1. St. Louis- DT- Ndamukon Suh- Neb
Mock Draft 1.0
- Yes the Rams need a quarterback but players like Suh can take over a game. Can the same be said for Clausen or Bradford? Suh is a can’t miss prospect and St. Louis cannot miss on this pick. Suh will immediately make the rest of the players on that defense better.
2. Detroit- DT- Gerald McCoy- Okl
- Missing out on Suh will be a big disappointment for the Lions but McCoy will be a nice addition to a terrible Lions defense. Some will argue that Berry is the better player but the Lions really need help along the defensive front. Having a safety tandem of Berry and Delmas is a luxury this poor Lions team just can’t have.
3. Tampa Bay- DE- Derrick Morgan- Ga Tech
- The Tampa Bay defensive line needs an infusion of talent. Morgan will have an impact with his pass rush but also his ability to play the run. Berry would be a nice pick here but Tampa Bay will elect to stand pat with their secondary. Secondary’s benefit from a good pass rush and that is why Tampa will pass on Berry.
4. Washington- OT- Russell Okung- Okl St
- Shanahan will be tempted to take the sexy pick with either Clausen or Bradford but he knows that a strong offensive line is the key to a good offense. Shanahan has made due with quarterbacks like Jake Plummer so maybe Jason Campbell sticks around. However, look for the Redskins to add a quarterback later in the draft.
5. Kansas City- S- Eric Berry- Tenn
- The Chief fans are running through the streets naked because Berry fell to them. Berry is arguably the best player in the draft and he fell to pick #5. Unfortunately for Berry the safety position is just not valued as much as tackles and a good pass rush. Berry’s misfortune is Kansas City’s gain.
6. Seattle- OT- Anthony Davis- Rut
- The athletic Davis is going to really impress teams with his workouts. He has a lot of upside and offensive line is a major need for Seattle. A major factor with this pick is going to be the hiring of a new GM. A new GM could look to go with a quarterback for the future.
7. Cleveland- CB- Joe Haden- Fla
- Cleveland has a lot of needs but a good cover cornerback could help the defense tremendously. I don’t see Holmgren drafting a quarterback, look for him to either trade for a quarterback or develop one of quarterbacks on the existing roster. A sleeper pick here might be C.J. Spiller. Spiller has tons of speed and has been compared to Chris Johnson so depending on 40 time numbers Spiller could sky rocket up team’s draft boards.
8. Oakland- DT- Brian Price- UCLA
- Offensive line and quarterback are the biggest need for the Raiders. Unfortunately, owner Al Davis doesn’t see quarterback as a need. This is highlighted with the talk about replacing Coach Tom Cable. It would be a real stretch to choose any of the available tackles so defensive line is the next position to upgrade. Unless you see the Raiders admitting a mistake last year and choose Dez Bryant with this pick (highly unlikely).
9. Buffalo- QB- Jimmy Clausen- ND
- Fitzpatrick and Brohm are not the long term solution at the position. A left tackle would be a nice pick but there are not worthy of the #9 pick. Clausen will immediately be the best quarterback on the roster and could start from day 1. This might be a little low for the first quarterback to come off the board but injuries (Clausen-toe, Bradford-shoulder) are going to limit the quarterbacks’ chances of impressing at workouts. While players like Price, Haden, Morgan, and Davis will all see their stock rise due to being able to display their athletic ability.
10. (X) Denver (from Chicago)- QB- Sam Bradford- Okl
- Kyle Orton had a nice season but he is not the future quarterback for this team. Bradford fits McDaniel’s system. McDaniel’s offense is all about precision and runs a lot of shotgun sets, which are both strong suits for Bradford.
11. (X) Jacksonville- DE- Jason Pierre-Paul- USF
- Jacksonville missed with Derrick Harvey and Quenton Groves but they still need a pass rush and will hope Pierre-Paul could provide this. Jacksonville has proved in the past that they will go with need over best available. If the Jags win the coin toss and pick before Denver they will still go with Pierre-Paul. Coach Del Rio is in a win now mode and a quarterback of the future doesn’t provide that.
12. Miami- WR- Dez Bryant- Okl St
- Dez will be the playmaker Ted Ginn Jr. is not. Having someone to stretch the field and make plays in the passing game will really open things up for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.
13. San Francisco- S- Earl Thomas- Tex
- Coach Singletary will fight the urge to go with hard hitting Taylor Mays but in the end he will see Thomas is much more of a playmaker. Thomas is much better in the passing game where San Francisco needs a lot of help.
14. Seattle(from Denver)- RB- C.J. Spiller- Clem
- Julius Jones is not the answer and Justin Forsett is a good complementary back but Spiller could be a major game changer. Seattle needs some offensive fire power and Spiller gives them something they lack, unlimited speed.
15. New York Giants- LB- Rolando McClain- Ala
- How lucky are the Giants? McClain is a top 10 talent that slips to No. 15 because middle linebacker is not a major need of the teams ahead of them. McClain takes over for Antonio Pierce, whose injury and legal troubles will force him out of New York.
16. (X) San Francisco (from Carolina)- OT- Trent Williams- Okl
- Trent Williams slid to No. 16 because he may never develop into a left tackle. But this is not an issue for the 49ers who have Joe Staley at left tackle and will use Trent Williams at right tackle where he could be dominant.
17. (X) Tennessee- LB- Navarro Bowman- PSU
- Bowman will be a major contributor right away for the Titians. There are a lot of questions about Keith Bullocks career and Bowman can be his replacement.
18. Pittsburgh- S- Taylor Mays- USC
- Mays fits right into the Steelers mentality. He also fits a need for the Steelers. With Ryan Clark injury prone Mays can come right in and add another intimidating safety to compliment Troy Polamalu.
19. (X) Atlanta- CB- Patrick Robinson- Fla St
- Atlanta needs help at the corner position and Robinson is going rise after the combine results. Anyone that could run down Noel Devine is really fast. Not only is Robinson fast he can also cover and support in the running game.
20. (X) Houston- DT- Dan Williams- Tenn
- Houston needs a replacement for Dan Cody and Williams can fill that role. Houston may have some defensive back and offensive line needs but Williams is the best player available at the positions of need.
(X) Order to be determined by coin flip
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