Thursday, April 28, 2011

2011 NFL Mock Draft (The Finale)

"We was fined 50 dollars and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but that's not what I came to tell you about...I came to talk about the draft."

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Bruins baby! Alright now! Huge, huge win not only for the 2011 Bruins, but for the Bruins en general. Tim Thomas and the B's were notoriously horrendous in Game 7's, but this is not the year that history is going to hold us back (at least that's my take on it). So I'm on whatever's higher than Cloud Nine right now...and it's DRAFT DAY BABY!!! Oh man! What a day. I have to work tonight, so I'm going to be living in DVR land, but it's all good right now. Here comes the last installation...

  1. Carolina- Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: I'll be stunned if this doesn't happen...you have to know borderline Panther fans are waiting for a reason to get out and support this team...and here's the guy who can at least get people interested in the Panthers. Sure, Marcell Dareus and Patrick Peterson have excellent cases for going #1, but it seems like you're going to have to do an awful lot to slow Newton down (at least on the field), and the Panthers have to make a franchise-altering pick here.
  2. Denver- Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M: Again, Denver is a huge winner because they addressed their QB issues last year, now they have their choice of Miller, Peterson or Dareus here. Once Champ Bailey got locked up, Denver's need for a CB went way down (even though they still may take one down the line). I think Dareus has a better grade, but everyone out of Denver is saying Miller is their guy, and it's tough to argue with that.
  3. Buffalo- Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama: If ever there was a "steal" at #3, this is it.
  4. Cincinnati- A.J. Green, WR, Georgia: I think he's a great player, but this is high for him all things considered. Cincy is in desperation mode trying to change the entire philosophy of what they do, because clearly everything has come to head there.
  5. Arizona- Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU: It seems like everything, including free agency, may be in its right place very soon. If they go Gabbert here, it's an indication that they don't believe they can get that vet QB that they probably want to go to, whether that be Donovan McNabb or trading for Kevin Kolb...I heard a rumor about Philly trading Kolb and #24 to 'Zona for #5, which would make the Peterson pick here even more of a lock.
  6. Cleveland- Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: If Peterson goes in the top 5, this has got to be where the Browns are heading. I think Jones needs to come into the league with a chip on his shoulder because people (like me) are questioning his motor.
  7. San Francisco- Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri: This will be the final piece of the "we f%#*ed up the Alex Smith/Aaron Rodgers decision" puzzle...and I don't even know if this one will work out either.
  8. Tennessee- Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina: I had Fairley here for a while, but I get the suspicion he's going to be following Da'Quan Bowers in terms of a #1 guy at the end of the season, but once tape and medical history come out, they start falling. Quinn has a brain tumor, which would seem to be a big red flag, but he's been cleared, and right now, he's the best hybrid lineman in the draft. The Titans are also prime candidates to do something wild here like go QB (which would mean Jake Locker)...keep an eye on that.
  9. Dallas- Cameron Jordan, DE/DT, California: No non-QB has as much buzz going on about him right now more than Jordan. I had J.J. Watt here, and it's entirely possible that who goes here, but from what I'm hearing, Jordan getting out of the top 10 would be surprising right now.
  10. Washington- Tyron Smith, OT, Southern Cal: I said in my last one to watch out for Smith here, and with their big targets (Julio Jones, Robert Quinn) off the board, it's time to focus on the line.
  11. Houston- Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri: They're talking about Smith, who right now stands at about 265 lbs., getting up to 280 for next season...that is a scary proposition. Very tough decision for the Texans here. They've been rumored to be looking to get into the top 5 to get Peterson, or if they stay here, they have a chance to get Prince Amukamara. In my mind though, I'm thinking about Wade Phillips, and I can't get over the idea that he wants to get the pass rush, 3-4 hybrid player here.
  12. Minnesota- Jake Locker, QB, Washington: Locker is the lightning rod this year. I think people are starting to remember that 1.) this guy was the hands-down unanimous #1 guy last year, and 2.) after the Nebraska debacle, Locker was arguably the best QB in the country, including the revenge victory against the 'Huskers in the Holiday Bowl. Locker turned down a chance to be the #1 player in the draft to finish school and play one more year of college ball...there's a lot to be said about that.
  13. Detroit- Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska: The draft will have to go exactly how I have it, or very close to it, for Prince to get down this far to Detroit. If I'm in that Lions' war room, I would have to be thinking about moving up to get Prince, and I'm targeting San Fran at #7 as the spot to move into.
  14. St. Louis- Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn: The biggest loser of the process right now is Fairley, who was slotted to Carolina by everyone two months ago, and now falls out of the top 10 in this scenario. Not saying it's right, but that's how it is. This mock is about where players are going to go, not where they should...trust me, this would look a whole lot different if that were the case.
  15. Miami- Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida: A guard in the top 15? My how things have changed. What's even crazier is that teams may be looking to move up to get Pouncey (including a certain team that plays in Foxboro).
