NFL Mock draft... Thoughts?

[JockPostDT]

Would love to hear some opinions on my mock draft.


Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck. QB, Stanford. Lost in all the RG3 combine hype was the athleticism of Andrew Luck. A 4.6 40-yard dash, 36” vertical jump and 10’4” broad jump would have been the talk of the town if it weren’t for the charismatic track star from Baylor. Luck is the quintessential franchise quarterback prospect and will go off the board first overall.

Washington Redskins- Robert Griffin III. QB, Baylor. In the mock draft that I did for JockPost.com (http://jockpost.com/2012-nfl-mock-draft-post-combine/), I had RG3 going to the Browns, but wouldn’t be shocked if Dan Snyder and the Redskins are willing to give up more. Though his combine speed and athleticism were unmatched, the tape shows that this kid is so much more. RG3 can fit the ball in tight spots with a big arm, and is a magician with his feet. The price will be high... but the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.

Minnesota Vikings- Matt Kalil. OT, USC. Kalil dominated the Pac-12 conference this year and at 6’7”, 305 pounds has the build to be a franchise left tackle in the NFL for the next decade. If the Vikings expect Christian Ponder to produce, they need to protect him... and no better way than to secure this big hog.

Cleveland Brown- Morris Claiborne. CB, LSU. The Cleveland Browns offense was monumentally bad last year, which is why this pick may come as a surprise to some. I believe the Browns will go with the best player available on their board, and in this case it is Mo Claiborne. Pairing Claiborne with Joe Haden gives the Browns a formidable secondary in an ever-evolving pass happy league.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Trent Richardson. RB, Alabama. I know the trend is to avoid running backs early... but Richardson is the exception to the rule. Richardson is powerful and fast. Possesses an explosive first burst with great vision. Greg Schiano finds his bell-cow in Richardson, who can step in right away as a 3-down running back and produce.

St. Louis Rams- Justin Blackmon. WR, OK State. Not a bad day for the Rams... drop 4 spots, pick up a hand full of extra picks, and snag the guy you wanted to begin with. Blackmon is a compact big man, if that makes sense. Blackmon has a thick frame with hands as big as catchers mitts. Competitive and aggressive, Blackmon will be a nice weapon for Sam Bradford.

Jacksonville Jaguars- Riley Reiff. OT, Iowa. While there are many directions that the Jags can go at 7, I see them taking Rieff, a skilled tackle who will contribute immediately and extensively. A former tight end, Reiff has athleticism to spare and should be able to keep up with those AFC South pass rushers.

Miami Dolphins- Quinton Coples. DE, UNC. The Dolphins will be moving to a 4-3 defense, and this pick gives them an outside pass rusher that they’ve been looking for. Coples impressed at the Senior Bowl, and will ride that momentum to a top ten selection.

Carolina Panthers- Dontari Poe. DT, Memphis. The Panthers couldn’t stop the run last year, and adding a physical freak like Poe should help full that void. Poe crashed the scene in Indianapolis with one of the most impressive combines in recent years. With some questions surrounding Penn State DT Devin Still, don’t be surprised to see the Panthers reach for Poe at nine.

Buffalo Bills- Courtney Upshaw. DE, Alabama. Last year, the Bills snagged Marcel Dareus, and I expect them to stay on the defense side of the ball and scoop up Upshaw this year. Upshaw has the athleticism to play up or down, giving the Bills some versatility.

Kansas City Chiefs- Jonathan Martin. OT, Stanford. Current Kansas City right tackle Barry Richardson is one of the slowest players in the NFL, so bringing in Martin seems like a no brainer at this point in the draft. Martin immediately upgrades the offensive line, and should make an impact from day one.

Seattle Seahawks- Luke Kuchely. LB, BC. Showed up big time at the combine, and the tape shows this kid is an instinctive player. Kuchely isn’t a physical freak, but he is a football player and will fill the need in Seattle if David Hawthorne isn’t brought back.

Arizona Cardinals- David DeCastro. OG, Stanford. DeCastro displayed strength, athleticism and smarts at the combine making this an easy pick for the Cardinals. 6’5”, 310 pounds with a mean streak, DeCastro should help the Cardinal running game right away.

Dallas Cowboys- Dre’ Kirkpatrick. CB, Alabama. A 6’ corner with elite speed falling to number 14? Sign Jerry Jones up. Kirkpatrick may have some character issues, but a proven SEC corner is a tough thing to pass on when you need some serious help in the secondary.

Philadelphia Eagles- Devon Still. DT, Penn State. When you run the “wide nine” defense, your defensive tackles better be able to play. The 6’5” Still brings a big, physically impressive presence to the middle of the Eagles front seven who should occupy multiple blockers.

New York Jets- Melvin Ingram. DE, South Carolina. Ingram is a pass rusher, plain and simple. His aggressive style of play will fit in well with the Jets, and continue to make that defense one of the most feared in the league.

Cincinnati Bengals- Janoris Jenkins. CB, North Alabama. Jenkins is the “Double Zero” on the roulette table in Vegas. High risk, high reward. A multitude of off-the-field issues won’t be enough to sway the Bengals from Jenkins, who is one of the more talented players in the draft.

San Diego Chargers- Nick Perry. DE, USC. The Pac-12 leader in sacks gets to stay in Southern California to help the Bolts floundering defense. While offensive line is a serious need as well, I don’t see the Chargers reaching for any of the tackles left on the board at this point.

