use another LB but that trade probably assures Reid that he can pass on LB in the draft. I'm confident that Coples is big enough to slide inside for the Eagles but even if he didn't, Philly loves to have a good rotation of ends. 16) New York Jets - Chandler Jones DE/OLB Syracuse Lots of mocks (my previous redentions included) have been calling Courtney Upshaw to the Jets. Why then has New York invested so much time scouting Chandler Jones? Jones' stock has been on a steady rise up draft boards. The Jets know that Jones isn't making is to round 2. If they want him, they'll need to get him here. Rex Ryan needs a youthful infusion into his rush OLBs and Jones can be that presence. 17) Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland) - Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama A bit of a head case, comes complete with plenty of off-the-field issues. Perfect fit for the Bengals? Leon Hall is coming off of a season-ending injury and is a free agent. Jonathan Joseph left for Houston last year. Teams can quickly go from riches to rags at a certain position in the NFL and the Bengals' cornerback situation is a good example of this. Kirkpatrick has amazing ability at corner and I'm not buying that Stephon Gilmore is better than him. The Bengals take the high upside guy at 17. 18) San Diego Chargers - Whitney Mercilus DE/OLB Illinois I think San Diego can justify a tackle here but I think Jared Gaither getting resigned might allow them to pass on tackle altogether. Mercilus hopes to succeed where Larry English has failed and provide the 3-4 OLB opposite Shaun Phillips. 19) Chicago Bears - Michael Brockers DT LSU With Brandon Marshall hopefully filling some of the void at WR for the Bears, I think the attention turns to the defensive line. The Bears defense was at its peak with a dominant defensive line, starting inside. If Michael Brockers can channel Tommie Harris in his early years, the Bears defense will be much improved. 20) Tennessee Titans - Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina I will acknowledge that Stephon Gilmore has garnered a lot of attention in the last few weeks but I refuse to place him higher than Dre Kirkpatrick. I just haven't seen enough good things from him to justify it. That being said, he is getting buzz at the right time and Tennessee still needs someone to replace Cortland Finnegan. 21) Cincinnati Bengals - Cordy Glenn OG/OT Georgia Cincinnati needs to plug a hole at right guard. Glenn is athletic enough to also play swing tackle so I think he gets the nod here. 22) Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta) - Kendall Wright WR Baylor There are scouts that believe that Kendall Wright is the top WR to come out of college this year. His physical stature may be holding him back in that regard but you cannot argue the difference he made in Baylor's offense. The Browns are hoping that Wright can make a similar difference for Colt McCoy. Wright should start immediately in a WR corps that boasts Mo Massaquoi and gimmick-player Josh Cribbs. 23) Detroit Lions - Jonathan Martin OT Stanford I still don't really like this pick because I see Detroit finding a way to draft a defensive back to help them win the shootouts that they seemed to find themselves in a lot last year. That said, Detroit was able to see a return on their investment in Matthew Stafford with him making it through the season without a major injury. The Lions would do well in the draft to acquire players to help keep their quarterback producing. I still think that Detroit might be better served to grab help in the secondary but with nobody at corner that really fits the bill, tackle it is. Jeff Backus can't last forever but Martin can be his understudy for a year or two before taking the reins. 24) Pittsburgh Steelers - Donta Hightower ILB Alabama Guard, tackle, 3-4 DE, ILB, nose tackle; you name it? The Steelers probably could use it. However, with long-time ILB James Farrior currently unemployed, I expect the Steelers to spend a first-round choice to grab someone to replace him. Donta Hightower was faster and more athletic than most gave him credit for at the combine. He would be a quality addition as a "TED" linebacker in any 3-4 scheme. Pittsburgh is known for hard-hitting and imposing linebackers; Hightower looks built for the job. 25) Denver Broncos - Jerel Worthy DT Michigan State A big run stuffer in the middle to help replace Broderick Bunkley (left for the Saints) inside. The Broncos defense solidified down the stretch but Marcus Thomas isn't the long-term answer despite his desire to be. Worthy would be the interior presence the Broncos need in the hard-running AFC West. 26) Houston Texans - Nick Perry DE/OLB Southern California Mario Williams is gone and the Texans don't really have much else to lean on for pass rush. Nick Perry could be a week one starter for Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense. 27) New England Patriots (from New Orleans) - Harrison Smith SS Notre Dame The Patriots secondary was a disaster all year. Pat Chung was the lone bright spot but he can't seem to stay healthy. Belichick was signing street free agents to play free safety. Word is that Bill Belichick loves how heady Smith is for a safety. I think the Patriots would be wise to get him here just in front of the safety 28) Green Bay Packers - Shea McClellin DE/OLB Boise State A sore spot for the Packers, McClelling provides an immediate upgrade opposite Clay Matthews over an under-performing Erik Walden. McClellin was heavily watched by Green Bay staff and I think he's going to be the BPA for them when this pick comes around. 29) Baltimore Ravens - Peter Konz C Wisconsin Peter Konz is the best center available and the Ravens need a eventual replacement for Matt Birk. Good fit here. 30) San Francisco 49ers - Coby Fleener TE Stanford Stanford connection wins out here. Jim Harbaugh likes to run multiple TE sets (they also happen to be the new offensive trend with the Patriots success) and he knoes Fleener better than any head coach. With the signing of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham, I think the 49ers shy away from Stephen Hill even thought they really like him. A guard like Kevin Zeitler would also be a good play here 31) New England Patriots - Andre Branch DE/OLB Clemson I think New England trades this pick away, probably to a team like the Browns, Falcons or another tackle needy team willing to gamble with their 2nd round pick orpicks next year with a sliding Mike Adams being the target. However, with that being a tough prediction, I will say that if the Patriots hold onto this pick, a pass rusher would be a definite target and I think Andre Branch is the best of them left. 32) New York Giants - Doug Martin RB Boise State Ahmad Bradshaw has only played 16 games once in his five seasons in the league. The Giants would be wise to add another running back to help shoulder the load with Brandon Jacobs off to San Francisco.