  16. Jacksonville- Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue: The Jags need to go with a defensive end here, and all signs point to Kerrigan as being a guy they're big on.
  17. New England- Anthony Costanzo, OT, Boston College: There is a large possibility that the Pats could be looking to move up, and while it probably won't be for Mike Pouncey (although it would make sense), it could definitely be for Cameron Jordan, whose name has become heavily intertwined with New England for almost the entire month it seems.
  18. San Diego- J.J. Watt, DE/DT, Wisconsin: Huge value pick here if it goes down. Lots of people have Watt going to Dallas at #9, so snagging him in the second half of the first round would be great for the Bolts.
  19. New York Giants- Nate Solder, OT, Colorado: Nothing changes here. Insert best offensive tackle on the board here.
  20. Tampa Bay- Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson: The knee injury is a big-time red flag, but I'm reading that the Bucs absolutely love this guy, and if you ever watched him strap it up, you can see where they're coming from.
  21. Kansas City- Justin Houston, OLB/DE, Georgia: He's big enough that he can play with a hand down, but quick enough to play standing up...plain and simply put: this is my guy.
  22. Indianapolis- Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin: See #19's explanation.
  23. Philadelphia- Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State: Philly's going O-line or CB here, so the question is how much are they valuing the CB's that are left? They want to move up and take one of the top 2 guys (Peterson and Prince), but if they can't make that happen, either Carimi or Sherrod will be here, and while it's not the most glamorous pick, Philly's offensive line needs a lot of help (which would have been more evident if Michael Vick was a pocket passer, which thankfully, he isn't).
  24. New Orleans- Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois: Again, it's tough to have Liuget down here when I have a strange suspicion that he goes higher than this...seriously, how good is this defensive crop?
  25. Seattle- Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado: I had QB here for a long, long time, but now I'm thinking that guys like Christian Ponder, Ryan Mallett, and Colin Kaepernick will be there in the second round, and the 'Hawks will be one of those teams burning up the phone on Friday to move up and take one.
  26. Baltimore- Brandon Harris, CB, Miami: Sticking with Harris here, and just in case you needed a reminder, it's all about the U.
  27. Atlanta- Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland: Smith or Kyle Rudolph, the TE from Notre Dame here.
  28. New England- Muhammad Wilkerson, DE/DT, Temple: Wilkerson is one of the guys that the Pats could be targeting if they don't end up with Cam Jordan...I know I said there's a possibility that we could go Mark Ingram either here or at #33...call me a bad person, but I really don't want to see that happen. You can get Ryan Williams or DeMarco Murray in the third round, and I see both of them being as productive, if not more than Ingram.
  29. Chicago- Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina: The Bears want to go tackle here, but there's no one left that really has a first round grade. You can think about Ben Ijalana here, but he seems to project better at guard. They have nothing up the middle with Tommie Harris gone, so Austin would be a good value/need pick here.
  30. New York Jets- Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor: It's gotta be defense here. I've said all along that the Jets are trying to get their Vince Wilfork in the middle of the 3-4, so look for them to go Taylor or Stephen Paea here.
  31. Pittsburgh- Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor: Back-to-back for Baylor. Secondary could be addressed here (Aaron Williams comes to mind), but when it comes down to it, the Steelers really need help up front.
  32. Green Bay- Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA: Whatever Green Bay does here, they're probably going to get a guy who should have gone in the 20s, but because they can sit back and watch the drama unfold, someone is going to fall through the cracks.
  33. New England- Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona: Reed is a guy who has been lost in the shuffle in terms of hype simply due to the fact that the draft is so incredibly stacked with blue-chip defensive prospects (namely D-linemen) that guys like Ayers and Reed, who would be closer to the top 20, are falling back.
The back end of this draft could potentially be completely insane, and it all revolves around QBs. Andy Dalton is almost a lock to be taken in the first round by a team attempting to trade back into the first (Cincy would be the favorites). I would say the ripple effect starts with, of course, your New England Patriots at #28, but it could start even earlier with Kansas City at #21.

One final thought: I really hope the Pats get Mark Herzlich, and it's not even because he's a great story, but he's back at 100%, and when he's at 100%, it's tough to find a better linebacker than him. Plus, he's going to be there in the third round, so there's some great value there. Here are some more guys I really hope we're targeting:
  • Tyrod Taylor, QB, Virginia Tech
  • DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma
  • Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech
  • Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
  • Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami
  • Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
  • Randall Cobb, WR, Kentucky
  • Greg Salas, WR, Hawaii
  • Allen Bailey, DE, Miami
  • Dontay Moch, OLB, Nevada
  • Greg Jones, ILB, Michigan State
  • Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia
  • Buster Skrine, CB, Chattanooga
  • Marcus Gilchrist, S, Clemson
  • Tyler Sash, S, Iowa
Alright everyone. Have a tremendous draft weekend, and one more time:

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! BRUINS!!!!!

Haha, have a good one guys. Peace.

~Mell-o

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