Chicago Bears- Michael Floyd. WR, Notre Dame. At 6’3, 220 pounds, Michael Floyd showed exceptional speed at the combine running a 4.47 40-yard dash. Since running into some off the field issues, Floyd looks to have re-dedicated himself to his craft and should provide a nice target for Jay Cuter in the Windy City.

Tennessee Titans- Whitney Mercilus. DE, Illinois. The Titans finished next-to-last in the NFL last year in sacks, so Marcilus will be a practical pick. The kid is big at 6’4”, 270 pounds but has an extremely quick first step and should fit nicely in the Titans scheme.

Cincinnati Bengals- Lamar Miller. RB, Miami. Truth be told, this is my guy. I am very high on Lamar Miller, and feel the Bengals get an elite Pro-Bowl caliber running back at 21. Elite straight line speed, Miller will be a big play threat and could be slotted to start right away in Cincinnati if Cedric Benson is no longer around.

Cleveland Browns- Ryan Tannehill. QB, Texas A&M. Tannehill is a natural athlete with only 19 college starts under his belt. With that said, he potential is very intriguing. Not nearly as “game-ready” as the first two signal callers off the board, but will fit in nicely to Pat Shurmur’s west coast offense.

Detroit Lions- Dont’a Hightower. LB, Alabama. The Lions primary need is a quality inside linebacker, and Hightower fits the bill. At 6’4” and 260 pounds, Hightower should be able to hold up against the run, but has the feet and balance to drop into coverage when asked.

Pittsburgh Steelers- Colby Fleener. TE, Stanford. With the departure of Hines Ward, Fleener steps in as an over-the-middle presence for Big Ben and the Steelers passing attack, while also displaying the physical capabilities to run block for the Black and Yellow. Fleener stands 6’6” and will add another dimension to this offense.

Denver Broncos- Michael Bockers. DT, LSU. Large bodied but deceptively quick, Bockers can plug up the run while also getting to the quarterback. Even more importantly, Bockers will eat blockers allowing Bronco stud Von Miller to do what he does best.

Houston Texans- Kendall Wright. WR, Baylor. The speedster Wright gives Matt Schaub another weapon at his disposal. Wright has the ability to stretch the field, opening up an already spectacular running game and allowing Andre Johnson to work over the middle.

New England Patriots- Mark Barron. Safety, Alabama. Barron is the best safety in the draft, and fills a need for the Patriots who’s secondary has been suspect to say the least. While many would like to see Tom Terrific get a big play wide out to throw to, I ask you this... was the offense the problem in New England?

Green Bay Packers- Peter Konz. C, Wisconsin. Scott Wells, their current beast of a center, is a free agent. If they aren’t able to get him back in camp, look for Konz to come off the board here. Konz, the best center in the class, would be tested early and often as his pass blocking is slightly less impressive than his run blocking.

Baltimore Ravens- Zach Brown. LB, UNC. Brown is an athletic linebacker that will be able to learn from some of the best in the business. Hits hard and tackles well, but may be most impressive in coverage. A great pick for the Ravens this late in the draft.

San Francisco 49ers- Stephen Hill. WR, Ga Tech. Hill showed up big time at the combine, and is rewarded with a first round selection. The 6’5” wideout with blazing speed gives Alex Smith a vertical threat, which should open up the offense across the board.

New England Patriots- Andre Branch. DE, Clemson. Addressing the defense with both picks in the first round, Branch gives the Pats a versatile defensive player that can play up or down. Tremendous potential here, and who better to bring it to the surface than the Hoodie.

New York Giants- Mike Adams. OT, Ohio State. Despite a poor combine, Mike Adams has the potential to be a dominant offensive lineman in the NFL. Opposing defenses got to Eli a lot more than Tom Coughlin would like, so snagging this 6’8” 320 pound monster at the end of round one seems like a no brainer.

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I can't think of anything more discouraging as a Browns fan to see this happen...Pass on RGIII and leave the draft with yet another "also ran" QB not capable of getting this to even a .500 club. More and more years of mediocrity.

[NJKV]

"The Redskins are reportedly willing to trade both their 2012 and 2013 first-round picks, but don't want to part with their 2012 second-rounder, which "isn’t acceptable to the Rams." The Dolphins reportedly "aren't eager to do business with the Rams" after being spurned by coach Jeff Fisher. There's also "no chance" of a trade with the Seahawks because the Rams don't want to face Baylor's Robert Griffin III in the division. If the Browns hold fast on not dealing their second first-round pick — their trump card on the rest of the league in any potential trade — it's worth questioning if they were ever serious about moving up to select RGIII." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

That doesn't sound encouraging for the Browns to make the trade.

As for the OP, good mock for the most part. It is one of the more unique ones. I like when people think outside the box.

[JockPostDT]

I can't think of anything more discouraging as a Browns fan to see this happen...Pass on RGIII and leave the draft with yet another "also ran" QB not capable of getting this to even a .500 club. More and more years of mediocrity.

I couldn't agree more. Would be absolutely deflating.

[melish1631]

Steelers will be taking one of the the 3 positions in Round 1...NT/DT, OG and ILB! TE is definitely not in the cards...maybe in the b4th or 5th round