1. Indianapolis Colts - Stampede Blue
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| Andrew Luck | Quarterback | Stanford: [COPY PASTE SAME TEXT EVERYONE HAS BEEN SAYING FOR MONTHS]
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2. Washington Redskins - Hogs Haven
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| Robert Griffin III | Quarterback | Baylor: The reason he isn't No. 1 is the concerns many have that, like Michael Vick, he won't be able to take a shot from a linebacker when he tries to flash that 4.41 speed in the open field. Still, it's not the type of RED ALERT concern that should make the Redskins or their fans sweat too much. RG3 is a true franchise quarterback, something the Redskins have not had since the days of Sammy Baugh.
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3. Kansas City Chiefs (from Minnesota Vikings)- Arrowhead Pride
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| Ryan Tannehill | Quarterback | Texas A&M: The value for RG3 was three first rounders and a second rounder. With this pick, the Chiefs surrender their first this year, their second this year (44th overall), and their first next year. Yes, it's a lot, but the Chiefs aren't scheduling a private workout with Tannehill just to have him over for BBQ and brews. They think he's good. Really good. The Chiefs need a true franchise quarterback now that Peyton Manning is in their division, and Tannehill might fit the bill (because Matt Cassell doesn't).
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4. Cleveland Browns - Dawgs By Nature
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| Trent Richardson | Runningback | Alabama: Once again, the Browns are left holding the bag when it comes to trading for or drafting a potential franchise quarterback. So, instead of making moves to find an elite QB, they do what everyone expects them to do. They take Richardson. Don't get me wrong. I think Richardson is a very talented back. However, in the modern NFL, talented backs don't win games. Quarterbacks do.
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| 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Bucs Nation |
| Quinton Coples | Defensive end | North Carolina: The Bucs simply could not pressure the quarterback last year, and, in a division with Drew Brees, Cam Newton, and Matt Ryan, that's a formula for failure. Coples can play linebacker or DE in the hybrid 4-3 scheme Bill Sheridan wants to run. He also impressed many at is Pro Day.
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6. Cincinnati Bengals (via St. Louis Rams) - Cincy Jungle
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| Morris Claiborne | Cornerback | LSU: The Rams have floated the idea of trading down further recently, and that's what they do here. With Matt Kalil and Morris Claiborne falling out of the top five, the Bengals seize the opportunity, trading both their 17th and 21st overall picks. Cincy has a massive need at corner, and Claiborne more than fills it. With improved secondary play, and the continued development of Andy Dalton, the Bengals appear primed to ascend in the AFC North.
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| 7. Jacksonville Jaguars - Big Cat Country |
| Matt Kalil | Offensive tackle | Southern California: After owner Shahid Khan all but hamstrung the front office with the botched attempt to trade for Tim Tebow, Jags G.M. Gene Smith practically falls out of his chair while reaching for the phone and screaming into the mouthpiece, "WRITE KALIL ON THE CARD, DAMMIT!" Kalil is a superb left tackle prospect and will make everyone forget that Smith wasted a first rounder on Eugene Monroe just four seasons ago.
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8. Miami Dolphins - The Phinsider
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| David DeCastro | Guard | Stanford: The Dolphins sit there in their war room stunned at how crazy the top seven picks have gone. With Ryan Tannehill and Quinton Coples off the board, DeCastro (arguably the best offensive linemen outside of Kalil) fills a need position along the offensive line.
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9. Carolina Panthers - Cat Scratch Reader
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| Dontari Poe | Defensive tackle | Memphis: I'll take a page out of Jaxon's recent mock draft selection for the Panthers and say they go DT here. However, Ron Rivera sprinkled some 3-4 looks into his base 4-3 defense last year. Poe is a stud 3-4 NT.
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| 10. Buffalo Bills - Buffalo Rumblings |
| Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Alabama: I think the Bills are looking to trade down from 10, but in this mock they have absolutely no reason to as the man they want ends up falling to them. Kirkpatrick is yet another key piece in Buffalo's rebuilt defense, which added mega-free agent Mario Williams in the offseason.
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| 11. Minnesota Vikings (via Kansas City) - Daily Norseman |
| Jon Martin | Offensive tackle | Stanford: Yes, staying put at No. 3 and drafting Kalil is still a great move for this franchise. However, the Vikes have holes all over their roster. Thus, trading down, taking OT Jon Martin, and getting more picks is an even better move than just taking Kalil. Understand, Martin is no where near as good as Kalil. However, Martin a huge improvement over Charlie Johnson, whose natural position is guard. The additional picks allow the Vikes to boost their secondary later on.
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12. Seattle Seahawks - Field Gulls
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| Justin Blackmon | Wide receiver | Oklahoma State: An unwillingness to run the 40 at the Combine coupled with a 4.46 time at his Pro Day (on a track noted for skewing speed results) drops Blackmon completely out of the top ten. Consensus is he is not an elite talent, ala Calvin Johnson. However, for new Seahawks QB Matt Flynn and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, he doesn't have to be. The "West Coast Offense" in Seattle is perfect for Blackmon's size and playmaking ability.
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13. Arizona Cardinals - Revenge Of The Birds
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| Riley Reiff | Offensive tackle | Iowa: It really doesn't matter who is here at No. 13 for the Cardinals. Their offensive line is garbage, and they must take the best lineman available. Reiff is that lineman.
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| 14. Dallas Cowboys - Blogging The Boys |
| Nick Perry | Outside linebacker | USC: The Cowboys need a corner, but corners are not as highly valued as pass rushers. Perry jumps ahead of Courtney Upshaw because of Pro Day performance, and because Perry projects better as a 3-4 rush linebacker.
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15. Philadelphia Eagles - Bleeding Green Nation
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| Fletcher Cox | Defensive tackle | Mississippi State: Eagles coach and personnel overlord Andy Reid loves to stock up on two things: Project quarterbacks (that he can later pawn off to dumb buyers) and defensive tackles. Cox is light-footed and quick, which is perfect for d-line coach Jim Washburn.
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16. New York Jets - Gang Green Nation
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| Courtney Upshaw | Outside linebacker | Alabama: The Jets clearly covet Upshaw as a pass rusher who can compliment Calvin Pace. Rex Ryan knows he needs to deliver the goods this year, or he's gone. They've made their bed with Tim Tebow, which means the Jets must win with defense. Thus, Upshaw.
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| 17. St. Louis Rams (via Cincinnati) - Turf Show Times |
| Michael Floyd | Wide receiver | Notre Dame: The regular season hasn't started, and already Les Snead is in the driver's seat for executive of the year. The Rams load up on more picks, drop down to pick 17, and still get what they wanted: A wide receiver with, potentially, more upside and speed than Justin Blackmon. |
18. San Diego Chargers - Bolts From The Blue
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| Luke Kuechly | Middle linebacker | Boston College: The Chargers need a middle linebacker, and with Kuechly still sitting there at No. 18, he's too good for even A.J. Smith to pass up.
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19. Chicago Bears - Windy City Gridiron
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| Coby Fleener| Tight end | Stanford: The Bears made a big trade for Brandon Marshall this offseason in a rather transparent effort to help Jay Cutler re-live his "glory days" when he was in Denver. Another element for Cutler during that time was tight end Tony Scheffler, who the Broncos eventually traded away for a bag of peanuts and a ball of lint. Fleener provides Cutler with big play ability from the tight end position, and likely has shot up most draft boards after displaying 4.45 speed at his Pro Day.
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20. Tennessee Titans - Music City Miracles
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| Melvin Ingram | Defensive end | South Carolina: The Titans are giddy as school kids with Ingram falling this far. Even though they signed Kamerion Wimbley, he has never consistently played DE in a 4-3. Ingram falling to Tennessee gives them a great pass rushing duo to built from.
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| 21. St. Louis Rams (via Cincinnati) - Turf Show Times |
| Michael Brockers | Defensive tackle | LSU: Lots of different ways the Rams can go here, which is the benefit of trading down. Jeff Fisher is a defensive-minded coach, and the Rams surrendered 4.8 yards a carry and 17 rushing TDs last year. That's not going to sit well with Fisher in 2012. With pick No. 17, they gave Sam Bradford a receiver. Here, Les Snead gives Jeff Fisher a run-stuffer.
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22. Cleveland Browns (via Atlanta Falcons) - Dawgs By Nature
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| Whitney Mercilus | Defensive end | Illinois: Cleveland botches getting a real quarterback, but they succeed in getting something else they desperately need, a pass rusher. Mercilus might be a little undersized to rush out of a 4-3 look, but his speed and talent cannot be overlooked.
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| 23. Detroit Lions - Pride Of Detroit |
| Stephon Gilmore | Cornerback | South Carolina: The Lions secondary is a joke. Look for them to go corner in the first round of the real draft. Here, they don't have to settle with potential coach-killing head case Janoris Jenkins. Gilmore flashed 4.40 speed at the Combine, which is impressive for a 6'0 corner. |
24. San Francisco 49ers (via Pittsburgh) - Niners Nation
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| Cordy Glenn | Offensive tackle/guard | Georgia: Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers send their No. 30 pick and their second rounder this year (61st overall) to move up seven spots in an effort to shore up a big need position along their offensive line. One could argue that this team, and not the Patriots, was the second best club in pro football last year. Adding Glenn provides stability and versatility along the o-line.
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| 25. Denver Broncos - Mile High Report |
| Peter Konz | Center | Wisconsin: Lots of people have Denver going defense here, and I agree. That makes sense. However, if John Elway truly has no "Plan B" after he roped in Peyton Manning, then protecting Manning has to be the franchise's No. 1 priority. Elway failed to sign Jeff Saturday, Manning's former center in Indy. Thus, he goes with Konz.
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26. Houston Texans - Battle Red Blog
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| Dont'a Hightower | Middle linebacker | Alabama: Everyone and their mother has the Texans taking a wide receiver at this pick. I'll be different solely for the sake of being so. Defense got the Texans into the playoffs last year, and I think they'll continue to ride that until it gives out on them (or, until they realize Matt Schaub is an injury prone, mediocre QB). Hightower falling this far is purely the result of teams valuing quarterbacks and pass rushers over anything else. He also provides a significant upgrade over DeMeco Ryans, who Houston just traded to Philly this offseason. |
27. New England Patriots (via New Orleans Saints) - Pats Pulpit
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| Devon Still | Defensive tackle | Penn State: The annoyingly patient Patriots simply sit and wait while everyone else trades for need players. At pick 27, Devon Still falls into their lap, a defensive tackle for a team that really needs better interior line play to compliment Vince Wilfork. Remember, the Pats play more of a 4-3 base defense now, and Still offers Bill Belichick more options along his front.
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| 28. Green Bay Packers - Acme Packing Company |
| Jamell Fleming | Cornerback | Oklahoma: Eli Manning and the Giants flat out OWN the Packers. Part of the reason they do is the Pack secondary simply isn't that good anymore. Charles Woodson needs to be moved to safety, and youth needs to be injected into the corner position. Fleming impressed scouts at both the Senior Bowl and at the Scouting Combine. He is also known as an excellent man coverage corner, which is critical for a 3-4 team like the Packers. |
29. Baltimore Ravens - Baltimore Beatdown
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| Mark Barron | Safety | Alabama: Baltimore lost reliable back-up Tom Zbikowski to free agency, and Ed Reed ain't getting any younger. Barron has injury concerns with his recent back ailments, but he would not need to come in and start right away. The Ravens can ease him into their defense, allowing him to spell the coverage-gimped Bernard Pollard.
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| 30. Pittsburgh Steelers (via San Francisco)- Behind the Steel Curtain |
| Mike Adams | Offensive tackle | Ohio State: Pittsburgh drops down later into the first round, and they end up getting exactly what they wanted, an offensive tackle. Adams is not an elite talent, but in Pittsburgh he doesn't have to be. They need someone, ANYONE, with talent to help protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
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| 31. Philadelphia Eagles (via New England)- Bleeding Green Nation |
| Kelechi Osemele | Offensive tackle/guard | Iowa State: The Eagles and Patriots always trade with each other. Jason Brewer and I think they made a useless trade last year just to keep the streak alive! The Patriots also seem to always trade their late-first round picks. So, why not kill two birds (Ha! Get it? Birds? Eagles? Me is witty) with one stone? Philly re-signed Evan Mathis, which was a big move for them. Here, they give Howard Mudd another versatile tackle-guard to yell out.
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32. New York Giants - Big Blue View
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| Alshon Jeffery | Wide receiver | South Carolina: Giants G.M. Jerry Reese is the best personnel man in football. He also has a lot of success drafting wide receivers. With Mario Manningham gone, and with Victor Cruz likely to get used more as a primary receiver, the Giants need to get someone like Jeffery who will continue to make teams (like the Patriots) pay for doubling Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. |
